Cocoon of Chaos

At the movies: Girl Rising

 

I think I've made it rather known in this blog of mine that education is my purpose in life. Nothing excites me more, pushes me more, challenges me daily, and inspires me to be a better human being everyday...for myself and hopefully to inspire some of my students to do the same. But not every child gets this chance, especially girls. One of my lovely friends sent me an invite to the movie, Girl Rising, and although it was weeks ago, this movie is still sitting with me. The movie was done in a way that was chokingly beautiful; each girl told her own story, but through a writer of their country. So, not only was the plight of these girls illustrated, but it was weaved with imagery, similies, and metaphors that plucked my heart strings. I was a hot mess on the drive home, let me tell you. 

This movie has teamed with Gathr films, an organization that pairs with individuals and theathres to screen movies that otherwise may go unseen. It really remarkable, check it out here: Gathr. And if you can, go see this movie, it is well worth it. The girls and I are brainstorming some ways we can help in some small way.

"A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." ~Margaret Mead

 

Listening, Reading, Watching...

 

Watching: Makers on PBS...wow, what a documentary. They left no stone unturned from the suffragists to women of my generation trying to navigate new ground. AMAZING.

Reading: Just finished "A Hologram for the King" by Dave Eggers and I'm still digesting it. It was a social commentary on where we are now and the ramifications of our society on many levels. It was not one of my favorites, but I do love a book that makes me think. 

We picked up Lane Smith's "Abe Lincoln's Dream" at the library and loved it. This may be in an Easter basket this year.

 

Listening to the uberly talented Justin Timberlake. Did you see him on Saturday Night Live last night?! Wowzers. 

 

 

Listening, Reading, Watching...

 

Listening: Alexi Murdoch...All My Days is my favorite. Yes, it was the song on the Samsung commercials during the Oscars. I rediscovered it while watching Away We Go the other weekend, remembered how much I loved it, and felt like a deep dark secret was being exposed when I heard it on the commercial. Regardless, it is a beautiful song.

 

Just listen to this song, listen to every word. I'm feeling very on top of things right now, I suppose. In my 20s I dreamed my 30s would be a bit easier; I'm not sure they are any easier, but I am sure of who I am, what I believe, and what I want out of life. That, my friends, is a wonderful feeling.

Reading: Just finished Tina Fey's Bossypants (hilarious!) and Matthew Quick's Silver Linings Playbook...thanks to vacation! Both really great reads. The latter was surprisingly good, it was a last minute pick up at the airport. After watching the Oscars, I know the movie is very different than the book, but I do believe with all the hype, it might be worth watching.

 

Seriously, since the season finale of Downton Abbey, I've found nothing that has grabbed my attention. Despite the wasted minutes scanning through Hulu and Netflix, I'm just not finding anything that is really worth blogging about. That is, until I found this little clip from the Jimmy Fallon Show. I love Michelle Obama so very much for many reasons...

Do tell, what are listening to, reading, and watching?  

 

 

Listening, Reading, Watching...

I have not done one of these posts in a while and seeing that my house is empty and I'm parked on the couch, thanks to a nasty cold, I can't think of a better thing to do!

 

Listening: Santa left me The Lumineers CD in my stocking and I listen to it every single day. I love, love, love this album. A bit country, a bit folk, a bit of everything. The lyrics to all their songs are gritty, honest, and beautiful.

Reading: I"m immersed in Young Adult fiction right now, ticking off the Massachusetts Book Award List, created by a professor at my undergraduate Alma mater. So far, I've read:

    Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine: a book about a girl living with     Asperger's trying to make sense of tragedy. Beyond moving book. I highly     recommend it, although, I do believe it is for 4th graders and above.

    One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia: the story of 3 sisters sent to     live with their mother who left them across the country in a totally     different environment. A bit history, a whole lot of character study, and a     beautiful tale about the power of familial love.

    Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus: true story of a young Japanese boy     rescued from a deserted island and later adopted by an American whaling     captain. He is brought to America, educated as a navigator, and returns     home to Japan with hopes to mend the relations between Japan and the U.S.     during his lifetime. Beautiful illustrations from the real artist are     strewn throughout this book. A great, great historical read of adventure,     assimilation, love, and identity.

    

The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone: I'm not done with this one yet, but it is a great book about two children who find a magic key that shrinks them and allows them to explore the infamous Thorne Miniature Rooms at The Art Institute of Chicago. I can't put it down. I do believe it would be a great cross-curricular read between history, art, and literature. I'm doing this book with a small group of students and I'm so excited to share this gem of a novel with them!

 

Watching: Downton Abbey, Season 3. Need I say more? If you haven't seen this show, watch it. I am a bit biased as I love this time period and have been writing a doctoral dissertation in my head on the momentous changes this time had on women,but I digress (I guess I should finish grad school first, right, before I think about a doctorate?!). Whether you know anything about this time period or not, jump on the Downton bandwagon, I promise you, you will not regret it. The best television made in a very, very long time.

Listening, Reading, Watching...

  

Listening: Chemical Reaction by Sucre. There is something so whimsical and lovely about this song...thanks to the ladies at A Beautiful Mess for the introduction.

Reading: I'm immersed in books that are rather boring in preparing for my new position but some favorites in this house is Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis, Peril at King's Creek (hoping to try Nancy Drew after this with Ava, she can't put this book down!), and Swine Lake (can you guess who loves this one?!)

 

Watching: Charlotte's Web, the newer version with Dakota Fanning. Now, I am a huge fan of the 1973 cartoon version, but this version has the powerful and pensive narrative of the book that the cartoon lacks. Charlotte's Web is one of my all time favorite books, really and truly. It was one of the first books I read as a child and reading it again with my kids years ago, made me love it even more. If I could, I'd write a dissertation just on this book, seriously. This  is on my Christmas list. And, a little spoiler here: Pippa wants to be Fern for Halloween...can I even tell you how much that thrills me?! Ava's idea is pretty awesome, too, but I'll save that for another post. 

Do tell, what are listening, reading, and watching. Happy weekend, friends.

Reading, Listening, Watching

Reading: I've been on a bit of a reading kick lately...lovely having the little break from grad school to read what I want to read! Re-read The Great Gatsby and so very glad I did, as it is about a million times more wonderful than the first time I read it in high school. Can't even tell you how excited I am for the movie to come out in December.

Another book I read that I really loved was The Book of Jonas, about the complexities of war and how everyone, I mean everyone, involved is effected for the rest of their lives. When I closed the book, I got chills and had a good cry, because it was just so good.

And, just yesterday I finished The Buddha in the Attic, a gem of a short novel about the Japanese picture brides in the 1930s. Again, a moving novel about a shamefully dark time in our history. The writing is poetic and I felt like I floated on each word. 

Listening: Mumford & Sons is a favorite in this house. Ava claims it makes her feel great inside her heart, Oliver sings right along, and Lillian loves the sound of the guitar. The new song is, by far, my new favorite...

 

Watching: The Democratic National Convention. To say I was moved is an understatement.

 

Michelle Obama made me cry, made me hope, and made me believe that anything is possible.

 

Deval Patrick made me proud to be a Massachusetts Democrat and my backbone did indeed grow a bit stronger after his speech.

 

and this President of ours, who made me believe and hope 4 years ago, reignited that hope. There is so much at stake in this election, issues that I feel so very strongly about, like a good education and health care for EVERY child, no matter the color of the skin or or their zip code; a woman's right to choose, no matter what the circumstance; our enormous debt to the men and women who have fought, died, and sacrificed their own lives for the safety of mine;  and the basic human right to marry whomever you want to...I can no longer just sit and not do anything anymore. So, my action starts here, in my own little cocoon. If you missed these speeches, watch them. If you're not registered to vote, register to vote. 

"We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community... Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own." Cesar Chavez

Happy weekend, friends!

Movies and Magic

 I had the pleasure of seeing two movies within 8 days...in a theatre! That, my friends, is a miracle. The first, Ruby Sparks, is a about a writer who creates his "perfect" girl on paper, who later becomes real. Sounds weird, but it was wonderful.

  

The second, I saw with my mum and the girls, The Extraordinary Life of Timothy Green.

 

As I was watching Timothy Green, it made me think. Really think. Both of these movies, though very different, shared one commonality: they both had magic. Not wave your wand kind of magic, but unexplainable life changing magic. The magic we all wish for when hope is unseen, faith is tested, and life is hard. The magic arrives and alters every perception of reality and although we know we shouldn't believe, we do. We believe the unbelievable because we need to; we need to find the hope, we need to find the love, we need to regain our faith...in ourselves and the universe. And, just when everything is next to perfect, the magic begins to slowly fade as reality creeps back slowly.  Reality always comes back, doesn't it? And then, the magic vanishes just as quickly as it came. But here's what I realized: the magic itself isn't what is so remarkable, it is the aftermath of the magic. Once we've felt that magic and then let it go, we find the magic within ourselves.

So, on this Sunday, I'm left with a heavy heart. I'm simultaneously weighed down by life and uplifted by the magical fire burning within my heart. Times are hard. Watch the evening news, read the newspaper, or listen to NPR for 5 minutes. Under all the war, crisis, cut backs, and struggle, I truly believe lies hope. Hope so fierce, it morphs into magic. Whether on the movie screen or outside my front door, there is indeed unbelievable magic...

 

Listening, Reading, Watching...

Listening to Emeli Sande, one of our new favorites in this house, especially for Saturday morning chores!

 

Finally jumping on the band wagon (okay, I have to write lesson plans for the book!) and reading The Hunger Games. Utterly, totally engrossed...

After bedtime, our time has been in front of the computer watching the NBA Eastern Conference Finals and my heart still hurts for the Celtics' loss. I've said this before, but we're pretty hard core fans in the Grant abode and we all love watching this video, even though they lost. Until you've sat in the Garden and felt the energy of the crowd, there is no explanation. There is a deep history on that court and in those walls, that can not be transfered anywhere. (And, Lillian and I have a wee bit crush on Rondo, to boot!)

 

Do tell, what are you listening to, reading when the moment arises, or watching to wash the day away? Happy Monday!