Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Dublin - Book Discussion - Sep 07

Kafka on the Shore (海辺のカフカ, Umibe no Kafuka) [wikipedia] by Haruki Murakami is the book for tonight.

I must remember to talk to Dennis about A Mighty Wind and Eugene Levy's incredible performance and to ask about the CD.

(written 9/10/2007; future-posted to 9/12/2007)

Monday, September 10, 2007

PCPL - Book Discussion - Sep 07

PCPL is starting up Book Discussion tonight after the summer break and the book is The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. I've only read a dozen pages of this 650+ page tome (ha ha!)since I didn't get it until last week. I'll go to the dicussion, and I'll read the book, but I won't be able to talk about it until next month. I've also got to finish the book for the Dublin Book Discussion on Wednesday.

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Meet the Teacher

Through the traffic to the daughter's school to meet her third grade teacher. It would be so nice if the school had central air conditioning. It would also be great if the school didn't try and raise money by selling nuritionally void Market Day products. It's ironic when she brings home papers about the Food Pyramid and Market Day flyers for pre-processed food items.

(written 9/10/2007; back-dated to 9/6/2007)

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Films about teachers

Turner Classic Movies ran Mr. Holland's Opus [imdb] at 8 in the evening. The wife and I watched this after putting the daughter to bed. I was certain I'd seen this before and I kept looking for Madeline Zima to make an appearence. It turns out that neither of us had seen this film, and I was thinking of The Sandy Bottom Ochestra [imdb] which which has Zima in it. It came out in 2000 and was a TV movie. Mr. Holland was from 1995. The film is excellent and the soundtrack (like Forest Gump, there are two albums out) is a wonderful mix of classical and contemporary music from the 1960s (and before) up to the then current 1995. Now I want to see Sandy Bottom Ochestra again. By a strange turn of events, Glenne Headly [imdb] has leading parts both films. As for Zima, in Sandy Bottom Ochestra she played a character named "Rachel Green". Friends [imdb] had been on for 6 years when this was made.

The next film up was To Sir, with Love [imdb] whichI've seen parts of several times, but never all at one sitting. The cinematography in the museum visit was very well done. Sidney Poitier's acting style is amazing. He was 40 the year that film was made. I was just born. He directed Stir Crazy [imdb]? I didn't know that. It seems that 1967 was a busy year for him with To Sir, In the Heat of the Night [imdb] and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner [imdb].

We went to sleep then, not watching Goodbye, Mr. Chips and Dead Poets Society.

(written 9/6/2007; back-dated to 9/5/2007)