Maren's Many Moments

I was in Phoenix this weekend for my commencement ceremony, and my family and I went to the Musical Instrument Museum .  I have to admit this may have been one of the best museums I have attended as parent, and perhaps even as a tourist. We were greeted as we entered warmly by the volunteers who were very eager to show us around, and they gave all of us our own headsets, that sync up nicely with each exhibit.  Then we were shown into the introduction hall that has a few key intsruments and a short introduction video, before we then head upstairs to have a tour around the world of musical instruments, quite literally. Every continent is represented, and we were able to wander through different centuries and different countries of music and musical development.  My children and step-children range in ages 6-13, and have different levels of ability, one being on the autism spectrum, one being a budding percussionist, a few violinist, one interested in reed intsruments, a few pianists, a

Being critical in theatre is not an easy job.  I am not sure how well I balance the line between theatre fan and theatre critic.  Some critics seem to loathe the theatre, as is famously parodied in Ruthless!, and others seem to pick apart every scene and be impossible to please. while others seem to love absolutely everything.  I confess that I have fallen victim to the loving everything often, being a big fan of theatre since I was a child I found it difficult to view things with a critical eye.  Over the past 9 years, I have been able to develop more of my skills in critical thinking, and I have also taken the opportunity to widen my theatrical viewing opportunities, which has helped me become more willing to be critical of the choices of actors, directors, and creative teams.  At the same time, I have also become more appreciative of when these same actors, directors, and creative teams take certain theatrical risks that may seem unorthodox and yet they pay off in the sense of a hei

I had a moment with my children this weekend.  It was not my best moment as a mother, but I hope it turned into a learning moment for all involved.  A little background is necessary.  Since we live in home that was a blend of two fully functioning homes, we have many duplicates and triplicates of things.  Because of work and interest, one thing we have in abundance is electronic devices.  Which brings us to the offending moment.  My two daughters and I were the only ones home, and I was upstairs when a fight ensued downstairs.  Upon my motherly investigation I found that the fight was over both wanting to be on one particular computer that was deemed the easiest to log into.   Maybe it was because of a long work week.  Maybe it was because of some of the difficult things I have seen my clients suffer, and maybe it wasbecause I have not been able to nap this weekend, but I lost it.  “Are you really telling me that in a home where we have multiple computers, and you two are fluent in mul

I don't know if the right term is karma or what, but sometimes I worry that if I say things are going great, that something will fall apart.  So it is with a little trepidation that I write this post.  Even though I have been plagued with allergies and headaches, this last week has been one of the most joyous in my life.  I turned 40 years old, got to see my daughters perform in their piano recitals, take my children, stepchildren, and husband to a beautiful show at a beautiful live theatre, sing in a concert, and attend a surprise party planned by my dear sweet husband where he sang me a song and put together a slide show of pictures and moments of my life and videos of my dear friends.  Oh, and the Dean signed my dissertation, officially ending my PhD experience and helping me acheive the highest degree confered in the US Educational System, the Doctorate. The first woman to earn a PhD in the United States was in 1877.  142 years ago.  Which is really awesome considering she did

I met a young lady who was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  She is a brilliant young woman, with a double major in chemistry and biology.  She wants to be a doctor. When she came to the United States at 14, she could not read in any language.  She was put into school with people her age and expected to understand a language she had never heard, work with a system she had never seen, and try to succeed in a world completely foreign to her.  I asked her to tell me a little about herself and her life. She told me that when she was growing up, first in the DRC and then in a refugee camp, her family told her she was a “nothing girl”. They told her she could not have an education. They told her that the only way she could help her family was to bring home a husband who would then pay the family a cow. Now she says she wants to go back to Africa, help girls learn about nutrition, education, reading and writing.  She feels blessed to have come to America and to learn to rea

I took time off from blogging.  I am certain there were many people crying silently into their pillows because of the definite loss that they felt when they no longer read my writing on a semi-frequent basis.  I am offering my deepest apologies to all five of you.  I had to focus instead on the little matter of getting married, and also finishing my PhD.  One of those things was infinitely more difficult than the other. All of my life, well, at least since junior high school, I have harbored a dream of getting a doctorate degree.  I love school.  I love learning.  I love writing papers.  I know what an absolute nerd this makes me.  I don't really care. Life and difficulties all got in the way, and now, a few weeks before my 40th birthday, which happens to be tomorrow, I finally finished this goal that I told myself about when I was 12. Part of the reason I wanted to do this was because I learned that for many generations, women could not go to higher education.  That we were cons