Homework

Homework-the word that inspires dread in students across the globe. Hours, days of misery cramped in your room or some other place doing an assignment from class when you could be doing something else. Skateboarding or ball for the sporty people, reading a novel or writing for the reading-and-writing sort of people, leisurely lounging around for the lazy people, building stuff for the building people. Cooking for the chefs, playing heavy rock or classical music for the music people...anything except HOMEWORK. The very word is stuffy and seems to carry the air of an uninteresting classroom about it. The procrastinators do it a few minutes before classtime or late at night, while the early-birds do it as soon as they get it. Either way, it's miserable for many people. Sure, it's a time spender if you have nothing else to do. (That's one of the purposes homework carries for me now I'm done a lot of my editing work on Yang in Disguise and I find it easy to write business letters). But homework drains your energy. When somebody asks "Wanna play a game tonight?" or "Wanna go to the _________?", many are forced to reply, crestfallen, "I have homework to finish". I'll write more later.

I have homework to finish.

http://cyberfaith.blogspot.com/2006/12/interview-with-adora-svitak.html

This is a link to another blog which has posted an interview with me.

Happy reading!

Kittens

My sister and I were fortunately allowed to take care of our aunt and uncle's kittens (Zena and Sophie) over the week. They are sisters. Zena is the thinner and somewhat smaller--and smarter--kitten. They have become well acquainted with the downstairs area of our house and know their way to the litterbox. They do, however, have a tendency to jump on our kitchen table/counter, or the electric piano in the large room, at which we immediately shout "Zena" or "Sophie" in loud voices.

Just thought the cat lovers out there would like to know.

Sincerely,
Adora

The Christmas Time

THE CHRISTMAS TIME!!!
What Santa's Ho Ho Ho Means To A Lot
Of People. Partially written, and assembled
By Adora Svitak.

FOOD
Written by Adora Svitak
Thanksgiving is sometimes thought to be the more "foody" holiday, but it varies. Christmas can be quite a "foody" time as well. After all, if you're having a large Christmas with almost all your relatives coming to your house, you'd like 1), your house to be presentably clean, 2), your kids to be presentably well-behaved, and for kids, your parents to be presentably well-behaved (or bad-behaved), and 3), you'd like to have enough for everyone to eat. TV talk show hosts blather on and on about "how to keep thin for the holidays". In my opinion, if it's a once-or-twice in a year thing, it's fine to eat as much as you want. Especially of dessert.

THE CHRISTMAS TIME!!!
What Santa's Ho Ho Ho Means to a Lot of People.
Assembled and partially written by Adora Svitak.

THE TREE
Written by Adora Svitak
The majority of Christmas-celebrating citizens in the US get Christmas trees, dig up those dusty Christmas lights from the basement, and hang kind, grandmotherly-looking ornaments on their tree. Some people may have small trees that fit in tiny pots and can barely be seen from the window, while others have brobdingnagian show-off trees that reach from the floor to the ceiling. I love having a tree around the house and the wonderful smell, and I love the excitement of putting up lights and ornaments and putting presents under the tree, but I am very worried about two things--the mess to clean up and the effect on the environment. When your tree starts drying up, the pine needles fall to the floor and it's quite bothersome to pick them out. And for the environment debate, I'd like to point out if almost every family who celebrates Christmas gets a tree, every year, and there are thousands of families who do this, then it seems quite dangerous. I have struck a deal with my mom that we will get a Christmas tree this year, because we haven't for about...two, three years, but we will only get it every other two years. How's that for a plan?

BUYING PRESENTS
Written By Joyce Svitak
I don't have the statistics to back up my claim, but I have observed that more and more products produced during Christmas time are solely for the purpose for people to buy them as presents. Most people won't buy such products for themselves, but they can always find somebody else who may enjoy them, or they find that the products present well and impress lots of people. When products are given out as presents, the utilitarian characteristics are not as important, the statement such presents can make is more important. If you browse Costco or any other retail stores, you will find endless items that make impressive presentations when you give them as gifts, but you find little practical use.Buying and giving presents in today's world has expanded its meaning, or has it? We give presents to show our love and to fulfill our obligations, to show our respect, to express our gratitude, to make sure that we are following tradition, to avoid feeling embarrassed in case presents are given to us, but we don’t have anything to give back; to connect with people so we won’t be forgotten.The problem here is most of us already have too many material goods, personally, I’d rather buy my own presents if I really needed something. I’d rather people who spend their time shopping for me to spend time for themselves. Time is more precious than any material goods anybody can get for me. Show your love with a focused and sincere ear; show your respect with a promise you made; show your desire to connect with thoughtful words; you don’t have to do things because of tradition or expectations.

Go to http://www.wonderofthegreatminds.blogspot.com for more of Joyce Svitak's great articles.

To Be Continued In The Next Issue of:
THE CHRISTMAS TIME!!!

A Blog Recommendation

For those of you who have not yet visited my mother's excellent blog on parenting, miscellaneous thoughts and ramblings, the evils of gift wrapping, etc., I would sincerely advise you to go to her blog at http://www.wonderofthegreatminds.blogspot.com . You can also see excerpts of some of her articles here.