A Banner Day!

I've been so busy tweeting that it's been days since I posted to my blog. But today cannot be confined to 140 characters, or to an entry on Facebook.

This afternoon, in spite of missing Robbie Hummel, Purdue advanced to the Sweet 16. This really shouldn't be too much of a surprise, since Purdue was seeded higher than both opponents. But yet, sports wiseacres who decided that Purdue was all Robbie Hummel, called them underdogs. Neither win was a walk in the park, but then, anyone who goes to the Big Dance should be a tough opponent. Besides, no one else is like Duke, who always gets to play close to home, and gets the easy early games. No, Purdue won against worthy opponents who just weren't as good. It is the right place for the team that ranked #4 through most of the season, and won its first 16 games.

Then, tonight, in an historic vote, the House passed a health care bill that President Obama will sign into law tomorrow. Immediately Americans will no longer be held hostage by the insurance companies. It is not right that in a time when people are making hard decisions about how to spend their incomes, and defer seeking medical care because of cost and an inability to pay, that insurance companies are posting big profits while denying claims for people who pay them for the coverage.

There is a hue and cry from the right, but it all boils down to power. The right wants the power, and will resist anything that they can't control. Personally, I'm sick of politics. Good health should not be a political decision. Doctors should not have insurance clerks telling them which tests they can or cannot run. Americans should not have to see a doctor based, not on who will give them the best care, but on who their insurance company will pay. No realistic alternative has been offered. The bill that passed is full of ideas from both Republicans and Democrats. Republicans even took to opposing traditional Republican ideas, just to oppose the bill.

Tonight is a huge victory, something that should have been done years ago. Just ask people how long they've had to negotiate with insurance companies, and you get the idea.

100 years ago, Teddy Roosevelt first introduced the idea of health care reform. 40 years ago, Ted Kennedy started fighting for it. Tonight, in spite of opposition that was primarily based in special interest influence, Teddy and Ted are smiling down in satisfaction.

End of the Week

Another week has past (another month since I posted last!) and I am glad the weekend's here.

This week was Dr. Seuss's birthday. And the first week of Willy Wonka rehearsals. And the week we were notified that #1 child has been accepted to private high school of our choice.

I finally weeded my cookbooks down to half the previous number, and got rid of a stack of miscellaneous items that I've been meaning to get to for two years.

This is the week we finalized our spring break trip to Oahu which will be followed by a weekend visit from my dad and stepmother, and Dad's inseparable companion, his dog. Al will need a lifejacket for the boat.

The weekend holds a rally and Girl Scout cookie sales.

And I'm sleeping in.

tweet tweet

To the horror of my 13-year-old, I am following Justin Bieber on Twitter. I don't make a habit of following preteen pop stars. Or listening to their music. Or even keeping up on who they are. But he followed me and I thought, what the heck.

So far it's been kind of amusing. As far as I can tell, he does his own tweeting (e.g.: Dwight from The Office! OMG!), and I even went and watched the music video of his new song, "Baby" with Ludicris, the rapper. The song itself is pretty unremarkable and unsensational, and has a catchy little tune. The video is cute, with teens bowling and a couple of pretty girls who look a lot like the kids I see at my daughter's school. Back in the '80s, I would have looked for it on VH1, and would have bought his new album. Now, apparently, preteens are downloading it (or asking to) on iTunes.

So I think I will keep following him for a while, even if he is a Canadian. At least until his voice changes.

Valentine's Day and the theater

Today was Valentine's Day, and tonight my spouse and I had a lovely dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant, where for an hour we enjoyed each other's company without the distraction of our fabulous children.

But first, this afternoon my daughters and I went to see "She Loves Me" at the Second Story Repertory theater in Redmond.

What a wonderful valentine of a musical! My older one commented it was the perfect musical to see on Valentine's Day, intentional of course. SSR is in a shopping mall, and a small theater that seats 200. When you sit in the front row, you feel like you are at a private performance. There are seats on three sides, the stage on the floor (play goers have to walk across it to get to their seats), with no need for mics, and very little makeup. I expect the actors are careful not to spit when they talk, or sweat when they dance.

The play itself is from the Hungarian play, "Parfumerie" from which sprung three American films: "The Shop Around the Corner" starring Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullivan, "In the Good Old Summertime," a musical with Judy Garland and Van Johnson, and most recently "You've Got Mail" with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Sometime in between the last two, "She Loves Me" appeared on the Broadway stage and stayed long enough to earn a Tony. Each version is somewhat different. "She Loves Me" sticks close to the original story.

Of course, as is always true at SSR, the acting and singing was outstanding. Jon Lutyens, who does everything from Shakespeare to contemporary to musicals in Seattle theaters, was a faceted, Tom Hanks-ish (without being Tom Hanks-like) leading man, and Anne Kennedy was a strong, funny, unsentimental leading lady, who even in her wallowing in misery was defiant. The supporting cast was, to a person, outstanding. I love the live theater.

The family consensus? Everyone loved it. Older daughter wants to see it again, with her own money. I'd say that's a definate approval.

So that's how I spent my Valentine's Day. Perhaps it is not cliche or typical, but the only thing I would have wished for today was to have my spouse along to complete the family unit and enjoy it with us. But someone had to stay home with the dog.