March favorites

1. This quote from a comment stream on a New York Times article, which I think speaks for itself:
   
2. House of Cards season 4 – I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in saying that last year’s season 3 just was not up to par. So I was apprehensive going into season 4, but I’ve never been so happy to be wrong (though I will say that going from my current West Wing rewatch to HoC was like a kick in the teeth). Visually stunning, sharply written, and full of surprises, this new season was everything that I was hoping for. Both Robin Wright and Kevin Spacey are powerhouses, and their performances bubbled with the brooding, barbed-wire control that their characters are known for.
3. Hamilton performing at the White House – YES THIS IS STILL A THING. A couple weeks ago, Adam said to me, “I’m ready for you to finally see Hamilton because maybe then you’ll finally get it out of your system.” Well Adam, I’m ready for me to finally see Hamilton too, but there are 153 days between now and then, and science has yet to invent a time machine, so we’re both stuck. Luckily for me, the cast traveled to the White House last week to perform and the livestreaming gods smiled down on me and gave me these glorious performances of two of the opening numbers.
4. Watching my kids watch Hercules – All of the mythology references went way over their heads, but Hades looking at his sidekick’s shoes and asking “What are those?” has them all in stitches. That, and one kid’s dramatic lip-syncing along to “I Will Go the Distance.”
5. The Percy Jackson series – Right before spring break, we did a lesson on the Hero’s Journey, and we talked as a class about all the usual examples: Harry Potter, Star Wars, Hunger Games, etc., and one of my kids mentioned Percy Jackson. Without thinking, I said, “Oh, I haven’t read that series.” This statement was met with near-unanimous outrage from my 6th block and I tried to placate them by promising I would read it soon. The next day, one of my quietest kids came to see me before homeroom and handed me his copy of the first book. Within 36 hours, I had finished it, and was at B&N looking for the sequel.

Alright, friends: what are you loving this month? Is there another YA series that I’ve totally missed and need to read ASAP? Let me know!!