Please?

can mhsa just send out the letters already so I don't have to worry about it? please and thank you - YaYa

80 Years Ago Today

80 years ago today the great Glenn Miller dissappeared over the English Channel during WWII. He was never found.

May he continue to RIP.

An Equation

If I could go back and relive the '90's I suppose I'd miss my kids.  

But I'd have my pager,  Pearl Jam,  my flannels,  my bong, and the hair of a god again. 

Seems a fair trade. 

Grrr

17 year old Junie: "There's no food in the house,  there's never anything to eat.  I hate it here!" Storms upstairs. 

Me,  looks in the cupboard and fridge for 30 seconds,  cooks a full dinner. Calls kid down to eat. 

Junie:  "No thanks,  I uber'd a pizza."

Kahuna

My First Time Kayaking

OK, so if you know me you know I'm not a huge fan of water. Oh, I love ships and cruises and I don't mind being in the water on my own. But having seen two drownings (one fatal) in my life, I do not find it a place of . . comfort. 

At times, I find it a place of great anxiety. 

But I love Lisa, and she loves water, and she had a blast kayaking with the kids earlier in the summer. So on September, while the lake was still open for the season,  I sucked it up and joined her on Foxbrook Lake. 

Yes, yes, laugh all you want. The mandated life preserver was too small by an amusing degree and I looked the fool. Chances are if the kayak tipped it would have helped about as much as a cotton ball in my pocket. But again - mandated by the rental place. 

I will not lie, teeter tottering on a kayak above "deep" - aka well over my head - water with a faulty life preserver did not soothe my anxiety. For a good portion of the hour on the lake, fear nibbled at my mind. 

That did NOT mean I gave into that anxiety. Sometimes, often actually, you have to shove it aside and just do the needful. 

As you can see, I quickly mastered the paddle stroke and spent the hour traveling around the lake, extending into the middle of it and for a time considered venturing to the other shore. 

 

It was, I must admit, fun, and a decent workout. Plus Lisa was very pleased with me, and "happy wife = happy life." 

We didn't get a chance to go again in the limited time left in the season, but I'm sure we will next year. 

Out of My Mind

Back on November 22nd - easy for me to remember, given the JFK connection - Lisa and I sat down to watch Out of My Mind, a Disney+ movie. Based on the YA novel by Sharon M. Draper about Melody, a young, non-verbal teenager with cerebral palsy who tries to navigate life in the 6th grade with the aid of a Medi-Talker, a voice box that translates her writing into speech. 

It is NOT my usual viewing choice, and yet I was the one who strongly advocated for the movie in the month prior. I found the trailer emotional and compelling without sounding too angst ridden, and if I'm being honest it just hit me in the feels. So watch it we did. 

I thought it was great. My summation of the trailer works for the movie as a whole. It was emotional and compelling, and at times broke your heart, but it never made you look down at Melody or treat her as someone to pity. I think the Luke Kirby played the fatigued but loving father wonderfully.  Judith Light, as the overbearing neighbor that the parents find annoying but who is a strong and inspirational advocate to Melody, was surprisingly perfect in the role. 

And of course, all the kudos in the world to actress Phoebe-Rae Taylor, herself affected by cerebral palsy, who did a remarkable job bringing Melody to life. 

I think the film was great. 

Grade: A

Huckle

Photo taken November 26th