"I didn't mind you blaming me for your mistakes, I just held you in the doorframe through all of the earthquakes." ~the antlers

Today was one of my favorite days of the year, the Broadway Flea Market. It was so much more enjoyable than last year (when it was moved inside because of rain). I spent way too much money and bought way too much stuff, but it's once a year, I love owning special Broadway memorabilia from my favorite shows, and the money goes to BC/EFA (a charity that I support), so I felt okay about my splurge. I went in the morning before it technically opened and most booths were already selling stuff, so it was nice to be there before the crowds arrived and before the best stuff was sold. Here's what I bought in the morning:
I love having actual drumsticks used in American Idiot (and they're definitely used; the ends are really worn out), the prop letters from A Little Night Music are pretty cool, and the Boeing Boeing bag was only $5 and came with a bunch of stuff inside (keychains, luggage tag, mousepad), so I thought it was a good deal. Nothing in the above photo cost more than $10.

I went back later in the day, when the prices were dropped. At one table you could fill a bag with as much stuff as possible for just $1 total. I got a few window cards, a Behanding in Spokane script, an opening night playbill from Long Day's Journey Into Night...there were lots of goodies. I also got a big reasons to be pretty poster for $1. My biggest splurge of the day was a hat from the recent revival of Guys and Dolls signed by the entire cast. That was the only thing that cost more than $10. My biggest problem now is figuring out what to do with all my acquisitions. I've already updated the wall above my bed:
As you can see, the top row is devoted to my favorite playwright, Martin McDonagh. The wall is probably too crowded, but I don't care. I love looking at these.

I'm already excited for next year's Flea Market.

ETA: I'm testing a .gif here (Claire taking a watermelon in the face on the season premiere of The Amazing Race).

GIFSoup

"I'm gonna run to the river, kiss my hand and wave. Gonna run to the river, gonna throw a blue bouquet. 'Cause they're gonna be cool happy genius heroes, I'm gonna miss them so much." ~the national

Tonight I planned an evening for three of my teacher friends and I to see Waiting for Superman. It was great to hang out with them because I'm the only one left at our school so I don't see them much anymore (two of them aren't teaching anymore and one is at a different school). We all hated the movie, though. It made us really angry. So get ready for a rant. It's incredibly biased. And political. And one-sided. In promoting it's own agenda, it completely ignores important factors in education. It blames the teachers and the teacher's unions for all the problems in our country's education system. The main problem is not the teachers. Why not examine the fact that education has been turned into a bureaucracy? School districts are run like companies. Principals are given all the power. The film never once mentions the importance of strong leadership. What about schools with principals who can't lead? Who don't know how to run schools and train and inspire teachers? I know that there are some bad teachers out there, but that's not the biggest problem we face and should not be a reason to completely strip unions of their power. Teacher's unions are necessary to protect teachers because of unfair treatment that they face. Trust me, if the unions didn't exist, a lot of teachers' lives would be ruined. I've seen it happen to great teachers even though the union does exist. The union is necessary because of the way that our education system is run. I wish it weren't necessary, but it is.

The film also fails to address the issue of parental involvement. It follows the lives of some students who are applying to charter schools. All the students followed in the movie have parents who deeply care about their kids' education. Unfortunately, those parents are not the norm. I have a feeling the kids who didn't get into the charter schools to which they applied will still be okay, even if they go to regular neighborhood public schools, because their parents will push them. Parental involvement is SO important. Some parents of my students don't even know where their kids are at 11pm. I've even had parents tell me that they've given up on their kids. What about those kids, the ones who don't have someone at home telling them to do their homework and inspiring them to succeed and emphasizing the importance of a good education? Yes, that's the teacher's job as well, but it needs to be a joint effort. It's not fair to place all the responsibility on the teachers.

Another issue I have with the movie (and I realize this might make me some enemies) is the promotion of the idea that all kids should go to college. I believe that all kids should have the opportunity to go to college if they so choose, but I don't think that college is for everyone. Society is made up of an incredibly diverse group of people who complete a variety of jobs, all of which are necessary for the society to run smoothly. What's wrong with becoming skilled in a trade? Why do we place such an emphasis on white collar jobs? Not everyone can be a doctor or a lawyer (society couldn't function properly), and not everyone wants to be, and that's okay.

I don't know, I was just really angry while watching the film. I felt like I was being attacked. It was promoting a very specific political agenda, and I don't agree with it's message at all. Sure, I felt for the kids in the movie, but there has to be a better way to improve the public education system. I'm a teacher, I'm proud to be a teacher, I care deeply about my students, I want to give them the best education possible, and this movie made me feel...I can't think of the right word.

I just wrote this immediately after returning home from the movie and I may come back and edit it once I've sorted my ideas out a little more. Anyway, here's the trailer:

"Yeah you got a piece of me, but it's just a little piece of me, and I don't need anyone." ~counting crows

This is a crazy-good weekend for new movie releases. So here are my reviews for three of them.

Easy A
It was a fun, clever movie with some great performances. Emma Stone establishes herself as a verifiable leading lady, and Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson are hilarious as the coolest parents ever. It's a "teen" movie, but I think it's a good enough film that anyone would enjoy it. I particularly like how it tips it's hat to some classic 80's films that I love. It was obviously quite different from the other two films I saw this weekend, but I appreciated it's lightness.

The Town
Gone Baby Gone was not a fluke. Ben Affleck can direct. In fact, he's really, really good at it. I can't decide which of his movies I prefer (Gone Baby Gone or The Town), but I know that Mr. Affleck knows what he's doing. Is it too much to say that he has the potential to become for Boston what Martin Scorsese is for New York? Anyway, I loved this movie. It's well-paced, suspenseful, well-acted, and an overall solid film. I watch Gossip Girl and I don't like Blake Lively's character on the show, but she's wonderful in this movie. Her performance is so refreshing. Rebecca Hall is solid as usual. I have a soft spot for her because I've seen her give a fabulous performance onstage. Jeremy Renner is pitch-perfect as Affleck's angry, unpredictable best friend. I definitely recommend the film.

Never Let Me Go
I have to begin by saying that this is based on one of my favorite books. If you enjoyed the book, you'll love the movie. I did; it's a very loyal adaptation (loyal to both the story and the tone). Of course it's depressing, and it made me cry like I haven't cried during a movie in quite some time, but I expected that and relished in it. It's beautifully made and beautifully acted. Carey Mulligan (whom I believe should have won the Oscar last year for An Education), will hopefully be nominated for an Oscar again this year. She's charming and heartbreaking. Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield are also stellar. Kazuo Ishiguro is one of my three favorite authors (and you can imagine that's not easy for me to say because I read a lot), and it was great to see another wonderful adaptation of one of his books. If you haven't, go read The Remains of the Day (it won the Man Booker Prize) and then watch the movie (it was nominated for eight Oscars). And then go read and watch Never Let Me Go.

"Well, 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. Yeah, when you open up your wings to speak, I wish you'd let me in." ~counting crows

I survived the first full week of school!

Just look at what I got. I'll be busy for the next few days reading the last two books. It won't take me more than a few days. These are too good to stop reading.

Recently I talked about going back and listening to my bootlegs of the Bruce Springsteen final Giants Stadium concerts. I love going back and listening to recordings of shows that I attended; it's really special knowing that you were there. My favorite live act is Counting Crows. I can't listen to their studio albums anymore; I have to listen to bootlegs. I was at one show where "Goodnight Elisabeth" was over 17 minutes long (I think it was a record for that song). "Round Here," "Rain King," and "A Murder of One" rarely clock in under 10 minutes. They're always epic. Each time you hear CC perform one of their songs live, it's different from any other time they've played it. I can't even tell you what an experience their concerts are. For the past week I've been stuck on their most recent Central Park show. It might just be my favorite concert ever. Actually, it was a Saturday Night Rebel Rockers Traveling Circus and Medicine Show concert. They were made up of Counting Crows, Augustana, and Michael Franti & Spearhead. And the lovely actress Emmy Rossum. So here are some videos I recorded at that show:

"Rain King" (an absolutely brilliant version, which unfortunately got cut off around 10 minutes because I ran out of space. But seriously, you have to watch this, it's just too good for words):

And my favorite CC song, the song that inspired my tattoo, "A Murder of One:"

"We beg rebirth to take us up, parade our souls out by the back gate. Some claw the ground, some cut the air, some warm the seas, but what will you be and when?" ~freelance whales

Oh my goodness. Covert Affairs, Covert Affairs, Covert Affairs. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. You have a strong, intelligent female protagonist who is incredibly layered and likable, largely due to the talents of Piper Perabo. I've seen most of her work; I've seen her onstage, I've seen her movies, and trust me, Perabo is at her very best in this series. Her character Annie is a witty, vulnerable, confused, determined, stylish, physically strong CIA agent whom viewers can't help but love. You have a fabulous cast of supporting characters, the best one being Auggie, played by Christopher Gorham (probably best known for Ugly Betty). He's funny and charming and sweet and conflicted and he and Annie have amazing banter. You have Peter Gallagher. (Need I say more? I'm in love with Peter Gallagher.) And Sendhil Ramamurthy (Heroes). You have action and comedy and heart and you make people think. You're definitely the best show of the summer and I cannot wait until you return for a second season.

The finale? Wow. First of all, Anna Chlumsky played a big part, and I love her. To me, she will always be Vada Sultenfuss, the heart of My Girl. Oh, how i love that movie. I need to go rewatch it. I cry every time. In Covert Affairs I recognized her easily even though she's grown up now, but what surprised me was her voice; her voice sounds different to me. What else to say about the finale without spoiling anything? It made me sad. Really sad.

Chuck returns in five days! Season four premieres Monday, September 20th, 8:00pm(est) on NBC. Seasons one through three are all out on DVD so you can catch up if you need to! NBC finally aired a promo (don't even get me started on how crappy NBC is for not promoting this show). This season will be awesome, trust me.