What is good literature?

So, how is good literature determined? It's a very subjective topic. I love "stories". I love to get engrossed in a different reality and follow compelling characters along their journey whatever it may be. I enjoy certain classics--I enjoy Dickens, I enjoy watching Shakespeare but find reading it tiring. While Hemmingway is interesting, it's easy to get bogged down. I thoroughly enjoy science fiction and especially Isaac Asimov. I think I've read nearly all his fiction works. I don't care for Steinbeck--I like books that lift my mood. I really like historical fiction. I read a series of 9 books on the American Revolutionary period by Ron Carter. Wonderful books!! I highly recommend them.

How many of us have slogged through reading lists of books we really don't care for? That's probably the biggest downside to English or Literature classes--the required reading. My daughter has an interesting (and I use that term in a rather unflattering sense) English teacher who has required them to read all sorts of very off the wall books. I haven't really been too impressed. So this week, they are starting "Lord of the Flies". I despise this book. I find absolutely nothing redeeming in it. It features only that which is base and disgusting. I really would prefer that my 15-year-old daughter not read this book. Unfortunately, I also feel like I can't talk to this teacher without her taking it out on my daughter in her grades and citizenship. It's just the impression I've gotten.

It's really too bad that teachers don't focus on fabulous and interesting stories, classic books that broaden the mind and have an interesting message to ponder and which encourage wondering about how things could be different. There are so many really good books out there and the Sophomore English class is reading "Lord of the Flies"!! YUCK!!!!!

I've read some of the Lord of the Rings--not all of it but I LOVED the movies! I've been wanting to read it through but I haven't had the time to spend and I know I'd get caught up. My daughter read part of the trilogy in 9th grade. Her English teacher wanted to spend several class periods dissecting the symbolism of the story. Interesting. There is absolutely no symbolism in that story. It is merely a fascinating and engrossing story. It's so engrossing that it has had a following for 55 years! Amazing!

Unfortunately, neither of my children love to read. My daughter has learned to enjoy reading over the past year or so. When they were little, we read books every night. As they grew older, we moved into some wonderful fascinating juvenile stories. Emily Rodda has a wonderful story for late elementary school age that has its a quest, magic, strange creatures, an obvious villain and inspiring heroes. The Tales of Deltora held my children riveted for an entire summer. Then the following year had us reading everything that Emily Rodda had written including the follow up series of books--Dragons of Deltora and The Shadowlands. However, we read all these books together. They don't like to read on their own very much. Neither of them will pick up a book and sit and read for hours. That's how I entertained myself growing up and I still read as much as I possibly can. My sister and I joke that if we were stranded on a deserted island, we would have to write a book (now don't get realistic and ask on what) just so we would have something to read!!

Anyway, what is good literature? I know what I like. Not all of it is considered "good" literature by critics (what do critics know anyway?), but I enjoy reading it.

Are you a goer or a stayer?

I'm a stayer. While I enjoy traveling, I don't do alot of "things" at home. We're pretty much in a rut, day by day. We go to school and work. We do homework & chores (both of which could be done better). But we don't go "do" anything.

However, I'm trying to get out of that rut. I'm looking to my niece for inspiration. With three children three and under, she is actually considering going to the inauguration next week. I would never have thought of it when my kids were little. However, I had a child who didn't "go" well, but that's probably three weeks worth of post topics. She's not sure she'll actually go, but I'm impressed she would even think about it.

So, with that in mind, we are going to Walking With Dinosaurs this week. It looks really really neat. Both my kids are pretty excited about it. It'll make for a busy weekend but it's end of semester tomorrow and the kids have a 4-day weekend. It's a really good night to get out and go!

So do you have any get up and go plans? Or are you more of a stayer?

The beginning of the week--or is it?

Oh, Monday!!

What is it about Monday? The alarm goes off and the grind begins. Time to get up and get moving. All the hustle and bustle of the beginning of the week. Or is it the beginning of the week?

Think of a calendar. How many people use a calendar that begins on Monday? I typically use a calendar where the week runs Sunday to Saturday. So is Monday the first day of the week or the 2nd day of the week? There are calendars that run Monday to Sunday, but they are not near as popular as the calendar which runs Sunday to Saturday.

My kids get a calendar for Christmas each year. I've never bought them one yet that starts the week on Monday. We have a family calendar hanging in the kitchen. It runs Sunday to Saturday. My planner calendar runs Sunday to Saturday.

So, which is it? The first day or second day of the week? We will often say Monday is the first day of the week because Sunday is still part of the weekend. Isn't it funny that our calendars don't reflect our speech?

So what do you prefer? Sunday to Saturday or Monday to Sunday? Take a look at the calendars you use and see if you even have a calendar which begins on Monday.

Something to think about at the beginning of the week? Or is it the beginning?

Why Leelu?

Why Leelu? It was my nickname as a little girl.

I am the youngest of four children and the caboose. My nearest sibling is 6 years older than me with two older than him. When I was a little girl, for some reason, I was called Leelu or sometimes Lulee. I asked my mother today why that particular nickname. She didn't know why. Just because. So, now big brothers and big sister, do you remember why I was called Leelu?

My earliest memories are tied up with that nickname so it must have started when I was very small. I never really wondered about it before but now it's starting to bug me a little bit that I don't know where it came from. Why did I have a nickname?

Why do some people get nicknames and other people don't? One of my good friend's daughter is named Savannah and they often shorten the name to Sav. My grand niece is also Savannah and often gets Vannah. Shortening a name I understand. When I lived back east in Massachusetts, everybody had a diminutive of their name. Everybody was Bobby instead of Bob or Jimmy instead of Jim. It felt like a real cultural issue.

But what about those nicknames which have nothing to do with the real name? My uncle's name is George after his father but he goes by Bud. Go figure. Where did that come from? I have a cousin whose name is Vernon but we grew up calling him Butchie. To this day, I have to think to myself "Vernon" when I refer to or speak to him.

So, what's in a name? New parents will often agonize over a name. I know we did when my son was born. He went three days without a name because we couldn't decide and then we gave him three names. Other parents want a name that's very different and unique. If you spend any time in elementary school, you'll see just about any combination of sounds as a name for someone.

Names are generational. If you hear a certain name like Shelley or Anne or Julee, chances are that person was born in the late 50's or early 60's. Rachel & Sarah and Emily have made a huge comeback in my daughter's generation. But Jessica reigned supreme for years. Michael is a perennial favorite.

In fact, there is a website to see how many of you there are in the United States according to the last census. It's really very interesting. Click here to visit the site. Using my maiden name, there were only 2 of me. Pretty unique. Using my married name, there are 828. When I was in college, I accidentally picked up one of those people's pay checks because there were 3 of us working for the university at the time.

So my daughter says names are weird. I have to say I agree some of the time. Some names are pretty weird and some are traditional and some are just fun. So, why Leelu? I don't know but it's a fun name, don't you think?

Starting a blog

Starting a blog--so much to consider. After all, I want a name that is catchy and thoughtful and maybe a little bit cute. BUT it can't be a name anybody else is using. It must be unique. Our lives have become so public that how do I find something unique and unused in such a public world?

So what do I do? I ask! I asked on Facebook. I asked my daughter. I asked my nieces who have great blogs--they are my inspiration. I asked my brother-in-law who has a wicked sense of humor. Everybody has great ideas.

The downside of all the asking is all the answering. HOW DO I DECIDE? Well, obviously I've decided on some sort of name because you're reading this. I can't post to my blog until it is named. Blogspot says so. Blogspot says the first thing I need to do is name my blog. Such an important task and it has to be first!!! I can't choose my template, I can't post a pic, I can't do anything until I've named it!!!

Just think--the first thing somebody sees about my blog is the name. So, after all the worrying and all the asking and all the considering, here is the name of my blog: Leelu's Letters

Now I've become part of the 21st Century. I have a blog! Oh no--what do I write? What pictures do I put up? How do I find the time to write interesting posts? WHAT HAVE I DONE?