(no subject)
It's 7:00 in the morning, I'm awake and my parents are not. I'm awake because Sky emits more heat than anyone I know, and my bed was so thought I had a fever or something. I don't. So, good.
What I like about being with my parents is their quiet companionship. The way they read together, looking up sometimes for a brief conversation that neither of them is annoyed about, despite the interruption, and then casually melting back into the pages of their books, the conversation half finished, sipping tea (I've had sooo much tea this week) and eating fat free cookies.
Yesterday they took me to the Bata Shoe Museum, which was torture for my Dad, who spent most of the time sitting on benches and staring into space as Mom and I read every single plaque and panel and admired the shoes together. I like small museums because then you can read everything and really have a sense for what they have to offer. My favorite exhibit showed shoes from around the world and commented on how they were suited for particular cultures - it ended with shoes fit for particular occupations like dancing or cracking nuts with your feet (no kidding). There were shoes with the backs glued down to make it easy for Musilms to remove their shoes for prayer, there were Chinese shoes for women with bound feet and for children, that had tiger faces on them so the children would grow up to be strong. It was totally fun and I really enjoyed it. Dad was a total skeptic, and his favorite was a rediculous movie about famous people and the shoes they wore. "These boots belonged to Winston Churchill." followed by a brief biography of the person. OK so that part was entirely stupid and Mom Dad and I were trying to keep our voices down as we giggled and made silly comments to each other. I enjoyed the exhibit on 18th century shoes because I know something about 18th century fashion after my class last semester. It was fun.
I've been sick much of the break with a cold and Dad's getting one too so we've spent much of the time inside the apartment, playing board games, watching movies, reading. It's hard to compromise on movies because Dad and I are so particular. We watched Lost in Space, Dad loved it, I didn't mind it, Mom fell asleep and then got up to take the dog for a walk. You see my point.
The four days I spent with my grandparents were fun. Sometimes I think of them as comic, and that's how I get through the parts that I think Dad finds so painful, like Grandma's cooking (she baked Cheese Whiz and noodles and called it maccaroni and cheese), or the way they repeat everything they say many times. It was fun to spend so much time with them, to have a sense of what their lives are really like from day to day, to feel a part of their family in the every day sense as apposed to in the distant but much loved sense. Also nice to spend time with my cousin who is a senior in high school and a really fun person - We've always been closer than I've been to any other cousin. I remember going to his...must've been third...birthday party where Big Bird showed up and danced with us. Things sure change quickly.
Before that, I had a wonderful time with Daniel's family who are extremely generous and treat me as one of their own. I feel so comfortable with them - I was teaching Daniel how to foxtrot in the hotel room and his sister was watching and it felt perfectly normal like Rebecca watching as Grandpa taught me how to foxtrot years ago.
The week I spent by myself was glorious. I love the preschool. I love the structure of the day - going in, doing circle time, completing a craft, going to the park, coming in for lunch, getting rest time things in their spots, going outside, coming in for rest time, waking up, eating snack, doing freeplay. Every day. Perfect. And it was such an adventure waiting to be called in in the morning, not knowing when but knowing that i was going to get a call as everyone was getting sick and I was going to run to the trolley stop and tap my foot and wait for the trolley to get there and arrive at the preschool to a chorus of "Jessica! Jessica! Jessica!" from the kids who saw me through the window.
I had coffee with Vanessa Ochs one morning and she talked to me about what she does as a professor, the ins and outs of the everyday of her career, how it fit with having a family, what its positives and negatives are, how she chose it, etc. Maybe I will be a professor. I have a similar meeting upcoming with Rabbi Tom, so we'll see. How do people ever decide what they want to do with their lives? Right now I am thinking professor. Maybe that fits me best. But then it makes less money, and do I really have the ability to write books? To tell people that I'm an authority on something? I don't know...
Anyway, I'm going to shower and dress and cross my fingers that my parents wake up in time for synagogue - Dad said that he wants to go but doesn't want to use the alarm clock, so if he gets up in time, he'll go, and if not he won't. Cross your fingers for me.
What I like about being with my parents is their quiet companionship. The way they read together, looking up sometimes for a brief conversation that neither of them is annoyed about, despite the interruption, and then casually melting back into the pages of their books, the conversation half finished, sipping tea (I've had sooo much tea this week) and eating fat free cookies.
Yesterday they took me to the Bata Shoe Museum, which was torture for my Dad, who spent most of the time sitting on benches and staring into space as Mom and I read every single plaque and panel and admired the shoes together. I like small museums because then you can read everything and really have a sense for what they have to offer. My favorite exhibit showed shoes from around the world and commented on how they were suited for particular cultures - it ended with shoes fit for particular occupations like dancing or cracking nuts with your feet (no kidding). There were shoes with the backs glued down to make it easy for Musilms to remove their shoes for prayer, there were Chinese shoes for women with bound feet and for children, that had tiger faces on them so the children would grow up to be strong. It was totally fun and I really enjoyed it. Dad was a total skeptic, and his favorite was a rediculous movie about famous people and the shoes they wore. "These boots belonged to Winston Churchill." followed by a brief biography of the person. OK so that part was entirely stupid and Mom Dad and I were trying to keep our voices down as we giggled and made silly comments to each other. I enjoyed the exhibit on 18th century shoes because I know something about 18th century fashion after my class last semester. It was fun.
I've been sick much of the break with a cold and Dad's getting one too so we've spent much of the time inside the apartment, playing board games, watching movies, reading. It's hard to compromise on movies because Dad and I are so particular. We watched Lost in Space, Dad loved it, I didn't mind it, Mom fell asleep and then got up to take the dog for a walk. You see my point.
The four days I spent with my grandparents were fun. Sometimes I think of them as comic, and that's how I get through the parts that I think Dad finds so painful, like Grandma's cooking (she baked Cheese Whiz and noodles and called it maccaroni and cheese), or the way they repeat everything they say many times. It was fun to spend so much time with them, to have a sense of what their lives are really like from day to day, to feel a part of their family in the every day sense as apposed to in the distant but much loved sense. Also nice to spend time with my cousin who is a senior in high school and a really fun person - We've always been closer than I've been to any other cousin. I remember going to his...must've been third...birthday party where Big Bird showed up and danced with us. Things sure change quickly.
Before that, I had a wonderful time with Daniel's family who are extremely generous and treat me as one of their own. I feel so comfortable with them - I was teaching Daniel how to foxtrot in the hotel room and his sister was watching and it felt perfectly normal like Rebecca watching as Grandpa taught me how to foxtrot years ago.
The week I spent by myself was glorious. I love the preschool. I love the structure of the day - going in, doing circle time, completing a craft, going to the park, coming in for lunch, getting rest time things in their spots, going outside, coming in for rest time, waking up, eating snack, doing freeplay. Every day. Perfect. And it was such an adventure waiting to be called in in the morning, not knowing when but knowing that i was going to get a call as everyone was getting sick and I was going to run to the trolley stop and tap my foot and wait for the trolley to get there and arrive at the preschool to a chorus of "Jessica! Jessica! Jessica!" from the kids who saw me through the window.
I had coffee with Vanessa Ochs one morning and she talked to me about what she does as a professor, the ins and outs of the everyday of her career, how it fit with having a family, what its positives and negatives are, how she chose it, etc. Maybe I will be a professor. I have a similar meeting upcoming with Rabbi Tom, so we'll see. How do people ever decide what they want to do with their lives? Right now I am thinking professor. Maybe that fits me best. But then it makes less money, and do I really have the ability to write books? To tell people that I'm an authority on something? I don't know...
Anyway, I'm going to shower and dress and cross my fingers that my parents wake up in time for synagogue - Dad said that he wants to go but doesn't want to use the alarm clock, so if he gets up in time, he'll go, and if not he won't. Cross your fingers for me.