By: Kathleen
culture

7 Quick Takes

___1___

Since last year, when I gave up blog stats for Lent, I have tried to be less obsessed with tracking hits. But I check often enough to see what subjects bring people in and which ones don’t–even when they’re silent, meaning no comments come of the visits. And I just want to say publicly how gratifying it is to see that my Down syndrome posts are getting hits. It tells me that I’m making a difference to families out there, even if I’ll never know who or how.

___2___

For the last two years, I have ended the semester by donning a cap and gown and going to the Honors Convocation at the university, where I join a platform party of dizzying credentials in order to sing the alma mater after the honorary degrees and student diplomas are given out. Usually someone in the platform party asks me what year I am. Which is flattering, considering the gray hairs. 🙂 But this year, there’s a new twist. One of the honorary degrees is being awarded to Sheryl Crow. Yes, in fact, I have to SING in front of SHERYL CROW. In two weeks.

Please God, don’t let me lose my voice.

___3___

My neighbor sent me a FB message this week. She overheard a conversation between Alex and the little neighbor girl he was playing with. She said:
I wish I had caught the beginning of this conversation between E. and Alex as they played outside.
E: She is not Jesus!
Alex: I Knoooowww but she is his mom!
E: Yeah – well what about Joseph?
 
___4___
 
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I think there’s a whole blog post in this image, which popped up on Word Press’s suggested images for one of my posts the other day:
 
In case you can’t read it, this is a map showing the proportion of kids almost-in different places in the world who are “almost 14.”
 
___5___
 
 When I read Jen’s quick takes, especially when Yaya is in them, I despair of ever writing an interesting Quick Takes post myself!
 
___6___
 
However, I muddle on. Last night Christian & I stayed up way too late (AKA 10:30) watching The King’s Speech. It was really good. I’m thinking I’ll reflect next week on royal families, past and present. Considering what’s going on at the moment across the world, it seems timely. Anyway, the point is that when we get a little red envelope in the mail, we watch the first half one night and the second half the next time we can set down, which sometimes is the next night and sometimes isn’t. Occasionally we’ll start saying, “We need to turn this off and go to bed,” but can’t make ourselves do it. Last night, neither one of us even brought it up. We just kept watching. “Finally,” Christian said, “an Oscar movie that lives up to its hype!”
 
___7___
 
That movie was like a who’s who of Harry Potter. King George V was played by Albus Dumbledore, Helena Bonham Carter played Colin Firth‘s wife (she really needed a “good guy” role after playing Bellatrix so well), and Winston Churchill was played by Wormtail. What did they do, share casts while filming the last HP movie? Most interesting of all, however, was Jennifer Ehle‘s presence as Geoffrey Rush‘s wife. I haven’t seen her in much since Pride & Prejudice. There’s a big “reveal” scene where she comes home to find the king & queen in her house, working with her husband, and I couldn’t help drawing the Elizabeth/Darcy comparison. 🙂
 
Okay…time to get the day moving. Much to do before Alex’s Birthday Sleepover Guest arrives this afternoon!
 

7 quick takes sm1 7 Quick Takes Friday (vol. 124)