Week In Review

Reading-

Sadly, I have no concentration for reading anything this week.

Listening-

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
We finally got it at the library and started listening to it the other day. The only drawback is that Tristan and Caroline are into them now and I can't play the CD's unless three out of four children are in the car. Elisa is our lone holdout, she still requests the Mamma Mia soundtrack every time we get in the car.

Watching-

The West Wing Season 3-

Long ago, Dave was nice and bought the entire series on DVD for me. Then I got pregnant and nauseous. There are shows I still can't stand to watch from previous pregnancies because I was nauseous while watching them. I didn't want this show to suffer that fate, so I put it away until I felt better. By the time I felt better, things were crazy at work and at school and it got pushed to the back burner until now when I remembered I had them. So, because I don't feel like doing much of anything else, I'm making my way through the episodes pretty quickly. In a good way, I'm amazed that such a great show lasted 7 seasons here. We Americans don't usually reward good TV. Based on when the show aired, I've decided it must have lasted because it was the Democrats coping mechanism for the Bush White House. (And I don't mean that in a derogatory way. In fact, watching it makes me more than a little embarrassed that I voted "W" in 2000. I was a military wife back then, what can I say?)

Out and About

Young Producers Les Miserables-

Last month was all about the kids' productions of Beauty and the Beast and The Gondoliers. This month, the high school students in town got their turn to shine and shine they did! Natalie wanted desperately to see them perform (some the the cast are friends of hers) and so the plan was always for her to go with some adult in the family. Because Baby Girl Gregg is in no hurry to be born, that adult was me. And I'm very glad. I am kind of a snob about Les Mis, I saw it on tour when it came here in 1998. I bought the soundtrack. I watched the London Cast tribute on PBS. I knew the kids would do well, because Sooner Theatre prides themselves on that. I had NO IDEA how much they would blow me away. Yes, I cried. Several times. I know I'm pregnant and hormonal, but I'm not the only person who was crying and of my friends who saw it, loved it, and needed tissues; NONE of us had kids who were actually in the production. The kids who did perform were just that good. And the young man who played Jean Valjean was amazing for a male performer of ANY age in that role. If you live in Norman, I can't say enough about the talent of the 14-18 year-old crowd who perform at Sooner Theatre. Between the kids' lessons, the concessions and raffle tickets I buy during their shows, costume fees, etc...I don't doubt that I make a decent-sized contribution to their operating budget. And even after seeing a show that my kids weren't a part of, I still say it's worth every penny I send their way. Remind me of that tomorrow when I pay all the kids' class deposits for the next school year. Either way, it was a wonderful production for actors of any age and they should be very proud of themselves tonight. (And very glad that it's over-I know I would be.)