Upsetting article

I read this article in my recent issue of The New Yorker. It's not pretty.

I love The New Yorker

It's no secret I love The New Yorker (and NYC itself, I might add). I love them even more with their spot-on 23 March 2009 cover.

New standard for horrible husband

This is so very tacky, unprofessional, and embarrassing.

Yesterday at the Paper Trail

Yesterday we went to the spring fair at the Paper Trail in Apsley. Bailey and I are big fans of the Paper Trail; if you recall, we visited with Judy over the summer and I had a staff away day there as well.

The spring fair was all we hoped. There were lots of stalls offering the sale of cool and funky arts, crafts, and antiques. Bailey got to make an Easter card (which she says she's giving to Thomas, our cat, because he gets few cards) and a sheet of hand-made paper (which is so cool...her's is littered with shreaded bank notes). We made out like a bandit with a new addition to the home art offerings; £10 for a cool painting. You know I love affordable art!

Lend your support to the Paper Trail. Their finances aren't terribly robust due to the recent economy and they've recently opened a cool and educational visitors' centre and gorgeous shop. Their work supports recycling as well as offering a historical insight into our area's paper-making past. It's well worth keeping.

Happy Mothering Sunday

It's Mother's Day. I got to open lovely gifts this morning, including a beautiful plant and small teddy bear (which she purchased herself at the school Mother's Day sale) from Bailey, 3-dozen roses and an iTunes gift card from Simon, and a card from Thomas (the cat). I also got my morning coffee and a copy of The Sunday Times. It's nice being treated like a queen for the day.

Our plans include the Mother's Day service at church then an afternoon in the British Museum. It seems mummies, in the Egyptian sense, are the theme of our Mother's Day activities. Last year we spent the day at the King Tut exhibit at the O2. Today we shall visit the Egyptian antiquities in the British Museum. Next year shall we go for Cairo?? Can you imagine what that idea would do to Simon's blood pressure???

Anyway, the British Museum neighbourhood is old stomping grounds, indeed, and where I met Simon. The pub where we met, the Duke's Head, isn't there anymore but the place is still an eating/drinking establishment. If it isn't filled with drunkards, I think we'll show Bailey today. She's old enough to see the location of her heritage.

Is spring here?

I don't want to get overconfident but we've had more than 3 consecutive days of sunshine, hence I think spring has started. Although the current forecast is calling for rain tomorrow, but the temps are still above freezing so it's time to celebrate.

I was in town all day on Thursday, at CILIP (I was attending a course on learning in Web 2.0). Being in the centre of London, I got to see the spring weather vibe in action. The moment the sun is out for more than an hour, after February, people dress like it's the Med. I saw it all on Thursday; strappy tops, sandals, bare legs, even shorts. Embracing the warmth like this is so charming to me, even after all these years in this climate.

Of course, even posting these views shows I'm more British than I thought. Talking about the weather is the national pastime.

Jamie inspires us, yet again

Dear friend, fab godmomma, bon vivant, and amazing inspiration Jamie Roberts is off to do mission work tomorrow. She's headed to Haiti, to work on the Haiti Water Project. Her itinerary includes a mix of incredibly hard work, including measuring and weighing school children to measure feeding programme progress, repairing a pastor's house roof, and cleaning out school buildings after damage from last year's hurricanes.

Safe travels to Jamie and her mission companions!

The Joy of Sex Education

Last night Simon and I started watching The Joy of Sex Education, a new release from the BFI, offering the history of British sex education films. We saw the first two films in the collection, the first one being from 1917 and all the supposed hookers looked like the Pankhursts. In fact, the women were either deviant hookers or beautiful mothers, not much in between.

Anyway, in the second film, titled Any Evening - After Work, a description of the symptoms of syphilis was offered. One of the traits was "General Paralysis of the Insane" defined as the condition that makes people think they are wealthier than they are. This one has both of us rolling with laughter.

It's clearly a condition not only connected to VD...

Salman Shakespeare?

Why does our Shakespeare finger puppet look like Salman Rushdie?

International Women's Day

Everyone get ready for International Women's Day on 8 March 2009. There are lots of events on the schedule so please get involved.