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By Kyle, July 29, 2009 5:13 pm

Some of you know what I am up to this summer. Part of the fun (and difficulty) of this is finding ways of making remedial math both fun and interesting. Luckily, thanks to the wonderful technology of the world wide web, we’ve found some wonderfully cheesy videos that hearken back to the days of big hairdos and public television.

Not only that, but thanks to a Harvard Professor, there are available online dozens of actual film examples of math in the movies.

Our favorite? Steve Martin as George Banks in Father Of the Bride, who could have used a little help with the concept of “Least Common Multiple”.

In fact, we liked the scene so much, we’ve been using the character of George Banks about once per week in a word problem.

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By Kyle, July 25, 2009 3:23 pm

Brian Eno – Put a Straw Under Baby

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Another sign of the times: A few summers ago I reflected upon how strange it was that so many of my friends were getting married. Well, what wasn’t strange was their marriages, but rather how quickly the idea of “getting married” has been re-appropriated from something that older folks do, to something that people my age do! This is the first summer that I’ve been to less than about 3 weddings.

Yet, just as soon as the weddings have died down, the next inevitable stage has immediately cropped up for people in my generation: parenthood! From procreation, to adoption, to surrogacy, it seems like so many folks have little ones already here, or very much on the way.

Today I went to a baby shower….(Yes, the times, they are a’ changing, in that now apparently baby showers are a whole family/friends affairs, as opposed to being previously relegated to women). It was very cool to see the excitement of the expecting parents as well as the general support of the community around them! As they say, “it takes a village….” (or at least city zip code).

Not to mention that posting this gives me an additional excuse to play some Brian Eno music.

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By Kyle, July 21, 2009 4:40 pm

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12 years before I was born, man landed on the moon. What’s weird is that 12 years isn’t that long at all!

In honor of the Apollo 11 astronauts, here you’ll find some of my favorite songs about space. What am I missing?

Elton John: Rocket Man

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Pink Floyd: Brain Damage

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David Bowie: Space Oddity 

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David Bowe: Life On Mars?

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The Beatles: Across the Universe

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The Rolling Stones: 2000 Light Years From Home

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Aimee Mann: Lost In Space

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Philip Glass: Spaceship

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Harry Nilsson: Spaceman

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The Kinks: Supersonic Rocket Ship

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Norman Greenbaum: Spirit In the Sky

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Kathy McCarty: Rocketship

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Pink Floyd: Astronomy Domine

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What am I missing here???

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By Kyle, July 17, 2009 6:02 pm

Randy Newman – Short People

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Some of you know that this summer, my friend and co-conspirator Rustum are working feverishly on developing a math program for our incoming 6th graders next year to FINALLY honestly deal with the fact that kids who don’t have basic math skills CAN’T access the curriculum. “Kids Mastering Math” will be a great success this fall!

One of the biggest challenges was figuring out a way to assign homework to these kids without giving teachers the extra work of grading it, a problem that was solved by allotting each KMM teacher an 8th grade “TA” to do grading, and basic logistical tasks for these teachers! Yay, problem solved!

But as with most things in life, solving one problem usually creates another, ours being that in order to serve as a TA, an 8th grader loses their lunch with their 8th grade friends and is relegated to eat during the 6th grader lunch time, a mighty big sacrifice for a typical middle school teen.

Again, the creative mind of Rustum Jacob came up a solution: a “Front of the Lunch Line” pass which, like an exclusive black American Express card, will upon display entitle the bearer to cut in line for food and snack, a privilege which only our 8th grade TAs will receive.

Behold, the prototype!

Before I get tons of angry emails and comments, let me be clear that this is a joke….A JOKE…I don’t want to start any nasty internet rumors….

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By Kyle, July 15, 2009 8:41 pm

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If it weren’t for the line of trees, the golf ball would have gone straight into Pico Blvd. Yes, that’s right, this evening I went par-3 golfing at the risk of those drivers on their evening commute home on the adjacent Pico Blvd. Yes, I shot horrifically, yet it was simply wonderful to walk through the summer evening air here and feel the warm breeze off the Pacific a mere 5 miles away.

Simply this long walk (punctuated by errant 8-irons, duffed 9-irons, and heated putts) allowed me to truly be grateful to live in a city where you can actually get in some nature in the city (although I’m sure my readers from the Pacific NW, and the Atlantic NE will take issue at my definition of the word “nature”).

What’s sad is that this golf course (certainly not the above pictured one) is a 10 minute drive from my house and provides another reason to tenaciously stay at my current residence despite any roommates that may decide to abandon the neighborhood in search of greener pastures in Westwood, Brentwood, and San Bernardino. Perhaps this is just the impetus I need to get out-of-doors more often.

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By Kyle, July 12, 2009 6:38 pm

Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks

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After a long week at work, my roommate Mitch, my colleague Greg and I headed down the 5 freeway for a 2-day visit to beautiful San Diego. And yes, it was absolutely beautiful. The temperature was a comfortable, breezy 70 degrees, and the fact that downtown is walking distance from the ocean aids that fact remarkably! What was astonishing to me was that my two traveling buddies both agreed that given the opportunity, they would prefer to live in San Diego, rather than Los Angeles.

I’ve thought about that for a while now, and although I must admit that San Diego  would be, in fact, a great place to live, I just don’t know if I could give up L.A. One of the things we did this weekend was to hit up some of the local music clubs / bars that the Gaslamp district had to offer (“If you hit a gas lamp with your car, will it explode?”). Friday night, we happened upon The Shout House, which is literally a dueling piano bar. I’ve got to say, this was tons of fun, and my prior experience with dueling pianos had been completely relegated to Saturday morning cartoons. Lots of fun, but still not substitution for Largo, right here in Los Angeles.

Perhaps the best part of the trip was the food, which ranged from yummy steak :), to peanut-butter and banana French Toast, to Asian cuisine, to Cajun tortas. Perhaps the best part was watching my two traveling buddies mow down a 5 pound lobster, complete with lobster bib. I refrained from the lobster figuring that since I’ve been spoiled with lobster from Maine, the only place that God truly designed lobsters to be from.

Weekend’s over. Great trip. The weekend getaway is definitely worth it. Maybe make something like this a monthly, or quarterly (yep, I”m a geek) event!

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By Kyle, July 9, 2009 2:33 pm

Joni Mitchell – Both Sides, Now

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It’s hard to believe that I’ve now lived in Los Angeles for over 5 years now. While on the one hand, the time seems to have flown by, on the other hand, there are often frequent reminders of just how long ago 5 years was.

Case in point: when I first moved to Los Angeles, I did so under the auspices of Teach For America (TFA), and was immediately immersed in the five-week hell called ”Institute”, i.e. the crash course in teaching. Anyway, Tuesday night of this past week, I found myself once again, at Institute (albeit under much different circumstances) where the ‘09 TFA Corps members were being trained.

I sat in on one of the evening sessions that dealt with teaching elementary math and watched as about 50 enthusiastic new teachers talked about ways they would try to teach their summer school kids their multiplication facts. Seeing their bright eyes and their inner drive gave me a second wind of inspiration as I plan for next year even this early this summer. Yet that bubble was quickly burst upon the quick remembrance that LAUSD is getting 0 new TFA recruits this year due to budget cuts.

TFA is not the magic, cure-all solution to the education woes of the nation, despite what many folks will tell you, yet I’ve got to say that I’ve still got mostly warm and fuzzy feelings for the cult of TFA that got me out here teaching in the first place. Thanks again, and thanks for repaying my loans!

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By Kyle, July 6, 2009 5:55 am

Little Pink Houses – John Cougar Mellencamp

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Saturday was the 4th of July, and two buddies and I headed up to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena for a bit of tailgating / football / fireworks. The weather was a perfect 75 degrees with a slight breeze across the golf course fairway on which the Rose Bowl Parking Staff decided to park us on.

A few soul-affirming/challenging realizations that I had during the whole experience:

1. I still pretty much suck at football, and most other sports for that matter.

2. Fireworks still have the power to amaze and dazzle even a 26 year old.

3. My brain is going as well. I don’t even know how old I am. (I’m actually 27!!!)

4. I miss golf. Walking the fairways in between the rows of cars made me start thinking about the last time I got to play (I don’t think I’ve yet played in 2009). Unfortunately, the idea of starting work back up again today doesn’t do much for my enthusiasm toward getting up early for a round.

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By Kyle, July 3, 2009 10:37 am

Belle & Sebastian – Wrapped Up in Books

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Just about the only silver lining to the dark cloud of air travel is the fact that hours and hours in airports and airplanes provides one with a chance to catch up on reading, something that I don’t get to do as often as I’d like to during the school year.

Deciding not to lug my halfway finished hardcover copy of War and Peace (weighing approximately 6 lbs.) to Costa Rica proved a wise move, and gave me a chance to enjoy two shorter books that were honestly some great reads!

The first was recommended to me by a colleague toward the end of the school year and is entitled The Blind Side, which simultaneously chronicles the evolutions of both the unique importance of the “left tackle” position in football as well as the person of Michael Oher, an individual seemingly destined for greatness in that particular role. This true story was moving, poignant, and spoke to the power of perseverance, generosity, and hope even in the midst of terrible circumstances. Apparently, some folks are in the midst of turning this real-life drama into a film, however doubtful it may be that such a film will come remotely close to the magnificence of this book.

The second book I started (and finished) the day I returned to the States was Freakonomics, which despite the unfortunate title, was a marvelously entertaining read in which two economists apply economic principles to real-life situations. I know, I know,….that summary sound ridiculously boring, but trust me, it grabs your attention when the authors delve into the honesty of real estate agents, the economics of naming your children, and answering questions like “why do drug dealers live with their moms?” Certainly none of their analysis is sufficient to get the country out of this recession, but it’s certainly an enjoyable diversion in the meantime!

And now with essentially three non-work days of summer left (yep, I go back into school on Monday), I’m finding myself with the need to pack in the fun this weekend! Fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun……