Steve and I watch a lot of movies, actually, but I hardly ever write about them. Probably that’s because I’m so tired by the end of the day that I can barely remember what I watched, even assuming I was able to stick it out to the end. As well as the fact that highbrow “films” are not my thing at all — this is a source of pain to my dear dad, whose favorite movie of all time is Aguirre, the Wrath of God — in fact, I can barely even sit through a Merchant Ivory. Let alone come up with something coherent to say about it. Give me a blockbuster comedy action thriller special effects extravaganza starring beautiful people any day.

Recently we watched a couple of movies in the genre of Naive White Schooteacher Goes To Inner City And Wins Trust And Love Of Bad Dumb Kids Who Turn Out To Be Smart After All (Based On A True Story).

First, Freedom Writers with Hilary Swank. We liked it. Googling it just now (because I couldn’t remember the movie title) I discovered that Hilary took some flak because she herself is a high school dropout. Now how stupid is that? If actors only ever took roles that reflected their own personal life experiences, there wouldn’t be very many movies, would there. Sheesh.

Then, last night, The Ron Clark Story. We didn’t like it. Great story, but the acting was terrible. Best thing on the video was the interview with the real Ron Clark. The man has a crazy energy and charisma that Matthew Perry didn’t even come close to capturing. Too bad.

* * *

And speaking of entertainment and my parents, I have a huge bone to pick with my dear mom. I was over at her house recently and I noticed she was working on one of those Sudoku puzzles. Now I’d heard the buzz about these puzzles but didn’t pay much attention because I assumed they were magic square type things, you know, where all the rows and columns have to add up to the same number. I hate those things. I hate arithmetic. And even though my mom has a mathematical mind (after all, she’s a musician), I never would have pegged her as someone who would work magic squares for fun.

“Oh no,” sez she, “there’s no math involved. The numbers could just as easily be letters.”

So she shows me, and yes indeed she is right. These things remind me of those totally addictive Paint By Number puzzles they used to have (still have?) in Games magazine. There is a reason why I don’t subscribe to Games magazine any more!

I hereby solemnly swear that I will do only one Sudoku puzzle per day. I will only do the one that comes in the paper. I will not buy any puzzle books. I will not bookmark any puzzle websites. I will not even google “sudoku.” I solemnly swear!

But Mom, I wish you hadn’t showed me.