Late (or Early) Sunday Night Blatherings: Daylight Savings Edition

I thought I'd just skip out today and not bother posting anything, but I thought I'd share a bit about what's up in my world.

Weekend's Biggest Achievement:  Tax receipts added up and off to my accountant!  Woo hoo!  It's not necessarily good to have been raised by a father who did taxes for a living.  As an adult who has kind of crazy taxes, what with my online job that is out of state, and lots of write offs, I miss having my dad around to take a look at them.  Thankfully, I have a great tax man and he really puts my mind at ease.  Yay for that nightmare being wrapped up!

Week's Funny Moment:  As mentioned in an earlier post, I have a student teacher for the first time.  It's a strange, interesting, and fun experience all mixed together.  My student teacher is a great teacher and is going to do a really nice job.  I have had to learn to exit the room though, since my larger than life personality means that my students will look to me for a response if I'm in the room.

Anyway, my students were working on projects the hour that my student teacher was teaching.  I have a HUGE stack of essays I'm trying to get through for the AP classes I'm still teaching, so I decided to just stay in the room, but put on my earphones so I could just concentrate on my grading.  What I didn't expect was for "Killing Me Softly" by Lauryn Hill to pop up and turn me into a beat-driven fiend!  Without even realizing it, there I was nodding my head right along to that strong beat in the background.  Next thing I knew, a group of students waved me down, laughing at my little desk dance.  I was little embarrassed, but even more so when I told them what song was driving me to groove along to the beat and they DIDN'T KNOW IT!  Sad. 

What can I say?  A good beat will just make me feel like I gotta move, somehow!  Speaking of beats, back in November or December, I caught Pink's VH1 Storytellers episode.  There she performed my newest obsession, "Just Give Me a Reason" with Nate Ruess from Fun.  I'm now slightly obsessed with that song and have played it about a million times.  Here--check it out!

Coming Week's Fun: We're about two weeks from end of term, so I'm going to be grading essays like a mad woman!  I honestly had hoped to get through a bunch this weekend, but I only got through a couple.  :(  Tomorrow I'm going to have to really put my head down and work, work, work!

However, I do have something fun to look forward to.  On Tuesday night I'm really excited to go to the state competition of Poetry Out Loud.  One of my AP students actually won our district competition and will be going to recite, "Cartoon Physics" by Nick Flynn, "The Canonization" by John Donne, and "Vixen" by W. S. Merwin.  I'm pretty excited to see her compete and am crossing my fingers for her to win!  She is amazing at her recitations and has worked really hard on her poems.

Well, that's my crazy life in a very wordy, yet short, nutshell.  I'm off to bed to TRY to sleep, despite the time change.  I'm not one to sleep well when it's earlier than I'm used to, but I have to get used to it soon, right?  I don't like to take sleep aids, but this might be a good night to take a little something so I'm not dead tired at work tomorrow. 

If all else fails, I have some really great reads waiting for me!  I'm going to go read a bit of  The World We Found by Thrity Umrigar and maybe a bit of Thomas Hardy.  I've been in a mood to read "pen to paper" reads, so these sound like great choices tonight. 

Whatever you're doing this weekend or coming week, I hope it's the best!

Phantom of the Opera: A Revisited Fangirl Moment

Like many of you, I distinctly remember listening, and listening, and listening to the original soundtrack to Phantom of the Opera.  As an Idaho girl, far from the London or New York stages, I didn't stand a chance of ever going to see them back then, so I gloried in those soundtracks.  I swear that I listened to that original CD until it was worn out and I had to replace it.  My parents thought I was possessed.

Ramin Karimloo

This past week PBS has been airing the 25th Anniversary of Phantom of the Opera from the Royal Albert Hall in London, England.  What an amazing experience!  Hello.  Ramin Karimloo.  Enough said.  He played Enjolras in the 25th Anniversary celebration for Les Miserables and I developed a bit of a crush.  Talk about a pure delight to see him performing as the Phantom.  *sigh*  Pure awesomeness.  (You can check him out singing "One Day More" in Les Miserables here at about 1:35.)

The broadcast was really well done, with great casting and singing.  Of course we'll all think back to Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman's original performance and recording, but I think this group did an amazing job.  I'm going to include a clip of the five Phantoms singing with Sarah Brightman as an encore for the 25th Anniversary special.  It was a little crazy having five singing out "Sing to Me!" as Brightman crooned away, but it was powerful and I loved every second.  Thank goodness for these broadcasts, so I can indulge a bit of that love I have for a good musical!

Here is a clip from the broadcast, with Sarah Brightman and the five Phantoms.  Enjoy!

Fiction, to Film, to Fantastic Music Friday: Bridget Jones's Diary

I couldn't do a Fiction, to Film, to Fantastic Music tribute without posting about a couple of books that 100% shaped a whole decade of my life.  During my 20's, I got through every birthday past 25 by reading Bridget Jones's Diary and then The Edge of Reasoning.  By the time I turned 31, I let it go (so yes--I'm in my 30's).  Although I'm not even really like Bridget, I so related to her thoughts and feelings, that she warmed my heart and made me feel like I had a comrade in being a singleton.  In short, I loved her. 

When I went off to grad school, I started dating someone pretty seriously, and Bridget went away.  Why did I need to read Bridget?  I had outgrown such chick-lit, fluffy, vulnerable nonsense.  I had a man.  Well, that's what I thought at the time.  In my last year of graduate school, my contemporary British fiction teacher had us read and discuss Bridget Jones's Diary, which horrified me.  I didn't want pseudo-pre-intellectuals (myself included), ruining a book that had comforted and soothed me for so many birthdays!  I waited for that fateful discussion day, waiting to hear multi-tattooed, uber intellectual dude to tear it apart, or classics guy to say how stupid and nonsensical it was.   Strangely, no one felt that way.  Wait.  They didn't want to tear it to shreds and say what "drivel" it was?  They didn't want to say how it dumbed down our society and leveled women to mere cultural punching bags in our patriarchal society?  No.  I was shocked.  Instead, we had this amazing conversation about the mirror that Fielding held up to us as a society.  We talked about how she showed us the very real pressures placed on women to get married and to be thin.  We talked about Bridget's ability to wade through very personal emotions that are obviously so universal to women (enough so to become a smash hit), and deal with her desires and fears.  Those books weren't about criticizing her desires, but about the self-deprecating ways she dealt with them.  It was a truly freeing time for me.  My favorite read was NOT discredited by my classmates, which shocked me.

Mark in his famous reindeer jumper.

Having said that, there is more to those books than a single woman desperate to get married.  Bridget Jones's Diary was originally a serial in The Independent and Daily Mirror in the UK, which was later published into her first novel.  Ironically enough, the story was also modeled after Jane Austen's most famous story of singleton anxiety and love, Pride and Prejudice.  The evident judgment on the part of Bridget and Mark Darcy mimic the original in a very funny, modern way, that is subtle and yet filled with irony in so many ways.  It's obvious too, that the book had Colin Firth in mind as Mark Darcy, which was why casting him in the film version was so genius.

There is so much more that can be said about these great books.  People often discredit them, but for being one of the hallmarks in chick lit and modernizations of a classic, Fielding managed to write a funny little novel with an awful lot of depth before anyone else had even dabbled in this kind of writing.  (Even when said humor came in the form of giant pants!)

How then can I not mention the music.  This is yet another soundtrack that I own and have listened to about a million times.  The music in the film ranged from the silly, "It's Raining Men" to the sad "All By Myself," with plenty of songs filled with romantic longing in between.  One of my favorites was the song "Out of Reach," which is included at a pretty dramatic moment in the movie when we believe that Bridget has lost someone she really had grown to love.  Here's a taste:

The fact is, this is one of those movies that just makes me smile.  I love Colin Firth, I love Hugh Grant, and I thought that Renee Zellweger did an amazing job in the first film.  If you've been a singleton past the age of 25, these books and movies address some of the funny, insecure moments we've all had.  If not, then you'll just have to trust us.  If you've really never seen it before, here's the official trailer:

Now excuse me while I pick up an old friend and tradition and go re-read Bridget Jones's Diary!

* Fiction, to Film, to Fantastic Music Friday is my own little weekly post. The premise is just to share my favorite books made into film, with amazing soundtracks to boot.  There might even be times where it's just a great film and soundtrack, or great book and film.  Either way, join in if you would like! 

Sunday Blatherings & a Little Paris in July

This week has seemed like a month!  Since I have never been around "home" here for my summer break, in years (literally), I'm finding that there are a lot of things I'm trying to take care of so that I won't have to worry once the school year begins.  When I'm away from home, I'm forced to relax and let it go.  Maybe that's a good reason to get out of Dodge! Where did those lazy days of summer go that we used to have as little kids?

One nice thing about being around home is that I was able to plant a little urban garden that I put on my back patio.  Growing up in Idaho. we had a huge garden, so I've always kind of missed having plants to tend over the summer.  Now I have a few of my own with a cherry tomato plant, a basil plant, and a couple pots that have lettuce.  I didn't get to put these up until the first of July, after I got home from my trip, so I think they are doing pretty good (the lettuce was just last week & I see little plants popping up). I also planted a couple lavender plants, just as a reminder of France.  They're looking pretty gnarly though, so I'm not sure if they're going to make it?  I had to buy the lavender though, because as we drove from Calais to Paris, I noticed these small fields of lavender and had to recreate a small piece of it on my back patio.  I love it.  Now I have to hope that the tomatoes and lettuce pull through or I'll be at the farmer's market more than I originally planned!

This week, although I had meetings to attend and a general list of things to do at home, I listened to some of the French music I brought home for my Paris in July Challenge.  My main focus was Edith Piaf, who I have to say was like a vacation to Europe for my ears.  If I didn't want to spend my life traveling the world before, her music really set me in that direction!  Many of us are already familiar with "La Vie en Rose", and in fact, I had even seen the movie about her life with the same title.  (Here is a link to Edith singing "La Vie en Rose" which I can't embed, but wanted to share because it's my favorite.  Also, here is a beautiful translation of the lyrics.)

Edith was famously abandoned by her mother and alcoholic father and went to live with her paternal grandmother who ran a brothel in Paris.  Edith was later discovered when she was singing on the streets, and upon beginning her career, would tremble before taking the stage.  This earned her the title "The Little Sparrow" which followed her throughout her career and life.  Spanning the time before and after WWII, Edith is still considered one of the most famous artists of France.  In fact, on that drive from Calais to Paris that I mentioned above, we listened to the "Best of Edith Piaf" over the bus intercom.

Although I don't speak any French, I have to say that the music really does transcend language barriers.  I may not know what Edith is singing, but I can feel it.  One song that I really like is "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien" which I translated and means "No, I Do Not Regret".  It has a fantastic musicality to it that makes it feel like a real anthem to survival.

I still have more French music to explore, but what better way to begin than with Edith Piaf?  I've really enjoyed listening to her CDs this past week and plan on downloading her music so I can keep a copy. 

*The Paris in July Challenge is being hosted at Bookbath and Thyme for Tea.  Stop by to join in today or to check out other great posts.

So, how was your weekend?

Sunday Blatherings: Lots of Les Miserables

I've been a bit absent this week.  Third term ended on Friday and our grades had to be in, so I had spent night and day grading.  Sadly, most of it was due to students trying to "death bed repent" as I call it.  My frustration was at an all time high, so I felt like following that old adage, "If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all" where posting was concerned!  Honestly, I didn't even read this last week, and I've been laying low this weekend.  I was so run down that I didn't leave my house, not once.  It was nice, but I'm already bracing myself for work in the morning.

One of the great, shining lights is what I'm teaching right now.  Grading, I could throw out the window, but the teaching still drives me.  In World Lit. we've been reading Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.  I don't know if it's the stress that's gotten to me at the end of this past term, but I've been a bit obsessed with both the novel and play and can't get them out of my head!  The timing couldn't be better with PBS showing Les Miserables: The 25th Anniversary Concert.  Between teaching it in class, watching clips from the movie, and then watching the PBS special, I've had Les Mis on the brain so much that I'm constantly humming the tunes! In fact, as I locked myself inside this weekend, I watched the PBS special again--twice.

I think that I'll be back to myself soon, relatively speaking!  Until then, I'll keep reveling in Les Mis.  :)  Here are my favorite clips from the encore.  If you haven't seen it, I can't recommend it enough!

Why I Can't Wait for Glee, Season 2

This week they re-aired my favorite episode from season one, which was centered around Artie.  Yes, I love Artie!  He has a distinctive sound to his voice, and how can you not like this scene where he dreams of hopping up from his wheelchair and dancing?!?



My other favorite scene is actually at the very end when he sings "Dream a Little Dream," a sequence centered around the fact that he's not coming out of his wheelchair.  Almost every day this summer, I played that song.  Now that I'm back at work, I play it just about every morning.  It's sad in this context, but it strangely puts a smile in my heart.  Yep, I'm a little cheesy that way!



I'm not some crazed fan, but I will say that for someone who isn't into scripted TV shows (yes, I'm a reality show, BBC, and documentary fan), I fell in love with this show last year.  I can't wait for September 21st to get here so I can start watching Season 2!

If you're a Glee fan, what's your favorite song or scene from the show?

P.S.  Don't forget to enter my bookmark giveaway.  It's super easy to enter!