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occassionally, lance will say to me “want to go see a movie tonight?”  the answer is always yes.  to this date, he’s never picked a bad movie.  he likes indie films, so when i ask “what movie?” i usually haven’t heard of it.  that was the case last night with juno.  he usually doesn’t tell me anything about the movie, either.  there’s something utterly delightful about going into a movie, knowing it will be good, but not knowing anything about it.

the basic story is a 16-year old girl, juno, gets pregnant by having sex with her best friend.  juno makes a choice to give her baby to an affluent adoptive couple she finds in the classifieds.  the story explores the relationships juno has with her parents, the boyfriend, and the perfect adoptive couple (who turn out to be not-so-perfect) while her pregnancy progresses.

there are so many things to like about this movie.  the main character, juno, is portrayed very well by ellen page as a quick-witted, sharp-tongued, eccentric high school teen.  the story couldn’t have been told well without her.  the rest of the cast also performs well.  my favorite supporting character is the stepmom (allison janney).  she is refreshingly not your run-of-the-mill-slightly-evil-stepmother.  she has a great scene with the ultrasound technician that leaves you with open-mouthed, wide-eyed laughter.

that’s another thing - this movie was funny.  we had kind of a dud crowd - we seemed to be the only ones laughing.  yes, this is a movie about teenage pregnancy, but come on, people!  tons of great lines - at the first meeting with the adoptive parents, juno says “if I could just have the thing and give it to you now, i totally would. but i’m guessing it looks probably like a sea monkey right now and we should let it get a little, you know, cuter.”  and then as they’re leaving, the dad says to the parents “thanks for having me and my irresponsible child over your house.”  funny, subtle, sarcastic stuff - it’s great.

in the end, though, it leaves you feeling good, with a smile on your face.  things didn’t work out quite the way we wanted them to, but they work out just the same.

definite thumbs up - highly recommended.

oh and lance, as boyfriends go, you are totally boss.  you are the cheese to my macaroni. 

Back in the late 80s, when Michael Moore was in better shape, he made a “documentary” film called Roger & Me. I disagree with the notion that Moore’s films are actually documentaries, but in general i like his style, sometimes agree with his opinions, and always enjoy the discussion his films generate.

The premise is that Moore is trying to obtain an interview with Roger Smith, the big dog at General Motors, to get him to come to Flint, Michigan to see the effect had on the town when GM closed down all its plants. He never gets his interview, but we do see the disastrous effects on the town.

The plight of the people portrayed is very unfortunate. The town was in bad shape. Even today, the towns in that area suffer. A friend of mine moved to a nearby city and bought a house, with high hopes of making her home there long-term. Well, she hated the job and now she can’t sell her house. No one wants to move to that area anymore. It used to be a thriving area, built around the many jobs available at the many automotive plants in the area.

Moore seems to want to place the blame of the economic downturn at Roger Smith’s feet and hold him responsible. The inference is that GM shouldn’t have closed the plants, and that GM has a responsibility to the town and to the employees.

I disagree entirely. GM is a business, and the decision-makers have to make decisions that benefit the company and the bottom line. Let’s say i run my own small business and you work for me. Now let’s say i find someone else who is willing to do the same exact job for half your salary. Maybe she is younger, or has less experience, but if i think she can do the job as well as you, i’m costing myself money by keeping you employed. I don’t think anyone will disagree with my example. For some reason, big corporations don’t get the benefit of the same logic. They are a monstrous entity to be railed against and blamed. But the bottom line is, they are a business, and they will make business decisions, and i don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.

I think it’s very sad and unfortunate what happened to that town, and i feel for the people who had to face tough circumstances because of it. I think it sucks that my friend lives and works in one state while hoping desparately that her house near Flint will sell sometime soon. But i don’t think Roger Smith or GM need to be held accountable for this.

So, i’m not sure how to rate this movie. It has provoked a strong reaction in me, and in general i think that’s a good thing. However, i think the point of the movie is way off base. Another point against the movie is the way the timeline of events is presented. No dates are given in the film, but the progression of the movie indicates that the plant closings caused other events in the town, when in fact the plant closings hadn’t even happened yet. I don’t want to get too into the details, but when i read about that, it bothered me.

Thus ends my rambling thoughts on Roger & Me.

tand and Deliver is a movie about a group of high school students in an underprivileged Los Angeles neighborhood. An inspirational teacher starts them out with basic math, and works long hours with them and gets them through calculus. 18 of them take the AP Calculus exam, and 18 of them pass.

Great story, and a true one. Today was the first official meeting with my three math mentees. I brought them to my house, and after Nugent barked at them a lot, we watched the movie. I remember watching this movie in 9th grade myself. I’m not sure if it had the same impression on them as it did on me, but they did pay attention and didn’t seem bored. We talked some about the movie, but not a lot. I’m still trying to get them to open up to me.

Overall, though, it went quite well. The one girl, M, who seemed pretty introverted the first night i met them, held her own with the other two, who seem to be good friends already and talk talk talk. M seems the most determined to get something out of this program, though.

We ate pizza and i showed them some math card tricks i know, which they seemed eager to learn so they could show off at school. Then one of them said “you know what i’ve always wanted to learn? how to play poker…” So… we went over the basics and the order of hands. I hope i don’t get into trouble with the parents for that. There’s a lot of math in poker, though, no arguing that!

Nugent barked some more, and then we left for Ben & Jerry’s, the prearranged meeting spot. Got a sweet snack, and sent them on their way.

I’m definitely out of touch with what it’s like to be a 13 year old girl. I wish i could really get across the idea that the fact that the social studies teacher isn’t fair isn’t something that will matter when they’re out in the Real World. But, the truth is, whatever is going on in our lives is what matters to us right now. The Real World for an 8th grader is the unfair social studies teacher. And that’s cool. And it’s not right for me to think that doesn’t matter. I need to just let them talk and be themselves. At least some of the value of this program is just hanging out with an adult who isn’t related to them, and i need to remember that i don’t need to always be trying to teach them something, or make it about math.

I’m looking forward to our next event, about 4 weeks away. They get to miss a day of school, and i get to miss a day of work!

Last night was the program kickoff of the Woman & Math Mentoring program. I met the girls and their moms for the first time.

I was nervous! I wanted to convince the moms i was trustworthy enough for them to release their daughter into my care, as well as appear enthusiastic and cool to the girls so they will look forward to hanging out with me. I think i accomplished that.

First impressions: all three girls were absolutely beautiful. One was particularly introverted. They know each other already from school, which could be good or bad. If the two outgoing ones participate to the point of excluding the introvert, that might be bad. But, as an introverted person myself, i often enjoy kind of being an observer. So there will be a balance to strike to encourage participation but also letting it be okay to hang back a little.

All three are excelling in math right now, which is how they got chosen for this program. I asked them about their interests, which are wonderfully diverse. R wants to be a pediatrician. M wants to be a veterinarian. L wants to be… an actress. OK, not math-related AT ALL, but still cool. Of the many suggested ideas for field trips, to accomodate these girls’ interests, we’re going to go to Duke Children’s Center, NCSU Vet School and WRAL-TV.

I’m excited about seeing these places myself! I hope i can show them a good time while also be a positive influence and role model for them.

At the grocery store a few days ago, we bought peanut butter.  Lance spotted Nutella nearby, and commented that his sister really likes that stuff.  I examined it, “Hazelnut spread with skim milk and cocoa” was the simple explanation.

Really?  It just so happens that my favorite combination in sweets is hazelnut and chocolate.  So i said “i’d probably like that” and we bought it.

What they don’t tell you is that Nutella is made with crack.  Why else did i keep going back to the jar for another half a spoonful?  It was yummy, chocolately, nutty goodness.  It was one of the most delicious and evil things i have ever consumed.

At this point, i confess, the Nutella is gone.  I have consumed the entire jar.  It was a small jar, but it is still an empty jar.

I am never buying it again.

As quickly as the pop of a champagne cork, the holidays and new year have passed, and now it’s back to the grind.  While the new year holds the promise of new beginnings and change, it also means there are 11.83 long months remaining until i again get paid to not work for 11 days in a row.

I contemplated making a list of resolutions, but what i came up with sounded doomed to failure: eat less, excercise more, save more, quit biting my nails.  And anyway, i’m pretty much constantly trying to do those things; the fact that it’s a new year won’t help.

So, nothing is really changing with this gal.  Just stay happy, be positive, laugh more, and try to work on those “resolutions,” like i always do.

Welcome, 2008!  I hope you are great!