[Susan McLean]

It sounds delightful, Max. I wish I could see it.

Susan

[RCL]

Wednesday ended my79th year; today began my 80th; to heaven (or more likely hell); and today I’m doing well!

[Mark McDonnell]

Some of you may have heard me talking about my twins. Well I also have an older daughter, Rosie — their 'sister from another mother' whom I managed to spawn at university at the tender age of 21.

She did a film studies degree with the emphasis on practical elements. She's 23 now, which seems unbelievable to me. Today, after 18 months of working in pubs and shops, she got her first real graduate job with a film editing company in Manchester. I'm so proud.

Here's a little video she made of the twins for part of her degree course a couple of years ago. She filmed, sang, played the guitar and edited. I made tea.

https://youtu.be/OMuaRcFPObM

Edit: the only thing she didn't do is write the song. It's a White Stripes cover...

[Mark McDonnell]

And Happy Birthday Ralph!!

[Roger Slater]

Adorable! Very well done. I love that Jack Johnson song.

[Mark McDonnell]

Aw thanks Roger. It's a White Stripes song! Mr Johnson must have done a cover version.

[Roger Slater]

Mr. Johnson just fell a few pegs in my estimation. I always thought he wrote it. But he does sing it beautifully, and it was a big hit for him for the Curious George movie. Here it is.

I wonder if he wrote another favorite of mine that he sings? This one. (Yes, I checked, and it appears he did write this one).

[Roger Slater]

Well, I have some news today that maybe belongs in "Accomplished Members," but the poem in question might have already had a go there a few years ago when it was first published in the National Geographic Book of Nature Poetry (a children's anthology), so I'll just mention it here. The news is that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt wants to use it in the Houghton Mifflin Reading Program materials (including several different formats that collectively will end up yielding five million copies). Educational publishing is where the money is, as they proved by offering vastly more money than I got for the original publication (and far more than I've ever received for a single poem).

[Richard Meyer]

Wonderful news, Roger. With a huge printing of the sort you mention, the book containing your poem will have far more published copies out in the world than the combined total of press runs for individual titles by many hundreds of poets. That one poem in the anthology could make you the most read of any poet who has ever entered this Sphere. Congrats!

Richard

[Michael Cantor]

That's great, Roger. Hoorah!! (Let's see...five million copies at a mere penny a copy - surely you're worth that much...is $50,000.) Drinks are on Roger.