7 quick takes

On Fridays Heather often posts 7 Quick Takes on her blog. I’m stealing the idea from her tonight.

1. The kids have discovered the sheer brilliance of Gilligan’s Island. Nic and I sing along to the theme song. I think if I have another child I’ll name him Gilligan.

2. We bought a rowing machine and have been eating healthier. It’s nice to have lots of energy again.

3. I fixed my webcam on the computer today. I’m feeling very geeky right now and, strangely, virile. I reckon techie is the new macho, eh.

4. Today was bone-chilling/booger-freezing cold. The low was -2 Fahrenheit, which is about -19 below Celsius. Currently, it’s 8 degrees Fahrenheit/-13 Celsius. We’re havin’ a heatwave. Earlier this week we had sleet, so the sidewalks are completely covered in ice. This morning our neighbor asked whether we should have the kids wear ice skates to get to school. Crazy.

5. Meaghan had her first high school interview last night. It was for entrance into an International Baccalaureate program at the same high school Heather works at. It’s a pretty challenging program: on average only 50 percent of the students get through the first two years of the program. It seems interesting, though, because it involves community service, an integrated curriculum and an emphasis on how students learn (as opposed to merely what students learn). Tomorrow, she has another interview for a second high school. These weeks we’ll be in information-gathering mode, so we’ll keep you posted as to what we find out.

6. A number of loved ones have had some serious physical issues beset them these past months. One dear friend found out she has MS, a family member suffered an injury due to falling on the job, and another close friend had a heart attack in December. I had met with him for a coffee earlier in the day; by nightfall he was hospitalized. He called me later to tell me what had happened. He said it really made him think about life and what really matters to him.

7. Speaking of which, another good friend called the other day and he reminded me of something I apparently said to him once: “Put your family first and surround yourself with people who understand their own brokenness.” I’m grateful he reminded me of this; there’s a kind of grace and freedom implicit in it, methinks.