Wonderful quiet day

I just had a wonderful, quiet day with my youngest son. We had a serious talk without shouting on his part (well without much shouting) over a jigsaw puzzle. For all those people who have never really experienced Shabbat, the Jewish sabbath, this is what it's all about. Rest, relaxation, and reconnecting with family.

Hero -- a new Jet Li movie

My friend Amy, who is an American citizen of Chinese decent (is Chinese American a perjorative?) Has been telling me about a movie called Hero for several years now. The movie was released in China a while ago, but has just been released in the States. She says I definitely need to go and see it, that it is better than Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I will have to judge for myself. Take a look at the two trailers. The first is in English, the second is sub-titled.

Desson Thomson in the Washington Post says "IF YOU THOUGHT "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and the "Kill Bill" films were balletic spectacles, you are so ready for Zhang Yimou's "Hero."

Guess I will go find out for myself.... Sunday night August 29 at the 7pm show at the Uptown Theater -- join me

Thoughts about the Olympics, past and present

We were sitting in the kitchen at work yesterday, talking about the Israelis winning a gold medal, and one person expressed surprise that this was their first gold. Another commented that the country was still relatively young. I thought, "and small, and has had other things to focus on than athletics, like survival." But what I said was, "yes, and much of their team was wiped out in Munich." I received several blank stares.

I have gotten used to coworkers who think Vietnam and Watergate are history. Who know Gilligan's Island from reruns, and who don't share my taste in music, but I am always caught when something that I consider common shared knowledge brings up puzzled looks. I got the same looks when I talked about Yasser Arafat's past "exploits."

Thinking about this last night, I decided that current history should come with the backstory. Especially when whitewashing something leaves an incomplete picture. After all, Kerry was part of a Swift boat team, and served in Vietnam, no matter who you believe, and Bush was an occasional weekend soldier here in the States.

Protest at the Olympics -- see my post about the Iranian judo athlete -- have always been present, but what happened in Munich was not a protest. Member's of the Palestinian terrorist group Black September infiltrated the Olympic village in Munich in September of 1972, took nine Israeli athletes hostage. 10 escaped, and two were shot in the invasion. The nine who were taken hostage also died at the end of the incident. The games went on that year, and there has never been an official Olympic commemoration of the incident.

As for Yasser Arafat? He was the head of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, the PLO, starting in 1969. The PLO is responsible for at least four plane hijackings, and the Maalot massacre of 1974 when 21 children were killed in the take over of a high school in Israel, among other terrorist activities. Did Arafat ever pull the trigger? I doubt it. Did he condone it? He financed it and he welcomed the perpetrators into his group. Judge for yourself.

Yes, people can change, And he has changed. He no longer says that he denies Israel's right to exist. He no longer says it out loud...

Back to school

For my two sons, school starts again on Monday September 30.

My older son will be a junior at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is majoring in linguistics, but will probably end up taking the GMATs and going to business school. He is moving into his on-campus apartment today, but classes don't start until Monday. I don't have his schedule yet, and I'm not sure what he's taking, but he and his Dad have worked everything out, I'm sure :-). His Dad likes to keep close tabs on what he's taking and what he needs to graduate.

My youngest son will be a senior in high school this year. Unlike the first three years of high school, he will not be returning to the religious Jewish day school he has been attending. He finally succeeded in rubbing our noses in the fact that he hated it, thoroughly and completely. Instead, since no private school would take him for the senior year only, he will be attending Kennedy High School in Wheaton, Maryland.

None of us really know what to expect from Kennedy. There are going to be a lot of unknowns in this school year. I will probably be worrying about him just as much as I always have, but for different reasons. Since the last people in the family to go to public school were grandparents, I suspect this is going to involve a great deal of culture shock.

Any advice?

Windsurfing is a sport?

The Israeli's won their first gold medal EVER at the Olympic games today. That's great, but "Windsurfing"?

Some people never lose the joys of childhood

My 21-year-old son is a pretty wonderful young man. I am proud of him and his accomplishments. He has turned into a respectful, (mostly) responsible person. At the same time, he can completely exasperate me. He has severe ADD, and without his medication, he doesn't hear, can't listen, and would forget his head if it wasn't firmly attached. Without his girlfriend, he would be a lost soul. She keeps him centered, grounded, and aware. Sometimes she clings too much for my liking, but that is probably the complaint of every mother about someone their son might (probably will) marry some day. Their relationship is over five years old, and still going strong.

However, none of this explains the title. One of the things I love about this child is his exuberance for life. He embraces it with open arms, is generally completely unselfconscious, and doesn't care what others think of him as long as he is comfortable with himself. He is a wonderful photographer, and often sees the world and its beauties from a child's point of view. He also occasionally does things that are not common for adults once we realize that others sometimes laugh at idiosyncratic behavior.

Witness the other night at the movies. Yes, he came with us to see Princess Diaries II. In fact he was the only male in the theater, and perfectly comfortable in that role. But he was in a great mood. Not sure why, doesn't really matter. Before the movie, while we were still in the lobby, something made him "frolic". Not sure what, doesn't really matter. He lightly tripped a few steps, gently flapping his lower arms and hands like a bird, and said he was frolicking. When his sister accused him of "prancing" he appealed to me as to whether it was a "prance" or a "frolic". Laughing, I responded that I would have to see it again to make a decision. So he "frolicked" a little more. No shame, no embarrassment, probably no medication, but that's not really the point, and no concern about anyone else in the lobby watching.

I couldn't have done it. His sister probably wouldn't have done it. He could and did, because he has never lost the joys of childhood, and I hope he never will.

Silly movies can be fun

My daughter, my older son, his girlfriend, and I went to the movies last night. We saw Princess Diaries 2. As silly movies go, this was right up there with the best of them. Improbable plot, silly situations, caricatures instead of characters. But it turned out to be just what the doctor ordered. I was able to forget all the things that have been "on my mind" and laugh for a couple of hours. I don't like many comedies. Slapstick leaves me cold, embarrassing situations leave me, well, embarrassed for the characters. But this was spoof, pure and simple, with nothing offensive involved.

Actually, the only time I felt sad was when Julie Andrews sang, or rather melodically talked through a song a la Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady or Richard Harris in Camelot. When I think of how beautiful her voice was, of The Sound of Music, and Mary Poppins, and all the rest, it is very sad. However, she clearly doesn't feel sorry for herself, or if she does, she doesn't show it, and in that, there is clearly a lesson to be learned, one from which we could all benefit.

Kitty Urine Tests -- Success

I guess I worried needlessly last night about depriving Caroline of her litter box. It seems she has more control than I thought. That, or she hadn't had much to drink. My son managed to get the door to the room where the litter box is closed about 6pm, 1/2 hour late. That may have helped too.

I lined a cardboard box with towels, wrapped her in a towel, and got the leash on her before she realized what was happening. In fact, I didn't let her see the leash first, and that also may have helped.

The whole trip to the vet took less than 45 minutes. Turns out they actually use a catheter to get a urine sample. I had visions about plastic bags taped to fur! Ever wonder how they get a urine sample from a baby without a catheter?

We'll find out in a few days if everything is ok. Hopefully no new medical problems will show up -- and she is eating, just less. Maybe not liking your food is good for dieting.

Roses -- just because!

I received the most beautiful roses from my "secret admirer", just because. What a wonderful treat for a Monday morning that isn't a birthday, anniversary, or significant day in our 26-year shared calendar.

"The Scream" screams

Why do people steal famous paintings. They can't sell them! Ransom? Power? Did somebody out there place an order? Are there really criminals with secret galleries where they sit and enjoy famous artwork that no one else can see?

What in the world were those idiots thinking yesterday. Insanity.....

But would Caroline stick up her kitty nose?

Seen in the strange but true section of AOL, and located on CNN. New York Cafe Caters to Kitties.

By the way, she still isn't eating as much as before, but she is eating. Maybe that's the point, it is supposed to be a diet.