Wednesday Morning Watch/Read/Listen

Here ya go:


Watch: The wife and I went to see "Gone Baby, Gone" this weekend. The movie is based on Dennis LeHane's (who wrote Mystic River) novel. It is directed by Ben Afleck and stars his younger brother Casey. Let me warn you, this movie is intense. It is not for the faint of heart or people who have a pacemaker. It is depressing. But if this type of movie is your cup of tea (it is mine, I don't know why, but I love movies that are about real, awful life. I know its morbid, but what can I do?), then you should go see it. It is very well done and brings up some very interesting questions about social justice and doing the right thing. If you like this type of thing, go see it; if these kinds of movies disturb you, don't go see it. Like Mystic River, the plot involves the abuse and abduction of a child (before he became a full-time writer, Lehane worked as a counselor with abused children), and his knowledge of the brutal subject is very real.


Read: Speaking of Dennis LeHane, I just got a copy of "Coronado" which is a collection of his short stories and plays. He is a fantastic author, and if you haven't read any of his books, you should do so. My favorite is "Mystic River" and "Shutter Island," although they all are worth your time. So far, this is a really good book. I am reading the first story in the book called "No More Dog." So far, Lehane has done a great job setting up characters in such a short time. In reading short stories, what amazes me the most is the author's ability to set up a character in such short amount of time. Lehane is a master of this.

Listen: I am so stoked on music lately, I can't even tell you how much I have being loving music these days. Its great. As a matter of fact, I'm having a hard time deciding what to talk about right now because there is so much music I am enjoying! I guess I'll talk about the new Thrice record. If you don't have it, go right now and buy it. It is worth the money. I love the concept of doing a record for all four elements. The water side of the record, with its electronic sounds and amazing, amazing vocals is truly breathtaking. I was playing this record in my class while students were working, and one girl looked up and said, "This song sounds like a mermaid." I thought that was so cool that a kid who knows nothing about the record or the band picked up on the fact that it was supposed to sound like water. So awesome!