Congruence

Why is it that dates always coincide? My father's birthday was decided years ago, and this year is going to be a nice, fat round number. Months ago, my mother decided my father would spend his birthday in Sydney. This year is a big celebration, and my brother couldn't come down because his daughter is in the Australian Girls Choir, and they have also chosen that date for a concert at the Opera House. Mum wanted us to go up. Trouble is my daughter is in the Victorian State Singers, and they've chosen this day for a concert too. (And I've just been to see them on Sunday at a German Festival, with another choir (German) and an opera singer, and a piano-accordian ensemble.) So I'd said to my mother that Princess Sleepyhead couldn't go, but we all decided that they would go up and take Sir Talkalot with them. Now Sir Talkalot was pretty happy about this, especially because our budget never leads itself to big holidays and he's never, consequently, been on an aeroplan. So he was busy planning a long weekend, thinking that maybe we'd let him have a few days off from school. My mum was pushing for this too, whereas I was leaning against it. Anyway, that was solved when his school also decided this would be a great date (or the following Monday, anyway) to start school exams, so there went his long weekend. He was devastated, because he thought he couldn't go -- he rang my mum, apologised, got off the phone and broke down into tears. I told him that if he planned his studying well, there was no reason why he couldn't go. After all, it's only Year 7 -- the marks don't count; it's the experience that does. And he is diligent. He will work.

In the meantime, our esteemed Prime Minister also decided my dad's birthday would be a very good day to hold an election. And the good people at AMEB decided that this would be an even better day to hold their piano exams. Suddenly, about to book tickets, we were in a quandary. We didn't actually know the dates of the piano exams -- but the piano teacher suspected it might be this weekend. (And at this point I do have to say that I think it's a bit unfair that you have to pay upfront for an exam that you have no clue on the date of, and if you can't make it -- too bad. You lose your money. Sometimes, I don't think people in these places realise how hard it can be to rustle up the money!) But, the piano teacher did some sleuthing and found out that yes this was the day of the exam. And really that's the end of the story. Mum and Dad are away, so I can't let them know, but the bottom line is that longed-for aeroplane trip (courtesy of my parents) is just going to have to wait for another day.