Wickedness!

Okay, I'm a week late posting this, but last Sunday my mom and I went to a performance of Stephen Schwartz's Wicked at the Paramount. We saw the show the last time it came to town, but it was so amazing then that I got tickets for her birthday. Veronica and her mom Sandy got tickets for the same night, and we enjoyed dinner downtown before the show. Never one to miss a photo opportunity, I asked my mom to take pictures of Veronica and I in front of the theatre.

Random Musings: Archie Comics and Betty Cooper

Three or so months ago my (formerly mentioned) friend Leo sent me a link to an article similar to this one. Years ago, around the time that we first met, I was enamored with the world of Archie Comics. I rooted for Betty and Archie, cursed Veronica when she foiled their dates, and generally spent a ridiculous amount of money collecting those comics. Now, as a twenty-year-old, I remember Archie and the rest of the Riverdale gang with the same fondness that previous generations remember Beverly Hills 90210 and Dynasty.

I decided that I wanted to read this new, purportedly more mature Archie storyline. So far only the first two comics in the six part series have come out, but spoilers for future issues are all over the internet. Basically Archie proposes to Veronica, marries her, gets a top job at her gazillionaire father's international conglomerate, and eventually has a pair of twins with her. Given that this is the Archie Comics universe, where things fall easily into place for the sake of telling a decent story in a limited number of pages, I shouldn't have been surprised that Archie lands a job (fresh out of college and with a degree in history) that will provide him with more money than he could spend in a lifetime; unemployment and mortgages and foreclosures are probably still a bit too "mature" for Archie's universe. What fascinates me more than the fluffily amusing "problems" Archie faces in marrying Veronica (purchasing a tuxedo that fits, etcetera) is how people on the internet (also, apparently, former Archie Comics readers) have rallied to the side of Betty Cooper: Archie's "other" girlfriend, Veronica's sometimes best friend, and the obviously "better" choice for Archie.

"You're just too good for the boy," concludes one blogger. Another fan reportedly sold off his rare copy of the first issue of the comic series in protest of the "pending" nuptials. Being a longtime Betty fan I almost joined their ranks, but then I had a thought: what about Betty made her so much better than Veronica? (I know this sounds a bit odd - putting all this thought into a comic book series - but bear with me.)

In some ways Betty Cooper is a very admirable female character. She's smart, athletic, and above all kind. She had goals and aspirations (often explored in her diary entries) that Veronica never seemed to possess. But at the same time one of Betty's trademark characteristics is that she allows Archie to use her over and over again. No matter how many times Archie dumps her sweet blond self for the sultry Veronica, she comes right back to him. Another thing that bothers me is the way in which the Betty-Archie-Veronica love triangle pits two supposed best friends against one another in the pursuit of a commonly liked boy. I don't think Archie Comics are harmful (at all!) but I do think that young girls who read them should learn to examine the lessons that their characters teach at an early age. If I have daughters do I want to give them comic books where the “strong” female character’s lifelong goal is to become Mrs. Archie Andrews, no matter how many times he throws her over for another woman?

Veering off from the Betty-geared post: another commonly recycled plot line involves a big, slow-witted football player named Moose physically attacking other guys who date his "girl" Midge. I've always sort of wondered A) why Moose would stay with a girl who ran around on him so often and B) why Midge would stay with a guy who loses control of his temper when she hangs out with other boys. Once again, is this a social behavior lesson I would want my young daughter (0r son, for that matter) to learn? I'm not so sure.

This kind of deviates from my normal "Sam's life" oriented posts - but maybe I'll add more random musings about more random topics as time goes on. Hopefully I'll get better at organizing my thoughts, too. I realize that this post wanders a bit!

Lucky #10

Just one last post tonight, this one involving my younger brother James. He's started playing soccer again! Last Sunday morning, on our way home from Whidbey Island, the Ketterings stopped off in Bothell to watch him play a game. According to my dad, James and his teammates are growing like weeds - they've been playing together for four or so years, and now several of them (James included) are taller than their fathers.

Blue T-Shirt Posse

Here's sort of a photo essay of my Grandpa's 90th birthday celebration. My cousins Mollie, Betsy, and Annie have blogs too - and I'm sure they'll post their musings about Grandpa's birthday bash too. On a side note, Annie is an amazing photographer, and if you live in the greater Seattle area and need a fabulous candid photographer you should consider her!

Waiting for the ferry to Whidbey Island

On the ferry

The back of the official birthday bash T-shirt

I started taking pictures of everyone in their blue T-shirts

Mollie and Nick

Annie, a fellow photographer!

Beach boys

Cousins at play

My dad gave a short speech

Harry Kettering, born 9/9/1919

The really neat picture cake

Uncle Bobby, Andy, and six other grandkids

Grandma Jane and I

Grandpa Harry and Dad (the youngest)

Ryan and Callie

Uncle Dave, Dad, and Aunt Katie (with great-nephew/grandson Nick)

Betsy and Miller

Uncle Dave (the eldest), Grandpa Harry, Aunt Katie (the middle child), and Mark (the baby)

Grandpa Harry, Me, Grandma Jane, and James - the next morning

One last look at the beautiful day

Happy birthday, Grandpa!

My Grandpa Harry (my dad's dad) has spent the past ninety years leading a truly incredible life. His father died when he was young, just after the Kettering family had purchased hundreds of acres of farm land. Rather than bemoan the way his life had turned out my grandpa helped his mother run the farm before deciding, at the age of seventeen, that he wanted to be a doctor (more specifically a maternity doctor). Flash forward some ten odd years, and my grandpa achieved his goal, graduating from (I think!) the University of Washington and eventually establishing a practice on Mercer Island.

My dad, my uncle, and my aunt were all raised on Mercer Island too. Eventually my father bought (from my grandparents) the house he had been born in (which would, coincidentally, become the house my brother and I were born in). Given that my dad had grown up on Mercer Island, surrounded by my grandpa's patients, it's not so unusual that, years later, those patients would approach us when they learned our last name.

"Are you related to Harry Kettering?" they'd ask. "How amazing! He delivered my son!"

Grandpa Harry delivered my brother's kindergarten teacher's children as well as the daughters of a local pet shop owner, and these are only the occasions I can remember.

Later in life my dad's mother, my Grandma Molly, passed on. Luckily for my brother, cousins, and I, Grandpa got remarried to our Grandma Jane, and the Kettering family expanded to include the Bigsby clan. I regret that I do not know the Bigsbys better, but they're a wonderfully fun crowd of people to be around, and even if I don't seen them for years at a time it's always easy to fall into conversation with them.

My point is this: a little less than a week ago, on September 9th, 2009, my Grandpa Harry celebrated his ninetieth birthday. For months my Grandma Jane (with the help of my amazing Aunt Katie) has planned a festive celebration of his milestone birthday. Family flew in from Hawaii, San Francisco, Alaska, and other places I cannot recall to raise a glass to my grandpa's longevity and health. The party was held up at my aunt and uncle's home on Whidbey Island, and I have not been to such a wonderful party in ages. Friends from my grandparents' past, as well as the Kettering, Campbell, and Bigsby clans were in attendances. I got to see my Uncle David (who lives in California and who, if I'm lucky, I'll see twice a year), my cousins, their husbands, and their vibrant young children. (I apologize if the adjective is a little cheesy - I couldn't think of any other word to describe my cousins' seven young kids, each of whom have their own blossoming personality. I guess I don't spend time around children much, but it's been a while since I've met such enjoyable ones!) I also got to learn more about my grandparents, something I have been formerly remiss in doing. Throw in the matching blue T-shirts my aunt ordered to commemorated the event and you've got one weekend that I'll always treasure!

I guess I want to end by posing this question: what would you do with your life if you knew you'd live to (and, in my grandpa's case, past) ninety years old?

(P.S. I took tons of pictures, which I'll post in just a few minutes [hopefully]!)

Better late than never!

When we last spoke I was about to venture out onto the Puget Sound with my dad and my close friends Veronica and Leo. The day was overcast, and our boat bounced a bit on the waves, but thankfully the heavy rains did not start until the next morning.

The rest of that peaceful Labor Day weekend was filled with a very wet canoe ride, all three Matrix movies, and misadventures with the timers on our digital cameras. I don't know if I mentioned this in my last post, but I've known Veronica, Leonor, and Angie (a third friend who, unfortunately, had to return to college before our weekend jaunt) for ten years. Veronica and Leo have known one another even longer than that - since kindergarten! We all went to elementary and middle school together, and despite venturing off to three different high schools and then three different colleges we've all remained good friends.

I think I sat next to Leo the first day of fifth grade, and Veronica and I were partners for our fifth grade science project. At the age of ten I had absolutely no idea that those two (and Angie) would help me celebrate every birthday I've had since then, including my twentieth, when they treated me to dinner in downtown Seattle. I guess I'm always amazed at how well we get along together after all these years.

In any case, here are some pictures from the weekend.

Our friends, the Pinneos, are remodeling their beach home - they have the most amazing views from their decks!

We went for a beach walk and tried to use the timer settings on our cameras to take a group picture. This is the best one I got...

The canoe started taking on water REALLY fast...

...so we all got REALLY wet!

But not wet enough to turn down another photo opportunity!

...

I'm down at the beach yet again, in the company of Veronica and Leonor. We're about to go out on a boat ride, and we'll keep an eye on Leo - she's not a strong swimmer! (That's sort of a joke!)

I'm past trying to understand Seattle's weather. Last weekend it was eighty degree weather, and now the water is choppy and the skies are grey. I guess when you live in the Pacific Northwest you sort of have to roll with it. Hopefully the boat ride won't be too bumpy or wet, but we're hearty girls, and we're up for anything.

Back to school...for James

James starts school tomorrow! He'll be a junior. I can hardly believe he's able to see R rated movies on his own, and it's that much more difficult now that he's an upperclassman with a parking pass for the high school's parking lot!

James, Me, and Veronica at the beach this summer (August 2009)