Joke’s on me?
On NPR’s “All Things Considered” on Saturday, I heard this story about an opera company that’s rewriting tragic operas to give them happy endings. They interviewed the fellow who runs the company and he spoke of making opera more user-friendly, how all the sorrow keeps audiences away.
At the time, I was struck with dismay that Americans have become so literature light, they can’t even handle La Boheme anymore. Whatever happened to cautionary tales or sadder but wiser sagas?
Then, as I sat down to write this, I looked at NPR’s description of the story:
“April 1, 2006 · On Cape Cod, an impresario seeks rewrites of the world's great tragic operas. He wants to give them a happy ending for performances by his children's opera company. Some might call it a fool's errand.”
Look at the date, read “fool’s errand.” I knew I’d been had. Those stinkers at NPR! LOL.
You think that’s a good April Fool’s joke, you should have heard them last year. They did a totally serious report on people being killed by maple sugar trees that exploded because they weren’t tapped correctly. Lots of grisly descriptions, statistics. Only halfway through did it strike Joel and me that the story was bogus, then we laughed till we cried.
lone xylophone
percussive music
in the key of B#:
4.03.2006
3.17.2006
Marble painting
One challenge of keeping a preschooler happy is to regularly introduce new craft projects that are appropriate for her level of dexterity. But they can't be too boring either.
In my search for a St. Patrick's day craft that wasn't too hokey, I googled some preschool teacher sites and found a pretty fun craft that I think even a 2-year-old could do and enjoy. This activity could be adapted to any holiday or season.
You will need:
-construction paper
-scissors
-tempera paint
-a box or baking dish (I used an 8x8 aluminum pan)
-a marble or small ball
-tape
Prep:
-cut construction paper into desired shapes (I made 8 shamrocks)
-tape one of the shapes into the center of the box (tape circle on back works well)
-pour dollops of paint, the size of a half-dollar, in each corner
With the child:
Have the child drop the marble into the box. Let her roll the marble all around the box by tipping it left and right, forwards and back. The marble will pick up bits of paint and leave trails across the shape.
When one paper shape is covered, remove it, tape in another and continue until the child loses interest.
The completed paintings have fun, random line patterns with swirled-together hues. Theoretically, this is a low-mess craft, provided you can keep the child gripping the box rather than grabbing the marble or dabbling in the paint.
One challenge of keeping a preschooler happy is to regularly introduce new craft projects that are appropriate for her level of dexterity. But they can't be too boring either.
In my search for a St. Patrick's day craft that wasn't too hokey, I googled some preschool teacher sites and found a pretty fun craft that I think even a 2-year-old could do and enjoy. This activity could be adapted to any holiday or season.
You will need:
-construction paper
-scissors
-tempera paint
-a box or baking dish (I used an 8x8 aluminum pan)
-a marble or small ball
-tape
Prep:
-cut construction paper into desired shapes (I made 8 shamrocks)
-tape one of the shapes into the center of the box (tape circle on back works well)
-pour dollops of paint, the size of a half-dollar, in each corner
With the child:
Have the child drop the marble into the box. Let her roll the marble all around the box by tipping it left and right, forwards and back. The marble will pick up bits of paint and leave trails across the shape.
When one paper shape is covered, remove it, tape in another and continue until the child loses interest.
The completed paintings have fun, random line patterns with swirled-together hues. Theoretically, this is a low-mess craft, provided you can keep the child gripping the box rather than grabbing the marble or dabbling in the paint.
3.15.2006
Alive or not?
In the past few months, Claire has had a fascination with the concept of death. Several weeks ago, she told Joel, "I think Ning-ya [security blanket] is dead." Joel explained to her that her blanket was never alive the way she is, or the dog, or our flowers in the garden. The blanket is merely inanimate, like a rock, not dead.
So the other night, Claire was resisting bedtime. We'd put on pajamas, read stories, brushed teeth and said our prayers, but she didn't want to stay in bed. When I insisted she get in bed, she hurled her stuffed lamb across the room in anger.
"Claire!" I scolded, "that was very mean. That's no way to treat your toys. You don't want to be like that mean boy in Toy Story who hurts his toys, do you?"
"No." Angry pout.
"Well, I think you should apologize to Lamby for hurting him."
"No, I won't! I won't say sorry!"
"Claire, you were very mean to your toy."
"I won't 'pologize. Lamby is an inanimate object!"
Well, how do you argue with that? I'm glad she can differentiate fantasy from reality. But frankly, it was one of those moments I wished my husband weren't a philosopher.
In the past few months, Claire has had a fascination with the concept of death. Several weeks ago, she told Joel, "I think Ning-ya [security blanket] is dead." Joel explained to her that her blanket was never alive the way she is, or the dog, or our flowers in the garden. The blanket is merely inanimate, like a rock, not dead.
So the other night, Claire was resisting bedtime. We'd put on pajamas, read stories, brushed teeth and said our prayers, but she didn't want to stay in bed. When I insisted she get in bed, she hurled her stuffed lamb across the room in anger.
"Claire!" I scolded, "that was very mean. That's no way to treat your toys. You don't want to be like that mean boy in Toy Story who hurts his toys, do you?"
"No." Angry pout.
"Well, I think you should apologize to Lamby for hurting him."
"No, I won't! I won't say sorry!"
"Claire, you were very mean to your toy."
"I won't 'pologize. Lamby is an inanimate object!"
Well, how do you argue with that? I'm glad she can differentiate fantasy from reality. But frankly, it was one of those moments I wished my husband weren't a philosopher.
3.05.2006
Surreal joke of the day
Claire recently took her first foray into humor when she was introduced to knock-knock jokes by a church friend. This variety of joke relies largely on bad puns that don't necessarily make much sense to a 3.5 year old. (As in, "Little Old Lady who?" "I didn't know you could yodel.")
She begs for long sessions of trading "jokes," which requires us to get creative on the spot. The most likely thing to garner a tremendous laugh from her is a silly rhyme. Of course, she now tries to create her own jokes that are hilarious largely because they're so bizarre.
Claire's surreal joke of the day:
C: Knock, knock.
M: Who's there?
C: Butter.
M: Butter who?
C: Arm butter water fish.
Claire recently took her first foray into humor when she was introduced to knock-knock jokes by a church friend. This variety of joke relies largely on bad puns that don't necessarily make much sense to a 3.5 year old. (As in, "Little Old Lady who?" "I didn't know you could yodel.")
She begs for long sessions of trading "jokes," which requires us to get creative on the spot. The most likely thing to garner a tremendous laugh from her is a silly rhyme. Of course, she now tries to create her own jokes that are hilarious largely because they're so bizarre.
Claire's surreal joke of the day:
C: Knock, knock.
M: Who's there?
C: Butter.
M: Butter who?
C: Arm butter water fish.
2.22.2006
England, ho!
Among my most recent Amazon/Borders order was the 2006 edition of Let's Go Britain. It's time to get serious about planning for our May trip to England. Plane tickets have been purchased and childcare preliminarily arranged. There are some duller details to take care of, like renewing my passport. But I've begun dreaming some of our itinerary.
Friends of Joel's have invited us to stay, and they're in Durham. We hope to give a day or two to exploring London, most likely when we first arrive. Durham should be a good hub point for exploring the far northeast, one area of England I'm least familiar with. I studied abroad in the southwest--Glouchestershire--and only got as far north as Ripon and Masham during my months there. In the mid-90s I did a whirlwind England/Wales/Scotland bus tour with my mom, and we saw very little of any one place. We got just one afternoon in Edinburgh as I recall. Pretty inadequate. We drove through the northeast but didn't stop till Leeds.
Some guidebooks I've perused say the northeast has some of the best preserved ancient sites, so that will be cool to check out. My landlord from my study-abroad days recommended the seaside town of Whitby as worth seeing. I'd love other suggestions.
Let's Go was my favorite guide from previous trips because it's so budget conscious. What can I say? I love a bargain. It also gave the insider story on best times to visit places. It was especially helpful in finding the little, out-of-the-way cafes and eateries that the locals love.
Among my most recent Amazon/Borders order was the 2006 edition of Let's Go Britain. It's time to get serious about planning for our May trip to England. Plane tickets have been purchased and childcare preliminarily arranged. There are some duller details to take care of, like renewing my passport. But I've begun dreaming some of our itinerary.
Friends of Joel's have invited us to stay, and they're in Durham. We hope to give a day or two to exploring London, most likely when we first arrive. Durham should be a good hub point for exploring the far northeast, one area of England I'm least familiar with. I studied abroad in the southwest--Glouchestershire--and only got as far north as Ripon and Masham during my months there. In the mid-90s I did a whirlwind England/Wales/Scotland bus tour with my mom, and we saw very little of any one place. We got just one afternoon in Edinburgh as I recall. Pretty inadequate. We drove through the northeast but didn't stop till Leeds.
Some guidebooks I've perused say the northeast has some of the best preserved ancient sites, so that will be cool to check out. My landlord from my study-abroad days recommended the seaside town of Whitby as worth seeing. I'd love other suggestions.
Let's Go was my favorite guide from previous trips because it's so budget conscious. What can I say? I love a bargain. It also gave the insider story on best times to visit places. It was especially helpful in finding the little, out-of-the-way cafes and eateries that the locals love.
2.19.2006
A proverb
After seeing this story about women's snowboard cross while it happened Friday night, I was reminded of Proverbs 16:18. The Message puts it this way: "First pride, then the crash--the bigger the ego, the harder the fall." Ouch. It was a potent reminder to approach life humbly. Seeing the beautiful and gifted young woman looking so grim after losing the great prize, it's a lesson I won't soon forget.
After seeing this story about women's snowboard cross while it happened Friday night, I was reminded of Proverbs 16:18. The Message puts it this way: "First pride, then the crash--the bigger the ego, the harder the fall." Ouch. It was a potent reminder to approach life humbly. Seeing the beautiful and gifted young woman looking so grim after losing the great prize, it's a lesson I won't soon forget.
2.17.2006
New world
For Valentine’s Day, we decided on an afternoon matinee showing of The New World, which received much praise from critics and promised to be at least a little romantic.
The story is based on legends of the founding of Jamestown colony in Virginia and the English interaction with the Powhatan nation. It attempts to get audiences to approach a familiar story in a new way, partly by not naming most of the characters, except Capt. John Smith.
It’s a pretty unusual film for broad release to American audiences. No bombastic soundtrack, stylized battle scenes, long love speeches. I was surprised at the quietness and almost complete lack of dialogue. The director asked a lot of his actors, needing them to carry most of the scenes with body language, facial expression. The land itself becomes a character, its shifting colors and gentle sounds speaking as much or more than the taciturn characters.
I liked the emotional complexities, especially the very mixed nature of the Smith character. While Anglo legends make him heroic, this film portrays him, very subtly, as a bit self-absorbed and out of touch with reality. I really like how they handled the Pocohontas character’s slow transformation into Rebecca Rolfe. She moves from starry-eyed teen to purposeful adult, maintaining her basic generous spirit despite rejections and losses. The man she marries (spoiler here if you’re not familiar with historic accounts) wins her so gently, you see Smith’s earlier attentions in a very different light.
For Valentine’s Day, we decided on an afternoon matinee showing of The New World, which received much praise from critics and promised to be at least a little romantic.
The story is based on legends of the founding of Jamestown colony in Virginia and the English interaction with the Powhatan nation. It attempts to get audiences to approach a familiar story in a new way, partly by not naming most of the characters, except Capt. John Smith.
It’s a pretty unusual film for broad release to American audiences. No bombastic soundtrack, stylized battle scenes, long love speeches. I was surprised at the quietness and almost complete lack of dialogue. The director asked a lot of his actors, needing them to carry most of the scenes with body language, facial expression. The land itself becomes a character, its shifting colors and gentle sounds speaking as much or more than the taciturn characters.
I liked the emotional complexities, especially the very mixed nature of the Smith character. While Anglo legends make him heroic, this film portrays him, very subtly, as a bit self-absorbed and out of touch with reality. I really like how they handled the Pocohontas character’s slow transformation into Rebecca Rolfe. She moves from starry-eyed teen to purposeful adult, maintaining her basic generous spirit despite rejections and losses. The man she marries (spoiler here if you’re not familiar with historic accounts) wins her so gently, you see Smith’s earlier attentions in a very different light.
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