Bookish (and Not So Bookish) Thoughts

[Give me a signnnnnn....]

1. Hey ya'll- Britney Spears is in talks with Harper Collins to write a novel- cue peals of laughter. Let me guess- it's going to be about a young girl who becomes a pop star, struggles with her fame, but ends up living happily ever after. Fingers crossed there's an umbrella attack. I seriously might buy it when it comes out to read while getting drunk. Take a shot everytime child protective services check on her kids, she shaves her head, or dates someone new! Better yet, I wonder if they'd let me ghostwrite it...

2. I'm running a 5k on Sunday at my alma mater, UCLA to start off rivalry week against USC. The proceeds go to the Special Olympics and my family will be in town so it will be run to go with my sister and brother. I have been running very little the past few months; summer is usually an off-season time, plus the whole burn out issue. I plan on doing some sort of run/walk ratio; you have an hour so I'm not worried. Honestly, I'm just going so I can stop at Diddy Riese in Westwood. I should probably read What I Talk When I Talk About Running by Murakami in order to get pumped.

3. My seventh period class, a group of students who are assigned an extra period for remedial purposes, have taken their CAHSEE test and need something besides test prep to do now. Today we started the novel A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines and they are all very interested. One of the more "challenging" kids declared, in all seriousness, "This is the best book I've read since Captain Underpants." He's a junior- this is a big deal. Two other kids confessed that they usually just stare at the book when supposed to read, but today they actually read themselves, or followed along when I did (I mix it up in terms of who reads/listens). The kids were engaged the whole period and actually participated in the discussion we had on the first two chapters. I'm amazed and excited.

4. Today I attempted to teach existentialism to my IB students; the day after the election on about 4.5 hours of sleep. I think I may have convinced them that they're now allowed to do whatever they want as long as they are being authentic. Oops.

5. I received More Baths Less Talking by Nick Hornby today, a collection of essays that came with the ticket to the reading I didn't go to a few weeks ago. I'm very thankful that Writer's Bloc sent it, but I am a little disappointed to have to add another book to my to-read list; I had gotten the number down to 46, which is a pretty substantial feat. And now we're back up to 47.

6. I'm currently read Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt and am absolutely enjoying it. The main character has lost her beloved uncle to AIDS in the eighties and must learn to cope. 

7. I am beyond grateful that Proposition 30 passed in California last night- as one of my students insightfully put it today it will "keep things bad and not let it get worse" in regards to education funding. Important it will prevent the governor from allowing districts to tack on fifteen additional furlough days, which would amount to massive paycuts and lost learning. 

8. I want this: