When I am 16 or 20...

The parent of one of my students emailed this to me today. It's not my student's work, just a funny email going around. Specimens like this are exactly what make teaching so awesome...

I have some funny student stories of my own. Tomorrow's post maybe....

Temecula Wine Tour

The girls and I decided to take full advantage of our day off from work today to visit some of the wineries 45 minutes north of us in Temecula. We went to....

South Coast
Wilson Creek
Ponte
Leonesse
and La Cereza

What a fun outing - I had never been up to the Temecula wine country before today. The land is beautiful, and the wineries were very friendly and casual. I liked the atmosphere at Leonesse, but my favorite wine was Wilson Creek. La Cereza has a lovely Sangiovese, but at $50 a bottle, it was just a little too rich for my blood.

Such a wonderful way to spend a beautiful, 80-degree, San Diego January day!

Move Over Angelina

I have a new girl crush. Her name is Diablo Cody, and I devour her written words. I was first introduced to Ms. Cody through the movie Juno, for which she wrote the screenplay. Juno was probably my favorite movie of 2007 and is definitely one of my all-time favorites, as well. If you've seen Juno, you know what is wonderful about it: the dialogue is pure rapid-fire wit. It's creative and sincere. By the end of the movie, you know how much the characters care about one another even though the script has never devolved into cliched drivel. If you haven't seen Juno, please rent it immediately. Here's a quote, Juno explaining how her dad came up with her unique name: "Yeah and I mean Zeus had tons of lays but I'm pretty sure Juno was his only wife. And apparently she was supposed to be super beautiful but really mean, like Diana Ross."

My affection for Diablo Cody deepened when, about a year ago, she began writing a periodic column for Entertainment Weekly. Entertainment Weekly is the only magazine I faithfully read. Diablo's columns are generally commentaries on pop culture for Generation Xers - past topics have included New Kids on the Block, the new Beverly Hills 90210 series, Judy Blume, and Land of the Lost. Her writing is so exceptional, funny, and brilliant. I usually have to read her column 3 or 4 times just to savor it.

Then, Diablo won the Academy Award for best screenplay last February. And that was when I think I really fell in love with her. Could anyone have looked cooler??

I know that Diablo wrote a book, Candy Girl, some time ago, chronicling her days as, yes, a stripper. I have some Barnes and Noble credit left over from Christmas, so I think I'm going to pick that book up tomorrow.

Any Ms. Cody has a new project out, a Showtime series called The United States of Tara. It looks very interesting and I'm tempted to subscribe to Showtime so I can check it out. Maybe I'll wait - the DVDs will probably come out just in time for my summer viewing pleasure. In the meantime, Diablo, I'll be waiting for your next Entertainment Weekly love letter!

I love these girls!

"Jennifer! Jennifer!" A squeal, a scream, running feet...
Those are the sweet sounds I heard through the door after I rang Karla's doorbell Tuesday night. Obedient Natasha stopped herself and yelled, "Who is it?" before flinging the door open and throwing herself in my arms. Devika looked up at me and proudly announced, "You are sitting next to me tonight!" Poor Carmen was buried under a mound of homework at the kitchen table, but she looked happy to see me when she said, "Hi, Jennifer," and then proceeded to ask me for help on a bunch of her math homework problems.
Mis tres sobrinas son estrellas brillantes en me vida!

Short and Sweet!

What Your Height Says About You

You are a very vulnerable and spiritual person. Your emotions run deep. You have a philosophical and poetic soul. You think things through and are a bit of a skeptic. You tend to be very opinionated. You are a perfectionist with high standards. You prefer to work alone. You work hard, and you don't like interruptions. You are about as tall as the average Japanese woman.

What Does Your Height Say About You?

I'm Not So Sure This Is a Good Idea

I just finished watching the movie version of The Phantom of the Opera. I've seen the stage version three times, and I'll admit I was a bit reluctant to see the movie. I just really wasn't sure that such a grand production with bold, sweeping music would translate to the screen. I mean, so much of the drama when you go to the theater is the live orchestra music bouncing off the walls and resonating through your bones. Plus, those big ensemble numbers with the dancers and the sets and costumes, where so many things are going on at once - I just didn't think it could all be captured on film. But I was very pleasantly surprised. While nothing will ever take the place of the live show, I did think the movie was very well done. It mostly stayed true to the plot, included all of the songs from the musical, and featured some very inspired casting. I loved Minnie Driver in the role of the spoiled Italian prima donna, and Emmy Rossum has a lovely voice and the perfect innocent face for Christine. The sets and costumes were gorgeous. And I was all choked up at the end, proving that the movie had in fact captured the heartbreaking essence of the original production. The ending to Andrew Lloyd Webber's story is beautiful and perfect, and my one complaint about the movie is the added ending scene with elderly Raoul visiting Christine's grave.
Which brings me to the reason for my post's title. Just yesterday, I read a news article stating that Andrew Lloyd Webber has already written a stage sequel to The Phantom of the Opera. It's set to open at the end of the year. There are even rumors that Gerard Butler, who played the phantom in the movie, will star in this new musical. A sequel to one of the most iconic stories of the century? It just doesn't feel right.

Oscar Bait II

My Winter Break is nearly over. I head back to work on Monday. Here is an update on the movies I was hoping to see during my two-week vacation:

Gran Torino - oops, it's not out yet - wide release on January 9

The Wrestler - still want to see it

Revolutionary Road - wide release January 15

Seven Pounds - this one's coming off my list due to really terrible reviews

Doubt - yup, hoping to see this one soon

Slumdog Millionaire - haven't gotten to it yet, but I swear, I will!

Milk - my goodness, what have I been doing for the past two weeks?!

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
I saw this movie on Wednesday, and I loved it. Beautifully filmed, cool makeup effects, enduring themes, romance, action, humor - Benjamin Button had it all. The story was original and interesting. Nearly a perfect movie, in my opinion. My only complaint was that it was too long - there were a few superfluous scenes that could have been eliminated without decreasing the quality of the narrative.

Yes Man
I caught this one while I was up in San Jose. It was similar in concept (man has a life-changing experience, hilarity ensues) to both Liar, Liar, and Bruce Almighty, two other Jim Carrey comedies that I enjoyed. Yes Man was very funny. The supporting actors were wonderful, especially Rhys Norman, who played Jim Carrey's boss, Norman. I laughed throughout the entire movie, but there was at least one scene where the humor really crossed the line into offensive. I'd recommend this movie, especially as a buffer if you're attempting, like me, to view all of the heavy, morose end-of-the-year Oscar contendors!