Somewhat mentally exhausted after endless weeks of work deadlines and stress (see many previous posts I'm sure), Michele suggested I simply leave a little earlier this evening so that I could take Jack swimming before bed time. Since I wasn't much concentrating at work anyway, and haven't done anything more approaching exercise since contemplating a trip to the gym (but not actually going) sometime back in February, I didn't take long to agree this suggestion.
First point - despite having had a working life for 10 years or so now, I still feel slightly reckless at leaving earlier than 6pm. It's like being out of school before 3.15pm. I wonder if this feeling will ever pass.
Second point - for my sins, whilst Jack loved the swimming, I succeeded in having him plunge his thumb into my eye ("It was an accident Daddy"), followed by me taking my (remaining) eye off him as we were drying off at precisely the same moment that he decided to practice his 'walking backwards with towel over head' routine. Needless to say it was the splash that made me turn around to find him, unintentionally, back in the pool complete with towel still over head.
Aside from mild shock (both his and mine I think) he was OK. But I think I should have stayed at work after all. I will not leave before 6 tomorrow.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
What if...
Yesterday, I was talking to one of my colleagues (an American) in the office about the prospects for Barack Obama becoming US president. He was very much of the view that, unfortunately, Obama faces the highest likelihood of being assassinated in office because of his skin colour. This was reinforced by the fact that, despite the rhetoric of America being finally "ready" - whatever that means - for a black President, he (my colleague) was still receiving emails from friends back in the USA who were revealing their true colours (pardon the pun) through their transparent attempts to disguise what was clearly thinly veiled racism, purporting to be presented as criticisms of Obama's policies or political leanings.
It's scary that this issue still matters so much to so many in a country where surely the need to do something about the failing economy, the costs of the war in Iraq and the lack of universal healthcare transcend the skin colours of the men competing to take on those tasks.
It reminded me also of an interesting "What if.." question posed in the paper the other day, which was founded on the fact that Obama is actually only half black - his mother being white American from Kansas, and his father a black Kenyan. With this in mind, the question was posed whether, if Obama had been raised in Kenya instead of America, and was now standing for President of that obviously predominantly black African country, would he be being singled out by the media, and be being subjected to racism within the wider population, for being the "white" candidate?
It's scary that this issue still matters so much to so many in a country where surely the need to do something about the failing economy, the costs of the war in Iraq and the lack of universal healthcare transcend the skin colours of the men competing to take on those tasks.
It reminded me also of an interesting "What if.." question posed in the paper the other day, which was founded on the fact that Obama is actually only half black - his mother being white American from Kansas, and his father a black Kenyan. With this in mind, the question was posed whether, if Obama had been raised in Kenya instead of America, and was now standing for President of that obviously predominantly black African country, would he be being singled out by the media, and be being subjected to racism within the wider population, for being the "white" candidate?
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Just a spoonful of sugar...
Michele has been quite ill over the last few days. But to the extent that there is a silver lining to that, it has been that we have been able to rediscover lazy weekends. The kind where we don't run around doing chores like cleaning and shopping and instead spend the afternoon in front of the TV.
Mindful of being slightly weary of having Jack watching too much TV, it was nevertheless with some personal joy that we all sat down yesterday afternoon to watch Mary Poppins. Not least because Toy Story is now beginning to wear a little thin (see previous post), but because I think also for Michele there was a need for some classic 'duvet TV'.
And Jack loved it. Which, in turn, made me go all warm inside. I have to admit that there was always a part of me that was fearful of what might happen if I grew up and had kids that didn't 'get' the magic of Disney. I said to Michele yesterday, imagine how different children's entertainment would be if it hadn't been for Walt Disney. The man was a genius.
And it is through films like Mary Poppins, now over 40 years old, that such magic best shines through. For 2.5 hours (albeit that we watched it with an interval) there was no world outside of our living room. I know I've seen this film hundreds of times, but everything about it (the songs, the colour, the visual effects) combines to encapsulate everything that a family film should be. Jack has been singing at least 3 or 4 of the songs ever since, including (quite admirably for a 3 year old, and quite remarkably nearly pulling it off) "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"! Well - he gets the beginning and end of it right anyway.
And when the film was about 10 mins from the end, it was almost like being awaken from a dream like state, as the realisation slowly crept in that, shortly after the happy family of 4 (hmmm) skipped off down the road to fly kites, the film would end and we would have to return to the reality of daily life.
Oh to live in the magical world of make believe....
Mindful of being slightly weary of having Jack watching too much TV, it was nevertheless with some personal joy that we all sat down yesterday afternoon to watch Mary Poppins. Not least because Toy Story is now beginning to wear a little thin (see previous post), but because I think also for Michele there was a need for some classic 'duvet TV'.
And Jack loved it. Which, in turn, made me go all warm inside. I have to admit that there was always a part of me that was fearful of what might happen if I grew up and had kids that didn't 'get' the magic of Disney. I said to Michele yesterday, imagine how different children's entertainment would be if it hadn't been for Walt Disney. The man was a genius.
And it is through films like Mary Poppins, now over 40 years old, that such magic best shines through. For 2.5 hours (albeit that we watched it with an interval) there was no world outside of our living room. I know I've seen this film hundreds of times, but everything about it (the songs, the colour, the visual effects) combines to encapsulate everything that a family film should be. Jack has been singing at least 3 or 4 of the songs ever since, including (quite admirably for a 3 year old, and quite remarkably nearly pulling it off) "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"! Well - he gets the beginning and end of it right anyway.
And when the film was about 10 mins from the end, it was almost like being awaken from a dream like state, as the realisation slowly crept in that, shortly after the happy family of 4 (hmmm) skipped off down the road to fly kites, the film would end and we would have to return to the reality of daily life.
Oh to live in the magical world of make believe....
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Back!
OK, the problem has been that after such a long hiatus since my last posting, I wanted to make the next post about something really important. But frankly, nothing has come to mind due to the fact that pretty much since January I have been working. And then working some more. Overworked it is true, but not really underpaid to be fair!
But then of course I realised that it was coming dangerously close to a year since Emma was born and I still did not have a photo of the family as one displayed on the front page. So the need to rectify that has led me to type this explanation. And so begins (hopefully) renewed blogging vigour.
So, in short, a few key things that have been happening since last I was here:
1. The kids are growing fast. Phrase of the moment is "To Amphetamines, and Beyond" (a variation on the phrase uttered by Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story - Jack's film of choice at the moment, having replaced Polar Express given that that DVD has almost burned itself into the pixels of our TV due to extreme overwatching - but demonstrative of Jack's inability to correctly say the word "Infinity".
2. We bought a house in Dubai, then saw the show homes, were a bit disappointed with the size, thought of selling it, which proved too complicated, and so have kept it for the time being. Two things about Dubai property: (i) it is increasing in price at a ridiculous rate - literally (and I really mean this) daily, and (ii) building standards are not necessarily as good as one would hope. We put up a stairgate in our current house to stop the now crawling Emma climbing the stairs, only to have the outward pressure exerted by the frame of the stairgate on the walls cause the plaster to crumble and thereby create an additional 2-3mm in the width of our stairs. We are now thinking that if we buy enough stairgates we might be able to rectify our concerns about the room sizes in the house we have recently bought!
3. My two non-family interests of music and films have been greatly enhanced by the discovery of http://www.mininova.org/ where I now download albums and films without any money changing hands. And so it is that I am listening to the new Coldplay album as I write this, 2 days before its public release. And for free!
4. I have become an avid follower of the American election (see previous posts). Am not convinced of Obama's ability to maintain momentum through to November.
5. We are going on holiday to Cyprus at the end of this month for a week - across Michele's and Emma's (1st) birthday, both of which are on 1 July. Then Michele and the kids will fly back to the UK to escape the summer heat for a few weeks and I will become, as is common in this part of the world at this time of year, a W.A.N.K.E.R. Meaning Wife Away, No Kids, Eating Rubbish. As you will have realised.
More to follow (inshallah, as they say here.... if Allah is willing). I suggest, in reality, you check back in around December. I might have thought of something interesting to write by then, and have found the time to write it!
But then of course I realised that it was coming dangerously close to a year since Emma was born and I still did not have a photo of the family as one displayed on the front page. So the need to rectify that has led me to type this explanation. And so begins (hopefully) renewed blogging vigour.
So, in short, a few key things that have been happening since last I was here:
1. The kids are growing fast. Phrase of the moment is "To Amphetamines, and Beyond" (a variation on the phrase uttered by Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story - Jack's film of choice at the moment, having replaced Polar Express given that that DVD has almost burned itself into the pixels of our TV due to extreme overwatching - but demonstrative of Jack's inability to correctly say the word "Infinity".
2. We bought a house in Dubai, then saw the show homes, were a bit disappointed with the size, thought of selling it, which proved too complicated, and so have kept it for the time being. Two things about Dubai property: (i) it is increasing in price at a ridiculous rate - literally (and I really mean this) daily, and (ii) building standards are not necessarily as good as one would hope. We put up a stairgate in our current house to stop the now crawling Emma climbing the stairs, only to have the outward pressure exerted by the frame of the stairgate on the walls cause the plaster to crumble and thereby create an additional 2-3mm in the width of our stairs. We are now thinking that if we buy enough stairgates we might be able to rectify our concerns about the room sizes in the house we have recently bought!
3. My two non-family interests of music and films have been greatly enhanced by the discovery of http://www.mininova.org/ where I now download albums and films without any money changing hands. And so it is that I am listening to the new Coldplay album as I write this, 2 days before its public release. And for free!
4. I have become an avid follower of the American election (see previous posts). Am not convinced of Obama's ability to maintain momentum through to November.
5. We are going on holiday to Cyprus at the end of this month for a week - across Michele's and Emma's (1st) birthday, both of which are on 1 July. Then Michele and the kids will fly back to the UK to escape the summer heat for a few weeks and I will become, as is common in this part of the world at this time of year, a W.A.N.K.E.R. Meaning Wife Away, No Kids, Eating Rubbish. As you will have realised.
More to follow (inshallah, as they say here.... if Allah is willing). I suggest, in reality, you check back in around December. I might have thought of something interesting to write by then, and have found the time to write it!
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