I'd really like to do the knitting olympics this year, as in 2008, but Ravelry co-opted it from Stephanie Pearl-McPhee and that seems downright mean so I'm not sure I'll do it. I'm curious as to how that came about since I didn't think the upper echelons of the knitting world were particularly known for back stabbing or anything similarly nefarious and since it's kind of sad actually.

Labels: events, knitting, sadness

Both of t2cgitw began kindergarten yesterday. I am at a complete loss to understand how time has flown so quickly that they are old enough to begin "real" school. As I've said before and will no doubt bore myself and others by saying many times again, I cannot remember life without them and yet paradoxically it also feels as if they were born mere moments ago. Anyway, email and photos attest to them taking it all completely in calm stride, riding their buses quite happily and altogether enjoying the day. Mothers and fathers made it through the day well, too. Can book reports and mid-terms and science fairs and all the rest be far behind?

Labels: children, events, school, t2cgitw

In one of those quirky twists of fate that sometimes seem perpetrated by impish adolescent gods intent on amusing themselves at humans' expense, the brother who expected to be only background support ended up outliving his father as well as three starting and starring brothers. He had shouldered and carried on their demands and dreams in a half-century congressional career and life in the spotlight

Ted Kennedy was a complex man whom history will rightly evaluate with the entire spectrum of grays. He was the youngest son of a father who drove his boys to be as powerful as possible regardless of personal consequences and even, at times, we have come to learn, regardless of legalities. Whether the father believed he and his sons knew best what others should do and have, or whether he simply thirsted for naked power for them all, only they know. They were, however, unusually able to grab and hold attention and power, and to amass the influence of other rich and powerful people around the world. For better or worse, they changed the way our country, if not most of the world, viewed and styled itself.

The Kennedy family said today that "We've lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever."

Various government figures, including President Obama, have issued glowing statements about Kennedy's influence and impact on legislation and society.

Indeed I am sure he was larger than life to his family and colleagues, as all the Kennedys have been to all of us. And his absence will doubtless cause a vacuum at family gatherings and in Senate meetings.

He had wealth, success, popularity, fame; he was surrounded by beautiful people; he lived what we call the good life and lived it intensely. He also had great sadness, even tragedy. I suspect his inner life was light years away from the rosy hail-fellow-well-met public persona he presented to us all. We can not and should not judge him, partly because that is not at all our prerogative. But it seems to me that we should exercise balance, moderation and judiciousness even while giving praise.

The Kennedys jumped onto the world's stage, front and center, demanding political and social attention. But living so publicly means that everything is public - good behavior and bad, mistakes, successes, triumphs, failures and embarrassments no matter how personal. It can't be easy. It must be especially difficult if the choice is not one you would make. Ted was, to put it harshly, the runt of the litter and, according to what we know (of people we do not actually know), he was the least whipper-snapper smart of the boys and the least interested in the so-called family business of power and government. Like all of us, he was flawed. But his flaws were visible to millions of people. Perhaps he partied so hard and made so many apparently questionable choices because the pressure was literally overwhelming.

Ted Kennedy often urged decency and kindness, and he accomplished much legislative progress. He deserves appreciation, respect and praise. We should honor him and feel sorrowful for his family. Because he was so public and we know so much about what happened, however, we also should not forget the women he misused and the elitism he lived while espousing decency and generosity for all. The mistakes and disconnects did happen and should not be pretended away. Too many are alive who remember it all - the glamor, the luxury, the amazing legislation, the sad and awful behavior, the beautiful family, the sadness, the beauty, over and over in an odd sort of rotation. He contributed much that was positive, some that wasn't, he led a dramatic and public and complicated personal life, but perhaps, in the end, the words with which he honored his brother say it most succinctly and best, namely that he "need not be idealized or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life."

Labels: events, people of note

He's still at it. Finished his 26th marathon and posted about it on his Twitter page. Extraordinary.

Labels: amazements, events, people of note

No idea why he's doing this nor why he's doing it now, but Prince Harry is in New York City where he paid a visit to Ground Zero (the World Trade Center) and laid a wreath. The piece on the visit in the Daily Mail has more pictures and is just as quietly pleasant about the whole excursion as anyone else's so here is that link. Given his monied and privileged upbringing coupled with the shocking and sudden death of his mother and all the celebrinonsense surrounding her and his father and his stepmother, it's impressive that he comports himself like a guy with his heart in the right place and a fair amount of respect for people.

Labels: events, people of note

I already have two of next year's egg surprises! One is a tiny green frog with cute legs and red markings on its face. And another is a small stamp with the first name's initial. Cheers!

Labels: celebrations, events, family

I can hardly believe that it was so long ago although like Laura I can vividly see myself and what happened just after 11:40 a.m. e.s.t., 23 years ago today. I was waiting for the water to boil in the sunny kitchen of my law firm, preparing tea for my boss and myself, sitting at the white round table under the windows and leafing through a magazine. Suddenly my usually sanguine and cheerily upbeat boss (one of the partners) burst into the kitchen saying "no, no" and looking ashen - you don't often see people look as they describe them in novels so I was struck by his color. He more or less lunged for the radio on top of the refrigerator but all we heard was static. It was a small, family-esque place so we left the radio off most of the time in order not to annoy each other, having congenially concluded that silence was preferable to causing discomfort with musical choices we might not all enjoy (and, no, we weren't always that considerate of each other). He fiddled with the tuner and the antenna (how long is it since radios had tuners and antennas?) looking for a station without static. Finally one came in clearly and everything froze and nothing was the same for a long time. We listened to the commentator detail what had happened and I can still see that awful expression on his face while he stared out the window and looked at the bright blue sky that most of the eastern seaboard was enjoying that day.

It had been such an exciting morning. NASA was reclaiming our interest because of Christa McAuliffe's participation, and then it all became so ghastly. I suppose there's an event every decade or two that stuns and scars us and also somehow unites us. I wish we learned closeness, compassion and humanity by less violent and sad means, don't you?

Labels: anniversaries, events