Words to remember...

Politically, I am usually pretty mild in my posts for this blog. That said (and to no surprise to those who know me), I've never hid the fact that I would be considered on the liberal side of the spectrum.

While waiting on a person to measure our living room for new carpet, I was watching Judgment at Nuremberg (1961, directed by Stanley Kramer). It's not the first time I've seen it; I always remember it as a moving film, with some wonderful performances by a slew of legends (Spencer Tracey, Judy Garland, Montgomery Clift, Marlene Dietrich, Richard Witmark, Maximilian Schell, Burt Lancaster). Today, however, Tracey's "decision of the court" speech slammed me into the back of the couch. It's a combination of incredible acting, well-written monologue, and prescient fat to chew for our modern day world. Here's an excerpt:


"Heir Rolfe further asserts that the defendant, Janning, was an extraordinary jurist and acted in what he thought was the best interest of this country. There is truth in this also. Janning, to be sure, is a tragic figure. We believe he loathed the evil he did. But compassion for the present torture of his soul must not beget forgetfulness of the torture . . . by the Government of which he was a part. . . . [T]his trial has shown that under a national crisis, ordinary -- even able and extraordinary -- men can delude themselves into the commission of crimes so vast and heinous that they beggar the imagination. . . .
There are those in our own country too who today speak of the 'protection of country' -- of 'survival.' A decision must be made in the life of every nation at the very moment when the grasp of the enemy is at its throat. Then, it seems that the only way to survive is to use the means of the enemy, to rest survival upon what is expedient -- to look the other way.
Well, the answer to that is 'survival as what?' A country isn't a rock. It's not an extension of one's self. It's what it stands for. It's what it stands for when standing for something is the most difficult!
Before the people of the world, let it now be noted that here, in our decision, this is what we stand for: justice, truth, and the value of a single human being."


A clip of the speech is here. (AmericanRhetoric.com is a wonderful resource, by the way -- in fact, I've used it for the classroom.)

Everyone better vote in November. Everyone.

Jackpot Tiger 2.0 Launches!

So I'm trying to upload an updated webpages to Jackpot Tiger, reflecting a few things that have happened this year -- including the play festival announcemnt I mentioned in my last blog entry -- when I find out that my internet service provider has a new user-friendly website creator.


I guess it was time for a reboot anyway.


Check out Jackpot Tiger's new look. It's 85% complete -- I still need to upload a few pictures and fix some formatting errors -- but it does look more polished. Eventually, my own site will get an facelift as well. The only problem is deciding what to upload and what to retire, in terms of content (particularly in the Showcase and Press sections).

TLAG and Play Festival Teaser

Lotsa things to report in this year's edition of The Latest and Greatest.

Okay, since it's been over a year since my last post, I guess I owe at least three new pics of my daughter. Let's talk about her and them before we talk about me.

Ever since my wife knew she had a baby in her womb, she planned for the day she could get fairy pictures made. So, this spring, she ordered a costume from Costume Fairy (shares the home with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, dontcha know), sprinkled some pixie dust, and crossed our fingers. We were ecstatic with the results -- the quality of the outfit was fantastic, and the photo shoot went great. We printed several, but two are shown above.

The third photo was my secret Father's Day gift, a montage my wife and daughter had framed. Amazingly, Ayla didn't blab or let on once about the Jedi photo shoot, so I was truly surprised when I opened the bag. The framed pic will now sit in my classroom in the fall. Note: I gave Ayla the Yoda training lightsabre as a gift for her first birthday. How could it be that she's turning 4 in August? Where does the time go (says the guy who posts an average of twice a year...)

(BTW, all the photos above were taken by the always fantastic Michelle at Celebrity Kids in the Summit.)

Other than photo shoots, Ayla is doing great. We're looking at pre-K, possibly for this fall. Not sure if Mommy and I are ready for that moment when we'll drop her off with strangers, but we'll try to hang tough.

In other news, we got a new tuxedo kitten back around Christmas. We named him, appropriately enough, (James) Bond. Dixie is still not sure if she appreciates his friskiness. Poor thing. I think she just got used to Ayla, and here is another monumental change.

Onto Adam stuff. So what has happened in the past twelve months? Here's a quick list:

1. Passed the teaching internship, which means the last stage of official teacher training is complete. I'm looking forward to next year being "just" a teacher, without university classes or an internship hanging over my head.
2. Produced a version of The Odd Couple at school. Although I am still officially on the drama sidelines (I stepped down from the Theater Director position at the end of last year, so I could concentrate on finishing my teaching credentials and having more family time), several seniors I had worked with last year desperately wanted to do a student-led production, so I eventually agreed to sponsor it. It was great fun to work with a Neil Simon play, and the students did a great job.
3. Was nominated for Teacher of the Year, which was flattering beyond words.
4. In non-teaching news, had a chance to watch some of the "event" films: Iron Man (best super-hero movie I've seen since Spider-Man 2, and easily in the top 5 comic adaptations of all time), The Incredible Hulk (much more watchable than Ang Lee's version), and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom etc. etc. (Fun but not fantastic). The biggest is yet to come, however: counting down to The Dark Knight. (RIP, Mr. Ledger. Always liked your work.)

Besides house projects and some teaching lesson plan tweaks, I'm still trying to keep creative. My work on my full-length play has been slow because of the school year, and is currently on hiatus because of the latest news . . .

A few months ago, I was asked by a local producer/director to contribute a new one-act play for a festival in February 2009. I was honored and immediately said yes. I've had the play outlined in my head for a while, but have finally found the time to type the first draft these past few weeks.

More details on the play festival to come; I'm waiting for the person to officially announce it in his own press release soon. Once he does, I'll post more information.

Enjoy the summer!