Monday, January 18, 2016

On My Mind

There's no rhyme or reason to this post; there are a few things swirling around in my head right now, so today HtGR is going to take on a diary-esque feel. Sometimes I just need to let a brain-dump happen!

1. I have no shame about being completely and totally devastated by both David Bowie and Alan Rickman's deaths. When I first heard about Bowie, I immediately went into denial mode, and since Sunday I've been listening to his music nonstop. Growing up, my siblings and I watched Labyrinth literally hundreds of times - anytime my parents had a date-night, that was the movie we put on. Of course my parents were big fans of his music (our first dog was named Bowie, in fact) so he was a big part of my childhood. His willingness to try new things and test boundaries was always something I admired, and his artistry is unmatched in the musical world.
(Bowie released his final album as a parting gift to the world, and this song is just haunting. Below is a favorite from Labyrinth. Fun fact: the album from Labyrinth was my first CD.)
Likewise, Alan Rickman has always been a favorite of mine. I was in the middle of teaching when I received my sister's text that he had died, and I literally stopped mid-sentence (this is the one con of wearing an Apple watch - I got the text and saw it immediately, rather than waiting to check messages at lunch like usual) and had to check for confirmation.

The nuance in his acting in everything I have ever seen him in was just brilliant; I'd forget I was watching an actor, even though I loved the actor, and that's really the highest compliment I can pay. Of course, he also brought one of my favorite book characters to life as Severus Snape - that's one complex and complicated character, and he portrayed Snape convincingly, honestly, and compassionately. I love watching Rickman play conflicted characters - his role as Harry in Love, Actually is simply gorgeous. He brought a lot of depth to a movie that is, at its heart, just a rom-com.

My biggest gripe about the HP movies is their casting - the older characters (from Harry's parents' years at Hogwarts) should have been in their 30s. But I could forgive the mistake with Rickman, because he was literally the perfect Snape, even if he was twenty years too old.
More importantly, Rickman was an outspoken feminist and activist. As wonderful an actor as he was, I appreciated his character - not those he played - the most.

2. We've been having July weather in January this year, and for us, that means hurricanes (or hurricane-like weather). Florida isn't known for tornadoes, but we've had those, too. Our district announced that Friday would be an excused absence for any students who missed school because the weather looked bad, and sure enough, school was interrupted twice for tornado watches. I guess those drills we practice paid off; our kids were well-prepared and the teachers kept our cool.
One of our most popular half marathons was canceled due to the storms...this is the race course right now; it's completely submerged.
One tornado hit thirty minutes from us, and Sunday morning four hit my parents' city. They're okay, and so are Matt's parents, but there were casualties and our most famous beach was hit pretty hard.

We don't get these kinds of storms in winter. It's disconcerting, to say the least.

3. After the storms cleared, it was still crazy windy all day. No more 60 mph gusts, but doing my long run in 21 mph winds was...challenging. Still, I got it done. My right leg felt like rocks this weekend, so I'm trying to figure out the best way to treat it! (It feels like when you've done a million crunches and your muscles are just super fatigued and you have lactic-acid buildup, but it's been feeling that way within the first mile, and it didn't go away until mile 6 of my long-run Sunday.)

Midway through my run, I tried to figure out where my mind is on A1A. I know I don't have to decide yet, but next weekend is my 20-miler, so I need to at least decide if I'm interested enough in possibly running the full to do 20. If my leg feels like it did today, I don't think I will; it was not good. But if I can rest and recover nicely this week and nail my 20, then the full is still a possiblity.
Why do hats make me look so weird?! Anyway, Elizabeth conquered her longest run ever: 9.1 miles! It was weird to start this run at 3pm. I'm definitely not a fan of evening long runs.
4. I've been binge-watching The West Wing this weekend. I was going to watch Labyrinth but Matt wanted me to wait until he can watch, too, so instead I chose another old favorite. TWW reminds me of my dad; watching it with him was what introduced me to politics, and I always liked that it was something we shared.
I love that, despite being 10 years old, this show was so on-point! It covers abortion rights, Islamophobia, war in the Middle East, gay rights, mandatory minimums, assisted suicide...you name it...and it's funny! I guess it just goes to show that politics is always the same old argument rehashed over and over again.
Another timeless, perfect moment.
5. It's been cold. Finally! I hope it lasts!

What's on your mind this week?
Any tips for my leg situation?
Are you a Bowie fan?

ABK

20 comments:

  1. Tornadoes are scary! I am glad you and your family are okay. We have had tornado drills at school and one time my big school concert got interrupted by tornadoes touching down. We all had to go to the lower level for several hours. It was CRAZY! I am going to have to blog about that. Do you have off today for MLK day? It is sad when famous people that mean a lot to you die. I can't say that has ever happened to me. I was shocked when Michael Jackson died and I was sad, but it wasn't something that affected me a ton. I was more disappointed just at the senseless loss of life (his death could have been avoided) and also that I would never see him in concert. I was sad when Joan Rivers died because at the time I had been watching Fashion Police a lot and also Paul was in the hospital at he same time she was so it hit close to home.

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    1. We had Monday off, which was nice, especially after Friday's craziness.

      MJ's death hit me, and it was shocking, but I think the last time I felt this depressed over a celebrity's death was Robin Williams...especially because I grew up with his movies and how he went was so tragic.

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    2. It is tragic. Have you seen his wife speaking out lately? She was on The View and she spoke about a disease she suffered from (I can't think of the name) that affected his brain. She said she saw a deterioration and that he knew it was happening too. She more or less said he didn't kill himself because he was depressed, it was the brain disease he had the ultimately took his life. I am not sure how big of a story she made it as I only ever heard about it when she was on The View.

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    3. I did see that. It's a rare disease that's apparently really hard to diagnose and extremely debilitating. I'm so glad she's talking about it.

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  2. I <3 West Wing! I'm a chronic and unapologetic streamer of the series... I finish it and start it all over again. Glad the family is well and unscathed by the bizarre and frightening weather.

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    1. I love streaming series...This summer it was Gilmore Girls. I like fast-talking shows, apparently!

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  3. I am so glad you and your families are okay!

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  4. glad to hear your okay, I called my folks up yesterday morning after I heard about the weather. Luckily they haven't had any damage though my dads golf tournament was canceled. I love the west wing. I rewatched the whole series last summer and found most of it very relevant still today!

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    1. I'm glad your parents didn't see much damage!

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  5. Glad you all are okay! I hope your 20 miler goes well this weekend!! @hellyontherun

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    1. Thank you! We'll see how my legs are feeling...20 seems daunting right now!

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  6. It always seems surreal when famous people die. Especially when we feel they were a part of our childhood in some way. I've never seen Labyrinth. I'll have to check that out.

    I hope your weather straightens up. I was just in Florida last weekend and was hoping for some warm weater but it really wasn't :(

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    1. I think that's it...celebrities often feel like part of our families if we grow up with them. We get used to them being there.

      Our winter is finally here, which I'm loving, but the storms are really unusual!

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  7. I'm with you on being crushed about Alan Rickman. I always enjoyed thinking that he was older looking as Snape because of all the burdens he'd been carrying. I was watching Alice in Wonderland yesterday and started crying at scene when Absolem is talking to Alice and she asks why he's upside down. He responds, "I've come to the end of this life." She asks, "You're going to die?" and he responds, "Transform." It was incredible sad to me. I'll miss his handsome features and silky voice.

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    1. Oh, I love the idea that his age was a mirror for his mental anguish!

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  8. Based on this post, I get the feeling you and I feel pretty similar about most political issues. :-) I felt pretty bad about David Bowie. I was talking about it to Frank in the grocery store, and the cashier didn't even know who he was...which made me feel even worse about his death! Good luck on your 20-miler!

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    1. I have two students named after famous singers in my homeroom, and they both knew who he was was and were saddened. Their parents clearly care about classic music! But no one else seemed to know :(

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  9. Incredibly sad about David Bowie. I was a fan by osmosis. My BFF in high school was obsessed with Bowie and had all his stuff on vinyl, which she played & quoted constantly. I know what he meant to her and I feel like I know what he must've meant to you as well. May he rest in peace.

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    1. Thank you...although he was a celebrity and I never met him or anything, he really felt like a part of my life in such a huge way!

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