The Knowledge Company rides again!
Jan. 8th, 2004 10:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
muck_a_luckAm back from The Knowledge Company belated holiday thingy.
IJS and VVT down from Maryland. (I miss them so much. It's a shame we don't all get together more. But have yet to be invited to MD! Hey!) Don. Halima. Nayantara and her lovely parents Vivek and Sean (sp? That's what it sounded like.) At Sufei and Lin Fang's. Eric, The Small Boy, and Halima's chubby cheeked baby also attending.
The company was wonderful. Sean and I sat talking health insurance, child care, and motherhood. She was practically drooling on The Small Boy, who was, as usual, charming everyone while barely batting an eye. (Cute, sweet and well-behaved - excellent combination in a 5-year-old dinner party guest.) The Knowledge Company just dotes on its children - who in many was are surrogate grandkids for IJS and VVT. IJS wanted to know when The Small Boy got to be nearly six? VVT was cooing over The Small Boy and Halima's little one. IJS and Eric tooted away on saxophone and clarinet after dinner (they have been practicing from companion books and doing little mini-concerts!).
The food was as weird as usual. But tasty. Halima brought Samosas, which were amazing. Nayatara brough her excellent Sesame Noodles. Sufei had done dumplings and some sort of incredible pork thing similar to her spare rib recipe but without all the bones. Lots of vegetarian dishes that were too Indian for my taste, but received well by the rest of the crowd.
VVT asked The Small Boy about school. The subject of the daily letter came up and as it turns out it is the 8th and therefore The Small Boy had it in his backpack. I went out to the car and got it and he read it for the assembly. IJS was particularly pleased that although The Small Boy had clearly memorized the form of the letter, he could take cues from the text to figure out the vairables. (The letter goes: Good Morning Class! Today is __ursday, _anuary __, 2004. We have been in school for _____ days. The weather is __________ today. Let's have a thoughtful [this adjective varies]day. Love, Miss M." VVT was very pleased with the "thoughtful.")
When the meal was over, I cleared IJS' plate and put the entire pan of brownies down in front of him. However, he did share. I toasted the pound cake with butter. While I was in the kitchen they were all snarfing brownies and there were exclamations of mock horror when I appeared with a large plate full of buttery cake - which eventually was almost entirely consumed, along with a fair number of dates. I couldn't get Sufei to keep the cake, and IJS only took one slice, so yay! I have pound cake for breakfast tomorrow! (Go me!)
After dinner, musical entertainment. Eric (age 8) stunned me yet again with his piano. The boy plays as well as I ever did when I was studying with Greg at UNC. It's the difference between a little talent and a lot of work (me) and virtuosity and Sufei for a coach (Eric). He was playing Chopin with such musicianship. Don could not be persuaded to play. The Small Boy sang his turkey song, to much applause. There were shouts for Sufei to sing. She got herself into hot water by hesitating, whereupon VVT suggested an improvisation session. VVT and IJS demonstrated. At this point I had been dragged out of the room by The Small Boy, but it was clear to me even from two rooms away that Sufei was not uninhibited enough to jump right into improvising with VVT. She was eventually persuaded, and it was actually very lovely.
During dinner IJS had mentioned Sufei's "movies." The Small Boy would not leave until he had seen one, so we watched the one of Karen, which Sufei had prepared for her DVD player. It was beautiful, and I'm crying again. I managed not to completely break down right there. Don was looking very happy all evening and took the whole thing in stride, so I assume he really is doing well.
Halima was very quiet, and a bit harried by the baby, but looked healthy and happy. IJS was crowing about how good her English has gotten, but as I hardly heard her say six words all evening, I can't judge.
I'm very happy doing what I do now, and wouldn't trade The Boss for the world, but tonight I was really missing The Knowledge Company. The Knowledge Company was a special place and a special group of people and lord help me I'm crying and sniveling all over myself now and I couldn't even tell you why.
(The Turkey Song (sung in a heart-borken, nearly sobbing voice): Turkey, turkey, look at you; Please be careful what you do. Thanksgiving Day is almost here. We eat turkey every year. Go and hide out in the woods. We'll eat pizza as we should!)
IJS and VVT down from Maryland. (I miss them so much. It's a shame we don't all get together more. But have yet to be invited to MD! Hey!) Don. Halima. Nayantara and her lovely parents Vivek and Sean (sp? That's what it sounded like.) At Sufei and Lin Fang's. Eric, The Small Boy, and Halima's chubby cheeked baby also attending.
The company was wonderful. Sean and I sat talking health insurance, child care, and motherhood. She was practically drooling on The Small Boy, who was, as usual, charming everyone while barely batting an eye. (Cute, sweet and well-behaved - excellent combination in a 5-year-old dinner party guest.) The Knowledge Company just dotes on its children - who in many was are surrogate grandkids for IJS and VVT. IJS wanted to know when The Small Boy got to be nearly six? VVT was cooing over The Small Boy and Halima's little one. IJS and Eric tooted away on saxophone and clarinet after dinner (they have been practicing from companion books and doing little mini-concerts!).
The food was as weird as usual. But tasty. Halima brought Samosas, which were amazing. Nayatara brough her excellent Sesame Noodles. Sufei had done dumplings and some sort of incredible pork thing similar to her spare rib recipe but without all the bones. Lots of vegetarian dishes that were too Indian for my taste, but received well by the rest of the crowd.
VVT asked The Small Boy about school. The subject of the daily letter came up and as it turns out it is the 8th and therefore The Small Boy had it in his backpack. I went out to the car and got it and he read it for the assembly. IJS was particularly pleased that although The Small Boy had clearly memorized the form of the letter, he could take cues from the text to figure out the vairables. (The letter goes: Good Morning Class! Today is __ursday, _anuary __, 2004. We have been in school for _____ days. The weather is __________ today. Let's have a thoughtful [this adjective varies]day. Love, Miss M." VVT was very pleased with the "thoughtful.")
When the meal was over, I cleared IJS' plate and put the entire pan of brownies down in front of him. However, he did share. I toasted the pound cake with butter. While I was in the kitchen they were all snarfing brownies and there were exclamations of mock horror when I appeared with a large plate full of buttery cake - which eventually was almost entirely consumed, along with a fair number of dates. I couldn't get Sufei to keep the cake, and IJS only took one slice, so yay! I have pound cake for breakfast tomorrow! (Go me!)
After dinner, musical entertainment. Eric (age 8) stunned me yet again with his piano. The boy plays as well as I ever did when I was studying with Greg at UNC. It's the difference between a little talent and a lot of work (me) and virtuosity and Sufei for a coach (Eric). He was playing Chopin with such musicianship. Don could not be persuaded to play. The Small Boy sang his turkey song, to much applause. There were shouts for Sufei to sing. She got herself into hot water by hesitating, whereupon VVT suggested an improvisation session. VVT and IJS demonstrated. At this point I had been dragged out of the room by The Small Boy, but it was clear to me even from two rooms away that Sufei was not uninhibited enough to jump right into improvising with VVT. She was eventually persuaded, and it was actually very lovely.
During dinner IJS had mentioned Sufei's "movies." The Small Boy would not leave until he had seen one, so we watched the one of Karen, which Sufei had prepared for her DVD player. It was beautiful, and I'm crying again. I managed not to completely break down right there. Don was looking very happy all evening and took the whole thing in stride, so I assume he really is doing well.
Halima was very quiet, and a bit harried by the baby, but looked healthy and happy. IJS was crowing about how good her English has gotten, but as I hardly heard her say six words all evening, I can't judge.
I'm very happy doing what I do now, and wouldn't trade The Boss for the world, but tonight I was really missing The Knowledge Company. The Knowledge Company was a special place and a special group of people and lord help me I'm crying and sniveling all over myself now and I couldn't even tell you why.
(The Turkey Song (sung in a heart-borken, nearly sobbing voice): Turkey, turkey, look at you; Please be careful what you do. Thanksgiving Day is almost here. We eat turkey every year. Go and hide out in the woods. We'll eat pizza as we should!)
