It's Actually Not That Complicated; Tuesday, Second Period [12/06].

[died8yearsago]

"One of the key components of a classic Nancy Meyers film, besides women with agency who are real people," Rosa gave a nod of acknowledgement to the students for their discussion last week, which was actually a significant expression of being impressed by their answers, so good job there, kids, "is the set design, especially interior designs, and especially the kitchens. A Nancy Meyers kitchen is iconic, and will often be a reflection of the protagonists and their personalities, as well as being absolutely fabulous. All my kitchens have been inspired by Nancy Meyers kitchens."

And considering how often she had to move apartments when coworkers or family members found out where she lived before moving to this island, that was a lot of kitchens!

"And today," Rosa informed them, "you're going to design your own. I have a lot of magazines here for you to flip through and find pictures or whatever, or you can use the Internet, but your goal is to put together a kitchen worthy of a Nancy Meyers protagonist. Don't just put things together because you think they're cool, either. Everything should have purpose and be reflective of the protagonist of your own proposal for a Nancy Meyers-esque movie, which is going to be your final for this class next week. Use this kitchen today as a jumping-off point for a movie proposal that you will give us next week. We've spent the whole class breaking down these movies; put them to use in making your own now.

"Today, though, we focus on the kitchens, the heart of any Nancy Meyers film, so we'll take a few moment to break down the elements I expect to see in your kitchens, and then we'll get to work."

American Inventions, Tuesday, December 6, 2022

[heroic_jawline]

When the students walked into the classroom, their teachers weren't immediately visible. That was probably bad. Was it because of the caroling gremlins? Was it part of the class?

Yes.

The answer was yes.

Tony peeked out from behind the desk after a moment, clutching two brightly colored squirtguns. "Welcome back, Captain Rogers is around here somewhere, But we thought a little game would help with this inventor. His name is Lonnie Johnson and he, after a career with both the US Air Force and NASA, went on to invent one of the most famous toys of the 90's... the Super Soaker. Of which, there will be one handwavily of which under each of your desks for this class."

Steve's voice came from the ceiling: don't ask how he got up there. "The Super Soaker is one of the most successful toys ever," he said, "with over one billion dollars in sales. Originally called the Power Drench, Johnson tweaked the name a bit and holds more than 250 patents, mostly in different designs of Super Soakers."

He flipped down behind Tony and shot him with water, snickering a bit.

Tony huffed, but didn't retaliate. Well, not right away. "So, in honor of this amazing toy... water fight."

And then he shot Steve back.

Libraries and Books: Highlights and Dangers, Tuesday

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Class was in the Danger Shop today, and the instructor looked...less than good. He was not going to skip this one, though.

"Um, hello. We're in here today because real books are too dangerous. So we're going to have fake ones. He squinted at the console that he thankfully had programmed earlier and turned it on, revealing a library with one prominently displayed shelf of books. He waved at it.

"These are...well, some of the books I know of. Not all of them. And as you'll see, they're very different. Just...I thought this way you might get a feel for when something is off. Magical books can be deadly. Or...or worse."

If you looked closely, you could see a couple of the books smoking faintly. One seemed a little wet. Some seemed completely innocuous. Others were cold.

"A lot of the time, these books are...once you start reading them, you can't stop. Or you might be able to force yourself to. These ones aren't...they aren't really dangerous. They'll just, um. Tell you what would happen if you read the real thing. And hopefully give you a feel for what to look out for."

Did that make sense? Jon hoped so.