Sunday Seven (A Week Late)

Wrote it, forgot it. (See #1) So here it is a week late:

1. Life has been very complicated for the past week.

2. I really like mac.com and the Safari browser. It is integrated into the i-Life set of programs on Mac. It has all kinds of capabilities many of which I have hardly used yet. I'll eventually drop AOL, I guess, but I hate to lose contact with those that find genealogical queries I posted years ago and old, infrequently communicating friends, and my old AOL websites.

3. WHAT A WEEK!!!! I am totally exhausted. Brannon had agreed some time ago to teach Drama at a local Drama Camp. They were desperate for a Music Teacher. In a moment of weakness I said that if they absolutely could not find someone else, I, with Lillian's help, could do camp music. I was speaking from stark ignorance. I did not know (or, at least, did not fully appreciate): the camp includes, gulp, TEENAGERS!!! The camp includes, also, 6-to-8-year-olds!!!! The camp runs ten days from 9 till 4 and leaders have to be there 8:30 to 4:30 and till 6 one day and until about 9 the last day!! There is a full-scale production in the Auditorium on the last Friday evening. I have to go back to my real job the very next Tuesday! Parents of very hyperactive children LOVE to send them to day-camp in the summer. Did I mention that I am TOTALLY exhausted?

4. WHAT A WEEK!!!! I learned by late Wednesday morning that I can, after all, in spurts and with many stumbles, successfully deal with, gulp, TEENAGERS!!! I learned by late Wednesday morning that I can, after all, in spurts and with many stumbles, survive dealing with BILL-the-demon-8-year-old (name changed)!!! And I have learned that parents think even our unbelievably off-key, unrhythmical, poorly enunciated, sometimes monotone, a cappella performances yesterday in the cave - done by their children - were glorious seraphic seranades! Granted, with the acoustics of the cave and the motivation of an audience, emanations from the mouths of these little rascals almost resembled song at times.

5. I am so glad we have the internet during Andrew's illness. It is so helpful, with him all the way across the continent, to be able to keep up with his progress and be encouraged by the love and prayers of his many friends, relatives and their friends and relatives. When we see in the news and on many blogs of all stripes such incredibly blind hate and compassionless provincialism, it is heartening to see that we humans are also capable of love and empathy.

6. We enjoyed getting to EAT and worship and visit with our fellow Roman family members, including the newest ones, and David's and Gil's families.

7. As for my babies: I've gotten to work with both of them this week and therefore deal with them as something of colleagues for the first time.

• Lillian was a HUGE help to me in camp Mon - Weds and will help again next week. Since Thursday Lil has been off with our youth group (including Jonerbub) on the sort-of-annual Wakulla/Ginny Springs Retreat in Florida. She'll be back tomorrow. Lil attended an orientation day at Mercer a couple of weeks ago and has been communicating with her roommate via e-mail and IM. She has registered for her fall courses and has chosen to participate in Mercer's alternative Great Books curriculum. She won't decide on a major for a while. She proudly sports several Mercer articles of clothing and a Mercer sticker on her car window. She loves the campus and what she has seen so far of the professors, students, and program.

• Brannon and I have worked pretty closely together in the leadership meetings for camp and have lunch together each day at the Creekside restaurant. I think that's been educational for both of us and a little strange. After our first dinner meeting to prepare for camp, she remarked about how interesting it had been to see me dealing with others as a "friend not as a Dad". Brannon spent the week of the 4th in NYC. She interviewed with a temp agency and feels good about having gainful employment while she tries to break into the professional theatre world. She and her prospective roommate have second dibs on an apartment in Astoria (Queens). The people with first dibs are pretty uncertain, so she's hopeful that she and Cathy will get it. If not they at least have a realty person looking out for something else. And she has made her plane reservations for September, so my baby will be a New Yorker soon. Yikes!! Sheila, Lil and I are planning to spend Thanksgiving in New York visiting Bran and seeing some shows.

• Sheila and I will have an empty nest come September!