Ooooohhhh...can't wait to hear what you think of this one!

For book club this month we read Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See: "According to Confucius, "an educated woman is a worthless woman," but Tan Yunxian—born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separations, and loneliness—is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. Her grandmother is one of only a handful of female doctors in China, and she teaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine, the Four Examinations—looking, listening, touching, and asking—something a man can never do with a female patient. From a young age, Yunxian learns about women's illnesses, many of which relate to childbearing, alongside a young midwife-in-training, Meiling. The two girls find fast friendship and a mutual purpose—despite the prohibition that a doctor should never touch blood while a midwife comes in frequent contact with it—and they vow to be forever friends, sharing in each other's joys and struggles. No mud, no lotus, they tell themselves: from adversity beauty can bloom. But when Yunxian is sent into an arranged marriage, her mother-in-law forbids her from seeing Meiling and from helping the women and girls in the household. Yunxian is to act like a proper wife—embroider bound-foot slippers, pluck instruments, recite poetry, give birth to sons, and stay forever within the walls of the family compound, the Garden of Fragrant Delights. How might a woman like Yunxian break free of these traditions, go on to treat women and girls from every level of society, and lead a life of such importance that many of her remedies are still used five centuries later? How might the power of friendship support or complicate these efforts? Lady Tan's Circle of Women is a captivating story of women helping other women. It is also a triumphant reimagining of the life of a woman who was remarkable in the Ming dynasty and would be considered remarkable today." This book was so interesting because there were so many different things it touched on but they all worked so well together in this story. First was the Chinese culture itself at the time...this was the Ming Dynasty. The book started in 1469 and ended in 1511. Then there was all of the medical information, which was fascinating. Apparently, this was based on a real doctor and some of her remedies are still used today. You can probably guess from the title, but there was a lot of focus on the female relationships in this book...wives, mothers, friends, etc. Highly enjoyable! (FYI...there were a few graphic medical things described, so if that stuff bothers you, just be aware.) (4.5 stars)

The payment portal email came from mailsender@geniussis.com (however when I replied to that email it just went to support@clrconline.com). The only other thing you could try is the "Contact Us" page on their website. I'm not sure where that goes...it could be the same support email, but it might be worth a try.

I registered for two classes on March 4th. I then decided that I only wanted one of those, so I emailed them to cancel the registration for the second class. I never received a reply to that email. On March 6th, I received the email to make my payment in the portal, so I went ahead and paid for the one class I wanted. I sent a second email to (again) ask them to cancel the other class and let them know I only paid for the one class. I haven't received a response to the second email either. I also never received a confirmation email for the payment I made (feels like that should've been auto-generated). The only way I know it went through is because I see the transaction on my credit card. The payment portal doesn't show that I paid either. This is my third year with them and this is all very strange. They have been slow to respond in the past, but this seems a bit much. I think this is the first year using the payment portal, so maybe that's the issue. Hopefully you get things sorted soon!

Can anyone recommend a good online German class? DD is interested in starting this language next year in 9th grade. I looked at CLRC and WTMA, however the times for those classes are not working for our schedule. Are there others I should look at?

I did it…I finished Alchemy of Souls! At times it was a bit tedious, but I’m so glad I watched this show because I really loved it!! I loved the setting and the story of the mages, the fight scenes were all superb, and all of the characters were fantastic. Shout out to Gwigu the dog and the turtle…loved them!! The couples were also all very cute. At first I wasn’t sure about the female lead change going into season 2, but I didn’t mind it. I’m probably one of the few people who enjoyed season 2 slightly more than season 1, for several reasons. One being that I think the couple in season 2 had better chemistry with each other. While I think the season 1 couple felt bonded to each other, I didn’t get as much of a romantic vibe from them. Also, I really liked the more angry, kick-ass version Jang Uk in season 2. Someday I’ll give this one a rewatch because I know it’s something I can enjoy over and over again. ☺️

We are planning here too. So far this is what we've got... Math - Derek Owens PreCalculus English - AP English Language & Composition (through Blue Tent) Science - Chemistry (probably through our local co-op, assuming the scheduling works out) History - AP European History (most likely through PA Homeschoolers, but not sure which teacher) Foreign Language - Spanish III (through CLRC) Electives: French II (through AIM Academy) Creative Writing (through AIM Academy) Intro to Psychology (through AIM Academy) Extracurriculars: MMA classes/volunteering Library volunteering Also, during this summer she's doing a creative writing camp at Rice University and some sort of online summer editing program (I can't remember where). She hopes to continue doing this editing throughout the year once she completes the program.

The next book DD and I read for our American Literature study was The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. I also had DD pair this with The Poet X, which I have already read. I thought Mango Street was okay, but I didn't enjoy it as much as Poet X (if I'm comparing the two, although they're not super similar). Because each chapter is essentially a tiny short story, just as something started happening it was ending, so it became a bit frustrating. I think I would've preferred the story to continue throughout the chapters. I also felt like the stories in each chapter tended to be more about other people than the narrator herself and I really wanted to know more about her. It certainly wasn't a bad book, but the whole thing was just hard to connect with because it felt so disjointed. (3 stars)

Happy March Everyone! 🍀 I’m excited that we’re getting some warmer weather. I’m no fan of winter…thank goodness I live in the south! We don’t really have four seasons where I live, so I’m going to enjoy these few weeks of springtime before the heat comes! February was a slower reading month for me. Oh well! Hopefully I’ll get back on track in March. ☺️ How have y’all been doing…reading some good stuff?

Yes! Sorry! 😬 I started Alchemy of Souls yesterday. Looks like it’s going to be a looooonnnngggg journey, so if y’all don’t hear from me for a while you know what’s going on. 🤣

I know of Ateez, but I haven’t ventured into their stuff yet. I’m sure I’ll get there!

I was perusing through the thread to get some inspiration for a new show to watch and I saw this post. ☺️ So I’m slowly getting into k-pop thanks to DD and @Jann in TX I just wanted to let you know that I’m loving Stray Kids right now! 🤣 Felix’s voice is….insane.

I have 13 and 15 year old DDs, so I understand. There are many days where I call myself their punching bag.

Finished a couple of books... Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim: "A princess in exile, a shapeshifting dragon, six enchanted cranes, and an unspeakable curse... Shiori'anma, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs through her veins. Normally she conceals it well, but on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted. But it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother. A sorceress in her own right, Raikama banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes. She warns Shiori that she must speak of it to no for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die. Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and uncovers a dark conspiracy to seize the throne. Only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in a paper bird, a mercurial dragon, and the very boy she fought so hard not to marry. And she must embrace the magic she's been taught all her life to forswear--no matter what the cost." I still read aloud to DDs and this was the book we just finished. I enjoyed the setting and the Asian influences that were worked into the story. The setting and atmosphere were really nice. This was a pretty typical YA fantasy story, but it was still a fun read. I'm not sure that we'll be continuing on with the series, though. (4 stars) For our American Literature study, DD and I finished I, Robot by Isaac Asimov. Sci-Fi is not a genre I typically read or like, but this one was interesting. In thinking about our current world and how AI is starting to become more prominent, it has created a good discussion for us to have. I appreciated what Asimov was trying to convey. I thought some of the robots were funny too, although I'm not sure if I was supposed to find them funny. 😆 (4 stars)

Now I'm impatiently waiting for all of the episodes of Dr. Slump to be released!!

Just finished Doom at Your Service. I probably shouldn't have watched this show so close to My Demon because the first few episodes I found myself comparing the two. 🤣 Oh well...I ended up liking this one. I feel like some of the middle episodes were really slow and the writing was muddy/unclear sometimes, but I really liked the lead couple. Some of the moments where they were experiencing grief and loss were very emotional. I liked all of the side characters too. Not to compare too much, but the ending on this one (vs. My Demon) was better in the sense that it was less ambiguous, so I liked that.

This article says the police chief will be releasing video of the incident in a few days, so maybe some clarification will come (depending on what they release). https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2024/02/18/lakewood-church-to-have-first-sunday-services-since-deadly-shooting/

I’m not disagreeing that they know, based on bullet types, etc. I was simply clarifying that the info has not yet been released publicly. I think it’s a very high probability that the off-duty officers are the ones who shot the boy, but how it happened is unclear until they release more information. (If they do.) I agree it’s a complicated issue.

I don’t believe the police have confirmed who shot the boy…his mother or the off-duty officers. https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/houston/2024/02/16/477813/lakewood-church-shooters-7-year-old-son-loses-part-of-his-brain-according-to-grandmother/ “Investigating authorities had not publicly specified as of Friday whether Moreno-Carranza was shot by his mother or one of the off-duty officers who were firing at her.”

That's funny about your DH. ☺️ I love a good deal too, so I get it! I'm pretty sure we'll get Disney+ again so we can watch Mandalorian when it comes back out. However, I don't think we'd get Hulu (I think you have to bundle them), so I doubt I'll ever be able to watch those shows. Oh well! Let me know if they're any good!

Thanks for clarifying! I understand now. That's a bummer about the subtitles/dubbing. 😕

The two that caught my eye on Disney+ were Flex X Cop (I believe this is airing now) and The Impossible Heir (I think this comes out in February sometime). I was curious if the shows actually appeared on Disney+ or HULU. Sounds like both? This is why we had Disney+ before was for Star Wars and Marvel stuff. We shut off our subscription after the last season of Mandalorian came out. We'll turn it back on for a month or two when that show comes back. Looks like I might have a few k-dramas to try out! ☺️

Anybody watch shows on Disney+? I’ve been seeing a few shows advertised. I used to have it, but we don’t right now. I don’t recall any k-dramas on there before, so I’m wondering if it’s new. I’m just curious how much there is.

Yes, I think so. In addition to this newest novella, I’ve read… The Friend Zone The Happily Ever After Playlist Life’s Too Short Part of Your World Yours Truly Let me know if I’m missing any. ☺️