IT'S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY * THE ODYSSEY

It's Kind of a Funny Story - I loved this movie which I checked out based on a great title, and the fact that Zach Galifianakis was in it. I had no idea that I was getting a really sweet story about a 16 year old boy who feels so much pressure from parents, school and friends that he gets himself admitted to the psych ward in a New York City hospital. At 16, we think we are the only one. The only one with friend problems, parent problems, school problems. We're the only one and we're just not getting it and everyone else IS getting it. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you must have been among that small minority of teens who got it). That's how Craig feels, and It's Kind of a Funny Story to see how a week in his life probably impacted the rest of his life.

The Odyssey by Homer - The entire freshman class at Peter's high school reads this epic classic in English class every year, and one of the English teachers loves it so much that he conducts a parent book group for those parents who want to read along with their students. I often read the assigned books along with Peter, and it happens that the parent Odyssey teacher is also the track coach this year, so I had to read and attend. And am so happy that I did. This is an incredible book. It was written at the beginning of time pretty much, and the age old story has it all. A heroic man who wants to go home, immortal gods playing important roles in what happens to humans, uncommon adversity, romance, contests, tests of all types and standards of conduct. It's an absolutely resilient tale, and if you think you haven't read it before, you're mistaken, because elements of this story are found universally in history in both fiction and non-fiction. It's about Odysseus who, after ten years of the Trojan War, and another ten years of wandering around the Mediterranean, gets himself home, only to find that his home has been overrun by suitors who all want to marry his wife. The suitors have been there for years taking advantage of the Odysseus' wife and sons' hospitality. These guys are eating and drinking them out of house and home while the wife puts off choosing one of them to marry because she's waiting for Odysseus to return home. This is a story that raises more questions than it answers, and one that will stay with you for a long time.