Friday Faves 9/4: Bright Lands, Cobra Kai, Fish Sandwiches, and Capri Sun

This is the second Labor Day Weekend where I’m not experiencing the first school day jitters. I cannot imagine the jitters that I’d be feeling starting this new school year. The butterflies would be fire breathing dragons and they’d keep me up for the entire weekend.

One of my teacher friends said something to me this week in a moment of honesty. She told me she’s worried she’s going to “mess up.” The rules and regulations that exist in school’s right now would make anyone’s head spin. Recess boxes, strict scheduling of outdoor space, no classes passing in hallways, cohorts in the same room all day. Not to mention teaching with a mask on (cue the headaches from over projecting for 6 hours a day.).

If you happen to be a parent this fall, I would consider going above and beyond for your students teachers. Make sure that you do something kind for them in a regular basis. Here are three simple ideas for showing teachers some love this year:

1) Food/coffee - Coffee would be my fuel this fall. Either on your own or with other cohort parents, buy up a bunch of $5 or $10 gift cards (Panera, Starbucks, Dunks, Chipotle, a local liquor store…). At the beginning of every month, give them out to teachers.

2) An old fashioned thank you note - Don’t want to spend money (or it’s not allowed at your school)? I get it. Make it a habit to write a note to a different teacher every couple of week. Be thoughtful and detailed. Want to put an extra pep in your the teacher’s step? Write one note as an email and CC the principle. Those letters go a long way, and many teachers I know save the best ones, both for personal but also professional reasons.

3) Teacher Appreciation Day - Some parents love going all out during Teacher Appreciation Week in May. Why wait? How many ideas are left on the cutting room floor each year? Pick one day a month (preferably a Friday) and have a planned Appreciation attack. Have kids do something nice as a class. Come up with something clever that builds over time. Donate something simple to the classroom.

I hope parents recall the stress they felt while being at home trying to teach their kids. All those comments about teachers not being paid enough and how hard their job is. Don’t forget those sentiments. This classroom environment is not what any teacher ever pictured when they decided to be a teacher.

Be patient. Be grateful. Be kind.

Best Read

The Bright Lands by John Fram - I plowed through this book in just about a week. The story takes place in a football crazy Texas town (is that redundant?). When the star quarterback goes missing on the night his older, estranged brother shows up after ten years away in New York, people start asking questions. The book goes in a crazy direction the final 130 pages, but the writing is so interesting and the Fram makes this world so believable that the insanity kind of makes sense. It’s certainly a fast-paced, high energy page turner.

Best Watch

Cobra Kai - “Put him in a body bag!” is probably one of the most quotable lines in any movie ever. The Karate Kid is exceptional and rewatchable to this very day. Cobra Kai catches up with Danny Larusso and Johnny Lawrence 30 years after the fateful crane kick sent them in drastically different directions. The originally aired on YouTube but is now on Netflix. The show is funny, the fact that they have Billy Zabka and Ralph Macchio playing the parts of Johnny and Daniel makes this so much better. The premise of the show is Johnny Lawrence is a down and out racist, drunk and Danial-son is crushing life as a car dealership owner who is still living off his Valley Championship win. The twist is that Lawrence becomes the Mr. Miyagi character, helping a new kid in town deal a bunch of bullies. His methods are very different than Miyagi’s though.

Best Listen

Chasing Scratch - I cannot emphasize enough how enjoyable this podcast is. Even if you aren’t a golfer or fan of golf, this is a buddy comedy podcast with golf in the background. I know I mentioned this pod last week, but I have literally listened to 30 episodes in 8 days. Other than The Daily, it’s the only thing I’m listening to. Mike and Eli are a model friendship, supportive and funny, and they communicate in movie lines like middle school boys. The other great part about this pod is you can listen and stop in the middle of an episode and pick up later.

Best Eat

Fish Sandwich - This is an out of the box order for me. I had dinner at Not Your Average Joe’s this week and caught up with some friends. I knew what I wanted on the menu, and then the waiter walked by with a fish sandwich on her tray. I made the audible and it was the right choice. The fish sandwich was lightly battered and they used a potato bun as the vehicle. I’d eat a pile of dirt on a potato bun. The side of sweet potato fries were a delightful acquaintance.

Best Drink

100% Juice Capri Sun - Tiff and I were in charge of beverages for my nephews joints birthday party this weekend. We wandered down an aisle of the grocery store in search of Capri Suns. The 100% juice (which is probably a lie) version sat on the bottom self. We picked out the Fruit Punch and my nephews loved them. I smuggled two for myself and gulped one down after a run this week. I now understand why my five-year-old nephew drank three of them on Sunday afternoon.