Thursday the kids went off to school by themselves. Eric ran down the alley to catch up with Colin. Such enthusiasm! They also walked to Spanish after school, again, because Nicole took a teaching job she found this morning. Eric expressed excitement at that, too. We got a notice about a possible contact case in Colin's class—the second time this week—and then also one for Rachel. But it was Eric's turn to be tested this evening.
Nicole went back to Hamilton today, but this time as a P.E. teacher. There were two other teachers in the gym. I don't know if they really needed a third, but some of the classes, including Rachel's, are big, and it sounds like she kept plenty busy. I guess maybe Nicole has now taught Rachel's class, but she was not technically subbing for Rachel's teacher of record.
My day at home was much like any other Thursday, largely dedicated to hiring committee packets. I also had the joy of periodic Code of Conduct training, where I was reminded not to bribe governments, among other things. Good to keep in mind.
Rachel got a new sweatshirt yesterday with the name of a fictional school on it from one of the series she's been reading. She wore it to school today, and then related to me a conversation she had with her math teacher about it.
I helped Colin a little more with geometry, and did some reading after dinner. I'm most of the way through A Handful of Dust. The main character, I suppose, has just arrived in South America, and I expect some absurd fate may await him there. It's an amusing satire, I think, but rarely laugh-out-loud funny.
Attiser is the word for today, meaning to stir or rekindle a fire, as in "l'on attisa donc très-artistement les charbons de manière à faire légèrement flamber le feu". Mlle de Verneuil has just escaped through a secret door behind said fire, adding an unexpected swashbuckling element from the master of realism. But maybe such devices are realistic? I don't know.
Nicole made Instant Pot macaroni and cheese for dinner. I wanted to dress mine up a bit, so I threw in a diced pickle. Some readers may retch or recoil in horror at this idea, but it was an excellent addition in my book. Four stars, would do again. Lydia also loves pickles, but she refused the dicing.
4 comments:
Depends on whether by realistic you mean probable, or rather authentic and believable in terms of the particular literary word.
Attiser also works metaphorically.
I meant to ask whether secret doors in fireplaces were plausible historically. It's easy to write it off as a plot device, but I don't know that such things weren't in use at the time.
If not plausible, at least possible. Such things have existed. Although Balzac may simply have been adopting a favorite plot device of the Gothic novel to liven things up a bit . . .
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