RBoC from a Long Weekend

So it is back to school on Tuesday, with the rants of Rate Your Students ringing in my mind. Whatever gave blogspot the idea that I'd be interested in discovering that some teachers (some professors, some not) are more mean spirited than the students are on RMP? Very strange.

As for the random bullets...

Lots of things going on this weekend:

• Finally got a chance to see West Bank Story, and there is no question that it deserved the Oscar(R) for best live-action short film. It was hysterically funny, even (maybe particularly) when the Kosher Kings built a wall between them and the Hummus Hut. Genius, but not Art.
  
• We were immensely entertained by Helmer & Son, out of Denmark (nominated for an Oscar). Enough to make one look forward to moving into a retirement home, but pity the poor son left to run the family business.
  

• Sublime: Saw The Danish Poet, the wonderful Oscar(R) winning animated short. The BIG STUDIO films came close to its quality, but its creative story telling put it on top for us. Well, that and the running jokes about Danes and Norwegians (since I am partly one or the other). The theme concerns the long string of preposterous coincidences that are responsible for bringing husband and wife together. The animation is in a norse comicbook style, which is refreshing. Its nice to see a unique style.
  
• No cigar: Another contender, The Little Matchgirl, is set in Russia with an ending that reminded us of Grave of the Fireflies (a spectacular film), but it seemed as much about beautiful renderings as it was about a story.
  
• Ridiculous: No Time for Nuts (nominated) and Guide Dog (contender but not nominated) were silly fun. Would like to see Guard Dog, to get the rest of that story.
  

• Watched the Grand Prix of Monaco.
  
• Bought some new (to us, at least) varieties of daylilies, to add to the garden.
  
• Watched the Indy 500, before the rain delay.
  
• Graded exams for my summer class. Some good, some bad. The usual.
  
• Watched the rest of the Indy 500, three hours later. Psychically, I managed to turn it on just in time to see the restart.
  
• Got Bored with the NASCAR race. What else is new?
  

• Put out the flag for Memorial Day, even though the real holiday (Decoration Day, memorializing the men who died fighting for the Union) is not until the 30th.
  
• Mowed the lawn.
  

• Got to the Enormous Theater to see Shrek 3. Wonderfully awful, but great fun. Enough adults in the audience that a half dozen people, including my wife, chorused "Birkies" when a shot included a closeup of Merlin's feet. We loved the rip of old Disney movies, right down to Cinderella singing in that old-fashioned 30's tart singer voice and the rather menacing dwarf ogre-sitter. Also gotta love the choice of 70's rock for other parts of the sound track. Keep the parents happy!
  

• Periodically read Dr. Crazy's VPW2007 posts. LOL funny.