2001-07-11
movies, baltimore, lying, posted at 12:53 p.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com ************************ Last night, Dave and I saw "crazy/beautiful". Excellent film. The reviews were generally quite good, but they didn't prepare me for how much I would like this film. The cinematography (lots of soft light), the direction (quick cuts, framing the actors very well), and the acting (Dunst and Hernandez were excellent - Dunst keeps getting better and better, and Hernandez is a future star) were all excellent, and this made the film easily bust out of its teen romance confines. Perhaps I'm overrating it a bit after the summer of crummy "Tomb Raider"/"Pearl Harbor" type films, but this was a damn good movie. It also made me realize just how much I miss teaching. There were a number of shots in a high school, and it made me very excited about the first day of school. I'm ready. I wish it were September 4 already. Why the movie impressed me so much is that the kids were so authentic - it really made me think about being back in front of a classroom, and thinking about all the other things that kids are dealing with as I'm trying to teach them about Edgar Allan Poe. ************************* I lied to my parents about Baltimore. I told them that I was strongly considering moving there and accepting the job offer, but that I had not yet. I had every intention of telling them, but it just didn't happen. I made the split second decision that it would be better to prepare them a bit more for it, to tell them I was thinking very seriously of it but had not made a decision yet. I feel bad about lying, but I'll tell them by the end of the week. I'm such a chicken shit. ************************* Yesterday, I played True Colors with the rest of the senior staff. It's a game of perception, in which the players in the game vote for whom is most likely to participate in the question that is posed. I'm basically a pretty private person until I get to know people, so it's interesting to me what others who don't know me that well perceive of me. I was voted most likely to do something completely out of character if I could remain completely anonymous (this is definitely accurate), most likely to completely engage in the sexual revolution if we were to travel back in time to the 1960's (hmmm... they apparently think I'm a horndog just constrained by the era in which I live. Cool.), and most likely to go to a swanky restaurant and smother my filet mignon with ketchup (whatever... I'm a vegetarian, so no filet mignon for me. But I have been known to put weird stuff on my food, so I guess I can't fault them too much for this). Fun stuff. ****************************** I just got back from lunch with my grandparents at Harrison Road House , where I got a garden burger. I told my grandparents the news about Baltimore, but told them the "seriously thinking" story rather than the actual truth that I had signed the contract (couldn't tell them and my parents different things, because they'd compare stories). The whole time I'm talking with them, I'm wondering why I didn't spend more time looking at Florida schools, so I could be closer to them. Tampa seems like a cool city. But they seemed very happy for me, and said that it was one more place for them to visit. Grandma says she's very proud of me. I enjoy spending time with them so much. When I'm living in Baltimore, I must make it a point to fly out and see them as often as possible. Who knows, I might hate Baltimore and move near them next year. At least as a teacher, I'll have time to travel. And Baltimore's nice salary scale will give me the resources necessary to do it. At least I hope so. **************************** I have not yet heard back from my roommate-to-be Jason regarding my e-mail that Baltimore is the place. I hope he's okay with it, although his constant "I don't care where we go" comments preclude most of my concern about his feelings about it. He's so laid back, and I honestly don't think he cares at all. I just hope he finds a job now. The guy at Baltimore told me that Social Studies teachers aren't really needed in the district. If only he had finished out his math minor... he only had one more class before he got sick of it. Maybe he can get a wrestling coaching position somewhere and work himself into a school that way. He's an excellent teacher, so I hope so. ****************************** By the way, Gale started a diary last year and I just found out about it. So if you want a little perspective on someone I'm talking about often on here, go read it. She says she may be starting it up again. I hope so, because since I'm moving, I think it's an excellent way to keep in touch with friends who live far away. I just wish Kelly , Tiffany , Nick , and Kibibi would update more often than they do. (Sorry guys, had to call you on it :) )