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~*1*~

Ironically, in light of it’s subject, I just received this in the mail today:

The Church and the New Media:
Blogging Converts, Online Activists, and Bishops who Tweet
by Brandon Vogt
(I know, I know – Kindle…doh!  What was I thinking?!)

Which is a real drag, because it is knocking several other books (all of which my husband already bought on Kindle, and read, and has been highly recommending) down my reading priority list.  I wish I was one of those people who could dip in and out of a variety of books at the same time, but I become quite stymied when I try to do it that way.  I’m much better off reading straight through one book at a time.  Exceptions are resource books like my D3100 book… that one I need to take in little chunks.

~*2*~

It’s hard to explain how much I love it when my son comes sneaking out of his room after 11pm, tells me he’s not tired, and then exclaims that he needs to send me an email – a music video.  And with a sparkle in his eye, he comments as he’s clicking away “It’s not exactly action music, but… I really like it.  I think you’ll like it!” He quickly emails the link, and then brings me the laptop so I can listen right away.  And then he stands behind my recliner and leans over the back with his head next to mine as we listen together.  It’s a clip from the soundtrack of Spiderman 3…. Sandman Confesses.  He is all quiet intensity until a little after the 3 minute mark, and then I can sense his excitement building, and right at 3:47 – “THIS is my favorite part!”

Music has been such a driving force for him ever since he was a toddler… but it was always… how can I describe it – not so much that it was inside of him, but more like he was immersed in it – like he was experiencing the world from inside the music.  Yes, that’s it — sometimes it was  like he was inside a music bubble and it took so much to break through that bubble and communicate with him. All those years that I didn’t know it was autism, and all I could do was observe in wonder, amazed by his focus, but feeling such a great separation and distance from all that was going on inside his little head.

So you see, I revel in this new phase he has begun, in which he wants to share, to bring me inside his music bubble for a while, and to interact, talk about what the music means, how it expresses a story, etc.  Even if it’s late at night.

~*3*~

We went by the house on Wednesday so I could take some pictures of the fact that the roofing boards are in place.  I made sure to charge my battery before we left, and was eagerly looking forward to the shoot – only to find once I arrived that I had failed return my SD card to the camera after my previous upload.  Oh well.  Next time I am there they’ll be even further along.

~*4*~

I am increasingly certain that this coming week I will have to go to ERE over in Tempe and somehow, some way, find the boxes that have our school books in them and try to find the books that survived the fire so we can get our school year revved up and running.  I dread it like a trip to the dentist… because I have absolutely no clue how they have things organized – or IF – and furthermore, even assuming they did have things organized, I have no idea which room the books were in.  Some were in the dining room on the dining room table.  Some were in boxes, not yet unpacked from the most recent order from Amazon.  Some were on the shelves in the office.  Some on the shelves in the living room.  This is going to be … interesting.

~*5*~

Today was a gorgeous, overcast, breezy, 100°F day to walk around the GCC campus with my daughter and attend her new student orientation.  I was so very encouraged by the presentation… this was put on by the honors department for the scholarship students, and it was just a real comfort to me to see what a great support system is in place to help make sure that these students make a smooth transition into college life, and that they have all the assistance, tutoring, and advice that they need, as well as a lot of opportunities for fellowship with the other honors students – a community within the community where they can get to know other kids with similar backgrounds and goals and make good friends and support each other.  I’ve been fighting a lot of anxiety as this school year approached, all of it relating to my own difficulties in college and so this orientation probably did more for me even than for Laurent.  She’s so level headed and sanguine, and has none of my neuroses, so she’s going to have a great time, I’m sure.

~*6*~

Every day my middle daughters wake up and tell me how many days till MoezArt.  (As of tomorrow, that will be 4.)  I’m so glad we found something that they love the stuffin’ out of.

~*7*~

I have to take the girls shooting tomorrow… Paul will be attending his St. Vincent de Paul formation this week and next.  At least I have a book I can bring along to read!