"And you realized your fantasies are dressed up in travesties. Enjoy yourself with no regrets, uh uh. Everybody here comes from somewhere that they would just as soon forget and disguise." ~r.e.m.

Last week Nicole and I went to a screening of the movie Street Kings. It was so bad it was good. We couldn't stop laughing at the terrible dialogue. And the costumes. I don't know what Keanu Reeves, Forrest Whitaker (an Oscar winner), and Hugh Laurie (who got a laugh as he first appeared by peeking out from behind a hospital curtain) were thinking when they accepted their roles. It was pretty gruesome, too. I guess it wasn't completely awful, but it was not something I would pay money to see.

Yesterday I took the third test I need for my NY state teaching license. There were some difficult questions, so I'm a little worried about how I did. I think I did well on the essay, though, so hopefully that will boost my score. I was nervous about the last two tests (which I took in February) but I passed those easily, so I probably shouldn't be concerned about this one (watch me fail it now).

Nic and I got tickets to see R.E.M., The National, and Modest Mouse perform at Madison Square Garden in June. I cannot wait. The National is one of my absolute favorite bands in the world (probably in my top 3). I've seen The National and Modest Mouse live before and they're both fantastic. I've never been to an R.E.M. concert before, so I'm super-excited about that because they're supposed to be fabulous live. Not only that, they're such an important band. They marked the beginning of alternative rock and have had such a large influence on other great bands. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year, in their first year of eligibility. Their newest album, Accelerate, was released last week and is their best album in about a decade. I think it may even be their best album ever. I love it. So I am so psyched to see them live.

Now I have to get back to planning and grading. I have a lot to do today. I'll leave you with R.E.M. performing the first single from their new album, called "Supernatural Superserious," on The Colbert Report. It is such a fantastic song.