Letters to Holly

Thursday, April 3

Mailbag

Longtime Reader writes:

what? teaching!?! is this some long, behind the scenes ambition that i'm only hearing of? i know that you've helped out with the yearbook and newspapers at the high school, and its obvious that they do need someone in that..unpaid position...but wow.

It's not an ambition. It's a pet project among the teachers looking to finally include me in their party banter. They have very little to talk about that doesn't include school, and when we all get together, I sit there quietly with nothing to contribute.

I'm happy to help out with school stuff, and there's plenty I can do when I'm away from work: paper stuff, art stuff, drama stuff, etc. Your Sis and I made a triptych display last year for a mandated classroom technology project. It was the toast of the tech fair. People still ask her if they can borrow it. The school librarian asked if I wanted to make section displays for the library.

This kind of stuff is more than enough to get me involved at the school, and I'll dig doing it. This doesn't include the grading help I provide when the flood of research papers bursts through the front door. But actually be a teacher and put up with the crap Your Sis bemoans when she gets home? I'll need a lot of convincing to walk willingly into that.

i had to take an art class to round out my art history degree; i choose sculpture. i spent weeks on my abstract representation of an artichoke.

What medium? Can you send me a photo of it?

congrats on finishing the play! bravo! i know you liked the company, esp. the director, but enough to do the next murder mystery that you typed so many bullet points against? the ACT show sounded more intriguing...

The director says he's talking directly with the writer and has permission to make changes. If that's true, I can offer plenty of alterations. I like the idea of trying another ensemble piece (as this is), but I can't see how they can put 10 people in the clubhouse's meager backstage area. We're scheduled to have din-din with the director and his wife next week, and I'm sure we'll talk about the play. It's possible, depending on play dates, that I could do both projects.

I made a copy of the play's DVD last night and watched a few minutes. I always hear actors lament the sight of themselves on screen, and I may be feeling some of that. Or I might accurately spot all the horrific wrongness I'm doing onstage. It was mortifying. I wanted to set the TV on fire.

I managed to get Your Sister to watch an honest-to-God monster movie in The Mist last night. I showed her the making-of documentaries to prepare her for the scenarios and creature designs, and we watched the whole thing in one sitting. And she liked it. Maybe it's because of I Am Legend. Perhaps she is digging well-crafted horror. But she said she'd be willing to see it the film's b/w version too. This was the second time I've seen the movie, and it holds up really well.

Picture of the Day
Promotional ad display for the Star Wars films running on Spike TV. I think they're running all 6 movies.


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