« May 2006 | Back to Main Page | July 2006 »
My daughter is bowling for rhinos. Well, bowling needs a reason, doesn't it? Being an animal trainer, she is naturally interested in conservation efforts, so supporting efforts to help rhinos wasn't a hard sell for her. So she and her Toronto Zoo friends will be bowling to raise money in July. If you feel moved to help, get in touch with me and I'll tell you how to support this effort.
Today started out only moderately unproductively, but went rapidly into the dead-loss zone of software hell when a program I had PAID FOR (I hear your derisive laughter, Bob) decided it was really a trial version that had expired. I had been meaning to upgrade it anyway, so I decided to throw even more money at this heartless mega-firm, who shall remain nameless (hint: they sell a lot of fonts). As part of the upgrade process, which worked, by the way, I again considered upgrading another program by this same company, an app that magically continues to work when it really shouldn't. This is a piece of software that has worked for me under OS X for years, even though it's not supposed to. In fact, I remember attending a presentation about the new version in which the presenter stated to me flatly that it would not work in the circumstances under which I was using it. It kind of makes me want to let it keep going, just for spite.
Anyway, to blow away the bad digital karma of the day, I abandoned the evening to stripping wallpaper in Evan's now vacated room. Fittingly, one of the podcasts I was listening to was Merlin Mann on "fresh starts." I'm trying to claim this space for some of the things I value but have pushed aside lately.
My dear friend and inspiration Cecilia died last weekend. I watched her go from a devastated person dealing with a terminal cancer diagnosis to someone who lived every moment of every day with serenity and joy. In her memory I will try to do the same.
Just missed Father's Day, but I wanted to note the fact that fathers are very important in my genealogical researches. Since most of the women in the family lines I am hunting down changed their names on marriage, I am usually more successful tracing their families via their spouses. My family has strong maternal lines -- a lot of tough broads, you might say -- but I am grateful to the men for their contribution as well.
Recently I came across an interesting coincidence of paternities. I was viewing a microfilm of parish records from Kendal, a charming town I have actually been to in the north of England. I found an entry I expected, for the 1821 baptism of Robert, son of my great great great grandfather, Thomas Gradwell. The very next entry was for a girl baptised on the same day in the same church: Mary, daughter of William Fawcett. I haven't figured out yet if this branch of the Fawcetts is connected to the branch in my tree, but it is interesting to speculate that the families probably knew each other.
I just took a mental vacation this evening while I watched the DVD of Claire doing her bird show at Taronga Zoo last year. I was reminded of what a superb venue the zoo has for its show (overlooking Sydney Harbour) and what a great job she did handling an assortment of magnificent Australian birds. She'll be following her passion again soon, so I'll be very tempted to trek halfway around the world again if I can manage it.
I was prepared to be totally disappointed with the new new Doctor Who (David Tennant) because I was thoroughly infatuated with the old new Doctor Who (Christopher Eccleston), but I'm not. He's every bit as convincingly original as he needs to be and the episodes I have seen so far have given me the retro escapist thrill I am looking for on a Friday night.
We're trying to ration them, but we watched two this evening. I had to fill in the blanks for Bob on who Sarah Jane Smith was in Episode 3, but he had to point out for me the homage to The Matrix in Episode 2. I guess my pop culture knowledge is pretty selective. By decade, I mean.
I had a brief sojourn in Owen Sound last weekend, helping my mother recuperate from knee surgery. My tasks were simple: minister to her needs for tea and occasional meals, walk my dog, and just basically be there. I accomplished all of these with immense satisfaction, not least because my mother is someone who is almost always enthusiastic about life, regardless of her circumstances. She had firmly requested that her surgeon fix both knees at once so that she could get back out on the Bruce Trail sooner, and could maybe do a full snowshoe hike next winter instead of only the half she did a few months ago.
Caring for my mother was actually a nice break for me. I managed to fit in some work on a challenging web design project and did a couple of conference calls, so it wasn't officially time off, but it felt like a vacation. The quiet up there gave me lots of space to think about new projects and consider problems from a comfortable distance.
Most of all, it was a gift of balance, a centering space where I could be helpful. I look for ways to "pay it forward" but I don't often get a chance to "pay it back" even in a very small way. Thanks, Mom!