Friday Potpourri

Blogging has been light this week because that pesky paying job keeps getting in the way, not to mention the fact that we were consumed by “The War.” Having lived in and around Sacramento for our entire lives, we thought it was very cool that Sacramento was one of the four towns that Ken Burns decided to focus on for his film. Even though he essentially uses the same approach for all of his films, it works for me – I find them engrossing and captivating.

In about twenty minutes, our Executive Committee meets, which will take us to the end of the day, if not beyond. Tomorrow is an all-day Board of Directors meeting, which means no football, and more importantly, no Cal vs. Oregon. It’s just as well – I’d be too nervous watching it live.

Of course, we watched the season premiere of CSI last night, which I thought was a bit underwhelming. Of course, I’m happy that Sara survived, but as with most cliffhangers, the writers didn’t seem to know how to wrap up the second half in any kind of dramatic fashion. But maybe I’m being a bit harsh.

And as proof of my blind loyalty if nothing else, we watched the season premiere of ER. I guess it was OK, and son #2 really likes the show, but I had trouble staying awake through most of it. I like Stanley Tucci a lot, but it’s not clear he’s a permanent addition. Right now, the most interesting characters are the minor ones, in particular the surgeons (and it probably says something that I can't even remember their names) – they don’t get nearly enough screen time. As for the rest – I’d argue that it’s still a quality show, but the storylines have pretty much played out their string.

And finally…

One of the highlights of my work day yesterday was finding my collection of letters from 2nd grade students at the schools we’ve visited the past couple of years. Every year, a group from where I work takes a trip to a school to read to the 2nd graders. Afterward, they write thank you letters (illustrated, to boot) that are worth their weight in gold. Mine had adorned the door of my office, but during our office renovation this summer, I had to take them all down. Of course, I put them in a very safe place, and promptly forgot where that safe place was located. Yesterday, quite by accident, I found them. This is my favorite:

Dear Mr. Vaca,

My favorite book that you read was Stellaluna because I like bats. They are my second favorite wild animal. Thank you for reading to us. I really enjoyed having you here. I hope you can come back next year and read to us.

Your new friend,

Cassandra

And that, folks, is the kind of thing that makes life worth living.