awkward teaching moments

I can't remember what my class and I were talking about last week. I think it was monkeys. One of my students is so sassy, I just love her. And she's a little white girl. And in the midst of our conversation she raised her hand to share with the class.

"I'm a porch monkey!"

I immediately bristled, ready to launch into my racism discussion, but looking at her face I thought maybe I should do a little more investigating first.

"I don't know what that means. Can you tell me why you said you're a porch monkey?"

She got a big smile on her face and said, "Because I like to sit on the porch with a big ol' stack of bananas!!"

Hmm. Ok. Just for a little while longer you can be a porch monkey.

P.S. These crayons were carved by Pete Goldlust.

The Big Book Of Lesbian Horse Stories by Alisa Surkis and Monica Nolan

I came across this book by accident. While mentioning The Big Book of Horse Stories on a thread on LibraryThing, the touchstones brought up The Big Book of Lesbian Horse Stories instead. I couldn't wait to read about lesbian horses!

Just kidding! I knew it would be about lesbian ladies, but I couldn't resist the pulp cover on top of the campy title. Once I started reading I realized it really was just a cute book of short stories about girls and their relationships with horses. The fact that they were homosexuals was almost an afterthought in most of the tales. And the few "sex scenes" included were very PG:

Then they were in the bedroom, and Terry showed Ginger that Silky wasn't the only one she could get to the finish line.

The thing that makes this more than just a book of har har moments is the inclusion of some LGBT history, and how the females evolve to become empowered individuals. Horses and girl power all in one!

Horse fans and lesbian lovers will enjoy this book...if you can get your hands on it. It's out of print and the used copies available come at a high price. I used a gift card given to Corey to purchase my volume -- don't tell! But if you read books digitally the ePub version is still in the normal price range.

P.S. This books counts as my LGBT genre for the Eclectic Reader Challenge.

The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

I loved every minute I spent reading The Silver Linings Playbook! The story begins with Pat getting rescued from a mental institution by his mom. We see immediately that Pat has some OCD issues (as well as some other issues which brought the psychologist and occupational therapist in my book club to a fascinating argument) and is hell-bent on one thing: winning back the love and respect of his wife. From his parent's basement his life is centered around a schedule he designed which is guaranteed to bring him back together with his true love.

The only thing Pat seems to love as much as his wife is the Philadelphia Eagles. (BOO!) Even though Pat's an Eagles fan I could really relate to the moments he was worshiping the Eagles with his family. Whenever he did the special Eagles cheer with fellow fans I thought about shouting "IN-COM-PLETE!!!" with Broncos fans and the immense satisfaction it gives me. Sports fans will appreciate the comradery forged by the love of a team that Pat experiences throughout the tale.

This book is a real joy. Pat's eternal optimism made me smile from beginning to end. If you're feeling like you have a black cloud following you around, read The Silver Linings Playbook to give you some hope.

P.S. This is the 2nd book I read for my Colorful Reading Challenge. 7 more to go!

P.P.S. Now I can't wait to see the movie!