Literature Map

This one's primarily for Lisa: the Literature Map. You type in the name of an author, and it shows you what authors are the most similar, thereby giving you (hopefully) recommendations for new authors.

So Charlotte Bronte shows up the closest to Jane Austen. I'll accept that, even if Bronte had a low regard for Austen's work. However, how on earth did Daphne Du Maurier (author of Rebecca) end up the closest to L. M. Montgomery? Granted, Wilder, Alcott, and L'Engle are close by, but still...

I'd love to know the criteria they're using. For example, Madeleine L'Engle and Dorothy L. Sayers show up next to each other. Okay, I get it. They both deal with theological issues in their fiction (which is often genre fiction, although different genres), and they both have a good grasp of diction. But L'Engle also shows up near Edna St. Vincent Millay, and the only thing I know that they have in common is that I like them both. Probably not what it's based on.

ETA:

So "God" showed up on the map, and I clicked on it, just to see who would be on His map. The list had Jesus next to Him (so far so good), and then a baffling variety of names around them. They included Drew Carey, Joseph Smith, the Holy Spirit, Arthur C. Clarke (of 2001: A Space Odessey fame), Tim LaHaye, Gary Paulsen (Hatchet), Saint Paul, Satan, and Einstein. Wow...

ETA2: Apparently the point is not so much that the authors are similar as that people who will like one will also like the other. It still seems massively flawed to me.

almost done with the first semester

I'm exhausted (and judging by how difficult that was to type correctly, I'm really exhausted).

But I survived one end-of-the-semester party yesterday (10 kids, about 8 parents, and 4 or 5 younger siblings, complete with lots of snacks, all in a fairly small classroom). Tomorrow I have three more end-of-the-semester parties (all of which will be smaller), a scavenger hunt with the English Language Program that I've been the planning person for all semester, and a pizza party afterwards. It's supposed to be over 90 degrees. I get even more tired just thinking about it.

But then, I only have to go in on Monday and Tuesday to do wrap-up stuff, and then I'm off to North Carolina to visit Tif for a week.

~*~

I got this email from Reina's mom this week (Reina was the child who cried for over half an hour the first day of class):

Dear Sally,

Thank you for your efforts to teach my daughter .
She does not speak English very well, but she loves to attend your class.

After she arrives back at home, she said that she had a good time.
She seems to be happy,while She is doing homework.
We are looking forward to your next lesson.

Sincerely,

Tamami I.
(Reina's mam)

We've come a long way. And Reina's learned a lot of English in just six weeks.

~*~

Link of interest, particularly for Mom: Strange Maps.

brrr

It's cold here in Michigan.

The job search continues, with various amusing suggestions from friends and acquaintances--everything from teaching at a Bible college in Kentucky to becoming a sports writer for the local paper. I've submitted my paperwork to sub at local schools, have two days scheduled next week to sub at the Christian school connected to my parents' church (my church, I suppose, now that I'm living here again), and another potential job that I'm not going into details about here because the family consensus was that one of my readers would think it highly entertaining if they found out in some other fashion. (Yes, it's legal.)

On the grad school front, I found out yesterday that I've been accepted to MSU's MATESOL program for the fall. I'm not making any decisions yet, as I haven't heard from UMBC and won't find out if I have a TA position at MSU until March, but it's great to know! I'm hoping to visit the department next month when I'm down for some Quiz Bowl stuff, so that should be good.

I've recently found Ukrainian-themed scrapbook paper online, so I hope to start working on my Peace Corps scrapbook soon. Maybe that will help organize all the piles of stuff I have around my desk.

On the subject of Ukraine, here's a good article about evangelicalism in Ukraine from Christianity Today.

Also on the subject of Ukraine, I made the mistake of listening to some of my Russian hymns last night and I got really really homesick. I guess it's part of the readjustment process, but it stinks. If I don't listen to my music and watch my DVDs (which I can't do right now because my disk drive won't open), I'll forget my language. But when I do, I just really start to remember how much I loved Ukraine and how much I miss it.

It's really cold these days. At least here, I don't have to walk everywhere like I would in Ukraine.