Just call me Ms. Happiness
I’m happy to report that the reason I’ve been so quiet during the last two weeks is that I am now working!! The director at the preschool the boys attended when they were younger offered me a job as the office assistant. I love being there: I love walking Brandon to school in the morning (2 blocks away). I love picking him up to escort him to the after school care program at the preschool. I love that Matty is part of the after school care class I help with. I love the experience I am getting being around of all ages (from 18 months through 5th grade). What I’m not too keen on is the exhaustion I’ve had. I have a greater appreciation for teachers as well as school administrators and their level of patience and kindness and all the work they do that goes unseen. It’s a great source of training for my future career as an educator.
Speaking of which, I am on pins and needles waiting for the results of the Subject Area Exam I took last Wednesdayy, which should be available mid-next week. I NEED to pass this exam in order to register into the EPI program. Otherwise, I have to take the test again in a couple of months ($220…I’d rather pay that only one time, thank you very much!) and wait to register in January (I’d rather start sooner rather than later). Please send good vibes and positive thoughts my way!
I’ll admit it
I’m an Iron Man FanGirl. Tony Stark is a narcissistic millionaire genius, but underneath it all, he’s a good guy. The latest installment of the Iron Man Series, and the Avengers universe, brings to light the good, true, vulnerable Tony, and I loved it!
When we last saw Tony, he was a part of the Avengers, battling aliens and mythical characters in New York. He is currently in a committed relationship and living with Pepper Potts, and working on various versions of his amazing Iron Man suit. From the outside, all seems right in his world, but he’s suffering from anxiety attacks and can’t sleep. There is news of terrorist attacks throughout the world, bombings with no forensic evidence, initiated by a terrorist named The Mandarin. After his former bodyguard (now Stark Industries head of security) Happy Hogan is seriously injured by one of The Mandarin’s attacks, Tony publicly vows revenge, announcing his home address on television. As Pepper attempts to convince him that they should get out of town, his Malibu mansion is attacked and destroyed. Tony, suited up as Iron Man, falls within the rubble into the ocean and is presumed dead by The Mandarin’s men, the media, and Pepper. However, a previously programmed flight plan in JARVIS’s system lands Tony in rural
Tennessee, and with the help of a 10-year-old boy, Tony begins discovering how a local explosion ties into The Mandarin’s attacks.
For most of the movie, Tony is suit-less, worried about Pepper’s well-being, and trying to find The Mandarin and stop his next terrorist plot, an attack involving the President of the United States. But the lack of suits, and the lack of a fully-functioning JARVIS, doesn’t stop our hero. Tony shows us his true wits, crafting several home-made weapons and finding The Mandarin’s whereabouts. Our hero discovers that the bombs weren’t really bombs, but soldiers whose bodies rejected the Extremis virus, an experimental regenerative treatment with the purpose of users with crippling injuries being able to recover. With JARVIS now up and running, and his friend Colonel James Rhodes by his side,Tony is able to suit up again. But, he still has to rescue the President and Pepper while combating The Mandarin and his Extremis-infected henchmen.
The movie explores the consequences of our favorite superhero’s battles, both physical and emotional. It is action-packed, has several laughable moments, and has a few surprises as well. Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow play Tony and Pepper to perfection. In fact, I cannot imagine anyone else in these roles, especially Downey. He IS Iron Man. And I’m so glad he’s back! In theaters this Friday, May 3rd, Iron Man 3 will definitely be the top blockbuster of the season.