A Disturbing Article

This article about infant euthanasia is scary.

Even scarier is this: "Experts acknowledge that doctors euthanize routinely in the United States and elsewhere, but that the practice is hidden."

Domine, misere nobis.

--DJ

Mundania

I can't think of anything to blog today. Life is definitely at a low ebb in terms of interest. A random sampling of current events:

- I spent an hour yesterday holding a spoonful of split-pea soup, while a two-year-old whined, cried, wailed, and screamed, all without his tongue actually touching the soup. He finally took a blob in his mouth, after which he of course gagged, but I pretended that he'd eaten it and that I was, therefore, triumphant.

- My neighbor is moving to South Carolina. I saw her in the mall today, and she's going to bring me the stuff from her freezer that they couldn't use up, and I'm going to see if there's anything I want.

- Since Darren was out of town last night, I got some writing done. I retrieved my heroine from under a couch, where she's been hiding for the past two weeks while I tried to figure out what happened next. She was rather put out with me. "Maybe you could plan ahead next time, and leave me stranded somewhere a little less oxygen-free?" she snipped. Characters get really cocky once you get to know them.

- Our most faithful babysitter is going to be confirmed soon (she's Catholic), and evidently it's a condition of the class that you have to put in community service hours. So she volunteered to come help us set up for a neighborhood party we're having this weekend. It's not only a relief to know I'll have able help, but I like Sarah a lot and look forward to working with her.

- It hasn't dropped below the mid-40s here all season, usually hovering in the 50s.

- We got our first Christmas card, from Darren's grandparents, yesterday.

That about covers it. -- SJ

Mysteries of Children's Literature

Reading to my children is great fun, but unfortunately, the books they seem to be most interested in don't generally engage the adult mind on a deep level. So I have time, as I'm reading "Green Eggs and Ham" for the 86th time, to meditate on eternal mysteries like these:

"Green Eggs and Ham" - Who is going to pay for the loss of the car, the train, and the boat? Why does the train track end where it does, over the water? Who in their right mind would want to eat green ham? And what in the world is the narrator's name?

"Goodnight Moon" - What parent sits in their small child's room for over an hour while the child wanders around saying goodnight to various objects? Why does it take this child 10 minutes to say goodnight to a brush?

"Oh the Thinks You Can Think" - Did Robert Jordan read this book before writing "The Wheel of Time?" Because the picture of "stairs in the night" looks remarkably like his description of the Ogier Ways.

"Ten Apples Up On Top" - Has anyone else ever noticed the temperaments of the three characters? The lion is obviously a Phlegmatic; he just goes along with things. The dog is a seriously-competitive Choleric, who refuses to be bested by the tiger, a happy-go-lucky Sanguine. And my sympathies, by the way, are all with the lady with the mop. Down with apples!

"Are You My Mother?" - What in tarnation happens to the shell?? The baby bird comes out of the shell, leaves the nest, and when he comes back, there's no egg shell! Is the dog male or female? And why is the car the only object that's never mentioned in the baby bird's litany at the end? It's also the only object that the baby bird rejects himself as obviously not his mother. Did P.D. Eastman have a bad experience with a car and decided to make it the villain?

Deep thoughts. Off to go read some more to the kids!

--DJ

A Plea for Emails

I am terminally ill and I want to see how many emails I can get before I die... oh, wait, sorry, that was somebody else.

Juno crashed a couple of weeks ago and I lost all my backlog of emails, plus my address book. So all you friends who assume that my silence is because I just don't email regularly, you're wrong this time. Now I have an excuse: I don't have your address anymore.

So if all my neglected friends could dash me off a quickly email so I can have your address again, I'd appreciate it. Well, not *all* my neglected friends. At least, not all at the same time. I don't want Juno to crash again...

-- SJ

Amoral Adventures

I've just finished another Young Adult book. YA fiction, along with collecting names and launching random tirades on obscure topics, is one of my interests... as the readers of this blog have no choice but to find out.

"Artemis Fowl" features a criminal mastermind (Artemis himself) who is descended from a long line of organized-crime bosses. He's brilliant, ruthless, clever, and -- oh, yes -- twelve years old. He's determined to regain his family's fortune, and targets a lesser-known market for exploitation: fairies.

Of course, these fairies aren't your Rent-A-Fantasy types. The police unit carries superweapons and operates on phenomenally advanced technology. This is who Artemis tangles with when he kidnaps Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon police unit.

Artemis is greedy, and never lets his occasionally-active conscience get in the way of his evil schemes. The fairies and their consorts (a centaur tech guy, a dwarf, and a couple of trolls) fight back just as dirty. As the author comments when introducing a housebreaking dwarf, "As if this story isn't already littered with amoral characters..."

It's got an edge to it: parts are violent, parts are vulgar, and there are a few swear words (even a non-translated fairy swear word. Junior high boys must love these books). But it's lighthearted and well-written. I'll probably look up the second in the series. And if I start blackmailing and extorting in a few weeks, I guess you'll know why. -- SJ

The Unconquerable Optimist

Darren got up with Addie this morning, as is usual. What isn't usual is that Addie greeted him with, "My pillow and blanket are dirty." In some recently-past moment, Addie had thrown up on them. Darren changed her and threw her bedclothes in the washer, and took her into the kitchen so she wouldn't wake up Stuart and me. Ten minutes later he cleaned up a "dirty" counter in the kitchen. (These incidents don't bother Addie in the slightest. She leans over, rids herself of the material, and then says cheerfully, "Clean it up, please!") This all before 7:30.

Stuart woke up clingy, with a slight fever. So here we were on an extremely grey and rainy morning, two sick kids, tired wife, and husband rushed to get to work. And the upcoming holiday didn't look all that bright to me, either, as we're celebrating without any family nearby. And Darren, who had borne the brunt of the dreary start of the day, spoke.

"It's a good thing," he remarked, "that we aren't going anywhere or having anyone over for Thanksgiving, with the kids sick."

Thanksgiving was invented by optimists. I'm glad I married one. -- SJ

Key Concepts for Evil Overlords

Several years ago I wrote up a job application for a Rent-A-Villain, the discount villain warehouse where most cartoons, sci-fi/fantasy, and action movies get their bad guys. My sister Rosemary and our friend Becky even taped ourselves enacting it; it was pretty obvious that the actors and the film guy came from Rent-A-Crew.

Anyway, I've lost my application by now, but my brother Neil sent me this link to reminisce. Check out these few rules to keep in mind if you have ambitions toward world domination. -- SJ

Young Man Attains Another Year

NORTHERN VIRGINIA... Stuart Jones, son of Darren and Sara Jones and brother to Adelaide, turns two years old today, according to the family.

The Joneses have released a statement addressing the occasion. "Family records are clear on this matter," the press release states. "Stuart -- known variously as Stuart-Boy, Stuart Michael-Man, Little Boy, and Goofball -- was born near 12:00 noon on this day two years ago. Today's occasion has proven more enjoyable than the original, because this time there wasn't a C-section involved."

Stuart is known for his ready laugh, his attachment to a formerly pink bear (currently in an unpalatable state of existence), and his low pain tolerance. Reports indicate that he was rushed to the ER last night with a split lip, but returned home without seeing a doctor once his parents realized it wasn't as serious as he made it out to be. He sports a very masculine fat lip today.

"We plan to memorialize this special day of Stuart's," the family statement reads. "Tonight he will have a cupcake with a candle in it, and will recieve a gift."

Older sister Adelaide is expected to request a birthday herself tomorrow. -- SJ

The blessed game of Riven

Myst, Riven, and Exile: utterly cool games, if you enjoy spending your free time fiddling, twiddling, and clicking. Which I do, at least when it's accompanied by cool graphics, ingenious machines, and scattered hints of otherworld cultures. I am joined in this fascination by Addie.

She saw me playing it about a week ago, and it's now her most-requested computer game. "Want to play Blue's Clues? Or Thomas the Tank Engine?" "No, I don't think so. How about the Riven game?" Then she'll sing "Riven, Riven" to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle" while I'm loading it up.

It's not a child's game at all; I have to be careful what I show her, so eerie images don't resurface at night. But we have lots of fun riding a minecar and elevators. And besides, the games are sanctified now, thanks to Addie's nightly prayers:

"Dear Jesus, please bless my night, and Daddy and Mama and Riven and Stuart and going up and down in the aldegator [elevator]. Amen."

Currently, the first Riven disk is missing, which means that the game is unplayable for now. So I loaded up Exile to tide Addie over. She called it "Exercise" and wasn't interested. But even when we do find Riven 1, I'm inclined to keep playing Exile. Just so I can tell Darren when he gets home, "You'll be so impressed! I spent all day doing Exercise!"

I doubt I should, though. "Exercise" hasn't been blessed. -- SJ

The Happy Jones Family

My mother-in-law, Miss Bev, liked our family portrait. And she's something of an authority on this style.

After the birth of Darren's sister, Lindsay, Miss Bev was in the hospital for a longer stay. So she used some of her time to create a booklet for Darren and Evan entitled, "The Happy Jones Family."

A nurse came in and asked what it was, so Miss Bev explained. The nurse looked at it and asked, "Why are you drawing like that?"

"This is the best I can do," Miss Bev answered.

"Oh, you can do better than that."

"No, really, this is how I draw."

The nurse refused to believe that the drawings really were the top of Miss Bev's form. Which leads me to hope that that nurse, whoever she is, doesn't have my blog address. -- SJ

Addie enjoys comissioning family portraits. And this is evidence that my older sister isn't the only Roberts who can draw! My pictures don't take as long, either. -- SJ 

Modern Romance

"The thing I like about him is that he's, you know, really steady. I mean, he knows who he is and everything. I mean, he's had the same IM name for five years!" -- SJ

Where Is Our Confidence?

I finished the Titanic book tonight. It's a quick read, especially after I realized that I and the author have read the same exhaustive commentary on the wreck ("Destination: Disaster") so I could just skip the final fourth of "Unsinkable."

The author got preachy at the end, pointing out what (to me) is the obvious lesson from the Titanic: That it slammed a complacent world with the realization that man had not Arrived. But it did start me thinking.

The world that produced the Titanic viewed technological advancement as man's path to perfection. A couple of wars and a Depression battered that view. Then Science took up residence as the answer to all our questions. It's only my opinion, but I think that view is showing its age also. We know a great deal about our world, but still have not conquered the old human ills that plague us: anger, apathy, hatred, selfishness. Science can't perfect us.

So I'm wondering, what will the next era place its trust in? Political unity? Racial harmony? A clean environment? Darren suggested Medicine could be a current confidence. I'm curious as to what y'all think. Where is the Western world's confidence?

-- SJ

Books

I just finished a great book.

Actually, I've finished the book about eight times. I come across it periodically and spend a week reading my favorite parts, finally reading the end, closing the book with a sigh, and announcing, "I love this book!"

Before I recommend it, however, there are a few caveats. Firstly, you have to enjoy the young adult genre of literature. Secondly, it helps if you've had a fascination with fairy tales, and princesses in particular, since childhood; and thirdly, you most likely have to be female.

So, to the three people still interested...

"Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine. It's a retelling of Cinderella, very enjoyably done. The protagonist, Ella, isn't really as compliant and eager to please as she seems. She was cursed at birth with the gift of obedience, which compels her to obey any command she is given. Of course the story includes the wicked stepmother and her two daughters; the likable, if not actively charming, prince; and the fairy godmother. Also there's a giants' wedding, a skirmish with ogres, an idealistic fairy who wreaks havoc, and a slide down a bannister.

The best part of the story, though, is that it incorporates one of the sadly underused elements of romance: Two Friends Who Fall In Love. It's easy to see why Ella falls in love with the prince, and why he is so determined to find the owner of the glass slipper. You can actually believe that they live happily ever after.

Levine has written shorter stories called "The Princess Tales," which are lighthearted renditions of various other fairy tales.

Note: From all I've heard, the recent movie version of "Ella Enchanted" isn't worth seeing. Boy, isn't that a surprise.

Since the title of this post is plural, I'll add another book I'm reading: "Unsinkable: The Full Story." What could it possibly be about...? Ever since I learned about the Titanic in fourth grade, I've suffered from periodic Titanic fevers, when I get interested in it all over again. By this time I even recognize the names of the officers on the ship. I've only just started -- no iceberg sighted yet -- so I don't know how readable this version is. I'll probably read it regardless until the fever breaks.

Note: There was a movie about this, too. I haven't seen it.

-- SJ

Another One

Driving home at this time of year seems to inspire haiku. The sun has just set, and everything is stark against a light sky.

Trees in the sunset
Lacking leaves, are like God-blown
Dandelion puffs.

--DJ

An article worth reading from Christianity Today Magazine

This article: has a very good point: "Short-term decisions to forego children may bring immediate economic benefits, but the long-term results impoverish existence."

I am very thankful that my parents didn't decide to have just one child. I would indeed be impoverished if I didn't have my brother and my sister. They bring joy to my life every day!

--DJ

A Fall Haiku

Pterodactyls fly
Against a darkening sky
Sharp-edged falling leaves.

--DJ

New Addition to the Family

No, this isn't as exciting a post as you think it is.

We went on a family walk on Saturday, since the weather was beautiful and mild (at which point, in a conversation with Darren, I would insert, "Like me!" because however much Darren has raved about my beauty, he persists in denying my remarkable mildness and pure sweetness). Along the way, Addie found a true treasure: a live earthworm.

She was quite charmed, and tried to show Daddy, who wasn't. As we headed back to the house, it was apparent that the worm was going with us. I asked, "Does the worm have a name?"

"Yes," answered Addie the Literal Person. "Worm."

"Oh."

So she elaborated. "Worm Jones."

I regret to report that Daddy did not welcome this new family member with great enthusiasm. Worm Jones now lives somewhere in our flowerbed. -- SJ