Life on the Wicked Stage: Act 3
Musings on life, the theatre, technology, culture and the occasional emu sighting
We’re heading back home in the morning after spending a few days helping my daughter out with her kids while our son-in-law is away on work. Damn, they grow up fast and furious.
Lots of big hugs and kisses after family movie night tonight watching How To Train Your Dragon.
We’ll be back at it again soon, but it never feels like it’s soon enough.
Spending a few days with the grandkids this weekend into next week. All bets are off when it comes to fun and games. And as crazy stupid as the world is right now, for a few moments all of that is forgotten.
I hate to call it a snow day, but in essence that’s what today turned into. We had one crazy weekend of weather in the Chicago area. Rain, cold temperatures, high wind and tornadoes (not immediately near us), and then enough snow overnight to break out the shovels this morning. Last night with heavy rain we had temperatures in the 60’s that dropped into the low 20’s this morning.
Though none of the above is unique to Chicago in March, I have to admit that it set me back. So, I’ll blame it on the weather.
Happy International Pi Day to those who count, bake, and eat pies.
Pro tip. You don’t have to wait around for March 14 (3.14) every year to eat pie.
I doubt we see much of the lunar eclipse in the morning as cloudy skies will prevail. But this shot was worth slipping on a jacket this evening.
Today is Valentine’s Day. Like all holidays some welcome it. Some not so much. Each time this holiday, like all the others, comes around it’s another reminder that we’re all different even though we’re all the same.
Thanks to my lovely sweetheart of a wife for the lovely heart shaped brownies that she baked that work with my diabetic diet. We’re each other’s rock.
Watching and learning
Starting to warm up a bit. We might have touched 40 degrees Fahrenheit today on our journey back from a short weekend visit with the grandkids. Hope the trend continues, so we can all head outdoors again.
It’s such a joy to watch these two, two years apart, come into their own, watch them learn, watch them learn how to learn, watch them fail, watch them succeed. We only get brief periods of time with them to see that unfold, but we’ve enjoyed three successive trips merely a few weeks apart and seen such growth in each 3-week separation.
Given all the talk of a world of AI that supposedly will set us free (don’t think of that necessarily being in a good context), from having to think, learn, and discover on our own, when, or at what age would that kick in?
Admittedly an unfair example, here, But, after watching these two (spurred on by the older brother) beg to go outside, go through the rigamarole of getting bundled up, only to get outside and discover that it was indeed too cold to have any fun, I’m not sure we want to shortcut any human learning process. For any group at any age.
You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.
The moving adventure nears its end
Everyone and everything is now in the new house for my daughter’s family after more twists and turns in the journey than I have energy to describe right now.
Moving is never easy. But when you see the kids discover that they can shadow dance at a certain time of day in the sun room, and then laugh themselves silly doing it, it makes the journey worthwhile.
Back to unpacking…
You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.
When you move into a new place one of the things you notice is how sound echoes around an empty house. Especially when there are little ones who love to run at what seems the speed of light, laughing at levels that set off Apple Watch loud enviornment warnings.
Today the movers arrive at my daughter and her famiiy’s new digs. As the place fills up with furniture and the stuff of living, the echoes will diminish, but the volume won’t as the new digs will still be overflowing with the sounds of laughter and life. We’re still mostly on babysitting duty, thus the grandkids first coloring session with Grandma waiting for the movers to do their thing.
Everyone’s excited.
You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.
Sharing thoughts about big ideas and little things
Sunday Morning Reading is back from a two-week hiatus in which we watched the grandkids while their parents began moving into what will be their new house after the first of the year. It was a big deal featuring lots of little things with the little ones. As usual the column this week presents some interesting reading and writing that I think worth sharing. Big topics side by side with little things.
As the Christmas season I knew growing up begins to wind down and everyone begins gearing up for the New Year, I ran across Matthew Cooper’s Why We Need A New Dickens. He makes a good argument, but in my experience everyone loves reading what Dickens chronicled, but somehow it never really catches on.
Keeping somewhat in the Christmas vein The Guardian View On Far-Right Perversions Of The Christmas Message: Promoting A Gospel Of Hate by the Guardian’s editorial department hits its target, but in a glancing blow that proves my point from the link above.
NatashaMH takes on The Great Wall Of Honesty with blunt truths, bear hugs, and a bit of resilience.
JA Westenberg points out that we never pay much attention to the tech folks who do the grunt work behind the scenes to keep things running in The Rime Of The Ancient Maintainer. That’s the little story behind most of the big things we take for granted.
Illustrator Lauren Martin writes On The Pitfalls Of Saying Yes To Everything. Hat tip to Stan Stewart for this one.
I don’t usually link to book reviews in this column, but this one by Dorian Lynskey of Sven Beckert’s book Capitalism: A Global History made me buy the book. Check out Capitalism by Sven Beckert Review — An Extraordinary History Of The Economic System That Control Our Lives. (FWIW there are no affiliate links on this site.)
Speaking of the little things, David Todd McCarty enjoys The Casual Comfort Of Champagne And French Fries.
This piece by Josh Marshall has been sitting in my Sunday Morning Reading queue during the aforementioned hiatus and it’s certainly lost none of its luster with time. Check out Will The 21st Century Nabobs Win Their War On Public Accountabilty?
I’ve followed and linked to a number of Denny Henke’s posts about how he’s changing his personal computing habits this year. His 2025 End Of Year Personal Computing Check-In is worth a read even if you haven’t been paying attention up until now.
Neil Steinberg notices things big and small and occasionally writes about those he hasn’t seen in a while. Check out his observations on seeing an Armored Car.
And to close out this week and this year’s Sunday Morning Reading, here’s a piece that good friend Sumocat linked to that is indeed an obituary. One worth a look even if you never noticed or took for granted what the deceased created, The Moylan Arrow. Take a look at The Inventor Of The Little Arrow That Tells You What Side The Fuel Filler Is On Has Died by Daniel Golson.
It’s the little things that make a difference in this big world. Have a happy turn of the New Year.
If you’re interested in just what the heck Sunday Morning Reading is all about you can read more about the origins of Sunday Morning Reading here. If you’d like more click on the Sunday Morning Reading link in the category column to check out what’s been shared on Sunday’s past. You can also find more of my writings on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome.
Life on the Wicked Stage: Act 3 