having fun

We continue on our project to make our end of life years richer and fuller. We finished up our course on cubism, which we both enjoyed but I think that Brian will definitely have to take a survey course in art history. Both of us will at the community college when I turn 65 next year. BCC has a program for seniors where you can audit what you want for free after age 65. Because I did all of that enrichment activity to keep myself sane by taking all of those art history, literature and so forth courses during my "lost years" in Midland, Texas, I was able to put more of what the professor said in the context of what else was going on in the art world during that time. It is interesting to bring together economy, politics, architecture, music and see how they intersect in the Zeitgeist of the times.
One Sunday we went to a B&B event in Flemington where they paired chocolate and wine. Oh my gosh were the chocolates wonderful. So were the wines, but I didn't really think that the vitner and the chocolatier did a great job of pairing. Some of the pairings were a bit jarring and some actually worked well. But we met a bunch of folks who were really, really pleasant, and the hosts were fantastically friendly people.
That same week we went to the Kantha exhibit and lecture at the Museum of Art. These members only tours and lectures are so informative. I would never be able to see or know the meaning and significance of some of the works that we have seen without them. The Kanthas were exquisite and so very detailed. That same day we were off to the Wilma to see Language Games, a new play. The Wilma is funny. The plays we have attended there are either fabulous or we have walked out at intermission. They are always thought provoking and edgy new works. This one was great and particularly interesting for an immigrant. It concerned a young man who is an ethnic Arab, whose father emigrated to the U.S. when the young man was age 3 years so that his family could have a better life. His son becomes an interrogator/torturer in what we are to understand to be Guantanamo. His father is arrested on suspicion of terrorist activity and brought to the prison and comes face to face with his son to be interrogated. What a powerful play. We stayed for the discussion, which we thought would be at a higher level. We were surprised at the concrete interpretations of this spectacular play. No one seemed to "get" the central theme of dialectic -- things turning into their opposite. E.g. Egyptian father's expectations of a better opportunity for his son by immigrating, and his son becoming an interrogator/torturer for the U.S. The African American psychiatrist turning into his opposite and the formerly oppressed becoming the oppressor. This plus the subthemes of destroying an identity by destroying a people's language and others makes this a powerful play for the thoughtful.
The next evening we saw Graham Greene's Travels With My Aunt, which was a superb performance and the theatre was packed for this oldie but goodie. My only complaint is that it was in the Walnut Street Theatre's smaller venue and the chairs are uncomfortable and too close to each other. Coupled with the fact that all I could get was evening tickets and we usually go to matinees because we get sleepy driving home, and there was an accident on 95, I was cranky by the time we arrived back in New Hope.
We drove down to visit Shannon, Jon and the twins in N.C. and saw Daryl, Dina, Amy and Mark as well. A very fun visit. We really like Jon's family a lot. They are always so gracious and inclusive. The little girls are no longer babies! How time flies. Both of them are talking much and so different from each other. Sophie is a thoughtful little scholar who loves her "Bacz" and Jacqueline is most definitely her Dziadzio's little girlie girl.
One of our book clubs had its meeting about Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho. Blach. We were the only members of the club to not like this over-rated pabulum. I panned it on Goodreads but found that we were in a minority there as well.
The pool work got done this week. Glad to have those workmen out of our hair. The gardens are exploding and the property is gorgeous. It is always at its best in the spring I think.
We've been running from one activity to another as this blog attests. We took in Alice in Wonderland and thought it was far superior to Avatar. We ate Chinese afterward which was mediocre despite the 30 minute wait to get in at 5 pm on a Thursday. Last night we met our empty nesters at Bobby Simones, a local restaurant, and ended the week with a bang.
Next week I have to testify at a trial, which kind of ruins my whole week being on call. But Brian has errands and has to go to the audiologist, so I guess I may as well work.
The university becomes more and more of a pain in the rear. The dean asked me to spearhead multidisciplinary grand rounds at the medical school on April 29. I have 5 people: a psychiatrist, an epidemiologist, a physical therapist, a biochemist, and myself. Since January only the shrink -- buddy Andy Levitas -- has come through with any content or work with me on this. Just my ambition in life - to play nursemaid to a bunch of people with their doctorates making sure they get their stuff done. Like herding cats.
Then the office of ethics and compliance is running after faculty for us to take mandatory courses and answer intrusive questions. Like "do you do any volunteer activity?" I told them it was none of their business what I did in my spare time and Andy told them to shove their ethics course ...
A man after my own heart!
Every time I turn around there is another mandatory diversity, cultural sensitivity, HIPPA, organ donation course that they want you to take. Then our brilliant dean for grad studies came up with the idea of having all faculty teaching in graduate courses to send her a report of what courses they taught, the # of the course, the section, the names of the students, and their grades for the semester. Hmm. I was under the impression that the registrar's office does this. So yet another mindless piece of work for the faculty -- and then they bitch that people are not producing scholarship. Go figure. ONLY TWO SEMESTERS TO GO!!!
It continues to be very quiet without our kitties. It is so strange to come home and find it empty. We really miss them, but won't get another pet until we stop traveling. We have some big trips planned in the next several years.
I am having a heck of a good time corresponding with the extended family in Poland and the U.K. Especially fun is discussing issues with the younger generation. They are so darn cute!

death in family

So, sad news -- but perhaps not. Yesterday Brian's father died suddenly while on a trip to the Grand Canyon with his wife, Jill. One minute he was looking at it and the next he had simply died. She was pretty distraught when she called Brian last night. Of course, he being the only rationale and empathic member out of a toxic crew of 6, he was asked to call all of them to pass on the news. Being the kind person that he is, he did, although it was not a whole lot of fun. Glad that is over and I really feel for Jill to have to go back and undoubtedly be treated abominably by the wicked stepdaughters. I cringe for her.
So, how do I feel about all of this? I am glad that my father-in-law did not suffer. If one does not depart this life in one's sleep, one should depart as suddenly and painlessly as Jack did. I really feel bad for Brian on many levels. He loved his father and his father loved him in his own strange way. He will mourn his passing and miss having him in his life.

Katyn -- the gift that keeps giving

Yesterday we awoke to find that Poland's leadership was decimated in a tragic plane crash on the way to a memorial commemorating the victims of the Katyn forest murders. Being a bit paranoid on the issue of Russia, I defaulted to my position that they must have had something to do with it. Sabatoge. Of course that is a bit crazy. But I think that we need to spread the word about what Katyn was and why it is important. So I highly recommend learning about this nasty piece of history. University of Illinois professor, Allen Paul, has a great book out on the topic. He has recently updated it. Also, the film, Katyn is exceedingly powerful. Katyn is now available with English subtitles. It is a film by Andrzej Wajda, one of the world’s greatest filmmakers, who shows generations of his countrymen – (and the rest of the world) what they were told not to think about. With its mournful score, muted cinematography and restrained performances, this is a work of sober commemoration. Hopefully it brings some small measure of rest to the 22,000 innocents who were slaughtered by the Soviets for no other reason than to purge Poland of its intelligentsia. It is a story of personal legends, of unknown soldiers and civilians. Wajda unravels their various narrative strands, like a desperately ripped flag, a national tragedy doesn’t cease, it haunts.
The collective, spiritual crisis of post war Poles is sharpened by the introduction of documentary footage, juxtaposed with children looking for a Christmas tree during the Occupation then an open-air screening of propaganda films absolving Russia of the Katyn massacre. Wajda confronts historical evidence and personal recall. When a widow tells a collaborator, “You may think differently but you do the same. What difference does it make that you think differently?” it powerfully communicates real life complexity.

Health Care and Irrationality

Abraham Verghese says it better than I ever could: http://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2009/08/irrational-belief-breaks-down-the-rational-mind/23198/