Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Short Wednesday for ya'll; guest speaker after school for me. And, apropos of nothing--Project Runway is on tonight.*

Gifted English II (Sophys): Our first reading day for The Count of Monte-Cristo! After featuring Alexandre Dumas as our A of D, you will have an opportunity to spread out and read. Your first reading quiz is next week, so read. You may bring a beverage, a pillow, or whatever stuffed animal makes you feel comfortable when you read. This book is so, so awesome--not the greatest literature of all time, certainly, but well-plotted and well-paced, and very exciting. Do you like pirates? Revenge? Escapes from horrible traps? Ladies in tight corsets? This novel is what even allowed the revenge genre to flourish, so read, read, read.

APees: More ORex and related concepts. We have intensive reading to do with ORex.

Word of the Day: hegemony (noun): the leadership of one state over its allies. (Even though this is a political definition, can you see its symbolic significance regarding any human relationship?)

NOTE: Derek H. in fifth suggested another word for Word of the Day: Magnanimous: Adjective: lofty and king-like

*A brief commentary regarding Project Runway: I am not a fan of the so-called "reality" genre, but I love Project Runway. Part of my fixation is an ongoing fascination with fashion, but most of it is related to how much of a meritocracy this contest is compared to others where people are voted off of islands or have the audience post votes. Each week, contestants are given ridiculous creative challenges, time limits, and budgets, and have to "make it work" with limited resources. I think it's analagous to the writing process itself--you come up with a concept, sketch it out, fit the concept to your dressmaker's form, work with the fabric, edit, edit, edit, and then sell the final product with a human being sashaying down a catwalk. See the analogy? You come up with a concept, prewrite it in graphic form, mess with the ideas, write, write, rewrite, edit, tinker, submit. . .it's the same thing, but one is on TV and one is just in a classroom. Oh, Project Runway, how I love thee.