Best laid plans and all. We had some onilne things scheduled for later in the day — a percussion master class through Settlement, and a Theater of War production centered on Hercules. We ended up doing neither of these things. Once signing up for the master class for Béla, we found there was a dress code (for a Zoom class!) and instructions on how well lit the student’s room should be and how their device should be positioned so that the instructor could see their hands…. none of this made it sound any more fun for Béla. Performance anxiety over a Zoom “master class”… eh. If you’re having to wheedle, threaten or force your kid to take a drum lesson online, you are doing something wrong.

So we did other things. There are, if you’ve got the right outlook, more things than you can ever get tired of — to learn about, to bond over, and to plan for. It’s really true!

The live coverage of the Perseverance Mars rover was on, and both kids were very interested in that. Béla loves live news broadcasts in general. He enjoys being present for Breaking News. Claudia surprised me with the quickness at which she could rattle off the names and reasons that the moons of various planets were named after the lovers, or wives, or children, of the planets named for the Roman pantheon. Being part of the landing was a good time.

Tuck and I had found an old episode of the Great British Baking Show where there was a TUDOR-themed week. Exciting from our general British History angle (and particular love of the Tudor Era), and so we had to check that out — get ready, soon, we hope, to see Jumbles. I did not think I would EVER eat something with caraway seeds in it — they have been my lifelong food aversion — but if I want a historically correct Jumble (and I do), I’m gonna do it.

Claudia had gotten this book for Christmas but so far, she hasn’t read it. She did ask for Anne Frank’s diary today. She has book tokens from the Gallaghers and we are hoping to walk to the store this weekend to get her something new.

The Theater of War event, I had some FOMO about. We only caught the second half and it looked like it had been quite good. Even with online performances, they do not make them available after the live event, which does (as they say these days) hit differently. There’s one act of Antigone we can see, with I believe a panel discussion this month, but that’s all there is on their schedule right now. I’m very interested in giving them a try and supporting their vision.

Regardless of her dogged insistance to no longer close the tops of her a’s and o’s, and dogged (and familial) dislike of capital letters… Claude’s vocabulary sentences made me both sad and amused today. “ah let’s maroon the wee lad on this deserted island.”

But the fact is, even when she herself is sad, she will also console her grieving brother. Without doubt.