Lesson 776: Repeating the Same Story

Good evening from the Lamp Post.

I'm here again.

Another Friday night.

Another blog.

The snow melted,

then arrived again.

More winter barren beauty.

More basketball.

one of the games was a little intense.....

January history repeats.

Well,

except for the General McLane fan section.

They shook the ordinary out a winter Tuesday night.

Teen fans are funny to watch.

So spirited.

Until HC won, that is.

We love a good sale,

and the girls and I robbed Dollar General 

last weekend.

Here is just some of our loot,

priced at just 30 cents per item.

In our effort to reduce plastics

we tried making some laundry soap.

Still testing it.

We used the recipe with Castile soap,

salt, and baking soda.

Let us know if you've tried to make your own

and if you have a recipe you like.

On the school front,

my students and I 

toured the Erie Playhouse Scenic and Costume Shop.

We could have explored all day.
No one wanted to go back to school!

Some of my students are learning something new:

sewing!

Mrs. Farantzos showed these Rolling Ridgers

how to make pet beds from old sweaters!

They gave the stories of the old sweaters

some new life and purpose.

One old story I repeated again was this one:

I stopped and started this book 

four times since it's publication in 2005,

but today,

the story had a different ending.

I finished the book!

It is et in Nazi Germany,

and the book is narrated by Death.

I'd start the book,

get attached to the characters,

then think,

Nope, this is not going to end well.

I'd abandon it,

promising to return to the book at a later time

when things were "less stressful" in my world.

This completion is a double milestone for me.

I finally finished

and I did it in audio book form--a first for Eloise.

All you need is your library card and your reading device.

I use my phone.

Kindles and tablets work, too.

I kept repeating the same stories to myself about audiobooks:
I don't like audio books--I like podcasts.

I like the feel of paper.

I don't like narrators' voices.

Then I realized I had my mind set about them,

and never really gave them a try.

I think everyone should involve themselves with this story.

You can read the book,

listen to the well narrated audio book,

or watch a very well done 2013 movie adaptation.

It's on Amazon Prime for rent.

There are many themes that you must wrestle with privately.
The story will stay with me forever.

The author, Markus Zusak,

did a great TED talk that I'll assign for weekend homework.

Kids don't complain much about watching videos for homework,

so neither should you.

It's not as much about the Book Thief itself,

but the many failures he experienced leading up to

the book's success.

Makus Zusak: The Failurist CLICK HERE

(me, too)

Also, Louie bowls in the Times News Championship

Saturday and Sunday.

Let's not repeat the same story.

THIS year,

he'll come home with the trophy.

Eloise