Curtain Up!

I should have learned by now, that any time I say "I'm sure" of something, events usually prove me wrong. Like below, when I said I'm sure we will be back at least once more... in regards to visiting the creek.

The remainder of our break has been spent mostly hanging around the house watching rented DVDs. We enjoyed Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Pride and Prejudice, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World, the Royal Ballet's Tales of Beatrix Potter, and (before you go thinking you see some Keira Knightley/Geoffrey Rush/British history/British lit thread connecting them all) Sicko, by Michael Moore.

Elle, a born entertainer, finally acknowledged her inclination -- a tendency I have reluctantly witnessed develop since she was an infant -- while watching Pirates of the Caribbean for the second or third time: Mom, how does somebody get to be in a movie? She thinks it would be great fun to get paid to work as an actor. Her sisters and I thought so too, but privately wondered how that would work with her persistent shyness.

One notable exception to our movie marathon was a taste of real culture, a concert we attended yesterday afternoon down in Port. A few local musicians, led by the neighborhood's World Renowned Cellist, put on a children's concert in the incredibly intimate 142 seat theatre. Prior to the final piece, three door prizes were raffled off for the kids. Elle leaned over and whispered that she was nervous in case they might call her number. Sure enough, she was the third winner. I barely had time to confirm that it was her ticket number when, instead of playing shy like the prior winner and insisting I go up with her or in place of her, she popped out of her seat, marched down the center aisle, and jumped up on the stage to claim her prize.

What did she win? A gift certificate for DVD rentals.


There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.

-- Oscar Wilde