Eye on the prize...

Interesting. A few hours ago, I dropped off A at a friend's house for a birthday party in Westchester. Prior to purchasing a gift for the birthday boy, A called up his friend and inquired about what his friend would like. The mother did not know. He likes movies. He likes music. A persisted, "But what, specifically, do you think he would like? What are his tastes?" The mother did not know. At the house, I figured out why she was not sure. The friend and his family live in a multi-million dollar home. Too many rooms, too much househelp, and to top it off, she appeared a bit ditzy. Oh well. Maybe the mom spends her spare time at the spa, which is why she can't devote too much time to her son's interests.

Learning with our children is not necessarily an academic endeavor...listening to music, jumping in the car to visit a town, a city, or a museum, discussing current events...these things help us learn about our children, and each other.

Anyway, I'm back at home, and my digs are much more modest than where A is hanging out right now. My eye is on the prize, however: A's bookshelves are full. The knowledge imparted to A, and his knowledge of himself, is more important to me than posh digs.

Thanks to L's inspiration at MySchola, we put "Les Miserables" featuring Liam Neeson, Geoffrey Rush, and Uma Thurman at the top of our Netflix list, and watched it last night. A had lots of questions for me about life in France post-1789. So, we have a bit of follow-up learning to do on that one. Also on our movie list is the French film "Camille Claudel." If I recall correctly, Camille's brother runs up to her and blurts out, "Victor Hugo est mort!" and French countrymen dress in black in mourning Victor Hugo's death.
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Tried to find out Christopher Reeve's memorial service information in Pound Ridge (about 20 min. from us); turns out it was for his family and friends. We're hoping to attend the public service for Reeve, the announcement scheduled next week.

I am preparing some information about paralysis, stem cell research and the issues surrounding stem cell research for A.

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OK - and since I, La Mai, need to keep up my "not quite conformist" image, anyone care to comment on this bag? Color okay? More to choose from here. A bit of an investment for a piece of truck tarp. But I like it.