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On Thursday evening there was a concert at Dartmouth High including David playing trumpet in the Senior Concert Band. Ann had to attend a Unified Board meeting at the church, so only Emily, James and I went. We all liked David's band the best (though Emily actually slept through part of it). James especially liked Axel F (the theme from Beverly Hills Cop) and a medley of Henry Mancini tunes including the theme from The Pink Panther.
Jewel, our friends' Shih Tzu/Lhasa Apso cross came to visit us again on Friday evening. They were having a party and wanted her out of the way for a while; we were happy to oblige.
Yesterday James was asked to his friend Alex's birthday party. They started out at Bulldog Interactive Fitness, a fitness centre for youth that includes a number of high energy games. Then it was back to Alex's for the mandatory cake and ice cream. Meanwhile Ann and David out with the Youth Group for another movie night. This time they watched Luther.
This morning Ann was up early to go to the Early Risers' Breakfast. This time she had volunteered to cook Eggs Benedict, so I was dragged out of bed too to prepare enough Hollandaise sauce for eighteen. I got to catch up on my sleep later on with an afternoon nap. This evening Ann was back at the church again for a pot-luck supper with her discussion group. The rest of us had the leftovers of the Eggs Benedict for dinner.
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It was a short week at school for the kids. Monday was the Remembrance Day holiday and Friday was an in-service day, so it was a three-day week. On Friday afternoon Ann, Emily and James went and picked up Katy and Ben from Acadia. Ben's family drove them back again after dinner this evening.
On Saturday Ann and I went to the Neptune Studio Series play with Jocelyn and Puxley. We had a very nice meal beforehand at da Maurizio's, one of our favourite restaurants. The play was This Is How It Goes, a rather odd examination of racism and political correctness. It eventually developed into something quite sordid and nasty. I found that it tried too hard to be clever by using a rather tired post-modern self-referential tone throughout: the main character was supposedly also the author and constantly pointed out that we couldn't really be sure whether what happened was real or only a figment of his imagination. Not highly recommended.
Today we had Dave and Chris over for Sunday lunch in honour of Chris's birthday, which was actually several months ago but didn't get celebrated at the time (by us) because they went on a trip to Prague and Venice. Emily, who is Chris's god-daughter, planned the meal (baked salmon, cauliflower and broccoli in cheese sauce, pasta, Caesar salad and cake) and I executed it, except for the cake which was bought at a bakery. After lunch we played Mao, a card game in which the players have to figure out what the rules are as they play. It's lots of fun but quite perplexing the first time you play it.
This evening Ann, Emily, James and I went with Carl and Roxanne to an hour of choral music at the church. It was quite enjoyable and included Mozart's Missa Brevis as well as a number of shorter pieces and a couple of well-known hymns that everyone joined in. Carl and Roxanne stopped in at our place afterwards for a cup of tea.
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On Friday I stayed late at work, not because I was hot on the trail of a new scientific theory, but because I needed to get my side of the office cleaned up before the carpet layers arrive on Tuesday to replace the carpet. Since David was at work all evening, we put Emily and James to bed, then Ann and I enjoyed a very nice take-away dinner from Il Mercato, just the two of us.
From Saturday morning until Sunday noon, David attended a conference of the Nova Scotia Secondary Students Association (NSSSA) at Mount Saint Vincent University. He has not been very forthcoming about what went on, but they usually involve various group activities intended to enhance teamwork and leadership. David goes mainly to have fun. After the day's activities they all camp out in sleeping bags on the floor of gyms. This year's theme was FIRE: Fearless Individuals Reaching for Excellence.
On Saturday morning the rest of us went down to the cenotaph for the Remembrance Day ceremony. Emily marched in the parade along with the rest of her Girl Guide troop. It was a gorgeous day, warm enough that only light jackets were needed. Attendance is always good, this being very much a military town, but the nice weather and the recent goings-on in Afghanistan resulted in an especially good turnout this year.
Today was a day off work and school. Emily took advantage by having her friend Ashley over last night for a sleepover. They spent much of their time taking store-bought cookies, enhacing them with melted chocolate and sprinkles, then selling them on the sidewalk in front of our house for a fraction of their original cost. Time for a lesson in economics.
This afternoon Ann, Emily, James and I took the opportunity to visit Katy. We took her and her roommate Krista out to dinner at Paddy's Pub and Rosie's Restaurant, a small brew pub and restaurant on the main drag in Wolfville. Unfortunately, as we left to drive home again, we found that one of the tires was flat. It was no real problem to change it, but it meant a somewhat later night than we had intended for Emily and James.
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Tuesday evening being Hallowe'en, Emily and James were out trick-or-treating with their friends Ashley and Brett. This year Emily was a pirate (she's a big fan of Pirates of the Caribbean) and James was a ninja. We had about 80 kids come to the door this year which is a few more than the last couple of years but fewer than we used to get before that. Most of our friends have said that the numbers are dwindling.
On Friday Emily stayed home from school as she had a very nasty cough. In the evening she was supposed to go with the Girl Guides to an event at one of the malls, but she had to miss it. She has remained mildly off-colour for most of the weekend but should be going back to school again tomorrow,
On Friday evening Ann and David went to a murder mystery for the Youth Class at the church. When they arrived, each of the kids was given a role to play, then they acted it out and finally had to figure out the whole mystery. David was the murderer: surprise, surprise! the butler did it.
On Saturday night Ann went to a bridal shower for our friend Kim who was married on Thanksgiving weekend. Ann and Sandy Foster organized the shower but it was held at Sandy's.
Today Ann spent most of the day at the church. As well as the regular service she was there for a concert in the afternoon by the MacLean Sisters, then returned again this evening for her regular Sunday evening discussion group. In between she managed to find time to come home for a roast turkey lunch (they were on special this week). James and I went skating for a while in the afetrnoon while Emily went to her friend Ashley's to play.
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