Friday Faves 1/24: 1917, Substitute teaching, The Outsider, and White Bean Pasta
Best Activity
On Monday I received a call from my former school, they were looking for a substitute teacher for the week. A former colleague, and very good friend of mine, was out of town and needed coverage. I said yes. I am glad I did. From Tuesday to Friday I dragged my butt out of bed a little earlier every morning and made the auto-pilot ride up Route 1.
In many respects, it was just like riding a bike. I love being in the classroom and around kids. I especially loved returning to a place where people knew me, so I could just jump back in. I felt like the fun uncle, I dropped in for a few days with very few responsibilities (a far cry from when I worked there full time) and then got to pack up at the end of the day without any grading or planning to do. It was glorious!
Most importantly, it gave me some great insight to my mindset the last couple years as a teacher. I was lucky enough to be involved with every grade in the school, most of the 400 kids knew who I was (and some of them hated me due to my role as Dean of Students). Returning to a place I worked to see it running smoothly helped me see that while we may think we’re vital to an institution, things will be fine when you move on. It also made me realize that sometimes, maybe a lot of the time, I took myself too seriously in those last few years. In some respects, I lost the joy of being at a school and around smart kids and wonderful colleagues.
It’s also pretty cool to have a 6 year-old see you from a distance and remember you by name. They can barely remember what they ate for breakfast.
Best Watch
1917: For the first time in my life, I went to see a movie by myself last week at the new Arclight in Boston. In the last year, we have gone from having one theater within walking distance (Boston Common) to having three within walking distance. I mistimed my arrival at the theater and found myself in an empty cinema 30 minutes before the showing with a small popcorn and an ice coffee. It was rather eery, and I was actually nervous I was in the wrong theater, even the screen was turned off. I did enjoy the experience of seeing a movie in the middle of the day, and I plan on doing it more often. There’s a lot of good movies out there right now.
Okay, let’s talk about 1917. It’s spectacular. The critiques I have heard are centered around a lack of story, and I would say that’s a fair thing complaint. If you’re looking for a plot-driven, dialogue laden movie, then this isn’t where you should be looking. If you’re looking for a movie that’s going to offer amazing cinematography, sweeping views, tension, and fun cameos (Richard Madden, Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Firth, Andrew Scott, and Mark Strong) then 1917 should be on your list. The main two actors are really excellent, the movie doesn’t drag on.
I’d put the first 30 minutes up against the first 30 minutes of any movie ever (I’m looking at you Saving Private Ryan).
The Outsiders: This new HBO show has aired three episodes so far. It’s based on the Stephen King novel, so when we started it we should have known it was going to veer off the true crime path into the supernatural. The story is about the small town murder of a boy, but the main suspect has a rock solid alibi but was also spotted at the scene of the crime. Hilarity does not ensue; the town, and lead detective, is left trying to figure out what the heck is going on. The cast is excellent, led by Jason Bateman and Ben Mendelsohn, from Bloodline. Do yourself a favor and watch the first three episodes this weekend.
Best Read
Becoming a Man: A moving essay about transition, family, and manhood. P. Carl is an exceptional writer, and I look forward to reading his book: Becoming a Man: The Story of a Transition. NYTimes.com.
Best Listen
No Laying Up with Lanny Wadkins: Any golfer will love this interview. Wadkins played in the 70s and 80s and is now a golf analyst. He shares some great stories and insights. The interviewing just gets out of the way and lets him run wild. Spotify.
Best Eat
Cannellini Bean Pasta with Buerre Blanc: This was a NYTimes winner this week. Listen, I know I post a lot of NYTimes stuff on here. If you don’t subscribe, you should. It’s dynamite. Tiff found this one and made it, and she added Swiss Chard. If we weren’t ravenous that night, we would have had leftovers.
Best Social
Marcus Mariotta: If Tom Brady leaves the Patriots, Mariotta is a possible replacement. He was benched this season in Tennessee, but has come up in conversations about what the Pats might do next at quarterback. He’s an incredible guy with plenty of talent, and this clip of him cheering up Ryan Tannehill, the QB that replaced him, is amazing. This is what a good teammate looks like.
Best Plugs
The Random Division: We’re three episodes into The Bachelor and Peter is in love with all the women. Here’s our latest episode where we wrap-up ChampagneGate (thankfully) and open up a new feud. iTunes.
The Imperfect Game: Nothing new this week, but we can an episode in the can that’ll be out on Monday about Blackburn Rovers. If you haven’t listened to any of our Past and Present pods, you should. iTunes