B-O-R-E-D

Spells bored. I am. I need work and have swallowed hope and optimism to join the ranks of the child-enslaved who call themselves teachers. Yes, it is back to the "Hey-stop-hitting-her-put-that-down-eyes-on-me-quiet-please-give-that-back-to-him-ok-are-you-ready-no-I-said-put-it-down-thank-you-OK-all-eyes-on-me-sitting-down-are-we-ready?" classroom. I put in my applications to-gulp-substitute for both Mountain View and Palo Alto, which feels like a bit of a jail sentence but I am getting desperate. I thought this whole career shift would take me out of the classroom and instead I find myself very firmly entrenched in the school system, and, unbelievably, grateful that it's even a possibility. Because even if I complain and have a bad attitude (your thoughts I am just pre-emptively admitting to them) I can't do better schedule or pay-wise than subbing. So there I go.

In the meantime (I have only submitted my applications-apparently 4 years as a full-time professional teacher does not exclude me from filling in questions such as "What are the three most important rules in a classroom?" 1. Don't bug the teacher when she's on the phone 2. Keep your head down during all 45 minutes of "quiet time" 3. You can have all the free time you want, we'll just call it Silent Reading! -Oh I kid, I would never encourage reading if there's a TV in the room- I also have to attend Orientation Day and the HR woman makes mandatory calls to my references...) Hey, truthfully, I will be a great sub, have all sorts of contingency plans for when the teacher leaves a note like "Hey my kids are crazy and I didn't have time to make copies. Good Luck!" Smiley face drawn at the end. I just really didn't want to have to use them again.

At least I know I will be better than the title character in the movie I saw yesterday, Half Nelson http://www.halfnelsonthefilm.com/, a "base-head," crack-smoking, cocaine-sniffing history teacher who shuns the curriculum and insists on teaching his own theory of dialectics, all the while hung over and waiting for the day to end so that he can score his next fix. The movie was slow, with a plethora of "glamor shots" of the lead actor over the 2-hour running time, and the subject matter was intense, but as Mom said "Wow that guy-what was he in again? He did an excellent job in that role, don't you think? What was he in again?" "The Notebook" "Really? Nothing more recent than that? I'm sure he was in something else more recent. No? Well, anyway, he gave a really good performance, didn't you think. He was great in that role." (Picture me-nodding in agreement while rolling my eyes. This is my answer to Mom's mandatory post-screening critique that accompanies every viewing. I just like to watch the movie and speak as though the characters were real. Like with TV. I talk about Oprah like she's a friend of mine.)

And in the other parts of my day, what am I doing? I am keeping busy with a host of activities ranging from running in circles around my neighborhood, reading, watching movies and sleeping in. What adventure! I actually just finished a book yesterday that I will be reviewing with one of my two book clubs (I am a SUPER NERD!!!) called We Need To Talk About Kevin http://www.orangeprize.co.uk/2005prize/winner/index.html
The book focuses on a family wherein the successful mother, Eva, makes the decision to have a baby, then that boy grows up and at the age of 15 kills 11 people at his high school. The book is told through letters from Eva to her husband, and follows the history of the family up to the current day. I found it to be really interesting. You could read the book as a story about a successful woman forced to give up her career and the resentment she holds toward her son because of it, but it may be more about the idea that perhaps the boy was born bad. The questions about what led to the final act? The truth may be, there is no real answer. Why do people do these horrible things, when to you put the "signs" together, and what constitues a "sign" anyway? I recommend it and really look forward to discussing it at our next SF book club meeting. My PA book club is reading Florence of Arabia, http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780812972269 which I also highly recommend, a comedy about US-Middle East relations. My next selection (personal, going to let someone else choose a book club book this month as my choices dominated the 2 clubs in September) is All The Names by Jose Saramago. Will let you know about that one when I am done.

Saw Hollywoodland last weekend, can't really recommend it, was kind of long and in the end a futile pursuit, as it merely lists the three possibilities about what may have happened to Superman without really taking a stand as to which they thought was the most likely of the three. I guess we're supposed to make up our own mind, and I would, if I cared, but I don't. So just tell me who did it. I guess there's my review. As for Ben Affleck as Oscar contender? Well, if that was one of the top performances of the year, we are in for some year. And Adrian Brody. I am sorry, but does anyone really see him as attractive? Or fantastic? I just don't get it. Maybe I am still trying to get over the Coke commercial.