All Things Potter

I am a fan of the Harry Potter series.  I was a slow convert, but once I was 60 pages into the first book--I was hooked.

My conversion began when West Point nephew was about a 4th grader and called me a "muggle."  It dawned on me that a whole generation of students were going to making allusions to literature about which I knew nothing!  I went home and jumped into the first book. There was no turning back.

L was the only other Easy Streeter to read the books, and I think she only got through the first four.  The Mr. might not have been into the books, but he bought me a boxed set of the first four for Christmas one year.  (The books have the most beautiful covers.)  When the movies came out, I went to most of the movies by myself.  I think the Mr. sat through one with me, and then looked at me after it was over like "What the heck was that all about?"  *sigh*

I went to the bookstore at midnight on two different occasions to purchase the latest release.  Yep, I was with the little kids dressed as wizards or Harry Potter, standing in line for the book.  (Although, there were plenty of college kids, high school kids, and adults enjoying these books, too.)

After years of teaching kids who hated to read and faked every book report they ever gave, it was amazing to see such a huge group of kids who were reading again!  JK Rowling can almost single-handedly take credit for making reading "cool" again.  And since then you can add in the Twilight, Percy Jackson, Eragon, and Hunger Game series. And a generation of Language Arts teachers are incredibly grateful!

Thanks to Harry Potter, "He Who Shall Not Be Named" became a way to refer to some person whose very name made us too angry or repulsed to say aloud.  Rowling also gave me several of my favorite quotes:

*"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."

*"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

*"If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals."  (My favorite!)

I was so sad to finish the last book.  This was one series that I didn't want to end.  And yet, it was a most satisfying conclusion.  And the message throughout was always the same-- love is always the answer.  Period.

Last fall, I went to see the "beginning of the end" of the movies with an adorable, freckled 3rd grader and his mother.  And yesterday and today, he and his mother (a former student) have been enjoying a marathon of all the movies leading up to the end.  Two of my favorite people are at one of my favorite theaters.  (What a combination!)  This theater delivers food and drink, including wine, to your seats.  Heaven!!  Tonight at midnight, they will watch the final movie.  I would love to see this now 4th grader's reaction to the final installment.  I'm sure we'll be talking!

And me? I'm moving L.  She is really pushing it!  It is supposed to be 100+ degrees.  She is moving from the 2nd floor of one apartment in U town to a 3rd floor apartment in the Big City two hours away.  Yikes!  L, it is a good thing that I love you more than Harry Potter!  And that is saying something.  And I'm pretty sure that I will still be using this sacrifice in the future.  You sooooo owe me!  I'll be reminding you!

Harry is going to have to wait until next week.  I guess I'll live.  And maybe the theater won't be so crowded by then!  (That's the only upside that I can think of!)

Oh No!

The final Harry Potter movie is opening on July 15th.  And I just figured out that is the day L is moving.  She is going to owe me soooo big! 

The things Mom's sacrifice for their children! 

The Return of Harry Potter

I am so excited for the "Harry Potter" movie opening tonight!  And yes, I am going.  Tonight!

Always before I have waited a week or so to go, and then I end up taking in a matinee by myself. The rest of the Easy Street gang aren't that interested.

But, I'm not going by myself tonight!  I have been invited by one of the cutest nine year olds I know to go to the movie with him and his mom.  He has read all of the "Harry Potter" series, which probably tells you a lot about his reading ability.  (He just turned 9 earlier this week, and he has read them all.)  Let's just say, I won't mind having CL in my class one of these days, though it might be challenging to keep him in literature! 

CL's mom, a former student, was one sharp cookie, too.  She used to amuse the Mr. and me on a regular basis when she was in high school:  refreshing honesty and sharp wit, too.  She is definitely one of those students that, 20 years later, I am glad to call a friend.

I have loved Rowling's "Harry Potter" series, and I am looking forward to this movie.  I will be in good company, not only with CL and his mom, but also the thousands of Harry Potter fans across the country.  Rowling values a lot of qualities that our society needs:  honesty, bravery, friendship, and love.  And Rowling was smart enough to send that message to those who have the best chance to influence our society:  our children.

"Pity those who live without love."  JK Rowling    Amen.

Girls Day: Shopping and A Movie

Yesterday was a fun day.  The girls and I went shopping. 

K was looking for an outfit for today's photo shoot.  The magazine that is writing the article about her class sent a photographer out.  Some of her students will be in the photo with her.  I think the photographer has stressed her a bit.  (This photographer has done photos for Vanity Fair, etc. and has very specific ideas and expectations.) K will be glad when it is over. 

I wasn't shopping for anything.  AND...I ended up finding a "Mother of the Bride" (aka MOB) dress.  It isn't fancy, is incredibly comfortable, and is perfect for the simple wedding and reception being planned. 

Plans for the wedding and the reception are slowly falling into place.  And that has made it all seem more real.  Like K said quoting Father of the Bride, "I met a man and he's wonderful and he's brilliant and we're getting married."  (Of course, you have to say that in the voice of a four year old!)

After shopping, L and I went to see Letters to Juliet with my women's group here in town.  I knew what was going to happen, but I liked the movie anyway.  It was a sweet story set in Italy.  (Love those wineries!) And it was fun to see Vanessa Redgrave. I love those roles for older women. 

With all the rain we've been getting, the pool job has been on hiatus.  And so has my running.  The Mr. is a fanatic about lightning.  I appreciate his concern, but I don't appreciate the lack of exercise.  Maybe tomorrow! (I sound like Scarlett O'Hara.) 

Happy Wednesday!

Saturday List- The Week That Was

This was my week:

*I worked at the pool two days.  (It was the perfect work schedule!)

*Even with sunscreen, I have a pink glow to the legs.  I sit in the shade.  Only the fronts of my legs are pink.  Reflection off the water while I'm cleaning?!! Now, I need a bit of color on the flip side.  My legs look weird.

*I read Janet Evanovich's "Plum Spooky" and Kathryn Stockett's "The Help." And I promised the Mr. I wouldn't start a book on Friday, his day off.  I guess he'd like for me to answer questions and talk to him once in awhile.  Who knew?

*I planted my flowers out front.  Then I couldn't breathe during the night and slept in the recliner.  What is the pollen count?  *sigh*

*I ran a mile yesterday morning.  My first day back at it since the fall I took on May 6th.  All of my medical tests were fine.  I take that as a sign that I am good to go.

*After I ran, I couldn't breathe most of the morning.  Pass the Claritin.  *double sigh*

*I finally watched "The Blind Side."  It was a four kleenex movie, but all those tears emptied my sinuses.  I can breathe again. I think I'm on to something here.

*I shopped at a consignment store and found a cute dress for $6.00.  I love a bargain.  I'm not sure it has been worn before.
 
*Today is garage sale day in Tiny Town.  Travel is scary.  Most streets are full of cars parked poorly.  I'd ride my bike, but that is scary, too.  Bargain hunters don't pay much attention to driving. They are too busy looking for the next sale.

*Baxter is learning not to bite.  A squirt in the face from a spray bottle of water seems to be working.  (At least he is afraid of the bottle now.)

*Have I mentioned that Baxter discovered a new treat?  Pigs ears.  One of the cousins had one for her dog at the reunion and Baxter claimed ownership.  We bought him his own when we got home and he has spent the entire week enjoying that thing.  (Though it is rather disgusting looking.)  Is it real pig?  I don't know.  I don't want to know.  All I know is that it has kept him busy.

*Today I am headed to a funeral and a wedding.  Two former students are getting married.  They are good kids.  One of the perks of being a teacher is when two great students start a new home together.  As for the funeral-- remember me telling you about the senior boy whose Mom had died last fall?  When he was the speaker at graduation, his dad was in the hospital.  Dad died this week.  I can't imagine being 18 and losing both of your parents.  My heart breaks for him and for his big brothers.

*I'm also catching up on blogs and starting a new book.  Shhh.....don't tell the Mr.  I'll let him be surprised tonight when he gets home.  Surprised?  Yeah right!

It may be vacation, but it has been a hectic week.  I'm still waiting on the slower pace.

Lights! Camera! Action! Action???

When L and I went to the matinee yesterday, I experienced a first.  Probably 45 minutes into the movie, the screen went dark.  We could still hear the movie, but couldn't see it.  Then, we couldn't hear or see it.  Eventually, we discovered that the satellite that sends the movie to the projection booths had gone out--for the entire theater!  The line for refunds was long. 

Sad.  And I had no idea that movie theaters received their movies by satellite.  I always pictured the projection booth having reel to reels--probably a sure sign of how old I am!  I guess you learn something new every day.

My only other movie refund happened about 15 years ago when that same theater was in a tornado warning.  (Getting the feeling that I am a tornado magnet??)  They shut off the movie and herded us to the first few rows of the theater.  Or at least they tried to.  Some poor high school kid tried to get the Mr. and three other men to move that direction.  As I remember, the four of us couples ended up out front watching the storm. 

The 25 year old manager discovered us and got on the high school kid because we weren't in the theater like we were supposed to be.  The kid smirked at him and said, "Feel free to take on these four men and see if you can get them in there."  The manager took a look at the men who were 15 to 20 years older than he was and decided we were old enough to make our own decision.  We had a nice chat waiting for the storm to blow over.

That time, we got our money back and a free ticket for another time.  This time, we just got our money back.

I prefer to see the whole movie.  It felt like home where the Mr. was running the remote:  ten minutes of this, twenty minutes of that, and no show or movie in its entirety.  Good thing I love that guy!

When Words Make You Think

The Mr. and I went to see Sherlock Holmes on Friday night.  I loved it.  I think Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would have loved it, too.  Kudos to the set designers who made it really seem like England in the early 1900's.  More kudos to Jude Law.  I think he is so adorable talented.  Oh, and Robert Downey, Jr. wasn't bad as Holmes either!

Somewhere during the evening, I heard this line.  I think it was in the preview to the new Mel Gibson movie.  As soon as I heard it, I was scrambling for paper to jot it down. It made me think.  

"You better decide whether you're hanging on the cross or banging in the nails."

First Week of December

The week that was:

1. My classes had to write a perfect paragraph using a comma, semicolon, and colon correctly. I graded until I found the first error in grammar or spelling. Every error meant a rewrite. Every rewrite of the paragraph dropped the paragraph a letter grade. Proofreading suddenly became a priority. Finally.

2. A stomach bug spent about 18 hours making my life miserable. Thankfully, it went away as quickly as it came.

3. The highlight of my day: plugging in the Christmas lights when I get home. The lowlight (pretty sure I made up that word!): an unlit Christmas tree every morning.

4. Sarah McLachlan's "Wintersong" CD arrived in the mail from Dandy in California. Now mind you, the girl is getting married on Saturday! I'm surprised she is remembering to breathe, let alone mailing gifts to blog friends. I love McLaclan's voice, and this is a great mix of Christmas songs! Thanks, Dandy. I'll think of you every time I listen to it--and happy wedding wishes!

5. "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" was on TV. Let the Holiday specials and Christmas movies begin!

6. The new phone has taken up many "off" hours this week. I am the dazed and confused owner of a Blackberry Curve. I know I am going to love it--eventually. I think I've got the basics down. Now for the bells and whistles...!

I want to watch "Love Actually" this weekend. It has become one of my all-time favorite movies. Filmed after 9-11 and set in England, it puts into perspective what is really important: love. Love in every form you can imagine.

Happy December! Happy Weekend!

On writing, movies, and grape slushes

The Mr. and I went to dinner and a movie last night. (We come from a long line of romantics. Can't you tell?) My parent's anniversary was during harvest. When Dad took the last load of the day into town, Mom would join him and they would stop for a grape slush at Dairy Queen. Quite the celebration. (I remember Dad bringing home grape juice one year and making grape slushes in the blender. I don't remember if Mom was sick or what, but the slush had become a tradition by then.)

After dinner, we took in the movie "Julie and Julia." I knew it was about Julia Childs, but I didn't realize that it was about bloggers, too. They captured the thrill of the comments and followers, the backlash of employees and family. (Thankfully, I don't think I have crossed any line for backlash to occur. And I'd like to keep it that way, thanks!) Meryl Streep was worth the price of the ticket. It was wonderful to see Julia Child's life in Paris contrasted with Julie Powell's life in Queens. This is one of the most enjoyable movies I have seen in awhile. (Yeah, and all that good food made me hungry, too!)

I don't think I need to hold my breath waiting for this blog to capture the attention of newspapers and magazines. I'm a little too random for that. But I like writing--and if someone is actually reading it, well that is even better!

Harry Potter

The next Harry Potter movie is opening tonight at midnight. (I prefer an hour when I won't sleep through the show, so I'll wait a few days to see it.) The movies are never as good as the books, but I have to see them anyway. It has been fun watching the Harry Potter phenomenon. A whole generation of kids actually read again. And J.K. Rowling can take partial credit for that. (Stephanie Meyer and her Twilight series has done a lot to make reading cool with the High School crowd.)

I fought the Harry Potter craze for awhile. Then one year at Christmas the nieces and nephews were discussing Quidditch. I had no idea what they were talking about, so I asked. The W.P. (West Point) nephew was probably a 4th grader at the time. He looked at me, sniffed, and said, "Hmmm... Muggle!" It suddenly occurred to me that pretty soon I was going to have a whole classroom full of kids who would make allusions to Harry Potter and I would have no idea what they were talking about. And if W.P was going to call me a muggle, I was going to find out what a muggle was! (By the way, a muggle is a non magical person. And yes, I am or at least was a non magical person.)

I bought the first book. Sixty pages in, I wasn't that impressed. But something happened in the next 40-50 pages, and I was sucked into the Harry Potter web. I am a fan. The books are all about love: love that protects us, love that guides us, and love that will always be with us. Goodness always triumphs. But beyond that, the books are funny, challenging for kids, and exciting.

When my colleague talks about "He Who Shall Not Be Named" every time a former colleague's name is mentioned, I know that even his name is painful and brings back a lot of unpleasant memories. Students learn vocabulary. (Professor Umbrage will always help students to remember the definition of umbrage.) So many books for kids are deadly dull for adults. Harry Potter is a great book for parents and their kids to read together. They are as amusing and fun for adults as they are for kids. As each book came out, I joined the kids at the local bookstore to wait for my copy. (Sometimes fairly late at night!) And like the 4th, 5th & 6th graders across the country, I spent the next few days completely absorbed with reading the latest book. (Who am I kidding? The high school and college crowd were as excited about the books as anyone!) I was sad when I finished the last book. Rowling did a great job of ending the series, but I hated to see the end of the saga.

Later this week, I will be in a movie theater (milk duds anyone?) to watch "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince." It won't be as good as the book, and I'm pretty sure I won't be able to drag the Mr. there, but for a couple of hours I can get lost in the world of Hogwarts and Harry Potter and friends.

Up There

The Mr. and I went to the movies Saturday night. I let him pick. (It helps that I know his taste in movies fairly well. I'm either going to get adventure/suspense or kid flicks.) We'd been hearing good things about the animated movie "Up," so that is what we elected to see.

What a beautiful movie! I don't think I've been that touched by a Disney film since "The Lion King." The little kids weren't the only ones giggling during the movie. There is a pudgy little boy named Russell who provides quite a bit of comedy. However, it was the old couple, Carl and Ellie, who touched me the most. Through these three characters, you get the theme of the movie: Life is an adventure, love never dies, and we all need to be there for each other. I laughed and cried during "Up." (Strange to wipe tears during an animated movie!) It had just the right amount of humor and heart. That was the best $7.50 I have spent on a movie in awhile. And I'll pay full price for it when it comes out on DVD, too.

If you haven't been to see an animated kid flick in awhile--take in this one. You won't regret it!
(Oh, and I still want to take a hot air balloon ride so I can check that off my bucket list!)

Success in the Classroom

There are moments in the classroom when I know I have accomplished what I hoped. What a great way to end the year! Every year I get to teach my favorite book of all time: To Kill A Mockingbird. I love the two story lines, the child narrator who reminds us of the joys of being a kid, the innocence of children witnessing the ugliness of racism, and how the book deals with a historical past that has never been more interesting or relevant than it is this year. And so we read it, thought about it, timelined the events, questioned, and even found out a little more about the Civil Rights movement.

But my success wasn't measured by my students reaction to the book, but rather by their reaction to the movie. I wouldn't let them watch it until after they took the test over the novel. A student turned to me when the movie ended and said, "Promise me you won't show that to next year's classes or any of your other classes ever again." Gregory Peck made a wonderful Atticus, but my students realized that the movie couldn't begin to live up to the book. So much is left out that Boo Radley coming to rescue the kids at the end doesn't even seem plausible. The movie didn't show how pathetic Mayella Ewell's life was or how much she needed a Tom Robinson to befriend her. And these children of technology and movies and instant gratification realized how powerful a book can be. For once, they preferred reading the book to watching the movie. And for a High School English teacher, that is SUCCESS.

2009- A New Year of Endless Possibilities

We began 2009 somewhat differently. We actually went to bed shortly after 11:00, so today we are well rested. We skipped the apple drop (last year's pic) because of frigid temperatures. We have no decorations to take down (a New Year's Day tradition), as I got ambitious and took them down two days ago. However, we did take in our annual New Year's Eve movie: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. A great New Year's Eve movie, but more on that later.

The day began at a hiking trail not far from here with a killer hill and a beautiful view. My plan for this year is for more hiking and biking trail time. The girls joined me on this little adventure, wanting to exercise something other than their fingers after a night of Guitar Hero fun.

I liked the movie the Mr. and I saw. I haven't read the F. Scott Fitzgerald story it was based on, though I hear it doesn't resemble his work very closely. There were many lines in the movie that I liked, but none more than this speech:

"For what it’s worth, it’s never too late, or in my case too early, to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit... start whenever you want... you can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that stop you. I hope you feel things that you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life that you’re proud of and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again."-Benjamin Button

Good words to remember in the new year.

Old Christmas Movie

I love old movies, especially the old black and white ones. This year I finally got to see "Christmas in Connecticut." I had heard about his one, but hadn't seen it before. I love it! Kind of a fake Martha Stewart (Barbara Stanwyk) who has to make her imaginative writing come to life when she is put on the spot. This is a "new" old Christmas favorite for me. Oh, and the sleigh ride scene is a perfect Christmas scene.

A Day Off

Since I have the day off on Friday, I feel the coffee shop/bookstore calling my name. I'm guessing a couple of hours of reading might revive me! I've got a few things I need for my classroom, so I need to make a trip to Staples and Home Depot. I have a used bookshelf with no hinges for the shelf to hang on. (The pink crates the shelf is balancing on, while lovely to look at, aren't the most effective.) I need a hook to hang my coat on. (I hadn't worried about it until the weather got cold.) Finally, I need to replace my student birthday calendar. This will be my 2nd replacement since the tornado took my nice one. (I ruined the first with maker that won't come off!)

Since the girls are off on Friday, too, there is a plan to go out to lunch and then watch the movie "Chalk." I have wanted to see that mockumentary since it came out. It is a fake documentary about beginning teachers and the problems they run into and looked hilarious. I think "Chalk" made it to the Art Cinema theater but I missed it. K picked it up on Nexflix, so I will finally get to see it.

Anyway, I'm thinking that a relaxing day off will almost make up for the long nights of Parent/Teacher conferences. Almost...!