What We Read in May

We're still behind, but we did a little better this month!

Katie:

• Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
• Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster
• The Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul by Douglas Adams
• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
• The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

I enjoyed all my books this month. Douglas Adams is always good fun. I plan to read the final book in the Dirk Gently series in June. I'm also hoping to read the second Ransom Riggs book soon - I'm just waiting to get it from the library.

Sarah:

• Hamlet by William Shakespeare
• Runaway Ralph by Beverly Cleary
• Othello by William Shakespeare
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
• Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit
• The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill

I enjoyed both of the Shakespeare tragedies very much. Othello is now in my top three favorites. Tuck Everlasting was also a very good read. I particularly liked Natalie Babbit's descriptive writing style. I am currently reading Around the World in 80 Days.

During the month of June, we plan to put out bonus posts going into more detail on some of the books we've read so far this year.

Fun Plans

Hey all! We are excited for break, and as usual, there are lots of things we want to do. It has been a crazy semester/quarter, and spending time together is something we want to prioritize. Our plans are often very vague, so we are trying to fix that by making a short, precise list:

• Go out for ice cream
• Watch episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender
• Take a picnic to the park
• Get bookshelf set up
• Go to the zoo
• Have a game night
• Go for walks

What are you all planning to do to celebrate the coming of summer? 

P.S. Apologies for the very brief post. Katie is sick, and we've had lots of obligations to attend to. 

Picking Up the Pieces

Our trains have gone off the tracks. Our lives feel like whirling vortexes of chaos.

Okay, that's a tad dramatic. But things have been hectic, as evidenced by last month's missed posts. That's why we are taking steps to get back on track. 

First, we've made charts for daily tasks that often get neglected when things are this hectic. These charts will be edited as necessary going forward. Here they are in their current forms.

We're trying to coin the term "bi-daily". #jointhemovement

Next, we're laying out some new ground rules concerning screen use and sleep schedules. These apply 24/7 for the foreseeable future.

1.  No more solo watching of TV or movies, unless directly related to school. (Sarah might make exceptions for this on designated days, because she hasn't developed screen addictions at the level Katie has.) No spontaneous group TV or movie watching, either - just stuff that has been planned in advance.
2. Computer use for any purpose not directly related to work/school is limited to 20 minutes per day. (This does not count using the computer to listen to music, nor to watch shows and movies; the former is not a problem and the latter has already been accounted for by the previous rule.) If recreational computer use goes over the allotted 20 minutes per day, the overage is subtracted from the next day's time.
3. Be in bed with lights out no later than 10:30 pm (Sarah) / 11 pm (Katie). Wake up no later than 6:30 am (both of us).

Next, we want to be continuously focused on these important things:

1. Doing justice to our obligations (e.g. work, school, dance, blogging, etc.)
2. Maintaining relationships with family and friends
3. Being creatively fulfilled

And finally, we will be holding each other accountable. There might be yelling and screaming (not really), but we will make each other abide by these new goals and rules so that our lives can regain some semblance of order.

If your life is falling apart too, maybe some of this will be helpful. Let us know in the comments if you share our struggle, or if you have advice for us. Thanks for your patience with us as we try to get back on top of things.