Michael and I have now finished reading Johnny Tremain. It was a very good book. (Upon breaking his arm, Joseph had nothing to do but sit around and read books, so he read it too. It made for interesting conversation when I'd call every night to see how he was doing.) We have now begun to read Carry On, Mr. Bowditch. It's a children's book, but a great one, simply written and well narrated. It's full of interesting concepts and ideas - being becalmed at the chandlery, losing your anchor to windward - and provides some amazing insights into the development of navigation and 'scientific sailing.'
Either I'm coming down with a bad cold again or I'm reacting to the air from the vents now that we've turned the house on its winter head mode. It's gotten to the point where, whenever I sneeze, Michael will just say, 'Yeah, yeah, you just want more attention.'
It happens that I will drop the occasional cynical remark about Institute. This does not stem from malice aforethought but simply happens because the observation was begging to be made. Michael is pretty tolerant of my perspective, though, not having gone through that gauntlet himself, he doesn't always appreciate the finer points of my wit. Recently I made some reference to my theory on the Institute's subtle agenda for the discouragement of the higher education of women on grounds of eligibility. 'Madam, you go too far!' he said to me. 'Oh, come on,' I protested. 'You have to see the funny side of laughing at an establishment so full of customs and rituals that they even teach you the proper way to raise your hand!' And demonstrated it forthwith. That got his attention. 'You have got to be kidding! No one could be that obsessive!' It took a lot of convincing to persuade him that I wasn't making it up.
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6 comments:
Come now, it's not that shocking to dictate such details to small children. As Miss Manners has observed, six well-behaved six-year-olds are the social equivalent of six hundred angry Bolsheviks. Put several hundred in a room, and y ou almost have to choreograph every motion to avoid chaos breaking out every thirty seconds.
Isn't having a child a wonderful excuse to go back to reading Children's Lit? And I'm with you Rose....Just too darn American to think there's anything good about having a system that turns individuals into clones. Especially in the name of God.
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch is a great book. My mom used to read to us during lunch each school day, that was one of our favorites. Other good ones include The Bronze Bow and The Witch of Blackbird Pond. The latter doesn't have anything to do with witchcraft, but rather takes place in New England during the Salem Witch Trials. Btw, I've always struggled to say Mr. Bowditch. Often times it comes out as, "Mr. Bowdaditch..er Bowaditch." :)
sorry, didn't mean to post and run. That last post was from me. :) SEM
And how is it pronounced? Bough-ditch, or Boh-ditch? We never settled the question at our house.
What's so American about having people conform to an arbitrary system? What about Tibetan monasteries, German schools, or Russian ballet? Everybody has systems with arbitrary rules: some are good, some are bad, most are indifferent. But fun to make fun of, I'll admit.
We are reading a fun new series called "A Series of Unfortunate Events" by Lemony Snicket. The first three books were made into a movie set to be released in December. We are on book six and having a ball with them! If you want a blow by blow, talk to any Hall child :)
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