Star Wars

Last night we had our second film fest with friends, and watched the original Star Wars at Ted & Lisa's.  Great stuff!  We had a huge pile of kids and grownups, and popcorn everywhere.  Wish I'd gotten some pictures.  In October, just in time for the change in weather, we watched Singing in the Rain.  Next month, our house for White Christmas.

After the movie, Ted showed us a version of Star Wars Uncut where random people take 15 second clips of the movie and make them their own way - animation, claymation, live action, whatever.  Then the clips are all blended together into a whole movie.

Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ezeYJUz-84  Now Karl wants to make a section of The Empire Strikes Back Uncut.

Tomorrow, we're off to Vashon Island to hang out with Jim & Julie & kids.  Hot tub - oh yeah!

On another note, we're digging into American literature this year.  The kids read and discussed The Crucible already, and I'm trying to decide what's next, either The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, The Last of the Mohicans or The Scarlet Letter, (and we'll probably do The Scarlet Letter in any case, because I have it on audio.)

We've also got a kind of sub-theme going this year of distopian fiction.  We read The Hunger Games trilogy and The Giver, and are now working on Lord of the Flies.  Grim stuff, but it doesn't seem to bother them as much as it would have me at their age, and it's awfully interesting to discuss.  Later this year we're going to read Fahrenheit 451, one of my absolute favorite books!  Someone really ought to remake that movie.

With our Civil War season well and truly over, we're watching Civil War movies, alternating with Revolutionary War movies, since that's what we're studying in history.  It's bloody around here right now!

Autumn