To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate

My husband and I decided we wanted to go see a play.  We enjoy plays but we don't get to go very often.  But it was a special occasion (our anniversary) so we splurged.  (We also went to dinner afterwards.)  We did not have anything in particular in mind so we just looked for what was playing locally.  

We found Eureka Day at the Huntington Theatre in Boston.  Since we live in Boston that was pretty local.  I really didn't know what to expect.  The play is a satire about a progressive, private school that tries to be inclusive to everyone.  When mumps breaks out at the school it leads to debates about policies and vaccines.

Now, the plot summery may not sound funny, but the play certainly was.  There were times when the whole audience was laughing out loud.  The laughs reached their height when the school council have a virtual meeting with the parents and you can see the comments the parents are typing the chat box.  

There are some serious moments too.  Although I did not actually cry during the play I did get a little misty eyed.  But these moments did not kill the light spirit of the play but instead made the light moments brighter.

The acting was great, the energy of the play and the audience was wonderful and the whole experience was a lot of fun.  And at the Huntington you can watch your play with a glass of wine or a beer if you want.  Which doesn't hurt.  

My sister is a teacher and when I told her I was going to see a play about a school she was not enthused.  She gets enough school in her life as it is.  But I think she would have liked this play.  

It was hilarious but spoke about important issues.  It managed to have fun with the topic without offending.  I would not suggest that children attend.  There are some hard topics explored but also I think a lot of the humor would be lost on them.

It is about 100 minutes long.  Long enough to develop some wonderful characters, and deliver a well thought out and rounded plot without the audience feeling the need to get up and stretch.

 

If you are looking for a fun night out, I would recommend Eureka Day.  

Help Save a Life

Today (June 14th 2026) is World Blood Donor Day.  A few hours of your life can save the life of someone else in need.  Please consider signing up to donate.

My work place had been having blood drives for a while before I realized there's and app for that.  Because of course there is.  What isn't there an app for.  So, I downloaded the Red Cross Blood Donor app.  

As someone who donates on a semi regular basis I find the app rather helpful.  You can put in a zip code and find the nearest places you can donate and make an appointment right there on the app.  It will tell you your blood type (I'm AB+), keep track of how much blood you have donated and tell you when you can safely donate again.  You can also fill out your Rapid Pass, which is a bunch of questions that you have to answer before you can give blood.  It saves you time when you get there if you have already done this.  If you have never donated before, these questions can get
rather personal, but I think you can understand why.

Until the app I had only donated whole blood, but as I explored the app I decided I should donate platelets and plasma some times as well.  I did a little research (just to be clear, all on the internet, I didn't ask a medical professional, so don't quote me) and came to the conclusion that I might be able to help more people that way.  But I must warn you, platelet donation does take longer (about 2 hours) and there are two needles involved.  

I donate because it makes me feel good to know I'm helping others.  But there are
other rewards.  The app has virtual badges you can collect to encourage you to come back.  Donation centers also have swag sometimes.  I have a collection of shirts, but they give out other things sometimes too: sunglasses, socks, backpacks and such.  If you have the app you get points for each donation that you can use to get even more swag: hats, tote bags, camp chairs, thermos bottles, or of you are like me -more shirts.  And after so many donations you get a milestone pin.

I encourage all those who can to donate.  It does your heart good.  And you get free cookies and juice. But, one more warning, there is always a platelet or blood shortage so once you donate you will get calls and texts and emails asking you to come back.  Lots of them.  But that is a small price to pay for the good you could do.

Dive! Dive! Dive

Today (June 8th 2026) is World Oceans Day.  The oceans are very important for everything.  And there is so much that we do not know about it.  Today is the day to learn something new about the oceans.  Or take a swim in the ocean (but there are jellyfish, so maybe, no).  Maybe you can visit your local aquarium.  

Weird But True! Ocean 300 Fantastic Facts from the Deep Blue Sea by National Geographic Kids

300 fascinating facts about the ocean and the things in it and on it.  

This is the first Weird but True! book that I have read.  I think I will read more.  I started with the ocean because I am fascinated by ocean creatures.  And this satisfied all my ocean creature love and taught me some things I didn't know.  There were facts about the ocean itself, the creatures who live in it, and the people and ships that travel on top of it.  There are some awesome photos of things that people may not have seen before.  I liked the bite sized facts so no matter how much time you have you can get a fact or two in (if you can stop yourself from reading them all).  You do not learn a lot about anything but you learn a little about a lot.  I can see this inspiring people (not just children) to learn more about many things they see here.