Laugh Out Loud

I have read this about three times. Truly hysterically funny, this article brought images of angry trantrum-throwing toddlers and shopping malls to mind. The way he describes the game contrived by the children as a sort of relay race amongst them in which they "pass the baton of anguish," each time they punch eachother. Brilliant.

The two last paragraphs, on the strengths and weaknesses of the male and female genders and Sarah Palin's infamous rhetoric, are a little out of place, but funny nonetheless. Comparing her speaking abilities to the Bard himself, Sarah Palin's humility has no limits. I'm not watching Dancing with the Stars, but I hear Bristol is doing well. I'm supporting her. Who says a baby mama can't dance?

Enjoy!


From:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/7899801/Ah-now-I-know-why-all-you-parents-are-useless.htm
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Ah, now I know why all you parents are useless
I have for years groaned at the inability of parents to prevent their snot-smeared progeny bawling in restaurants, running in shops and singing in libraries - until now, writes Michael Deacon.

To the childless, parenting seems like a breeze

Are you a useless parent? If so, I owe you an apology. Childless myself, I have for years groaned at your inability to prevent your snot-smeared progeny bawling in restaurants, running in shops and singing in libraries. I have always thought you weak and ineffectual.

I was right, of course. But in future, I shall be tolerant of your ineptitude because, having spent Saturday at the birthday party of a two-year-old niece, I see that, if I were to have children, I'd be just
as inept.

The parents had arranged party games. The children, though, showed more interest in a game of their own devising. At least, I assumed it was a game. It definitely had a game-like pattern. It was a kind of relay race of hysterics. Player A would burst into tears over some perceived injustice, then run up to Player B and, like a 4 x 400m sprinter passing a baton to a team-mate, transfer the hysterics to that player – by, say, punching him or her in the arm.
Instantly, Player A would stop crying and Player B would start crying. Player B would then run tearfully up to Player C and, just as Player A had done, pass on the baton of anguish – by, say, pushing Player C over. Instantly, Player B would stop crying and Player C would start crying.

And so the game continued. A boy – possibly the one in a T-shirt bearing the phrase "Mummy's little hero" – cried because another boy broke his gingerbread man. A girl cried because another girl was playing with her toys. "Come on, angel," cooed her father, "we know how to share, don't we?"

"No-oooo," bellowed the angel.

Not only am I clueless when children cry, I'm clueless when they misbehave. Children sense this, and act accordingly. One girl trod a lump of Play-Doh into the patio, and then, realising I'd seen her commit this crime, fixed me with a forbidding glare.

"Grandad did it," she said sternly. I didn't dare disagree.

Drained by the chaos, I flopped on to a swing in the garden. Immediately, I was surrounded by a swarm of scandalised infants.

"You can't go on the swing," piped a three-year-old girl indignantly. "It's for little ones."

"I am a little one," I said, feigning insouciance. "It was my fourth birthday last week."

"No it wasn't," she squeaked, cutting pitilessly through my façade. "You're a daddy!"

I'm not, in fact. But given the ease with which the swarm ejected me from the swing, it's probably wise that I don't become one.

...

Giving directions, coping with heartbreak – and now multi-tasking: all things at which women are better than men, according to recent studies. Affronted, I've been trying to list things men do better than women. After an hour, I've come up with one: paying at tills. Women shoppers behave at the till like members of some primitive Polynesian tribe confronted for the first time by the basics of economic transaction. They never have their purses ready, and once they do locate them, they insist on counting out the exact money, regardless of how long the queue behind them is growing, and of how audibly the men in it are seething.

Then again, this may just be evidence of another thing women are better at: not getting pointlessly wound up by microscopic inconveniences.

...

Sarah Palin, having twice in a week said "refudiate", points out that a fellow master of rhetoric, Shakespeare, "used to coin words too". True, but I'm not sure English is enriched by words that are clumsier versions of ones we already have, in this case "refute" and "repudiate".

To me, the silliest neologism is "fess up" for "confess". I long to see its users incarcerated. Or, if they prefer, "carced up".

I don't have favorites, but...

Teachers aren't supposed to have favorites, or at least we can't SHOW the students that we have favorites. I have one new comer this year who moved from India. He is from Nepal, went to school in India and has the sweetest, gentlest disposition. It sounds like a lot of the schooling he received in India was still influenced by the British Education system. He is so well behaved I think the hooligans in our school are going to corrupt him. His grammar is better than many of the "mainstream" students so sadly for me, I think he will exit this year. Sometimes I joke around with him and tell him he's so cute I'm going to take him home. I think I better stop though as I don't think Daniel or the student's parents would be too pleased if I did.

Old Photos

I have just started scanning some old family pictures. More to come, but in the meantime, I present...Der Wunderkind:

2 adorable shih-tu's for adoption

1)Sam won't stop nagging me. When he is not nagging me, I can still hear a faint, ever-so-decipherable whine coming from his direction
2) The dogs have fleas that are immune to every flea product on the market 3) They scratch incessantly. 4)The dogs are going to boot camp on Sunday.

4) We just bought 2 android phones. To console myself about this excessive indulgence we are going to give Comcast cable the boot. Goodbye Don Draper. It was fun while it lasted but you're an alcoholic and I have to say goodbye to you and your sordid ways.

A-mazing Doggies!

Work, Health, and Other Things

Well, last week I got a call from the principal at the school where I worked last year saying that I will indeed be hired as a permanent employee in the .7 position this year. Woohoo!! On the down side Daniel and I started feeling sick at the end of last week and haven't been able to shake this virus. I've been watching a lot of movies and just finished a frightening book called "Case Histories" by Kate Atkinson. After reading Donna Tartt last year I was unable to find fiction that provided the thrill of mystery stories. What's great about these two writers, though, is that they manage to inject subtle humor and a touching sense of humanity into their writing. This makes incredibly scary and sometimes gruesome stories bearable and makes up for the lack of depth sometimes experienced in typical mystery novels. Also, unlike others in the mystery/thriller genre, they still focus on character development so that one feels as though you have been good friends with the people who come to life on the pages of each story. They are both outstanding writers.

Movies

Director Jane Campion's Bright Star is the story of John Keats' romantic involvement with a young clothing maker. If I were to make a movie, I would want it to look like this one. The cinematography is lush and breathtaking. The way she captures the light peeking through trees onto large colorful fields makes you want to lie down in an orchard.

American Gangster is Ridley Scott's true and violent tale of Frank Lucas. Russell Crowe plays one of the only cops in New York who refuses to partake in the widespread corruption that was so common in the NYPD during the 1970's. He hunts down major crime thugs and the police who have been selling seized drugs back to the mafia for a profit. A great movie, although I wouldn't watch it at bed-time.

Yesterday I watched Georia o'Keeffe which I know, is a dreaded Lifetime Network movie whose market audience is primarily estrogen crazed, middle-aged women. However, after reading about her in last year's September issue of Vogue I was curious to learn more about Ms. o'Keeffe and her relationship to American photographer Alfred Stieglitz. Stieglitz brought her to fame in the 1930's by showing her art in his gallery. However, being the lecherous man that he was, he interpreted her art primarily in Freudian terms. She did not take kindly to people adding such meanings to her art and started to paint more abstractions. Her art thus often blurs the line between realism and abstract art. When O'Keeffe suffered from mental problems after Stieglitz flaunted his affair with a younger woman, she moved out to New Mexico, where she remained for the rest of her life.

Grrrrrl Music

This is myyyyy new song, but I'll share it with you. Artist Mirah, orginially from Portland, WA, reminds me of my girl Liz Phair. That's right, sharing is caring and I'm completely unselfish. You're welcome.

Frodo, on the other hand, can be such a selfish mut. We have tried to teach him how to share but he refuses, espcially with squeeky toys and his tennis ball.

Picture compliments of Simmons-Glenn photography.

More Pictures...

from June 26 when we met Charlotte.

Holiday Pictures

Pictures from our holiday in Siesta Key!

Drum roll please.....

Introducing Charlotte Lee Santa Rita.

Charlotte and Family

Charlotte and Beatrice

Bea is becoming quite the little beauty with her piercing blue, almond shaped eyes.She now possesses the very elevated title of big sister for which she received a shirt.

When she held Charlotte, a large grin spread across her face as she laughed uproariously and kissed the baby. Smooch. Smooch. Smooch.

As you can tell, I am utterly infatuated by the two of them. My heart is happy.

YOU JUST THINK YOU'RE SOOO CHARMING, DON'T YOU

Nine days...

And counting until Beatrice becomes a big sister. Baby Charlotte Santa Rita is due on June 12th. Bea came early so it's possible Charlotte might be getting anxious to see the world as well. While we wait for the arrival of possibly the third sweetest niece in the world, here are some pictures of Beatrice.

Outside the Baltimore Acquarium

On Easter

GO, GO, GO...

Right now and rent Invictus!!!! It is the most inspiring and uplifting movie of the year!! The title of the movie is from a Victorian poem by William Ernest Henry and means "unconquered." Nelson Mandela read and kept the poem in his pocket during his difficult years in prison

Invictus
by William Ernest Henry

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.


The first half of the movie, like many of Clint Eastwood's films, is slow but the acting is outstanding and the last scenes of the movie, with panoramic shots of the cheering crowds in the massive stadium and the inspiring poem read in the background, will send chills through your body. If the story were fiction viewers would no doubt say that such a feat could never occur. It is therefore so remarkable that it is true. South African Pride!!

Interview with the real Francois Pienaar, the captain of the Springboks.



Matt Damon on a bicycle, gliding above scenic ocean views in Cape Town. It's a beautiful thing. When he meets Francois Pienaar, the beast of a rugby player he portrays in the movie, he jokingly says to him "Well, I look bigger on screen." .




After years of division, the collapse of Apartheid brought decades of anger to the streets in the form of brutal violence and destruction. The Sprinbok's motto-"One Team, One Country"- was meant to unite the people.

TGIF!!

(This was written a few weeks ago while Daniel was away in California, but for some reason I didn't post it.)

This week Frodo and I had lots of alone time. I could tell him I loved him as many times as I wanted without Daniel getting jealous. Hehehe.

Here is a funny anecdote about one of my kiddos at school:

Today during one of my first grade classes one of my students started screaming bloody murder after his front tooth fell out and started spewing blood onto the desk. "I can't go to the clinic, don't make me go to the clinic." He firmly attached his arms to my hips and did not let go until I had told him about twelve times that I would not be sending him to the clinic.

"I think I'm going to puke," said one kid with a penchant for melodrama, looking down at the blood on his folder.

After the tooth stopped bleeding he calmed down significantly. "Ohhhhhh," he said as he sighed a breath of relief. " I can just tell my dad I was eating a cookie and my tooth fell out."

I'm not sure what terrified him so much. The blood, the thought of getting sent home to his dad, or the clinic. Oh well. The beauty of children is that they generally recover quickly.

Going to take dogs out now. Daniel gets back tonight.

Everybody's Workin' for the Weekend!

The weekends have just been flying by! I suppose that's just what happens when you start working, even if you don't have hectic social schedules. Paradoxically, time spent relaxing moves at a faster pace. Another thing that happens when you start working...you start spending more money! My resolve to save half of my salary has been worn down. The past two weekends Daniel and I have gone, with the rest of Gaithersburg, to that very special type of consumerist heaven that could only be borne in America: Target. Groceries, DVD's, diapers, electronics, cosmetics, and pretty much anything else, all housed in one large echoing, vacuous space. Last weekend I was overwhelmed by it all, but today I decided to focus on a few things and was much more successful.

One thing that always gets me a little excited is when high-end designers decide to produce a line of clothing for the masses and sell their specific looks at much lower prices. It can, however, go dreadfully sour. Case in point: Vera Wang for Kohls. In 2007 I was disappointed when I found that the season's baggy shirts and fitted leggings were so poorly constructed that l looked like a bag lady. Her usually pretty shirts and dressed adorned with feminine bows and jewels looked cheap. I think since the fit and aesthetic of her designs rely heavily on quality fabrics they just didn't work when made en mass with cheaper materials. Even considering the "bargain," the clothes didn't seem worth the price.

This is not the case with Zac Posen's new line for Target. They didn't have everything shown in the link, but overall I was quite impressed. I got a cute dress that I really didn't need but just couldn't pass up.

I didn't try this one on, but if you have somewhere fancy to go, the fabric and cut of this dress look rich and glamorous in person. (It looks more gold than flowery.)

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Wikus Van de Merwe

This is by far the funniest things I have seen in a long time. The guy, "Wikus Van de Merwe", was the main character in Peter Jackson's District 9. What is amazing is that he is actually an English South African and sounds nothing like this in reality. He captures his Afrikaans character so well--the likable but self-satisfied Afrikaans bureaucrat. I think he should have been nominated for an Oscar for his role in District 9, but it may be something that only those familiar with the subtleties of "this type" of South African would appreciate.

Anyway, this sketch was an introduction for the South African Music Awards. He tries to find Charlize Theron to present the award with him. My family knew an interesting story behind her discovery. Here it is:
She started out as a model and was trying to cash a check in in a bank in Hollywood. When the teller wouldn't cash her check she made a huge scene and threw such a fit that the Hollywood producer standing next to her in line took notice of her theatrical skills (and probably her long, stunning gams as well.). "Wikus Van de Merwe" tries to go to that same bank in this sketch.

Funny Skit

this and that

Last week I went to my first two water aerobics classes of the Spring. In the winter water aerobics is a miserable experience, coming out all wet and cold with your muscles aching for the rest of the day. In the summer, however, it relieves my allergies to swim. I plop my sore body into the soothing water; happily looking around at the funny old ladies with shower caps over the hair, I try to ignore the hearty swimming coaches yelling at poor, awkward adolescents in the swimming lanes, and delight in the ease with which my body moves in the water.

I have temporarily lost daniel to Little Big Planet. Leaving me to wax poetic. Frodo keeps on making vicious attacks on Sam over a tiny piece of rawhide and small spaces of territory on their daybed. I desparately need to find a new book to read. I am bored and sore but don't want to go back to work tomorrow.

I hope that the two weeks of testing ahead go quickly but will find relaxation in my evening sessions at the pool.

Precious

The movie I rented last night was "Precious." You know the story: Obese, illiterate teen, repeatedly raped by her father, abused by her mother. Kids are products of their environments and their environments offer no hope

I can handle heavy movies but I was disappointed by this one. The movie claimed to be an unrelenting portrait of the lives of the impoverished and abused, however, I found many aspects of her story unrealistic. Pregnant with her second child by her father, the principal puts her into an alternative school where she receives a stipend; camaraderie in her small class of about eight students who don't judge her; and the undivided attention of a teacher who takes interest in her. Is this reality for the thousands of inner city students who need it? Unfortunately not.

Moreover, Precious, the girl, shows no initiative and has no personality. Granted she's had it beaten out of her, but often the students who rise above their circumstances are those who can see past them and strive for something greater. Precious never shows any initiative and when she is seen stealing in the movie, it is hard to see her as any better than her mother who has been stealing from the welfare system for years.

In the end Precious is given some devastating news that reinforces a truth for girls like her: there is no redemption and no light at the end of the tunnel and none of it was her fault. She only wins by knowing that she has learned to read and is making an attempt to edumacate eh, I mean educate herself. But here again Precious, the movie, fell short. The teachers and social workers who helped her were fair skinned caricatures. "Come on Precious. You can do it. What is this word?" Says her hip lesbian teacher in a two minute scene that magically transforms her reading skills from a second to seventh grade level. The rest of the classroom scenes consisted of students swearing and reading poorly written journal entries about their lives. Any teacher knows that this is not the way to teach students to read.

My rating: 2 Stars.

The Face of the Democratice Party

Ahhh. It seems they may need a new face to represent them. Perhaps one that isn't being eaten by botulinum toxins. How about...



That's a bit better. The reason I bring up your favorite political party is to mention that Michelle Obama has made childhood obesity one of the causes she will be working for this year. The number of obese children in the country is rising at grotesquely rapid rate. This epidemic is going to lead to a plethora of health problems for people, which will ultimately result in more medical bills, higher health insurance costs, and most importantly, lives lost.

With the passage of the new health insurance bill, being a Democrat is now considered a pre-existing condition. Ha. Since I brought up this hot button topic, here is good, concise summary of the bill that has most people baffled. I wish Barry-O luck getting elected again, but we actually won't see much of a change for a few years. Here, from the Capitalist Bible known as the Wallstreet Journal, are the main points of the bill.

2010
Coverage
■Subsidies begin for small businesses to provide coverage to employees.
■Insurance companies barred from denying coverage to children with pre-existing illness.
■Children permitted to stay on their parents' insurance policies until their 26th birthday.

2011
Coverage
■Set up long-term care program under which people pay premiums into system for at least five years and become eligible for support payments if they need assistance in daily living.
Taxes and fees
■Drug makers face annual fee of $2.5 billion (rises in subsequent years).

2013
Taxes and fees
■New Medicare taxes on individuals earning more than $200,000 a year and couples filing jointly earning more than $250,000 a year.
■Tax on wages rises to 2.35% from 1.45%.
■New 3.8% tax on unearned income such as dividends and interest.
■Excise tax of 2.3% imposed on sale of medical devices.
Cost control
■Medicare pilot program begins to test bundled payments for care, in a bid to pay for quality rather than quantity of services.

2014
Coverage
■Create exchanges where people without employer coverage, as well as small businesses, can shop for health coverage. Insurance companies barred from denying coverage to anyone with pre-existing illness.
■Requirement begins for most people to have health insurance. Subsidies begin for lower and middle-income people. People at 133% of federal poverty level pay maximum of 3% of income for coverage. People at 400% of poverty level pay up to 9.5% of income. (Poverty level currently is about $22,000 for a family of four.)
■Medicaid, the federal-state program for the poor, expands to all Americans with income up to 133% of federal poverty level.
■Subsidies for small businesses to provide coverage increase. Businesses with 10 or fewer employees and average annual wages of less than $25,000 receive tax credit of up to 50% of employer's contribution. Tax credits phase out for larger businesses.
Taxes and fees
■Employers with more than 50 employees that don't provide affordable coverage must pay a fine if employees receive tax credits to buy insurance. Fine is up to $3,000 per employee, excluding first 30 employees.
■Insurance industry must pay annual fee of $8 billion (rises in subsequent years).
Cost control
■Independent Medicare board must begin to submit recommendations to curb Medicare spending, if costs are rising faster than inflation.

2016
Taxes and fees
■Penalty for those who don't carry coverage rises to 2.5% of taxable income or $695, whichever is greater.

2017
Coverage
■Businesses with more than 100 employees can buy coverage on insurance exchanges, if state permits it.

2018
Taxes and fees
■Excise tax of 40% imposed on health plans valued at more than $10,200 for individual coverage and $27,500 for family coverage.
—Sources: House bill; Kaiser Family Foundation
Corrections & Amplifications

The House health legislation imposes a 2.3% excise tax on the sale of medical devices. An earlier version of this article incorrectly said the tax was 2.9%, the figure before a last-minute change to the legislation.

Benjamin Zander on music and passion

Thank goodness for guys like this. "Awaken Possibility in other people!"
Benjamin Zander on music and passion Video on TED.com

Who the hell is she?

I'm not sure of the identity of Jaci Stephen. I've never met her. She's just some English chick who wrote this column and blog on her enchantment with Los Angeles. I suppose if you keep on the straight and narrow path, LA is alright. A diverse city with lots of neat shops, restaurants, beaches, movies etc., LA has a lot to offer in the way of leisure activities. Just take a GPS unit, drive carefully, and find a few wholesome friends.

What's a Post Turtle?

You can insert the name of any political leader you like. Julius Malema is the leader of the ANC's Youth League.

While sewing a cut on the hand of a 75 year old farmer, who's hand was caught in the gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to the ANC and Julius Malema The old farmer said, 'Well, you know, in my opinion, Malema is a 'Post Turtle''. Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him, what a 'post turtle' was. The old farmer said, 'When you're driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a 'post turtle'. The old farmer saw the puzzled look on the doctor's face so he continued to explain. 'You know he didn't get up there by himself, he doesn't belong up there, he doesn't know what to do while he's up there, and you just wonder what kind of dumb bugger put him up there to begin with. .

David Brooks writes excellent columns.

The Spirit of Sympathy

Human beings, the philosophers tell us, are social animals. We emerge into the world ready to connect with mom and dad. We go through life jibbering and jabbering with each other, grouping and regrouping. When you get a crowd of people in a room, the problem is not getting them to talk to each other; the problem is getting them to shut up.

David Brooks

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To help us in this social world, God, nature and culture have equipped us with a spirit of sympathy. We instinctively feel a tinge of pain when we observe another in pain (at least most of us do). We instinctively mimic, even to a small extent, the mood, manners, yawns and actions of the people around us.

To help us bond and commit, we have been equipped with a suite of moral sentiments. We have an innate sense of fairness. Children from an early age have a sense that everybody should be treated fairly. We have an innate sense of duty. We admire people who sacrifice for the group. We are naturally embarrassed when we’ve been caught violating some social code. We blush uncontrollably.

As a result of this sympathy and these sentiments, people are usually pretty decent to one another when they relate person to person. The odd thing is that when people relate group to group, none of this applies. When a group or a nation thinks about another group or nation, there doesn’t seem to be much natural sympathy, natural mimicry or a natural desire for attachment. It’s as if an entirely different part of the brain has been activated, utilizing a different mode of thinking.

Group-to-group relations are more often marked by calculation, rivalry and coldness. Members of one group sometimes see members of another group as less than human: Nazi and Jew, Hutu and Tutsi, Sunni and Shiite.

Political leaders have an incentive to get their followers to use the group mode of cognition, not the person-to-person. People who are thinking in the group mode are loyal, disciplined and vicious against foes. People in the person-to-person mode are soft, unpredictable and hard to organize.

There’s a scene in Anthony Trollope’s political novel, “Phineas Finn,” in which young Phineas, about to enter Parliament, tells a party leader that he is going to think for himself and decide issues as he sees best. The leader, Barrington Erle, looks at him with utter disgust. To Erle, anybody who thinks that way is “unstable as water and dishonest as the wind.”

In the United States, leaders in the House of Representatives have done an effective job in getting their members to think in group, not person-to-person, terms. Members usually vote as party blocs. Individuals have very little power. That’s why representatives are often subtle and smart as individuals, but crude and partisan as a collective. The social psychology of the House is a clan psychology, not an interpersonal psychology.

The Senate, on the other hand, has historically been home to more person-to-person thinking. This is because the Senate is smaller and because of Senate rules. Until recently, the Senate leaders couldn’t just ram things through on party-line votes. Because a simple majority did not rule, and because one senator had the ability to bring the whole body to a halt, senators had an incentive, every day, to develop alliances and relationships with people in the other party.

For decades, individual senators have resisted their leaders’ attempts to run the Senate like the House and destroy these relationships and these humane customs. A few years ago, when Republican leaders tried to pass judicial nominations on party-line votes, rank-and-file members like Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton spoke out forcefully against rule by simple majority.

But power trumps principle. In nearly every arena of political life, group relationships have replaced person-to-person relationships. The tempo of the Senate is now set by partisan lunches every Tuesday, whereas the body almost never meets for conversation as a whole. The Senate is now in the process of using reconciliation — rule by simple majority — to try to pass health care.

Reconciliation has been used with increasing frequency. That was bad enough. But at least for the Bush tax cuts or the prescription drug bill, there was significant bipartisan support. Now we have pure reconciliation mixed with pure partisanship.

Once partisan reconciliation is used for this bill, it will be used for everything, now and forever. The Senate will be the House. The remnants of person-to-person relationships, with their sympathy and sentiment, will be snuffed out. We will live amid the relationships of group versus group, party versus party, inhumanity versus inhumanity.

We have a political culture in which the word “reconciliation” has come to mean “bitter division.” With increasing effectiveness, the system bleaches out normal behavior and the normal instincts of human sympathy.

The Drakensberg Boys Choir - Shosholoza

With the World Cup in Cape Town coming up in June, it seemed fitting to post this song. They sing this song at all the soccer matches. Shosholoza means "forward" (keep on pressing forward).

Ladysmith Concert Video

Here is the longer video we got at the concert.

Sleeping Beauty

Hehe. I know I didn't post a review of the ballet, but I figured I wrote enough about it already (and told you all about it.) This picture was about 4 months after my 2nd surgery. Sammie still sleeps on my head.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Last Friday Daniel and I went with my parents to see Ladysmith Black Mambazo at the Strathmore Music Center. The legendary South African a capella group has been around for 5o years. They have sung for commercials, inaugurations, Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies and won Grammies. Most Americans know them by the work they completed with Paul Simon on his 1986 album Graceland. (In this old video they are the men in the orange shirts and Hugh Masekela is on the Trumpet.) Unlike the traditional ISICATHAMIYA (Is-Cot-A-Me-Ya) music the group sings when they are alone, Paul Simon incorporated their singing into his music and adopted a different yet truly South African sound--that of with township Jazz--for the album.

The traditional music sung by Ladysmith Black Mambazo is called ISICATHAMIYA (Is-Cot-A-Me-Ya) and Africans would sing it while working in the mines. Group founder, Joseph Shabalala, is now almost 80 years old but has 4 sons and a few other memorable characters in his group to continue his singing legacy. The dancing they do is traditional tribal dancing that men perform to prove their strength.

They invited everyone to attend the World Cup in Cape Town in June under the condition that they come to support the South African team. Someone at Daniel's work convinced him to wear his African shirt (I do not have such power over him) and I wore an African head dress which my grandfather's nurse, Debbie, taught me how to tie. Yes, I am an African American. The Africans in the crowed cheered and whistled. Overall, a joyful and vibrant time was had by all!

Daniel now wants a South African passport in addition to the Portuguese passport we plan on getting him. Of course this going to require moving through various bearaucratic channels, which we do not look forward to.

This is the quiet song they opened with. At some point in his carer Shabalala converted to Christianity, so you may hear Christian lyrics in their music (when they sing in English). Youtube won't let me post videos longer than 10 minutes. I'm going to try Vimeo.

I Love You!

Sam is pretty good at communicating with us. When he needs to go out he will start whining and go to the door. But this dog talks. So cool! She's also such good looking dog. Sorry Sam and Frodo, I'm cheating on you a little. But don't worry, I'm not thinking of replacing you.

The September Issue

The book The Devil Wears Prada was apparently written by one of Anna Wintour's previous assistants and then made into a movie. Merrill Streep's character is based on the iconic editor in chief at Vogue, Anna Wintour. Known as the ice queen of the fashion world her ill-famed ruthless personality is just as noted as the groundbreaking decisions she has made in the fashion world. Before fashion week, designers show her their collections in the hopes that she will support their clothes in her magazine. As one character in the The Devil Wears Prada says, "hers is the only opinion that matters."

The September Issue gives a more intimate portrait of the renound ice queen of fashion with personal interviews and stories about her decision to become an editor at Vogue. As well as showing all of the work that goes into creating the biggest issue of the year, you get to look at racks of beautiful clothes that were considered for the magazine. Grace Coddington, creative director, is a more likeable character who knows every piece of clothing to enter the building. She toils away each month and dreams up the whimsical editorials we see each month.

Unlike the writer of Devil Wears Prada, the director of The September Issue didn't fall into the trap of playing to the glamour of the industry. It shows a side of the industry that is not often seen by us lay men while still providing a beautiful and entertaining documentary.

Valentine's Day Weekend

Papa Joao, culture czar for the family, is very much like a walking, talking human version of the washington post's weekend edition. He is always up to date on the latest plays, movies and ballets frequenting the washington area and can give you a reasonable summary of various critics' disparate opinions on said performances. It goes without saying, however, that my dad is infinitely cooler than the Washington Post or Roger Ebert.

We call him the culture czar because growing up, he always knew what to see and where to go and got us tickets to countless events. For many years my brother and I had season tickets to the Shakepeare Theatre. We went to see ballet's and concerts. Although when we first started going, I was too young to fully understand Shakespeare, the words and scenes left an indelible mark on my imagination. I can still see the smoke rising above the caldron while the witches in Macbeth chanted their evil incantations. I can still remember sitting so close to I Musici that I discovered the power of five deceptively delicate string instruments combining to create beautiful music.

For my birthday this year he got us tickets to the ballet. This Saturday we will see the Mariinsky (formerly known as the Kirov during the Soviet era) perform The Sleeping Beauty. Russian ballet companies are known for their big, expressive style of dancing. The documentary Ballerina shows how young dancers at the mariinsky ballet embark on an arduous journey to turn their bodies into moving art. Yes, their technique must be precise and their turn-out perfect, but Russian dancers enjoy the same prestige in Russia as actors do in America. Each one has their own style and personality that comes through in their dancing. Most successful of these young Prima ballerinas is Diana Vishneva who is also a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre. She has such a hectic schedule that she only danced in the first performance at the Kennedy Center.

Although I saw the company when I was young, I am really excited to see them now after having seen the documentary on their dancers and the operation of the company. Here is a review of the opening night's performance with Vishneva. Look for our review after we see the perfomance this weekend!

Planet Earth Extremes

Daniel and I have been recording and watching Planet Earth Extremes on the Discovery Channel. The mini-series is made up of a compilation of the best footage from the series Planet Earth. It is also some of the most impressive wild-life and nature footage ever captured by man.

It shows a full spectrum of creatures and organisms that, through years of adaptation, have been able to survive in extreme conditions. One of the more well known of these creatures (made famous in March of the Penguins) are Emperor Penguins. These adorable birds stand about 4-feet tall, weigh between 45-99 pounds and according to Wikipedia, walk between 31-75 miles to the same breeding ground every year. Not an easy feat considering their legs are about 4 inches long.

The males stand on their eggs for two months, huddling together for warmth in the middle of the coldest months of the antarctic winters. The formation of penguins constantly changes so that no one penguin is left out in the cold, so to speak, for too long. While the females walk back to the edge of the ice to dive for food, the males keep the eggs safely under a flap of skin near their feet. They withstand temperatures that plummet to 40 degrees below freezing and hundred mile an hour winds, all to ensure the reproduction of their species.

With our current weather conditions, it seemed fitting to write about an animal that endures months of winter by helping each other and working together. Daniel is currently out shoveling with neighbors whom we rarely see. However, I can't say our situation is similar to that of the penguins'. We have central heating and our main concern when braving the elements is where to dispose of our eh hem...doggie waste. Sam and Fro are too short to walk anywhere but the street and so, resorted to pooping right in the middle of street. I'm sure you wanted hear all these riveting details, but crap, whether literal or figurative, is a part of life I suppose. Haha.

Baby Bea

Since Daniel got a mini video camera for his birthday, I've been having fun editing clips and putting together videos.

Dad sent me some old videos from when Bea just starting to walk. This one is just too cute. Watch her big head sway from side to side.

Ugh

I'm getting bored just thinking about getting stuck inside for another weekend.

I'm thinking about going to redbox tomorrow night to get a few movies to entertain myself this weekend. If I get desperate, I may even bring home school supplies and my curriculum guides to plan for the next week or two.

Does anyone want to come over and provide entertainment and sleep on our daybed? We will feed you. Haha.

I'm pretty good about reading and keeping myself busy, but when the condo gets surrounded by ice and snow it feels smaller, darker, and a tad depressing.

Also, one more missed school day and they start adding days to the end of the school year.

Hello

It's been a while, I know, but I thought I would share a few lines from one of my favorite books. I don't usually enjoy entertainment of the scary variety but Donna Tartt's books are so engrossing and well written that they easily made it into my top favorite books of all time.

From The Secret History:
"I suppose there is a certain crucial interval in everyone's life when character is fixed forever; for me it was that first fall term I spent at Hampden. So many things remain with me from that time, even now: those preferences in clothes and books and even food-acquired then, and largely, I must admit, in adolescent emulation of the rest of the Greek class-have stayed with me through the years." -pg.84

See? Insightful stuff, right?