2002-02-27
Pre-observation, grammies, posted at 6:55 a.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com Today is my pre-observation meeting. I'm stressed about it.For some reason, my observation is falling at a time when I'm feeling pretty clueless in the classroom. I feel ungrounded when I do not have a novel to focus upon, and right now we're in between novels. This is a heavy writing instruction week, and writing instruction has never been my strong suit as compared with literature instruction. I can come up with awesome writing assignments, but it's tough for me to really teach the nitty-gritty of writing.
I'm getting much better at it, though. I'm doing it step by step this year, and the writing results and students' attitudes make me believe it's paying off so far. But, as of right now, I have only about one-third of my ninety-minute class period planned. My pre-observation meeting is this afternoon, and I need to have a definite plan by then.
Ack.
A few quick notes:
Last night's 24 was the weakest of the season. What a letdown. It was still pretty good, but when you come to expect excellence, even "pretty good" is a letdown.
I didn't go an get the new Alanis Morissette album last night because I was too busy. Hopefully tonight, though.
Jeremy paid someone to do his taxes for him. It cost him $150 (including a $90 hurry-up fee), but he's getting $1500 back. I'm thinking of doing the same thing now, since I have five W-2 forms and two states to worry about. Jeremy had ten W-2 forms and three states to worry about, but if someone without a regular job can get $1500 back in taxes, I figure I could get even more and it'll be worth it.
Berty called last night, and told me she didn't not want to Jeremy last week when she called. That's kind of what I figured; Josh isn't the most reliable guy in the world. Heck, how can anyone who lives with you for seven week rent-free be considered a standup guy?
That being said, a few days ago he got me a present: a tie with a picture of Dr. Seuss' Horton the Elephant on it. He told me that Horton (he's the one who sat on the bird's egg until it hatched) was always so determined and resolute, and that he reminded him of me. He wanted me to have the tie. I was touched, I must admit. I think I'm going to like him so much more when he's not living with me.
I got both a really nice e-mail and a diary mention from Hugasoul today. It made me happy. Your welcome, Hugasoul, and sorry it came so late.
Today was the first day I skipped since joining the gym on President's Day. I may go in the afternoon, though. Workouts have been going excellently; I just had too much to do this morning.
Tonight are the Grammies. Here are my picks:
Best Album - It should be O Brother Where Art Thou?. This album was phenomenal, and opened up a whole new genre of music to people. india.arie's album is strong, but a bit erratic; U2 has done better work in the past, and so has Bob Dylan. Who's the fifth? I forget.
Best Record - No question about it, this should be "Falling" by Alicia Keys. No other song this year was as dazzlingly jaw-dropping as this one - meshing Chopin, old-school R&B, and a hip-hop sheen to it, the song was absolutely brilliant. Period. india.arie's "Video" is also damn good (as is "Walk On" by U2), but nothing matches Keys in this category.
Best Song - Here, I'm going to go with india.arie. Any artist who can make her own name part of a catchy chorus deserves something.
Best New Artist - Who is most likely to be relevant in 20 years? This is a strong category; I can see all nominees (David Gray, Alicia Keys, india.arie, David Gray) still being relevant in 20 years (all except for Linkin Park). But Keys, I think, is the most innovative and talented at this point.
Best Rock Album - Am I the only one non-plussed by the new U2 album? I thought "Elevation" was their best song in years, but otherwise I haven't been impressed. My vote goes to Ryan Adams for Gold, which contains the elegaic "New York" - a song that makes me both smile and tear up.
Best Pop Vocal Album - Here we've got Janet Jackson's best album since Rhythm Nation, Elton John's best album since 1970, N Sync's best album ever, and strong efforts from Nelly Furtado and Sade. Furtado probably deserves to win, for meshing so many styles and being so refreshingly eclectic. But N Sync's song "Pop" was the most irrestible mainstream radio hit in years - a brilliant song recalling Michael Jackson's Thriller. Elton John's new songs are moving and showcase his incredible voice well (hopefully he'll win with "I Want Love," which is an incredible song, in the individual song category). Sade didn't break any ground, but her music was still beautiful. I just don't know.