Good Old Days

Since "Glorious" came out, I've been on a Macklemore kick. I just stumbled onto this new corny, sappy, nostalgic one, and it just hit me in the right mood. 

When I think back to when I was 10 or 15 or 20 years younger, there were some good times. There are some friends and moments I miss. But, I really think my life has only gotten progressively better, for the most part, since then. I also feel like the segment of your life they talk about in the song hasn't ended yet for me, even though I'm not really "young" anymore. I hope it doesn't end for a long time (but time will tell). In fact, a lot of the time now, I look at people who are younger than me and I think, "I don't miss feeling like that. I'm happier now than I ever was when I was that age". If I can feel like that despite the world feeling very chaotic for various reasons, perhaps I'm not the angry person that some of my previous internet rants might suggest.  

The young, good old days for me involved a lot of road trips, live music, obscure independent movies, late nights with friends that ended with breakfast food at shady establishments, drive-in movies, being a summer camp counselor, jumping out of an airplane, getting paid to smash long, fluorescent lightbulbs against the dumpster at the video store, and a bunch of other antics that will never make it into print. It was fun at the time, and it's nice to reminisce, but I wouldn't want to do that same stuff now. Back then, life was too short not to try lots of new things and meet lots of new and interesting people. Now, life is too short to waste on activities or people I don't find substantive for whatever reason. Friends come and go. Some stick around, some move on, some don't make it, and some have sweet reunions every so often. I still find myself amazed every once in a while when I have that "A-ha!" feeling when I recognize someone is like me in some strange way. I hope that never stops happening.

 And just like that, I'm an old woman. What has this song done to me?

Hef

If you've heard/read the news lately, you probably know that Hugh Hefner has died at the age of 91. I feel like The Onion was sitting on this article for a long time, just waiting. Hugh had a larger-than-life, inflated persona that was pretty much synonymous with his lavish mansion and eccentric lifestyle. But, to me, he always struck me as a sad, insecure, old man. If you read his wiki page, or other info about him, he was apparently devastated by his first wife cheating on him, and all the other Playboy lifestyle stuff seemed to come along after that to try to help heal his bruised ego. In a way, he probably has that experience to thank for his success, but it's a double-edged sword. 

It also seemed like all the flings, relationships, engagements, and marriages that followed weren't of any real substance. He probably didn't know if the people that were hanging out with him all the time really liked him for him, and they probably didn't. They just wanted to hangout in his awesome mansion and live that lifestyle. How lonely to be surrounded by so many people, but nobody who really knows the real you or cares about you, or even if they do it's hard to know if they really do. I am obviously inferring a lot here - I am by no means an expert on the man.

I wasn't particularly a fan, but I didn't dislike him either. I have no strong feelings on either end of the spectrum. I just find him an interesting case study. Like any stranger who dies, I have no reason to wish him anything but to rest in peace. I hope his exotic animals will all go to good homes or zoos.

My Fair Lady

Last night I went with a friend who got cheap, last-minute tickets, to see My Fair Lady at the Capitol Theatre. I didn't expect it, since it's just a normal, boxy-looking brick building from the outside, but inside the theatre is gorgeous. In addition, the sets were exceptional. I would definitely go back and see another play there - good value for sure. 

As for the play itself, I had seen it and the movie years ago. I went into it remembering it as kind of a sexist play with a few good songs. This time around as an adult, I thought about it more dynamically, having a little more empathy for Eliza Doolittle's choice at the end. She can't really go back to the life she knew, the guy that adores her is kind of a "wet blanket" (as my friend called him) that doesn't bring a lot to the table other than his feelings for her, and the other guy is kind of a jerk but at least they light a fire in each other sometimes. She doesn't have any good choices in this time period, really. I don't think of it as sexist anymore, but more it highlights the sexism that existed at the time. This particular play had many false endings - they could have ended it after any of the five last scenes and each one would have left the audience with a completely different focus and feeling. 

I always loved the song, "On the Street Where You Live", but never really thought of how pathetic it is in the context of the play. It's sweet because, "Ooh, this guy really likes her so much that he just gets so excited knowing he's near where she lives and spends most of her time". But then it's also lame because, "This guy has nothing better to do than hang around on a doorstep for someone who may or may not show up? Why isn't he out bettering himself or society or something? ...Anything? Doesn't he have any hobbies? Why can't he just come back later?".

Anyway, overall it was nice to re-visit a familiar story in a new setting, and have more in-depth discussion about it than I did when I was 12. 

Puerto Rico

My heart goes out to all the Puerto Ricans who struggling after the recent hurricane. Help has been much slower and harder to come by for these American citizans than it was for those in Texas and Florida. If you desire to help and are able to, PBS has some suggestions here.

The Good Place

It's school holidays during the next two weeks, kind of the equivalent of spring break. I'm enjoying having extra time to workout, run errands and organize, and the weather has been gorgeous. 

We finally started watching a show that was recommended to us a while ago, The Good Place, which I love. It's a nice break from re-watching Parks and Recreation (which we do a lot), and has one (some?) of the same writers. 

In these semi-apocalyptic times, we need good comedy more than ever. 

mother!

Last night we went to see the movie, mother!. Mike went into it having read about it beforehand, and I went in blind, although I knew that there would be some kind of twist or double-meaning at least. 

I found the cinematography almost unwatchable. The jerky snorricam angles that never let up hurt my eyes after a while and I had to literally look away from the screen and watch in my peripheral. Part of this may have been due to the fact that we were in the 4th row and relatively close, but I would have probably had a similar reaction even if we were farther away. 

I'm amazed this movie had a wide release, considering how abstract and out there it would be for most people. I think the only reason it did were the big names in it. I found the theme to be very harsh, but then again it was meant to feel that way, so in that way I guess it was a success? I suppose it gets people to think, and even might teach them a lesson, but it was generally unpleasant and I wouldn't watch it again. There is literally no pleasant or positive part of the movie. I think there are other movies that make similar points, but they are more watchable.

Michael had different feelings about it, since he had known what to expect beforehand. He didn't feel as critical of it, and was more interested in analyzing the metaphor further. My feeling on that is: you shouldn't have to research a movie beforehand or afterward, it should be able to stand alone. If you have to do research to appreciate it, the director didn't do a good enough job. But, perhaps this director was going for this. He probably wanted to spark people reading about and discussing and thinking about it long it after. 

Anyway, I guess mother! is worth watching once if you can stomach it. If you want to watch it twice, I question your life choices.

Blaxland Riverside Park and Newington Armory

Today Michael and I took a quick little jaunt over to Blaxland Riverside Park and Newington Armory to play a few holes of disc golf. It was actually kind of confusing finding the course at first, and parking was a pain, but we learned a few things for next time for quicker and easier access. 

At Newington Armory there is also a random Birds Discovery Centre that is stationed by volunteers, where you can get some info about local birds. We stopped in for a few minutes just to check it out, and I was very happy to see that one of their volunteers was a young man (teenager?) who appeared to have cerebral palsy and was in a wheelchair. He gave us some information about the local eagles, since they have a webcam set up to monitor a nearby sea eagle nest. For those that might not be aware of cerebral palsy, it is primarily a movement disorder and can affect how a person communicates, but it does not hinder intelligence. It made me so happy to see that this centre welcomed this young man to represent them. He was quite knowledgeable about birds, and even picked up on our foreign accents and talked a little bit about the US and bald eagles. When I told him we were from the Washington, DC area originally, he mentioned his interest in the Smithsonian museums, and could hardly believe when I told him they were free to visit. I wish it were more common to see people with special needs in roles like this, where they can spread their knowledge and be seen as an expert at something. Often people underestimate the abilities of those with cerebral palsy, and it's nice to see someone with the disorder who interacts with the public in a way that defies stereotypes. I imagine there are lots of people, particularly young people or people with disabilities, who meet him and then might think, "Well if he can do that, maybe I can do something like that too". We got more out of stopping in that little centre than we had expected to, and we bought one of the little pins they were selling to show our support. 

I Believe

A few years ago, Michael and I were lucky enough to get to see Book of Mormon with the original Broadway cast. It was the only time I've ever seen the original cast for any play, and it was incredible. 

We have tickets to see the play again with a few friends in Melbourne when we go up next month. I'm not sure how it will compare to the original, but I guess we can't expect the cast to measure up, and if they do we will be pleasantly surprised. Either way, we know it will still be enjoyable and funny.

To get psyched up, we have been re-listening to the soundtrack.

On Memory

I have mostly quarantined myself for the weekend since I have been having sinus issues and coughing, and I don't want to spread my germs to all the lovely little babies at the picnics I was invited to. Michael is at a frisbee tournament, so I've mostly been lounging around, talking to the cats, watching reruns, and playing on the internet. And then I got to thinking...

Memory is a funny thing. Back in my university days, I took class that was entirely about learning and memory, and I took a few neuroscience classes that discussed the subject as well. I have what I believe to be a "better than average" long term visual memory. What I mean by that is I can semi-accurately re-watch a video in my head of something that happened 20 years ago. I say semi-accurately because we all make some mistakes or have some fuzzy spots, but generally I can remember more accurate details than others do about an event or interaction that happened years ago. 

For example, through happenstance I was reunited a few years back with someone I actually had met about 15 years prior - I had been about 14 at the time, and he had been about five years old. This is someone I only saw a handful of times, but I knew his sister and remembered all his sibling's names. I remembered that his family was from Britain and another country (turns out it was New Zealand), they all had unusual accents as children because of this, and I remembered what elementary school he attended, where his mother worked, and a few other details about them. He was dumfounded that I remembered any of these details. It even kind of freaked him out because he obviously didn't remember me and I knew all this stuff about him. He is actually still one of our friends, and we are cool, but it was a really strange reunion. 

Because of this and other interactions I've had with people, I've come to realize that I remember a lot of stuff most people don't. I have a rolodex in my brain for each person I know, and in that rolodex I have links to memories and details about all of them. Being a teacher, I remember stuff about the main students I've taught more/longer; if I've only taught a kid one day and didn't interact with them much, I probably don't remember much about them. 

My memory is why I'm pretty good at trivia. I tend to remember lots of anecdotes about history, literature, pop culture, etc. which become common trivia questions. In terms of a time-line, for example, even if I don't remember exactly when something happened, I can remember details surrounding that thing, and then work backwards from those details to pinpoint when that happened. For example, if I get asked what year a particular movie came out, I might think, I know that that movie came out when I was working at the video store, so it had to have come out between 2002-2005. Or, I might remember that I saw it in the theater with my friend Keri, so it had to have been in the late 1990's, or something like that. I've definitely gotten some questions right that I wouldn't have otherwise known, using that kind of reasoning. 

My good memory about people is not always a good thing, It probably means I carry grudges longer. It can make for awkward interactions when I remember things that other people don't (that they probably don't want anyone to remember). My use of brain power in memory probably also means that I am not expending that energy on something else that other people are better at, or that could be more important. My short-term memory is not great; I can say something and literally five seconds later not remember what I said or what it was in reference to. I also often remember things I don't necessarily want to remember, I waste brain energy on memories popping into my head one after the other and then thinking about them, when I probably could be more focused on what is happening in the here and now. That's not really by choice - a sound or a smell or the sight of an object could automatically send my brain in another direction, even if I'm trying to concentrate on something. I'm sure this is probably part of why I sometimes get headaches more than other people - I'm wasting brain energy all the time on things that don't really matter. 

Michael is always baffled by memory because we seem to have opposite memory strengths. His short-term memory is much better than mine, but his memory more auditory and not very visual, and longer than a few years his gets very fuzzy. I find it fascinating that we occupy the same space in life, so to speak, but we must internally experience it very differently. There was one time he randomly asked me whether Steven Spielberg and Stephen King spell their names with a "V" or a "PH" in them. I was able to tell him accurately which used which, by seeing the fonts in my head from credits and book covers, and he thought it was bizarre because he simply can't do that, and I can do it with little effort. Also, for all I know, he might not even remember that conversation because it was so banal. Why do I remember that?

Anyway, memory continues to be a topic that fascinates me. Knowing how to make something more memorable is important in teaching, which I do most days - some days more successfully than others. 

I leave you with this, one of my favorite case studies I watched in my Neuropsych class back in the day: Clive Wearing, the man without memory.

For the Love of STEM

As the US faces back-to-back major natural disasters, from intense hurricanes and flooding to massive wildfires, it strikes me as painfully obvious that knowledge of science and the development of new technologies are more important than ever. Early detection systems are important to predict future disasters to warn people early on how they should act. City infrastructure needs to improve so that floods can be prevented or mitigated, evacuations can be more effective, power can continue to work despite suboptimal conditions, people can continue to have access to clean drinking water, etc. 

I have trouble understanding why some people don't want the tax money they pay to go towards making the cities they live in safer for themselves, especially when those technologies exist, are improving all the time, and they would create jobs. I imagine these are the same people who would want the government to give money to help aid their own communities in emergency situations and rebuild after massive destruction. I don't understand why there is this gap in understanding of how equally important it is for cities to be to be preventative and prepared in the first place. Some people have this idea because Hurricane Harvey lead to so much unprecedented damage that none of it could have been prevented, but that's simply not true. The city could have been better prepared for evacuations or the flood, even if the weather couldn't have been prevented. This should be a huge learning experience that informs all major US cities how to be better prepared for disasters, to save more lives communities in the future.

When the recent eclipse happened, there seemed to be this widespread feeling that people were generally happy that for a short time. Nothing else mattered and everyone was happy to share such an experience together, regardless of their differences. It was beautiful. Hundreds of years of scientific research allowed that to happen. Without Science, everyone would have just looked up at the sky and not known what was happening ahead of time, and would probably just think that the world was ending.

Science and technology have made all our lives better in more ways than I can hold in my head at one time. We have indoor plumbing and household appliances, the ability to access and spread so much info with our handheld phones, we live longer because of the benefits of vaccines and medicines (even if we have never even taken those vaccines or medicines, because they stopped diseases from spreading to us in the first place), etc. Technology is not the solution to everything, by any means, but it does produce opportunities that we can choose to use for the good of our society. It's likely that those who choose to innovate will be ahead in the long run, in terms of money and probably safety and comfort too. Those that choose crumbling infrastructure and fossil fuels (because they can't be bothered to update, don't want to spend the money, or want to cater to their benefactors) are going to regret it. These aren't issues that are going to affect our descendants in the distant future, they are affecting us now.  

Edit: 
I realize this is all easy to say after the fact. Hindsight is 20/20. There are obviously some cities, like Houston, that it are known to be prone to flooding. They are close to the water, they are flat, and they have flooded before. Obviously, also, preparing to fight wildfires and other disasters that are likely to happen in other areas requires different preparation. The first responders and volunteers have done an incredible job, but my point is more that we can do better to make to make their lives easier and safer. 

I also realize that there is not unlimited money to go around in the government. Clearly this needs to be a priority despite that. It's hard to rip out existing infrastructure, but in some
places it's necessary. This is the perfect opportunity for Houston to be rebuilt as a new and great example of what other cities should do.

Good Morning Sunshine/Never Go To Work

I'm working in special ed in the same class for the last three days of this week. The teacher has a really great Smartboard presentation set up for the morning routine that we have to go through every day, and the kids love it. These two songs are part of it, and they are always stuck in my head  throughout the day.

That log had a child.

We had a fun weekend in Brisbane surrounded by frisbee friends. The theme of the tournament was Sci-Fi, so our team did kind of a Star Wars theme. For some reason, we also started watching lots of "bad lip reading" videos and stumbled across this gem. It became the anthem of the weekend. I am still listening to it every morning because it puts me in a good mood.