So, recently the A.V. Club posted the latest in its series on the bestselling movie of each year, and they were featuring 1985's Back to the Future. I've been hosting a little parlor game in my head lately, revisiting '80s movies and how they stand up the modern more (obviously Revenge of the Nerds is well-nigh unwatchable now), and had a few ( Read more... )

 Had the greatest exchange a week ago with one of my kids, Z. He first joined my 7-10 class last year and was a little too excited. He interrupted me constantly, was always challenging me, and I had to put him in his place a few times (politely but firmly). He was with me all last year and was in the middle of the pack, as far as ability ( Read more... )

So they have been showing the movie Flashdance once or twice over the past month on cable (I love the serendipity of cable) and I've had a chance to rewatch it. Full disclosure: I loved the shit out of that movie when it came out. I saw it many times in the theater, bought the soundtrack, was obsessed with it. I used to put the record on in Mom's ( Read more... )

So I had kind of a difficult train ride home from my classes in Lower Manhattan this morning. I boarded the 2 train on Chambers Street and immediately noticed a dude hanging out between the cars, which is obviously very dangerous and not allowed. Once the train started moving he opened the doors and came into the cars, and he was HUGE. A very, very ( Read more... )

The other day I was walking along 91st Street toward Fifth Avenue, and got caught behind a group of three semi-elderly people. They were pointing out the building at the corner of 91st and Fifth, the one that houses the Cooper Hewitt Museum. One of them commented on how beautiful it was and another replied "Yes, Frank Lloyd Wright designed it, that ( Read more... )

 With the recent news about the college admissions bribery scandal, I have a couple of thoughts:

Some of those schools are truly WTF. You're going to break the law and risk prison and your reputation for...Wake Forest? USC? Seriously? Go big or go home, people.

The main reaction I'm having to this is how innocent my Mom and I were back in the '80s ( Read more... )

 Inspired by Elizabeth's post...

Monday, I was walking from a class on the UWS to my evening job in Midtown. I was waiting to cross Columbus Avenue at that triangle just uptown of Lincoln Center. I was JUST about to dart across when the light turned red--as I stopped, I saw an elderly woman across the street go down HARD on the sidewalk. I was ( Read more... )

 My mother's younger sister, my godmother Jenny, is very ill--breast cancer. She's been fighting it for awhile--this isn't the first time--but my Uncle Jon thinks this is it. My mom's flying out there right after Christmas ( Read more... )

 I am so effing stressed about Election Day. I had to leave one of my classes early today because I nearly passed out, I felt so nauseated.

prayingprayingpraying

I will be carrying my Anglican rosary in my pockets all day tomorrow (today, really). And doing a LOT of drinking once I get home.

...there's something strange about this timeline, specifically Stacy's pregnancy. Stacy and Mark have their one date in late December (when he leaves the house and looks back, the house is covered with Christmas decorations). A week or so later (Damone says "you fall on the horse, you gotta get back on," or something like that referencing their ( Read more... )