May’s Mutterings: Rants and Ramblings
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Graduation 2017!
We celebrated the graduation of our daughter from Sidwell Friends School last Friday. The day was perfect—sunny but not too hot and with low humidity. Jim’s mom, brother, and (brother’s) girlfriend attended, as did my parents. It was a joyous occasion, with lovely speeches given by Bryan Garman, the Head of School; Margaret Plank, the…
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Prom 2017
As we move ever more rapidly into the bittersweet final moments of our daughter’s senior year of high school, prom was the highlight of the week. A group of her friends met up for a pre-prom get together where several parents were on the verge of tears contemplating the fact that their children would soon…
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Dance Ensemble Recital
For three years, our daughter has participated in the Sidwell Friends Upper School dance ensemble. Dance ensemble was her first ever dance experience. It has been the place she has found the most serenity and peace during high school. (Her only regret is that she didn’t start in 9th grade and avoid the trauma of…
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Book review: Heresy by Sharan Newman
Heresy by Sharan Newman My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the eighth in the Catherine LeVendeur mystery series. Overall, the series is fabulous. It is fabulous not only because of the depth and accuracy of the historical research but also because the series depicts the lives and conditions of Jews during the Middle…
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“Running of the Bulls”
Friday, April 28 was the last day of classes for the Class of 2017 at Sidwell Friends School. The seniors traditionally celebrate by running through the hallways of the Upper School. Here is their run (courtesy of Marcus):
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Restaurant review: Dolan Uyghur
Uyghur (pronounced wee-gur) cuisine comes from one of the ethnic minorities mostly located in Xinjiang, China. We have been to a Uyghur restaurant in Beijing many years ago and were thrilled to learn that there was now a Uyghur restaurant in Washington, DC. Off we went to try it with some friends who had made…
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Kusama Exhibit
I interrupt my regularly scheduled program (of mostly trips, food, and books) to talk about the Kusama exhibit we saw at the Hirshhorn Museum earlier this week as part of the US-Japan Leadership Program. Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese artist and writer whose exhibit, Infinity Mirrors, is currently at the Hirshhorn. It is impossible to…
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Book review: A Presumption of Death by Jill Paton Walsh
A Presumption of Death by Jill Paton Walsh My rating: 4 of 5 stars I am a huge fan of the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries by Dorothy Sayers, and I was cautiously optimistic when I discovered that there were additional mysteries written by Jill Paton Walsh based loosely on notes written by Dorothy Sayers. There…
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Spring Break 2017 (aka Being Stalked by Adam Sandler)
The high school senior got to choose where we went for spring break this year, and after some discussion, she decided on Honolulu, so off we went. (Twist our arms!) There was the lovely view from our hotel room: There were the usual fabulously beautiful sunsets, and delicious meals (at The Pig and the Lady,…
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Book review: Satan’s Lullaby by Priscilla Royal
Satan’s Lullaby by Priscilla Royal My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is one of my favorite mystery series, and I hoard the author’s books until her next one comes out (I know–it’s a really bad habit). The actual mysteries in the series are somewhat secondary to the quality of the author’s research in the…
Got any book recommendations?