A Week in Review

Hello All. It’s time for another edition of A Week in Review. How refreshing.

Refreshing
That word reminds me of a story about my niece Mariah. Years ago, when she was little, we were riding in the car. She liked cool air, and always wanted her window down, even when it wasn’t hot in the car, and was cold outside. Anyway, on this particular day it was kind of drizzly, but she had her window open, and a rain drop hit her in the eye. She said, “A rain drop just hit me. It was refreshing!” So cute. I love it when little kids use words you’d never expect from them. What a sweet little girl.

Well I’ll be
The other night at the theater I bought a copy of the original novel of “The Phantom of the Opera”, and yesterday was flipping through it. Turns out, in the novel the guy who is the Phantom is indeed named Erik, with a k, not the c that I was using. I was stunned, and embarrassed after my rant on his name. I’ve skimmed through the last few chapters to see if there’s a character who is Erik’s father, and a story about his mother, but I haven’t found it. I’m kind of glad really. That would really be embarrassing. I still think that that part of the story was made up for this version of the play, and really not a good idea. I’ll let you know if I find out otherwise.

Susan Boyle
I like so many have gotten all caught up in the YouTube clip of Susan Boyle’s Britain’s Got Talent audition. It’s just so exciting. I love that his woman at 47, after years of living alone with her cat in Scotland, decided to take a chance and audition. And that she took the house down after seeing the judges roll their eyes at her, and hearing snickers in the audience. What guts. Really, really wonderful. I hope that she’s able to keep it together now with all of the publicity and hype, and go on to win the whole competition. I’ll buy a cd when they’re released, absolutely.

Taxes
Yes, I filed my taxes this week. After reading Tiffany’s blog about it, I’m not feeling so sorry for myself, but I did have to pay, and about 10 times more to the state than I had expected. Come on Utah, really? As those of you who live here know, the legislature changed the tax codes and must have had ripping me off in mind when they did it. Thanks very much.

Another Trip
I’m going to have some fun come the end of May. Dearest Sierra is graduating from high school on June 4th, and so my entire family is coming for the party. So exciting! I’ve been trying to remember the last time that all of us, my parents, siblings and their families, were in the same place at the same time, and I think that it was for Christmas in 2002. So this is a monumental occasion. Courtney and Andrea had some hesitation about coming because he can’t take much time away from work, and it costs way too much money to buy plane tickets for 5 people. So we’ve devised a plan. I am going to fly to Minneapolis the end of May and help Andrea make the drive with the kids back here to Salt Lake. I’ll probably go on a Friday, and then we’ll drive back over the weekend. Courtney will fly out a few days later for the graduation party, and then drive with his family home again. Genius huh? This way Court doesn’t have to take so much time off, and they save money, and everyone can be here. Hooray!

I honestly love a good road trip. I have twice now done the drive from here to Minnesota and back again by myself. It was so therapeutic to be all alone – the freedom of getting away, listening to good music, or a book. It clears the head. Or if not clears, then allows time to sort through my thoughts and organize things a bit. So nice. Of course, the drive with Andrea and three kids won’t be quite the same, but still good fun. I love those little boys, and I’ll get some quality time with my new little niece. It’ll be great.

I think that’s all for today. Here’s a good quote from the Writer’s Almanac:
"Poetry is, above all, a singing art of natural and magical connection because, though it is born out of one's person's solitude, it has the ability to reach out and touch in a humane and warmly illuminating way the solitude, even the loneliness, of others. That is why, to me, poetry is one of the most vital treasures that humanity possesses; it is a bridge between separated souls." Brendan Kennelly.

Thanks, as always, for your continued excellence.
You are loved.