"We are the champions, my friends." ~queen

CONGRATS TO THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS! I was so happy to see them win; they deserved it. It was a good Super Bowl this year. The halftime show was amazing. Seriously, Prince was on fire. Great performance, great production. It was by far the best halftime show since U2. The commercials weren't great overall, but the football and the halftime show more than made up for that. Budweiser had the best commercials. I thought the "Rock, paper, scissors" one that aired at the very beginning was hilarious.

Today, instead of teaching, I got to go to an all-day workshop at the Virginia Holocaust Museum with my cooperating teacher. It was an incredibly worthwhile and eye-opening experience. We received copies of the book Salvaged Pages: Young Writers' Diaries of the Holocaust and talked about how to teach it to students. There were so many teenagers like Anne Frank who kept diaries, and this author compiled a collection of them so that more voices could be heard. We met with Holocaust survivors. I got to sit next to a man who survived five different concentration camps and listen to him talk about his experience. He told me that it isn't easy to think about and talk about what happened to him and his family, but he knows that he has to talk about it so that people will know what will happen if we stand aside and don't do anything to fight genocide. It is still happening today. We went beyond the Holocaust and discussed more recent genocides. Someone from the Sudan spoke to us about Darfur.
We watched a 60 Minutes special in which a reporter discovered that North Korea is using The Diary of Anne Frank in schools to compare America to the Nazis and George W. Bush to Hitler. It was really, really scary. The kids were completely brainwashed into thinking that all Americans are Nazis. The message they got from The Diary of Anne Frank is that America needs to be completely destroyed. I'm totally serious. One student's response was, "”After reading this book, I had a hatred for the American imperialists." Another said, "As long as the warmonger Bush and the Nazi Americans live, who are worse than Hitler's fascists, world peace will be impossible to achieve.” The rest of the students expressed similar viewpoints. They saw Anne Frank as weak for hiding. Here's an article on it. I could not believe it.
The whole program was an eye-opening experience. I was very glad to have the opportunity to go, and I hope I can use some of the material in my future classes.

"It's a town full of losers, and I'm pulling out of here to win."

I know, I know, I'm back to Bruce. It seemed appropriate considering the subject of today's post as well as the fact that the Super Bowl is tonight, though.
GO COLTS!!!

Whenever I hear Bruce sing that line, I expect to hear "When I think of Heaven..." right after it. Counting Crows cover Thunder Road, and they stick the song in the middle of Rain King, so Adam goes straight into "When I think of Heaven..." after singing the last line of Thunder Road. And that's always what I expect to hear.

The Oscars are quickly approaching. They are in exactly three weeks. And I can't wait. I love Oscar night. Sometimes I don't love it so much after they've given out the awards to the wrong people, but I love that feeling as they call the nominees' names and everyone holds their breath as the presenter begins to open the envelope. It's thrilling. Here are my predictions, along with who I think should win. I haven't seen all the nominated films, so in my "Should win" picks I'm going by what I've seen. Although I have noticed that many critics agree with my "should win" picks. I may change my predictions closer to Oscar night, because the buzz changes every day. But I'm fairly confident in what I have now.

Best Picture:
Will win: Babel
Should win: Little Miss Sunshine or The Departed (I'll be thrilled if either wins)

Best Actress:
Will win: Helen Mirren (The Queen)
Should win: Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal)
This category is insane this year. It's filled with amazing performances. I thought Judi Dench was particularly good, though. I wouldn't mind Kate Winslet (Little Children) pulling off an upset, either. She was amazing. I think it's funny how they try to make her frumpy and not very attractive in the film, but she's still incredibly beautiful.

Best Supporting Actress:
Will win: Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)
Should win: Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)
This is an easy one. I wouldn't mind seeing Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) pull a Marisa Tomei, though. Or Cate Blanchett (Notes on a Scandal).

Best Actor:
Will win: Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland)
Should win: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed)
Yes, I know, Leo isn't even nominated for The Departed. But he should be (and I'm not the only person who thinks so). Most critics agree that his performance in that movie is one of the best performances of the year. I guess I wouldn't mind if he won for Blood Diamond, though. I won't mind if Forest Whitaker wins, either (and I'm pretty sure he'll win). I like him. I'm very glad to see Ryan Gosling's name among the nominees, but I don't think he has a chance.

Best Supporting Actor:
Will win: Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls)
Should win: Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children)
This is the acting category in which there is the greatest chance for an upset. Either Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine) or Jackie Early Haley could sweep in and take it. I love Alan Arkin, but I don't think his role was large enough to merit a win. I would LOVE to see Jackie Earle Haley get this award. I mean, what a comeback. He's absolutely brilliant in Little Children. You don't know whether to despise his character or feel sorry for him.

Best Director:
Will win: Martin Scorsese (The Departed)
Should win: Martin Scorsese (The Departed)
I've mentioned this already, but I'll say it again. If Marty does not win, you will be able to hear me scream from across the country, and Clint Eastwood better watch out.

Best Original Screenplay:
Will win: The Queen
Should win: Little Miss Sunshine

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Will win: The Departed
Should win: Notes on a Scandal
This category is really tricky for me to predict and to choose my pick.

That's all the categories I'm doing for now. I'm not as sure about the smaller categories (sound editing, cinematography, etc.).

"I dreamt I saw you walking up a hillside in the snow, casting shadows on the winter sky as you stood there counting crows. One for sorrow, two for joy, three for girls and four for boys. Five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never to be told. There's a bird that nests inside you, sleeping underneath your skin. When you open up your wings to speak, I wish you'd let me in. All your life is such a shame, shame, shame. All your love is just a dream, dream, dream. Open up your eyes, you can see the flames, flames, flames. Of your wasted life, you should be ashamed. You don't want to waste your life, the way I waste my life...I walk along these hillsides in the summer 'neath the sunshine, I am feathered by the moonlight falling down on me..." ~counting crows

I want this shirt:

Too bad it's $23; I don't want it that badly. I am SO on Team Bullit, though. Even though we've already lost. I'm talking about The O.C. by the way, just in case you don't watch it and have no idea what I'm talking about. This season is sooo good. Kaitlin and Bullit are adorable; they almost made me cry in this week's episode. He's such a wonderful father figure for her, and she really needs that right now. I'll be sad to see the series end in 3 weeks.
Grey's Anatomy was also fabulous this week. Ellen Pompeo will most likely use the episode as her FYC submission to the Emmys; she gave what I think is the best performance I've ever seen from her. I love her. She's amazing. And this week more than made up for her recent disasterous SAG Awards speech (which I thought was kind of adorable, although I know I'm in the minority in having that opinion).

So here's something that's been on my mind lately. I'm weird about music. Or at least I thought I was weird about it. But now I'm realizing that I'm actually not alone. There are some songs (actually, they're mostly specific live performances of certain songs) that I love so much that I can't share them with anyone else. I know that's incredibly selfish of me, but it's the truth and I can't do anything about it. Sharing one of those songs would be like tearing out a piece of my soul and putting it on display for all the world to see. I can talk about those songs/specific performances with other obsessed fans online because they "get it." But I just can't bring myself to play certain songs to people who don't know Bono and Edge's real names and how they got their nicknames, who don't know whom Anna, Elisabeth, Mary Ann, Amy, Amelia, and Maria are to Adam Duritz, to people who don't know what Brandon Flowers thinks of indie rock, to people who haven't waited outside for 10 hours in NYC in November to get a spot on the railing at a U2 concert...I'm a music snob. I know it. I can't help it, I really can't. I wish I could. And I've often thought about how crazy I am because I'm like this. But there are others like me, which makes me feel so much better. A fellow CC fan wrote the following about a particular version of a particular song: "That version means so much to me I don't like to share it with 'non-fans.'" I feel exactly the same way (regarding the same version of the same song he's talking about, too, which I was more than fortunate enough to hear performed live this summer). I love music, I listen to a whole lot of it, and I only feel that passionate protectiveness about a very, very select few songs/versions. I think they're mostly by Counting Crows (maybe one or two by U2). I don't know why we music snobs are so hesitant to share our passion with others. You'd think we'd want to show others how awesome some music can be. But sometimes I think it's because we're afraid others wouldn't recognize the awesomeness of a particular song. If they don't spend their free time learning as much about the band as possible, obsessing over little details about the origins of songs, and digging up as many live versions as they can find of certain songs (I've accumulated over 30 versions each of a few songs), will they fully appreciate a specific performance? And if they don't appreciate it, what does that say about those of us whose hearts break every time we hear it? I don't know, I'm rambling. I'm just trying to make sense of myself. Which is an impossible task.

"The sky glows, I see it shining when my eyes close. I hear your warnings but we both know, I'm gonna look at it again. Don't wait, don't wait. The road is now a sudden sea, and suddenly you're deep enough to lay your armor down. To lay your armor down. To lay your armor down." ~dashboard confessional

I think I've done enough lyrics from the Boss for now, so I'm moving on to a new artist. And Dashboard Confessional is a worthy successor. I love that song. I love that whole album. That song is a perfect way to kick it off.

Today I got letters from kids in my last class telling me about themselves. A few quotes:

"I want really smart kids, but if something bad happens and they some reason they cant be smart then I will still love them anyway."

"I hate my job. They think I'm stealing but I'm not!!!!!!!"

And I have to post one entire letter, because it's too funny not to. This kid is absolutely brilliant. Unfortunately he has some learning disabilities that make school hard for him, but I can totally picture him as a famous writer someday. I read one assignment he wrote last semester and it was one of the most creative pieces of writing I've ever read. So here's what he wrote to me today:

"Every fiber of my being is slaving to the goal of being the best ditch digger in the tri-state area.

Usually I'm pretty easy-going, but if pressed I'm liable to bury the assailant under my rose garden.

I like burning carpet and putting sand in people's toilets.

I love flipping through my well-worn copy of Mein Keimph, it's so inspiring!

Lastly, I like counting...to seven."

The kid is hilarious, he's a genius, and I don't know what to do with him in my class because he's much better at writing creative stories and philosophical rants than he is at sitting in class learning about seventeenth century poetry. I really want to encourage him to write and to go to college (which he doesn't want to do), but I have to teach specific material, about which I'm afraid he isn't interested in learning. So I have to make the material interesting. Which is hard to do when I'm not a huge fan of it myself.

Yesterday in class a girl told me I reminded her of the teacher from the movie Freedom Writers. That made me really happy.

I got a package from my grandmother today; I love getting mail from her. She sends me stacks of magazines after she reads them. She writes funny notes alongside certain articles and pictures, like, "READ THIS!!" or "I hate her hair when it's this color" or "she's obviously had some plastic surgery." She knows which actors, movies, and musicians I love, so sometimes she cuts out or tears out pictures or articles about them so that I'll be sure to see them. I love Gran so much. I think she just might be my favorite person in the world. She calls me her southern belle. I was born in Columbia, South Carolina, where she and my Grandad live, and whenever we drive past the hospital where I was born she'll say, "There's your old home, Claire!" She was there when I was born. I'm her first grandchild. She understands me.

"You can´t start a fire sitting ´round crying over a broken heart. This gun´s for hire, even if we´re just dancing in the dark. You can´t start a fire worrying about your little world falling apart. This gun´s for hire, even if we´re just dancing in the dark." ~bruce springsteen

The video for that song is pretty hilarious. It was made in the year that I was born (22 years ago), so I guess it's not surprising that times have changed and modern viewers are bound to expect slightly different things from a music video. The funniest part about it is Courteney Cox Arquette (she was just Courteney Cox back then). She was only 19 years old when she filmed it and it was her big break. Check out her dance moves in the video.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has a release date! July 21st, 2007. They're not releasing it on 7/7/07 like some people originally expected because that's the anniversary of the London bombings. I can't wait for it. Although it's strange; I almost don't want it to come out because then I won't be able to look forward to it anymore. After I've finished reading each Harry Potter book so far, there has always been another one to look forward to. After this one, there won't be any more to wait for or to speculate about. And that makes me a little sad.

I taught my own lessons for the first time today and everything went well. The kids in both classes actually payed attention for most of the time (I had to wake one kid up three times, but that's not unusual). They responded to me and I think most of them absorbed the information. Before the lesson I asked them to write to me and tell me whatever they want me to know about them. They could write about themselves (hobbies, family, etc.), what they want to accomplish in this class, how I can help them accomplish their goals, what their future plans are, or anything else. I got some good responses. Here are a few quotes pulled from their letters:

"I want us to like each other and work good together. :-) Love you, Big Bird! P.S. I'll visit you a lot, get ready. :-) I think your going to be AMAZING! Don't let the uninvolved class discourge you."
~I know I'm not supposed to have favorites, but of course all teachers do, and she's mine. People really do call her Big Bird. I'm not sure why. She's tall and has blonde hair, so that might have something to do with it. She's such a sweetheart. Hardly anyone talks in the class that she's in, but I can always count on her for a response, even if it's not a serious one. She's a cheerleader and she always is overflowing with energy. She's friendly and outgoing and talkative and honest and totally uninhibited and it's impossible not to like her. She's struggling in English class, though. I really want to help her do well.

"Big Bird is wierd."
~from her friend

"I love playing basketball, drawing, music, and of course yoga. My favorite yoga position is downward facing dog if you were interested. I don't play any instruments but I like to act like I do."
~This guy is another one of my favorites. He's a good-looking, hilarious, athletic, African-American boy who seems to be the "leader" of his class. I can always count on him for a response. He is definitely not someone I would have pegged to be interested in yoga, and I can't tell if he's serious about that or not.

"Welcome to the Jungle!"

"I don't see my dad much because he's married to a whore."
~This girl is another hilarious one. I wish I could type her whole letter here because it's just so funny. She isn't afraid to say exactly what's on her mind.

There are tons of great responses that I'm not typing. There are so many different personalities in the classes, and the range of interests is huge. I love all the kids, and I loved reading about their lives.