Oh, how I love Mondays. Not that this post has anything to do with that, but...
Wow, three days without a post. Excluding holidays, that must be a Blog About Nowt record. Not a record I'm particularly proud of. My goal for this year is to hit my 500th post before Christmas. It should be doable, as long as I don't go taking three-day breaks. Loser.
Thanks to everyone who chipped in with suggestions of what to do with my family for Christmas. It really was much appreciated.
I'll tell y'all a little secret. Ten years ago I had a hernia operation, and whenever I get stressed the site of the op gives me some serious gyp that I could do without. Like a sharp pain. Not constant, but it just hits you when you're least expecting it. I first realized this was stress-related only about a year ago when some friends and their two kids came to visit. The kids were up in everything, running and jumping around, and frankly being a big pain in the ass. Towards the end of their stay I was in some serious discomfort but kept a brave face. Within minutes of waving them off the pain subsided and was fine for the rest of the evening etc.
Last week, while dealing with the turmoil that was in my head over gifts and shit, I had a couple of days where I was in the same discomfort. By Friday morning I had decided simply to buy vouchers for everyone and be done with it. Pain gone. In both senses of the word.
Red and I met up with the aforementioned foursome yesterday, anyway, and all went fine. It was good to see my dad, obviously. He's not a bad ol' stick. We saw London's Pearly Kings and Queens and had our pictures taken with them; Red rode the carousel in Covent Garden, which is part of the Christmas schtick they've got going on; and we ate at Hamburger Union. I think Red will post some pics of some of this stuff at her blog later today or tomorrow.
Then she and I, once we'd stuck the family in a taxi, headed down to the Natural History Museum to see the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition. This has become a recent tradition of sorts. We went two years ago but missed it last year, so we wanted to make sure we caught it this year. Always worth a look, and really not badly priced at £6 a head. Just a shame that so many people think it's appropriate to take their children in with them. Let's be fair, a photography exhibition is no place for kids: they just don't have the patience to be quiet and respectful for the roughly 90 minutes or so needed to see all the photos. They go running around, shouting and screaming, and pissing everyone off.
After that we headed home, ate the remains of Saturday night's pizza, and watched Capote.
Thanks to everyone who chipped in with suggestions of what to do with my family for Christmas. It really was much appreciated.
I'll tell y'all a little secret. Ten years ago I had a hernia operation, and whenever I get stressed the site of the op gives me some serious gyp that I could do without. Like a sharp pain. Not constant, but it just hits you when you're least expecting it. I first realized this was stress-related only about a year ago when some friends and their two kids came to visit. The kids were up in everything, running and jumping around, and frankly being a big pain in the ass. Towards the end of their stay I was in some serious discomfort but kept a brave face. Within minutes of waving them off the pain subsided and was fine for the rest of the evening etc.
Last week, while dealing with the turmoil that was in my head over gifts and shit, I had a couple of days where I was in the same discomfort. By Friday morning I had decided simply to buy vouchers for everyone and be done with it. Pain gone. In both senses of the word.
Red and I met up with the aforementioned foursome yesterday, anyway, and all went fine. It was good to see my dad, obviously. He's not a bad ol' stick. We saw London's Pearly Kings and Queens and had our pictures taken with them; Red rode the carousel in Covent Garden, which is part of the Christmas schtick they've got going on; and we ate at Hamburger Union. I think Red will post some pics of some of this stuff at her blog later today or tomorrow.
Then she and I, once we'd stuck the family in a taxi, headed down to the Natural History Museum to see the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition. This has become a recent tradition of sorts. We went two years ago but missed it last year, so we wanted to make sure we caught it this year. Always worth a look, and really not badly priced at £6 a head. Just a shame that so many people think it's appropriate to take their children in with them. Let's be fair, a photography exhibition is no place for kids: they just don't have the patience to be quiet and respectful for the roughly 90 minutes or so needed to see all the photos. They go running around, shouting and screaming, and pissing everyone off.
After that we headed home, ate the remains of Saturday night's pizza, and watched Capote.
permalink posted by * (asterisk) at 10:11 AM
12 Comments:
its like people who take there small children to adult movies..
I could smack them all!..
I've raised my kids to walk ( walk being the key word)with their hands behind their backs whenever we go into adult places..
you look with your eyes not with your hands..
But really ..If you have children..
just take them to a park to play until they're old enough to actually give a crap about what they're seeing..please?
can't wait for the review of capote! we have a cinema near us that has a children free screen. it is a BEAUT! big reclining chairs, a bar that you can stay in after the picture, and they let you take the drinks in! but the best bit? the free nacho's and chocolates! ok, it costs more, but worth every penny!
Totally agree with you on the no kids at phot exhibits. When I lived in Groningen, the Ex-Husband and I attended an exhibition of erotic photography at the local art gallery. There were children between 6 and 12 running around some pretty disturbing and lurid images...
I find that museums in general are not kid friendly. However, my brother and I took his kids to our museum recently for a Bob the Builder/Lego exhibit which was very hands on - they loved it. We also took them throughout the rest of the museum which included wildlife dioramas and dinosaur bones. They loved that they could see deer poop up close and personal, and the bug room was a huge hit (they liked it, I did not). They were less than impressed with the exhibit which included a pot that I had done reconstruction work on back when I was in uni. All they cared about was why I left it there for them to have and didn't take it home with me.
Even though I am a parent, I don't tolerate other people's kids very well. Actually, I never really notice other peoples kids until they are doing something obnoxious.
I have taken my kid to museums often. Granted, they are kid friendly science museums and natural history museums. He loves it. Twice I have taken him to fine art museums to see Rodin and Claudel exibits. The first time he was 18months and confined to a stroller. All went well. The second time was when he was almost 4. This time he was placed in the care of his dad, who carried him on his shoulders. He did okay, until he realized that his voice echoed triumphantly in the museum. After 5-10 minutes of him singing, reciting math problems, spelling words a la echo his dad headed out of the exhibit. On the way out, from two rooms over I heard my son shout "Hey, they made a sculpture of mama's tattoo! Look!". Then I heard a roar of laughter from the patrons in the room.
Well done to all you lot! I know it comes across as though I hate kids, and there's a smidgen of truth in that, but in truth, it's just that there's a time and a place. There's shitloads of dinosaur stuff for them, so why pay to bring them in to see something they'll have no interest in? And then they'll moan about how expensive it is having kids...!
sounds like the weekend went better than expected (and i have to say... i have been quite shocked to stop by your blog so many days in a row to find nothing new... SO glad you're back :)
and... what'd you think of capote? was it your first time to see it?
i thought it was SO well done... i'm a big p.s.h fan!
glad you found the solution to the pressie nightmare.
Mrtha: Awww shucks, thanks girl! Capote review will come just as soon as I'm able.
APP: Thanks pet. Me too.
Sounds like all went well. I'm glad. As for the vouchers, what an inspired idea. In fact I may do the same with some of our family.
I love the pic at the top. :)
had a hernia op. Me belly button was an 'outy' n now it's an 'inny' The surgeon seemed to think it might worry me. It didn't. I never spoke to it much anyroad.
Suze: Yeah, it was fine. Vouchers inspired? I don't know about that! But certainly easier...
4D: I've had two: one when I was three years old, and one when I was, like, 26. Never spoke to yer belly button? Me neither. But I gaze at it often.
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