Aren't YOU thankful for cookies?
According to wikipedia,cookies "have their origins in 7th century AD Persia, shortly after the use of sugar became relatively common in the region. They spread to Europe through the Muslim conquest of Spain. By the 14th century, they were common in all levels of society, throughout Europe, from royal cuisine to street vendors."
Thankfully, they made it down to us common folk!
Monday, May 4, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Random Act of Gratitude #123: Sesame Street
Wow. I am waaaaaaaaaay behind here. Apologies all around.
The number to this entry inspires my random gratitude.
Sesame Street.
This show is brilliant.
Brill. I. Ant.
Strangely enough, it seems I'm one of the few out there who didn't really watch the show as a kid. I saw it once in a while, at friends' houses, but never when I was really the target audience and not regularly. I was familiar with the show and its characters (and enjoyed that little typewriter guy, for some reason), but that was that.
Much later, I started watching it now and then on a whim, mostly because of the Henson conntent. That's when I discovered how crazy good it was.
Ha!
The original team and its intentions were quite revolutionary, and they hit on something magical. The combination of Muppets, live actors, letters, numbers, and words were perfectly blended with it social context and plenty of humour. Those parodies of popular songs and television shows? Crazy good.
(Read Sesame Street Unpaved for details about the history of the show.)
A few years ago, I picked up and watched The World According to Sesame Street, a documentary which chronicles the development of co-productions in Bangladesh, Kosovo and South Africa. After watching the documentary, I was renewed in my admiration for those people who seem sincerely to want to make a difference in the lives of children.
Sesame Street succeeds on so many levels and fronts: as preschool education, as entertainment, and as pop culture. And it's pretty darned fun for grown-ups, too.
The number to this entry inspires my random gratitude.
Sesame Street.
This show is brilliant.
Brill. I. Ant.
Strangely enough, it seems I'm one of the few out there who didn't really watch the show as a kid. I saw it once in a while, at friends' houses, but never when I was really the target audience and not regularly. I was familiar with the show and its characters (and enjoyed that little typewriter guy, for some reason), but that was that.
Much later, I started watching it now and then on a whim, mostly because of the Henson conntent. That's when I discovered how crazy good it was.
Ha!
The original team and its intentions were quite revolutionary, and they hit on something magical. The combination of Muppets, live actors, letters, numbers, and words were perfectly blended with it social context and plenty of humour. Those parodies of popular songs and television shows? Crazy good.
(Read Sesame Street Unpaved for details about the history of the show.)
A few years ago, I picked up and watched The World According to Sesame Street, a documentary which chronicles the development of co-productions in Bangladesh, Kosovo and South Africa. After watching the documentary, I was renewed in my admiration for those people who seem sincerely to want to make a difference in the lives of children.
Sesame Street succeeds on so many levels and fronts: as preschool education, as entertainment, and as pop culture. And it's pretty darned fun for grown-ups, too.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Random Act if Gratitude #122: Personal Lawn Care
Sonya came down today (we were booked to to and see Grease with friends in the evening anyway) and helped work on the yard a bit. While we didn't change the world, exactly, we did make progress.
Sonya was the queen of the weed popper. I think she secretly wants one of her own. Wait. I think secretly she wants to come down and pop weeds all the time!
Thanks, Sonya!
Sonya was the queen of the weed popper. I think she secretly wants one of her own. Wait. I think secretly she wants to come down and pop weeds all the time!
Thanks, Sonya!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Random Act of Gratitude #121: A Day at Shaw
Today was Shaw Teacher's Day, at which I attended workshops and enjoyed myself immsensely at the same time.
This year was particularly enjoyable as several friends were in attendance and a few of us were in the same workshops. It's always great to go and get refreshed in the Arts. The workshops I attended were about makeup, wigs, and working with masks. The mask workshop was rather intimidating and a step out of my comfort zone (not because of the mask work, exactly, but because the facilitator was a bit demanding). Ha! Still, it was worth it in the end.
The only drawback to the day was the evening performance, usually a highlight of the day, which this year was a real let-down. It's not a good sign when half of the balcony leaves during intermission. It's also not a good sign when both Sarah and I wish we'd gone with them. Ha!
Still, a great day was had overall.
This year was particularly enjoyable as several friends were in attendance and a few of us were in the same workshops. It's always great to go and get refreshed in the Arts. The workshops I attended were about makeup, wigs, and working with masks. The mask workshop was rather intimidating and a step out of my comfort zone (not because of the mask work, exactly, but because the facilitator was a bit demanding). Ha! Still, it was worth it in the end.
The only drawback to the day was the evening performance, usually a highlight of the day, which this year was a real let-down. It's not a good sign when half of the balcony leaves during intermission. It's also not a good sign when both Sarah and I wish we'd gone with them. Ha!
Still, a great day was had overall.
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