Item #1: Baby Mama
Went to see the new comedy flick "Baby Mama" with a gal pal last week. We laughed. We cried. A good time was had by all . . . particularly in the brew pub afterwards where we watched the end of the Red Sox game while having adult beverages. I sing the praises of comedic talent Tina Fey in "Baby Mama" in my film review here.
Item #2: Mystery Reader
I got an early morning e-mail from the Youngest Boy’s room parent one morning this week asking me if I wanted to visit my son’s class and serve as the class Mystery Reader (a parent who surprises the class by showing up to read a book). At 9 a.m.
I had two columns due that afternoon and other work to which I had to attend, but seeing as though I hadn’t yet been a Mystery Reader in his classroom thus far this school year – though I did help with the class “winter holiday” party – maternal guilt set in. I agreed.
Carrying our hardcover copy of Officer Buckle and Gloria, I was greeted by my son’s teacher in the hallway outside of the classroom. She told me that the children would be back shortly. They'd been chosen to sing a song in the school library as part of a daily, building-wide, closed-circuit broadcast of the "Morning Messages." I plopped down on one of those tiny little chairs that I was certain would crash to the floor as soon as I lowered myself into it and watched the TV mounted on the wall above the black board come alive with the image of an awkward group of first graders singing a rendition of the “Bingo” song. In the corner of the screen, off to the right side, I saw my boy, looking dumbstruck and singing. Kind of. Or at least he was mouthing some of the words, although he did clap vigorously when the song called for it. But what surprised me was how little and how very young he looked. “He won’t be like this for long,” I thought.
After I read the book to the group, which seemed to go over well, the kids eagerly showed me the slimy-looking tadpoles that had just arrived in their classroom this week and were busy darting around a fish tank. All I could think was, "How many of these little guys will make it out alive?"
Item #3: Election Fun . . . 'Star Wars' Style
So this presidential election is going on . . . and on . . . and on. In December, conventional wisdom said that Sen. Hillary Clinton was the prohibitive favorite to win the Democratic presidential nomination. Then the caucuses and primaries began and Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign caught fire and he became the favorite to snag his party's nomination. Then came the dust-up with Obama’s former pastor and Clinton's recent string of wins, and now Obama doesn’t look so strong, or so favorite. The whole thing just looks like one big political mess.
But big political messes make for exciting political news and great cable TV news ratings. And, may I add, great political parody, including this "Star Wars"-style parody I discovered on the Huffington Post. It’s nakedly pro-Obama, assigning him the role of Luke Skywalker while Clinton is Darth Vader and her husband is the Emperor. Regardless of your political party or whether you have a candidate of choice in the Democratic race, I'll bet you find this pretty entertaining. My Eldest Son, a "Star Wars" aficionado, laughed out loud, even though he didn't get half of the political jokes.
Item #4: Rain Delay
Irony of the week: At 7 p.m. on Friday, I was just finishing up making a late dinner for the family. The Spouse and the Youngest Son were still at the Youngest Son’s season opening baseball game. In the rain and cold.
To help pass the time while I tidied up from the aftermath of my cooking, I flipped on NESN, the Boston area cable network that carries Boston sports, and, most importantly, Red Sox games. Only the Red Sox game was in rain delay. Meanwhile my son’s 6- and 7-year-old Little League game in a greater Boston suburb, however, was still ongoing.
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