It's the season of pumpkins, zombies and first kisses backlit by a bonfire.
I ♥ nerds: Jenn & Mike's bookish cake topper
Two of my wonderful and book-loving friends (Jenn the speed reader and Amy the librarian/dedicated blog reader), must think October is as romantic as I do.
They're both getting married this Halloween (party) weekend.
Autumn in Florida is hardly an ending. Around here it seems more like the beginning.
Science and media are two of my favorite topics. When done right, they can bring such good into the world.
But evil (or at the very least, lazy) scientists and media makers sometimes produce sloppy if not dangerous work.
Both fail miserably when they can't break down complex subjects and communicate the importance of these topics in our daily lives. Or if they make stuff up.
In 1999 I earned a $325 speeding ticket in the Nevada desert because of this song. Totally worth it. The video has aged pretty badly, but at least I haven't. (And of course, I'm a much wiser driver now, too.)
There's a 2002 episode of This American Life that featured prisoners performing Hamlet. Many of the inmates were so frustrated by the play's language that they missed its meaning at first.
My own high school experience was similar. While good teachers helped me to cultivate my love of civics, community service and journalism, I lacked proper guidance to awaken in other areas, and purposely overlooked Shakespeare, history and math.
To use my favorite Barbie quote, "Math class is tough!" Especially when you already think you're an idiot.
Near the end of that episode of TAL, a prisoner/performer said the line that made me cry (there's at least one teary do-gooder moment per show). It was something like: "I always thought I was dumb. But I'm not. I just wasn't educated."
While the passion in Shakespeare or math can be challenging for a novice learner to uncover, it isn't impossible or even tough. Life is tough.
Tough is trying to be wholesome & make good choices after nearly 33 years of living sans boundaries. Tough is becoming the teacher you always wanted but never had.
I'm absolutely aboard the Steve Jobs-as-master bandwagon. A few years ago when his Stanford speech began circulating, I was reminded of the idealist I was. I refocused.
But time passes and it's easy to lose sight of goals & self. We humans need constant reminders. (And especially to be reminded that we're only human.) Although I'm saddened by his passing, I'm overjoyed and renewed by his urging and earnestness once again.
