During the break today, my students were discussing the upcoming movie version of “The Lovely Bones.” I won’t be watching it, because I read the book and it upset me terribly. It was well-written and excellent; it was the subject matter that disturbed me. I don’t “do” the torture and murder of children, and I think all child molesters should be executed without a last meal. Oh, and I don’t mind if it hurts them, either. In fact, I think it should, and I hope it does. (The link contains spoilers, so if you plan to read the book or watch the film and don’t want to know how it ends, you’ve been warned.)

That being said, the subject matter of the movie wasn’t actually what disturbed me today. Rather, it was overhearing this conversation:

Student 1: The mom is played by the mom in all those “Mummy” movies.
Student 2: The grandmother is played by the mom in “Little Women.”
Student 3: Guess who’s playing the dad: Mark Wahlberg!
Student 1: Yeah, Mark Wahlberg is pretty HOT – for an old guy.

Mark Wahlberg was born in 1971. My students consider him an old guy.

I was dragging when I got home, partly from the torrential rain and partly because so many students were absent today and partly because I didn’t have any money for Diet Coke and mostly partly from the realization that if Mark Wahlberg is old, I must be. . . . never mind.

And then I read Jeff’s post.

Cheered me right up, it did.

Mamacita, Scheiss Weekly