Reading

Sanders' High School Reader

Sanders' High School Reader by Charles Walton Sanders

The final reading program with more elocution exercises. The standards by which the choices were made are laid out in the preface.

So again the interesting thing to the modern reader is probably the choices. Scientific, religious, political, historical -- poems, speeches, essays --

The religious is sometimes generically theistic, sometimes Christian, sometimes specifically Protestant (in a passage where it is explicitly stated that the contemplative vocation is non-existent).

(no subject)

I’m an H.I.V.-positive gay man who is distraught with where the country is headed, so I am actively participating in protests. I have a liberal friend who lives in an overwhelmingly Trump-supporting small town and is married to a Trump supporter. She messages me often about her fears of what is going on and seems equally distraught. I’ve shared with her how current politics could affect my life and how, although I’m very aware of my privilege, I’m concerned about people who aren’t as privileged and how they could be affected. But she doesn’t participate in protests and doesn’t like to actively show her views except on social media. There are protests in small towns close to her that could use her support. Once, there was a B.L.M. protest in her town, but she had ceiling fans being installed. She passed on another recent protest because she had a birthday party. She has never participated and I’m getting increasingly annoyed. I think it’s important to show up. I also know that everyone is different, so I’m trying to reconcile this. She comes off to me as someone who’s comfortable in her life and doesn’t want to shake anything up, which is the height of hypocrisy to me.

I feel like apathy is how we got here in the first place, and I’m really struggling with how and whether to keep people like this in my life. — Name Withheld

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The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine, Vol. 5

The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine, Vol. 5 by Grrr

Spoilers ahead for the earlier volumes.

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(no subject)

DEAR ABBY: I have been married to my husband for six years, together for eight. My husband has a kind, tender heart and knows how to bring me down to earth when I'm stressed. I love him very much, but I am becoming less attracted to him because of his lack of ambition. I'm a "chase your dreams," "work super hard and get what you want" kind of gal, so it's hard for me to sympathize with his lazy, careless lack of ambition.

If my husband has free time, he's either napping, playing video games or watching a movie. Never does he choose to do anything productive like learn something new, work out or start a side hustle. (And God knows we could use all the income we can get.) How can I share how I feel about this with him without causing a blowout fight or hurting his feelings? -- DISAPPOINTED IN IDAHO

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Current Mood: confused

Ask a Manager: My Coworker Was My Uber Driver

When your coworker is your Uber driver

This happened to a coworker, not me, but now I’m paranoid it will. She told me that over the weekend she and her roommate got in an Uber to get to a bar, and the driver was our other coworker. I have nothing against side hustles/second jobs (I work one myself, as a bartender at a theater), but of all the people we work with (we’re standard office workers at a large employer in our city) I would not have expected this specific person to take up Uber driving for extra cash.

So, WWYD? My coworker said she was pretty silent the entire time but did acknowledge/greet our coworker/driver. I wouldn’t know how to act, especially if I was coming home after a night out and not sober, or with a date, or just having a bad day.

This doesn’t need to be a big deal! You’d treat the coworker like you would if the driver were anyone else you knew — meaning, greet them warmly, ask how they’re doing, and, if you’re up to it, make pleasant conversation during the drive. It’s no different than your own second job, or than if you ran into them on, say, a subway. I know the power dynamics might feel a little weird — you are now paying them to provide you with a service — but treat it like you would any other unexpected public encounter with someone you know from work, and it doesn’t need to be awkward at all.

If you weren’t in a frame of mind where you could easily carry on a warm conversation (whether from a bad day or whatever else), you could say, “I hope you don’t mind, I’m exhausted and was planning to just rest my eyes during the drive.” That’s probably a good strategy if you aren’t sober as well, to avoid lowered inhibitions leading you to say anything you normally wouldn’t.

(no subject)

DEAR ABBY: My brother "Joey" married a woman, "Allie," who is mentally unstable. Every couple of months, she loses her temper at me or one of my family members. It's extremely disruptive and upsetting. She has been diagnosed with type 1 bipolar disorder as well as borderline personality disorder. Joey recognizes her behavior is inappropriate but can't seem to control her.

We usually ignore her and let some time pass until she calms down, but sometimes it's hard to turn the other cheek when she yells and makes personal attacks toward us. The most recent blow-up occurred while they were visiting my parents' home. Allie is pregnant with their first baby, and the day after the visit, Allie called my mom yelling at her that their house is "toxic" due to clutter and dust. She said being in their home is "harming their unborn baby." My parents' house is NOT a health hazard. Yes, there is some clutter, but they've raised five kids in that house and have lived there for almost 40 years.

Is there any way we can have a meaningful relationship with Joey and Allie? I'm worried they're never going to let us see their baby. -- TIPTOEING IN CALIFORNIA

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(no subject)

I have a 26-year-old daughter who from a very early age studied dance. For a while, we thought she might pursue it professionally, but by the time she was applying for colleges it was clear that she had decided not to. Once she made that decision, she stopped taking dance classes. We were disappointed — she was a beautiful dancer — but we were supportive of her choice. She found a major she loved and is doing very well. We couldn’t be happier about that. I’ve noticed, however, that since she stopped dancing she has steadily gained weight. Lately, every time her dad and I see her, she has put on more weight.

We want to have a conversation with her about it, but we’re concerned that she will think that we’re body-shaming her. She can get defensive about things. I am particularly concerned about the things she loves to eat. She gravitates toward sugar and fatty foods, and isn’t very active. We have lots of diabetes on both sides of our family, and I’ve subtly tried to mention this family risk. I don’t think she has taken this in, however. She may be headed for a serious weight problem. How can we raise this with her without making her feel self-conscious or judged, and without pushing her away from us? We love and respect her and want to see her live a healthy life. Please advise! — Name Withheld

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The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine, Vol. 4

The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine, Vol. 4 by Grrr

Spoilers ahead for the earlier volumes.

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Villains Are Destined to Die

Villains Are Destined to Die, Vol. 1 by Gwon Gyeoeul

The original novel.

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Sanders' Union Speaker

Sanders' Union Speaker: Containing a Great Variety of Exercises for Declamation, Both in Prose and Verse by Charles Walton Sanders

Another collection of extracts for the scholar. This differs from his Union Readers and New Readers in that it is, overtly, aimed at performance before crowds. Some have directions on how they are to be staged, down to the observation that the poem about being a man is more comic when told by a young boy than an older one.

Many more comic pieces. Also, the time of publication is clear, since many pieces directly address the war. More speeches and poems and fewer essays. But its selection does cast quite a light on the times.

Sanders' High School Reader

(no subject)

The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine, Vol. 5

(no subject)

Ask a Manager: My Coworker Was My Uber Driver

(no subject)

(no subject)

The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine, Vol. 4

Villains Are Destined to Die

Sanders' Union Speaker

The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine, Vol. 3

Stage-Land

Hanging Woman Creek