Syllabus #171

Everybody, everybidet.  

Hot Dads in Children's Books - hilarious.  I think the dad in Alexander books, and the dad in Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing should definitely not make the cut, because they embody the type of toxic masculinity that allows dads in popular culture and real life to be aloof, irritable financial providers who have no earthly idea what goes on in the home or even where their wife keeps the damn peanut butter.  Hard agree with the hotness of the dad in Jabari Jumps, though.  Last time I read that book to a class, a little boy was overly fixated on being able to see the guy's nips.  

States with the worst winters.   I think Tennessee should have ranked closer to the top.  The only thing good about winter here is that it is mercifully short.  It still gets below freezing, and it's that damp cold that sets up camp in your bones from December to February and makes you want to eat bread until you can't feel your feelings anymore.

Watching:

We watch so little TV, and yet, we chose to give Jeffrey Q. Bezos $3.99 plus tax to watch Happy Gilmore on Friday.  Because I have now played exactly 7 holes of golf in my life, the movie truly resonated with me.  Also, his driving and putting stances were absolutely bonkers.  10/10 recommend.  Also, the grandma storyline just really tugs at the old heartstrings.

Gotta say, though, the next night we were like, is Adam Sandler the comedic voice of a generation?  Should we watch Billy Madison?  The answer was yes, but it should have been no.  That shit does not hold up.  Except for the "If peeing your pants is cool, consider me Miles Davis" part.  Always and forever.

Analog Reading:

Finished The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid.  It was an intriguing premise, speculating what would happen to society if every white person started turning black overnight, and how individuals would react to a new self-perception.  It was such a short novel, though, and I feel like Hamid could have really done more with the concept.  As it was, it seemed like it only addressed the skin-deep aspects of race, but maybe that was his point, that the color of your skin doesn't have to mean anything about who you are inside?