Tag: movie night

Cloister Commentary, Day 363: Reggae, Chocolate, and Ice Cream

Continued on the to-do tip. House-cleaned, book-hauled, organized–then checked to make sure no one had put greenies in my allergy meds. Check. I plan to kick back tomorrow just to make sure this isn’t a, uh, concern.

You’re tired of hearing it–this is the last time: Pasta La Fata is indeed, in excited pedestrian words we once overheard, “the thing around Columbia.” Last night, we tried their greens and ricotta lasagna and it rocked. We’ve ordered once a week for most of the calendar year and haven’t been disappointed. I suspect we’ll be loyal even when the pan-damn-ic is over. Or if, ever. Sorry for the steal, Hardin.

Movie Night: still reggae-fixated, we watched The Harder They Come for about the 3rd or 4th time. Never gets old! And it makes you want to do donuts all over a golf course in a convertible! We also watched one of the extras from the Babylon BluRay we (we!) just bought, a terrific 45-minute documentary examine the work of my favorite dub poet and musical politician, Linton Kwesi Johnson. I bought some chocolate and ice cream for the occasion (plus our anniversary’s round the corner), but Nicole brought some home, too.

Streaming for Strivers:

Programmed an afternoon block-party of Miss Grae yesterday and more boomin’ from my system this morning. Definitely one of the top 5 female rappers ever, though it isn’t proclaimed enough.

Cloister Commentary, Day 356: Intern-al Inspiration

Supervising student teachers can make you want to get back in the game in two ways. One way is unfortunate–you want to show ’em how it’s done. However, the other is inspiration–you want to try those new ideas yourself, and feel the rush again; you might even want to team-teach with the intern. The latter was my experience yesterday morning. This intern taught an engaging and varied lesson that focused on both Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls and the life of the great Toussaint L’Ouverture, and not only did it make me wish I was a high school teacher again, but I wish I’d had someone like her teaching me when I was kid. She has a great future.

Otherwise, it was a quiet but good day: trip to the mulch site; lunch featuring delicious leftover chili with plant-based protein that could fool carnivores; nose in two books, one of which, Hari Kunzru’s Red Pill, sent a chill down my spine it was so culturally (and uncomfortably) close; nice chat with Mom; listening session devoted to R.A.P. Ferreira, with whom I think I could have a beer and gab.

Thursday Movie Night? Franco Rossi’s highly recommended 1980 film set in Brixton, Babylon. It truly belongs with The Harder They Come and Rockers as a great reggae film, though it was unreleased in the States for 40 years. Upon its conclusion, the stream sent us straight to the German documentary Reggae ina Babylon, featuring Matumbi, Aswad, Steel Pulse, Alton Ellis, and other musicians who were unfortunately not identified. We will be listening to reggae non-stop for the next few days.

Streaming for Strivers:

I never tire of this poet and this band. Nicole, the band’s led by Dennis Bovell, who was behind the music for Babylon and was the bassist for Matumbi.