31 @ MindSay 
may
Okay, today was a good day, THANK THE LORD. Claudia called in, and they couldn’t get a sub. I was nervous because I felt obligated to pull ENC because Eileen was passive-aggressive earlier this week and told Kate about how sometimes I can’t take her. I also REALLY wanted E to take his Science test today and tomorrow so he’d be DONE with testing for the year.
Started out real nervous when at about 9:45 (after a long game of chess, and a lot of ‘You gonna fight a Queen?!?!!’ that cracked me up because I’m thinking New York Queens, not chess pieces), we mentioned the option of taking it now, and he said, “I’m not taking a Science test!”. But then he asked if it was an MCAS (Mass State) test, and when we said yes, he was more ready to do it (would have thought OUR Science test would have been preferable to a big, scary, state one, but I said nothing and pulled it out). I took A to work on some reading and math, and Parker and he took day 1 without incident. Had to buy the kid pizza as part of the arrangement, but completely worth it. I HATE STANDARDIZED TESTS. GOOD LORD. I HATE THEM. THEY TELL YOU NOTHING ABOUT A STUDENT. I wish I could burn them all.
After lunch, we just basically had a free day. I had an AMAZING throw at recess (and by that I mean, my hand didn’t let go of the tennis ball and I just kinda threw it into the ground, which Parker took great enjoyment in mimicking). We did reading, A had Roxy as a reading buddy, and then when Jerry came in, they worked on the bridge and A and I went to the good computer lab and since the internet was broken again, we played with Type to Learn, which he LOVED. That’s awesome.
After 2nd recess, we sat around and made cards/signs/things for D, because tomorrow E is going to visit him at the hospital. He’s so excited to see him. I talked to his mom after school, and there is a CHANCE he will be at BSE next year with D. That would be interesting. Not sure GOOD interesting, ESPECIALLY if the class would be just the 2 of them. They NEED social interaction with others, they NEED people/peers to frustrate them and challenge their ‘progress’ so they can actually MAKE progress. I love the 2 of them together, but they definitely can’t exist in their own world.
I just wanna put out there that I LOVE working with little kids. I have the greatest profession in the world. I am reminded of this constantly. I say ‘little’, and I like the really young ones, but I love the older-elementary crowd, too. I’m so lucky to interact with them every day. I think my favorite moment of the day was at lunch. I was called to the back by a crowd of 6th graders to settle some dispute that I couldn’t follow. I turn around, and my little buddy, Austin, is eating his applesauce calmly. He got some on his lip. Instead of reaching to the pile of napkins right next to his tray, he pulls his knee up, and wipes it on his pants. And he was so earnest about it when I pointed out the better option he had. They delight me to no end. Then I went to go sit with A and he was at a table with Renna and Juliet and some other 5th grade ladies, and I got to watch Renna ‘drink’ her chocolate milk. By ‘drink’, I mean she shakes it up, and then eats the bubbles off the top, shaking it more, and then spooning out more bubbles. I miss being young enough that I can do those things and not get looked at.
A-isms of today:
"We're Not Playing Star Wars Battleship!!!!"
"I don't have a can opener!!!!" - said to absolutely no one for no particular reason at all.
Well it has been a while. Of course I started hub bub before I got busy. What's new. Thank you to all those that realized what I was getting at with my clarification post and to jakerad for coming and clarifying also. Only one person was to thick to get what I was getting at, but that is okay. There has to be someone who is "stupider" then me:D
Anyways my Dirty Thirty One bday came and went pretty uneventful. Things were planned to go one way so we celebrated a bit early. No cake and ice cream though. that is a mom thing that gets planned and of course hubby's don't think of shit like that. Randy got me a 8 gig Zune and the kids got me the car adaptor, soft sqishy ear phones for my dinky lil ears, and a carrying case. I also got a lot of email cards, a few myspace comments, and one phone call:D
Been busy with TKD, things for the kids' school, getting things done aroudn the house, the kids' first communion (they are soooooo happy they won't have to go to Mass every sunday now-only 1 sunday a month like I do with Granny)
I got a couple new books that got added to my too read collection. Randy jsut shakes his head. Been busy rummage saleing and stocking up on kids' clothes and some for me. I am in between sizes on my clothing. All my clothes are getting to big for me. I am still NOT loosing any weight but LOTS of inches. I have been a bad diabetic forgetting my meds on some days, not taking my sugars, but my eating habits and work out habits are good to go:D Randy doesn't really get after me but he is wonderin ig my weight loss isn't steaming from the extra tummy skin now. I have no clue.
I got my lawn mower. Yay. Now I just need to get my tiller, weed eater, and clean out the barn for my bucket calves. We still haven't done that. Randy says I am a procrstanator, you should see him on any projects I want done! But he can't get out of spring cleaning:D I have started! And he has to help move furnature and fix various things before he hits the road again!
Hope all has been well with everyone. And if I find some time I will read back posts!:D
Not available yet on IMDB.com:
The Hip Hop Project – See what I previously said about this rap documentary.
The Cream of the Crop:
Cléo de 5 à 7 (1961) – This was by far the very best movie I saw this month. I saw a lot more terrible flicks this month; thank goodness I was introduced to Cleo. Basically there is this one scene where Cleo tries on all the hats in the hat shop. “Chapeux” = hat. It was so cute to hear them talk about hats. Basically, it’s about a woman who is convinced she is going to die of cancer and is melodramatic throughout the whole movie… from 5 to 7 PM, wherein we glimpse two hours of her life. Cleo is a “singer” and this movie is almost a musical, because there are songs popping out from every corner. However, the songs fit extremely well with the story, and at just one minute under an hour and a half, the film is tight, entertaining, and enjoyable, even though we are scared at every moment for Cleo’s life.
In Her Shoes (2005) One of the top movies of 2005 – per my list. I really liked it.
The Natalie Wood movies:
Inside Daisy Clover (1965) Can anyone say hot? Yes, Robert Redford is in this and is one hot man in this. Natalie Wood falls for him just like anyone would… and madness ensues. This movie is actually about a girl who wants to be a star, but isn’t happy with the end result. I am not giving anything away though, as she is pretty much not happy with anything from the beginning. It’s pretty entertaining to watch, has a few musical numbers, and Natalie’s character “Daisy Clover” gives interesting autographs.
The Star (1952) I didn’t even realize Natalie Wood was the girl who played Bette Davis’ daughter. I love Bette and she was great in this over-the-top picture in which she plays an actress who refuses to believe her career is over.
Claude Chabrol:
Inspecteur Lavardin (1986) I love Claude Chabrol and this film is no exception. A murder mystery with a victim that we might be able to sympathize with. It is much better than…
Poulet au vinaigre (1985) AKA Cop au Vin (1984) the prequel I guess, in which Inspecteur Lavardin gets his shaky start. We also sympathize with the “boy” who is “forced” to take extreme measures, but still, not the greatest movie I’ve ever seen.
Cri du hibou, Le (1987) / Cry of the Owl I liked this movie, mainly because it was so creepy. It’s about a “prowler” who ends up being too involved with the people he takes an interest in. Creepy, sordid, and unrealistic, which makes it all the more interesting.
Enfer, L' (1994) Emmanuelle Beart was in two movies called L’Enfer. This was the first. It’s about a man who is obsessed with the fact that his wife might be having an affair. Not the best movie (6/10), however the ending is interesting.
Other:
39 Steps (second viewing)
America, America (1963) Great film from Greek director: Elia Kazan.
Boys Don't Cry (1999) I finished watching this, thinking it was so great Chad Lowe was attracted to Hilary Swank and was able to be married to her, even after her convincing portrayal of a woman who really wanted to be a man. One or two days later they announced their separation. C’est la vie? Speaking of the French, I saw :
Classe tous risques (1960) An early Jean-Paul Belmondo film. Suspense. Released the same year as Breathless. Not bad. JP Belmondo = hot!
Fin août, début septembre (1998) This was a very interesting ensemble piece. I’d recommend.
Jeanne la Pucelle I - Les batailles (1994) / Joan the Maid: The Prisons - Disc 1 I saw the second part of Sandrine Bonnaire’s Joan of Arc first. Finally, I got a chance to see the first part of the movie (two disc set). Forget Renee Maria Falconetti, Jean Seberg, Milla Jovovich, and Lee Lee Sobieski. Sandrine Bonnaire outdoes them all, even though she is not the most popular choice…
Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux (1962) Which brings me to Godard’s My Live to Live, which sampled Renee Maria Falconetti’s version of Joan of Arc that brought tears to the main character’s face played by Anna Karina. This was a very good film about a woman who wanted to get into “pictures” but instead chose a very different path – or maybe not so different if you think about it. Worth watching.
Another Sky (1954) A story of a woman in Morocco. I gave it 5/10. The person who introduced this film went on about how there are only two prints of this film in the world, but then something odd happened. Half-way through the film the “print” (which I assumed was actual film) went psycho-digital on us… messed up like a digital film. Within a minute it rewound to the previous scene, but the sound was gone. So for the rest of the film I could barely understand a word that was said. Directed by the same writer as Inside Daisy Clover (1965), which was much better by the way!
Fille seule, La (1995) Not a bad film with Virginie Ledoyen. The reason I liked her so much is because she tends to be in lots of movies with my favorite actors. I’m not sure that she is good enough to be the only star in a movie, but still this film wasn’t bad. It was a little slow and the director focused more on her “work” than her relationship with her boyfriend. But other than that…
Heights (2004) This film was very interesting. Maybe the focus was different than I thought. Glenn Close isn’t my favorite, but she turned in a great performance. And the story about the mother, daughter, upcoming wedding, and the fiance’s secrets… maybe I’ve said too much. A great New York Story.
Ma mère (2004) A great Isabelle Huppert film. Okay, so it’s only good. Very interesting, but not for the faint of heart. It’s extremely racy and has some very weird moments between mother & son. I am warning you now…
Man Hunt (Fritz Lang) Pretty Good.
Mouchette (1967) Sad, depressing, 80 minutes long. When I walked out of the theater, a lady said “Those French movies are so long.” It’s all about perspective. I found it to be very good, but then I’m a freak like that.
Sophie Scholl - Die letzten Tage (2005) Everyone is raving about this film. Julia Jentsch is apparently “the” new German actress now that Franka Potente is out of the picture. Ms. Jentsch has been in a couple acclaimed films: Untergang, Der & Fetten Jahre sind vorbei, Die, however don’t let that fool you. While she turned in a very good performance, I was not very impressed.
The Wedding/Romantic Movies (which all were pretty bad, BTW):
Must Love Dogs (2005) Argh, I wanted to love it. I really wanted to.
The Wedding Date (2005) Debra Messing plays a thirty-something unmarried girl who likes to get drunk and shag a lot. Please! This seemed like a 20-something movie… do people in their thirties act this immature?
Double Wedding (1937) w/ Myrna Loy & William Powell. They were great in The Thin Man but they seem to have lost their chemistry here.
June Bride (1948) w/ Bette Davis – Not Bette at her best. See The Star.
Green Card (1990) This actually wasn’t bad. But this was my second attempt at viewing it after not being able to finish it the first time. It was a little slow and idiotic. Gerard Depardieu makes it all worthwhile. Andie MacDowell isn’t bad either.
After seeing these movies, I never want to see another romantic comedy again!
Terrible films I suggest you stay away from:
Jeanne et le garçon formidable (1998) A terrible musical in French. Um, yuck.
Lulu on the Bridge (1998) The plot was very interesting and the actors: Harvey Keitel & Mira Sorvino aren’t except amateurs, yet that is how the movie came across.
Heartburn (1986) Maybe you’ll like this if you’re a Nora Ephron fan. It is actually interesting to know she based this on her marriage. However, if you have trouble sitting through a Carly Simon soundtrack and a couple whose difficulties you’d rather not witness, toss this one out … it is not a winner, even though you’d expect it to be considering Jack Nicholson & Meryl Streep are in it (“Blockbuster” recommended it to me, based on my “tastes”. They were a little off. No wonder I’d never heard of this one before).
Caterina va in città (2003) I had originally wanted to see Caterina in the Big City in the theater, because it appealed to me. It’s set in Rome and it’s about a girl who wants to get the most out of life she can. Oh, but it was so poorly made. It ran like they were trying to appeal to the Mary Kate/Ashley Olsen audience. I thought that maybe it would have tried to be something spectacular.
Cactus (1986) I only saw this, because Isabelle Huppert (my favorite French actress). This was truly one of her worst movies and I don’t recommend it.
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