Online Reader's Log Entry 1.

Post your first online Reader's Log entry here (it should be your ninth overall in quarter three). Be sure to include your name and the book you are reading prior to your entry. To avoid losing unsaved work, type your entry first in a Word document and then copy and paste into your comment.

MFO: A Peter Hajas Production.

Attack of the Killer Steinbeck.

In the photograph shown above, taken by a gawking passerby, Tim Walden (left) struggles to free himself while his classmate, George Faegre (right), lies in stupor having been intellectually defeated by Steinbeck's Of Mice & Men just seconds before.

Minneapolis, MN - A sunny, spring afternoon in the Midwest quickly turned grim as a vicious and unusual attack claimed the intelligence of two Blake seniors. Patrick's Lit Circles class was enjoying the sun and their respective novels when John Steinbeck's Of Mice & Men wreaked havoc on the two young men. After regaining consciousness, both students' intelligence were noticeably affected by the attack. While they've regained some of their brainpower, doctors say they may never fully recover. When asked about the incident Walden said, "Well, at least I still have my dignity." This statement couldn't have been a clearer indication of the detrimental affect of Steinbeck's wrath, as it is well known among Walden's peers that he traded in all of his dignity for a Chicago Bears t-shirt early on in his childhood. So it goes.

Editor's Correction: One of the victim's, Tim Walden, was right to point out that he was attacked by Into the Wild, not Of Mice and Men. Whether that's better or worse this editor cannot say.

New circles, starting Monday.

Check it.

S-5 bonus opp.

For those of you reading Slaughterhouse-Five, I'll award bonus points to anyone who is willing to count the number of times "So it goes" appears in the novel.

If you're reading Into the Wild or Invisible Man keep checking the blog, as I will soon post bonus opps for you, too.

Miscelleneous announcements.

1. Snapshot due before class begins on Friday, April 18. Recognize.
   
2. Q3 survey results are in. Check 'em out. Thank you all for both your praise and constructive criticism. I will make a concerted effort to take your perspectives into consideration in the last four weeks of the quarter.
3. Even you can drop some knowledge on the blog. If fact, I encourage it. Ideas:
1. Research your author. Post a bio, interviews, or other articles.
   
2. Research the book's history and historical context. Post your findings.
3. Pose a discussion question or an "Aha! moment" from your night's reading.
   
4. Q4 circle projects will take place at the end of the quarter. You'll have time in class to work on them, but not as much as was given in Q3. You'll have the option to do a project on your first or second text. (This means that your project group members will all have read the same text, but may not have been in your original circle.)

Reader's Log revision.

I've revised the Reader's Log system for the 4th quarter. No more coins. Before you freak, though, read on. Instead of writing an entry for every night of reading, you only need to complete two entries per week. Yes, that's right, only two entries per week. But, they better be solid. I'm looking for an authentic dialogue with the text. Quality over quantity. In short, I'm looking for substance. I'll also reserve part of a class period each week (likely on a Tuesday or a Thursday) for in-class Reader's Log writing.

So, if you've written two for this week already, you're good. Take a break. If you've written three, you're even better. Take a longer break.

Yours in reading,
El Jefe.