Even though May is only getting started, the teacher part of me can almost taste summer in the early morning springtime breeze. The snow has finally melted (I live in Minnesota, so I feel I need to condition that so I don’t jinx anything), the sunrise is getting earlier, the days are warmer, the number of school days remaining are down to a reasonable number for beginning a countdown, which is either 23 or 24 for us, depending on whether or not you count the day after the students leave; I don’t. We are definitely in the homestretch of the school year.
This is the time I start thinking about what needs to be done before I can close off the year good. I know what grade I’ll be teaching next year so that helps me out with deciding what materials I need and what I should pack up to either pass on to another teacher or have shipped off to another school. All of the state testing is completed, so I’m able to at least start thinking about what grading I already have completed and maybe getting a head start on completing parts of my progress reports. It’s a great feeling to be able to walk away from school on the last day and know there aren’t any loose ends.
What happens after that, though? There is a small percentage of the working population that ever experiences having approximately eighty days off each year (and I’ll remind anyone who wants to moan about teachers enjoying their time off: Our summer break isn’t paid so we’re essentially laid off for those months, and we easily have to cram thirteen months of work into the nine and a half months we spend at school each year, so we tend to feel it’s been well-earned). From my experience, most teachers spend their summers in one of two categories: Enjoying the time off and relaxing, or taking advantage of the time off to get things done.
Last year I was a get things done guy, spending at least six hours of most days parked in front of my laptop drafting a new manuscript. I’m glad I did and I’m proud of the accomplishment, but it didn’t leave a lot of time for savoring the time off, especially with a manufactured deadline waiting in late August. However, when it was time to go back to school, I felt a little like I’d missed out on something — not any one thing in particular, but just an overall sense of lost opportunity.
I haven’t started thinking much about my summer break yet. There’s still a month of school to complete which will definitely have some adventurous moments to it, and a birthday to navigate, not to mention a few weeks of life where anything could happen. I’m close to deciding about getting a dog, and I have a few projects I really want to get done. Right now though, I’m hoping to find a reasonable balance in my summer this year. If I strive to end my school year without any loose ends, it would probably feel just as good to start the next one the same way.
And relaxed.
Sunday, May 6, 2018
Saturday, May 5, 2018
Day 5: Summer Movies 2018
I have entire seasons of three different shows saved on my DVR. I have two seasons of The West Wing left before I complete my 2018 re-watch. There are at least 10 different series on Netflix that I’m interested in watching. Hooray for Netflix! I could not be more happy about all of this television back up, because the summer movie crop this year does not look promising.
Usually in my May posts, I include one when I preview the upcoming summer movies and make predictions about the ones I’ll want to see based on the lists published all over the place this time of year. This year I had to stretch to get to nine. (*Note: I’m not including “Avengers: Infinity War” here because it came out in late April. I’ll be surprised if any of the movies on this list live up to it, though.)
Here we go with the tepid:
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom — It’ll probably at least be entertaining in a science-fiction action kind of way. I’d love to have higher hopes for this. Maybe it’ll come through.
Solo: A Star Wars Story — It’s Star Wars so I’ll go, but the previews haven’t really captured my interest. Maybe, hopefully, I’ll be surprised.
Deadpool 2 - Again, I’m sure it will be entertaining, but this really feels like the kind of sequel that gets made because the first movie was such a successful surprise that the studio thinks tries to give the audience what it wants, but only more of it.
Incredibles 2 - The Incredibles was a great movie. Pixar rarely misfires. I have very high hopes for this.
Action Point - I recently worked my way through a slightly depressive patch of anxiety by watching and re-watching the Jackass movies, of all things. This movie stars Johnny Knoxville and is supposed to be about a theme park with so few safety guidelines it’s like if Jackass had its own theme park. There’s no possible way this can be any good, and I absolutely have to see it.
Tag - I’m looking forward to this. It’s about a group of friends who have been playing the same game of tag from childhood into at least middle age. For someone caught between watching games of tag at recess and spending much of my summer with cousins who look for any chance to start up a competitive game, there are too many ways to relate to this.
Ant-Man and The Wasp - Marvel. Of course it will be good. Plus maybe it will have a few hints about what happens after the Infinity War.
Mission Impossible: Fallout - Tom Cruise usually makes good movies, and this series has a pretty good track record.
Skyscraper - I can’t tell if this looks more like The Towering Inferno or Die Hard, but it has Dwayne Johnson on it, so it will probably be at least a way to fill a slow summer afternoon.
So, in summary, like I said before: Hooray for Netflix.
Usually in my May posts, I include one when I preview the upcoming summer movies and make predictions about the ones I’ll want to see based on the lists published all over the place this time of year. This year I had to stretch to get to nine. (*Note: I’m not including “Avengers: Infinity War” here because it came out in late April. I’ll be surprised if any of the movies on this list live up to it, though.)
Here we go with the tepid:
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom — It’ll probably at least be entertaining in a science-fiction action kind of way. I’d love to have higher hopes for this. Maybe it’ll come through.
Solo: A Star Wars Story — It’s Star Wars so I’ll go, but the previews haven’t really captured my interest. Maybe, hopefully, I’ll be surprised.
Deadpool 2 - Again, I’m sure it will be entertaining, but this really feels like the kind of sequel that gets made because the first movie was such a successful surprise that the studio thinks tries to give the audience what it wants, but only more of it.
Incredibles 2 - The Incredibles was a great movie. Pixar rarely misfires. I have very high hopes for this.
Action Point - I recently worked my way through a slightly depressive patch of anxiety by watching and re-watching the Jackass movies, of all things. This movie stars Johnny Knoxville and is supposed to be about a theme park with so few safety guidelines it’s like if Jackass had its own theme park. There’s no possible way this can be any good, and I absolutely have to see it.
Tag - I’m looking forward to this. It’s about a group of friends who have been playing the same game of tag from childhood into at least middle age. For someone caught between watching games of tag at recess and spending much of my summer with cousins who look for any chance to start up a competitive game, there are too many ways to relate to this.
Ant-Man and The Wasp - Marvel. Of course it will be good. Plus maybe it will have a few hints about what happens after the Infinity War.
Mission Impossible: Fallout - Tom Cruise usually makes good movies, and this series has a pretty good track record.
Skyscraper - I can’t tell if this looks more like The Towering Inferno or Die Hard, but it has Dwayne Johnson on it, so it will probably be at least a way to fill a slow summer afternoon.
So, in summary, like I said before: Hooray for Netflix.
Friday, May 4, 2018
Day 4: Why Return of the King Needed So Many Endings
One of my favorite movies, and quite possibly my favorite, is “Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.” It’s either three or four hours long, depending on which version you watch. I’m confident that I’ve spent at least a week of my life watching it. Everything about it is extraordinary.
Back when it first came out, there was a bit of a controversy surrounding it, at least in the nerd circles who would have cared enough about such things to form strong opinions. The thing that so many people complained about was how the movie seemed to have so many endings, and dragged on longer than necessary once the story seemed to have been resolved.
I disagree with this thesis completely. After all, the ending of Return of the King wasn’t just the ending of one movie, but it was the resolution of one of the most epic trilogies ever filmed. I was thinking about watching the appropriate disc from my special edition set and reviewing all of the endings before I wrote this, then realized there was no need. I’m not going to hold back on describing anything that happens in the ending(s) here, because seriously, the movie has been out for something like fourteen years. If you haven’t seen it yet and you’re worried about spoilers, it’s your own fault.
Ending #1: Frodo Healing in Bed
The Eagles have rescued Frodo and Sam from Mount Doom and brought them to Rivendell for a well-earned rest. While Frodo is healing from his near-death experience and recovering (as much as he ever will) from the realization that in the end the Ring had finally taken him, he experiences a joyous moment in which the surviving members of the Fellowship are reunited for the first time since the end of the first movie. It’s also the first time Frodo becomes aware that Gandalf was alive and well.
WHY IT’S NECESSARY: The Fellowship had been scattered across Middle Earth on many adventures over the past two movies. They absolutely need to have a reunion to celebrate the success of their quest, and we need to emotionally experience it with them.
Ending #2: Aragorn Becomes The King of Gondor
Aragorn had denied his true self for most of his life, and only accepted the responsibilities of the crown when the fate of Middle Earth hung in the balance and needed him to lead. After reuniting with his true love, the couple approaches the four hobbits, who try to humbly bow before him, now the king, before he stops them and says, “My friends — you bow to no one.” He immediately kneels before them, as does every other coronation guest.
WHY IT’S NECESSARY: This scene closes the story arc for many characters, including several who were not official members of the original Fellowship but have become increasingly important throughout the story. I’ve always liked how the reactions of the hobbits to the adulation of the crowd reflects the character of each: Pippin is a little too satisfied with the attention he’s receiving, Merry enjoys it but doesn’t want to look like he enjoys it too much, Sam is all kinds of uncomfortable, and Frodo is unaffected, still knowing that even though the quest was a success, he had failed at the very end.
Ending #3: Back to the Shire
The top priority for the hobbits throughout the movie was to protect their home, The Shire. We needed to see them return triumphantly, and receive next to no acknowledgement for what they had accomplished. When the four of them sit in a bar and share a slightly melancholy toast as another hobbit is showing off a prize pumpkin, it’s a scene that shows the bond shared by the four that no one else in their home will ever understand or know about, and at the same time demonstrates the simple and bucolic life they fought so desperately to save. We also get to see Sam follow through on what he thought were his dying thoughts, about how he should have pursued Rosie while he had the chance. We see the two of them marry, then through a time jump we see Frodo nearly finish Bilbo’s newly-amended manuscript, adding the story of his own adventures alongside his uncle’s.
WHY IT’S NECESSARY: Because we have to see the hobbits back in the Shire. One of my personal curiosities about stories has always been what happens to the characters once the adventure is done and they try to return to ordinary life. I loved seeing so much detail about what the hobbits did afterward. I would have been left unfulfilled if I hadn’t seen them go back home.
Ending #4: Into the West
Gandalf and the four hobbits, decked out in their Fellowship cloaks, escort a visibly aged Bilbo to a docked ship where the elves wait to bring him along as they depart Middle Earth. Once he boards the ship, we learn Gandalf is accompanying them as well, as is Frodo, who had not told any of his friends this news.
WHY IT’S NECESSARY: We see one last example of how Frodo’s encounter with the ring has left him forever changed as he and Bilbo talk about the ring on the way to the ship. Bilbo muses about wishing he could see it one last time, and Frodo’s expression when he tells his uncle that he lost the ring leaves him looking absolutely haunted. We discover how deep his pain runs in the final moments when he tells Sam they had set out to save The Shire, but it hadn’t been saved for him. After heartbreaking goodbyes between the four friends, Frodo boards the ship, turns back and smiles, showing the audience there remains hope that our hero still might find a way to happiness someday.
Ending #5: Sam Goes Home
Okay, I’ll admit this moment felt a little tacked on. Sam gets home, and we learn he and Rosie have some babies. He announces he’s back and the family all walks inside.
WHY IT’S NECESSARY: Maybe the movie could have left this out and been two minutes shorter, but after everything we had seen Sam go through, it was nice to see him end his story happily.
Back when it first came out, there was a bit of a controversy surrounding it, at least in the nerd circles who would have cared enough about such things to form strong opinions. The thing that so many people complained about was how the movie seemed to have so many endings, and dragged on longer than necessary once the story seemed to have been resolved.
I disagree with this thesis completely. After all, the ending of Return of the King wasn’t just the ending of one movie, but it was the resolution of one of the most epic trilogies ever filmed. I was thinking about watching the appropriate disc from my special edition set and reviewing all of the endings before I wrote this, then realized there was no need. I’m not going to hold back on describing anything that happens in the ending(s) here, because seriously, the movie has been out for something like fourteen years. If you haven’t seen it yet and you’re worried about spoilers, it’s your own fault.
Ending #1: Frodo Healing in Bed
The Eagles have rescued Frodo and Sam from Mount Doom and brought them to Rivendell for a well-earned rest. While Frodo is healing from his near-death experience and recovering (as much as he ever will) from the realization that in the end the Ring had finally taken him, he experiences a joyous moment in which the surviving members of the Fellowship are reunited for the first time since the end of the first movie. It’s also the first time Frodo becomes aware that Gandalf was alive and well.
WHY IT’S NECESSARY: The Fellowship had been scattered across Middle Earth on many adventures over the past two movies. They absolutely need to have a reunion to celebrate the success of their quest, and we need to emotionally experience it with them.
Ending #2: Aragorn Becomes The King of Gondor
Aragorn had denied his true self for most of his life, and only accepted the responsibilities of the crown when the fate of Middle Earth hung in the balance and needed him to lead. After reuniting with his true love, the couple approaches the four hobbits, who try to humbly bow before him, now the king, before he stops them and says, “My friends — you bow to no one.” He immediately kneels before them, as does every other coronation guest.
WHY IT’S NECESSARY: This scene closes the story arc for many characters, including several who were not official members of the original Fellowship but have become increasingly important throughout the story. I’ve always liked how the reactions of the hobbits to the adulation of the crowd reflects the character of each: Pippin is a little too satisfied with the attention he’s receiving, Merry enjoys it but doesn’t want to look like he enjoys it too much, Sam is all kinds of uncomfortable, and Frodo is unaffected, still knowing that even though the quest was a success, he had failed at the very end.
Ending #3: Back to the Shire
The top priority for the hobbits throughout the movie was to protect their home, The Shire. We needed to see them return triumphantly, and receive next to no acknowledgement for what they had accomplished. When the four of them sit in a bar and share a slightly melancholy toast as another hobbit is showing off a prize pumpkin, it’s a scene that shows the bond shared by the four that no one else in their home will ever understand or know about, and at the same time demonstrates the simple and bucolic life they fought so desperately to save. We also get to see Sam follow through on what he thought were his dying thoughts, about how he should have pursued Rosie while he had the chance. We see the two of them marry, then through a time jump we see Frodo nearly finish Bilbo’s newly-amended manuscript, adding the story of his own adventures alongside his uncle’s.
WHY IT’S NECESSARY: Because we have to see the hobbits back in the Shire. One of my personal curiosities about stories has always been what happens to the characters once the adventure is done and they try to return to ordinary life. I loved seeing so much detail about what the hobbits did afterward. I would have been left unfulfilled if I hadn’t seen them go back home.
Ending #4: Into the West
Gandalf and the four hobbits, decked out in their Fellowship cloaks, escort a visibly aged Bilbo to a docked ship where the elves wait to bring him along as they depart Middle Earth. Once he boards the ship, we learn Gandalf is accompanying them as well, as is Frodo, who had not told any of his friends this news.
WHY IT’S NECESSARY: We see one last example of how Frodo’s encounter with the ring has left him forever changed as he and Bilbo talk about the ring on the way to the ship. Bilbo muses about wishing he could see it one last time, and Frodo’s expression when he tells his uncle that he lost the ring leaves him looking absolutely haunted. We discover how deep his pain runs in the final moments when he tells Sam they had set out to save The Shire, but it hadn’t been saved for him. After heartbreaking goodbyes between the four friends, Frodo boards the ship, turns back and smiles, showing the audience there remains hope that our hero still might find a way to happiness someday.
Ending #5: Sam Goes Home
Okay, I’ll admit this moment felt a little tacked on. Sam gets home, and we learn he and Rosie have some babies. He announces he’s back and the family all walks inside.
WHY IT’S NECESSARY: Maybe the movie could have left this out and been two minutes shorter, but after everything we had seen Sam go through, it was nice to see him end his story happily.
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