Wit

There are few plays that I enjoy watching twice here. Overall, there are very few plays where the subject matter isn't pure plot-driven but stops you in your track and makes you think, reconsider your own attitudes, habits and beliefs.

'Wit' by Margaret Edson is one of them. The subject matter isn't the lightest. It deals with a literature professor who has stage IV ovarian cancer and while undergoing experimental chemotherapy, undergoes a progression of emotions and beliefs, going from being a tough intellectual to rediscovering humanity and kindness - all the while drawing analogies to the poetry of John Donne, with humorous wit. Not easy to do.

Raleigh's Little Theatre does not do many contemporary productions,, but they did this presentation of Wit superbly. If you haven't seen the play yet, I highly recommend it, but do keep a handkerchief handy....

Little Chef

Ever since I knew I was pregnant, I've been dreaming of cooking with Kevin.

I've always liked cooking. At least when I have the time. Not the drudgery of everyday 'after work cooking', but the weekend experimentation with new recipes, new veggies, new ethnic cuisines...but alas, my husband's not a cooking afficionado, so it's been mostly a solitary pursuit.

Yesterday, my dream started becoming reality in such a great way. Kevin's been fascinated by copying adult tasks (cooking, vaccuuming, washing, etc.) for a while now and yesterday he was eager to join me in cooking.

It was around 4pm on a typical cold, grey, winter day, so perfect for the mid-afternoon antidote of sweet, sugary, hot 'pannekoeken', typical Dutch style pancakes. They're so easy to make: Just milk, flour, sugar, eggs and oil. Kevin helped me every step of the way: fetching the mixing bowl, holding the flour, pouring the sugar, putting the eggshells in the bin after use and then, the most fun of all for him: mixing the batter...he was allowed to hold the whisk and mix the batter himself: bliss for the little chef.

He even got a special seat near the stove to watch me cook the pannekoeken and to taste the very first one. He loved it....he couldn't stop babbling about 'mix' 'mami' 'koeken' 'pan'...and wanted to to take an extra pannekoek to his daycare the next morning to show his teacher what he made. So cute. Of course, I think I'm even prouder of him than he is... and I d0 hope he keeps being fond of cooking with his mom for much, much longer.

"Torino"

Ben ik de enige die normaal gezien nooit naar schaatstoernooien, ski-afdalingen of snowboarding kijkt, maar als de Olympische spelen aan de gang zijn, 's avonds aan de buis gekluisterd zit?

Het is ontzettend verslavend. Door mijn job en Kevin kan ik voor 20:00 niet veel zien dus vergeet live coverage. Maar NBC heeft zijn programmering blijkbaar op mij afgestemd want van 20:00 to 24:00 hebben ze elke dag alle hoogtepunten, documentaires over de atleten en wat al meer. Niet fair. Hoe krijg je deze week wat gedaan 's avonds?

Een rariteit wel. Normaal doen Amerikanen niks liever dan buitenlandse plaatsnamen te 'veramerikanizeren', maar voor Turijn maken ze voor de Olympische spelen een uitzondering. Alhoewel je in op alle Amerikaanse kaarten 'Turin' te zien krijgt, hebben alle media het nu hier over de spelen in 'Torino'....vinden ze wellicht meer sexy klinken....

't is the season...

...for a job change.

After 6 years at my current employer, I am taking a leap into a new opportunity.

Not that there's suddenly anything wrong at the current company. It's been the same fun, chaotic, annoying, exhilarating, frustrating and wonderful ride recently as ever at a fast-paced telecom company, but after 6 years, it's time for a change.

As I came unto this mental realization over the last couple of months, a new opportunity presented itself. It's riskier, with a company still in the venture-capital stage, but then, the rewards are potentially bigger too....time will tell.

I resigned yesterday and start at the new company 2 weeks from now. Job changes in the states are very different compared to Europe. The usual notice time is two weeks as opposed to 3 or 6 months in Europe. It has it's pros and cons. You can be fired at any time and be out in days, but then, you can also resign and not have to hang on for months...it certainly makes for a more nimble marketplace.

Kevin meanwhile is unperturbed by these changes. He just invented a new game: blowing bubbles in his drinks. He's very proud of this, can't keep from showing off his new achievement. He's also decided that taking naps during the day is not cool anymore and is becoming very good at trying to get out of it: 'book read'...'potty'....'eat'....'juice'....'down(stairs)' are some of his usual excuses. You have to give it to the lad. He's creative.

Sponges and parrots

I've had the funniest experience recently when dropping of Kevin at his day care school. I've inadvertently become the early morning 'storytelling mom'. It all started innocently enough the last couple of weeks. Usually Kevin doesn't mind going to his day care school, but sometimes when he's a little reluctant to let me go or when I have more time before going to work, I'll sit down with him on the playmat and read a short picture book for 5 minutes or so.

Despite my reading the book to him in Dutch and none of the other toddlers speaking Dutch, I've gotten a little audience at these little reading sessions, whith the other kids sitting down around me as well and paying close attention. It's up to the point now where, when I arrive in the mornings, 2 of the other kids start coming to me with a book in their hand. It's too funny.

And when I read and make gestures to help them understand the (Dutch) words, they all mimmick me. This morning, the story was about a little duck in the bathtub, and I was telling and showing how the little duck washes itself in the bathtub and everyone was dutifully pointing to their belly, their backs, their arms....copying me on cue. Too cute.

I guess kids at this age are just total sponges and parrots. They just absorb all new words and experience, regardless of whether they fully understand it and regurgitate it back to you. We should all keep such and open mind and stay open to new experiences.

(Kevin having fun with a new experiences: visiting the butterfly garden at the local science museum)

Picture This

Living abroad can be tough on family connections. Not seeing each other very often. Not experiencing kids grow up. Missing those little milestone moments. And even though calling is easy enough, time difference is a major nuisance, making regular evening calls quite impossible.

That all won't change just yet, but I did recently discover a new service that makes it just a tad easier. I had heard about VOIP or Voice Over IP, but had never checked it out. This morning, my sister and I both installed Skype on our computers. It's a new, free service that allows broadband consumers to call each other using the internet, and -if you have a webcam- let you see each other too. I know webcams and the technology has been around for a while, but a service that makes it that easy and is free is rather new I think.

It was so wonderful to see my sister, her husband and their little boy 'Lander'. I couldn't believe how much he had changed since the last time I saw him. He's 10 months now and I last saw him when he was 4 months, so I shouldn't be surprised. I also had seen some recent pictures, but you still can't replace atually seeing the little boy. And my sister for that matter. We talk on a regular basis, but adding live video to the call does make it very different, definitely raises the bar. The same goes for her. She could see how Kevin acts now and actually hear and see him wave and say 'dag tante joke'. And he loved it. When we ended the call, we told him that aunt Joke and uncle Yves had to go to bed, and he kissed them goodnight and waved to them. Aterwards he kept on talking about aunt Joke going 'nightnight'. so sweet.

I can't wait to try out this service with my dad. I know how he misses his grandson, so this could make it a lot easier. Of course, I will have to wait a couple of weeks as my sister will have to help get Skype set up on his computer. My father's still a very progressive and modern man, using mobile phones, digital cameras and other devices without problems, but somehow computer programs are not his forte.