Thursday Things: Curry, Shepherd's Hooks, and Plots and Sloths

1. I'm reading this book:

I'm 100 pages in and I'm enjoying the writing style, but where the plot is concerned I kind of feel like I'm watching a sloth move slooooooowly from the lower part of its branch to the upper part of its branch. Not that I've ever watched a sloth do that, but I can imagine it would be a dull show indeed.

Does anyone know if the plot picks up?

2. This is my new favorite ingredient:

(A larger-than-life image for your viewing pleasure, because I cannot for the life of me figure out how to make it any smaller).

I've had many a curry disaster in my life, but this little guy is the solution to my curry worries. Huh, that has a nice ring to it: "curry worries."

3. Wouldn't it be amazing to get on a soapbox at Speaker's Corner and say something profoundly moving that changes the lives of everyone within ear shot? It's on my bucket list.

4. Speaking of soapboxes, allow me get on my third grade teacher soapbox for a moment, if you will.

I just heard about three young adults who hopped over a guardrail at the top of a 317-foot waterfall in Yosemite, climbed into the wildly swirling rapids, and were swept down the waterfall to their death.

And then I heard about a man who dug a tunnel under the sand at the beach, climbed down into it and suffocated to death when it caved in on him.

Now I'm not going to ask what in the world these people's elementary teachers taught them, because the teacher in me knows it's not the job of the government or private schools to raise our kids.

Instead, I'm wondering where in the dickens these people's parents were when they were growing up.

Because I think these two cases are the epically tragic result of an education that didn't teach kids cause and effect.

IF you jump over a guard rail into the white water at the top of a water fall, THEN you will likely fall to your death.

IF you dig a tunnel under wet crumbly sand, THEN it will probably cave in on you.

I'm not proposing that parents sit down and review cause and effect flash cards with their kids—although that might not be a bad idea. I'm thinking these parents need to encourage their kids to play—and even guide their kids' playtime.

My experience as a third grade teacher taught me that kids aren't gardening (IF you plant and water a seed, THEN a plant will grow), caring for a pet (IF you don't feed your pet rabbit everyday, THEN you will find him dead one morning), or cooking (IF you mix butter, sugar, eggs, flour, vanilla and baking soda, THEN you will have a delicious dough that turns to cookies in the oven).

They're not making mud pies, trying to build a treehouse, making a house for their paper dolls, or constructing lego fortresses.

Instead, kids are throwing farm animals at each other on Facebook, jumping off castle towers in video games (and surviving!), and watching their television idols become sexually involved with their television lovers and ultimately experiencing no emotional, spiritual, or physical consequences.

Yes, what our youth need are some daily, hard-core play sessions.

Okay, stepping off the soapbox now.

5. I am about to attempt to make refined sugar-free chocolate chips to put in my gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free cookies. Pray for me.

Happy Thursday everyone!