What I’m reading right now:
Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space
By Adam Higginbotham
I was one of those Gen X kids you read about on Facebook that was sitting in their classroom on January 28, 1986 in front of a tv on a cart the teacher had wheeled in so we could watch the space shuttle launch with the very first teacher to go into space. I don’t remember much about it because it wasn’t that interesting to me. It’s not like any of MY teachers were going into space. I was 10. Why would I care about someone else’s teacher going? Why couldn’t they send my math teacher?
But we quieted down and paid attention, and it was actually pretty cool seeing the lift off. And then. Then it just got weird. There were puffs of clouds or smoke and no more space shuttle. And the teacher got really quiet. We all stared at the screen, not really sure what had happened, until another teacher came in and whispered to our teacher, who immediately turned off the tv and rolled it into the hall on its cart. Back to science class. Or English. Or wherever I was that day. In the halls everyone was talking about how the space shuttle blew up or arguing that of course it hadn’t, don’t be stupid, or being kind of freaked out that maybe we’d just watched a bunch of people die, on tv, but really die. To say it made an impression is an understatement.
Adam Higginbotham wrote Midnight in Chernobyl, which my daughter read and said was very good, thorough and well-written. When I saw that he’d written about the Challenger disaster, I knew I had to read it. I’m only a few chapters in, but I can say it is thorough, and heartbreaking. I’ll let you all know how it is once I finish.
What I’m watching:
Home Town – this is a home makeover show based in Laurel, MS where a couple, Ben and Erin Napier, help people find and renovate their new home. They’ve worked with budgets ranging from about $75,000 to $300,000 and occasionally a “skies the limit, what budget” kind of buyer. They are, as a couple, adorable, and not in an annoying way. They just seem genuine, and kind, and sentimental, and crazy about each other. The town has it’s issues, which are not really touched on in the show, but it’s a fun show to watch. I’m not going to get into the whole “are they restoring the town or gentrifying it?” debate. I don’t live there, I don’t have all the details, and I don’t know enough about it to cast a vote. I just know I like the show, the houses are beautiful when they’re done, and the people are happy with their new homes. I want to move to Laurel, but I realize I want to move to TV Laurel, not real-life Laurel. Although I have considered moving there just to help raise hell for all the confederate-loving shitbags who still celebrate that part of their history in Laurel. Now THAT could be fun.
Back-to-School:
My youngest is a high school junior this year. Last February, I pulled her out of her tech school and started homeschooling her. It’s not something I ever thought I’d be doing, but she has always had a difficult relationship with school. She is a great student. She has been on the high honor roll since 7th grade when they started tracking that sort of thing. But she has asthma and anxiety and is absent a LOT. To the point where every year they are concerned she will lose credit for missing so much school despite her ability to keep straight A/A+ grades in every subject. I finally couldn’t deal with it anymore.
The state dictates how many days they are “allowed” to miss school, and while I understand to a certain point the need for attendance, if she is getting A’s or better in every class by making up all her work in a timely manner and acing her tests, why is she being penalized for being out? Isn’t the point of attendance to make sure they’re learning the material, not just to have a body in a seat?
So now she homeschools, mostly online with an online program with some additional material I provide, and she has enjoyed it so much more. She moves at her own pace. Meaning if she doesn’t understand something, we spend a little more time on it, and if she breezes through something she’s not waiting for the kid who wasn’t paying attention and needs to hear it all again two or three times to catch up so they can move on. If she’s sick, she can still do work if she’s up to it, and if she needs a day off she can take one as long as she catches up the next day. It’s been an ideal situation for her. She still gets together with her school friends and keeps in touch online pretty much daily.
New Windows:
September 5th is new window day! We’re having all of the windows in our house (21 total) replaced. I look forward to it not being breezy in my house all winter long, and hopefully having lower heating and cooling bills. Wish us luck!
That’s the news for now. Our September start. I can’t believe it’s almost fall!
More to come!
Lara
September 1, 2024