Discovering Your Inner Poet

My literature students greatly enjoyed this Matt Groening cartoon (from his "Life in Hell" series), especially after suffering through a month-long poetry unit (it really wasn't that bad, was it, guys?). Thought I would share it here for all of the tortured, introspective, artistic types that frequent this blog. Come on, admit it: there's a sensitive poet lurking inside every one of us. All he or she needs to come out is for each of us to embrace that sensitivity (or neurosis, as the case may be).

How I Spent My Memorial Day Weekend

Well, most of it, anyway. For a number of years now in our house, this weekend has been synonymous with the Chicago Open, a chess tournament that in spite of its name is an international draw. The tournament began on Friday night and concludes today; I played driver and chaperone for the first three days, with my husband taking over today (the first day of his long-anticipated sabbatical!).

I'm not complaining, mind you; in the last three days I have had more time to think, plan, and ponder than I have had all year. What else is there to do at a chess tournament when you are not the one playing chess? It has been wonderful, except for the fact that the location was changed this year from a venue within a half hour's drive of our house to one that is an hour away. Ouch--why now, with gas in Chicagoland currently costing more than anywhere else in the country?

For those of my readers who may have wondered, just what is one of these tournaments like? here's your answer. Below is an approximately 1-1/2 minute video of the beginning of last night's round. It begins with the sound of the TD's (tournament director's) voice making announcements, then skips forward to a couple of minutes later when the round starts. Notice how much quieter the room suddenly becomes. I quickly scanned the room to give an idea of the scope of the event, and then tried to zoom in on Trevor without getting close enough to distract him.

Please don't fall off your chair with excitement.

What Kind of Shoe Are You?

You Are Clogs

You Are Clogs

You are a solid and down to earth person. You seek and almost always achieve a really sound balance in your life. You are stylish yet comfortable. Mellow but driven. Excited yet calm. You are the perfect mesh of contradictions. No matter what happens, you have the ability to stay well grounded in your life. People know that they can truly depend on you. You should live: In Europe You should work: At a company dedicated to helping the world

What Kind of Shoe Are You?

HT: Mumme Mom

Gasoline, Terrorism, and the Presidency

According to this news report, the average price of gasoline in Chicago is the highest in the nation.

Tell me about it. I live in Chicago. Every time I go to fill up my van I feel sick to my stomach. My husband and I are now paying over $70 per vehicle for a tank of gas.

I have never had a very good understanding of all the factors that influence how much we pay at the pump. But it is an understatement to say that recent developments have heightened my interest. So I was doing some searching for answers and came across this story stating that back in 1999 gasoline was actually selling for less than $1/gallon. Huh? Can that be right? From $1 to over $4 in less than 10 years? What is going on here?

Then it hit me. It's an election year. In November Americans will choose a new president, and on the issue of homeland security the difference in candidates is dramatic. I don't applaud all that President Bush has done, but he has my undying gratitude for keeping me and my loved ones safe from terrorists since that gut-wrenching day in September of 2001. John McCain, if elected, will enforce policies designed to continue that record of safety. Those who would like to hurt us know this and would much rather face a President Obama or Clinton than a President McCain. What better way to have an impact on this country's upcoming election than to send gasoline prices spiraling out of control right before the election? Panicked Americans who are looking for something they can do to effect a change will latch on to the presidency as a scapegoat: there's a Republican in the White house, so it must be his fault. Let's get a Democrat in there and see if things get better.

The reasoning is, of course, utterly flawed and in my opinion would be playing into our enemies' hands. But my fear is that many Americans will buy into it. And I will wake up on a cold day in January of 2009 and feel even less safe than I do today. And oil prices will probably go down for a while. But it will just mean OPEC has gotten the best of us again.

Here are several articles I found suggesting ways we can loosen OPEC's puppet-like control of us. The one by Rich Lowry is 7 years old but still seems quite applicable to me.

"Breaking OPEC's Grip" by Robert Zubrin

"Really Big Oil: While Fighting Terrorism, Fight OPEC, Too" by Rich Lowry

"The Oil Price Conspiracy" by Jack (that's all, just Jack)

Summer Vacation

Yesterday was the final meeting of our homeschool literature class. We had a great year, studying elements of fiction, drama and poetry and reading a broad range of works from authors as varied as William Shakespeare, George Orwell, O Henry, William Golding, e.e. cummings, and Robert Frost. I enjoyed my time with these students immensely--teaching them was what I had always envisioned teaching to be but what my classroom experience never bore out. They actually read the material, completed their assignments, and exhibited an interest in carrying on meaningful discussions, all while treating their instructor and one another with kindness and respect. And they did all of this without the need for carrots or sticks! Such a great year called for a celebration, so yesterday we left the books on the dining room table and enjoyed some outdoor time, officially kicking off the beginning of summer vacation (even though you wouldn't know if from the nighttime temperatures here in Chicagoland).

Next year we will take up a chronological survery of "Masterpieces of World Literature." I'm already looking forward to it and hope they are, too. Until then, here is a peek at the best literature class I have ever had the honor of teaching:

A New U.S. Chess Champion!

Grandmaster Yury Shulman won the U.S. Chess Championship today after quickly drawing his opponent, Josh Friedel. The draw gave Yury clear first place and earned Mr. Friedel his final GM norm.

You can read and see more here and here.

Congratulations, Yury! We are celebrating with you here in Chicagoland!

Go Yury!

Our family has been closely following the U.S. Chess Championship this week, currently under way in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Our interest, which arises primarily from my oldest son's heavy involvement in competitive chess, is heightened right now due to the fact that going into today's final round his chess coach Yury Shulman is in clear first place and no matter what happens can do no worse than a tie for first. Yury has been my son's teacher, mentor and friend for several years now, and we can't think of a better, kinder, more gentlemanly role model for today's young chess players. We wish "good chess" to all who are playing today, but our hearts are with Yury.

You can see a photo of Yury and read more about the tournament here (once you click on the link, you can also pull up previous articles on the tournament by clicking on them at the right).