My it�s early. But this might be my only opportunity to play on this computer today, so I�d better take it.

First off, J-S�s recital was superb. Yvon B. joined him on piano and Mario L. played saxophone and flute, and on one number, his teacher Dave G. played upright bass and J-S played electric for a lovely duet called R.B. His father footed the bill for an incredible reception (a very large bill, I heard later) which included all sorts of baked goodies--samosa, tyropitas--and dips and crackers and veggies. I sat with the Duchess for the concert, since Hubby was one of the adjudicators, and hung around afterwards with various students. One of the things I really like about teaching at a university is that there are always so many good-looking young men around, and they pay me a fair bit of attention which has nothing to do with my youthful good looks and lots to do with my being the wife of my husband. Last night it had a little bit to do with being a singing teacher. I don�t care what the reason is, I just like the attention.

I must admit that I have been paying very little attention to Little Princess these days, more because I don�t want her to feel that I am trying to meddle in her life than anything. But Hubby has been more astute than I recently and brought to my attention the fact that she has been inhaling the smoke from the combustion of illegal substances. When he went to the SAQ the other day to pick up the whiskey (a legal substance), she was sitting on the steps with her boyfriend and was rather startled to see him. She had the typical unfocused, red-eyed look of a pot smoker. When he told me this, days of odd behaviour suddenly made sense. She would be sitting at the kitchen table, doing her homework (calculus or physics) and complaining about being hungry, even though we had just consumed a large supper. Hubby has warned her that if she gets caught, she is responsible for her own fines. Even though Canada has decriminalized pot possession, it still carries a penalty, like a speeding ticket, and we are not going to pay it for her if she is stupid enough to get caught.

So, this brings up a whole new dilemma in the life of the mother of a teenaged girl. She�s having sex and I know it and she knows I know it, but we still haven�t had that little talk, and as each day goes by I have less and less idea of what we would actually talk about. Now she�s smoking pot, and this concerns me much more, a) because it is illegal and she could get caught and end up paying a big fine, and b) if she�s really stupid about this, her grades will start to slip and her future university career could be jeopardized. This all before her 18th birthday.

You see, quite some time ago I admitted in a diary entry that I was no angel sexually-speaking, having to remove both socks and shoes to count up my various conquests. But I never got into drugs. My first experience with a THC-imbued substance was when I was 21, and I think I had three more after that. Period. I just didn�t like being high enough to bother. Also, getting caught carried a criminal record with it in those days, and I wasn�t going to risk it. I had my share of �drink till you puke� experiences (again about three), and decided that that wasn�t worth it either. So I really don�t know what to say to this girl about her recent activities, because I am inexperienced myself. Hubby actually is better equipped to deal with this than I am. I think I�ll just stick to Buddy Boy and his cookies.

It seems like way too early in the morning to be thinking about this stuff. I�m not healthy yet, but I have to try practising today. Hubby�s and my recital at the Learned�s is only about six weeks away. His parents have offered to come and stay with the kids while we�re gone. That takes a bit of anxiety out of the endeavour, although I don�t envy either of them the experience. I think they still expect my kids to be the ideal grandchildren they always were, and I think Buddy Boy and Little Princess were looking forward to being parentless for several days. Too bad. You can�t always get what you want.

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