I'm random, thanks for asking.

How did I NOT recognize Mark Gatiss (Mycroft in Sherlock) was John Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility (2008)? Maybe if I'd watched that version last night instead of 1995, I would have made the connection.

I thought of it earlier, then got distracted as often happens. Boss wasn't there the past 2 days, and so I sort of relaxed. Today I didn't do whole-group reading. Instead, more time was given to writing and grammar. Trying to figure out how to teach 2 very different math skills to different groups is still a challenge, but I suppose it will get better. I'm still pulled in 29 directions, it seems. However, the folders we set up yesterday for what to do when they're done are really helping. Also, we rearranged the room, and now I can move around more easily. So many teachers are so overwhelmed and going into survival mode. I'm trying to be as effective as possible given my circumstances. I still don't have math books. I know, long story, don't even get me started on that.

Enough school talk.

My friend Jill is going to be a grandmother soon! She's flying to MD tomorrow and is just thrilled. Found out a teacher I know is in the hospital with an infection related to her past hip surgery, so praying for her. My friend Allyson set up a Myspace music page. Was falling asleep at the keyboard so I put in Sense and Sensibility 2007. Got through barely half of it. Decided to go to bed at 930, but remembered I needed to post. So, I have and now I will go to bed.

I dread tomorrow and the marathon grading day it will be. I'll have to plant myself at a coffee shop to get as much done as I can.

Ok, holbytla, jmp0114, laurasia_mystik and ewanspotter, it's my mission to get you to watch Sound of Music. I don't know how to achieve this, but at least you know how strongly I feel about it. I already have a verbal agreement with my friend Michelle to watch it the next time she and Reena come over for movie night. It took a little persuasion, which was funny because Michelle loves Mary Poppins, which I hate. Both are Julie Andrews musicals and yet I can't stand one, and she was afraid to watch the other. Anyway, I'll hopefully make the 2 of them into SoM fans soon.

So, today was another Michelle and Reena movie day. We watched Persuasion 1995, which I actually liked. Ciran Hinds wasn't bad, nor were any of the actors really. No one was annoying, which surprised me. The movie was a fine example of England's recycling of actors. I kept recognizing people who would turn out to not be in anything else I've seen. Michelle and Reena could pick people out they really had seen before. We also watched Sense and Sensibility 2008, which Michelle had not seen. Since Reena had just watched the really bad Jane Eyre (1996) this week, we had to show Michelle some of the gems that make it so shockinly bad. Her face was priceless. Before long I found myself watching through my fingers like the first time. It's just baaaaaaaaad. More actor recycling: William Elliot from Persuasion '95 is the same actor who played St. John in '96 Jane Eyre. Ciran Hinds was Rochester in another version of Jane Eyre that I'm too lazy to look up. Amanda Root was Anne in Persuasion '95 and I saw her on the credits for JE '96. Look it up on IMDB. We always have to check it during or after movies.

-We all love S&S '08 Edward Ferrars.
-I decided I'm going to start using the term "twelve month" instead of "year" and I got Michelle and Reena going as well. That and pronouncing "mama" the British way, with the stress on the second syllable. We kept working it into conversation the rest of the night.
-I can't remember the other phrase often used in Austen and Jane Eyre that I like. It's not obliged, amiable, on the contrary, to be sure...wait, maybe it is "to be sure." Must watch Emma again.

I'm cooking again, making this recipe, with a few modifications. I hope it tastes ok, since I'll be eating it for a few days. Oh, I love cooking.

I started reading Sense and Sensibility last week, and it was not easy. I kept at it, struggling with the language more than I did with P&P. Biggest problem was, it was boring! Oh yeah, the characters were more annoying than Mrs. Bennet and Mr. Collins, BBC versions, combined! I stopped for a few days, then tried again, and was still bored. People have told me the movie is great, so I'm invested in reading the book. I know *something* good has to happen sometime. Well, finally it did. I can't tell you how excited I was when I finally got to the juicy part! I might read before LOST is on, though I really should work on school stuff instead.