WWJD. . . with his estate?

I heard that if Shakespeare had an estate today (like Elvis does), it would be worth millions. (I also heard that Shakespeare was a capitalist, and while he was famous for his plays, he was wealthy from buying and selling real estate and owning stock).

This lead me to think about Shakespeare's legacy and his timeless insight and witticisms, which lead me to compare him to another man who has quite a legacy and present day influence, Jesus Christ. I wondered which of the two had the largest legacy (probably Jesus, but Shakespeare is an equal contender I would argue). This then lead me to think, if Jesus had an estate, how much would that be worth? (Not to include the estate of the Catholic church or all the money that has been extorted or spent on wars that have been fought in the name of this "love-your-neighbor" man). But if he actually had an estate, WWJ'sEBW?

pOtato, pAtato

You say NeanderTal and I say NeanderTHal. Let's call the whole thing off.

Whistling and Parades

Right now Cole is in the other room whistling "Go Tell It On The Mountain" while he is instant messaging friends on the computer. (I can hear the tell-tale alert sound of new messages and key board tapping mingled with the whistling. You don't have to be a super spy, just a mom, to know what your kids are doing in the other room). He learned this song in band practice at E.V. Cain.

Today Cole marched with the E.V. Cain band in the Veteran's Day Parade through down town Auburn. It was very strange to witness, being a peace minded person myself. Through the sparsely sifting rain, crowds on the sidelines cheered for the war veterans and the young soldiers marching through the middle of town. I clapped along too, out of respect. I couldn't help but get a bit choked up and feel the weight of the event, especially when I saw a car full of women with a banner announcing that they were part of a mothers' organization. I looked at the wrinkled faces of the men and women and wondered how many people they knew had died in a war and how it must have changed their lives. I looked at the pride on the faces of the young soldiers. My oldest son Brent, who came along to support his younger brother, kept commenting too loudly how he would never support a war. I kept reminding him to keep it on the down low, just for now.

I wouldn't have been at this parade if Cole wasn't in the school band. I am glad he gave me the opportunity to see this event and marvel at how differently groups of people can see the world.

I can still hear him whistling in the other room, and it is the best music ever.

David ahhhh Sedaris

David Sedaris just told a story on "This American Life" about people defecating inappropriately in stores or libraries (i.e. not in the restroom). Of course, gross as this topic was, he was hilarious.

Recently a couple of friends and I went to see David Sedaris at The Crest Theater in Sacramento. I had purchased tickets several months in advance and waited anxiously for the day when I could sit admiringly and listen to the man speak in person. However, forty-five minutes in to the reading . . . I fell asleep!! It's not like he was boring. He was very engaging -- prompting a laugh, a chuckle, or an applause from the audience on average every thirty seconds or so to my estimate. How could I fall asleep?! I wondered what the people sitting next to me thought of my sure-to-be gaped mouth and bobbing head ( I didn't get to sit next to friends, they surely would've prodded me awake).

I can explain myself, however: the lights were dim, the chair was (somewhat) comfy and I love being read to. Really, it was a complement to David. I just regret that I didn't get to hear the end. I was told it was great.

OK Yeah

There is a "new" band called Ok Go that my friends and I saw about four years ago when they opened for The Donnas at Sac State (horrible sound at that venue). I must give credit to my friend Jason Adair because he declared that very night that he really liked the band. I, on the other hand, did not pay that much attention to them, except after the show, when just horsing around asked one of the band members to sign the back of my t-shirt, which he did.

Recently my daughter asked me to check out a really funny video from this new band she liked called Ok Go. I said, oh them, they signed the back of my shirt. Yeah, they're pretty good.