Weekend under the Sea and Sun and other Monday Musings

Elizabeth Beck as The Little Mermaid.

Emily Beck in The Little Mermaid.

The Little Mermaid started this last weekend at Flying Dragon on Tebeau.  I saw it twice on Saturday.  There were two different casts this weekend, and I was happy to see the daughters of my good friends, the Becks, play prominent roles in each cast.  One cast featured Emily Beck as the delightfully evil Ursula, and the other Elizabeth Beck as a romantically soulful Ariel.

There are two more casts that perform this weekend, Thursday at 7 PM,  Saturday at 3 PM and 7 PM, and Sunday at 3 PM.  Flying Dragon prides itself in giving as many children as possible an opportunity to shine.

My son Doug has come down for a visit, and we are happy to have him this through Tuesday morning.  I am torn going to work today, but I did not plan ahead very well.  I also have play practice tonight.  Oy,  But I saw him yesterday, and will see him again tonight.  He is in good spirits, his job going well, and having just moved into a home/condo of his own up in metro Atlanta.

The OHC Writing Contest has me stressed.  I and my guild members have a done good job of organizing the basics, and, thanks to The Strait Line, it is well funded.  But my lack of aggression in promoting it ism I think, beginning to hurt it.  I just hope that what we have done has laid the groundwork for success in future years.

Rumblings of a greater war to combat the brutal organization ISSIS have me concerned.  I do believe we have to stand in opposition to it, and that it may take much more than diplomacy.  What I won't countenance is anyone no understanding who is to blame for the unrest centered around Iraq.  It is now and ever shall be the responsibility of Bush/Cheney and their ill advised war.  People sometimes ask, when can you stop blaming the prior administration for things still going wrong?  In the case of the Mideast instability centered around Iraq, the answer is clearly for decades if not centuries.  They broke it - they bought it.

It was an incredibly hot weekend here, with temps over 100 and feels like temps up to 114.  I don't do well in this kind of weather, so I stay inside as much as possible.  You could feel the waves of heat out there, as if you were opening an oven.  Individual hot days mean nothing regarding the reality of global warming, BUT the rise in global average temperature DOES.

No movies this weekend, not even with my son Doug here.

Benjamin had a tough week at school.  He is making some hard choices, and with love and strong discipline, we hope to see him through.  Every year you can get a new draw of classmates and teachers, and so far, I'm not really happy with this year's draw.  But Benjamin is a strong kid, and we hope he will find his place, and that he understands he has our support and unconditional love.  And that sometimes restrictions and punishments come out of that love.

Until next time,

T. M. Strait