I’ve blinked… and it’s Friday already.
This week has been very much about the kids and their activities – school swimming carnivals, tennis competitions and the regular juggle of extracurricular stuff. It’s not normally that busy, but there are times – like this week – when everything seems to be happening at once. I’m looking forward to the weekend a lot.
What else am I celebrating this week?
- The program was released for the Noted Festival next month. I’ll be participating in two sessions – will be fun! Check it out.
- A new Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, will be out in July. Rejoice! But JK Rowling herself has said it’s not a novel, but the script of the play. I’m sure most fans won’t mind.
- The world was surprised (and delighted) when Beyonce released her new single ‘Formation’ ahead of her appearance at the Super Bowl. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve watched the video. If you missed it, here it is.
(If you want more understanding about its cultural references and political significance, this will help. As will this excellent piece in the New York Times.)
- Last, this is a terrific TED Talk about the ‘unheard story’ of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican. I use the parenthesis because if you’ve been lucky enough to go to the Sistine Chapel and rented one of the audio commentaries, you will be familiar with some of what Levi has to say. But what I liked about hers was the pictures she used to show what the space looks like empty. I admit I was a little disappointed when I visited – perhaps I was expecting more, I don’t know, but most of that feeling came from the crush of people. It’s the main attraction, the very reason why some go at all, and they’ve traipsed through all those rooms and corridors to get there. So they hang around as long as possible before being moved on. My claustrophobia alarm bells went off just as I wished to myself, “Wouldn’t it be nice to be here with no one else around?”
Boy, Michaelangelo, eh? Master of the ‘big picture’. Literally and figuratively. You’ll understand once you watch.
Happy lovely-dovey day for Sunday x
