Seven Quick Takes Friday

Welcome all Company Girls!

--1--

The last couple of days have been rather nerve-wracking, health-wise.  The night before last, I woke up at 3 am with stomach pains that wouldn't go away.  They continued all day yesterday and pretty much prevented me from doing anything....I only managed to take Wilson around the block, and I drove to the library to drop off and pick up books.  My blood pressure was also up. Quite a bit.

I kept reading these websites about how heart attacks in women can mimic indigestion, etc, and was getting a bit freaked out. We didn't have anything in the house for stomach ailments, and I didn't really feel like eating.  I forced down some plain yogurt and a couple of bananas over the day (and a cookie)  and basically lay on the sofa with a book.

My stomach was still bothering me last night when I went to bed, but it's all better this morning.  I have a headache, and my bp is still up, but hopefully it will subside as I start to feel better.  At least I'm up for errands and housework today.  And dinner out with friends tonight.

--2--

One of the "benefits" of being under the weather is getting some reading done.  Yesterday, I read the Philip Roth novella The Humbling.  Very dark and intense story of a successful, aging actor who can no longer work.

--3--

I also got NutureShock: New Thinking About Children: by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman from the library (again).  This is the third time I've checked it out but I've never been able to get it read before having to return it.  I"m halfway through and it's a book that I wish I'd had when my kids were young.  So many important insights, but mainly it's a debunking of many of the prevailing child-rearing tenets.  Like praise.  Like talking about race.  Like gifted testing in the early years. Like TV makes you fat.   Highly recommended reading for all parents of all ages.

--4--

I have a couple of resolutions from the book above regarding Michael.  First, it is imperative that he gets more sleep every night.  To that end, the laptop, iPod, and phone will be turned off at 10 and  left outside his room at night.  Second, he needs to understand that his brain is like a muscle, and the more he uses it, the more it grows.  He needs to start doing more work at school, more than is required by his teachers, if he is to keep it growing.   He has decided to drop Japanese for the rest of the year....he was quite far behind and unable to catch up, so we have let him stop going.  In it's place, we've registered him in the Saturday Science and Engineering Academy at University of Toronto.  Their spring program is ten weeks, starting next month, and he'll be taking the Math and Physics for Engineering program for students in Grade 9 and 10.

--5--

There are a couple of new TV shows that we're enjoying.  The Republic of Doyle is a charming hour-long detective show set in St. John's, Newfoundland.  The main characters are a father and son, who share a house with the father's lady-friend and the son's daughter.  The son is going through a divorce and his soon-to-be-ex-wife is also featured prominently.  The dialogue is fast and funny, and the scenery is gorgeous. The show has a retro buzz about it and is thoroughly engaging.

We also watched the first episode of the HBO production of Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures, an adaptation of the Giller award winning book of the same name by Vincent Lam.  The show really pulled us in, and is complex with flashbacks, fantasy scenes, and unanswered questions about why certain things are happening.  Another one for the PVR.

--6--

This Saturday, Z, Michael and I are heading to Koerner Hall to see Quartetto Gelato and Ethel.  Should be a high energy evening!  Check them out:

Ethel

--7--

The online Declutter Group I've joined starts on Monday!  I"m looking forward to having a focussed approach to getting the house in order as well as the accountability of doing it in a group.  There are still spots, if anyone's interested in joining me!

That's all for today!  I"m off to get my house in order and run some errands.