Lighthearted Comedic Fare.

Since I'd no plans to go to the lake for the holiday weekend, at least one matinee was a must. Pam and I saw The Proposal Saturday afternoon, prepared to experience a typical chick flick, knowing full well it could be pretty crappy. After all, what might look good in a trailer months earlier sometimes fails to measure up in its entirety. We were both pleasantly surprised. Yes, the trailer does show FAR too much, and some of the best bits. But it still worked. I enjoyed the humanity of the characters, the humor in others, the beautiful faux-Alaska scenery (It was actually filmed in Massachusetts).

At moments, it felt a bit like The Family Stone, for me. But maybe it was just the ill-fitting, uptight woman in the midst of a nice family that struck that chord. Sandra Bullock looks terrific in this film and she really does a great job as Margaret Tate. Ryan Reynolds is able to shed his Van Wilder--Two Guys and a Girl image for me and he actually seems to be Andrew Paxton, editor's assistant.

Even though the film does employ some stupid humor tactics, the eagle snatching the small dog, the Gammie (Betty White) dance of thanksgiving in the woods, and the multi-tasking character of Ramone (Oscar Nunez, from The Office), I actually felt that each scene redeemed itself and went one step beyond the corny to actually making me laugh. This is a fun renter or a great matinee flick. Certainly not going to win picture of the year, but it was worth the time and money for me.


I am a fan of the Sophie Kinsella novels. While riding the wave of all the other Bridget Jones chick lit novels, I stumbled upon a handful of yummy British ones and these were some of the best. I really loved Becky Bloomwood and her ridiculous over the top shopping addiction. I loved the funny letters back and forth between her and her bank as she tried to avoid dealing with her mounting debt. I loved the irony of her landing a job writing for a financial magazine.

The film does their own take on all of that. First they move Miss Bloomwood from Britain to the US and set the entire thing in NYC. While it's not that disruptive to the story, it seems to steal a bit of the charm I felt in reading the book. Sure she ends up in NYC eventually but not in the first book.

There was a bit too much girly screaming in this book. I didn't love her parents in the film. John Goodman and Joan Cusack's portrayals seemed a bit over the top and not quite what I recalled. Luke Brandon, on the other hand, was pretty well cast.

It's been long enough since I read the book that I don't remember all the ways the versions differ, but I do know that I prefer the book overall. The film was fine and fun and typical and probably annoying if you've never been quite so overcome by a great sale on really expensive shoes. I'd give this one an "I liked it" rating and leave it at that.

Happy Mini Donut Day!

Errr... I mean, 4th of July. Sometimes I forget the reason behind the season and just start to celebrate deep fried festival foods --mini-donuts, stuff on sticks, Indian tacos, and beer gardens.

I just got back from a quick trip around the downtown food fest -- oops, there I go again. The inflatable kid bouncy things were deflating and making way for lawn chairs and families getting an early jump on prime fireworks watching spots. What the heck? Is someone REALLY going to stake their claim four hours early? Oh well. Not everyone can watch the fireworks from his/her bedroom window.

My mom, my uncle, and I strolled the town square listening to live music and watching kids get caricatured and folks get henna tattooed. Everyone and his dog was out on the town --literally--there were a lot of dogs to be seen. I thought about taking pictures just to show the diversity of pooch, but I was afraid of appearing strange, so I took pics of food instead!

On a more serious note, many folks get patriotic on Independence Day --they don the "team colors" and wave the flag, singing songs of praise for one's country. It all smacks of a giant pep rally. I see nothing wrong with that except that too quickly it's all forgotten. Like a Christian who makes it to church for the holiday services a few times a year, too many of us are fair weather-Americans. Patriotic, duty-bound citizens when it serves us, when it's popular. Too many of us curse the government, the economy, in one moment and do nothing to change the things we can with all our other moments. A Chinese proverb says, "It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness." Don't just celebrate our freedoms with bottle rockets and cold beer--honor your country's independence with your votes and by getting involved in your communities.

What do we mean by patriotism in the context of our times? I venture to suggest that what we mean is a sense of national responsibility ... a patriotism which is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime. --Adlai Stevenson

The true test of the American ideal is whether we're able to recognize our failings and then rise together to meet the challenges of our time. Whether we allow ourselves to be shaped by events and history, or whether we act to shape them. --Barack Obama

The notion that a radical is one who hates his country is naïve and usually idiotic. He is, more likely, one who likes his country more than the rest of us, and is thus more disturbed than the rest of us when he sees it debauched. He is not a bad citizen turning to crime; he is a good citizen driven to despair. --H.L. Mencken

The government is merely a servant -- merely a temporary servant; it cannot be its prerogative to determine what is right and what is wrong, and decide who is a patriot and who isn't. Its function is to obey orders, not originate them. -- Mark Twain

Happy Fourth of July!

Reading, Watching, Listening ... June in Review

Books read in June

Summer School Books (all rereads)
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
This is the story of one man pitted against society. A society in which books are forbidden, front porches are obsolete, kids are murderous and wild, billboards are extended in length because drivers drive at top speed. Everything happens at top speed. Reflection, conversation, long walks are taboo. The way I see it, Bradbury combines the messages of George Orwell's 1984 with Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and this book is what emerges.

Montag is a fireman. Firemen are an extension of the police, the keepers of the peace. The police arrest dissenters, folks who've been turned in by neighbors, friends. Then Montag and the rest of his crew arrive to torch the place. Instead of water, their hoses are full of gasoline. They burn the contents of the homes, eliminating contraband. Cleaning up.

Things are fine for Montag, at least on the surface, until one day he meets a young girl named Clarisse who walks home with him, who asks him questions, who wonders things out loud, who asks him if he's happy. When she turns toward her house, he realizes he is not.

He sees his wife, overdosed on sleeping pills, ear buds whirring away in her ears filling her mind with so much noise and information there isn't room for independent thought. He calls the portable MDs who come to pump her stomach and he's sick at what they've become. When he tries to talk to his wife the next day she's only interested in the TV Parlor where her programs are projected on three walls, all she needs is a fourth wall and things will be complete.

Montag's dissatisfaction mounts until he cannot go back and his ordered world unravels from there.

The book is filled with Bradbury's future technology... crafted by him in the 1960s --some of which are very real things today. The book is full of philosophical exploration on the worth of books and the way that people interact with them. I can't really begin to fully explain or explore this issue in this small space. I can only say, READ this book. It should remind you of why we must never stop reading. Never stop questioning. Never stop trying to make a difference in our worlds.

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
I've read Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream countless times because I use it in my classroom. It's fanciful and funny. Never pass up a live performance and the 1999 film's pretty good too! This summer we read it aloud using our school's lecture bowl stage and walked through the roles butchering the play much like Bottom, Quince, Flute and so forth perform Pyramus and Thisbe. What fun! If you've never read this play... get thee to the library and find a copy!


The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
I get a kick out of Wilde's plays--they're all great . In summer school, we read The Importance of Being Earnest --a punny play full of misunderstanding, deception, absurdity, and laughter. Oh, and love. In typical comedic form, it all ends well. The 2002 film with Rupert Everett and Colin Firth is most excellent, as well. While it does stray some from the order of events in the play, the director does a fine job of capturing the spirit of Wilde even adding some nice, tattooed touches. :) Read it, watch it--preferably in that order--you won't be disappointed.

Oedipus Rex by Sophocles
Ahhh, good old Oeddie. I would say that in 14 years of teaching I've read this play aloud hundreds of times. I've nearly got bits of it memorized. For some reason the unusual play format and the poetic choral odes freak students out so I find myself reading the parts. At one time, our tutor Tara and I contemplated filming ourselves enacting it in front of city hall because it seemed like the right architecture, but we just never got down to business. Instead I crafted a few paper doll popsicle stick puppets and when I do end up reading it aloud with kids I do all the voices and use the puppets as a means of demonstrating when characters arrive in the scene and depart. It's pretty funny for me, actually. I love the look of dismay when the 18 year olds see me getting it all set up!

Many of the kids are familiar with the story because they usually read Antigone in grade 10. And once we get going they discover it's easier to read than Shakespeare simply because of the Greek being translated into a modern English. The allusions are heavy in this play but most textbook versions have good footnotes and meaning can be grasped regardless. If you've not read any Sophocles, this one is good fun. It has a lovely gross out factor at the end and it explores fate, fidelity, friendship, folly, hmmmm... leadership, relationship to the gods, the search for truth, and pride. (Just couldn't keep up the alliteration!)

Essays

This I Believe:The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women by Jay Allison
I first learned about This I Believe on NPR and by visiting the website I discovered curriculum I could use with my students. I checked the book out of the library and decided to read it but discovered it's far easier to read an essay here and there rather than tackle it cover to cover. Instead, it's taken me weeks to work my way through the essays, though they each read in mere minutes. I found myself selecting which to read based on the titles "Be Cool to the Pizza Dude" or because I recognized the authors' names -- John Updike, Loudon Wainwright III, Gloria Steinem.

Many of the essays moved me to tears and others made me smile or nod in agreement. I love this idea--trying to capture what one believes in 350-500 words.

Here are my favorites in order of appearance in the volume--of course, as I type these I realize there are still some I have yet to read--here's my list as of today--
"In Giving I Connect with Others" by Isabel Allende
"Good Can be as Communicable as Evil" by Norman Corwin
"The Connection Between Strangers" by Miles Goodwin
"The Power of Presence" by Debbie Hall
"A Grown-Up Barbie" by Jane Hamill
"The Making of Poems" by Gregory Orr
"The America I Believe In" by Colin Powell
"When Children Are Wanted" by Margaret Sanger
"There Is No Such Thing as Too Much Barbecue" by Jason Sheehan
"A Balance Between Nature and Nurture" by Gloria Steinem
"Always Go to the Funeral" by Deidre Sullivan
"How Do You Believe in a Mystery" by Loudon Wainwright III

YA/Juvenile Fiction

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

This is the story of Nobody Owens--a boy who comes to the graveyard as a baby and is taken in by ghosts to raise as their own, when the babies recently murdered family begs for his protection. A killer still lurks that night and years later, wanting to "finish the job."

We see Bod grow from a small child, he's cared for and educated by an interesting cast of characters. We experience the adventures a young boy might experience in a graveyard, some harmless, some terrifying. We meet his only living friend, not once in the story, but twice years later when she and her mother return to town.

We finally learn the reason he was marked for death and we see the greater forces at work.

The story was quite charming. After reading Coraline, I was leary. I found Coraline to be too scary for me, let alone small children. I wondered if this might be the same. I will say the opening murders and the terror of being pursued by a dangerous mad man at the end might be a bit much for kids. I wonder at the books selection as this year's Newbery. It seems like it has a limited audience for those violent elements at least. As a parent, I would READ this first, before pressing it into the the hot little hands of your child. Only you, truly know what your children can handle.

Gaiman said he always loved Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book and that this was his version... a man child raised by ghosts, instead.

RRVWP Book Club Pick --Fiction
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Years ago my sister Lori read this book and immediately demanded that I read it so we could discuss it. I didn't get around to it, until now when our book club decided this was the "classic" we were going to tackle for June. We usually try to read at least one of those books that many consider to be part of our literary consciousness. There are so many, and even as an English teacher, I've not read them all. It turned out THIS was a title many of us hadn't read.

The general response was mixed. I actually liked the book. I agree with my sister, though, it was a bit "messed up" and demanded discussion. With the internet so handily available I immediately googled the book and read the Wikipedia page, some of the Spark Notes, and several articles about the book, including some biography pages of Kurt Vonnegut.

This was not my first exposure to Vonnegut, however. In college I read Cat's Cradle, a book which also inspired a "what the heck" as I read it. Both books have an irreverence for Christianity that might be part of why his work is so frequently getting "challenged" in schools and libraries. I, also, use the short story "Harrison Bergeron" with students.

One question that was posed at book club was "Why? Why is this book considered such a classic?"

We speculated and here are a few ideas that emerged. Slaughterhouse Five is a story within a story. It's a great example of post-modern writing. Part of the lesson that Billy Pilgrim learns from the Tralfamadorians (the aliens who abduct him and put him on display in a zoo on their planet) is demonstrated in the time travel. The structure of the novel seems to be doing something unusual and while that alone might be noteworthy, the subject matter is. We didn't completely solve this question.

It's an anti-war story told at a time when the world was rather fed up with the Vietnam War. It's a story about the bombing of Dresden and one man's response to that event. Vonnegut, himself, actually survived the bombing of Dresden and perhaps this is his way of dealing with that event.

This novel reminded me of Hemingway's short story "A Soldier's Home" which is in our American Literature textbook. In that story, Harold Krebs returns home from war and is clearly suffering from a post-traumatic stress disorder. Billy Pilgrim in Slaughterhouse Five is much the same. His apathy, "so it goes," to everything in his life from his wife, to his kids, to his job, is indicative of the sort of man he's become post-war. He only seems to get excited by Kilgore Trout, an unknown, unusual author whose work he's introduced to in the mental institution following the war. Kilgore Trout is a terrific character, the alien bit was great fun. And the war segments which actually do seem to appear in a chronological order were intriguing. Those bits made me want to know more about what happened in Dresden. They reminded me that I've read another version of that event in Jonathan Safron Foer's book Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

In a way, it's rather interesting how many WWII books keep falling into my lap, quite unintentionally. Each from a different angle, a different slice of the event. I feel like I'm growing.

Slaughterhouse Five was worth the read, I'd recommend it even though some book club members would not. We had a rousing discussion, so there's always that!


Films watched in June
Click the links to see my in-depth posts on these movies.

Taken
Up
He's Just Not That Into You
Last Chance Harvey
Revolutionary Road
A Midsummer Night's Dream*
Much Ado About Nothing*
Angels and Demons
Nights in Rodanthe
Bride Wars
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington*
The Importance of Being Earnest*

* films I've seen before

Music listened to in June
Already Free by Derek Trucks Band
I bought this CD in preparation for the concert which I attended a couple weeks ago. I still need to finish that blog post. It was terrific and his cd is too. Give it a listen!

God Help the Girl
I can't even remember which blog had a mention of this fine group and their divine CD, but I'm forever grateful. It's been in heavy rotation since I picked up my copy on July 23rd. Yum. This may warrant a blog post of its own, but I will say this much. I can't pick a favorite song because they are all wonderful. The music has a sort of late 60s feel to it. Vintage, yet modern. I don't really have the words to say how much I adore this album.

Heart's Greatest Hits
I blogged about this cd here, two years ago.
My current favorite song this go round is "If Looks Could Kill"

Two Crazy Cool Crafts for Kids

I love doll houses and I didn't have one as a child. That's fine, I survived, but I'm always intrigued when I see versions of them online. Here's a sort of minimalist one-a Constantine dollhouse, that actually costs a pretty penny ($150) and a homemade version by Elsie Marley that has endless possibility. Check out all the pictures of Elsie's here. I am determined to make one of these. It reminds me of Phoebe's dollhouse on Friends. And I am sure I'm not alone in saying I LOVED that one!

Another fun craft to try out... this one is more for the kiddos.

Shower Curtain Play Mat at Filth Wizardry via Whip Up

Using a dollar store shower curtain liner, this mom taped it to the floor and took directions from her kiddos as to where the roads should go. To expedite the process she taped two Sharpies to a plastic bottle so both lines would be drawn evenly spaced. Click on the Filth Wizardry link to learn more and to see more pics. She got the idea from My Little Gems and those pics are worth checking out, too.

Wordless Wednesday -- Emma Hardy Style

via Emma Hardy

Kurt Vonnegut--On Writing

Having just finished reading Slaughterhouse Five for the very first time, I felt it necessary to dig into Vonnegut's life and try to make some sense of what I'd read. I'll say more about the novel in my monthly "in review" post coming soon... for now I'll leave you with this:

In his book Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction, Vonnegut listed eight rules for writing a short story:

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
4. Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.
5. Start as close to the end as possible.
6. Be a Sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To hell with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

"Stay Gold, Ponyboy, Stay Gold."

I love the golden tree on this vintage "tree tray."
Another shopping victory.

An Ode to Indies.

Garage Sale Goodies

I'm not all that much of a shopper, but I do enjoy a good treasure hunt. Every few weeks I try to hit the local thrift stores and in the summer I keep my eyes open for garage sales. I can usually case the joint in two minutes or less and be on my way if nothing calls my name. I'm not usually very interested in clothing. It's housewares and books and toys that get my attention.

I got lucky a few weeks ago and found these delightful decks of cards--Animal Rummy and Crazy Eights. I am not sure what to do with them but I had to share my find. I love the artwork. It just makes me smile.

The Importance of Oscar Wilde

"This wallpaper is dreadful, one of us will have to go." Those are rumored to be Oscar Wilde's last words. Even to the end he was a man of wit. Here are a few other words of wit and wisdom from one of the greats.

• "I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying."
• "Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much."
• "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
• "Be Yourself; everyone else is already taken."
• "Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination."
• "You can never be overdressed or overeducated."
• "I am not young enough to know everything."
• "A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing."
• "A good friend will always stab you in the front."
• "I never travel without my diary. One must always have something sensational to read on the train."
• "Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth."
• "I can resist anything, except temptation."
• "Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future."
• "Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live."
• "I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best."
• "A man's face is his autobiography. A woman's face is her work of fiction."
• "In this world there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it."
• "There are only two kinds of people who are really fascinating: people who know absolutely everything, and people who know absolutely nothing."
• "Misfortunes one can endure--they come from outside, they are accidents. But to suffer for one's own faults--ah!--there is the sting of life."

I get a kick out of Wilde's plays, in particular. In summer school, we read The Importance of Being Earnest --a punny play full of misunderstanding, deception, absurdity, and laughter. Oh, and love. In typical comedic form, it all ends well. There are many free downloads or online versions of the play available. You must check it out.

The 2002 film with Rupert Everett and Colin Firth is most excellent, as well. While it does stray some from the order of events in the play, the director does a fine job of capturing the spirit of Wilde even adding some nice, tattooed touches. :) Read it, watch it--preferably in that order--you won't be disappointed.

Art and Democracy Film Series

Wednesday night I watched Mr. Smith Goes to Washington at the Empire Theatre. What a treat! It's a great film to watch on the TV at home, but even more fun to see on the big screen.

After the film there was a discussion -- Q & A time between Jack Weinstein, director of The Institute for Philosophy in Public Life and the host of the public radio show Why? Philosophical discussions about everyday life, and Mark Jendrysik, a political science professor from the local university. They touched on issues relating to the film and democracy, and maybe I was just tired, but I didn't have nearly the epiphany I had last December when I watched the film at the gym. Check out that post. Man, I love this film.

Wordless Wednesday -- Pretty Peony Style

Derek Trucks Band Concert

Must Have Music-- God Help The Girl

The band is the love child of Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian--featuring the sounds of Catherine Ireton, Celia Garcia, and Alex Klobouk. It has a sort of soft 60s/70s feel to it, which is really up my alley. Click here to hear "Come Monday Night" Click here to read more about its origins.

Buy it when it is available for purchase on June 23, 2009.

Visiting Old Friends

Last Tuesday, I got the rare opportunity to spend the afternoon with my pal Cindy and her boys. We tried out all the playground equipment at the park in Devils Lake. Good times. I love this pic of Colter. Those vintage horses were probably around when I was little.