Monthly Archives: July 2011

August 3 in 30

Well, I’m NOT finished revision, and trying not to be discouraged about that. I didn’t count on how busy some of the days ended up being, and simply didn’t have the time needed to get it done. The truth is, some of our days filled up after my plans were made, and it was beyond my control.

However, it’s a new month. I’m going to try to be much more realistic, partly because we’re moving this month, two days after I return from the writer’s conference I was given a scholarship to. Technically, all I need to have revised really well for the conference is the first chapter. I’ll continue to work to get as much of it done as possible, but I’m not going to pressure myself.

Here are my goals for August:

Prepare for the move – We’ve been living in temporary housing, and we’re moving to another house, but the same sort of situation. The kids are really excited, though, because this place is in the country. I don’t have furniture to move–just stuff, and my packing method involves a lot of big garbage bags and recycling bins. We have to pare down again in eventual preparation for China.
Prepare for the writer’s conference – This will involve more revision, some work on my synopsis and some query letters, as well as the usual packing, etc. Ideally, there’s a magazine article I’d like to write a query for as well.
Plan out the 2011-2011 school year – I’ve ordered the Well-Planned Day, and I’m going to swing into full planning mode once I’m back from the conference, and the move is complete. All my curriculum is chosen, most of it is purchased. I just need to get it all organized and written down. (I actually can’t wait. I love getting organized.)

Dream in High Park (Before)

We are so excited. During the 2010-2011 school year, we studied Medieval Times/Renaissance & Reformation. We finished with Elizabethan times and Shakespeare. I had been waiting with eager anticipation all year long, but I couldn’t believe how much my kids loved Shakespeare.

Before we moved to China, we lived in Toronto for about 10 years, and–often for our anniversary–we would go to Canadian Stage‘s The Dream in High Park not quite every year, but almost. This is the first year we’ll be sharing the experience with our kids.

We’re going on Sunday, because there are family activities prior to the performance, which the brochure describes this way: “a popular, free, all-ages program for children, parents and families featuring backstage tours, an opportunity to meet cast members, workshops exploring the language of the Bard and more.”

The evening is wonderful. Guests come, sit in the outdoor amphitheatre, bring picnics, and watch the performance. This year, the Dream features The Winter’s Tale, which I have never seen performed before.

To prepare, we read the version from Charles and Mary Lamb’s Tales from Shakespeare, and then turned to YouTube for BBC’s animated Shakespeare’s version, which I didn’t even know existed until a friend told me about it. This is Part 1 of 5:

On the way to finding the right YouTube video, however, we stumbled on this little gem. So adorable! An elementary class did their own interpretation of the play. Beware, however, they hadn’t quite refined the volume control. Priceless, nonetheless:

I’ll update on Monday with our own pictures!

Arranged Marriage?

A number of people have visited links on my page I haven’t had a chance to write yet. For today’s post, please see my page called “Arranged Marriage?”