Celebrity Mash Up

So I signed up to run the Chicago marathon in October of 2011.

My goal for this second marathon is to beat my first marathon's time. Not that my first time was horrible. I finished right around the same time as Katie Holmes, and my foot hit 26.2 well before both Mario Lopez and Freddie Prinze Jr. I figure that's a win.

But Lady O kicked my A. So did funny man Ferrell, every-step-I-take Puffy, and the notorious GWB. Even Jared Fogle the Subway guy beat me.

So this year, my plan is to kick it into higher gear. At the very least, I'd like to out-pace the guy who is famous for chowing a foot-long a day. I think that's reasonable.

The four letter word

So a friend of mine--a teacher--was sitting in a meeting when he let it slip that he has noticed that many students are getting more and more lazy. Cue gasp! No, no, no, he was assured. No student is lazy. We have to discover the underlying reason why they are not performing.

In the world of education where we don't let anyone fall behind, we fire off interventions like heat-seeking missiles whose aim is to seek and destroy, and save the day (and also our schools). Implied in several interventions is the idea that the student really wants to do well, but can't due to circumstances beyond his/her control. I buy into that for some students, but that shouldn't be true for the majority of a school population.

So when do interventions help, and when do they enable? When do they legitimately aid a student, and when do they encourage, well, laziness.

If being lazy is becoming an epidemic, how do you cure it? And why has it become a four-letter-word in education?

I recently read an article about Tiger Moms. While there is a LOT to disagree with in the article, one point that really stuck out to me is the research-based idea that is important for students to grapple with a challenging task. That is how students develop self-esteem and the belief that they can do something. Without developing that, we are basically facilitating a bunch of quitters. So many students look at a challenging task, decide it is too hard for them, and don't even attempt. They quit. However, in education, we can't let someone quit (our pay could even depend on it!).

In most everything in life, one must have a dedicated and focused work ethic. One must encounter a challenge, perhaps fail, try again, devote time, learn from mistakes, learn from others, and keep trying until one reaches success.

Sometimes, however, we are too lazy to go through that process. The path of least resistance is easier. The human body is designed to become more efficient in order to output the least amount of energy required. Laziness is tempting. And if we reward laziness, then it is not just a temptation, it is a cycle that will continue. And I think we need to realize that laziness is real; it's not a four-letter-word. It's something we can't afford putting off to deal with later. Especially in education.

Unisex

So I was in a public place searching for a bathroom yesterday, when I stumbled upon a typical nondiscriminating bathroom sign: it had a little female figure (indicated by a dress), a male figure, and the ubiquitous skinny wheelchair person whose sex isn't determined.

Come to think of it, they were all white, so maybe I was wrong about the nondiscriminating part.

I'm no stranger to the unisex bathroom, so I opened the door.

It took me a second to recognize what was wrong. It was like looking at those two pictures where you have to find the differences; you know something is off with that guy's shirt, but it takes you a while to realize that the stripes are going in the other direction.

So it took me a few seconds to realize: this bathroom has stalls.

Now maybe I'm not forward thinking enough, or maybe I'm more prudish than I should be, but it seems to me that some things should just be left a mystery to the opposite sex. I know, I know, everyone goes, but I guess I prefer a private privy.

I have no problem doing business with an unknown man, but next to an unknown man? I'll pass.

The Bright Side

Boy was the news a downer tonight. Massive earthquake and destruction in New Zealand, four American yachtists dead after being held hostage/executed by pirates, the standoff in Wisconsin over the governor's ambition to bust up the middle class (don't be fooled), Crazy McCrazerton Gadhafi willing to sacrifice his own people (and send oil prices soaring), baby dolphins washing up on shore because of the massive BP oil spill....it's easy to get discouraged. I've often wondered, am I just getting older and more aware, or are these some really crazy times?

I've got to admit, my heart has been getting more and more heavy as I sympathize with so many of the hurting.

But

I have also been feeling extremely blessed. Even among all of this, there is hope.

One recent way in which I've felt palpable hope is in watching my son. I know, I know, cliche parent thing to say. But it's cliche because it's true.

My son recently colored a cute little picture and gave it to me for Valentine's Day. Sure, it was colored in nicely; he gave it some careful attention and time. But best, down at the bottom of the picture in shaky, sometimes backward, not really in line, all capital letters were four words: Mom, Dad, Caeden and Avery.

And I realized, my son is learning to read and write. If you've never seen this process take place, I hope you get to experience it some day. Truly, it is amazing. This little bug who at one point couldn't even hold up his own head, recognizes that letters have sounds, sounds work together to form words, and words have meanings. And that he can make those himself; he can write what he thinks is important. And, important to him, is us.

Not only that, but he, at four years old, can do what probably less than half of the entire world is able to do. He is literate. We are blessed to live in a country where he can become that. We are blessed that he has the ability to do that.

And that is amazing.

Selling Mexican Food, Selling Out Mexican Workers

So back in January, Chipotle was audited and some workers were found to be illegal. Following the audit, it appears that 700 of Chipotle's 1200 Minnesotan workers were fired without much explanation or without the opportunity to provide proper documentation. (In some cases, workers showed driver's licenses, but those alone aren't sufficient to show status. I wonder what I would have to show in order to prove that I'm a citizen. Not that I would ever be asked.)

Reading the paper, I doubt that I will ever get the full, real story of what happened, newspapers being unbiased and presenting both sides and all...

If you've ever been to a Chipotle, you know what I'm talking about when I say that you can feel the energy, enthusiasm, and excitement the moment you walk in. Things are hopping. The workers are quick, engaging, and....well, happy. They seem to like stuffing those mammoth burritos.

I'm not making a comment about illegal immigration, mostly because I'm not sure how I feel about it. In fact, I think that maybe my position changes when I'm viewing it from an American perspective and when I'm viewing it from a humanity stand-point. I don't claim to know the ripple effect of illegal immigration either.

But, I did go to Chipotle a couple weekends ago. And it was obviously less brown, and conspicuously more white. The lady who took my order rolled her eyes both at me and at her fellow colleagues. The workers chopping chicken were quiet. And it was ssssslllllllooooooowwww.

So I don't know everything about illegal immigration, or the real story about why 700 employees were let go. All I'm saying is that my last visit was different. And not for the better.

And the Oscar Goes To

I used to go to movies all the time. My dad and I had a standing Friday night date. I saw anything with little to no discretion: the good, the bad, the ugly, romantic comedies. Actually, I did draw the line at romantic comedies; a gal's got to have some standards. Plus, once you've seen one, you've seen 'em all.

When kid #1 & kid #2 came, I entered a four-year long movie drought. Correction, I did see one movie: Freedom Writers. But the kids behind me were so loud & obnoxious that I could barely see past Hillary Swank's pearls to the deeper aspects, like, say, the plot. I went home & cried after that one. And not because it was so good.

Full disclosure, I did accidentally see one romantic comedy during that movie hiatus, but only because I was out-voted and, without wanting to cause a big scene, swallowed the bile and reverted to silent judging and forecasting the entire script verbatim long before the characters delivered their lines. That, by the way, is an hour and a half of my life that I will never get back.

But this year, ah, this year, I have seen several movies. And they're current. And most of them have been really, really good.

Here is what I think of several of this year's Oscar noms, in twenty words or less:

• The Fighter--Incredible story, fine acting by Bale & Wahlberg both. Laugh out loud funny and still dramatic.
  
• Toy Story 3--Sentimental favorite. The "memory montage" of Andy before he leaves for college gets me every time.
  
• The King's Speech--Difficult to see HBC in royalty role after her performance in Fight Club; girl's got chops.
• The Town--Jeremy Renner's tattoos do most of the character work; great heist flick.
• True Grit--A true favorite. Bridges is brilliant and Damon, as always, plays a fantastic self-deprecater.
• The Kids Are Alright--Wasn't. Blech.
• The Social Network--I'll bet Mark Z wishes he were the Jesse Eisenberg cool-quick-witted-some-people-think-I'm-a-nerd-but-I'm-misunderstood version. Justin Timberlake as Napster founder is poetic.
• How to Train Your Dragon--Recycled theme, but super cute Hiccup with his, "You just gestured to all of me."
• Inception--Interesting movie, kind of Matrix-y. Read a review that said it had several plot holes; I'd never find 'em.

After watching The Social Network, I wondered who would play me in a movie of my life. I think it would have to be Renee Zellweger. The chubby version. And Aaron? Dave Matthews. The skinny version.

I don't know how each film and/or actor will fare at the Oscars, but it's been a great year of movie-going.

The Grind

I've been terribly absent. That's what happens when you have young children. The day begins like this:
6:00 am--Mom, can I get up now?
6:00 am--Not yet.
6:01 am--Now?
6:01 am--Hmmm Mmmm
6:02 am--Mom will you get up with me?
6:02 am--Just a minute.
6:02:30 am--Now?
6:02:31--Sigh
6:03--Mom can I watch a movie?
6:03--When it's time to get up, which is in a few minutes.
Pause for about a minute. Then they bring out the big dogs.
6:04--Mom, my bed is wet.

The one thing my kids know will pull me out of bed. I just can't stand the thought of them laying there in a pool of wet. That, plus the fact our house hovers at a temp that is perfect for, say, any of the Happy Feet crew, and I don't want their little hineys to be frozen to the sheets.

So my days start early and end late. I'm not making excuses, that's just a fact. Also, by the time I do get to settle in at night, all I want to do is watch Parenthood. Or Glee. I can't get me enough of those sponge-head square chin zingers.

But I've been inspired by my blogging friends of late, and I may want to throw in a word or two. So, here goes.