Keeping His Pants On Until He Gets Home

Jun 29

Since I renamed my blog Fictionary after Natalie Jost designed this site, almost all of my blog tours, author interviews, and book reviews can be found there. A few exceptions-like yesterday’s My Beautiful Mommy (my subtitle: after she’s had her nose fixed, tummy tucked, and boobs lifted) which I presented here as social commentary.
Today, however, [...]

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My mommy’s prettier than yours. She’s got the surgery to prove it.

Jun 28

Wait, Christa, isn’t your other blog, FICTIONARY, for book reviews (a bit of shameless self-promotion)?
Yes.
Surely My Beautiful Mommy is a sweet children’s book that you’ll be promoting there, right?
Wrong.
I discovered this book when Tanya Dennis wrote about it on her blog, which I read on High Calling Blogs. I bookmarked this site weeks ago, fully [...]

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oops!

Jun 27

A dear friend just brought to my attention a rather disturbing problem with the post about subscribing to my blog.
Apparently, if you clicked the button on the post, it brought you to a site with a band name that would be, well, icky.
So, I apologize if you were one of those victims. Button erased.
Lesson learned: [...]

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Free book offer from Oprah

Jun 27

This offer expires at 8:00 pm Eastern time TODAY. 
Go HERE for the link to find the free download of Suze Orman’s new book: Women & Money.

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Why some artists don’t translate well to video

Jun 27

I’ll totally own loving Joe Cocker, probably because I heard him before I’d actually seen him perform.
This is clever and funny. enjoy.

thanks to Fritinancy for this one!

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SUBSCRIBE TO MY WEBSITE CONTEST!

Jun 26

See that box on this page to your right? Fill in your email address, and at the end of this month I’ll pick a name, and you’ll be the winner!!! [Not that you already aren't a winner because, after all, you're reading this.]
And what will you win?
Why, a box of books, of course! And my [...]

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Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

Jun 26

more about “Teaser on Vimeo“, posted with vodpod
If you’re a Buffy/Angel/Spike/Firefly fan….here’s Joss Whedon’s latest. Dr. Horrible seems to be his new prescription for laughter.
Thanks to ARGH INK, Jennifer Cruise’s blog for the heads up.

“It’s the story of a low-rent super-villain, the hero who keeps beating him up, and the cute girl from [...]

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TOTALLY FREE+TOTALLY GOOGLE=TOTALLY AWESOME

Jun 25

1-800-GOOG-411: Google’s 411 service

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WORD GAME WEDNESDAY

Jun 25

Use your compass directions to find the correct locations for the missing letters of the alphabet. When you have completed the grid, see if you can discover the hidden city, country, river or mountain.
Note:

North or south means any location along the same column.

East or west means any location along the same row.
Directions:
A is south of L: D [...]

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AP English Lang Scoring Guidelines Part Two: Internalizing and Making every bubble count

Jun 24

Internalizing the Scoring Guide

My first year as an AP Reader, I’d hear this “internalizing” mumbo-jumbo and wonder when I’d evolve into this higher state of consciousness. I think I was mostly unconscious. Year Two, I would’ve been willing to roll the scoring guide into a paper burrito and eat it if it meant I’d expedite [...]

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The AP Scoring Guide and totally unrelated musing. Part One.

Jun 22

Musing
Last year, the College Board and ETS surveyed Readers asking general questions about the reading experience. Hats off to them for listening because this year they provided a hospitality room in the hotel that provided soft drinks, coffee, water, and assorted munchies like chips, cookies, fruit,  and hot pretzels. Then, Saturday night, we had [...]

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Zoomii. Did I really need to make online book purchasing easier?!

Jun 22

Tour of Zoomii Books

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Highly qualified, lowly-respected profession?

Jun 21

Thanks to Angela Maiers and Schools Matter for the heads up on this video.
the Teacher Project Trailer (long version)

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Home on the scoring range: meanwhile, back at the AP Reading Ranch

Jun 19

Did I mention that one of the students thought Barry’s essay was so simple, even a stay-at-home mother would be able to understand it?  It didn’t appear, from what I read, that s/he was one of those yet.
The Musing Continues:
One of the acronyms I’m fond of teaching is SOAP because it serves two purposes:
1. It [...]

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More about the AP Reading coming soon. . .

Jun 19

Time outs for birthday shout-outs for my oldest. Tomorrow. . .Rubrics R Us

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MICHAEL!

Jun 19

My oldest son, Michael, is 31 years old today. He’s holding Hannah in this photo; he’s also Emma’s dad.

Now, don’t ask how I can believe I’m a Grammy and not believe I’m the mother of a 31-year-old. Well, ask, but don’t expect a lucid answer.
Michael was the first grandchild for both his father’s parents and [...]

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No wonder does not equal know wonder

Jun 19

Dove Self Esteem Fund

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…you’ve held me, now it’s time to let me go. . .

Jun 18

DAY LAST: DAYTONA LANGUAGE READING

Arriving at my table this morning, I heard rumors that the Question 1 room had been told when they left  yesterday afternoon that they should have reading material for the next day. That always means the room’s dangerously close to finishing. Since that room started out with extra tables, we weren’t [...]

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WORD GAME WEDNESDAY: Doublets

Jun 18

Transform one word into another by changing a single letter in each step, so that each link in the chain is a valid word. For example, to change MORE into LESS with 3 links: MORE, lore, lose, loss, LESS
3 links :
Put MILK into PAIL
WELL  into DONE
Change MICE into RATS
Find CAMP SITE

4 links
Put INK [...]

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. . .so miss me and pray for me. . .

Jun 17

DAY 5.5  DAYTONA UPDATE: MONDAY
I read 425 essays today.

Things I learned today:
1. Adjectives can be wild. (Note from me: File this factoid away for possible YouTube video for avid grammarians: Adjectives Gone Wild.)
2. Tone wraps itself around my head. (Note: Lately, this happens only when my iPod’s plugged in to my ears.)
3. Ellipsis or dot [...]

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