And there was peace on earth.
Why? Because MY CHILDREN WENT TO SCHOOL TODAY! Ahhhh, bliss. I had four hours of total silence, in which I read, closed my eyes for a little bit, and had lunch all by myself. Didn't even pretend to be productive. Although I have had a couple of days without my kids (K taking them off to the boardwalk or amusement park, say, plus my trip out west), I haven't ever been ALONE in that time. The most alone time I've had has been when everyone's in bed and it's late at night or, perhaps, for a couple of hours if my kids were at camp. I think that only happened one week, though, them being in camp at the same time.
Of course, today was only four hours and not the usual seven because TPTB are still working out the best way to get the incoming 6th-graders oriented; this year, they decided to try having the 6th graders arrive at the usual time (8:05a), but the 7th and 8th graders to come in three hours later. Given that the 6th graders didn't even change classes today (except for related arts and lunch) - and even the older kids only did group activities - I'm still not sure what the point was of letting the 6th graders have so much Special Time. MiniPlu was antsy and bored out of her skull, waiting that extra three hours.
Because of the lack-of-normal routine for both of them, neither could report on much from the first day except that Two got to see whom he recognized in his homeroom, his learning support class, and his art class, and MiniPlu got the impression that her homeroom teacher was strict but not necessarily in a bad way, and that the science teacher (whom she saw in the group exercises) seemed to be the jokester in the group. Oh, and Two reported that his homeroom teacher - whom he has three times a day, as she's the one who handles the kids with learning issues - is a candy passer-outer, so he was stoked about that.
He's not as stoked about his locker, which he could not figure out today. I made a fake lock dial with paper, to help him understand the spins he needs to do, but my mother called before I could show him and then we both forgot. Hopefully in the morning.
Both kids are going to have a bit of a rough time with their lunch schedules, however. Sixth grade eats at 11a and 8th grade at 1p (7th, as you might extrapolate, eats around noon). This means that Two will be STARVING by the time school gets out at 3:05pm. Meanwhile, MiniPlu is often not very hungry first thing in the morning when she's trying to wake up, and it's even worse on those mornings when she has to be up almost an hour earlier for band. But if she doesn't get another chance to eat until 1pm, it's going to be rough on her to pay attention in class once her body runs out of fuel, even more so as every other day she has gym in 4th period, two hours before she gets lunch.
Tomorrow will be the first proper day, so we'll see how they feel after that. Today, the only person who had homework was me, of course - the usual emergency cards and "yes, we understand the code of conduct" and "yes, you may take in-district field trips without any bonus permission after I sign this" sorts of forms. MiniPlu filled in most of the fields herself, except for the alternative emergency contacts and, of course, wherever I had to sign or print my own name, personally - first year I've had someone help me with "my" homework. Two actually wanted to do the same but a) I don't trust him with spelling for a lot of things and b) he had to go to gymnastics, so he didn't get too far, and I finished the rest while he was gone.
It is weird to have kids in the same school again - the first time in four years. Weird, but definitely easier!
Part of what I was reading today was Bitterblue, which I managed to finish by the time school got out. I really felt for Bitterblue's frustration at not fully understanding just what, exactly, Leck had done, and how it seemed like there was just one mystery after another after another. I did get the feeling early on that at least some of her advisers were lying to her, although I didn't understand why. There's still part of me that doesn't. Ok, they wanted to cover up Leck's atrocities, by suppressing information and because they didn't want to have to re-live it. But it seemed like they were still re-living it, in a way, by taking such pains NOT to re-live it - if that makes any sense. I had not suspected that the mounds of paperwork Bitterblue hated so much were actually invented JUST to keep her too busy to notice the lies. I did feel bad for the men for suffering what they had, but I also hated that two of them committed suicide at the end. I guess I don't have much tolerance for what I see as a coward's way out and a disregard for the feelings of the survivors. Then again, while I *have* been depressed and briefly pondered suicide a few times, I never really seriously considered it, so perhaps it is too judgmental of me to make such statements.
Knowing of the Dells, it was kind of amusing - and a little weird - to see the "fanciful" hangings and such suddenly become Truth in the Monseans' minds, when they saw the rat pelt. I really did like seeing Fire at the end, and knowing she'd had a full life with Brigand. However, I did not buy how Katsa was able to translate so fluidly, when she'd only been with them - what? - a few weeks at most? Was that her Grace of survival kicking in, allowing her to survive by magically inhaling their language?
Speaking of language - wow, the idea of Ashen embroidering such LONG passages on the sheets felt like a little much sometimes. I mean, it was a clever cipher, and the theme of ciphers in this book was interesting, but some of those passages were ridiculously long to be crammed onto sheets, and still have the sheets be even remotely comfortable. And wouldn't it have made more sense for her to leave instructions for Bitterblue in the sheets, not just personal history?
I really liked Bitterblue and Saf together, even though it was hard to picture exactly how they might make that work in reality. I was hopeful that, since Raff and Bann were making it work, then the author would help Bitterblue and Saf figure it out, too. His extended stiffness and punishment made me want to slap him at times. (And speaking of harsh reactions - what was with everyone wanting to punch Po once he confessed he was a mindreader? Yes, it's a big thing to confess, but - seriously!) Incidentally, since it seemed like Teddy was also a thief (in addition to being a big dreamer of a teacher), why did it seem like Teddy stopped thieving at the exact moment that it was revealed that Bitterblue was queen? It's not like she ever indicated she was mad at them for it, nor that she would get them in trouble for what they were doing.
Are there any plans for more books in this series? It's been two years from the last one and the three books together are spaced two years apart, each - but there doesn't seem to be any indication that there are going to be more, so I'm guessing not. More's the pity: I confess I was very frustrated that the book ended without any real resolution between Bitterblue/Saf nor between Bitterblue/Giddon, which Cashore was almost certainly laying the groundwork for, despite their age difference (~9 years, yes?). I mean, yes, Bitterblue and Saf had their night together and made peace, but it wasn't like they had made clear indications of "Well, that was fun, but we'll never do that again" either. And with all the mentions of comfortingly kissing each other or holding hands to faces, and liking the sound of Giddon's voice and never telling lies and all of that, it definitely seemed like Giddon and Bitterblue could easily make that jump in time. I guess we'll never know?
(Also, it would have been nice to see Hava and Bitterblue grow into their relationship as sisters, even if that fact is never made public.)
On the other hand, it was nice to have Raffin/Bann confirmed, even obliquely. I wish there had been more about them.
(The first thing I did after everyone was in bed tonight was dive into AO3 looking for Giddon/Bitterblue and Raff/Bann fics. I was not disappointed, even if the number of offerings are few.)
I did suspect Fox early on, especially the ways she just Happened to be in particular locations at convenient moments, but I could also have seen it be a Red Herring, and I definitely did not suspect she was Gray, herself. I also had wondered if she could have been related to Fire, with her hair, but it seemed unlikely, since she was Graced, and because of her claim to have had family in the area for generations.
I wonder what it was about the Dells that captivated Leck so strongly that he wanted to recapture so much of it in art and architecture. Bridges, really? Glass ceilings? Why those things? (I don't even remember bridges being mentioned much in Fire, oops.) I mean, how long did he spend there? It's been a little while since I read Fire, but even so - it seems to me that he killed his father, wandered into the Dells a fairly short time later, kidnapped Fire, fell into the mountain a short while later, and went back to the Seven Kingdoms, where he mind-trapped the king and queen of Monsea into naming him heir, blah blah blah. Did he spend longer in the Dells and I just don't remember that? Also, it doesn't feel very likely that he really wanted to learn the Dells' medical arts, and that's why he carried out so many charming "experiments." That seems, honestly, mostly just due to his evil nature (saying nothing of the "evil for the sake of evil" trope going on there), not because he was trying to make scientific advances.
This was definitely a painful book, with Bitterblue trying to come to grips with the extent of her father's atrocities and her advisers' betrayals, the loss of Saf mid-book, Giddon's monstrous loss, etc. But it was also just as captivating to me as the others - I couldn't read fast enough and was always dying to get back to the story. I sacrificed sleep several nights by reading in bed, even though I KNOW it's a bad idea because it's always "just a little more" until suddenly it's, like, 1am. :-P
Anyway, I'm sad it's over, disappointed by the lack of proper resolution on some issues, but very glad that I read it. Thank you again to hamsterwoman, who gave it to me for my bday. :)
Speaking of gifts, I realized that I never publicly thanked her for the box of goodies she sent a few weeks ago. Some items were for MiniPlu's bday (we were both a month or so late for each others' summer-kids' bdays because of vacations and such) - a thing for her hair which she's wanted for ages, a CD, gorgeous handmade earrings from hamsterwoman's daughter, L, and a book I hope MiniPlu will enjoy. But she also included some nifty souvenirs from her recent travels to Japan and Europe, including macha Kit Kats and another macha treat, some Pocky (kids LOVED that), caramel lollipops from France, a Japanese shot glass for Will's collection, a lovely postcard for MiniPlu's collection, some lucky-cat trinkets for the kids, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but right now I can't think what. Anyway, everything was super, and we're delighted.
We also got some nice goodies from my German friend, Jane, who was visiting us last week. MiniPlu got German fashion magazines to practice reading (and, I think, maybe give Jane some indication on her fashion tastes, so Jane can get her something for Christmas, maybe? Except MiniPlu's reaction was, "Apparently Germany is still into the '90s heroin look." :P), Two got a genuine Swiss Army knife, MiniPlu and I got cute notebooks, although I will probably donate mine to Two, who adores notebooks, plus several varieties of Russian sweets (Jane was born and raised in Latvia, and is old enough for that to have still been part of the USSR when she was younger). hamsterwoman, I keep meaning to send you photos of the items - also a Russian skin cream - for you to identify. ;)
Alas, it's once again too late for me to get into some of the other stuff I keep meaning to post about. And I really REALLY need to work on some fic now that kids are back to school. Still, hopefully I can get to it one of these days.
Of course, today was only four hours and not the usual seven because TPTB are still working out the best way to get the incoming 6th-graders oriented; this year, they decided to try having the 6th graders arrive at the usual time (8:05a), but the 7th and 8th graders to come in three hours later. Given that the 6th graders didn't even change classes today (except for related arts and lunch) - and even the older kids only did group activities - I'm still not sure what the point was of letting the 6th graders have so much Special Time. MiniPlu was antsy and bored out of her skull, waiting that extra three hours.
Because of the lack-of-normal routine for both of them, neither could report on much from the first day except that Two got to see whom he recognized in his homeroom, his learning support class, and his art class, and MiniPlu got the impression that her homeroom teacher was strict but not necessarily in a bad way, and that the science teacher (whom she saw in the group exercises) seemed to be the jokester in the group. Oh, and Two reported that his homeroom teacher - whom he has three times a day, as she's the one who handles the kids with learning issues - is a candy passer-outer, so he was stoked about that.
He's not as stoked about his locker, which he could not figure out today. I made a fake lock dial with paper, to help him understand the spins he needs to do, but my mother called before I could show him and then we both forgot. Hopefully in the morning.
Both kids are going to have a bit of a rough time with their lunch schedules, however. Sixth grade eats at 11a and 8th grade at 1p (7th, as you might extrapolate, eats around noon). This means that Two will be STARVING by the time school gets out at 3:05pm. Meanwhile, MiniPlu is often not very hungry first thing in the morning when she's trying to wake up, and it's even worse on those mornings when she has to be up almost an hour earlier for band. But if she doesn't get another chance to eat until 1pm, it's going to be rough on her to pay attention in class once her body runs out of fuel, even more so as every other day she has gym in 4th period, two hours before she gets lunch.
Tomorrow will be the first proper day, so we'll see how they feel after that. Today, the only person who had homework was me, of course - the usual emergency cards and "yes, we understand the code of conduct" and "yes, you may take in-district field trips without any bonus permission after I sign this" sorts of forms. MiniPlu filled in most of the fields herself, except for the alternative emergency contacts and, of course, wherever I had to sign or print my own name, personally - first year I've had someone help me with "my" homework. Two actually wanted to do the same but a) I don't trust him with spelling for a lot of things and b) he had to go to gymnastics, so he didn't get too far, and I finished the rest while he was gone.
It is weird to have kids in the same school again - the first time in four years. Weird, but definitely easier!
Part of what I was reading today was Bitterblue, which I managed to finish by the time school got out. I really felt for Bitterblue's frustration at not fully understanding just what, exactly, Leck had done, and how it seemed like there was just one mystery after another after another. I did get the feeling early on that at least some of her advisers were lying to her, although I didn't understand why. There's still part of me that doesn't. Ok, they wanted to cover up Leck's atrocities, by suppressing information and because they didn't want to have to re-live it. But it seemed like they were still re-living it, in a way, by taking such pains NOT to re-live it - if that makes any sense. I had not suspected that the mounds of paperwork Bitterblue hated so much were actually invented JUST to keep her too busy to notice the lies. I did feel bad for the men for suffering what they had, but I also hated that two of them committed suicide at the end. I guess I don't have much tolerance for what I see as a coward's way out and a disregard for the feelings of the survivors. Then again, while I *have* been depressed and briefly pondered suicide a few times, I never really seriously considered it, so perhaps it is too judgmental of me to make such statements.
Knowing of the Dells, it was kind of amusing - and a little weird - to see the "fanciful" hangings and such suddenly become Truth in the Monseans' minds, when they saw the rat pelt. I really did like seeing Fire at the end, and knowing she'd had a full life with Brigand. However, I did not buy how Katsa was able to translate so fluidly, when she'd only been with them - what? - a few weeks at most? Was that her Grace of survival kicking in, allowing her to survive by magically inhaling their language?
Speaking of language - wow, the idea of Ashen embroidering such LONG passages on the sheets felt like a little much sometimes. I mean, it was a clever cipher, and the theme of ciphers in this book was interesting, but some of those passages were ridiculously long to be crammed onto sheets, and still have the sheets be even remotely comfortable. And wouldn't it have made more sense for her to leave instructions for Bitterblue in the sheets, not just personal history?
I really liked Bitterblue and Saf together, even though it was hard to picture exactly how they might make that work in reality. I was hopeful that, since Raff and Bann were making it work, then the author would help Bitterblue and Saf figure it out, too. His extended stiffness and punishment made me want to slap him at times. (And speaking of harsh reactions - what was with everyone wanting to punch Po once he confessed he was a mindreader? Yes, it's a big thing to confess, but - seriously!) Incidentally, since it seemed like Teddy was also a thief (in addition to being a big dreamer of a teacher), why did it seem like Teddy stopped thieving at the exact moment that it was revealed that Bitterblue was queen? It's not like she ever indicated she was mad at them for it, nor that she would get them in trouble for what they were doing.
Are there any plans for more books in this series? It's been two years from the last one and the three books together are spaced two years apart, each - but there doesn't seem to be any indication that there are going to be more, so I'm guessing not. More's the pity: I confess I was very frustrated that the book ended without any real resolution between Bitterblue/Saf nor between Bitterblue/Giddon, which Cashore was almost certainly laying the groundwork for, despite their age difference (~9 years, yes?). I mean, yes, Bitterblue and Saf had their night together and made peace, but it wasn't like they had made clear indications of "Well, that was fun, but we'll never do that again" either. And with all the mentions of comfortingly kissing each other or holding hands to faces, and liking the sound of Giddon's voice and never telling lies and all of that, it definitely seemed like Giddon and Bitterblue could easily make that jump in time. I guess we'll never know?
(Also, it would have been nice to see Hava and Bitterblue grow into their relationship as sisters, even if that fact is never made public.)
On the other hand, it was nice to have Raffin/Bann confirmed, even obliquely. I wish there had been more about them.
(The first thing I did after everyone was in bed tonight was dive into AO3 looking for Giddon/Bitterblue and Raff/Bann fics. I was not disappointed, even if the number of offerings are few.)
I did suspect Fox early on, especially the ways she just Happened to be in particular locations at convenient moments, but I could also have seen it be a Red Herring, and I definitely did not suspect she was Gray, herself. I also had wondered if she could have been related to Fire, with her hair, but it seemed unlikely, since she was Graced, and because of her claim to have had family in the area for generations.
I wonder what it was about the Dells that captivated Leck so strongly that he wanted to recapture so much of it in art and architecture. Bridges, really? Glass ceilings? Why those things? (I don't even remember bridges being mentioned much in Fire, oops.) I mean, how long did he spend there? It's been a little while since I read Fire, but even so - it seems to me that he killed his father, wandered into the Dells a fairly short time later, kidnapped Fire, fell into the mountain a short while later, and went back to the Seven Kingdoms, where he mind-trapped the king and queen of Monsea into naming him heir, blah blah blah. Did he spend longer in the Dells and I just don't remember that? Also, it doesn't feel very likely that he really wanted to learn the Dells' medical arts, and that's why he carried out so many charming "experiments." That seems, honestly, mostly just due to his evil nature (saying nothing of the "evil for the sake of evil" trope going on there), not because he was trying to make scientific advances.
This was definitely a painful book, with Bitterblue trying to come to grips with the extent of her father's atrocities and her advisers' betrayals, the loss of Saf mid-book, Giddon's monstrous loss, etc. But it was also just as captivating to me as the others - I couldn't read fast enough and was always dying to get back to the story. I sacrificed sleep several nights by reading in bed, even though I KNOW it's a bad idea because it's always "just a little more" until suddenly it's, like, 1am. :-P
Anyway, I'm sad it's over, disappointed by the lack of proper resolution on some issues, but very glad that I read it. Thank you again to hamsterwoman, who gave it to me for my bday. :)
Speaking of gifts, I realized that I never publicly thanked her for the box of goodies she sent a few weeks ago. Some items were for MiniPlu's bday (we were both a month or so late for each others' summer-kids' bdays because of vacations and such) - a thing for her hair which she's wanted for ages, a CD, gorgeous handmade earrings from hamsterwoman's daughter, L, and a book I hope MiniPlu will enjoy. But she also included some nifty souvenirs from her recent travels to Japan and Europe, including macha Kit Kats and another macha treat, some Pocky (kids LOVED that), caramel lollipops from France, a Japanese shot glass for Will's collection, a lovely postcard for MiniPlu's collection, some lucky-cat trinkets for the kids, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but right now I can't think what. Anyway, everything was super, and we're delighted.
We also got some nice goodies from my German friend, Jane, who was visiting us last week. MiniPlu got German fashion magazines to practice reading (and, I think, maybe give Jane some indication on her fashion tastes, so Jane can get her something for Christmas, maybe? Except MiniPlu's reaction was, "Apparently Germany is still into the '90s heroin look." :P), Two got a genuine Swiss Army knife, MiniPlu and I got cute notebooks, although I will probably donate mine to Two, who adores notebooks, plus several varieties of Russian sweets (Jane was born and raised in Latvia, and is old enough for that to have still been part of the USSR when she was younger). hamsterwoman, I keep meaning to send you photos of the items - also a Russian skin cream - for you to identify. ;)
Alas, it's once again too late for me to get into some of the other stuff I keep meaning to post about. And I really REALLY need to work on some fic now that kids are back to school. Still, hopefully I can get to it one of these days.