Today I took a personal day from work to stay home and do taxes and related stuff after meeting with Deryn early this morning. It was a full six hours before I was done, but worth it. The weather was drizzly and raw so it was a good day to stay indoors.
This weekend Carolyn and I left Friday for an overnight near the water in Niantic. The weather was warm so we enjoyed nice walks at Rocky Neck beach and salt marsh. Christopher stayed with my mother. Emily went to a Christian coffeehouse in New Haven with a friend. It was her first drive there, which isn't easy but she did well. This morning we went to church and I took Chris to a UConn hockey game in the afternoon. Evan did his volunteer thing with the ambulance company today. This evening we watched an old Avengers (John Steed and Mrs. Peel).
On MLK Day we saw the UConn women beat previously undefeated LSU by three points in Hartford. The Huskies were ahead for the whole game but the outcome was decided in the final seconds. It was a fun evening.
Last weekend was an exemplary New England schitzoid weather scenario. Saturday was rainy, windy, and warm. Sunday was sunny and cold. The rainwater, which Saturday's wind had driven into our car door keyholes and into the crevices of the car doors and windows, froze solid Saturday night- as did the standing water on the driveway.
Last October I changed the emphasis. It had been the electric guitar- jazz and blues improvisation, with little or not attention to the classical guitar. In October I started playing my classical regularly- mostly simple Bach pieces and technical studies. Just now I can feel that my technical skills are "coming back." It feels good and Bach is a joy to play. One hour per day is all I allow myself, even though I can easily get "lost" in the concentration of it and could enjoy playing for hours, I don't want to take that time away from Carolyn and the kids.
The Bible tells us that the husband is the head of the wife. The statement is an indicative, not an imperative; although it is almost always misinterpreted solely as an imperative. The spiritual character of the husband has a considerable effect on his wife (and the rest of the family). Like it or not, guys, we are in that position- we may be competent as the head, or we may not be. If we do poorly the family suffers. We certainly will be held accountable for our efforts (or lack thereof) in this area eventually, if not now.
Last night we had our quarterly evening service, with a pot luck meal. The weather was frigid and that may explain a smaller than usual turnout. There was an interesting testimony about a woman's brother who had a psychotic breakdown and recovery. Russ gave us a message about salt and light and we sang some hymns. Carolyn and I had a nice conversation with Russ and Kim over supper and later with Dave while we were on our way out. He is encouraging to talk to.
My son and I are reading this old science fiction favorite. It's about a medieval/feudal society that is left after nuclear devastation. Knowledge is being preserved by the monks in the monasteries, as it was during the real Middle Ages. It's well-written and fun to read.
Friday afternoon I took Em to New Haven for an afternoon at the Yale Art Gallery. It is medium-sized art museum (with free admission) that has some remarkable stuff. On the first floor we saw Van Gogh's Night Cafe and on the third floor we saw four paintings by Edward Hopper. Em liked Rooms by the Sea best and I liked Sunlight in a Cafeteria. On the way home we had supper at Panera's in Waterford.
The other night we had homemade pizza for supper and watched The Third Man, an old black and white murder mystery with Orson Wells. It's one of the all time great movies. Check out the use of mysterious shadows and angled camera shots. It wouldn't be nearly as good if it were in color. I prefer onions and sliced tomatoes but the kids like pepperoni; Carolyn likes mushrooms best.
