Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Oooh, I did like this retelling. It's basically Little Red Riding Hood but with some BIG TWISTS.



What can I say without giving too much away? Interesting characters. Nice details. I do wish the ... two? uses of the f-word would have been left out. I've heard her talk about that before and while I never like it I am willing to ignore it. I just really didn't feel like it "fit" the characters at the points in the story. Many other choices could have been made that would have been more effective. She's the author, though, and gets to make that choice.



Will be reading Sweetly. And probably sooner ... this book has been out for a while!



View all my reviews

Dear Poor Neglected Blog,

Little did I know when I started you that as soon as I would actually do so most inspiration would cease. Actually, this has made me that much more appreciative of all of the great bloggers out there. It's hard to come up with interesting posts when life gets in the way. Life will always get in the way, however. That can't always be an excuse.


So. As is the thing to do this time of year, let me consider some of my goals to make next year different than this year.


1) Read more. Don't let the TV become a mind-numbing past-time. More picture books. More middle grade books. More young adult titles. More grown-up/adult books. Also the internet. Those great book bloggers are wonderful but one spends all one's time reading ABOUT books there is much less time to actually read the books. (Side note ... as MOVING more is also a goal it might be good to add here that audiobooks will play a role in this reading more. Dear track/treadmill/road/sidewalk/dumb weights that I really hate but I know will help get my metabolism up ... meet the audiobook download. Commute ... meet either the audiobook download or the CD set.)

2) Spend more time browsing in bookstores. Seems like kind of a given but I don't, actually. Or I haven't so much.

3) Browsing in the library is fun, too. It's gotten to the point where I have so many books on hold behind the circulation desk that I rarely just venture into the stacks ... and that's kind of a bummer. Miss out on the thrill of the find that way. So don't let the holds overtake me. Check out the shelves.

4) Embed Goodreads reviews here. I'm never going to be a super detailed reviewer. But I actually do post over there quite a lot and it's silly to try and reinvent the wheel I've already written. Short and sweet. That'll work.

5) Post some of the cool stuff we're doing over at school. Well. And the cool ideas that I wish we could do but have trouble convincing people to try. At least this will be an outlet to think through those ideas.



Contemplated signing up for some challenges. I still might. For right now my concrete minimum goals are 156 picture books, 37 middle grade books, 35 young adult books, and 15 grown up books. I can do that and hopefully do more. But definitely that.

Thanksgiving's Over. Now We Move On ...

to OTHER holidays.


I still love The Chanukkah Guest as my favorite Hanukkah read aloud. I've seen other good stories but none of them seem to be as small-fry, not everyone necessarily knows what we are talking about, friendly.



Then for Christmas I have more favorite titles. I hope that's not unfair. There are more choices out there.


My Penguin Osbert

The Longest Christmas List Ever

Uncles and Antlers

Bear Stays Up for Christmas

It's Christmas, David!

A Couple of the Lessons I'll be Giving

in the coming week ...


Thank You, Sarah Hale
Was just poking around the author's website and found out she's actually distantly related to the subject of this title. Fun! LOVE the illustrations on this one and the kids find it a funny connection with the Mary Had a Little Lamb song. We'll read the book, try illustrating our own pictures of Sarah, talk about the qualities that make her a hero, and glue those words around our illustrations. Pics to follow.



Milly & the Macy's Parade
This will be with two classes ... buddies of first and second grade. I thought we'd start with some of the YouTube clips that I'm posting here. Read the book (Another one where I LOVE the illustrations!) and then create some "balloons" out of colored paper.

Some Link Love

How Cute is this little birdhouse made from old books? No idea what I'd actually do with it but think it's adorable.

Seen reminders about Robert Sabuda's website in several places the past couple of weeks. Of course the Star Wars ones are my favorite.

I've long followed Tom Barrett's stuff. Instructify mentioned his Interesting Ways this week.

Now I am off to read. I have checked out from the library

Grace (which I'm not ready to give up on yet ... but I'm not loving it so far)

Monsters of Men

Templar Salvation

Me, the Missing, and the Dead

Stolen

Thirteen Days to Midnight

Finnikin of the Rock

The Enemy

Greetings

Haven't blogged much this week. What time I had to myself (which wasn't much ... how do women with families do it? It's just me and I feel like I'm running around like a crazy person) I spent reading Juliet by Anne Fortier. I'm not done yet but it's so good. Must catch up on school reading soon.

Never did post last week's book list. Or this weeks. The updated of this week's is still at school. Last week's was on bullying and accepting others. Not gonna say this is the most spectacular list ever but these are some we have in our collection that could work and aren't necessarily on ALL the other lists out there.


Calvin Coconut Trouble Magnet (Graham Salisbury)--On this year’s Bluebonnet list!

The Rat and the Tiger (Keiko Kasza)

One (Katherine Otoshi)--Also works for an art lesson!

Alfred’s Nose (Vivienne Flesher)--Seriously cute photos!

Me and You (Genevieve Cote)

Mouse Was Mad (Linda Urban)

Tough Chicks (Cece Meng)

Can I Play, Too? (Mo Willems)--work with me on this one. It fits!

Slightly Spooky Stories

So ... I don't go as all out as I might, if I had walls in our library. It never fails but some of the people going through the hallway spoil the effect.


But I don't let it stop me entirely. For a couple of years now I have offered 15 to 20 minute "Slightly Spooky Stories" the week before Halloween.


I have a string of orange lights that we pretend is a campfire. A silly flashlight with buttons for screams or wolf howls. A CD of creepy noises. It's all in fun. The most popular (and creepiest) stories have come from Robert San Souci's Short and Shivery books.


This year I think I will add some of Neil Gaiman's read aloud of The Graveyard Book. And something from Half Minute Horrors. Some of those give me the wilies!

Books About Writing and Story

Sent this to my staff on Tuesday. Going to start a weekly "themed" list ... with the new book order this seemed like a good place to begin.

The Plot Chickens (Mary Jane Auch)-So funny. Little ones will love the illustrations and will start to grasp the storytelling concepts. Same with the older kids!

A Book (by Mordecai Gerstein)--PERFECT for some sort of genre work station after a lesson. I won’t say this one makes a great read aloud. It’s one that needs to be “looked at” closely.

The Library Mouse (Daniel Kirk)--LOVE this one. Keep meaning to make my own Kleenex box complete with mirror and pencil banner.

Chester’s Masterpiece (Melanie Watt)--I usually dislike cats. But Chester is too funny and this one is all about HIM writing the book.

Once Upon a Time: Writing Your Own Fairy Tale (by Nancy Loewen ... find in 808 LOE)

Explores the tools that beginning writers need. This title includes a review list of key concepts, four exercises for getting started, and numerous writing tips.

The Best Story (by Eileen Spinelli)

A Beginning, a Muddle, and an End (by Avi)--of the two the first one The End of the Beginning is my absolute favorite but this one is also cute and it fits the topic! And an FYI ... I would disagree slightly with the age recommendation on this review. I think it skews a little higher. But that’s me.

Word After Word After Word--Patricia MacLachlan is a Newbery award winning author of somewhat ... sentimental books. So’s this one ... but it still works! (And, BTW ... she is one of the most quick-witted and sarcastic people I’ve ever heard speak!)

Adventures in Cartooning (by James Sturm ... found in 741.5 STU)--AAACK! Not usually a fan of the comic/graphic novel genre (which is NOT to say they are not the perfect educational choice for some of the kids, they’re just not my favorite) but this one is TOO CUTE.

Spilling Ink (by Ellen Potter and Anne Mazer)--If I had my way fourth or fifth grade would all read this as a novel study. Of course, I’m not in charge and we don’t necessarily have all the time we would like. Still ... EXCELLENT book. Check out the website.

A Book I'm Reading

Well. There are several. But after a four month wait I FINALLY got The Death and Life of the Great American School System (by Diane Ravitch). Sadly interesting. I'm not finished yet ... (all the rotten robbery business has distracted me). But here are a couple of quotes I've marked so far ...

"It is the mark of a sentient human being to learn from experience, to pay close attention to how theories work when put into practice." (pg 2)

"In my writings, I have consistently warned that, in education, there are no shortcuts, no utopias, and no silver bullets. For certain, there are no magic feathers that enable elephants to fly." (pg 3)

"Students should certainly think about what they read, but they should read something worth thinking about." (pg 20)

"No Child Left behind, by contrast, was bereft of any educational ideas. It was a technocratic approach to school reform that measured "success" only in relation to standardized test scores in two skill-based subjects, with the expectation that this limited training would strengthen our nation's economic competitiveness with other nations. This was misguided, since the nations with the most successful school systems do not impose such a narrow focus on their schools." (pg 29)


I may have to just get my own copy (and for someone that, I will be very honest, very rarely reads anything but fiction!) so that I can underline and make notes. I just get frustrated when I can never articulate my feelings about the public education system. Then I read this author's work and find out "Hey! She says what I think most of the time and in a much more coherent way!" I LOVE the quote about reading.



First new book orders of the year came in last week. Check out the Goodreads widget on the sidebar if you are interested. I never write super long or detailed reviews ... but I do try to write something. More to come!

Well. It's been a week. Again.

 

And this just makes me more grateful to all of the great bloggers out there who continue to come up with great content even when life is just ... distracting.

Haven't slept all that well the past couple of nights. But the GREAT part about that is I finally finished Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus. I love Theodosia. So funny. I wish I'd kept better track of funny quotes for you. One about research was just a hoot.

If you haven't read them ... make sure to check any of the four out. This one really might be my favorite, though.



Shall I be honest? Wasn't in the mood to keep track of quotes because somebody broke into my house and stole a bunch of stuff. Just stuff. But it's upsetting all the same. But hey! Still liked the book. Even when there was a break-in as part of the story. Oddly ironic.

Tonight

just one quick thing to share.

Today I got to GIVE away some books we recieved from First Book (thanks, Target!). Teachers chose students and sent them down. We told 'em they "won" and they could pick out a couple of books. A couple of them skipped out the door. One asked to skip his Headsprout practice so that he could read. Another wanted to pick one out for his little sister. One mentioned she was so excited because she didn't have any money to buy a book at the fair.

Even during bookfair. It was a good day. :]

EEEK! An entire week!

Though those of you in town know about the nasty bug that has been going around. Love the kids. Wish they had better immune systems. Well. Wish I had a better immune system as well.

That said, it's now ... wait for it ... BOOKFAIR week. So ... today I'm taking the easy way out and just going to share WHY I like some of the blogs in the links on the sidebar. Later this week I'll cover some of the books at the fair. Next week some lessons.

Not mentioning a blog doesn't mean it's not worth checking out (I did choose all of them for a reason). Just means I'm not going to say anything today.




Spilling Ink--this is one of the best books on writing I've ever read. Wish I could get class sets into all of the classrooms and that everyone had time to read it aloud and work on the writing "dares."


Rick Riordan--only posts every couple of weeks but when he does it's always interesting ... linking to info on John Rocco (cover art) or new titles or places he's been or whatever.

John Green (YA author)--he and his brother do a series of YouTube videos called the Vlogbrothers. Sometimes useful commentary on current political or environmental issues. Sometimes SUPER FUNNY! (DO NOT miss Nerd Fitness!)



Kinderscares--not sure what these people actually do as a day job but hello. Just love the idea of a place devoted specifically to the "scary" books we are ALWAYS getting asked for. I want to look down at that little face and say "You are five. You don't NEED scary books." But, apparently ... they do.

Jen Robinson's Book Page--Can I even count the number of times I have looked like a rock star because of a link posted in her roundup? Things to share with parents and teachers. And now I am sharing that secret with you.

Free Tech 4 Teachers--MUST. Even if tech makes you a little nervous. He shares too many awesome things (for all age groups).

Edte.ch (Tom Barrett)--every once in a while you have to do a little "translating" (he's from the UK). But it's so worth while. Easy ways to integrate tech into teaching.



OK. So at least that's a little short post for today. Content will get better. I am now going to the gym because as much as I dislike it the exercise is good for me. :/

Interestin' Ed Tech Post

Got this off of Free Tech 4 Teachers ...

Talk Back to the Pros

There they offer some 2 minute intros to different apps. This is what I know about these apps. You will see that in many cases what I know? It's not much.

1. CoverIt Live--NOTHING. Never heard of it. Will have to investigate more.
2. VoiceThread--have never used it but may try it with some book groups I'll be starting after the dreaded B-Word (bookfair)
3. social media--obviously, I'm a fan :]
4. Glogster--tried it for the first time this summer when completing my write up for the BYU Children's Lit Conference. Can see some use feels a little cumbersome.
5. Drop.io--save stuff. Get at it anywhere.
6. PicLits--OOOH. I already like this one. Must show it to reading facilitator tomorrow.
7. XTraNormal--friend showed me this while at ALA. Started one the other day. Takes some planning for the  different camera angles and all. Will report on the final result when I'm done.
8. Type With Me--never used this one. At first glance it seems like Google Docs does the same thing (but that could just be because it's what I'm familiar with).
9. Screencasting--really want to learn how to do this better. Think it could be super useful making database search tip videos.
10. Learning beyond the classroom walls--Yes. That is all I have to say about that.
11. Go Animate--seen this in several placed the last couple weeks. Will have to also investigate this one further.



Total PS to that one ... someone retweeted this. Fabulous comparison of Blog vs. Wiki vs. Google Doc.

Wowbrary

is one of my favorite emails to get all week! (Ironic, isn't it, anyone who came to my presentation this morning? You can actually get this content via RSS feeds but this is one thing I prefer to get the "old fashioned" way. The message comes on Saturday mornings when I can spend some time looking through all of the titles. As you could tell this morning I never promised to always be logical. :])

Wowbrary is a free service where you find out all of the new books/CDs/movies your public library ordered the past week. Links to Amazon reviews are included, as well as direct links to the library catalog page for putting the item on hold. Of course this is if your library uses the service. Anyway. If you didn't know about it before ... now you do!

ONE STOP SHOPPING

RSS: Really Simple Syndication

What does that mean? Honestly ... from the technical aspect? No idea. But from the practical aspect? It means that we can automate the delivery of the new content from a whole bunch of cool websites. Instead of having to "travel" all over to different locations for information we can get it in one place. A great timesaver!


Google Reader is my favorite--though there are other aggregators as well as ways to monitor blog content.
Google Reader is accessible via iGoogle (which is, of it's own accord, a handy dandy tool!).

Today, since it's my soapbox ... Google Reader and iGoogle.
Go here. Sign up for an account. Create a new one or attach it to an existing email address (you don't have to use gmail ... although why wouldn't you?). Either option will still allow you to use many of the other Google Apps!

The layout of your iGoogle page can look very different from someone else's. There are LOTS of different modules to choose from. I'd start with Google Docs and Google Reader. (Google Bookmarks and Google Calendar can also be helpful. Well. And Gmail. Really. I'm not a Google Certified Teacher and I sound like a commercial!)

(Google Docs deserves it's own presentation (especially the Forms function). Super easy and hey, you can access it from anywhere with an internet connection! This is one nice YouTube intro ... but there are lots of others. This one on Forms is geared toward business ... but look around and you'll find loads of educational possibilities.)

And now, back to the fun part of today's presentation ... the content!

The following links will take you to some of my favorite sources of information. There are LOTS and LOTS of others. When you find a page you like look around. Somewhere on the page (everyone puts them in different places!) you will find a link that says something along the lines of "Subscribe."
Remember that if you want it to show up in Google Reader you need to find the Google option. THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO GET RSS FEEDS. That is what is going to cause the most confusion, I think. Not everyone puts their "Subscribe" buttons in the same place.

"Google Friends Follow" is another relatively new option. So far the only difference I can really see is that Follow is public. Subscribe is private. Actually both will show up in your Google Reader so if you see "Friends Follow" try that.

They are not necessarily in order of usefulness. I will go over some of them in the presentation, and then you'll have time to start playing around and adding some of your own.


Authors & Illustrators


Librarians


Book Review or Literacy Blogs


Teacher Blogs


Ed Tech Blogs


Just for Fun (Personal Interests)

PS I had a hard time figuring out how to credit the RSS icon symbol. But, if you follow the link, you'll see where I got it from!
PSPS Here are a few more notes ... if they help. :]

Penguins

This looks SO COOL. Kind of like the Polar Husky project from a couple of years ago.


I never could convince anyone to participate. But that didn't stop me from trying.

Third Grade Part 5

These are by NO means exhaustive. Just what I could think of at the time I made them. ;]

Third Grade Part 4

Third Grade Part 3

Third Grade Part 2

Third Grade

To Be Reordered

(Cause they got cancelled! Drives me batty. Wouldn't have ordered them if I didn't want them. More later. Lesson planning to do.)

I have never gotten the hang of properly formatting pictures.

Science Fiction and Fantasy

Historical Fiction

Realistic Fiction

Mystery Books

Working on this the last couple of nights for some genre booktalks the rest of the week. I sort of wish I'd included catalog search terms but what can you do ... it's bedtime and it's done. Next time!


PS I'm taking suggestions for title additions!

WHEW!

Last week flew by. Some afternoons you come home and want to crash out at like 6:30 PM.


But. Had great success with these two books the last couple of days.

Lovely little illustrations in Dog Loves Books (Louise Yates). My two favorite pics were one where the dog is so sad and his little chin is resting on a table, and then one where he is super excited for a new customer and his ears perk straight up.

I love Tad Hills' work. Duck and Goose ... and now Rocket and the little yellow bird.

Early childhood classes ought to keep this one on hand ... just to show little ones that everyone has to practice and learning to read takes some time. And a teacher who cares enough to come back!

And one

is finished. There may be improvements later. Or more altogether. Later. Sleep, now. First week of school, you kind of kicked my behind. :/

Once inspiration hits ...

I will be writing and directing a couple of videos on some library topics.

Once inspiration hits. Sometimes the muse takes longer than I want it to.

Books for the Beginning of the Year

I've used That's Good, That's Bad! for a couple of years. One day I'll get some helium balloons to go along with the activity. For now we tape red paper balloons all over the place and talk about behaviours that are GOOD or BAD in the library. (Don't miss the other Good/Bad titles, either! The Grand Canyon, DC, and apparently a Santa one I missed last year!)

Goes well with I Took My Frog to the Library. I so wish I could find this one in a larger format as the pictures are darling and the book is a little small for full class sharing. But I do it anyway. Stuffed animals that come out and we talk about why frogs (or frog-like behaviour jumping around where you might fall into a bookshelf corner) or lions (or lion-like loud voices might disrupt other people trying to read) or snakes (or snake-like behaviour leaving behind trash makes the library ugly) are not allowed in the library--BUT KIDS ARE! (This, and a couple of reminder visits, are the only time the stuffed animals can come out 'cause they're not allowed in our school due to concerns with dust and allergens.)

Or, of course, there is always Wild About Books. Love a good rhyming book. And zoo book!

Oh, how my kiddos love this Alpha Ooops! It's not the most plot-centric title but it is super cute and it does make a point ... when the alphabet gets mixed up chaos ensues. And when books on the shelf get mixed up, well ... chaos ensues!

I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS ONE!!!!! The kids are going to Love. It. And it will be a good reminder about why Ms. O and her assistant are so insistent they remember to use their shelf markers.

I got a little preview of this when a friend received a review copy. I do love Piggie and Elephant. I will definitely be using this one ... maybe for parts of a book? Haven't decided yet. It kind of reminds me of There is a Monster at the End of This Book in the way the character talks to the reader. Hmmm. I guess they aren't really alike. But it still reminds me.

I missed Mordicai Gerstein's A Book last year. Won't make that mistake again. Perfect for discussing genres with second grade.

That's all for now. Still getting used to this library blogging. I won't subject the (hopefully ;]) eventual readers of this blog to the same rants and raves my other blog gets.

TBR Pile

It's kind of ridiculous. Can't seem to get my Goodreads list down below 600. And this is what I have sitting around the house ... actually there are more but I thought the photo was getting embarrassing.

Note to self: the week before school starts? Perhaps not the best time to start a new blog. So tired and not super inspired to post anything creative. Hopefully that will change!

Instead of a book

today I'll just share some links. Still getting back into a school schedule and I am SLEE-PY. They're kind of random. I'll work on getting better at themes.


US National Park Service Photos & Multimedia
Beautiful photo galleries, multimedia presentations, virtual tours, webcams, etc. Make for some great lesson ideas in science and writing. And today I heard about their electronic field trip program through the Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears blog. Looks really cool. Will start hitting up teachers as soon as school starts! (PS Same BPP blog mentioned this webinar series about integrating science and literacy.)

Star Wars Weather
I'm sure there's an educational possibility there. Sure. :]

Weblist.me
I'd sort of forgotten about this one. But now that I've remembered ... definite back to school library webpage possibilities there!


DRAT! The embedding function is not working properly. Says the HTML is not closed. Hmmm. I know some HTML but apparently not enough. So I'll just have to say go HERE for a great little video to use with kids on taking care of books.

A New Favorite

This is a MUST READ. So funny--all about a third grade boy dealing with a few worries. I can't wait to share it with teachers and students alike. Here are some quotes I put in my Goodreads review.

"If my costume for Halloween were "some other kind in my class,' I would wear it all the time for the rest of my life so that nobody would know I am me, the boy whose mother has to bring him his lunch and then kiss him in front of everybody." (38)

"It's just hard for me to convince myself to tray and keep the ball for myself when a kid comes at me, looking like he wants the ball more than anything in the world. Because the truth is, I really feel like he can have it. I'm happy to let him have it. I'll play with it later if I want to." (67)

"I no thank you gym class. Push-ups are ridiculous. It is just relaxing, interrupted, over and over again." (124)

"Today is Cinco de Mayo. That is a Mexican holiday. So we had an assembly and did a dance around a hat." (195)

BYU Symposium for Young Readers

Nothing much new to post today (all the craziness starts tomorrow!) so I'll leave you with this. Now, be nice. It was my first attempt at Glogster (and note to self ... in the future, on first tries, don't do something that requires 12 different pages!). But can I just say this was two of the most fun days ever? Wish I lived closer. I'd be assured of returning.

Just finished

TWO vampire books today. One "grown-up" and one YA.

First of all ... the adult one. Not that there's anything super particularly "adult" about it other than it is Very. Very. Very. Long.

That said? I LOVED IT! And the way I usually tear through books I think that's saying something. I did get a little confused with some of the terminology and the sheer number of characters. In the end, the story kept me awake and pushing toward the end. It's more a story about survivors than anything else. Different angle. Boy, howdy, is it set up for the rest of the planned trilogy. I can't wait.

Then there's the YA one. I didn't love this one as much ... but I won't give up on this series, either, as the premise has potential. Teen BOY who fights the undead. Now there's something new.

Today was the first day back to work.

Spent the entire day in meetings. Some of it was interesting. Some of it ... was not. But isn't that a teacher's life?

So. Here are two books I'm mentioning today. One's been around a while (My Dog ... was published in 2007). The other one (My Best Friend ... ) came out in May. They both make me smile. Check out Hanoch Piven's website right here.

Now. Here's the fun part. You can tell from the title these are super duper awesome for description ... for encouraging kids to step up their [mostly] metaphors and similies talking about the people they know best--their family members and classmates. If you can, try using the pictures as an art model as well. Kids can submit their work to the author/illustrator's website and he'll post it!

Writing

I think it's hard. Harder than reading, anyway. BUT these ladies (Ellen Potter and Anne Mazer) make it seem like fun! I heard about this book at the BYU Symposium for Young Readers back in July. I've been singing the praises of the book to all my teacher friends ever since. I think with teacher guidance this book could be useful really in third grade through middle school. Budding writers working independently ... maybe just a tad older at fourth or fifth grade.

Don't miss out on the blog. Their teacher kit has some premade, ready to download/print "I Dare You" posters. The dares were some of my favorite parts of the book. Well, those and Matt Phelan's illustrations.

Looking Foward to This Movie

I hope, anyway. Can tell from the trailer they've changed quite a lot.

Rules for School

Can I just say ... this kid (if he's for real, and I REALLY HOPE HE IS!) is just amazing. He's so spot on observing human interaction in all of his books. But today we're talking about this one 'cause it's the one the mailman delivered.

School. It's about to start! Kids (and teachers) are all excited. And a little nervous. What to expect in the coming year?

I would say this would be most useful in ... maybe second through fourth or fifth grade? Read aloud during the first couple days of school. Talk about some of the situations he mentions. Maybe have the kids write some of their own Rules for School.

"Rule #14 Make the most of it.... My favorite time is Library because books are awesome. Tip: If you don't like a book, don't worry. There is a book for everyone. Ask the librarian to help you." (43-44)

Warms my heart.

And of course ... I love, love, love, love, LOVE the illustrations.

I will try to tone down the effusive adjectives. This is just a cute book.

VERY FIRST POST

And can I just say ... next time I do this, I'm buying the domain through Blogger. Going in and changing all the DNS whatevers and ANAME whatevers ... pshaw. No fun. I have no idea what I did that finally made it work. It's working, though. So who cares? THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN! Come along!