Modern Love

So a couple of nights ago, instead of grading papers or cleaning the kitchen, I went to the movies.  Ever since I read in The Week that the *average* rating of Drive was four stars, I had wanted to see it — even though I enjoy cars less than probably anyone else I know.

It was just as fantastic as everyone says it is: gripping and understated at the same time.  I don’t want to go into a lot of detail (I’m certainly not a qualified film critic) but I think what got under my skin the most, and has stayed with me in the days since, was the depiction of the two main characters, who fall in love during the course of the film.

(Possible spoilers ahead, depending on your pickiness; continue at your own risk.)

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Every Day I Read the Book

Not every day, but just about -- and I start to feel antsy if I don't.  Here are some recent decents:

• The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy.  After I blasted The Road, my friend Matt convinced me to give this one a try.  I have to say that although it starts slowly, his style is very compelling and can explode into high-mindedness even in the midst of the most ordinary and banal life experiences.  Almost finished.


• The Awakening by Kate Chopin.  I just finished this one, after one of my students wrote a term paper about it and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.  After several pretty interesting character studies, I was massively disappointed in the ending, which I had been led to believe was amazing and beautiful.  It wasn't.  Plus, although she may have been the first to write the Bored Housewife Finds Love Elsewhere narrative, I'd already heard it enough before.


• Farm City by Novella Carpenter.  Heartwarming and inspiring narrative about a writer named Novella (I couldn't make that up) who raises bees, chickens and even pigs in urban Oakland.  And of course she has a huge garden, too.  Her personality irked me after awhile (a little too Julie and not enough Julia) but it was a pretty amazing story.


• Food Rules by Michael Pollan.  As someone with absolutely no food rules (I don't even fast very well) I figured I could use some discipline.  There are some great ones in there (don't fill your stomach where you fill your gas tank), although following all 64 would probably make you crazy.  What about one per week?  Sounds like an interesting project.


• A Separate Peace by John Knowles.  Also a student project that interested me enough to read on my own.  Barely started, but it seems a little slow.

Via The Week, I read on LiveScience last week that the more books a child has in his house growing up, the longer he will stay in school.  This assumes, of course, that the books are read and used, but I think one generally follows the other.

For instance, a child born into a family that had only 1 book but was otherwise average in parents' education, father's occupation, GDP, and similar variables, would expect to get 9.4 years of education themselves. Another person from an otherwise identical family with 500 books would expect to get 12.6 years of education (a senior in high school has 12 years of education), the results showed.

For years, educators have thought the strongest predictor of attaining high levels of education was having parents who were highly educated. But according to the findings, a good-sized book library is just as good as university-educated parents in terms of increasing education level.

And of course, if they're organized like mine, they can be part of your decor, too.

Avoiding the Challenges

The Week is such a great magazine that I even enjoy reading the obituaries.  In fact, many times I am saddened to realize I never knew of or appreciated the scientists, artists and politicians memorialized there before having read their obituaries.

One such example was last week's issue, which spoke about Art Linkletter.  Apparently, I unknowingly stole borrowed the title of his book to use for one of my most popular tags, The Darndest Things (Three recent examples.)  Linkletter had a television show in which he interviewed children so that others could be amused by their hilarity and unconscious wisdom.

Here's what I found interesting: how do you think Linkletter found kids that would consistently say interesting and funny things?  Easy.  He wrote to teachers and said, "Give me a few hours with the child you would most like to have out of your classroom."

This is at once funny and sobering.  Oh, I hate thinking that I might be the teacher who doesn't appreciate creativity unless it falls within prescribed parameters.  But I'm sure I would have willingly booted out some future TV stars if given the chance.

Proof!

That intelligent people still exist!  From The Week, which I love more with each issue:

Recently, a University of Wisconsin anthropologist concluded that the human brain has shrunk a full 10 percent over the last 5,000 years. We asked you for more proof that our brains are getting smaller and you weighed in with:

FIRST PRIZE: Two words: Reality TV.
Frank Letchworth, Knoxville, TN (and others)

SECOND PRIZE: The 90 percent re-election rate for Congress.
Cathy Curtis, Finksburg, MD

THIRD PRIZE: Bottled Water.
Ellen Wong, Pasadena, CA

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Spellcheck.
Joanne Nigg, Elkton, MD

Black Friday.
Mark Kellerman, Hays, KN

Hardly anyone can make a decent flint arrowhead anymore.
Chuck Gaston, Lancaster, PA

The return of ‘80s fashions.
Jaime Davis, Minneapolis

Reading weekly magazines that simplify and condense full news articles.
PJ Wells, Canton, OH

Huh?
Mary Hogan, New York City

Cn u repeat the kwestun?
Michael Ullmann, Princeto

A Humble Hallelujah

I've written before about The Week and how much I love it.  Last week's issue, again, made me think about something I probably never would have known existed, had I not read this issue: the downfall of Detroit.  People are literally fleeing this city as quickly as possible, leaving huge areas deserted and open to crime and the elements.

You really need to read the entire article, but this quote hit me the hardest:

The public school system is so bad it’s now under emergency control of the state. “I am extraordinarily concerned about the poor quality of education the children of Detroit are receiving,” says U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “I lose sleep over that one.”

These poor children.  And here I am, complaining about an annoying teacher.  At least I have a teacher to complain about.  And textbooks to . . . skim.  And assignments to put off.  I should be starting off every day with a Hallelujah!