I could be wrong, but I don't think we ever learned a full list of owners. Antioch (I think?) Peverell was the first owner (or creator) of the wand, but I don't think the wizard who took it from him was ever named. It belonged to a few notorious wizards like Emeric the Evil (I think), but it eventually fell into the hands of the wand maker Gregorovitch. Gellert Grindelwald stole the wand from Gregorovitch. Dumbledore won the wand from Grindelwald when he beat him in the duel. Draco Malfoy became the owner of the wand when he used "Expelliarmus" to take it from Dumbledore (even though Malfoy never actually physically had the wand). And when Harry took Draco's wand at Malfoy Manor, he became the owner of the wand. (If you aren't talking about Harry Potter, I am going to be so embarrassed.)

I am not a Neal Stephenson fan for that very reason -- I never feel satisfied after finishing one of his books. I always feel like someone stole the last chapter before I checked it out! I loved Pulp Fiction when I saw it as a teenager, but I tried watching it again as an adult a few years ago and the experience was really different. I think it's an important movie, though -- and very 90s!

For the 1980s, I would consider adding "War Games" (which I think does a good job of capturing the fears of the Cold War in an entertaining way), "Ghostbusters" (which taps into the consumerism and media madness of the 1980s) and "Working Girl" (which is an interesting look at both classism and feminism and the ways they were changing during the 1980s). Depending on how comfortable you are with the themes and subject matter, I think Tom Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities would be a great read for that time period. (But stay away from the movie -- it stinks!) For the 1990s, I think "Pulp Fiction" really captures the zeitgeist of the era, complete with cartoon-like graphic violence, a sense of apathetic rebellion and re-imagined cultural mores -- but there are obviously some questionable bits content-wise. And maybe read Primary Colors -- a really interesting look at how weird politics was becoming during that time. And maybe Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash, which captures how important technology was becoming? Again, they're adult books, so you'd want to check them out first to make sure they fit your family.

Have you tried the Big Nate books by Lincoln Peirce? (I always feel like I am spelling the author's name wrong!) They are similar to Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He might also enjoy the Calvin and Hobbes series -- it's comic strips not just comic strip style, but the vocabulary and ideas are actually pretty good.

The National Writers Union and the American Society of Journalists and Authors both have some insurance options for members, just FYI. It's not always the best or cheapest, but it can be an option.

Aubrey, just another perspective. I am mostly a freelance writer (mainly for magazines, but occasionally books and web content), but I also do a little web design on the side. It is not a good place to be if you are thin-skinned. You'll get lots of criticism and mixed messages -- This is fabulous! Change everything! -- people will ask you to meet ridiculous deadlines and then fail to give you the details you need to meet them; you'll probably have to chase down payment. These things stink and can take a major toll. You will have to deal with people A LOT. It is my least favorite thing about this kind of work. Please don't think I'm saying this to discourage you! I just think there's a lot more dealing with people in this line of work than *I* personally expected, so I thought I would share. Dealing with financial worries is no fun at all. I'm so sorry you're going through this. I think you're very brave to open yourself and your ideas up this way and to be willing to try something new. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

Jennifer, mostly I don't! I just kind of tune out their political conversation when we're together or say "Really? How interesting" or "Hmm, I'm not really familiar with that source" a lot and don't mention my own opinions -- by now, they know that I disagree with them and I know that they're never going to agree with me, so arguing just feels pointless and frustrating. Of course, it took me nearly 30 years to achieve that level of zen about it -- I have stormed out of the room/house/state on more than one occasion!

I'm very liberal -- and very grateful that my ultra-conservative parents taught me that it's usually wise to keep my mouth shut about my political opinions unless someone asks for them. And sometimes even then. ;)

The current Bon Appetit also has a fun Seder menu this year. I am going to try the pistachio-pomegranate haroset to change it up this year -- mainly because the apple-walnut version always tastes like the mortar is supposed to represent to me! (My husband loves it, so this is just my opinion!)

Just wanted to let you all know how much your advice has helped. The last week was one of the most productive I've had with my student, thanks in large part to my improved attitude and some of your suggestions. I hope I can maintain the momentum -- but I know where to come if I get stuck again! ;) So thanks again!

PrettyInPink, I have definitely decided that hands-on is the way to go. :) You're so right about that. Simka, I totally agree that the punishment thing is crazy -- but since she's not my daughter, it feels like I'm out of line if I bring it up more than once. I think that's part of the reason I decided to break down and post here -- I don't want to vent my frustration at her mom and get her in trouble, but I had to vent somewhere!

Just wanted to say thanks for all the ideas and encouragement! I appreciate your generosity! I feel much better now that I have a few more strategies to try and some new curriculum options to explore. Thank you so much.

Night Elf, I definitely made the mistake of overloading her in the beginning with more than one topic at a time, but I have scaled back since so that we're focusing on one thing at a time. I love the idea of encouraging her to look things up online or in the dictionary by herself. I think it might help her take more ownership of her work, which will make her proud when she succeed, which should make her care about what she's doing. Thanks for the great suggestion! I do encourage her to choose her topics for writing, but I bet I could be doing more with that to foster her enthusiasm. I'll look for that SWB lecture! Thank you so much.

TXMomOf4, thanks for the suggestions! Another friend recommended WWE, so I may just break down and buy it for her. FLL is First Language Lessons, right? (I get overwhelmed with all the curriculum acronyms sometimes!) I will check that out, too. Thanks!

Lolly, I think you're right. She's terrified that she's stupid -- which I can safely say she is not. When it's not frustrating the heck out of me, I find it heartbreaking. I am a little disgusted by a school system that let her get all the way to 7th grade without understanding what a noun is or that a sentence needs to start with a capital letter -- but I guess that's another story. I think your idea of working side-by-side with her is probably a good one. She definitely does her best work when she's working with me and not on her own. I keep thinking that she needs to be able to do it on her own so that she really learns it, but maybe I am pushing independence when what she really needs right now is support. Thanks for the suggestion! I am going to try it.

I think that's a definite possibility. She's been tested (in the public school system) without anything showing up, but that certainly doesn't mean there's nothing there. And I can definitely see how struggling with something would make her not care -- or at least, fall into the habit of not caring. But I feel like she can learn -- the very few times she has focused and really worked on something, she's done well. But I can only drag that focus out of her once or twice a month. Maybe it would be worth suggesting that her mom have her tested again. Thanks for the suggestion. I wish it didn't frustrate me so much! I swear, I am usually a nice, mellow person.

(Hi! I'm new to posting here -- this is my first post -- but I've been soaking up good info from you regular posters for several months now as a lurker. I'm breaking through my fear of posting to see if you can help me with a problem I'm struggling with.) tl;dr: How do you motivate a child who just doesn't care when you're not her parent? I have two children, a 9-year-old and a 3-year-old, whom I've homeschooled for a couple of years now. For the most part, they are interested, engaged, active learners who pick up information quickly, narrate well and genuinely care about learning. Though there are certainly some days when they try my patience and a few days a year when I am sorely tempted to run away to a South American spa, learning with them is mostly a delightful experience. Not an easy experience, but a rewarding and enjoyable one. This year, I started teaching a friend's 7th grade daughter basic grammar and writing. I knew that she was behind for her age, so I got volun-told to help her catch up. I couldn't really say no, but I didn't think it would be terrible. It is. Terrible. Not because she's behind -- though she is probably four grade levels behind -- but because she just absolutely does not care. She doesn't pay attention. She doesn't try. She does her work as quickly as she can without actually trying to answer the questions correctly. (More than once, she's missed answers that were literally given as examples in the instructions three lines above the place where she had to write her answer.) Often, she doesn't do her work at all and gives me ridiculous reasons why she didn't do it. Her mother constantly grounds her or takes away privileges from her, but it doesn't seem to affect my student at all. I've never run into this with my own children -- though perhaps this will be good practice for their teenage years -- and I am so baffled and frustrated that I don't know what to do. How can I make her care about learning? How can I motivate her to do what she needs to do to learn what she needs to learn? I understand that she may be frustrated because she's so behind and in the habit of not caring because it must be hard to care and fail, but I can't teach her if she won't learn. And I'm just completely at a loss. Despite my frustration, I would like to see her succeed. I just don't know how to get past this barrier toward learning that she seems to have. The teaching parents on this board seem to have the answers for everything, so I am hoping you can help me. Has anyone gotten through a similar struggle? Was there anything that worked especially well for you? Is this just a normal thing that I have to patiently get through by continuing to do what I'm already doing? Do you have any crazy ideas that might work? Or, barring that, can you recommend a good spa that takes last-minute reservations?