Chick Flick Cliches and Ideas for the Anti-Valentine's Day Party

Since we are on the cusp of February, which has perhaps one of the most reviled holidays ever (Valentine's Day), chick flicks are coming out in full force. Bridget Jones's Diary, While You Were Sleeping, and the like will take over networks and basic cable, and there will be no escaping from them.

Most of us are familiar with chick flicks and the cliches associated with them. However, just in case you aren't, here is a surprisingly good video (made to promote the film He's Just Not that Into You) that provides a funny and quick look at 10 of the most common chick flick cliches.



If you are planning on spending Valentine's Day alone and bitter at either the hype surrounding the holiday or at the fact that you are spending the holiday watching movies with your cat, may I propose the idea of a chick flick drinking game? Get some single (and preferably sardonic) friends together, tell them to dress down (sweats are allowed and encouraged), break out the booze and really fattening food (premium ice cream, chocolates, etc.), and pop in some rom-coms starring Renee Zellwegger, Hugh Grant, or Julia Roberts. Using the cliches mentioned in the clip, make up the rules to your drinking game. For instance:

• Each time the two characters who are obviously supposed to be together put off telling each other what they really feel, take a shot and (almost) tell the person to your left what you really think about him/ her.
• Whenever a musical montage with a sappy or romantic song that helps underscore the characters' feelings comes on, take a drink and then launch into a spontaneous dance number with your fellow drinkers.

If you are not in the rom-com mood, you can substitute any romantic/ sappy movie you desire, as long it contains some of the cliches mentioned above (this pretty much excludes period films of the Merchant Ivory persuasion or any period romance that takes itself too seriously). For instance, if you have single guy friends who balk at watching sappy movies, start the night off slowly with Jerry Maguire, which has sports, Renee Zellwegger, and Tom Cruise before the world knew he was completely nuts. If your party consists of single (or really bitter) women and gay men, feel free to pop in Stepmom, where there is plenty of crying and singing comforting songs into spatulas.

A Quick Look at Google Chrome

With the exception of Barack Obama, I am not a person who embraces change. While I do like updates to things, more often than not I find myself tweaking a personal page and then almost immediately changing it back to the way it was. I have been using Firefox for several years, and despite some Firefox crashes, I am pretty happy with it. However, as I was waiting for school closing updates on Tuesday night, I noticed a number of advertisements on YouTube for Google Chrome, Google's web browser. Since I had nothing better to do, I decided to download it and give it a whirl.

The best thing I can say about Google Chrome is that it is very simple and streamlined. The browser doesn't have a lot of clutter; the address bar also doubles as the search bar, and the toolbar at the top of the browser is positively austere. The upside of this minimalist approach is that it allows for more of the screen dedicated to web page itself. The browser also boasts a bookmarks toolbar that allows for easy access to your favorite pages. Although this pared-down browser threw me for a look since I am used to the bells and whistles found on Firefox, it was fairly easy to navigate and to import my bookmarks from Firefox.

Another neat feature that Google Chrome has is the ability to let you go incognito and browse without the fear of another user finding the page you were looking at in the browser's history. While you could certainly use this for many a nefarious purpose (internet cheating, reading porn, looking at firearms, etc.). it does have some positive potential uses as well. The most benign example would be if you were looking for a gift for a spouse or loved one, and you decided to research an item online. This way, you could research and shop to your heart's content without the fear of your wife/ husband/ son/ daughter/ life-partner inadvertently ruining the surprise by finding the information in the browser history.

That said, I'm not ready to get rid of Firefox and convert to Google Chrome. I've noticed that Google Chrome tends to run a little slow for me, and it does not always respond as quickly as I would like. There seems to be a 7-second tape delay whenever I try to close a tab, access a new tab, or drag a tab into its own window. Also, I like my Firefox setup, which allows me to easily copy and paste information and clip information into Evernote.

With all of this said, I'm not super-savvy when it comes to computers, so I know I have probably left out a number of Chrome's features. If you want a more in-depth review of Chrome's pros and cons, check out this one from PC World magazine.

Benjamin Button Vs. Forrest Gump

I don't go to the movies very often, so I haven't seen The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which has somehow tricked the Academy into giving it 13 Oscar nominations (seriously, most of the reviews I read for the film were kind of "meh"). However, according to a (sadly unavailable) video from Funny or Die, I don't need to see Benjamin Button because the film basically follows the same trajectory as Forrest Gump. Although Gump does not contain a shirtless Brad Pitt, I think I'll stick with Tom Hanks and BB v.1.0, if only to avoid the overpublicized insanity that is Branjelina.

My Thoughts on Evernote, Part II

So I've been using Evernote.com for almost a month now, and I still have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, it does offer a lot of convenience and it keeps my notes in one place (at least in theory). If I think of something that I need to do at work, I can type it into Evernote and then easily access it on the web from my work computer. I've started using Evernote more to save web clippings and pages when I'm browsing online or when I find a recipe that I think I might like to try down the road. Not only does this keep me from cluttering up my bookmarks with these little pieces of information, it also ensures that I don't file a link away in a folder where I might forget about it.

Despite these uses, I'm still not completely sold on Evernote, and I don't see it replacing my trusty supply of Post-Its or Moleskine notebooks any time soon. If I'm sitting on the subway or am away from a computer, a paper note is the only way for me jot down something important. Furthermore, even if I use it to compile a shopping list or a list of books to pick up at the library, I still have to make a paper list so that I can use it when I am in the store or the library. Another issue I have with Evernote is the fact that it doesn't allow me to decrypt information through the web program. For instance, if I decided to save a password for something at work in Evernote, I cannot use the encrypt/ decrypt function because my operating system on my work computer does not work with the Evernote download for Macs.

Until I get an iPhone, I don't see Evernote replacing the more traditional means of taking notes and jotting down reminders. In the first month I have had it, I have created a grand total of 14 notes and used 6% of my allotted space. However, even if I never become a full-fledged Evernote addict or enthusiast, I do appreciate the options that it gives me, and I definitely plan to continue using it in the future.

Poetry: "Simple Gifts" and Post-Inauguration Afterglow

Today is President Obama's first full day on the job, but I'm still basking in the post-inauguration glow. Yesterday, most people were on an endorphin high of epic proportions. Although I wasn't completely enthralled with Elizabeth Alexander's poem, John Williams's "Air and Simple Gifts," played by Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Anthony McGill, and Gabriela Montero was incredible.



If part of the melody sounded familiar, it is because Williams incorporated the Shaker hymn "Simple Gifts" by Elder Joseph Brackett into his composition. While the melody is probably best known from Aaron Copeland's score for the ballet Appalachian Spring or as the hymn "The Lord of the Dance," Brackett's original lyrics are quite good and reflect many of yesterday's sentiments:

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
'Tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come round right.

Poets of Inaugurations Past

Since we are mere hours away from Barack Obama's inauguration (CNN has a very helpful countdown clock in the corner of its television channel if you are interested), I thought that a quick look back at poets of inaugurations past may be of interest. As many people know, Elizabeth Alexander is tapped to compose and read a poem at inauguration. Although this seems like a gesture steeped in tradition, having a inaugural poet isn't all that common. In fact, according to the New York Times, Alexander is only the fourth inaugural poet. However, she is in good company; her predecessors are Robert Frost, Maya Angelou (Clinton's first inauguration), and Miller Williams (Clinton's second inauguration).

JFK was the first president to have a poet read at the inauguration. He famously asked Robert Frost, the premier American poet of the day (and perhaps of all time), to read "The Gift Outright" at the Kennedy inauguration. Frost, who had a keen mind of his own, composed a poem called "Dedication." The poem's ending quite clearly shows Frost's admiration of Kennedy:

"It makes the prophet in us all presage
The glory of a next Augustan age
Of a power leading from its strength and pride,
Of young ambition eager to be tried,
Firm in our free beliefs without dismay,
In any game the nations want to play.
A golden age of poetry and power
Of which this noonday's the beginning hour."

Unfortunately, the sun was blindingly bright upon the snow, so Frost, who was 87 at the time, was unable to read his poem. Undeterred, he recited "The Gift Outright" from memory. Frost's handwritten copy, which he gave to Kennedy, is on display at the Kennedy Library.

A Poem for MLK Day: "I Care and I Am Willing to Serve"

When I first started teaching, I came across a book called Teaching with Fire, which contained poems submitted by teachers that helped them sustain the fire to teach. While I gave both copies that I had away, one poem from the book remains in my memory even though I haven't read the book in years. Marian Wright Edelman's "I Care and I Am Willing to Serve" not only encapsulates the mindset of many teachers (and many people who dedicate their lives to serving others), but it also fits the mood for today, which president-elect Obama has used to call people to serve others.

Edelman's poem, which she used in a fantastic commencement speech at Tulane University in 2001, helps all of us confront our shortcomings. However, it does not let us off the hook. Even though we may not have Martin Luther King, Jr.'s eloquence and have a myriad of insecurities and limitations, Edelman, the founder of the Children's Defense Fund, encourages us to go out and make a difference in any way we can.

"I Care and I Am Willing to Serve"
by Marian Wright Edelman

Lord I cannot preach like Martin Lurther King, Jr.
or turn a poetic phrase like Maya Angelou
but I care and am willing to serve.

I do not have Fred Shuttlesworth's and Harriet
Tubman's courage or Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt's political skills
but I care and am willing to serve.

I cannot sing like Fannie Lou Hamer
or organize like Ella Baker and Bayard Rustin
but I care and am willing to serve.

I am not holy like Archbishop Tutu,
forgiving like Mandela, or disciplined like Gandhi
but I care and am willing to serve.

I am not brilliant like Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois or
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, or as eloquent as
Sojourner Truth and Booker T. Washington
but I care and am willing to serve.

I have not Mother Teresa's saintliness,
Dorothy Day's love or Cesar Chavez's
gentle tough spirit
but I care and am willing to serve.

God it is not as easy as it used to be
to frame an issue and forge a solution
but I care and am willing to serve.

My mind and body are not so swift as in youth
and my energy comes in spurts
but I care and am willing to serve.

I'm so young
nobody will listen
I'm not sure what to say or do
but I care and am willing to serve.

I can't see or hear well
speak good English, stutter sometimes, am afraid of criticism
and get real scared standing up before others
but I care and am willing to serve.