Pin Up

When I was planning the space in our school room, one priority was a reading corner. It's turned out to be a very small area but enough for two bean bag chairs and a basket of rotating books. I went online today to find a good reading poster to hang there. I've always liked those and used to have one of Antonio Banderas promoting reading in my middle school classroom. (I got away with that because he's a Spaniard.) Anyway, as I was looking without success, I decided to check into whether Hugh Laurie had done any reading promotions. I couldn't find any but did find several posters of Gregory House. So.....I ordered one for the wall next to my desk. Chris reminded me that I am in fact, not a teenager. I told him to get his pillow and blankie ready. No, actually, I asked him if he thought I should have an oversized poster of the Pope instead. He said no so I decided to put a picture of the Pope on our bulletin board, across the room from the almost life-sized poster I ordered of House.

I know that some people see House as a grizzly pessimist. And I think a part of the appeal of the show is the evolution of his character--the question of whether he'll change. We've been watching old episodes this summer and he has definitely become a newer, nicer House, if still an incredible cynic, over the last few years. I will be disappointed if the writers end the show at some point by turning him into an insipid version of himself. Because you have to admit, hard to take or not, House is often right. And not just about the diagnosis. It is undeniable that life is not fair and that it will never be the neat, controllable or definable thing that many seek to make it. It is a fact that all kinds of people--even supposedly "good"/ religious ones--represent themselves to be something they're not. And finally, there isn't always a nice, understandable ending. Some things are just hard and horrible and impossible to sugar coat. Enough to make a person depressed. As for me, I find the honesty refreshing. And I can relate to House. I won't explain how lest I reveal too much but let's just say that having him on my wall will be a kind of joke to myself.

Interestingly enough, when I thought I'd finished this post, I went back to copy a photo of the print I ordered and came across.....yes, a poster of Hugh Laurie promoting reading. I don't know how I missed it given that it was on the American Library Association's site. But hmmm.....now that I think about it, it may be a fortunate mistake. One for me, one for the kids? Elmo really is highly overrated.

Ciao for now.