Weekend Assignment

Goodbye to the Weekend Assignment (Unless....)

2011-04-29T00:00:00.002-07:00

I guess it's time.

I have been participating in the Weekend Assignment since the summer of 2004, just a few months after John Scalzi founded the meme as part of his AOL Journals gig. Within a few weeks it became an obsession with me. Since then I have written an entry in every single Weekend Assignment, whether the topic was assigned by Scalzi or, in more recent years, by my friend Carly or myself, or by someone else. A number of you have suggested topics as "guest professors," and for this I am grateful, even if I didn't use them all.

But the meme has been in decline for years, with most topics garnering from one to three entries, mine included. Coming up with fresh ideas for it, and second-guessing which ones are most likely to inspire participation, is a process that ceased to be fun for me over the last year or so. At the same time, my own life has changed dramatically in the last few months, as I've gone from working 4 to 7 hours a week to working full-time and then some. All in all, the prospect of writing the next Weekend Assignment question has become a chore instead of a game.

So I'm giving it up.

If anyone wants to take over this venerable meme, I will be glad to pass the torch, and help you keep it alight with announcements and promotions during the transition. I'll even do the assignments, but only as a participant.

Frankly, I suspect nobody will take me up on this offer, and the Weekend Assignment will quietly die. And that's okay. It's had a good, long run, encouraged people to write, and introduced bloggers to each other. Even if there is never another Weekend Assignment topic, the meme is far from a failure overall. Its time has just passed -- or, at least, my time as its champion has passed.

I will still be hosting the Round Robin Photo Challenges on another blog, and participating in Carly's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot. And I'm not giving up text-based blogging entirely. When I feel a rant coming on or have some news, you can expect to find me filling up a screen over at Outpost Mâvarin.

Meanwhile, here are the results of Weekend Assignment #366: You're Doing It Wrong. Because of Easter and Passover, I gave people an extra week to do this one, but it didn't help:

In a recycled entry from a previous Assignment, Anne said...

When I was 24 years old, I put together my first “entertainment system”. A stereo receiver hooked up to a TV, VCR, CD player and speakers. I don’t think I even had a DVD player yet, and I certainly did not have cable. I put it all together myself and it all worked. That weekend, my brother, then age 20, came over. I dragged him to the room to brag. Not about the stuff, mind you. But the fact that I did my homework, made good consumer decisions, and put it all together by myself. He took one look and said, “This is all wrong,” and started pulling out cables.

Karen said...

After 45 minutes or longer, we finally decided that one of us would continue to wait where we were while the other checked out the other apparently deserted parking lots at the same intersection. If I recall correctly, that was how we found Bob, and boy, was he mad! We had all been right where we had said we'd be, but missed each other in the dark, simply because it didn't occur to Bob that we might be shivering in the cold in the grocery store parking lot on the northeast corner of the intersection, not warm and safe in the bar on the southwest corner.

Thanks to everyone who has ever written up a Weekend Assignment entry, or taken the time to read the entries of others. See you around!

Karen

Weekend Assignment #366: You're Doing It Wrong

2011-04-15T00:39:00.003-07:00

Please note: I am extending the deadline on this Assignment for one week, to Wednesday night April 27th. This is to give people (including me!) more time to come up with an entry despite a busy holiday week (Holy Week and Passover). We will resume our usual schedule with Weekend Assignment #367 on April 28th.--KFB.

Weekend Assignment #366: You're Doing It Wrong
Tell us about a mistake you made: directions botched or misunderstood, minor disasters suffered because you did something incorrectly. I'm thinking of problems with "Some Assembly Required" projects, maps misread and appointments missed, problems learning to use technology, etc., preferably with hilarious results!

Extra Credit: How good are you at giving directions, or teaching others to do something correctly?

You know how this works, right?

You have until next Wednesday night to answer this question in your blog or in the comments below.
If you do participate, please leave a comment here with your name and the URL of your entry.
Don't forget to link back to here in the entry itself.

That's all there is to it! Please play this week if you can. It's not nearly as much fun without you!

Last week, I asked about your tax preparation strategies. Apparently nobody wanted to talk about taxes except me. But appearances are deceiving, because Anne did the Assignment and forgot to mention it! :)

Karen said...

Even though I'm an accountant, and furthermore rely on my favorite tax preparation software, income tax preparation still intimidates me, almost every year. This year I was worried about the amended tax forms I got from First Magnus Liquidation Trust, and about the 40 boxes of donations to St. Michael's to sell at the English Faire, the dregs of which I hadn't finished cataloging after many hours of work on it. Plus I recently started working full time again, and had less time for chores at home. So I'd put it off until the very end of March, or possibly the first of April.

Anne said...

Once upon a time (read as: up until this year), I pulled my paperwork together as soon as humanly possible and loaded up the Turbo Tax. The faster one files, the faster one receives the refund. Assuming that one is entitled to a refund. I always found it fun - Turbo Tax is good stuff. While I am not the most organized person in the world, I can generally keep my tax information in one place.

This year, for the first time, I used an accountant. My finances became a bit more complicated and I figured it was time.

Thanks to Josie of josiespeaksup for submitting a topic idea last week on the "Be a Guest Professor page. I'll get to your suggestion soon. If you have an idea for an Assignment, please let me know!

Karen

Weekend Assignment #365: Tax Time

2011-04-08T00:22:00.000-07:00

I've been working on my taxes all night. How about you?

Weekend Assignment #365: Tax Time
What is your strategy for doing your taxes? Do you get them done as soon as you can get hold of the paperwork, put them off to the last minute, or something in between? Do you hire someone, do the work yourself, get your spouse to do it, or share the load? Do you mail forms or e-file?

Extra Credit: Have you ever had to revisit a tax return after filing, due to an audit or other circumstances?

You know how this works, right?

You have until next Wednesday night to answer this question in your blog or in the comments below.
If you do participate, please leave a comment here with your name and the URL of your entry.
Don't forget to link back to here in the entry itself.

That's all there is to it!

Last week, for Weekend Assignment #364: Ahead in the Clouds?, I asked about your use of "cloud" technology, in which data is stored online and streamed rather than stored on your computer. Please click on each name to read the full entry:

Angus Brooks said on Facebook...

scary stuff , really , it could be good , but i myself wouldnt put any thing private in the clouds , a mix of the 2 would be good

Anne said...

I have enjoyed streaming video from Academic Earth and from hulu.com. But it is sort of like books. There are things I borrow and things that I buy. I still buy DVDs (though not nearly as many as in the past). I still have a half-full DVR of things I am not watching. I haven't tried Netflix yet because I don't want to add another monthly expense.

Florinda said...

When it comes to entertainment content, I'm still relatively traditional (as defined by "tradition" of the last decade, anyway). In other respects, I have embraced "cloud computing." I've used Google Docs for years as my main writing space, just because it allows me to access my documents anywhere. A good chunk of my life lives on Google's clouds, actually - my e-mail, many of my photos, my blog; I will be in BIG trouble if they ever crash!

Karen said...

All in all, though, I'm not that much into using cloud-based streaming and storage in preference to having the file locally, or even a physical object. I don't buy many CDs, but I do buy every Doctor Who CD from composer Murray Gold more or less as soon as it's available in the U.S. A few of them I've bought twice, because I've been known to wear them out.Then I rip them to iTunes at work and at home

Have a great week, everyone!

Karen

Weekend Assignment #364: Ahead in the Clouds?

2011-03-31T23:54:00.000-07:00

This year's big tech buzzword is "clouds." Are you ready to fly?

Weekend Assignment #364: Ahead in the Clouds?
Suddenly the marketing departments of Microsoft and other tech giants are all about "the cloud" or "clouds," the practice of storing large files online and streaming them rather than everyone storing them locally on their hard drives. Do you think this is a good idea, a bad idea or both?

Extra Credit: Do you still buy CDs and DVDs?

You know how this works, right?

You have until next Wednesday night to answer this question in your blog or in the comments below.
If you do participate, please leave a comment here with your name and the URL of your entry.
Don't forget to link back to here in the entry itself.

That's all there is to it!

Last week, for Weekend Assignment #363: Scammed!, I asked about scams you've fallen for, and ones you haven't. Please click on each name to read the full entry:

Josie said...

Both Mr Rufai Garba, a manager for the Bank of Africa in Ouagadougou, and Dr Frank Lemon, also of the Bank of Africa, want me to act as next of kin for people I don’t know. Furthermore, the lovely Mrs Daisy Mercy and her late husband, who made a lot of money mining gold, would also like to leave me a large sum of money.

Anne said...

There was one time, at Noodles and Company, when I handed over my Visa to pay for lunch and it was declined. I called Chase to rip someone's head off and found that two hours earlier, someone tried to use my card to download music in Brazil. Had I tried to use my card to download music in Brazil?

Karen said...

Last week, a guy with a heavy Asian (India/Pakistan or something) accent call the land line here, claiming that "Your computer has a virus." Which computer? Mine? John's? The iPad? I didn't ask him that, though. "Go to your computer and let me show you," he said. Yeah, right.

Thanks also to Anne for some great ideas for future assignments. Have a great week, everyone!

Karen

Weekend Assignment #363: Scammed!

2011-03-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

Weekend Assignment #363: Scammed!

Have you ever been successfully scammed? Was it a phone fraud, a phishing email, a trojan worm, or something else? How did they fool you, and what have you learned from the experience?

Extra Credit: Tell us about a scam that didn't succeed in tricking you.

You know how this works, right?

You have until next Wednesday night to answer this question in your blog or in the comments below.
If you do participate, please leave a comment here with your name and the URL of your entry.
Don't forget to link back to here in the entry itself.

That's all there is to it!

Last week, for Weekend Assignment #362: Emergency!, I asked what, if anything, you've ever abstained from for Lent or some other spiritual purpose. Click on the names below to read the responses:

Sandrine said, on her new blog...

To test your earthquake supply knowledge, I’ve made a small list of things you should and things you shouldn’t have. You decide which is which. We have them all. [The list starts with "A flat on the ninth floor."]

(Sandrine also left a great comment on my personal blog, scolding me for not being prepared for "an alien invasion" or "a zombie apocalypse.")

Anne said...

"What kind of disaster would have to occur for there to be no Internet in Chicago, Columbus or Washington, DC? (the latter cities being the alternate work sites under discussion)"
"A nuclear event," was the answer.

Karen said...

We are so unprepared for emergencies that I feel a little guilty as I admit to you the Awful Truth: our entire stash of emergency supplies consists of two cinnamon and nutmeg votive candles and two partially used boxes of matches. I was going to say that at least we have duct tape, but John corrected me. What we actually have is several rolls of clear plastic tape, suitable for mailing packages.

Please do the Assignment this week if you get a chance - and watch out for scammers!

Karen

Watch This Space

2011-03-25T00:19:00.000-07:00

Due to the paid work I've been doing all night (webmastering and newsletter editing), I'm unable to post the new Weekend Assignment tonight. Fear not, however: it will be posted on Friday evening this week, and will return to its usual Thursday night scheduling next week. Thanks for your patience.

K.

Weekend Assignment #362: Emergency!

2011-03-17T22:57:00.005-07:00

A number of recent events in the news have reminded us that life isn't always safe and predictable. I don't want to trivialize those events for a Weekend Assignment, but I will ask a related question:

Weekend Assignment #362: Emergency!

How prepared are you for emergency situations? Do you know how to do CPR? Does your home or business have an evacuation plan or do fire drills? Do you have a generator, duct tape, candles, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, sandbags or other emergency supplies on hand? Why or why not?

Extra Credit: Does your smoke detector (if you have one) have fresh batteries in it?

You know how this works, right?

You have until next Wednesday night to answer this question in your blog or in the comments below.
If you do participate, please leave a comment here with your name and the URL of your entry.
Don't forget to link back to here in the entry itself.

That's all there is to it!

Last week, for Weekend Assignment #361: Give It Up!, I asked what, if anything, you've ever abstained from for Lent or some other spiritual purpose. Click on the names below to read the responses:

Anne wrote...

Back in the day, I gave up French Fries every year for Lent. It was a good one for me because it was something that I enjoyed enough to make it a sacrifice, but not such a deprivation that I was twitching two weeks in - like those people that give up caffeine. I considered it participating in a tradition that many of my friends and colleagues valued, and it was good for my health.

Karen wrote...

One year, I gave up playing Mahjong on the computer for Lent. It was one of the games on a Disney Mulan software package, and I'd become quite addicted. Giving it up cold turkey was a really good thing to do. Did it bring me closer to God? I'm not sure, but I certainly don't regret my choice that year.

There are also some fascinating and varied responses on beliefnet. Have a look!

Please do the Assignment this week if you get a chance - and stay safe!

Karen

See also: Red Cross Save-a-Life Saturday

Weekend Assignment #361: Give It Up!

2011-03-11T00:11:00.002-07:00

Let's get right to it:

Weekend Assignment #361: Give It Up!
Lent has begun, and in certain denominations, people are "giving up something for Lent" - in other words, not indulging in some pleasurable food or activity between now and Easter. Have you ever abstained from something for a period of time for a religious or spiritual purpose? What was it? How successful were you at avoiding it?

Extra Credit: Regardless of whether you believe in doing so, if you were to give up something you enjoy between now and April 24th, what would it be?

You know how this works, right?

1. Please post your response no later than than 12:01 AM on Thursday morning, March 10th, your local time. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time unless I want to.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Don't forget, or I'll probably miss out on linking to you!

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. I'm always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If I use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor." Help me out, folks, because sometimes I run dry when doing this week after week!

6. I reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

For Weekend Assignment #360: Toy Show, I asked about your favorite childhood toys. Please click on each person's name to see the full entry:

Josie (welcome!) said...

Mr Bear was packed away in the huge shipping crate with most of the rest of our furniture for the six week trip to Australia. His return was delayed when the crate went missing for 10 months. It was very nearby in Port Melbourne all the time, within 40km of our final home. So I guess Mr Bear wasn't visiting relatives in Deepest Darkest Peru after all.

Trevor said...

So I only have one toy left from childhood, And it’s not really form childhood, but a reminder of that childhood. It’s a troll, up in my daughter’s closet. He’s grey, furry, has bare arms and legs, and was made by my grandmother. He’s also one of the few things left of one of the best memories of my life.

Karen said...

I'm not sure Trophy was my favorite toy, but he's an integral part of my childhood. One time, a dog got hold of him and tore off part of one leg, but an aunt of mine sewed him back together. That was when I was staying with my dad's family in New Jersey. while my mom was in the hospital with polio-encephalitis. On later occasions I repaired him myself, restuffing him with tissues and I think Elmer's Glue.

Have a great week!

Karen

Weekend Assignment #360: Toy Show

2011-03-03T23:13:00.001-07:00

Every year about this time, John and I go to a local toy show, hunting for childhood treasures. That's the inspiration for this week's Weekend Assignment:

Weekend Assignment #360: Toy Show
Do you have any old toys or dolls from your childhood, either the originals or replacements purchased as an adult? If so, tell us about them.

Extra Credit: Is there a particular toy from your childhood that you especially remember as a favorite?

You know how this works, right?

1. Please post your response no later than than 12:01 AM on Thursday morning, March 10th, your local time. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time unless I want to.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Don't forget, or I'll probably miss out on linking to you!

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. I'm always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If I use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor." Help me out, folks, because sometimes I run dry when doing this week after week!

6. I reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

For Weekend Assignment #358: Career Day 2, I asked what new career you'd be interested in trying, if age, money, etc were no obstacles. Please click on each person's name to see the full entry:

Anne said...

I have often said that I want to be the lady at the spa that brings you your ice water with lemon. Because everyone is in a good mood at the spa. And even if they weren't, who the heck yells at the ice water lady?.

Kara said...

I have always made my family my career. There has never been a time, even as a girl when I really wanted to be anything other than a good mum and a good wife. I know, I know….seriously?! But, yes.

Trevor said...

Would I keep doing what I’m doing? As much as I enjoy some days, it’s not what I’d prefer to be doing. I can think of dozens of jobs I’d rather be doing. Or not doing ,in the case of my safe deposit job I used to have. If’ I’d been emotionally able to write then, I’d have finished a ten novel series by now.

Karen said...

When I took ten weeks of Business Law in the fall of 2003, I got all excited about it. I really loved learning about legal decisions and the reasoning behind them. Were it not for my age, money issues and the fact that I hate confrontations, I'd have switched to law school then and there.

Have a great week!

Karen

Weekend Assignment #359: Career Day 2

2011-02-24T21:22:00.002-07:00

A friend of mine went back to school to get a library degree, and guess what? She just got a good job in her new field. That's the inspiration for this week's Weekend Assignment:

Weekend Assignment #359: Career Day 2
It's often said that most people will change careers several times over the course of their working lives. If money, age and educational resources were all conducive to your trying another line of work, would you do so? If so, what new career would you choose?
Extra Credit: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

You know how this works, right?

1. Please post your response no later than than 12:01 AM on Thursday morning, March 3rd, your local time. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time unless I want to.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Don't forget, or I'll probably miss out on linking to you!

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. I'm always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If I use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor." Help me out, folks, because sometimes I run dry when doing this week after week!

6. I reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

For Weekend Assignment #358: Drive, I asked whether you enjoy driving. Please click on each person's name to see the full entry:

Anne said...

Ten years ago, I would have told you that driving was my favorite thing. I loved my car more than I loved my books. I drove just for fun. At that time (my mother recently reminded me), I even enjoyed my commute to and from work. The driving time helped me get my head in the right place in the morning, and decompress on the way home. No longer.

Karen said...

So how do I feel about that long morning drive? Well, if I could get a full night's sleep first, and if gas weren't going up in price almost daily, I wouldn't mind it at all. In fact I kind of enjoy it. Driving is a game, in which the object is to arrive safely but also quickly, and without drawing a traffic ticket by going too fast or doing anything stupid.

Have a great week, no matter what work you're doing!

Karen

Weekend Assignment #358: Drive

2011-02-17T23:35:00.000-07:00

Considering my 75-miles-a-day commute and the fact that I'm about to drive a rented car to Los Angeles, there's one thing on my mind at the moment (well, aside from the Doctor Who convention I'm going to):

Weekend Assignment # 358: Drive
Is driving something you actually enjoy doing, or is it merely a means to an end? Do you ever go for a drive for fun, or revel in certain kinds of driving?

Extra Credit: If time and money were not at issue, and you wanted to go somewhere 500 miles away, would you prefer to drive, be driven, take a train or fly? (Okay, you can also choose to go by boat.)

You know how this works, right?

1. Please post your response no later than than 12:01 AM on Thursday morning, February 24th, your local time. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time unless I want to.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Don't forget, or I'll probably miss out on linking to you!

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. I'm always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If I use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor." Help me out, folks, because sometimes I run dry when doing this week after week!

6. I reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

For Weekend Assignment #357: The Art of Packing, I asked how much stuff, particularly technology, you tend to bring on a trip. Please click on each person's name to see the full entry:

Julie said...

Generally, my electronic gear consists of my backpack with DSLR gear and laptop, plus a cellphone and charger. If I know I'm not going to have time to shoot then I'll take a different laptop bag, or try to cram everything into a wheeled carry on bag we bought last year that has room for a laptop and a change of clothes or two. Or, I may just get radical and only take the cell phone or replace the laptop with my tablet.

Karen said...

Meanwhile, I get to borrow his iPad for my trip next weekend. This both thrills me and makes me nervous. I'm considered a bit of a techie, especially by people over age 70; but smart phones, PDAs and iPads are outside my experience. I don't even use my cell phone for anything but phone calls, the occasional photo if I forgot to bring my camera, and rarely a text message if there's no good alternative. I've never browsed the web with my phone, and my iPod is an old monochrome one. So now we've got less than a week to get myself and the iPad ready for my trip.

Anne said...

I used to travel light. Before the electronics. I don't bring a ton of extra clothes. I never bring a hair dryer. My suitcase never weighs more than 50 pounds. But I am always plugged in. I am on vacation. With me are: [click to see the list!]

Florinda said...

No, I don’t travel particularly light. I’m just lucky that I’m small, and my clothes and shoes take up less space than most adults’ do. That leaves me some room for the books. And yes, I absolutely plan those in advance too. It’s a tricky thing timing-wise; it’s not that hard to set aside a few books as designated travel reading, but scheduling my reading so that I don’t have an unplanned in-process book that I have to bring along to finish is a delicate enterprise.

Have a great week, and drive carefully!

Karen

Weekend Assignment #357: The Art of Packing

2011-02-10T22:16:00.000-07:00

I'll be going out of town on President's Day weekend, and I'm already thinking about what to take along:

Weekend Assignment # 357: The Art of Packing
When you go on a trip, do you travel light, or try to make sure you have everything you might conceivably need? Specifically, what do you bring along by way of electronics?

Extra Credit: What's the most important thing you ever lost, broke, or forgot to bring on your trip?

Here are the guidelines in case you'd like to participate - and I hope you do!

1. Please post your response no later than than 12:01 AM on Thursday morning, February 17th, your local time. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time unless I want to.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Don't forget, or I'll probably miss out on linking to you!

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. I'm always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If I use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor." Help me out, folks, because sometimes I run dry when doing this week after week!

6. I reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

For Weekend Assignment # 356: Brrr!, I asked about recent weather in your area. Please click on each person's name to see the full entry:

Julie said...

Unless you've been living in a cave, you might be aware that there's a football game in Arlington on Sunday. So really, we were just asking for it. The Steelers and Packers fans are calling us wimps, but what they don't understand is that this type of weather is atypical, and when it does happen it rarely lasts for more than a day. The temps bounce back up, the stuff melts, and it's business as usual again. People down here don't get to practice driving on ice and snow on a regular basis. We don't have snow tires or snow chains, and we certainly don't have the heavy duty road deicing equipment they have up north.

Anne said...

Yesterday, my office was closing early, so I called my dentist to see if my appointment was still on. It was. I arrived early and they took me early. When I walked out the door, the blizzard was in full swing. It took 45 minutes to drive the three miles home. I live in a cul de sac, so there are three snow plows required to get us out.

Karen said...

Yes, I know I live in Tucson, but we did have a winter. Really! We were in the throes of it when I wrote the questions above. No, we didn't get any snow; in fact it's been unseasonably dry. But it has been cold. How cold? Consider this: the all time record for the lowest temperature for Tucson in February was 17 degrees, set in 1899. In the early hours of February 3rd and again on the 4th, it hit 18 degrees here! I went out and bought myself a winter jacket, which John said I'd never wear. I think I've worn it every day since then.

Have a great week, whether or not you're planning a trip!

Karen

Weekend Assignment # 356: Brrr!

2011-02-03T20:24:00.000-07:00

This Week's Assignment is the obvious one:

Weekend Assignment # 356: Brrr!
In much of the U.S. and Europe, this winter has been an especially cold and snowy one. How cold has it been where you live? Have recent weather conditions led to any unusual situations locally?

Extra Credit: What extra measures have you personally taken, if any, to stay warm?

Here are the guidelines in case you'd like to participate - and I hope you do!

1. Please post your response no later than than 12:01 AM on Thursday morning, February 10th, your local time. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time unless I want to.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Don't forget, or I'll probably miss out on linking to you!

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. I'm always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If I use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor." Help me out, folks, because sometimes I run dry when doing this week after week!

6. I reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

For Weekend Assignment #355: Science!, I asked about your interest and competence in science. Considering the number of sf fans who have played along in the past, I'm a little surprised we got so few responses. Please click on each person's name to see the full entry:

Anne said...

By high school, I didn't do particularly well in science. I didn't particularly enjoy science. In history and in English, it didn't matter who the teacher was - I was interested. In science and math, only the best teachers could engage me. And even then, I was more interested in impressing the teacher than embracing the material

Karen said...

I struggled in Earth Science in junior high school, got 100 on my Biology final in tenth grade, dropped out of Chemistry after getting a D the first semester, and never took Physics at all, which I regret. I took astronomy and some sort of climatology in college and struggled with those, too. Nevertheless, I am a great fan of science.

That's it for now. Considering what dramatic weather we've had recently, I hope more of you will find time to write about this, even if your entry is a brief one. Have a weagreat week!

Karen

Weekend Assignment #355: Science!

2011-01-28T11:44:00.001-07:00

Sorry this is late: I needed a little extra time to think of it.

Weekend Assignment # 355: Science!

In this year's State of the Union address, the President spoke of the need for better education, particularly in math and science, and the desirability of celebrating winners of science fairs - in other words, science geeks. How good were you in science in school?

Extra Credit: Whether or not you were actually good at it in school, how much of a science geek are you now?

Here are the guidelines if you'd like to participate.

1. Please post your response no later than than 12:01 AM on Thursday morning, February 3rd, your local time. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time unless I really want to.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. I'm always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If I use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor." Help me out, folks, because sometimes I run dry when doing this week after week!

6. I reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

For Weekend Assignment # 354: Tour Guide, I asked where you take people who visit from out of town. Please click on the names to read the entire entries:

Anne said...

A a couple of summers ago, my Aunt Jacquelyn and Uncle Mike got in their RV with their youngest son, Matthew, and drove across the country. This was my aunt and uncle's third trip, but Matthew hadn't done it before. They chose their routes and destinations by a book based on the Food Network show, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.

Karen Funk Blocher said...

From there we took the freeway down to Mission San Xavier del Bac, a few miles south of Tucson on I-19. I explained that Father Eusebio Kino founded the place centuries ago but that it was built much later, by the Franciscans. I showed off the saint statues in real fabric (silk?) clothing, and explained about milagros, little charms attached to the statue of a saint as a prayer for a loved one's healing.

Really, people, I'm starting to worry again about the viability of this venerable meme. Please participate if you can this week - I'd really appreciate it!

Karen

Image credit: "Goldilocks planet" illustration by Lynette Cook, National Science Foundation.

Weekend Assignment # 354: Tour Guide

2011-01-21T04:41:00.000-07:00

My Dad was in town last weekend. Guess what we did together:

Weekend Assignment # 354: Tour Guide
Do friends or relatives from out of town ever visit you? If so, do you take them sightseeing? Where?

Extra Credit: What is the most interesting place you ever went sightseeing while visiting someone else?

Here are the guidelines in case you'd like to participate - and I hope you do!

1. Please post your response no later than than 12:01 AM on Thursday morning, January 27th, your local time. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time unless I want to.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Don't forget, or I'll probably miss out on linking to you!

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. I'm always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If I use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor." Help me out, folks, because sometimes I run dry when doing this week after week!

6. I reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

For Weekend Assignment # 353: My Fifteen Minutes, I asked about your brushes with fame, however slight. Please click on each person's name to see the full entry:

Anne said...

One piece of the film was the little girl that drops a book in front of the bus as she crosses in front of it – then runs back to pick it up. The lesson, of course, was Don’t Do That (followed by If You Can See the Driver, the Driver Can Probably See You). I, of course, played this little girl. And my school district purchased the film.

Karen said...

In 1965, I appeared in two scenes in my mom's musical revue, DeManleyville '65. My doll Tootles and I shared the role of a doll that came to life at midnight to dance with a physically disabled girl. I also came on stage to cuddle with some local actress while she sang about "the curve of baby's cheek." I was eight years old.

That's it for now. With the holidays over, I hope more of you will find time to do this Assignment, even if your entry is a brief one. Have a great week!

Karen

Weekend Assignment # 353: My Fifteen Minutes

2011-01-14T02:42:00.000-07:00

I'll probably never see the report, or even know if it aired, but I was interviewed for the local news today. That's the inspiration for this week's assignment:

Weekend Assignment # 353: My Fifteen Minutes
Andy Warhol famously said that in the future, everyone would be famous for fifteen minutes. Have you had yours? For purposes of this assignment, "fame" includes public speaking, amateur plays, any tv or radio appearance, being a face in the crowd as a movie extra, being mentioned in someone's autobiography, etc.

Extra Credit: Given the opportunity, would you want to be famous for more than fifteen minutes?

Here are the guidelines in case you'd like to participate - and I hope you do!

1. Please post your response no later than than 12:01 AM on Thursday morning, January 20th, your local time. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time unless I want to.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Don't forget, or I'll probably miss out on linking to you!

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. I'm always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If I use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor." Help me out, folks, because sometimes I run dry when doing this week after week!

6. I reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

For Weekend Assignment # 352: Winter Work, I asked about your productivity in winter. Please click on each person's name to see the full entry:

Florinda said...

I do seem to feel pretty productive at this time of year - perhaps because I've had a bit of a break over the holidays, or perhaps because I've managed to psych myself up, knowing that I have a lot that needs to be done. This year I seem to be unusually focused, though; with my shoulder surgery less than two weeks away and about to make me a lot less productive for several weeks afterward, I'm trying to get done with as much as I can before it happens.

Anne said...

I live outside of Chicago and I have, historically, had a problem with mid-to-late winter. In school, third quarter always netted my worst grades of the year. I get cabin fever pretty easily and February always feels like the longest month of the year..

Karen said...

When January hits, accountants and many bookkeepers are faced with such "year-end" tasks as generating W-2 and 1099 forms, solving the arcane mysteries of correctly booking accrued payroll, and beginning the process or tracking down last year's errors and proving that the resulting numbers are the correct ones. This year I'm working on two or more of these tasks at both St. Michael's and St. Matthew's, and trying to nail down a reasonable 2011 budget ahead of our parish's annual meeting. Oh, and I also bought a car last night to replace my beloved Eagle Vision, which had developed multiple transmission fluid leaks. And tomorrow I drive up to Phoenix to pick up my almost-88-year-old Dad, for a really badly-timed 4-day visit!

That's it for now. With the holidays over, I hope more of you will find time to do this Assignment, even if your entry is as brief as the fame was. Have a great week!

Karen

Weekend Assignment # 352: Winter Work

2011-01-07T04:08:00.000-07:00

January is the beginning of my busy season professionally. How is the month shaping up for you?

Weekend Assignment # 352: Winter Work
Now that the new year has begun, most of us are back at work, with only a few holidays to look forward to over the next several months. Most of us in the Northern Hemisphere wake now to cold, dark mornings, and may see little or no daylight on our morning and evening commutes. What is this time of year like for you? Are you more productive in the bleak midwinter, less so, or neither? What is the weather like where you are, and do you enjoy it?

Extra Credit: Are you still working on unfinished business from last year?

Here are the guidelines in case you'd like to participate - and I hope you do!

1. Please post your response no later than than 12:01 AM on Thursday morning, January 13th, your local time. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time unless I want to.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Don't forget, or I'll probably miss out on linking to you!

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. I'm always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If I use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor." Help me out, folks, because sometimes I run dry when doing this week after week!

6. I reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

For Weekend Assignment #351: What Are You Doing New Year's?, I asked about your New Year's Eve rituals. Most folks were too busy to write about them, but we we did get a few responses. Please click on each person's name to see the full entry:

Anne said...

When I was younger, I made a point to be out of town on New's Years. It started with 1999, when my friends wanted to do something special. But we had to pick a destination that did not involve airplanes. Just in case. We went to Galena, Illinois - a popular weekend spot for Chicagoans.

Karen said...

I did try to vary it a little, but to little avail. John bought me some low-risk fireworks for Christmas, which have only recently hit store shelves in Tucson, having been banned except for professional use since before we moved here. It turns out, though, that it's legal to BUY them in Tucson, but it's not legal to USE them in Tucson. We live in the city limits, and besides, it was cold outside. So they're still sitting on the end table in the den. Darn it.

That's it for now. With the holidays over, I hope more of you will find time to do this Assignment, even if your entry is a brief one. Have a great week!

Karen

Weekend Assignment #351: What Are You Doing New Year's?

2010-12-30T21:00:00.002-07:00

Let's do one more short, seasonal Weekend Assignment to take us into the new year:

Weekend Assignment # 351: What Are You Doing New Year's?
Where do you typically spend New Year's Eve? What are you usually doing when the big moment arrives? Will this year be as usual, or are you doing something different?

Extra Credit: To the best of your recollection, have you ever managed to keep a New Year's resolution for more than a week?

Here are the guidelines in case you'd like to participate - and I hope you do!

1. Please post your response no later than than 12:01 AM on Thursday morning, January 6th, your local time. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time unless I want to.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Don't forget, or I'll probably miss out on linking to you!

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. I'm always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If I use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor." Help me out, folks, because sometimes I run dry when doing this week after week!

6. I reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

For Weekend Assignment # 350: Best. Gift. Ever., I asked about awesome gifts given or received. Most folks were too busy giving and receiving them to write about them, but we we did get a few responses. Please click on each person's name to see the full entry:

Anne said...

One Christmas, my parents gave me a car. They didn't wrap it in a bow in the driveway or anything. They wrapped a new key chain in a box and included a note the box that said, "we'll start looking in January". I didn't get the message. I had lost my keys several months before and they had been on a gorgeous Gucci key chain. Did they mean they would help me find a great new key chain? Random.

Karen said...

My best gift ever given, I was hoping, would be the one I was putting together for my brother Steve for Christmas this year. John and I have put many hours into putting it together, but we can't quite seem to get it right. It's meant to be a book, or at least a pdf file, if we can ever get the pages to appear in order with no duplications or superseded versions. The title page reads, "The Ruth Anne Johnson Songbook - Version 2.2."

That's it for now. I realize it's a busy time of year, but please jump in with an entry if you can. Happy New Year!

Karen

Weekend Assignment # 350: Best. Gift. Ever.

2010-12-24T03:54:00.000-07:00

This week's Assignment is short and seasonal--again!

Weekend Assignment # 350: Best. Gift. Ever.
What is the best gift you've ever gotten from anyone?

Extra Credit: To the best of your recollection, what is the best gift you ever gave someone else?

Here are the guidelines in case you'd like to participate - and I hope you do!

1. Please post your response no later than than 12:01 AM on Thursday morning, December 30th, your local time. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time unless I really want to.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Don't forget, or I'll probably miss out on linking to you!

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. I'm always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If I use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor." Help me out, folks, because sometimes I run dry when doing this week after week!

6. I reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

For Weekend Assignment # 349: Party Hardy or Party Hardly?, I asked how much of a partier you are. Please click on each person's name to see the full entry:

Julie said...

When I do party, it's generally when I'm at a convention. I enjoy hanging out at room parties, catching up with old acquaintances and making new ones. And if it's an out of town event (or a local one where I take a room at the hotel for one night) I can stay as late as I want and even indulge in a drink as I'm not driving home.

Florinda said...

I've never been a party girl. The fact that I was already married and a mom while I was still in college means I missed out on some of the prime partying years, so I haven't had much practice.

Anne said...

I generally enjoy a party. Sometimes, at this time of year, I just want to hole up and do nothing. It is dark so early, and cold and often the streets are terrible and the traffic is worse. In fact, that is the secret to getting me to a party: starting it as early in the day as possible. The later people start gathering, the less likely I am to show up. But I always enjoy myself.

Karen said...

Let's see - what was the last party I attended? It was a friend's birthday party in September 2009. That one was bearable, even fun, because several of the people attending were friends from the old Doctor Who club whom I hadn't seen in years. Also it was in a beautiful setting in the Tucson Mountains foothills, and well organized with a fun Disney theme.

That's it for now. I realize it's a busy time of year, but please jump in with an entry if you can. Have a great holiday week!

Karen

Weekend Assignment # 349: Party Hardy or Party Hardly?

2010-12-17T03:02:00.000-07:00

This week's Assignment is short and seasonal:

Weekend Assignment # 349: Party Hardy or Party Hardly?
This is the time of year for office parties, family reunions, New Year's Eve parties and holiday parties in general. Are you a party animal or a party avoider? Do you go to parties because you want to, or out of obligation, or not at all?

Extra Credit: How many parties are you likely to attend between now and New Year's Day?

Here are the guidelines in case you'd like to participate - and I hope you do!

1. Please post your response no later than than 12:01 AM on Thursday morning, December 23rd, your local time. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time unless I really want to.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Don't forget, or I'll probably miss out on linking to you!

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. I'm always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If I use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor." Help me out, folks, because sometimes I run dry when doing this week after week!

6. I reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

For Weekend Assignment # 348: Trendsetters, I asked how much of a car buff you are. Please click on each person's name to see the full entry:

Anne said...

[Oprah] taught us that a woman can be a great success with or without a man. She can be happy without being married and have cocker spaniels instead of children. She doesn't have to be a size four (although she ought to try to be healthy). She can cover real stories of adversity and survival and heroism and then do the celebrity gossip with the best of them.

Karen said...

My first letter to Harlan [Ellison] began, "I used to be a Democrat for Nixon," and went on to credit him for my political education. In college, I applied to a writer's workshop Harlan had written about and taught at, and would be teaching at again that summer. He and Peter S. Beagle, also teaching that year, were the main reasons I applied. As some of you know, that workshop was where I met my future husband, and was encouraged by Harlan to "go after him, girl!" I did, and we've been married for 31 1/2 years so far. Celebrity influences don't get much more consequential than that!

That's it for now. I realize it's a busy time of year, but please jump in with an entry if you can. Have a great week!

Karen

Weekend Assignment # 348: Trendsetters

2010-12-09T23:17:00.002-07:00

Watching tributes to John Lennon this week was my inspiration the the latest Assignment:

Weekend Assignment # 348: Trendsetters

Musicians, writers and other artists frequently have an impact on their fans that goes beyond simple enjoyment of their work. Many rock stars have had an influence on fashion or politics or both, and fictional characters sometimes inspire real people in their opinions and career choices. [I'm not going to try to prove these assertions here; just go with them, okay?] Has an artist or artistic work ever inspired you to do or believe something that might never have occurred to you otherwise?

Extra Credit: Do you think it's appropriate for artists to be political activists? Does such activism have a positive or negative impact on your respect for that artist?

Here are the guidelines if you'd like to participate.

1. Please post your response no later than than 12:01 AM on Thursday morning, December 16th, your local time. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time unless I really want to.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. I'm always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If I use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor." Help me out, folks, because sometimes I run dry when doing this week after week!

6. I reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

For Weekend Assignment # 347: Car Crazy , I asked how much of a car buff you are. Please click on each person's name to see the full entry:

Anne said...

I am not, however, a connoisseur. I fancied that I could be. I once had posters of Italian sports cars in my bedroom. (Next to Walter Payton and James Dean.) But in reality, my love is more of an open-road, wind-in-my-hair, independent Americana kind of love. In fact, all of my cars have been SUVs - Ford or GM.

Florinda said...

However, I now live in the birthplace of “car culture,” Southern California, and am married to a man who’s absorbed that all his life. Tall Paul is a sub-species of “car guy” that I didn’t know existed until I met him: the “car nerd.” (But he’ll tell you his best friend Larry is the real car nerd.) Car nerds aren’t constantly covered with grease, working on their engines and adding after-market accessories to their cars; yes, I realize that’s a stereotype, but until five years ago I thought that’s what a “car guy “ was. Granted, the car nerd might do more of his own maintenance if modern cars weren’t so computer-driven (no pun intended) - and while he may appreciate some things about vintage, classic automobiles, the car nerd is a techie at heart and has an eager interest in the new. Among other things, car nerds like new-car magazines.

Karen said...

Still, I do notice neat old cars on the street, and occasionally some unusual new car if it's strangely shaped or exceptionally sporty. I'm probably right more often than not when I identify something as an old Chevy, Cadillac or Model T--well, maybe. And once I got a car dealer to give me a test drive in a Corvette, with the car salesman at the wheel. I also watch Top Gear on BBC America, not because I have an opinion about expensive Italian sports cars, but because the three hosts are amusing, and do crazy challenges involving cars and other vehicles all over the world.

That's it for now. I realize it's a busy time of year, but please jump in with an entry if you can. Have a great week!

Karen

Weekend Assignment # 347: Car Crazy

2010-12-02T23:59:00.002-07:00

The presence of extra traffic on the streets (at least near Best Buy) this time of year inspires this week's Assignment:

Weekend Assignment # 347: Car Crazy

Some people are car connoisseurs, able to discuss the finer points of 1960 Corvette engines, find or build replacement Model T parts, or argue the merits of the latest high-end Italian sports car. (Okay, maybe it's not the same person in each of these scenarios, but you get the idea.) Other people know a lot about their own beloved car and its automotive brethren, but not much about other cars. Still others are mostly just concerned whether their car still gets them to work and back safely. How about you? Do you pay attention to automotive trends, or quickly identify the unusual car sitting next to you at the light? What is the extent of your knowledge and interest in cars?

Extra Credit: If a long lost rich uncle insisted on buying you any car you wanted, as long as you promised to keep it and drive it around, what kind would you get?

Here are the guidelines if you'd like to participate.

1. Please post your response no later than than 12:01 AM on Thursday morning, December 9th, your local time. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time unless I really want to.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. I'm always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If I use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor." Help me out, folks, because sometimes I run dry when doing this week after week!

6. I reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

For Weekend Assignment #346: Holiday Shopper (yes, I've corrected a numbering error or two since posting), I asked you about your holiday shopping strategies. Please click on each person's name to see the full entry:

Julie said...

I prefer to shop in person, particularly for things that the recipient might want to exchange because it's the wrong size or color. Or, if I give a gadget that's DOA, they - or I - can exchange it at a store rather than go through the hassle of shipping. My main strategy is to shop during "off" times of the day.

Carly said...

Black Friday, which I believe is the "official" shopping start of the holiday season is a big deal in our house. We don't do much shopping that day, but we do people watch! We begin the day in Union Square, in San Francisco, and after enjoying a Mocha for Alan and a Hot Chocolate for me, we walk the square, then its down to Maiden Lane. It's gorgeous this time of year, from the decorations, to the wonderful street performers singing opera. It's a unique time to be in San Francisco, and something we don't miss, come rain or come shine.

Karen said...

It's not that I hate to shop, but I have limited patience with lines, and even more limited funds to spend. I'm not likely to get in line to buy anyone a new tv or computer at a deep discount. The only person I can afford to spend significant money on these days is my husband, and frankly we have a history of returning his "big present" to Best Buy (or wherever) immediately after Christmas or his birthday. We do this almost every year, it seems.

Anne said...

Besides rocking the gifts, I have another goal: to avoid setting foot in a shopping mall from Thanksgiving until New Years. I do quite a bit online: Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Toys R Us, Drs. Foster and Smith, FTD, these websites have all worked out nicely for me. The deals can be found and I am not buying too many gift cards. While I have never gone to Best Buy at 4am, I do believe I have lived the Black Friday experience enough times to know better.

That's it for now. I realize it's a busy time of year, but please jump in with an entry if you can. Have a great week!

Karen

Weekend Assignment # 346: Holiday Shopper

2010-11-25T23:23:00.002-07:00

Continuing with the seasonal theme:

Weekend Assignment # 346: Holiday Shopper

Ack! The holiday shopping season is upon us! What is your shopping strategy for this time of year? Do you spread out your shopping over weeks and months, or try to get it all done at once? Do you mostly shop online or in person? How heavily, if at all, do you rely on gift cards, gift certificates or plain old fashioned cash and checks?

Extra Credit: Do you enjoy shopping the Black Friday and after-Christmas sales?

Here are the guidelines if you'd like to participate.

1. Please post your response no later than than 12:01 AM on Thursday morning, December 2nd, your local time. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time unless I really want to.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. I'm always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If I use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor." Help me out, folks, because sometimes I run dry when doing this week after week!

6. I reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

For Weekend Assignment #245: Give Thanks, I asked you to publicly thank someone for something. Please click on each person's name to see the full entry:

Florinda said...

Given the way the second half of 2010 has gone, it wasn’t hard for me to decide who deserves special thanks this year, and the fact that I dislocated my shoulder AGAIN last weekend just reinforced it. I have operated at a diminished one-armed capacity at times, and I have been fortunate to have people around who’ve accommodated and tried to make things easier for me. I especially appreciate their putting up with me because I'm an annoying combination of neediness and control issues; I'll ask for your help, but I hate to keep asking, so if I've been waiting a while I'll go ahead and do it myself anyway (even if I probably shouldn't).

Anne said...

At the risk of making my mother cry, I am going to go with Thanking My Brother. Here is a totally non-comprehensive list of stuff Scott has done that has made my life better, easier or more fun:

He has three children. So I am not required by either family, guilt or maternal instinct to produce my own. And they are lots of fun. [...]

Karen Funk Blocher said...

I'm part of something, a community with common purpose, not just worshipping God and drinking coffee together, but helping the poor, fighting for social justice and so on. It's not really within my character to go out on protests or travel to Guatemala with Ila Abernathy to help displaced Mayans, but I'm very proud to be at least tangentially associated with such activities. So thank you, people of St. Michael's.

That's it for now. I realize it's a busy time of year, but please jump in with an entry if you can. Have a great week!

Karen

Weekend Assignment # 345: Give Thanks

2010-11-19T00:12:00.002-07:00

NOW CLOSED!

Here's another simple, seasonal one:

Weekend Assignment # 345: Give Thanks

Thanksgiving is upon us, the time of year when we're asked what we're thankful for. Let's take the opportunity to interpret this literally, and actually thank someone! Tell us about someone in your life, past or present, whom you would like to thank for what they did, and why.

Extra Credit: Suggest a Weekend Assignment topic, because I'm running dry! Also: would you prefer that the topics be mostly literary, or is a variety better?

Here are the guidelines if you'd like to participate. Please note that while Carly is on hiatus I've loosened up the deadline just a little.

**1. Please post your response no later than than 12:01 AM on Thursday morning, November 24th, your local time. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time unless I really want to.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor." Help me out, folks, because sometimes I run dry when doing this week after week!

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

For Weekend Assignment #244: Fall Favorites, I asked what you like best and least about this time of year, a topic which apparently failed to inspire most of you. Please click on each person's name to see the full entry:

Anne said...

This year was kind of a bust, because it was raining, but I look forward to picking apples at the orchard. There is a place on the border between Illinois and Wisconsin that does the pick-your-own thing that I have been doing with my brother and nephew every year. Then at the end, they have the shops with cider, meats and cheeses, and cider doughnuts.

Karen Funk Blocher said...

First off, autumn is my annual chance to pursue my "pumpkin anything" obsession. Pumpkin bread, ice cream, yogurt (frozen and otherwise), butter, pies, tarts, cookies, and variations on most of the above have all passed my lips at some point in recent years. Last weekend I combined the remains of my pumpkin steamer from the Starbucks counter at Safeway with a small vanilla shake from Whataburger, and made myself a pumpkin shake. It was good, too. Overall, though, I haven't indulged in much Pumpkin Anything this year.

That's it for now. I realize it's a busy time of year, but please jump in with an entry if you can. Have a great week!

Karen

Weekend Assignment # 344: Fall Favorites

2010-11-11T20:50:00.004-07:00

NOW CLOSED!

Let's do this:

Weekend Assignment # 344: Fall Favorites

Some people like autumn leaves. Others like foods associated with this time of year, particular holidays, sports, weather, or even the run up to Christmas and Hanukkah. What is your favorite thing about Fall? (Note: if you're in the Southern Hemisphere, tell us about Spring instead!)

Extra Credit: What do you like least about this time of year?

Here are the guidelines if you'd like to participate. Please note that while Carly is on hiatus I've loosened up the deadline just a little.

**1. Please post your response no later than than 12:01 AM on Thursday morning, November 17th, your local time. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time unless I really want to.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor." Help me out, folks, because sometimes I run dry when doing this week after week!

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

For Weekend Assignment #243: Read It Again, I asked about your re-reading habits, if any. Please click on each person's name to see their full entry:

Julie said...

Haven't had much of a chance to participate in this lately, but this one is timely for me as I just exhausted the last new book in the stack and I'm up tonight with asthma issues. (Oh, I'll be fine. I started in on what I hope will become a new fitness routine today and I was over-enthusiastic. I just need to take it slow.) So yes, I frequently scour the bookcases for things to read again when I've hit the bottom of the TBR stack.

Anne said...
I love re-reading. I love to re-live a plot and take another look at the characters and see the things that I didn't see the first time when I just wanted to know what happens next?! However. If I had the luxury of three lifetimes, I would not get to all of the books I want to read. So I don't indulge in it as much as I'd like.

Florinda said...

I was a frequent re-reader for much of my life - up into my early thirties, actually. As a kid I re-read my favorites often; as I got older, I didn’t do as much of it, but there were still a few books I took back off the shelves every few years. Some had become literary comfort food, while I was hoping to find something new in revisiting others.

Karen Funk Blocher said...

Once I buy a book, I am almost certain to read it more than once, probably three or more times over a period of decades. In fact, aside from a basic collector's mania, that's why I buy all the books I read, and have borrowed a total of one book (I think) from a library in the past two decades. I figure, if it's worth reading, it's worth owning, so that I can read it again at a moment's notice. I mean, really! If I'm thinking about the Harper Hall Trilogy at three in the morning, I can go right to the shelf my Pern books are on, and start reading it again.

That's it for now. I look forward to reading about your favorite fall celebrations. Have a great week!

Karen

Weekend Assignment #343: Read It Again

2010-11-04T21:51:00.005-07:00

NOW CLOSED!

Hi, folks! Did you think I forgot?

Weekend Assignment # 343: Read It Again

Some people like to read a book once, and then they're done. The plot is resolved and they know whodunnit, so it's time to move on to the next book. Other people reread a favorite book every few years, and still others keep it on their shelves in case they may want to read it again someday. Are you a frequent re-reader, an occasional one, or are you "one and done"? How do you decide what to reread, and when?

Extra Credit: What was the book you reread most recently?

Here are the guidelines if you'd like to participate. Please note that while Carly is on hiatus I've loosened up the deadline just a little.

**1. Please post your response no later than than 12:01 AM on Thursday morning, November 10th, your local time. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time unless I really want to.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor." Help me out, folks, because sometimes I run dry when doing this week after week!

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

Last week's Weekend Assignment #242: How Do You Do Halloween? inspired just two responses, which surprised me a bit. Please click on each person's name to see their full entry:

Anne said...

I spent the afternoon on the couch, flipping between football, The Rocky Horror Picture Show marathon and the marathon of something called The Most Terrifying Places in America, on the Travel Channel. Apparently, a devil baby once lived in Jane Addams’ Hull House. Here is what Ms. Addams had to say about that. And I handed out candy to the few trick-or-treaters that bother to come all the way down my street.

Karen Funk Blocher said...

Last year I made a wizard's study, wore the purple cloth as a cape and put on a wizard's beard, or possibly the one mask that I did manage to find this year but did not wear. I had real occult books and fake potions. And by the way, I injured my shoulder tripping as I carried my chair outside. Another year I had a spooky forest, with spiders and snakes as well as my squeaky plastic rats. There was a year in which I made and wore a Tiki mask to go with the two Tikis we still have on display out there. Still another year we had a Styrofoam graveyard, and twice we had Black Rose Kate come to visit, pirate flag and all. But this year was our make-do Halloween, and I think I'm the only one who was really disappointed.

That's it for now. I look forward to reading about your re-reading habits. Have a great week!

Karen

Weekend Assignment #342: How Do You Do Halloween?

2010-10-28T21:31:00.004-07:00

NOW CLOSED!

Hi, folks! It's that time of year again!

Weekend Assignment # 342: How Do You Do Halloween?

Each year at this time, we are told that Halloween is second only to Christmas in its commercial impact. Once an amalgam of religious holidays, it has grown over the years, at least in the U.S., and it's not just for children as it may have been half a century ago. What, if anything, do you personally do to celebrate Halloween? Have you ever participated in an alternative or related holiday, such as the Dias de Los Muertos, Samhain, a church Harvest Festival, etc.?

Extra Credit: What was the last Halloween costume you wore, and when?

Here are the guidelines if you'd like to participate. Please note that while Carly is on hiatus I've loosened up the deadline just a little.

**1. Please post your response no later than than 12:01 AM on Thursday morning, November 3rd, your local time. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time unless I really want to.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor." Help me out, folks, because sometimes I run dry when doing this week after week!

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

Last week's Weekend Assignment #341: Overexposed inspired three responses. Please click on each person's name to see their full entry:

Anne said...

Anyone who was ever made “famous” by a reality TV show. I am pointing in particular to The Hills and the Housewives shows. I have not watched any of them, but I have seen enough commercials. I will also throw in Paris Hilton, Omarosa, and whatever show “The Situation” is on.

Florinda said...

I couldn’t limit myself to just one response to this, and I suspect I’m not the only one who has a list of people they wish would just go away. There are some I hope will go away by November 3rd, but that’s not really what this question is addressing, so I’ll stay away from the politics today.

Karen Funk Blocher said...

Frankly, by the time Twilight became ubiquitous as bestselling books and movies, I was so sick of the whole thing that I never gave the franchise the chance. What I've read or heard about Edward and Whatshername does nothing to entice me. So to tv producers and book publishers, here's my plea: don't you think this vampire glut, and by extension the zombie glut, has reached the point of diminishing returns? Can we have something else now please?

That's it for now. I look forward to reading about your Halloween celebrations, or lack thereof. Have a great week!

Karen

Weekend Assignment #341: Overexposed

2010-10-21T05:45:00.002-07:00

NOW CLOSED!

Hi, folks!This week's WA question is a simple one:

Weekend Assignment # 341: Overexposed

Some things (or people) explode into the culture, are really big for a while and then overstay their welcome. Who or what are you really tired of seeing, hearing or reading about these days?

Extra Credit: What discarded bit of pop culture do you remember fondly?

Here are the guidelines if you'd like to participate. Please note that while Carly is on hiatus I've loosened up the deadline just a little.

**1. Please post your response no later than than 12:01 AM on Thursday morning, October 28th, your local time. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time unless I really want to.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor." Help me out, folks, because sometimes I run dry when doing this week after week!

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

Last week's Weekend Assignment #340: How Far Would You Go? inspired three responses. Please click on each person's name to see their full entry:

Anne said...

Oh, am I sorry to say I am in the “don’t even bother” category. It starts with music – I had really bad concert luck at an impressionable age. I live outside of Chicago and went to college in Washington DC. So inevitably, any time that a band I loved was touring at home, I was at school. Also, the only artist I loved more than Bono was Freddie Mercury, who died just as I was coming-of-concert-age. I would have gone pretty far to see Freddie Mercury live.

See also Anne's response to the previous Weekend Assignment, newly-added to the entry below this one.)

Stephen Watkins said...

Who’m I kidding? I’ve never really gone anywhere to see anyone even remotely bordering on famous. Heck, I’ve lived in Atlanta, now, for four years, and yet I’ve never even taken the time to go to Dragon*Con - a fantasy and sci-fi convention that regularly draws celebrities of various kinds (writers, actors, directors, etc.) involved in the production of many of my favorite fantasy and sci-fi entertainments. That’s right… I’ve never even gone to the trouble of driving downtown to catch my favorite writers, actors, and characters.

Karen Funk Blocher said...

Back in 1990 through 1993, I used to drive the 500 miles or so to the Los Angeles area a couple times a year, indulging my Quantum Leap and Doctor Who habits. I think there were two years in which the Gallifrey One and Quantum Leap conventions were the same weekend, and my friends and I scrambled to attend both. Other times we drove to Universal Studios and managed to talk to people in the production office, interviewing writers, actors, producers or directors, or some combination thereof. On one of our last Leap trips, my car's transmission died forever north of Palm Springs. I sold the Capri to a junkyard and we flew off to Los Angeles, where we watched filming on the Universal lot, and interviewed Scott Bakula for the first and only time. Oh, and I lost our return airline tickets and hard to borrow money to buy more. It was a heck of a weekend, but absolutely worth it.

That's it for now. I look forward to reading what you're sick to death of, and what you wouldn't mind seeing back again. Have a great week!

Karen

Weekend Assignment #340: How Far Would You Go?

2010-10-14T00:28:00.002-07:00

NOW CLOSED!

The stars of my favorite tv show, Doctor Who, are coming to the U.S. next month for five days of location shooting in Utah, a mere 600 miles from my home in Tucson. My urge to drive to Utah and find them is the inspiration for this week's Assignment.

Weekend Assignment # 340: How Far Would You Go?

Some people travel hundreds of miles (in extreme cases, thousands of miles) to see a concert by a favorite performer, or to meet their favorite writers at a convention, or to attend some other kind of public appearance by someone they especially admire. Other people don't even bother to go downtown to take advantage of such an opportunity. How far would you go to meet one or more of your favorite writers, actors, musicians, comedians or other artists, and to attend a performance by him or her or them?

Extra Credit: What is the farthest you have ever gone in a similar situation?

Here are the guidelines if you'd like to participate. Please note that while Carly is on hiatus I've loosened up the deadline just a little.

**1. Please post your response no later than than 12:01 AM on Thursday morning, October 21st, your local time. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time unless I really want to.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor." Help me out, folks, because sometimes I run dry when doing this week after week!

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

Last week's Weekend Assignment #339: Happy Endings inspired only a few responses. Please click on each person's name to see their full entry:

Stephen Watkins said...

It was spent frantically packing. My roommate, a buddy of mine, had just gotten married. I was renting a room in his house, but he was coming home with his new bride, and I needed to vacate the premises, and pronto. This was another reason why I felt that the time was right for my move to “A-town”. If I was going to have to move out of my buddy’s house anyway, why go back to renting a small apartment in a dead-end town?

Karen Funk Blocher said...

I thought that, this being my last day in the F-M school district, it would be nice to visit a few teachers from when I was younger - much younger. The school in which I went to fourth through sixth grades was long gone, and the junior high had moved even further toward the edge of town several years earlier. But Manlius Elementary still existed, and was right across the street from Temple's Dairy Store in the village of Manlius, about a mile from my house. So that's where I went.

And oops! We missed out on Anne's entry!

I had mismanaged my on-campus dining funds, such that I had a couple hundred dollars left on my i.d. So we went over, ordered pizzas and I let the kids go grocery shopping in the cafe. That was a lot of bags of Doritos. Then we sat down to eat, and figure out how the heck we would manage to keep in touch: with me going home, Christine going home to St. Louis, etc. The difference this year was that Christine and I weren't coming back to school in the fall.

That's it for now. I hope some of you will take the time to tell us how far you would go, or have gone, to see your favorite celebrities. Have a great week!

Karen

Weekend Assignment #339: Happy Endings

2010-10-07T00:08:00.058-07:00

NOW CLOSED!

A week ago Wednesday was my last day, at least for now, as an independent contractor helping out with the accounting at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church. That's the inspiration for this week's Weekend Assignment:

Weekend Assignment # 339: Happy Endings

Tell us about the last day of anything: the last day of school or a job, your last day as a smoker, the last day before you moved or got married, the last day before you got that car you always wanted, or even the last day of a particularly memorable vacation. Here's the catch: I'm looking for happy memories here, happy endings rather than tragic ones.

Extra Credit: What happened the next day?

Here are the guidelines if you'd like to participate. Please note that while Carly is on hiatus I've loosened up the deadline just a little.

**1. Please post your response no later than than 12:01 AM on Thursday morning, October 14th, your local time. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time unless I really want to.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor." Help me out, folks, because sometimes I run dry when doing this week after week!

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

We had a great response to last week's Weekend Assignment #338: A World of Their Own. Please click on each person's name to see their full entry:

Anne said...

However, there are a bunch of other variables depending on whether the planet is inhabited by sentient beings. Can we communicate with them? Do they welcome visitors? What do we know about their history and culture? Do they have wi-fi?

Florinda said...

It's funny that someone would ask that question, actually. There have been several times recently when current events - and the public response to some of them - have provoked me to tell my husband "That's it. I want to move to a new planet." Beam me up, Scotty - there's no intelligent life left on this one. Yes, I am well aware that's a Star Trek misquote...but it was one of my favorite bumper stickers once upon a time.

Stephen Watkins said...

Yeah, I’m a huge sci-fi nerd, and I’m a huge proponent of actual space exploration and all that jazz. But I’m also terribly, personally, risk-averse. And I like being alive. I figure, the chances of survival for those first few colonists on this brave new world are… somewhat less than my chances of survival on my native rock.

Sandrine said...

I'm just not. It's silly. Plus they almost certainly won't have WiFi. And I bet getting pork products and the teas I like will be even harder there than it is in Turkey. So no. I'm staying put. Now if someone actually handed me a free ticket, promised exciting alien historical artifacts,decent housing, welcoming extra-terrestrials, cheap booze, and good schools for the kids, I might just reconsider.

Mike said...

If you asked me this question as a kid, there would be no doubt, I would have been on the first ship. I'd probably sleep out for tickets. I assume that would be necessary if we really could go out there. The tickets would sell out in 26 seconds and all be bought by brokers who then sell them on Space-Hub for 1000% more than face value. Am I right?

Karen Funk Blocher said...

So let's say the conditions are right. We're healthy and wealthy and bored, and we can even take our dog Ponsonby with us. Okay, then we're going! But for how long? I don't know about you, but I find the ends of vacation trips rather frustrating and depressing. I never feel we've done and seen everything there is to do and see. And a whole new planet - there should be a lot to do and see, right? If this is a human-friendly environment, there's a good chance that Horton has as much environmental variation as Earth - hot places and cold places, oceans and rivers and desert, mountains and plains, and a whole new set of flora and fauna to admire. Yeah, I think we'll take the one year package, please.

That's it for now. Thanks to everyone who wrote entries about their planetary wanderings, or lack thereof! I hope some of you will also jump in this time with an earthbound tale of your personal happy endings. Have a great week!

Karen

Weekend Assignment # 338: A World of Their Own

2010-09-30T01:29:00.002-07:00

NOW CLOSED!

On Wednesday, someone shared a link of Facebook about the discovery of a "Goldilocks planet." That's a planet whose orbit around its sun makes it not too hot, not too cold, but potentially "just right" for life to develop. Within an hour the link attracted a large number of comments, some humorous, some political, about who should pack their bags and move to this other planet, twenty light years away. That's the inspiration for this week's Weekend Assignment:

"Goldilocks planet" illustration by Lynette Cook,
National Science Foundation.

Weekend Assignment # 338: A World of Their Own

Even as astronomers discover planets that may be capable of supporting life, such destinations remain out of reach of would-be human colonists, even if the world is "only" twenty light years away. But if some science fictional technology were discovered in the next year or two (warp drive, matter transmission or whatever) that made it possible to leave Earth behind and go live on another planet, would you be tempted to do so? If you choose not to relocate, would you be interested in just visiting the place instead?

Extra Credit: If you did go, whether on vacation or as a colonist, and you were only allowed to bring one small suitcase with you, what would be in it?

Here are the guidelines if you'd like to participate. Please note that while Carly is on hiatus I've loosened up the deadline just a little.

**1. Please post your response no later than than 12:01 AM on Thursday morning, October 7th, your local time. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time unless I really want to.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor." Help me out, folks, because sometimes I run dry when doing this week after week!

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

A few brave souls responded to last week's Weekend Assignment #337: Lone Wolf, or Part of the Pack?. Please click on each person's name to see their full entry:

Anne said...

Myers and Briggs will tell you that I am an extrovert. I talk with people all day long and you can't shut me up. I think out loud and sometimes I say too much. My mother will tell you that I become more introverted every year. I go to lunch by myself and want the world to shut up and let me read my book. The last two vacations I have taken were by myself (which the Canadian at Customs refused to believe).

Stephen Watkins said...

Personality tests were an inconstant source of insight on the issue as well. They often indicated that I was an Introvert – but not always. There were times when the results were a little more inconclusive. I accepted that I was, but at times I didn’t really feel like I was. I wanted to be a part of the pack. It was when I took the Birkman test at the start of my Master’s degree that I came to better understand my relationship with the group.

Karen Funk Blocher said...

It probably won't come as a huge shock to you if I identify myself as basically an introvert, a mildly shy, socially awkward person whose emotional life is largely inside my own head. I very rarely go to any sort of party, I don't go out clubbing or drinking, and I don't currently belong to any active fan clubs or other social groups. Even the annual Doctor Who convention in Los Angeles, Gallifrey One, which I attend as often as I can, is nearly as painful to me as it is rewarding. I'm just not all that good at making social connections. My social life consists of online stuff, hanging out with my husband (mostly at home), and taking a few friends to lunch on Sundays.

That's it for this week! I hope you'll join in this weekend, and tell us about any planet-hopping you would or would not do, given the chance. Be seeing you - and watch out for that wormhole!

Karen

Weekend Assignment #337: Lone Wolf, or Part of the Pack?

2010-09-22T23:10:00.002-07:00

NOW CLOSED!

This week it's crunch time for me, trying to finish sorting out and carting over our many boxes of donations of items for the English Faire at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, catalog them all for tax purposes and price everything for sale this weekend. That's got me thinking about my degree of involvement with the church, and whether it means that after all these years I'm more gregarious than I once was. Thus:

Weekend Assignment #337: Lone Wolf, or Part of the Pack?

Some people are happiest when they're part of a group. They may be leader of the pack, or actively contribute to the group's efforts, or simply hang out with the others for companionship, and any scraps they may get. Other people are more the lone wolf type: the explorers, the loners, given to solitary effort and independent thought. Where do you prefer to function in human society: as part of a group, or your own, or in some combination of the two?

Extra Credit: Is there a group with which you're currently affiliated that is especially important to you? What is your relationship with that group?

Here are the guidelines if you'd like to participate. Please note that while Carly is on hiatus I've loosened up the deadline just a little.

**1. Please post your response no later than than 12:01 AM on Thursday morning, September 30th, your local time. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time unless I really want to.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor." Help me out, folks, because sometimes I run dry when doing this week after week!

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

We had a limited response to last week's Weekend Assignment #335: History. Please click on each person's name to see their full entry:

Anne said...

I am sure there is an answer here involving world peace and saving the whales and feeding the homeless. But I am feeling selfish today. The easy answer is that I want a magic button to give me money. Every day. $1,000 should do it – don’t want to be greedy. I have a long, long list of things that I would do with an extra $1,000 each day.

Stephen Watkins said...

If I had a magic button, it would stop time. Heck, I’ll even give myself a limit on it. Let’s say it stops time for only three hours (though I’d surely take longer, but let’s be modest in our impossible wishes, shall we?). I figure there’s got to be a time-limit because I only get one button-press a day, but if I press the button and stop time, then I don’t get to press it and start time again until the next day, except that since time is stopped it’ll never be the next day so time would stay stopped forever…

Karen Funk Blocher said...

I'd love to hit a pause button, and have time moved forward only locally around me. I would go to bed, sleep until I'm not even a little bit tired, read, take a bath, watch a DVD, eat lunch, read the email and message board stuff that was already there when time was paused, and get some serious writing done. When I had finally done all the sleeping, reading, writing, housework and hanging out that my body and mind craved, I would hit "unpause," jump back to real time without losing the benefits of my actions in "local time," and get on with my day.

That's it for this week, but I'm really looking forward to seeing where you see yourself in our little wolf metaphor. I have a theory about where the results will skew, but I need data. Please jump in with your entry this week, and prove me right or wrong. I promise not to growl or bite!

***

In other meme news, I've decided to give up on

at least for now. For both weeks of this meme, which was meant to fill in for the Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot while Carly is on hiatus, only Jama and I participated. Thanks, Jama! I may give this, or something like it, another shot later. For now, though, when I'm really busy with other things, a meme with almost no response isn't really worth my time. Sorry!

Karen

Weekend Assignment #336: Magic Button

2010-09-16T00:28:00.003-07:00

NOW CLOSED!

This one is based on a question posed by Michele Agnew on http://micheleagnew.com, way back in 2005.

Weekend Assignment #336: Magic Button

If you could have a magic button that would do one particular thing for you, up to once a day, what would that function be?

Extra Credit: Would your answer to the above change if it were a person doing the task (for free and without complaint, using ordinary human abilities) rather than a magic button?

You know how to do this, right? Here are the guidelines. While Carly is on hiatus I've loosened up the deadline just a little - but don't push your luck! ;)

**1. Please post your response no later than than 12:01 AM on Thursday morning, September 23rd. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time unless I really want to.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor." Help me out, folks, because sometimes I run dry when doing this week after week!

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

We had a great response for last week's Weekend Assignment #335: History. Please click on each person's name to see their full entry:

Duane said...

I actually do live near the site of a battlefield (several, in fact), and I'm very aware of the area's history. I live in northwest Georgia, just south of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The region's main moment in the historical spotlight happened nearly 150 years ago during the Civil War. Chattanooga was an important railroad center, where several lines met that connected most of the South. There were several battles fought for control of the town and there are historical markers and monuments scattered all over the region.

Anne said...

Off the top of my head..I can tell you that Glenview was founded in 1890, but our landmark dates back a bit further. Our park district still maintains the estate of "one of its most famous sons" Robert Kennicott. He was a (oh, hell. Now I have to go look this up) naturalist and explorer. The Grove is part history museum and part nature preserve and our school classes would visit about once a year for one reason or another. Sometimes it was about pioneer history - churning the butter and that kind of thing. Sometimes it was about the nature trails and native plants and insects.

Stephen Watkins said...

In Atlanta, you can’t throw a stone without hitting a sign for a historical marker declaring the site of “so-and-so’s last stand” or “the charge of somesuch brigade”. It’s part of the fabric here. Heck, this is largely true of much of the American Southeast. In the rest of the U.S. the Civil War is an important historical event. It’s something that happened. It’s important but it’s over. The good guys won, the bad guys lost, Honest Abe freed the slaves and everyone lived happily ever after, the end. Except, in the South, it’s not over yet. It’s a living part of the culture and personality of this part of the world.

Sandrine said...

Of course, I love the ancient ruins. Who wouldn't? And I do spend a big part of my professional life talking and writing about people who lived in those ruins, so I have more cause than some to find them fascinating. Some of it is disappointing because there's so little left, some of it is done up too heavily and looks like a movie set, and some of it is simply charming. But it's all over the place. Even Ankara has its sites. There's a big column and some Roman Baths.The column used to be topped by a giant nest inhabited by all sorts of birds.

Mike said...

According to what I can find out here, this is an actual working Dutch windmill that was assembled in 1875 in what is now Lombard, Illinois for two farmers. It was Dutch-built prefabricated kit that was shipped out there to be put together. I guess houses aren't the only things that you can buy prefabricated. It was bought in 1915 by General Fayban and moved in 1917 to its current location. Again, it was disassembled and re-assembled. Not unlike a big Erector set. It stood, and was used, in the current location until 1937 when the county acquired it after the general passed away.

Karen Funk Blocher said...

On January 22, 1934, a fire started in the hotel basement and spread upward. After John Dillinger and his gang escaped down a ladder, one of them bribed two firemen to retrieve their luggage, which included "a small arsenal and $23,816 in cash," according to the hotel website. One of the firemen later recognized the gang members in True Detective Magazine, which soon led to their capture in a private home nearby. Although Hotel Congress is also known these days for its music venue, Club Congress, for good food and for general coolness, the whole Dillinger thing is kind of a point of pride in Tucson even today, even though the legendary robber later escaped from authorities using a fake gun carved from a piece of wood.

Julie said...

You might wonder (as we all do) whatever possessed someone to name a town "Plano." Well, with many stories, we must reach into the mists of time, to the deep, dark past of the town history. Essentially, the town needed a Post Office. And in order to get a Post Office, a town had to have a name. So a guy (after whom many public buildings and parks have been named) decided that it would be a good idea to name the speck on the map after the current resident of the White House. The current resident at the time was named Millard Fillmore, and so it came to pass that the town Postmaster suggested the name of Fillmore....

Carly is taking a well-earned break from the three memes she's been hosting or co-hosting, although she may jump in as a participant from time to time. She'll be back at the beginning of January. I'm holding down the fort on the Weekend Assignment and the The Round Robin Photo Challenges, so please help me keep things going while she's gone, okay? I've also started another Monday meme as a fill-in for Carly's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot. You may be interested in this one. It's partly a writing prompt - a very short writing prompt! I call it:

The second one is already posted, and it's about shoes! Please stroll over and take a look!

I look forward to seeing your entries on both memes, plus the Round Robin if you're into photography. See you soon!

Karen

Weekend Assignment #335: History

2010-09-08T21:01:00.005-07:00

NOW CLOSED! Thanks for participating!

Hi, folks! I don't quite remember what my inspiration was for this one. I hope you like it:

Weekend Assignment #335: History

We don't all live near the site of a battlefield or other world-famous event, but any place has its own history: political, cultural, even natural history. How aware are you of the past of the town, city or state where you live now? Share with us a story of local history.

Extra Credit: Have you ever participated personally in an historic event? (This doesn't have to be anything earth-shattering.)

You know how to do this, right? There are the guidelines, as usual.

Here are the guidelines for participating:

**1. Please post your response no later than than 9:00 PM EDT on Wednesday, September 15th. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor."

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

Meanwhile, for last week's Weekend Assignment #334: What Are You Looking Forward To?, three us us told Carly what we're looking forward to. Please click on each person's name to see their full entry:

Anne said...

I am looking forward to lots of things, thank you very much. Let’s see:

1. September Apple picking with Alex. My brother and I have taken the nephew to Oriole Springs Orchard to pick apples every year.

Sandrine said...

Scroll back to last autumn. Max and I taking our weekly walk around campus, picking crab apples on our way. Then forward to December. The apples are scarce, but if I shake the trees, there's still a few that will drop to the floor....

Karen Funk Blocher said...

Last night I spent the evening pasting together every chapter of my unsold first novel, Heirs of Mâvarin, into one large document for the first time ever, reformatted it all in Courier New and started breaking my chapters into smaller size. This is all in preparation for one more revision and sending it out again, this time to a publisher that Sara G. told me about. I hate to look forward to that; I've been disappointed too many times to want to get my hopes up now.

Carly is taking a well-earned break from the three memes she's been hosting or co-hosting, although she may jump in as a participant from time to time. She'll be back at the beginning of January. I'll be holding down the fort on the Weekend Assignment and the The Round Robin Photo Challenges, so please help me keep things going while she's gone, okay? I've also started another Monday meme as a fill-in for Carly's Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot. You may be interested in this one. It's partly a writing prompt - a very short writing prompt! I call it:

The first one is already posted, and it's about bunnies! Hop over and take a look!

I look forward to seeing your entries on both memes, plus the Round Robin if you're into photography. See you soon!

Karen

Weekend Assignment #334: What Are You Looking Forward To?

2010-09-01T21:00:00.009-07:00

NOW CLOSED!
Weekend Assignment #334: What Are You Looking Forward To?

We are about to begin the last quarter of 2010, tell me what you are looking forward to. Will it be the coming holiday season? The cooler days of autumn? The kids going back to school? Family gatherings. Tell us all about it!

Extra Credit: Tell us what you are least looking forward to in the upcoming months.

Here are the general guidelines for participating:

**1. Please post your response no later than than the deadline day and time given in each week's original assignment entry. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor."

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

** This assignment closes at 9:00 PM, EST, next Wednesday. No submissions will be accepted after that time.

Last week, we took on Weekend Assignment#333: The Writing On The Wall. Here are your responses...

Anne

Trevor

Karen

Carly

**This will be the last Weekend Assignment I will be doing for 2010. I am officially on vacation until the first week in January. I will be stopping in from time to time to see how things are going and maybe participate, so be good while I am away! :)

-Carly

Weekend Assignment #333: Writing on the Wall

2010-08-25T21:00:00.047-07:00

Hi, folks! I had an interesting time recently in an unexpected place: the restroom at my local Safeway. That's the inspiration for this week's Assignment.

NOW CLOSED!
Weekend Assignment #333: Writing on the Wall

Have you ever written on a bathroom wall, or left graffiti anywhere at all? Confess! I promise we'll go easy on you! How do you feel about the ethics of graffiti, and the level of discourse sometimes found in illicit art and messages in public places?

Extra Credit: If you were to leave a message to the world on a public wall, what would it be?

Here are the guidelines for participating:

**1. Please post your response no later than than 9:00 PM EDT on Wednesday, September 1st. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor."

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

Where or not you've ever written on walls, I hope you'll write in your blog this week about the possibility of writing on walls.

Last week for Weekend Assignment #332: Back To School, we asked whether the beginning of the new school year has any impact on your life. Here are excerpts from your responses. Click on the name to get to the relevant blog:

Anne said...

I don't have kids and I finished what I expect was my final degree program last January. I am sitting for a certification exam in December, though. So perhaps I should get moving. I have already bought my books and a new notebook. I love new notebooks.

Stephen said...

Dear little B.T., of course, is still new to the world – he won’t be heading “back to school” for many years yet. You know, he’s got to go to school for the first time before he can go back to school. I sometimes try to imagine what that day will be like… but except for the fact that he’ll be older and speaking relatively coherent English, I suppose rather little will have changed.

Karen said...

The last time I was in school was November 2002 to February 2005. My school supplies at the time consisted mostly of a laptop computer and textbooks in book or pdf form. Conventional school supplies are so far in the past for me that I remember buying them at Weber's, a three room department store in Manlius, NY. I haven't lived in Manlius since 1975, and Weber's is long gone.

Florinda said...

Our kids are back in school now. The 10-year-old starts fifth grade today, and the high-school junior started classes almost two weeks ago (her school follows a different calendar than the rest of the district). My son was usually back in school by mid-August; for some reason, Southern schools tend to start the year while the summer heat is still going strong (but they're generally out by the end of May). It's been a good twenty years since I lived anywhere that started school after Labor Day.

Thanks, folks!

Karen

Weekend Assignment #332: Back To School

2010-08-18T21:00:00.006-07:00

Weekend Assignment #332: Back To School

In just a couple weeks, students will be heading back to school. Share with us what that means in your life. Are you currently shopping for school supplies for the students in your life? Are you planning on going back to school? Maybe everyone around you is rushing to get ready for the new school year, but you can sit back and relax. Tell us what that's like.

Extra Credit: Tell us what you liked the most and disliked the most about the first day of school!

Here are the general guidelines for participating:

**1. Please post your response no later than than the deadline day and time given in each week's original assignment entry. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor."

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

** This assignment closes at 9:00 PM, EST, next Wednesday. No submissions will be accepted after that time.

Here are the results for last week's assignment #331: Cake v Pie 08/12/10

Let's Eat Pie...

Kaitlyn

Let Them Eat Cake...

Mike

Florinda

Stephen

Carly, hey, that's me! :)

Karen

I don't usually quote you guys when I provide your links, but this week I really enjoyed something Stephen said, mostly because I agree with him completely! So, in breaking with my usual style, here is the quote of the week!

"(Thinking outside the box, though, I go with brownies and cookies. So there You can’t beat the warm, fresh-baked gooeyness of brownies and cookies.)"

-Stephen

Yep! :)

-Carly

Weekend Assignment #331: Cake v Pie ( Scalzi Flashback)

2010-08-11T21:00:00.006-07:00

Weekend Assignment #331: Cake V. Pie (A Scalzi Flashback) NOW CLOSED!

Which is better -- cake or pie? Explain your reasoning. Will you choose the moist sponginess and frosting-topped goodness of cake? Or will you side with those flaky crust-adoring, fruit-filling fanatics of the pie nation? You must choose one -- and only one! No trying to suggest that Boston Creme Pie is really kind of like a cake, or how cheesecake is actually not unlike a pie. Take a stand! Be true to your pastry orientation!

Extra Credit: Having chosen cake or pie, now admit your favorite variety of the dessert you did not choose. So if you chose cake, tell us your favorite pie. Prefer pie? Tell us your favorite cake. - J.S.

Originally assigned by John Scalzi, of the blog, By The Way, August 12th 2005

**1. Please post your response no later than than the deadline day and time given in each week's original assignment entry. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor."

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

** This assignment closes at 9:00 PM, EST, next Wednesday. No submissions will be accepted after that time.

Here are the responses for last week's Weekend Assignment #330: Op-Ed 08/05/10

Stephen

Karen

(1) and (2)

Thank you Stephen and Karen for your responses this week. I appreciate it a lot. Okay, on to our next assignment! See you all next week!

:)

-Carly

Weekend Assignment #330: Op-Ed

2010-08-04T21:00:00.003-07:00

Weekend Assignment #330: Op-Ed NOW CLOSED!

Time to flex your writing muscle again, because for this week only, the Weekend Assignment blog is being changed to The Weekend Assignment Chronicle! Now, we need some Op-Eds to make things a little more interesting around here. Your assignment is to pick a current event and write your opinion regarding it. Anything goes. Write about politics, the economy, or maybe even your opinion about an incident in pop culture. It's all good. It's good to exchange opinions, especially when it's done with respect. So, feel free to speak up here!

Extra Credit: Do you read the Op-Eds? Yes? No? Tell us about it!

Here are the general guidelines for participating:

**1. Please post your response no later than than the deadline day and time given in each week's original assignment entry. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor."

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

** This assignment closes at 9:00 PM, EST, next Wednesday. No submissions will be accepted after that time.

Here are the results of last week's Weekend Assignment #329: Lost and Found

(Brought to you by Karen)

Anne

Stephen

Kaitlyn

Sandrine

Karen

Thank you so much for your continued participation! Karen and I appreciate a lot. I will be looking forward to your responses this week. You have really come through with some impressive approaches to the assignments so far, and I just know this week will be no exception! See you next Wednesday everyone!

:)

-Carly

Weekend Assignment #329: Lost and Found

2010-07-28T22:00:00.002-07:00

Hi, folks! I lost an important piece of paper sometime in the past day or two. Don't you hate it when that happens? This week I want to ask about things that stay lost for a long time, only to turn up again.

Weekend Assignment #329: Lost and Found NOW CLOSED!

Have you ever lost something important (or else just really unusual), only to find it again months or even years later? Were you glad to get it back, or was it no longer worth having by then? Tell us your tale of memorable things lost and found. Alternatively, if you never, ever lost anything important, tell us how you manage this nearly superhuman accomplishment. ;)

Extra Credit: If you could choose one missing item to mysteriously reappear in your home tonight, what would it be and why?

Here are the guidelines for participating:

**1. Please post your response no later than than 9:00 PM, EDT, on Wednesday, August 4th. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry. No submissions will be accepted after that time.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor."

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

I hope you will favor us with your "lost and found" anecdote this week. Meanwhile, here are excerpts of what participants said about Weekend Assignment #328: Fan Letters. Click on the name to get to the relevant blog:

Stephen said...

You think I’m kidding, but it’s deeply embarrassing to me to admit that I once wrote a fan letter to the author of the Magic of Xanth books: Piers Anthony. Perhaps because, in hindsight, while they were perfectly serviceable juvenile fantasies, I find that the books are now, save for the first few books, entirely forgettable and entirely unworthy of the level of fanaticism that would drive one to write a fan letter. Frankly, he wasn’t even the favorite author of my youth. That title would go first to Lloyd Alexander, whom I’ve praised on these blog pages effulgently before. And I would be remiss to ignore such a giant of my youth as Tolkien. And it would be a lie if I said I wasn’t a solid fan of Margaret Weiss & Tracy Hickman. So why it is that the Xanth books, retrospectively inferior to almost any of the works by any of the mentioned authors here, were enough to bring me to writing such a thing as a fan letter?

Anne said in comments...

I have never written a fan letter. I thought about doing the Extra Credit, but I can't even think of whom I would write to. So I shall have to take a pass this week.

Karen said...

Also in 1986, I wrote to writer Madeleine L'Engle because I was having theological and literary difficulty with her use of Noah and his family in her most recent book about the Murry family, Many Waters. As it happened, her husband had just died of cancer, but she added a postscript to a form letter about her bereavement, explaining briefly that there was nothing wrong with using the Ark "myth," as she called it, in a fantasy novel, and quoting Karl Barth: "I take the Bible much too seriously to take it literally." Heady stuff!

We had a light week on responses this time out, although Stephen and I between us manage to write quite a bit on the subject. So how about this week? Can you jump in and help us out? Thanks!

Karen

Weekend Assignment #328: Fan Letters

2010-07-21T21:00:00.005-07:00

Weekend Assignment #328: Fan Letters

How about a lighter topic this week? Let's talk about FAN LETTERS. I have never personally written one, because the one time I attempted to, it came off, well, sounding kinda weird! LOL. Apparently I have NO talent for them at all! Nope. Nope. Nope. But how about you? Have you ever written a successful FAN LETTER? If so, tell us about your experience. Did you hear back from the celebrity? Was it a positive experience? Tell us all about it.

Extra Credit: Write a one paragraph FAN LETTER to your favorite celebrity.

Here are the general guidelines for participating:

**1. Please post your response no later than than the deadline day and time given in each week's original assignment entry. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor."

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

** This assignment closes at 9:00 PM, EST, next Wednesday. No submissions will be accepted after that time.

Participation list for Weekend Assignment #326: Beat The Heat!

Florinda...

My SoCal-native husband doesn't take heat very well, so when the temperatures go up, we go undercover and inside.

Anne...

At the end of the work day, I just want to open my sunroof for the cruise home.

Stephen...

Well, of course, I stay cool by being cool. Because I’m cool.

But enough about me.

Mike...

The best way for me to stay cool is to stay inside with the air conditioning cranked up. It may not be the most fun, but it's better than heatstroke. See, in the Chicago area when it gets hot, it gets humid.

Karen...

Our monsoon was due a couple weeks ago, so far it's mostly sweltery, and hardly rainy at all.

I enjoyed your responses very much! Thank you for your continued participation. I will be looking forward to your submissions this week!

-Carly

Weekend Assignment #327: Beat the Heat!

2010-07-14T21:01:00.006-07:00

I've had this topic in mind for a while now, but I wanted to wait for things to heat up first:

NOW CLOSED!

Weekend Assignment #327: Beat the Heat!

Summer is well underway now. If you live in the northern hemisphere, the days are long and the sun is on its way to being about as hot as it gets in your particular climate. How do you stay cool when the weather gets hot?

Extra Credit: If you've ever relocated hundreds of miles to a new home, did the climate play a role in your decision to move?

Here are the guidelines for participating:

1. Please post your response no later than than Wednesday, July 21st at 9 PM EDT, 6 PM Pacific. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section below.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor."

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

Now let's see some excerpts from the participating entries from last week's Assignment, for Weekend Assignment #326: Off To Camp. Please click on each name to read the entire entry:

Kaitlyn said...

My answer to this assignment is suggested by the question itself. What kind of camp is it? Why, it’s a fantasy camp, of course!
OK, in real life, I couldn’t call myself any kind of an expert on fantasy. I’ve read Tolkien, but it’s been years, and I didn’t like it that much....

Anne said...

For a few minutes there, I couldn’t even think of a kind of fantasy camp, other than for one sport or another. Then I remembered Homer Simpson’s Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp. Then I drove by a Sportscaster Fantasy Camp at a park district the other day. And I guess Space Camp would count. The truth is that I don’t even know what Fantasy Camp I’d want to attend.

Stephen said...

So, yes, if I were suddenly transported to a magical world where I was an invited guest-speaker and an expert in anything, it would be something to do with the fantasy and speculative fiction genres. So, the “fantasy camp” in question would probably be some kind of convention where I’d be a panel-speaker or some-such as that. There are a lot of real-world sci-fi-themed conventions, but I’d have to be at one that was slanted slightly more toward the fantasy end of the spectrum. Likewise, it could be a fantasy-themed writer’s convocation, or a writing workshop of some sort.

Karen said...

But let's play this out. How would a fantasy camp for sf geeks be different from a ComicCon, and Worldcon, a Gallifrey One or any number of other conventions? It would be much smaller and more intimate, with more of the one-on-one opportunities that are a challenge for conventions to arrange, if they try at all.

Interesting! Three quarters of us opted for pretty much the same nonexistent kind of camp!

Thanks to all who joined in last week. And if you didn't, well, I hope you jump back in this week! ;)

Karen

Weekend Assignment #326: Off To Camp

2010-07-07T21:00:00.006-07:00

Weekend Assignment #326: Off To Camp NOW CLOSED!

Guess what? You have been offered the chance to be the keynote speaker at a world famous fantasy camp! Great! Tell us what kind of camp it is, and what makes you such an expert!

Extra Credit: Create a special logo for the Fantasy Camp you are speaking at! :) Let's get a little visually creative!

Here are the general guidelines for participating:

**1. Please post your response no later than than the deadline day and time given in each week's original assignment entry. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor."

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

** This assignment closes at 9:00 PM, EST, next Wednesday. No submissions will be accepted after that time.

Participation List for Weekend Assignment #325: Tech Savvy

Anne

Sandrine

Stephen

Trevor

Karen

Excellent folks! Have a wonderful week, I will be looking forward to your responses.

-Carly :)

Weekend Assignment #325: Tech-Savvy

2010-07-01T03:38:00.004-07:00

I spent five hours today setting up a friend's cable box, half-broken tv set, cable modem and new computer, and getting them all to work together. That's the inspiration for this week's question.

Weekend Assignment #323: Tech Savvy NOW CLOSED!
When you bring home some new piece of technology, do you usually get it up and running with pleasant anticipation and calm confidence, or is there more likely to be much swearing, wailing and gnashing of teeth? What's the most trouble you've had with a new computer, tv, phone or related tech gadget?

Extra Credit: Who do you call in to help, if you get stuck?

Here are the guidelines for participating:

1. Please post your response no later than than 9:00 PM, EDT on Wednesday, July 7th. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor."

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in his or her entry.

Meanwhile, here are excerpts from last week's responses. Click on each name to read the whole entry:

Anne said...

I have literally never tried to imagine what the world would be like in 50 years. I asked myself why not and my response was: “Because according to Star Trek, we are hip deep in World War III right now and it is going to get worse before it gets better. I don't want to think about it.”

Mike said...
Feel better? Good. Pardon the flicker of my holo, I need to get that fixed. I guess I should explain. About 20 years ago a company designed the holo-projector for business meetings. It was a better option than traveling and videoconferencing. If it seems like the person is right next to you it's much harder to ignore their ideas, or to put it down. It turned out to work really well, so people started using it for everything. Now, nobody leaves the safety and comfort of their house anymore.

Sandrine said...
In 2062, my son Max will be 59. His friends Imogen and Julius will be 55 and 53. My bloggy friends' sons Jacob and HRH will be 59 and 53. Hopefully by then mid to late fifties will count as late middle age! But I'm not so much worried about their physical conditions. I've got some other more pressing questions: where will they be in 2062? Will they be hiding out, alone, in bedsits? Scared to come out in a world they still don't really understand and that definitely doesn't understand them? Will they be shunned by society? These are not crazy worries. This is the world many adult autists live in now, and unless some pretty hefty changes take place in the next fifty years, it's not going to be any different for our kids. And, let's face it, in fifty years' time, we might no longer be around to help them.

Stephen said...
And so, I slip on my time-visor helmet, and prepare to reveal to you the FUTURE! Or FUTURES! as the case may be: The time-visor vibrates, and images start to appear – images of world both familiar and strange. I slip through the time-stream, selecting a moment, a point, a possible future. I close my eyes. And open them again.

Trevor said...
Dear Dad,
I hope in some form you can get this letter. It’s been 20 odd years since your passing. With this new wormhole thing Perry(my husband, who your future self didn’t like until he gave you a grandson) is working on, I think this will show up on your computer in time. Here’s hoping. Otherwise, I’ll leave it with your cryo-account, and you might get it when you wake up, if ever.

Karen said...
So what do I think will actually be around in 2062? I expect that the easy stuff - better, smaller, faster tech toys, solar power and other alternative energy sources, etc. will all continue to be designed, refined and readily available. The energy thing has been on America's and the world's back burner far too long, and I believe that will start to change in light of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, President Obama's priorities and other factors. The other, fun stuff, the flying cars, personal robots and so on, will depend on what's possible, cost effective and provides a benefit that people want. Is a humanoid robot better than a Roomba? Would flying cars scooting around the sky have even more accidents than cars on clearly-defined, well-marked roads? Probably, unless you got really clever with programming them. Maybe monorails for distance and slidewalks or People Movers for short hops will be more practical, but I suspect people will always want the autonomy of their own individual vehicle whenever possible.

Wow, you folks really came through on this one, with some truly outstanding entries. I'm seriously impressed! But can you set the timer on your DVR? ;)

Karen

Weekend Assignment #324: America 2062

2010-06-23T21:00:00.006-07:00

Weekend Assignment #324: America 2062 NOW CLOSED!

Next Tuesday is my birthday, I am not quite 50 yet, but when I was a little girl I liked to sit and imagine what the world, more specifically, America, would be like when I reached 50! Having nearly arrived at my goal age, I am now aiming for another 50 years! So, in honor of my 48th birthday, I want you to search your imaginations, and tell what I can expect in the year... 2062!

Extra Credit: Tell me, is the world anything like you imagined it would be when you grew up? What's different? What's the same?

Here are the general guidelines for participating:

**1. Please post your response no later than than the deadline day and time given in each week's original assignment entry. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor."

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

** This assignment closes at 9:00 PM, EST, next Wednesday. No submissions will be accepted after that time.

Here are your responses to Weekend Assignment #323: Vacation Time!

Anne

Stephen

Trevor

Karen

Thanks everyone! I will be looking forward to your responses! :)

-Carly

Weekend Assignment #323: Vacation Time

2010-06-16T21:01:00.005-07:00

This one is inspired by where we are on the calendar:

Weekend Assignment #323: Vacation Time NOW CLOSED!
Look out - here comes summer! Kids are out of school, community pools and seasonal ice cream stands are open, and temperatures north of the Equator are on the rise. Summer is traditionally the time for families to go on vacation together. What are your summer vacation plans, if any? What time of year are you most likely to pack up the family and get out of town? Is there a particular place you go more often than anywhere else?

Extra Credit: When and where did your family usually go on vacation when you were a kid?

Here are the guidelines for participating:

1. Please post your response no later than than 9:00 PM, EDT on Wednesday, June 23rd. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor."

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in his or her entry.

Meanwhile, here are excerpts from last week's responses. Click on each name to read the whole entry:

Anne said...
Since I will not be taking a picture of my American Express card, I am going with my car. So very suburban of me, I know. I drive a Saturn Vue. Yes, I do need an SUV. At the time I bought her, I had two sixty pound dogs and I took them places. Now, I also cart around birds and books for my volunteering gigs. Not to mention the four-wheel drive that is rather convenient in a Chicago winter.

Stephen said...
So… Dear Wife and I aren’t the “brand loyalty” type. I was probably nominally more brand-loyal than Dear Wife before she came along, but since she makes the majority of our shopping decisions, I’ve lost most of that. So, instead of buying Skippy peanut butter (which I grew up with) we typically get JIF or maybe even the store-brand instead. Instead of Cheerios or Rice Krispies we get “Toasted Oats” and “Crispy Rice” (store brands, of course). Instead of an iPod, I have a Sansa Fuze (which, frankly, I love; it’s as stylish looking as an iPod, and I don’t have to use iTunes or feel like a cultist - Dear Wife got it for me as a birthday present, and it’s great).

Trevor said...
I can bet you dollars to deutschmarks my wife will be smiling by the time she gets this far into the article. Because around my house, everyone knows who my mistress is. No it isn’t some raven haired pin-up or a video game. No, my mistress is that smiling harlot in your grocery aisle, Little Debbie.

Karen said...
What specific product do I feel this way about? I don't have a favorite soda, toothpaste or brand of chicken or cheese. I don't have a favorite fast food chain, or the best possible car, computer or phone. Even our DVD and BluRay players leave a lot to be desired. So what product engenders brand loyalty in me? I finally asked John to name a brand or product I care about. "BBC," he replied, without a moment's hesitation.

Mike said...
Without thinking twice I know I couldn't live without my iPhone. Yes, I know, not very original. And, no, I'm not saying that the iPhone is the best thing since sliced bread...but it's close.

Yay! An interesting range of responses. Thanks, all! I encourage everyone to make the rounds and read what else people had to say. Then get your thinking caps - or perhaps your lucky fishing hat - on and tell us about your vacation habits. See you soon!

Karen

Weekend Assignment #322: Product Placement

2010-06-09T21:00:00.005-07:00

Weekend Assignment #322: Product Placement NOW CLOSED!

Okay, let's shift gears to something very commonplace. Product Placement. We all have a certain product in our lives we simply couldn't live without. Tell us about your favorite product. How long have you used it? Why is it the best? If it were no longer on the market, what would you use instead? Give us all the details!

Extra Credit: Time to get creative. Take a photo of your favorite product!

**1. Please post your response no later than than the deadline day and time given in each week's original assignment entry. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor."

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

** This assignment closes at 9:00 PM, EST, next Wednesday. No submissions will be accepted after that time.

Last week, Karen asked the following question, "Where's Your Buggy Whip?" Here is what you had to say...

1. Anne

2. Sandrine

3. Stephen

4. Karen

5. Trevor

6. Mike

Thanks everybody! :) We appreciate your continued participation!

-Carly

Weekend Assignment #321: Where's Your Buggy Whip?

2010-06-02T21:08:00.014-07:00

Let's get right to it:

Weekend Assignment #321: Where's Your Buggy Whip?
NOW CLOSED!

We sometimes hear the expression, "XXX has gone the way of the buggy whip." In other words, technology and society have moved on, and something that was once commonplace barely exists anymore because it's no longer needed. Do you still have something in your home that has become essentially useless? If so, why do you still have it? If not, when did you get rid of it?

Extra Credit: Have you ever worked in an industry that has gone the way of the buggy whip, or is in danger of doing so?

Here are the guidelines for participating:

1. Please post your response no later than than 9:00 PM, EDT on Wednesday, June 9th. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor."

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in his or her entry.

Last week, for Weekend Assignment #320: THE SCOTUS Choice, Carly asked for your thoughts about the recent Supreme Court nominee. Click on each name to read the full entry.

Freda said in comments...

Being Canadian, I am indifferent as to who gets appointed. Doesn't mean I do not have an opinion, it just means mine doesn't count.

Julie said...

What bothers me, however, is the increasing level of vitriol I've seen surrounding her nomination. Hey, I have no problem with anyone who wants to question her legal or judicial qualifications for the job, but to paint her as gay based on her appearance is just plain wrong. Then there are the types who utterly dismiss anything that comes out of the president's mouth. It's wrong now just as it was during the last administration and the one before that.

Anne said...

My politics are rather mixed. I like my judges liberal, my executives conservative and my legislature to be a mixed bag. I have long thought the Supreme Court in need of a shift although interestingly, Wikipedia says that the liberals think she is too conservative and might shift the balance in the other direction.

Stephen said...

To start: no, I don’t have any strong feelings about nominee Elena Kagan, per se. She was dean of Harvard Law School, which means she’s smart, and knows a lot about the law, which is important for a Supreme Court Justice but, in itself, is insufficient to qualify her for the job. She also had a reputation for bridging the gap between the left and right on campus, which could also prove helpful for a Supreme Court Justice, whose role is to theoretically to be apolitical and focus on fairly interpreting the law. Again, however, this is insufficient as a qualification, per se. And that about sums up my knowledge of Kagan. She has good things going for her in the smarts department, but beyond that, I can’t comment further.

Trevor said...

Before you accuse me of selling out, and going over to the enemy, hold up. It has absolutely nothing to do with her gender, ethnic background, hair color, or any of the other asinine reasons the bigots of Beck and Limbaugh’s ilk will claim. It’s her complete lack of experience as a judge. I just don’t want any decision she weighs in on smeared with the “she doesn’t know what she’s doing” tag. I’m not saying that having been a judge previously makes you infallible, just witness Scalia’s one man war against worker safety the last ten years. And yes, she is of a higher moral character than some on that high bench right now*cough* Thomas* . But her appointment would open up a whole can of worms that I really don’t want opened for the Supreme Court.

Karen said...

There is a claim that she's a consensus builder, which could be good, and she seems likely to sail through her confirmation, because Republicans have been hard-pressed to find any dirt on her. Yes, good, fine; but what kind of consensus can she build on the Supreme Court as it stands now? President Obama may know, but I certainly don't. Nobody else seems to know, either. It could be that this bright legal mind will help balance out the right-leaning court, but there's precious little indication of that. My worry is that President Obama has gone for a safe, inoffensive choice here, rather than one calculated to start undoing the damage caused by the increasingly activist conservative court.

Hey, I'm impressed, you guys! I wondered whether people would shy away from this WA, but you came through magnificently. Thanks, folks! Happy writing!

Karen

Weekend Assignment #320:THE SCOTUS Choice

2010-05-26T21:00:00.009-07:00

**NOTE: You are welcome to participate in this Weekend Assignment even if you don't live in the United States. Your opinion is always welcome, as long as it's respectful! :)

Weekend Assignment #318: The SCOTUS Choice NOW CLOSED!

Recently, Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens announced that he will retire, at the end of his term, later this year, leaving the position open to be filled by President Obama. As you know, Obama has chosen Elena Kagen as his nominee. I would like to hear your thoughts about this. Good choice? Bad choice? Indifferent? Who would you like to see appointed to the high court? Are you happy with the justices currently serving, or do you believe they leave something to be desired? Tell me what you think!

Extra Credit: Write one paragraph about a supreme court decision you felt strongly about either positively or negatively.

Here are the general guidelines for participating:

**1. Please post your response no later than than the deadline day and time given in each week's original assignment entry. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor."

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

** This assignment closes at 9:00 PM, EST, next Wednesday. No submissions will be accepted after that time.

Last week, Karen asked us about our experiences with attending the theater in WA# 319: The Plays The Thing. Here are your thoughts on the subject...

Anne...
"I have seen more Shakespeare on stage than any other genre. (Is Shakespeare a genre?) The most recent was As You Like It and before that was Othello."

Kaitlyn...
"I don’t often go to see plays performed, actually. I did more often when I was in high school (especially for my drama class) and in college (because I could walk right to them)."

Hip Chick...
"I have not been to a play in quite some time. I have been to musical performances but not a musical play. I think the last time I went to one it was in Boston and it was something that Steve Martin had written about a woman in Germany."

Karen...
Sad to say, I hardly ever get to any sort of live performance these days, aside from the occasional convention appearance by a writer or actor.

Stephen...

Well, not often – because it’s expensive – but Dear Wife and I do love to get out to see plays and musicals.

Sandrine...
A little while back I made a pitch to Andrew Lloyd Webber for a musical (well, not really, I wrote a blog post about it, but you never know, maybe he read it).

Mike...
See, I'm not a fan of plays, musicals, or operas. Especially operas. I know. I'm an uncultured jerk, but I'm okay with that. Actually, I'm sure there are some plays that I might enjoy if I gave them a chance. Maybe.

Trevor...

I love plays,sometimes. I grew up with not much in the way of arts education. My father’s idea of cultural education was the Mandrell Sisters variety show on NBC.

-Carly

Weekend Assignment #319: The Play's The Thing

2010-05-19T21:00:00.005-07:00

We seem to be in literary mode at the moment, so let's take a quick look at another of the literary arts:

Weekend Assignment #319: The Play's The Thing. NOW CLOSED!

Nowadays we get most of our comedy and drama from television, from movies and even from internet downloads. Perhaps we sometimes forget that all of these evolved from a much older art form, the stage play. Do you ever attend plays, musicals or operas? Why or why not?

Extra Credit: Have you ever seen anything by Shakespeare performed live?

Here are the guidelines for participating:

1. Please post your response no later than than 9:00 PM, EDT on Wednesday, May 26th. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor."

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in his or her entry.

Last week, for Weekend Assignment #318: Library Books, Carly asked about delinquently-kept library books. Not too many people copped to forgetting to return books, but the discussion was nevertheless quite interesting. Click on each name to read the full entry.

Anne said...

Um...no. I have never flat-out forgotten to return library books. I have been late in the “I thought it was due next weekend” sense. Or in the “paper’s not done, so I’ll just pay the fee” sense. But I have never flat out forgotten. And oooooh, with the new online renewal feature…God as my witness, I shall never be late returning a book again.

Sherrie said...

I am regular library user. 99% of my books come from my library. It's really a cozy little library in a small town. Not a great big one like some. But it has lots of books to read. As for forgetting to take them back, that rarely happens. Most of the time I am just finishing up a book and need a couple more days to finish it. But as for actually forgetting about a book, no I have never done that.

Kara, a.k.a."hip chick" (welcome, new participant!) said...

At the library here in Hip-Ville there are many things to do other than rent books. For example, there is a book sale room where you can pick up used books for a song. In fact, all through the month of May everything is half off because they are going to be moving the book sale room to make room for a teen room. One can spend time perusing the periodicals, getting jiggy with a jigsaw puzzle, using a computer, or for the more traditionalist, reading. Some folks have even been known to take a bit of a nap at the library.

Freda said in comments...

I don't do the library, so I opt out this week. Best wishes to the others.

Sandrine said...

I'm not that good on libraries. Every time I go into one, I marvel at the fact that they'll let me take some books home for free. Any book I like. Even crime fiction. That is truly wonderful. But I just don't go that often. There's something about them I find stifling, hospital like. The books don't smell like books should. Even if they're dusty it's an aggressive kind of dusty, not the friendly pick me up and take me home kind.

Karen said...

See, this is one of several reasons why I don't go to libraries any more. I don't like the pressure of having to finish with a book by a certain date and return it. In fact, I'd rather not return a book at all. It was one thing to borrow a few dozen books each by Walter Farley and Jim Kjelgaard (not all at once, of course!) when I was in fourth grade. That made sense, because what kid can afford to buy a prolific writer's entire output? Manlius Public Library and Fayetteville Free Library were very helpful when I explored the science fiction genre in high school, and Bird Library at Syracuse University helped me out when I needed to read English translations of books I struggled with in a French literature class. As an adult, though, I want to own the book, even if it means being far more selective about which books to read.

Stephen said...

Our local library is small, and it doesn’t have a particularly large collection. So, if you want a given book, chances are good you’ll have to wait for it to come, interlibrary, from one of the other libraries in the system. And if it’s a book worth reading, chances are also good there’s someone in line in front of you waiting to read the book first. (Dear Wife has even had to wait her turn to check out knitting books and cookbooks.)

Trevor said...

I love libraries. I love the idea of going in and having access to books I won’t see in bookstores usually, and being able to try out new authors I’ve never heard of. I also have a list of over forty authors I read on a regular basis, who come out with a book or two a year. You can imagine how bad this would be for our finances if I didn’t have library access. You can say, you can get them online, but I’m sorry , no. At least with libraries I know someone has gotten paid for their work, in some way. And I love the idea of using tax dollars for such a blatantly socialist enterprise. (Take that, Glenn Beck!)

Florinda said...

I would tell you about the last book I checked out of the library, but I honestly can't remember what it was or when I did it! I can tell you it's been at least six years since I had a valid library card, though - I've never gotten one for the library in Simi Valley, and I've lived here for almost five years now. Yes, I am hanging my head in shame, why do you ask?

Kaitlyn said...

I might wait until the day the books are due, but I’ll always get them back on time (even if that means renewing, which is much easier now that the library has a comprehensive online system). I do remember one occasion when I was young when the dog threw up on several books. It mostly just ruined the covers, but we did have to buy the books from the library. I think my sister was upset about that, but I didn’t mind, especially since one of the books I’d borrowed was a cookbook (or maybe a craft book).

It's interesting; nearly everyone who participated said nice things about libraries, but many of us seldom go there any more. At least, we don't go there to check out books and then forget to return them. I suppose that counts as a good thing.

Thanks, folks! Happy writing!

Karen

Weekend Assignment #318: Library Books

2010-05-12T21:00:00.011-07:00

Weekend Assignment #318: Library Books NOW CLOSED!

Recently, it was discovered that George Washington had forgotten to return some books he had checked out of his local library. They were only 221 years late, mind you, but late all the same. How about you? Have you ever checked out a library book and forgot to return it? Tell us about your experiences with checking out, returning, or forgetting to return, books to the library.

Extra Credit: Tell us about the last book you checked out of the library.

Here are the general guidelines for participating:

**1. Please post your response no later than than the deadline day and time given in each week's original assignment entry. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor."

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

** This assignment closes at 9:00 PM, EST, next Wednesday, May 19th. No submissions will be accepted after that time.

Last week, Karen asked us about our "Merry Meetings," and here is what you had to say...

Freda

Anne

Karen

Sandrine

Stephen

Florinda (Welcome Back) :)

Trevor

Mike

Next week it will be Karen's turn to bring you the Weekend Assignment, so be sure to check back here on Thursday, May 20th, to learn the topic of W.A. #319!

-Carly

Weekend Assignment #317: Merry Meetings

2010-05-05T21:10:00.028-07:00

Weekend Assignment #317: Merry Meetings NOW CLOSED!
People used to socialize with each other on street corners, at cocktail parties, at club meetings, and in a later era, at shopping malls. These days, however, we seem to do most of our socializing online. Where do you go most often for face time with friends and acquaintances?

Extra Credit: Do you ever hang out with co-workers after hours?

To play along with our Weekend Assignment, just write about the above topic in your own blog, and remember to include a link back here. Then leave a link to your entry in the comments below. (We also accept responses posted directly to the comments thread.) Please see our How to Play entry for details. The deadline for this assignment is Wednesday, May 12th at 9 PM EDT. Be sure to check back here on Thursday, May 13th for a roundup of the week's responses, and to see the new Assignment.

Here are excerpts from the responses to last week's assignment,
Weekend Assignment #316: National Poetry Month. Click on each name to read the whole entry:

Anne wrote...

I was thinking of writing something about the smart, snarky, tortured lady poets: Dorothy Parker, Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton. But the truth is that I don’t much do poetry. I like character development.

I remember studying Beowulf in high school. That was pretty cool, but I imagine if Mr. David Mullaly taught quantum physics I would have thought it cool. Which is kind of how I ended up reading Paradise Lost a couple of months ago.

New participant Freda wrote...

How could I pass up this assignment, when I write poetry like a mad woman. It's a little thing you may or may not know about me. It is how I deal with almost everything that happens in my life. Whether it is good, bad or indifferent, I channel it all through poem. I change my writing style often too....

Carly wrote...

I love poetry. I always have. I don't know that I have a particular favorite, but I must say, I enjoy the simplicity of a Haiku. I have written some from time to time, mostly as the spirit moved me. At times, something will happen, either in my life, or the world in general, and I will try to put my feelings about it, together with one of my photographs, in a coherent way. The essence of an Haiku is about linking nature to human nature, and that's what I have gone for here. I don't know, I think I am much more of a visual person, than a competent writer of poetry or prose, but sometimes one has to stretch out the creativity muscle.

Kaitlyn wrote...

Here’s a confession: in college, I wrote a paper explaining how “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is a bisexual poem. (That’s not the confession. It’s coming up.) I had written a short piece earlier in the semester complaining that queer criticism, at least as described in our textbook, left no room for bisexuality. My professor agreed and said I should use that idea for one of the major papers. Prufrock seemed the obvious choice. I spent a week and a lot of fun writing the paper, including some biographical details (I’m convinced Eliot and Pound were sleeping together).

Sandrine wrote...

My 10 year old daughter, ever tuned in to my swearing under my breath, asks what's up. I said I have to write a Haiku and will probably have to give up on this week's assignment. "Don't be stupid, she says. It's really easy. All you have to do is think of a subject then express yourself about it in 5-7-5. I open my mouth to scold her for, well, knowing better than me, when a light shines and I ask sweetly: 'Would you write one for me?'. 'Sure. I'll write a few and you can choose one. How about Istanbul and other places?' 'Ok'.

Duane wrote...

When I was a young tyke, my mother went back to school. One of her textbooks treated some of the pop and rock lyrics of the day -- Simon and Garfunkel, the Byrds, Bob Dylan songs -- as poetry. As I leafed through the book and picked out songs I knew, it gave me a deeper appreciation of them -- that they were important enough to be considered "poetry." Even now, I sometimes have the crazy notion that some of our greatest poets are not exactly poets after all -- they're songwriters.

Mike wrote...

You know, I don't have a favorite poet. I'm not really a poetry fan, actually. Not that I'm knocking it, not at all; it's not poetry, it's me. Really. Maybe I've never found a poet that really speaks to me, or maybe it is due to the way was forced into reading poetry in school. You know what I mean, right? It's your sophomore year in school and you come to that point in Lit class where you study poetry and the feeling of dread washes over you. See, the teachers I had never let us enjoy them, or find something we liked. Instead they picked out what they liked, or thought was important, then forced me to read them and figure out the deep, underlying meaning of the poem. It was not fun for me since I was never able to do it right.

Karen wrote...

I only meant to check the magazine rack for the last Doctor Who Magazine issued before my subscription, but some people from a local poetry club had just set up a microphone in the magazine area, and were introducing an open mike poetry reading. Well, I couldn't resist! Shortly after the reading started, I recited an E.E. Cummings poem from memory....

Trevor wrote...

Me and poetry have had a long, storied, and semi-tragic love affair. I took creative writing twice, and both times flunked. Lowest scores? Big heaping vats of iambic pentameter. I could do free verse, but I wasn’t a big fan of most. The first poem to rock my world, truly was called Something as it really is.

Nice range of opinion and personal taste here! I encourage everyone to check out everyone's poetry, original and otherwise, and anti-poetry stories too. Welcome, Freda, and thanks, all!

Happy writing, everyone! Let's meet back here soon!

Karen

Weekend Assignment #316: National Poetry Month

2010-04-28T21:00:00.007-07:00

Note: This is only the third assignment in the new home of the Weekend Assignment, so be sure to let us know if this is your first time playing, so we can give you a proper welcome! :) Now, onto this week's assignment...

Weekend Assignment #316: National Poetry Month NOW CLOSED!

As April wraps up, let's not let it get away without celebrating National Poetry Month. For this assignment, please share with us something about poetry. Tell us about your favorite poet, or quote us a few lines of your favorite poem, or if poetry doesn't happen to be something you enjoy, tell us why!

Extra Credit: Write a Haiku!

Here are the general guidelines for participating:

**1. Please post your response no later than than the deadline day and time given in each week's original assignment entry. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor."

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

** This assignment closes at 9:00 PM, EST, next Wednesday. No submissions will be accepted after that time.

Here are your responses to last week's W.A. #315: The Thief Of Time (04/22/10)

Carly...

"I am okay with how I time manage things, and for the most part I manage to do all I would like to do, but there is an exception... time with Alan."

Anne...
(New Participant)

"Two words: The Internet. I cannot count how many nights I have said I was going to finish a book, or start watching those back episodes of Chuck, or go to sleep early and ended up spending four hours online."

Sandrine...

"But if time were flexible, what you I like to have more time for? That's a easy one: sleep."

Kaitlyn...

"It finally hit me. There is one activity that takes up more time than anything else, I think. I do too much of it. I often try to put it off, but I have to give in eventually. Then when I do, I don’t want to stop, especially since the cats love to join me!"

Stephen...

"What would I do with the extra time, if I had it? Ideally, two things. Of course, I’d want to spend time writing. As it is, I don’t have much time for that at all. If I could pencil in an hour a day each week, that would really boost my story-writing productivity. The second thing is also an easy one. Spending time with my family, especially to be more helpful around the house."

Karen...

"I need more sleep. Nothing new there, except that the sleep schedule is as skewed as it's ever been, and insomnia gets in the way or fixing it. But I'm working on it."

Julie...

"I'm afraid this is going to be a fairly mundane answer. I've been so busy with one thing and another that there's no one thing in particular that saps my time."

Greenman 23...
(New Participant)

"...But even then, I’m doing the one thing I waste time with the most: Catastrophizing."

Tommyspoon...

"We are all busy. We all have a million things to do and (seemingly) not enough time to get them all done. We all say at some point: "I wish I had more hours in the day!"

Interesting responses to Karen's assignment! It seems we need a little less computer and a little more sleep! LOL :) Well done everyone!

-Carly

Weekend Assignment #315: The Thief of Time

2010-04-21T21:00:00.125-07:00

NOW CLOSED!

Hi, everyone! It's time for our next Weekend Assignment. This one is inspired by some of your responses to Weekend Assignment #314: Summer Reading. Several people complained that they don't have as much time to read as they'd like. Why is that? Let's find out!

Weekend Assignment #315: It seems that we're all too busy these days to get around to everything we'd like to do, even if we had the money and means to do them. Is there a particular activity that takes up far too much of your time, and thus prevents you from getting around to other things?

Extra Credit: What is the #1 activity you wish you had more time for?

To play along with our Weekend Assignment, just write about the above topic in your own blog, and remember to include a link back here. Then leave a link to your entry in the comments below. (We also accept responses posted directly to the comments thread.) Please see our How to Play entry for details. The deadline for this assignment is Wednesday, April 28th at 6 PM PDT. Be sure to check back here on Thursday, April 29th for a roundup of the week's responses, and to see the new Assignment.

For Weekend Assignment #314: Summer Reading, Carly asked what books or genres we plan to read this summer. Thanks to John Scalzi's plug in Whatever and the new blog, we got a bumper crop of responses. Click on each person's name to read the full entry:

Karen said...

My reading - of novels, anyway - tends to happen in fits and spurts. From time to time I pull a book off a shelf, one that I may or may not have read before. Sometimes I read a chapter or three (or more) only to lose interest, and leave it on my bedside table until it's either nice and dusty or makes its way to the floor. Or both. Other times, I get so involved in the thing that one book is not enough. Why read just 700 pages of Harry Potter when I can read several thousand? Yes, it takes a while, but that just means a longer period of enjoyment.

Sherrie said...

As for my summer reading plans...............it could be anything from a cozy murder mystery to a science fiction to a fantasy to a novel. I can read just about anything. I do lots of reading and am also doing lots of reading challenges at my book blog, Just Books.

Carly said...

A couple months ago, a big brown truck pulled up in my driveway, inside of it were dozens of boxes containing all kinds of things. I imagine there were vacuums, and toys, and probably music, all wonderful things, but my box contained books! I LOVE reading, but haven't indulged in it for a while. Because of the forced furloughs, some luxuries and hobbies had to be eliminated. Purchasing new books was one of them. Fortunately, we received a decent tax return this year, and we will be okay again until at least the end of the fiscal year. That might bring it's own bag of horrors, but I will have a nice diversion by way of my new books.

Duane said...

My only hard and fast rule is that my next book is always completely different from what I'm reading now. To illustrate: I've been slowly (very slowly) working my way through the bibliography of Charles Dickens, and at this moment I'm about 120 pages into Great Expectations. Before that, there was (working backwards) a quick read about the history of NASCAR; The Black Ice by Michael Connelly, a police procedural thriller/mystery; Mila 18 by Leon Uris, a great piece of historical fiction; The Colorado Kid by Stephen King, an atypical King work -- more unsolved mystery than horror; and The Barrens and Others by F. Paul Wilson, a book of mostly horror short stories.

New participant Sandrine said...

Actually, I ordered some books from Betterworld books specifically for the summer. I ordered a guide book to Florence. Yes! I'm going to Prato, just outside Florence, in August, all by myself. I'll have two plane journeys and 6 whole days there with no children to worry about. Ok, I probably won't be doing that much reading, as it's a conference, and also, I'll be wanting to look around a bit. But still. I've ordered books. I ordered books I've already read, many times, just because it was Florence. So I ordered A Room with a view. And Where Angels Fear to Tread. And Howards End. (Nothing to do with Florence but I quite fancied re-reading it and it just so happens I didn't bring any of my E.M.Forster books to Turkey with me. But let's face it, by the time the books are out of the box I'll be half way through them. So maybe I need something more substantial.

New participant Stephen said...

Actually, it’s kind of sad to admit what I’m excited about: I’m excited about finishing The Gathering Storm over the summer. I say it’s sad because I got this book as a gift from Dear Wife over Christmas 2009 (Thank You Dear Wife!), and I’ve been reading it ever since then. That’s right: I’ve been reading this book for nearly four months! What has happened to me? When I was a younger man, and still in either High School or College, I used to be able to devour one of the “Wheel of Time” books in a matter of a couple of weeks. I’ll tell you what didn’t happen: it’s not that the book is boring. It’s been an enjoyable read so far (I’m on chapter 20), especially when the book has focused on Egwene.

New participant Kaitlyn said...

To be perfectly honest, I’ve never quite understood the concept of “summer reading.” I decide what to read in the summer, basically, by what’s next on my list of unread books (or what I’m feeling a real urge to reread)–the same as I do every season. I’m trying to remember what I brought to read the last time I was at the beach (which was actually during the autumn). There was a book of short stories–maybe short stories by women authors?–that I actually left at the house because I didn’t care for it. Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, which I was expecting for some reason to be dry and slow but was both easy to read and laugh-out-loud funny, so I guess that was appropriate beach reading.

Mike said...

I'm pretty much a Sci-Fi and horror reader. I don't really stray from those two genres very often. A lot of that is out of fear of wasting my time. There is nothing worse, to me, buying a book and hating it from the start. Well, except maybe hating a book halfway through and getting pissed off at the end. That happened to me very recently by an author I normally like. I won't name him because this is a rare occurrence. But, if it happens again, watch out!

Florinda said in comments...

I don't have a post for this assignment - and I'm a book blogger, so how wrong is THAT? But truthfully, my reading habits don't change much with the seasons. This summer, I'll be reading a mix of general fiction, memoirs, and books that qualify for a couple of the reading challenges I'm doing, and I'll be posting reviews of them all on my blog. It's just my thing :-). I may be reading more e-books, though, since I'll be traveling a fair amount and they're so much easier to pack!

New participant "tommyspoon" said...

When the air heats up and gets heavy with humidity, my brain turns to mush. I slowly put away the biographies and histories and heavyweight fiction that I normally relish. And then out comes the thrillers and the horrors and other pulpy stuff that makes it onto the NYT Best Selling Paperback list. I used to be ashamed of this phenomenon, but have come to embrace it as I have grown older. Even my late Father enjoyed a literary "amuse bouche" from time to time. Nothing wrong with a little brain candy!

A big welcome to our new participants, Sandrine, Stephen, Kaitlyn and "tommyspoon"! We hope you'll stick around. Thanks to everyone who played along this week. We hope to hear from you again soon!

I'd also like to thank John Ottinger, who left a suggestion in our Teachers' Lounge thread for a future Weekend Assignment. Please keep the suggestions coming, folks. You may well see your topic idea in these pages sometime soon, and find yourself lauded as the weeks "guest professor."

Happy writing!

Karen

Weekend Assignment #314: Summer Reading

2010-04-14T21:00:00.002-07:00

Welcome to the first assignment, in the new home of the Weekend Assignment!

Weekend Assignment #314: Summer Reading (NOW CLOSED)

Okay, yes, I know, it's still spring, but this is when I begin thinking about what kind of summer reading I might like to have on hand for those too-hot-to-clean days of summer. So, for this week's assignment, I want you to share with us the kind of summer reading you look forward to the most. Sci-fi? Horror? Political Thrillers? Romance? It's all good. Now, tell me more!

Extra Credit: Okay writers, get to work! Write me the opening paragraph, just (1) paragraph of a summer read you would like write yourself. Again, any genre works fine, have fun with it!

Here are the general guidelines for participating:

**1. Please post your response no later than than the deadline day and time given in each week's original assignment entry. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor."

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

** This assignment closes at 9:00 PM, EST, next Wednesday. No submissions will be accepted after that time.

-Carly

The Weekend Assignment

2010-04-13T08:18:00.000-07:00

Welcome! You've found the Weekend Assignment blog, the new home of the Weekend Assignment writing prompt. In case you're unfamiliar with the meme, here's a quick intro:

The Weekend Assignment is a weekly writing prompt, created to give bloggers something fun to write about over the weekend. Founded by John Scalzi in April 2004 for his AOL Journal By the Way, it was bequeathed to me, Karen Blocher, when Scalzi's contract with AOL ended in 2007. Since February, 2010, I've shared hosting duties for this meme with Carly of Ellipsis. Starting in April 2010, new Assignments will be posted on this dedicated blog so everyone can find them easily.

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The Weekend Assignment blog is now your one stop for all of the following:

Find out what the current Weekend Assignment is, in the same place every week.
Find out how to join in and play along.
Help us find and promote your Weekend Assignment entries by leaving your links, just as we do on the Round Robin Photo Challenges blog.
Find the latest posts by all Weekend Assignment participants (I like to call them "Weekenders,") right on the sidebar.
Explore past Weekend Assignments from earlier this year, from a handy list on the sidebar.
Post your own Weekend Assignment ideas, and be one of our "guest professors."
Download the Weekend Assignment graphic in a range of sizes, to use in your own blog.

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Here are the general guidelines for participating:

1. Please post your response no later than than the deadline day and time given in each week's original assignment entry. You can do this either in a blog entry of your own or in the comments section of the assignment entry.

2. Please mention the Weekend Assignment in your blog post, and include a link back to the original entry. Using one of the logos shown here is encouraged but not mandatory.

3. Please come back here after you've posted, and leave a link to your entry in the comments to the assignment. Please post the URL itself rather than a live link.

4. Visiting other participants' entries is strongly encouraged!

5. We're always looking for topic ideas. Please see the "Teacher's Lounge" page for details. If we use your idea, you will be credited as that week's "guest professor."

6. We reserve the right to remove rude or unpleasant comments (not to mention comment spam), and to leave entries off the linking list if the person has been rude or unpleasant, or fails to mention the Weekend Assignment in the entry.

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Those are the basics! Feel free to download the graphic, explore our standing "How to Play" and "Teacher's Lounge" pages, and check out the blogs of our Weekenders on the sidebar. Then check back here this Thursday for this blog's first new Assignment. Thanks for stopping by - we look forward to hearing from you!

Karen