Today doesn't threaten to be as bad at this one, at least. But I did stagger out of bed wondering how I was going to get everything done before our trip to Mississippi later this week. As I was brushing my teeth, I formulated the following plan:
1. Do the Morning Prayer service using one of Darren's innumerable prayer books. Morning Prayer is something I do maybe once a week if I'm really resolved. It's hard to fit it in and it still is an unusual way of devotions for me, but at least it's all written out in front of me so I don't have to find time AND space AND come up with my own words all at the same time.
2. Make a list of what has to be done this week. I've had to come to terms with the fact that a listless existence is a luxury that a mother of four can't enjoy.
3. Oh, wait, this should be Number One: check email, Google Reader, and Facebook. Also, lingering at the computer until I come up with a blog post is good, too.
4. Hide under the covers anytime a child tries to talk to me. Did I write that out loud?
Happy Monday After Christmas!
-- SJ
Monday, December 28, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
Christmas Pictures
Today was Christmas, or maybe you knew that? This year we attempted to capture the joy and celebration of the morning. The pictures ended up looking just like every other Pictures Of Kids Opening Presents ever taken. They even look like the cave drawings of Stone Age Christmases, which show short stick figures holding up toys made of bone, their eyes wide from intake of sugar (from a natural source like stevia plant, of course.)
But some particular grandparents like pictures of this particular set of children, so we're posting them anyway.
This was before the sugar intake, even.
I can't imagine what I'll write in it that won't spoil the whole wonderful idea.
But maybe I'll come up with something so universally amazing that it'll become an international bestseller and Darren can download it onto his new Kindle. I've got a little extra time because we're saving up for it so he won't actually get it for several months. Yes, his favorite gift from me was one that I haven't, technically, given him.
Today I told Stuart that, yes, my favorite part of Christmas used to be presents. Now it's the joy and celebration of the Incarnation of a God of love and mercy. But still, the presents aren't so bad.
Merry Christmas!
-- SJ
But some particular grandparents like pictures of this particular set of children, so we're posting them anyway.
For the first time in eight Christmases, Addie asked for a doll.
This was before the sugar intake, even.
Daphne was all about Christmas this year.
Phillip, playing with a ball from his Northern cousins, was just all about cute.
Here is My Son, immediately playing his new Nintendo DS game.
Here is Darren's Daughter, reading the rule book first.
Here is Darren's Daughter, reading the rule book first.
The Stockings: Before
The Stockings: After
My favorite gift from Darren was a handmade journal composed of salvaged paper (notebook, graph, legal, blank) and pages from an old book.
I can't imagine what I'll write in it that won't spoil the whole wonderful idea.
But maybe I'll come up with something so universally amazing that it'll become an international bestseller and Darren can download it onto his new Kindle. I've got a little extra time because we're saving up for it so he won't actually get it for several months. Yes, his favorite gift from me was one that I haven't, technically, given him.Our favorite gift to ourselves was Settlers of Catan and Seafarers of Catan. If you need to get in touch with us and can't reach us, it's because Darren, Stuart, and I are at the dining room table, building settlements and establishing trade routes. (Rocks not included in original set. We use them to weight the board down. Pink Silly Putty sold separately, too.)
Today I told Stuart that, yes, my favorite part of Christmas used to be presents. Now it's the joy and celebration of the Incarnation of a God of love and mercy. But still, the presents aren't so bad.
Merry Christmas!
-- SJ
Monday, December 21, 2009
Pip and the Pickle
Phillip places the last ornament on the tree.
Or, rather, "Phillip" "places" the last ornament on the "tree."
(We do call him Pip much of the time, by the way.)
From the archives, here's a clip of Daphne doing the same thing three years ago:
-- SJ
Or, rather, "Phillip" "places" the last ornament on the "tree."
(We do call him Pip much of the time, by the way.)
From the archives, here's a clip of Daphne doing the same thing three years ago:
-- SJ
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Snow Pictures and the Christmas Brigade
So did you hear that it snowed here?
Oh, you did. Did you hear that it snowed all night and all day and ended up nearly two feet high, three in some places? Oh, you did. Well, you know that's really neat for here, right? Because we don't usually get snowfalls like this? Oh. You did.
Well, how about if I just stop talking about it, then, and post the requisite pictures of snowsuits-with-faces flailing around in lots of snow? (They're really cute faces.)
So here they are, dressed in a hodgepodge of snow clothes. Addie's wearing my boots and my gloves. Stuart's snow pants are two sizes too small and he has plastic bags tied around his shoes. Daphne's wearing some old boots of Stuart's. You can see how bothered they are by the lack of coordinated and stylish snow wear.
I know, the adorableness just lights up the snow around her, doesn't it?
Hi, Mama! We're stopping for a picture! Like you asked us to! Okay can we go play now! Because it's dark and cold but who cares because it's snowing!
The Christmas Brigade
Addie had an idea. Now, you have to understand, Addie has LOTS of ideas. Like drawing pictures and selling them to museums. Like being a missionary to Afghanistan. Like reading a WANTED poster in a mall and proposing that we stake out the mall to catch the thief. So when she announced that she was going to form a "Christmas Brigade," I held my breath and waited.
Her idea: bake cookies, pile them on Mollie's sled (because of course it would be snowing at Christmas, right?), and take some to each house in the neighborhood.
Oh. Wow. Um, that idea is actually workable. It's actually good.
I made some modifications: we wouldn't do all the houses in the neighborhood (about 90). We'd just do our street (about 15). And about the sled: it doesn't usually snow in December; we get our big snowfalls, if any, in February. I told Addie to plan on using the wagon.
Addie and I baked cookies last week and froze them. Today dawned the day of the Christmas Brigade: two feet of snow, bright sunny day, and three excited Brigadiers.
Addie, Mollie, and I packaged up the cookies in plastic wrap and wrapping-paper bags, with ribbon handles to hang on the doorknobs. (Next time I'm buying pre-made bags, whew.) We taped a label on each that said, "Merry Christmas from the Christmas Brigade!" We went up and down the street -- pulling the sled, ringing doorbells, and leaving cookies at each house. The Brigadiers got lots of smiles.
I sense the making of a tradition.
-- SJ
Oh, you did. Did you hear that it snowed all night and all day and ended up nearly two feet high, three in some places? Oh, you did. Well, you know that's really neat for here, right? Because we don't usually get snowfalls like this? Oh. You did.
Well, how about if I just stop talking about it, then, and post the requisite pictures of snowsuits-with-faces flailing around in lots of snow? (They're really cute faces.)
So here they are, dressed in a hodgepodge of snow clothes. Addie's wearing my boots and my gloves. Stuart's snow pants are two sizes too small and he has plastic bags tied around his shoes. Daphne's wearing some old boots of Stuart's. You can see how bothered they are by the lack of coordinated and stylish snow wear.
I know, the adorableness just lights up the snow around her, doesn't it?
Hi, Mama! We're stopping for a picture! Like you asked us to! Okay can we go play now! Because it's dark and cold but who cares because it's snowing!The Christmas Brigade
Addie had an idea. Now, you have to understand, Addie has LOTS of ideas. Like drawing pictures and selling them to museums. Like being a missionary to Afghanistan. Like reading a WANTED poster in a mall and proposing that we stake out the mall to catch the thief. So when she announced that she was going to form a "Christmas Brigade," I held my breath and waited.
Her idea: bake cookies, pile them on Mollie's sled (because of course it would be snowing at Christmas, right?), and take some to each house in the neighborhood.
Oh. Wow. Um, that idea is actually workable. It's actually good.
I made some modifications: we wouldn't do all the houses in the neighborhood (about 90). We'd just do our street (about 15). And about the sled: it doesn't usually snow in December; we get our big snowfalls, if any, in February. I told Addie to plan on using the wagon.
Addie and I baked cookies last week and froze them. Today dawned the day of the Christmas Brigade: two feet of snow, bright sunny day, and three excited Brigadiers.
Addie, Mollie, and I packaged up the cookies in plastic wrap and wrapping-paper bags, with ribbon handles to hang on the doorknobs. (Next time I'm buying pre-made bags, whew.) We taped a label on each that said, "Merry Christmas from the Christmas Brigade!" We went up and down the street -- pulling the sled, ringing doorbells, and leaving cookies at each house. The Brigadiers got lots of smiles.
I sense the making of a tradition.
-- SJ
Saturday, December 19, 2009
A Christmas Meme
I don't often do memes because they spread like viruses and it seems that the more you do them, the more susceptible you are to others that come along, until you're answering questions like, "If you were a shoe, what would it be?" and "What color is your favorite belt?" Also, I'm absolutely unable to answer these questions briefly, so my readers really should be grateful that they don't have to read an entire paragraph on myself as a shoe.
Still and all and anyway, the occasional Christmas meme is fun. So here we go.
Eggnog or hot chocolate? Eggnog. I like the idea of hot chocolate, but am always disappointed by the reality. A lot like champagne, actually.
Does Santa wrap the presents or leave them open under the tree? There is no Santa Claus here. It wasn't a game I felt like playing and Darren went along with me. We do talk about St. Nicholas and how he gave generously to the poor. This year Addie has gone through phases of pretending she believes in Santa. Okey-dokey. Just as long as I don't have to pretend that HE did all the shopping, spending, and wrapping.
Colored lights on a tree or white? I used to love white lights. They were so elegant. Now I'm tired of them and we have colored lights. Ha, funny, that's what everybody else is doing, too!
Do you hang mistletoe? Well, for one thing, we don't HAVE mistletoe in our suburban neighborhood. And I find it hard to think of it as romantic, ever since my brothers explained how it kills the tree it grows on. Not that this sort of thing is the primary way my brothers spoke into my life over the years.
When do you put your decorations up? Usually about the second week of December.
What is your favorite holiday dish? My grandmother's cornbread stuffing, which I haven't had in eight years.
Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes, one. Or maybe we do stockings? I'm not sure, since Darren and I are still ironing out the tradition there. My family always opened our gifts on Christmas Day, and didn't do stockings. I was absolutely astonished to find out that his family opened all theirs on Christmas Eve, and stockings on Christmas Day. As a new wife, I was very eager to meld traditions and even adopt his for the good of our marriage; but waking up to no presents on Christmas morning was too bleak even for a bride. Darren graciously adopted the Christmas-Day-Gift tradition.
How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Well, first we pull out our artificial tree, the one that's six feet tall if you make the very top sprig stand straight up. If you know anything about my family's Christmas-tree history, you know that's pretty much a joke. (I grew up with twenty-foot fir trees in the house. I am not kidding.) Then we decorate it with the dozen or so ornaments we were given as wedding gifts (great wedding gift idea there, by the way). We've collected a few more over the years, most notably the personalized ones for each of my children from my friend Debra. And, of course, the pickle -- our favorite ornament. We save it for last, and ask someone special to put it on every year. This year Phillip "put" it on.
Snow: love it or hate it? Snow is still a jazzy novelty for me. For everybody in this area, actually; the slightest snowfall is an automatic snow day, whee! And around here it has a nice way of dropping in for a visit, lying around for a day or so, and melting. Today is different, however: we got fully three feet in some places and it doesn't look like it's going anywhere for a while. By Tuesday, I'll hate snow.
Can you ice skate? Southerners don't ice skate. I can still roller skate, though, with those two-by-two wheeled skates, the real kind from the 80s, you know.
What is your favorite holiday dessert? Martha Washingtons
What is your favorite holiday tradition? "Christmas riding," which is what Rosemary and I called driving around looking at lights. This year, though, we've also done a Jesse Tree. Each night one child hangs an ornament having to do with a story in the Bible that typifies or prophesies Jesus. I like the fact that we turn off all the lights and light the Advent candles. The semi-darkness calms everyone down and is a restful pause at the end of the day. Also it makes the house look pretty.
Candy canes: yum or yuck? I always loved getting them, and never ever liked the taste. I ate them anyway, though. Couldn't resist the hook at the end of it.
Favorite Christmas show? Muppet Christmas Carol.
The other thing about these memes is that they don't have any closure. Just one last question and bang! you're done. I find it disturbing, but that's what you'd expect from a comfortable dressy-casual flat with a velcro strap.
-- SJ
Still and all and anyway, the occasional Christmas meme is fun. So here we go.
Eggnog or hot chocolate? Eggnog. I like the idea of hot chocolate, but am always disappointed by the reality. A lot like champagne, actually.
Does Santa wrap the presents or leave them open under the tree? There is no Santa Claus here. It wasn't a game I felt like playing and Darren went along with me. We do talk about St. Nicholas and how he gave generously to the poor. This year Addie has gone through phases of pretending she believes in Santa. Okey-dokey. Just as long as I don't have to pretend that HE did all the shopping, spending, and wrapping.
Colored lights on a tree or white? I used to love white lights. They were so elegant. Now I'm tired of them and we have colored lights. Ha, funny, that's what everybody else is doing, too!
Do you hang mistletoe? Well, for one thing, we don't HAVE mistletoe in our suburban neighborhood. And I find it hard to think of it as romantic, ever since my brothers explained how it kills the tree it grows on. Not that this sort of thing is the primary way my brothers spoke into my life over the years.
When do you put your decorations up? Usually about the second week of December.
What is your favorite holiday dish? My grandmother's cornbread stuffing, which I haven't had in eight years.
Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes, one. Or maybe we do stockings? I'm not sure, since Darren and I are still ironing out the tradition there. My family always opened our gifts on Christmas Day, and didn't do stockings. I was absolutely astonished to find out that his family opened all theirs on Christmas Eve, and stockings on Christmas Day. As a new wife, I was very eager to meld traditions and even adopt his for the good of our marriage; but waking up to no presents on Christmas morning was too bleak even for a bride. Darren graciously adopted the Christmas-Day-Gift tradition.
How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Well, first we pull out our artificial tree, the one that's six feet tall if you make the very top sprig stand straight up. If you know anything about my family's Christmas-tree history, you know that's pretty much a joke. (I grew up with twenty-foot fir trees in the house. I am not kidding.) Then we decorate it with the dozen or so ornaments we were given as wedding gifts (great wedding gift idea there, by the way). We've collected a few more over the years, most notably the personalized ones for each of my children from my friend Debra. And, of course, the pickle -- our favorite ornament. We save it for last, and ask someone special to put it on every year. This year Phillip "put" it on.
Snow: love it or hate it? Snow is still a jazzy novelty for me. For everybody in this area, actually; the slightest snowfall is an automatic snow day, whee! And around here it has a nice way of dropping in for a visit, lying around for a day or so, and melting. Today is different, however: we got fully three feet in some places and it doesn't look like it's going anywhere for a while. By Tuesday, I'll hate snow.
Can you ice skate? Southerners don't ice skate. I can still roller skate, though, with those two-by-two wheeled skates, the real kind from the 80s, you know.
What is your favorite holiday dessert? Martha Washingtons
What is your favorite holiday tradition? "Christmas riding," which is what Rosemary and I called driving around looking at lights. This year, though, we've also done a Jesse Tree. Each night one child hangs an ornament having to do with a story in the Bible that typifies or prophesies Jesus. I like the fact that we turn off all the lights and light the Advent candles. The semi-darkness calms everyone down and is a restful pause at the end of the day. Also it makes the house look pretty.
Candy canes: yum or yuck? I always loved getting them, and never ever liked the taste. I ate them anyway, though. Couldn't resist the hook at the end of it.
Favorite Christmas show? Muppet Christmas Carol.
The other thing about these memes is that they don't have any closure. Just one last question and bang! you're done. I find it disturbing, but that's what you'd expect from a comfortable dressy-casual flat with a velcro strap.
-- SJ
Friday, December 18, 2009
7 Quick Takes, vol. 62
Not that I have done 62 "7 Quick Takes," but that is what Conversion Diary is up to.
1. The jokes that I tend to like best are those that poke fun at what is actually a tragedy: the numerous divisions in the Body of Christ. The best one I've come across recently was brought to my attention by Reason, and is written by the son of a friend of mine. It's called "Denominational Affiliation for Writers of the Bible," and I thought it was hysterical. The only one I disagree with is James -- if the reason given shows it to be Catholic, I think it should also be assigned Jewish, Italian, and German peasant writers. Luther had a wide range of dislikes :-)
2. A joke from Stuart: Where do Biblical eggs get together? At the syn-eggnog.
3. Dave Freer is a South African science fiction writer published via my favorite publishing company, Baen, who is moving to Tasmania. I've been following the adventures (and it is truly an adventure!) on his blog, and he told a marvelous story about a gecko this week.
4. Sara wrote before about our experience with Walter Jon Williams. I read a real-life article this week that sounded incredibly like Williams' book "This is Not a Game." I found it absolutely fascinating. I have sometimes fantasized about trying to do this myself, but I am way too much of a homebody to just up and leave like that.
H/T to Eve Tushnet (whose blog usually I find too sharp for my taste, but this was a neat link.)
5. There was a very interesting discussion on Faith and Family Live this week about doctor visits and teenagers. I suppose I should put more thought into this -- after all, I have talked to a number of clients at work who have run into issues with overzealous doctors and/or rebellious teenagers. After reading the discussion, I was mainly just glad that Addie is only eight.
6. This video called "The Advent Conspiracy" is a really cool idea. Our church is holding a special collection this Sunday (at least, if church isn't canceled due to a winter storm that’s predicted) to give food to local hungry people. As Deacon Dave said last week, "We aren’t talking a can or two of soup here. Buy the whole case!"
7. And on a related topic, I know that everyone has his or her favorite charity to give to, but I would like to highlight the Home School Foundation as a very worthy candidate of your generosity. It does terrific work helping single parents and those in need of financial assistance to be able to keep teaching their children at home during tough economic times.
Happy Advent and Merry Christmas to you all!
--DJ
1. The jokes that I tend to like best are those that poke fun at what is actually a tragedy: the numerous divisions in the Body of Christ. The best one I've come across recently was brought to my attention by Reason, and is written by the son of a friend of mine. It's called "Denominational Affiliation for Writers of the Bible," and I thought it was hysterical. The only one I disagree with is James -- if the reason given shows it to be Catholic, I think it should also be assigned Jewish, Italian, and German peasant writers. Luther had a wide range of dislikes :-)
2. A joke from Stuart: Where do Biblical eggs get together? At the syn-eggnog.
3. Dave Freer is a South African science fiction writer published via my favorite publishing company, Baen, who is moving to Tasmania. I've been following the adventures (and it is truly an adventure!) on his blog, and he told a marvelous story about a gecko this week.
4. Sara wrote before about our experience with Walter Jon Williams. I read a real-life article this week that sounded incredibly like Williams' book "This is Not a Game." I found it absolutely fascinating. I have sometimes fantasized about trying to do this myself, but I am way too much of a homebody to just up and leave like that.
H/T to Eve Tushnet (whose blog usually I find too sharp for my taste, but this was a neat link.)
5. There was a very interesting discussion on Faith and Family Live this week about doctor visits and teenagers. I suppose I should put more thought into this -- after all, I have talked to a number of clients at work who have run into issues with overzealous doctors and/or rebellious teenagers. After reading the discussion, I was mainly just glad that Addie is only eight.
6. This video called "The Advent Conspiracy" is a really cool idea. Our church is holding a special collection this Sunday (at least, if church isn't canceled due to a winter storm that’s predicted) to give food to local hungry people. As Deacon Dave said last week, "We aren’t talking a can or two of soup here. Buy the whole case!"
7. And on a related topic, I know that everyone has his or her favorite charity to give to, but I would like to highlight the Home School Foundation as a very worthy candidate of your generosity. It does terrific work helping single parents and those in need of financial assistance to be able to keep teaching their children at home during tough economic times.
Happy Advent and Merry Christmas to you all!
--DJ
Monday, December 14, 2009
Two Boys
It's impossible not to be charmed, right? Right.
Phillip is sitting in a "Bumbo seat," for those unacquainted with the latest in baby technology. Both boys do have bottom-type clothes on, honest.
Phillip is sitting in a "Bumbo seat," for those unacquainted with the latest in baby technology. Both boys do have bottom-type clothes on, honest.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Bell's Palsy
Below are two pictures of Addie.
The first I took the morning we discovered her palsy, two months ago. Her face is a little swollen and completely frozen -- after all, she's smiling with the other side of her face.
The next I took last night. Her face isn't back to normal by any means, but the right side of her mouth quirks upward when she smiles. That's significant improvement.
I can promise updates as events warrant; Addie Updates have become something of a hobby the last few weeks.
-- SJ
The first I took the morning we discovered her palsy, two months ago. Her face is a little swollen and completely frozen -- after all, she's smiling with the other side of her face.
The next I took last night. Her face isn't back to normal by any means, but the right side of her mouth quirks upward when she smiles. That's significant improvement.
I can promise updates as events warrant; Addie Updates have become something of a hobby the last few weeks.
-- SJ
The Health of Addie Update
I've been doing updates on Facebook, with the usual blithe forgetfulness that not everybody is on Facebook. So now I'm updating on my blog, with the customary uninformed assumption that everybody who isn't on Facebook at least reads my blog.
Back in October, Addie was diagnosed with Lyme's disease. We took her in because she woke up with Bell's Palsy, meaning that the right side of her face was temporarily paralyzed. (In previous posts -- or maybe it was on Facebook -- I said it was the left side of her face. That's because I can't tell left from right. Seriously, I get my kids' shoes on the wrong feet routinely.)
We did the 21-day antibiotic round, got her tested again, and even had her undergo an MRI. Results: the palsy indicated Lyme's, but nothing more terrible, and would repair itself. The Lyme's test came back positive again.
So! Next step was to get a picc line installed in Addie's arm so we can administer a stronger round of antibiotics directly into her body. For twenty-eight days, oh my. Darren is taking her in this morning for that.
It's been a pretty wearying adventure for Darren and me. As for Addie, she's taken everything in stride. She doesn't complain about her face, she takes any antibiotic or probiotic we give her, she went under general anesthesia for her MRI without a qualm. Yesterday she and I (and Phillip) spent all day in the hospital waiting for a picc line; she got a dose of the antibiotic but not the picc line. Addie considered it a vacation in her own personal resort room. She got to eat snacks and watch TV all day. (TV for the TV-less Jones kids is a serious treat and worth a hospital stay.) Underneath all that melodrama is a steel backbone.
Best of all, last night we noticed a real improvement in her face. It's not back to normal, but it's better.
That's the story so far. Good thing I'm done, because Phillip is expiring of hunger on the floor.
-- SJ
Back in October, Addie was diagnosed with Lyme's disease. We took her in because she woke up with Bell's Palsy, meaning that the right side of her face was temporarily paralyzed. (In previous posts -- or maybe it was on Facebook -- I said it was the left side of her face. That's because I can't tell left from right. Seriously, I get my kids' shoes on the wrong feet routinely.)
We did the 21-day antibiotic round, got her tested again, and even had her undergo an MRI. Results: the palsy indicated Lyme's, but nothing more terrible, and would repair itself. The Lyme's test came back positive again.
So! Next step was to get a picc line installed in Addie's arm so we can administer a stronger round of antibiotics directly into her body. For twenty-eight days, oh my. Darren is taking her in this morning for that.
It's been a pretty wearying adventure for Darren and me. As for Addie, she's taken everything in stride. She doesn't complain about her face, she takes any antibiotic or probiotic we give her, she went under general anesthesia for her MRI without a qualm. Yesterday she and I (and Phillip) spent all day in the hospital waiting for a picc line; she got a dose of the antibiotic but not the picc line. Addie considered it a vacation in her own personal resort room. She got to eat snacks and watch TV all day. (TV for the TV-less Jones kids is a serious treat and worth a hospital stay.) Underneath all that melodrama is a steel backbone.
Best of all, last night we noticed a real improvement in her face. It's not back to normal, but it's better.
That's the story so far. Good thing I'm done, because Phillip is expiring of hunger on the floor.
-- SJ
Monday, December 07, 2009
Tip for Writers
Amazing what just one letter can do.
For example:
"She took her cell phone out of her purse."
Not exciting, but gives the reader a concrete mental image to work with.
On the other hand, a simple extraneous letter can change everything:
"She took her cello phone out of her purse."
To tell the truth, I prefer the latter. Absolutely revolutionizes the story and blasts the reader's expectations to bits. But, perhaps because I lack courage -- I did remove the O.
-- SJ
For example:
"She took her cell phone out of her purse."
Not exciting, but gives the reader a concrete mental image to work with.
On the other hand, a simple extraneous letter can change everything:
"She took her cello phone out of her purse."
To tell the truth, I prefer the latter. Absolutely revolutionizes the story and blasts the reader's expectations to bits. But, perhaps because I lack courage -- I did remove the O.
-- SJ
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Saturday Evening Blog Post, 4
Today at Elizabeth Esther's, the Saturday Evening Blog Post lineup. I chose my numbers post. Since writing it, I've read more on synesthesia and I'm not sure mine qualifies as the real thing. But it was a whole lot of fun to write it and discover others who think the same way. Ha! One day we will unite and take over the world! And then get into wars over whether orange is male or female.
-- SJ
-- SJ
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Three Books
One
The name of the book is "Speed Decorating: A Pro Stager's Tips and Trade Secrets for a Fabulous Home in a Week or Less." It doesn't mention how the pro stager (Jill Vegas) recently took an Interior Decorating Refresher Course at the local college, but that's pretty obvious from the way she fluffed up her final exam essay into this book. That essay was entitled, "Some General Helpful Tips for Making Your House Nicer," and she wrote it about 4 hours before it was due.
Seriously, I suppose there are good ideas in this book, but the general feel of the writing is that you're getting a personal, one-on-one consultation during which the designer talks about her other clients and then has to rush off to another speed-decorating appointment.
My favorite part was the caption on page 5, which explained that "Adding some well-placed accessories... can go a long way toward making your space look beautiful. Here, a pair of tall vases and some flowering dogwood branches add a personal touch to a stone hearth." Then there's a picture of this stone hearth: it's a huge glassed-in fireplace built into the corner of a massive gray stone wall. Absolutely the right tip for those of us who live in suburban ranch-style houses! Because all suburban ranch-style houses have massive stone walls with fireplaces built into the corner!
I hope she got a B on her essay.
Two
If I were a normal person who watches The Food Network like the rest of America, maybe I'd have heard of Gale Gand already? No matter. Since finding her new cookbook, Brunch!, I love her. The commentary is entertaining and unpretentious. The book is full of fun recipes, none of them too bizarre (the farthest out she gets is white nectarines, mozzarella cheese, and pesto on skewers). As she says herself, good-tasting food doesn't depend on complicated recipes and intricate sauces; often it's just a matter of taking familiar food and adding an unexpected ingredient. Among the recipes I want to try are:
* White Hot Chocolate with Orange
* Hot Cocoa with Brown Sugar
* Peanut Butter and Jelly Turnovers
* Baked Eggs in Ham Cups
Let me know if you're interested in coming to brunch.
Three
Along with Nina, Darren wins Gold Stars in heaven for continuing to recommend books to me. Recently he gave me Tim Powers's Soul in a Bottle, knowing I like ghost stories. I'm picky about my ghost stories (surprise!): I like them eerie but not icky. (The graphic novel Coraline crossed that line. Just thinking about it makes me shudder.) This novella was amazing.
George meets a captivating, mysterious woman who calls herself Shy. It doesn't take him long to fall in love with her -- or to realize that she's the ghost of a poet who killed herself 40 years ago. She wants him to do something for her. But a withered, earnest old woman warns George against her. The story hinges on George's decision, and you honestly don't know which he will choose.
Great story, but what I'm still geeking out about is the author's incredible skill in telling it. The entire book is only 83 pages long, but you're moving in George's skin so you feel everything he does -- even when it isn't written out in front of you. The most effective aspect of the writing is how Powers will throw out a detail in passing that haunts you long after you put the book down. I'll never look at a climbing-vine pattern the same again. And wait till you find out about the pear-and-cumin scent.
Dear Mr. Powers, I wish I could write like you do.
-- SJ
The name of the book is "Speed Decorating: A Pro Stager's Tips and Trade Secrets for a Fabulous Home in a Week or Less." It doesn't mention how the pro stager (Jill Vegas) recently took an Interior Decorating Refresher Course at the local college, but that's pretty obvious from the way she fluffed up her final exam essay into this book. That essay was entitled, "Some General Helpful Tips for Making Your House Nicer," and she wrote it about 4 hours before it was due.
Seriously, I suppose there are good ideas in this book, but the general feel of the writing is that you're getting a personal, one-on-one consultation during which the designer talks about her other clients and then has to rush off to another speed-decorating appointment.
My favorite part was the caption on page 5, which explained that "Adding some well-placed accessories... can go a long way toward making your space look beautiful. Here, a pair of tall vases and some flowering dogwood branches add a personal touch to a stone hearth." Then there's a picture of this stone hearth: it's a huge glassed-in fireplace built into the corner of a massive gray stone wall. Absolutely the right tip for those of us who live in suburban ranch-style houses! Because all suburban ranch-style houses have massive stone walls with fireplaces built into the corner!
I hope she got a B on her essay.
Two
If I were a normal person who watches The Food Network like the rest of America, maybe I'd have heard of Gale Gand already? No matter. Since finding her new cookbook, Brunch!, I love her. The commentary is entertaining and unpretentious. The book is full of fun recipes, none of them too bizarre (the farthest out she gets is white nectarines, mozzarella cheese, and pesto on skewers). As she says herself, good-tasting food doesn't depend on complicated recipes and intricate sauces; often it's just a matter of taking familiar food and adding an unexpected ingredient. Among the recipes I want to try are:
* White Hot Chocolate with Orange
* Hot Cocoa with Brown Sugar
* Peanut Butter and Jelly Turnovers
* Baked Eggs in Ham Cups
Let me know if you're interested in coming to brunch.
Three
Along with Nina, Darren wins Gold Stars in heaven for continuing to recommend books to me. Recently he gave me Tim Powers's Soul in a Bottle, knowing I like ghost stories. I'm picky about my ghost stories (surprise!): I like them eerie but not icky. (The graphic novel Coraline crossed that line. Just thinking about it makes me shudder.) This novella was amazing.
George meets a captivating, mysterious woman who calls herself Shy. It doesn't take him long to fall in love with her -- or to realize that she's the ghost of a poet who killed herself 40 years ago. She wants him to do something for her. But a withered, earnest old woman warns George against her. The story hinges on George's decision, and you honestly don't know which he will choose.
Great story, but what I'm still geeking out about is the author's incredible skill in telling it. The entire book is only 83 pages long, but you're moving in George's skin so you feel everything he does -- even when it isn't written out in front of you. The most effective aspect of the writing is how Powers will throw out a detail in passing that haunts you long after you put the book down. I'll never look at a climbing-vine pattern the same again. And wait till you find out about the pear-and-cumin scent.
Dear Mr. Powers, I wish I could write like you do.
-- SJ
Friday, November 27, 2009
Tis the Season
'Tis the season to be a nail-biting mass of anxiety.
I'm not a big shopper -- my idea of a spree is three hours on a Saturday morning, going to maybe three stores but definitely getting home in time to take a nap. I'm also not a confident gift giver. Even having to get a gift for Darren, my favorite person in the whole world, makes my stomach twist up. And what two activities converge at the Christmas season? Yes, exactly, nail-biting and fretting.
(Actually, I use "nail-biting" figuratively. In reality, I bite my nails routinely.)
This year I tried to sneak past the anxiety by keeping Christmas gifts in mind all year long. It didn't work very well, because the problem isn't the lack of Things to Get. It's the fact that I don't really know what to get. For anybody. And when I do get something, I fret about it. And once I give the gift, I try to forget about it so I won't wonder if the recipient liked it.
Possibly I don't need to mention that the beginning of the Christmas Season has arrived once again with its arms full of brightly-wrapped angst?
But there are nieces and nephews to buy for. Kids are a little easier because even if they don't like the gift, they at least like unwrapping something with their names on it. Besides, I actually had real ideas of what to buy. A quick trip online would take care of a very big slice of anxiety -- before December even begins!
For the Northern branch: a Cranium game called Bumparena, which both children and adults can have fun with. My sister-in-law, Jessica (whose superpower is Gift Giving), gave it to Stuart about four years ago. So we used to have it, before I relaxed my vigilance and let Addie and Stuart play with it unsupervised. (I'm still throwing away vestigial gameparts.)
Turns out that it's no longer generally available. Well, not unless you want to pay $50 on Amazon. I was crushed.
For the Southern branch: a Little People playset, like the pirate ship and castle in our playroom. My kids and all visiting kids have loved those toys. We bought them both about three years ago and they've stood up to some pretty hard wear and tear. Perfect, perfect idea!
Turns out that they're no longer generally available. Not unless you want to pay $80 - $100 for it. I was devastated.
My gift ideas rare and valuable; I can't afford to have them shot down in one fell swoop. Now I'm back to the fretting and nail-biting stage, without ideas -- except, perhaps, becoming suddenly convinced that a natural, recycled approach is better for kids anyway and giving them all an ornament made from pipe cleaners and paper-towel tubes as featured in the latest issue of Family Fun magazine.
Don't worry, family branches. When the time comes, there will be a present for you. Badly wrapped, because I'm not good at that either, but your names will all be spelled right and there will be something inside that will be somewhat applicable to your age range and interests. You might want to brush off those little white semi-circle things before you open it, although it's nothing important. Just a few bitten nails.
-- SJ
I'm not a big shopper -- my idea of a spree is three hours on a Saturday morning, going to maybe three stores but definitely getting home in time to take a nap. I'm also not a confident gift giver. Even having to get a gift for Darren, my favorite person in the whole world, makes my stomach twist up. And what two activities converge at the Christmas season? Yes, exactly, nail-biting and fretting.
(Actually, I use "nail-biting" figuratively. In reality, I bite my nails routinely.)
This year I tried to sneak past the anxiety by keeping Christmas gifts in mind all year long. It didn't work very well, because the problem isn't the lack of Things to Get. It's the fact that I don't really know what to get. For anybody. And when I do get something, I fret about it. And once I give the gift, I try to forget about it so I won't wonder if the recipient liked it.
Possibly I don't need to mention that the beginning of the Christmas Season has arrived once again with its arms full of brightly-wrapped angst?
But there are nieces and nephews to buy for. Kids are a little easier because even if they don't like the gift, they at least like unwrapping something with their names on it. Besides, I actually had real ideas of what to buy. A quick trip online would take care of a very big slice of anxiety -- before December even begins!
For the Northern branch: a Cranium game called Bumparena, which both children and adults can have fun with. My sister-in-law, Jessica (whose superpower is Gift Giving), gave it to Stuart about four years ago. So we used to have it, before I relaxed my vigilance and let Addie and Stuart play with it unsupervised. (I'm still throwing away vestigial gameparts.)
Turns out that it's no longer generally available. Well, not unless you want to pay $50 on Amazon. I was crushed.
For the Southern branch: a Little People playset, like the pirate ship and castle in our playroom. My kids and all visiting kids have loved those toys. We bought them both about three years ago and they've stood up to some pretty hard wear and tear. Perfect, perfect idea!
Turns out that they're no longer generally available. Not unless you want to pay $80 - $100 for it. I was devastated.
My gift ideas rare and valuable; I can't afford to have them shot down in one fell swoop. Now I'm back to the fretting and nail-biting stage, without ideas -- except, perhaps, becoming suddenly convinced that a natural, recycled approach is better for kids anyway and giving them all an ornament made from pipe cleaners and paper-towel tubes as featured in the latest issue of Family Fun magazine.
Don't worry, family branches. When the time comes, there will be a present for you. Badly wrapped, because I'm not good at that either, but your names will all be spelled right and there will be something inside that will be somewhat applicable to your age range and interests. You might want to brush off those little white semi-circle things before you open it, although it's nothing important. Just a few bitten nails.
-- SJ
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Not Available at Your Nearest Bookstore
A Very Short Cookbook:
My Favorite Pea and Broccoli Recipes, by Darren
**
An Unsuccessful Self-Help Book:
The Art of Conventional Conversation, by Addie (who today told an optometrist that "I love books the way I love killing mayflies!")
***
Obscure Psychological Thriller:
Into the Twisted Mind of Number 9, by Sara
***
Short-Lived Adventure Hero:
Captain Oblivion ("What bomb?"), by Stuart
***
A Failed Romance Novel:
The Drool of the Nile, by Phillip
***
An Uninspiring Memoir:
My Life as a Courtroom Judge, by Daphne (excerpt below)
Lawyer: "Your Honor, it is obvious that my client is mentally ill and was framed for this crime and is innocent."
The Court:"Why?"
Lawyer: "Uh... I... what do you mean, why, Your Honor?"
The Court: I... said... WHY!"
Lawyer: "Um, yes, I'm sorry, Your Honor.... um, so that my client..."
The Court: "NO! Not 'so that'! You have to say BECAUSE when I say WHY!"
***
Just a little reminder that the world could be a little worse off than it is.
-- SJ
My Favorite Pea and Broccoli Recipes, by Darren
**
An Unsuccessful Self-Help Book:
The Art of Conventional Conversation, by Addie (who today told an optometrist that "I love books the way I love killing mayflies!")
***
Obscure Psychological Thriller:
Into the Twisted Mind of Number 9, by Sara
***
Short-Lived Adventure Hero:
Captain Oblivion ("What bomb?"), by Stuart
***
A Failed Romance Novel:
The Drool of the Nile, by Phillip
***
An Uninspiring Memoir:
My Life as a Courtroom Judge, by Daphne (excerpt below)
Lawyer: "Your Honor, it is obvious that my client is mentally ill and was framed for this crime and is innocent."
The Court:"Why?"
Lawyer: "Uh... I... what do you mean, why, Your Honor?"
The Court: I... said... WHY!"
Lawyer: "Um, yes, I'm sorry, Your Honor.... um, so that my client..."
The Court: "NO! Not 'so that'! You have to say BECAUSE when I say WHY!"
***
Just a little reminder that the world could be a little worse off than it is.
-- SJ
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Word for the Day
Stuart [stoo-wert] n:
1. A boy, characterized by irrepressible energy and enthusiasm, except when plagued by insupportable boredom such as when compelled to sit still and listen.
2. A boy who lists his hobby as "computer games." Interests also include Star Wars, Redemption, Pokemon cards, speaking in front of people, making strange noises, and reading comic strips.
3. A boy not characterized by a somber, serious outlook on life.
4. A boy who is seven years old today.
5. A boy who is loved very much by
-- SLJ and DAJ
1. A boy, characterized by irrepressible energy and enthusiasm, except when plagued by insupportable boredom such as when compelled to sit still and listen.
2. A boy who lists his hobby as "computer games." Interests also include Star Wars, Redemption, Pokemon cards, speaking in front of people, making strange noises, and reading comic strips.
3. A boy not characterized by a somber, serious outlook on life.
4. A boy who is seven years old today.
5. A boy who is loved very much by
-- SLJ and DAJ
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Mundania 26
* I've lost count of these Mundanias and am not sure whether this is actually 26 or not. Probably the fate of the world will remain unchanged.
* Yesterday evening, Darren came home and let me retreat to the bedroom for a while. I ate supper there, and then decided to lie down. An hour and a half later I woke up. Then I slept till 9 this morning.
* I'm thinking that five months of twice-a-night feedings caught up with me this weekend.
* Smoothies always disappoint me: they look appetizing, but they always taste thin or too tart. Well, we finally found a smoothie recipe that the whole family likes. It has bananas, berries, pineapple, milk... and sweetened condensed milk. Yum.
* Darren borrowed a card game from his co-worker, Dave, called "Mag Blast." The concept is simple enough that Stuart and Addie can both play, but gameplay is varied enough that Darren and I can play against each other. Since it involves spaceships attacking each other, the rules state that you must make sound effects when playing a card. The rules don't state that if you play all your cards in one turn, you get a kiss, but we do that too.
* Stuart is a very good gameplayer. It helps that he has an overlarge serving of Game Luck, which lets him get good numbers and good cards. (My friend Debra has Game Luck also, and by the time I was sixteen I stopped playing card games with her.) Whenever he makes a good play, he giggles. He seems well on his way to developing a maniacal laugh.
* Another synesthesia thing I remembered last night when Daphne asked me how to make a 5. When I was teaching Stuart, I was pregnant with Daphne. It made such sense to tell him, "Make a straight line across, a straight line down, and then a round baby tummy like Mama's!" But I couldn't bring myself to teach him that 5 was pregnant because 5 is, after all, male.
-- SJ
* Yesterday evening, Darren came home and let me retreat to the bedroom for a while. I ate supper there, and then decided to lie down. An hour and a half later I woke up. Then I slept till 9 this morning.
* I'm thinking that five months of twice-a-night feedings caught up with me this weekend.
* Smoothies always disappoint me: they look appetizing, but they always taste thin or too tart. Well, we finally found a smoothie recipe that the whole family likes. It has bananas, berries, pineapple, milk... and sweetened condensed milk. Yum.
* Darren borrowed a card game from his co-worker, Dave, called "Mag Blast." The concept is simple enough that Stuart and Addie can both play, but gameplay is varied enough that Darren and I can play against each other. Since it involves spaceships attacking each other, the rules state that you must make sound effects when playing a card. The rules don't state that if you play all your cards in one turn, you get a kiss, but we do that too.
* Stuart is a very good gameplayer. It helps that he has an overlarge serving of Game Luck, which lets him get good numbers and good cards. (My friend Debra has Game Luck also, and by the time I was sixteen I stopped playing card games with her.) Whenever he makes a good play, he giggles. He seems well on his way to developing a maniacal laugh.
* Another synesthesia thing I remembered last night when Daphne asked me how to make a 5. When I was teaching Stuart, I was pregnant with Daphne. It made such sense to tell him, "Make a straight line across, a straight line down, and then a round baby tummy like Mama's!" But I couldn't bring myself to teach him that 5 was pregnant because 5 is, after all, male.
-- SJ
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
What Do Your Numbers Say To You?
1 is a boy, surly and hard to reason with.
2 is a boy, older and quiet and responsible.
3 is a girl. She's bratty.
4 is a boy, good-natured and easygoing.
5 is a boy, and likes aggravating 4 and 6
6 -- dear 6! She's a princess, serious and kind.
7, a boy who's a real pest to 6 and 8, is always buttering up 9.
8 is patient and good-humored, especially considering she's stuck right beside 9.
9, oh horrors. She's the bad princess. She's mean and sly and manipulative.
10 is a boy...
What? What do you mean, what on earth am I talking about? Maybe your numbers have different personalities. Or maybe you want to talk about letters?
A is a girl, B is a girl, C is a boy, D is a boy...
Um. Colors? Red is a boy, Green is a girl...
Months of the year? Days of the week? Are you really telling me that you don't think of Tuesday as female?
So. Yes. That blank, possibly unsettled, expression on your face is what taught me not to discuss how numbers, letters, etc. live in my head. I learned years ago that not everybody spent first grade making their numbers talk to each other, or drawing wimples on their sixes and nines (9's wimple was smaller because she was the mean princess).
What I learned just a week or so ago was that this quirk has an actual name: synesthesia. There are many forms, mine evidently being ordinal linguistic personification. It's hereditary, too. Thanks, Mom!
Possibly this "synesthesia" is a partial explanation of why math is so muddled in my head. I remember my math lessons in elementary school being very noisy -- all those numbers jostling against each other. The odd numbers argued with everybody. The even numbers called out sympathy to other even numbers stuck next to a 9. The way 5 and 7 always aggravated the life out of 6; good thing she had 2 and 4 to stand up for her.
Other people could open their math books and see fifty practice problems. I saw a solid page of soap opera drama.
Now that I'm an adult, I've outgrown all those personality clashes. Ha, ha, not even slightly. I've just learned to operate on two levels: the everyday level where I deal with numbers and letters as flat, inanimate tools; and the sublevel, where there's a constant roar and babble of their neverending interaction with each other.
And, fact is, sometimes I let myself enjoy that sublevel like I did when I was eight years old. Because the world is way more interesting that way.
-- SJ
P.S.
The number personalities extend through the teens, up to 19. After that, the digits remain individuals. 89, 67, and 45 are conflicted numbers.
All letters are male or female, as are the basic colors, months of the year (January is female, March is male), and days of the week. As far as I can tell, there's no pattern to which ones are male and which ones are female. I don't consciously decide it: it's just the way things are.
2 is a boy, older and quiet and responsible.
3 is a girl. She's bratty.
4 is a boy, good-natured and easygoing.
5 is a boy, and likes aggravating 4 and 6
6 -- dear 6! She's a princess, serious and kind.
7, a boy who's a real pest to 6 and 8, is always buttering up 9.
8 is patient and good-humored, especially considering she's stuck right beside 9.
9, oh horrors. She's the bad princess. She's mean and sly and manipulative.
10 is a boy...
What? What do you mean, what on earth am I talking about? Maybe your numbers have different personalities. Or maybe you want to talk about letters?
A is a girl, B is a girl, C is a boy, D is a boy...
Um. Colors? Red is a boy, Green is a girl...
Months of the year? Days of the week? Are you really telling me that you don't think of Tuesday as female?
So. Yes. That blank, possibly unsettled, expression on your face is what taught me not to discuss how numbers, letters, etc. live in my head. I learned years ago that not everybody spent first grade making their numbers talk to each other, or drawing wimples on their sixes and nines (9's wimple was smaller because she was the mean princess).
What I learned just a week or so ago was that this quirk has an actual name: synesthesia. There are many forms, mine evidently being ordinal linguistic personification. It's hereditary, too. Thanks, Mom!
Possibly this "synesthesia" is a partial explanation of why math is so muddled in my head. I remember my math lessons in elementary school being very noisy -- all those numbers jostling against each other. The odd numbers argued with everybody. The even numbers called out sympathy to other even numbers stuck next to a 9. The way 5 and 7 always aggravated the life out of 6; good thing she had 2 and 4 to stand up for her.
Other people could open their math books and see fifty practice problems. I saw a solid page of soap opera drama.
Now that I'm an adult, I've outgrown all those personality clashes. Ha, ha, not even slightly. I've just learned to operate on two levels: the everyday level where I deal with numbers and letters as flat, inanimate tools; and the sublevel, where there's a constant roar and babble of their neverending interaction with each other.
And, fact is, sometimes I let myself enjoy that sublevel like I did when I was eight years old. Because the world is way more interesting that way.
-- SJ
P.S.
The number personalities extend through the teens, up to 19. After that, the digits remain individuals. 89, 67, and 45 are conflicted numbers.
All letters are male or female, as are the basic colors, months of the year (January is female, March is male), and days of the week. As far as I can tell, there's no pattern to which ones are male and which ones are female. I don't consciously decide it: it's just the way things are.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Star Wars Musings
It's the beginning of a new era in the Roberts-Jones household: we're showing our children the original Star Wars movies.
I grew up with the movies because I have three older brothers. I remember that Matt in particular was fascinated (spelled O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D) by the Star Wars universe. In fact, I can't even watch "Return of the Jedi" now without remembering the parts where Matt whispered explanations and pointed out cool parts. Like in Jabba's palace, there's a two-second shot of this growling toad thing that he thought was really funny. Basically I watch "Jedi" through my brothers' eyes.
As for Darren, "Return of the Jedi" was the last movie he saw in a theater until "The Phantom Menace" came out in 1999. (Those in Kingdom and ATI circles will understand the whole Not Going To Theaters thing.)
Since the movies are such a part of our growing up, even during my hyperspiritual teenage years when I set my face against them, it's been very enjoyable showing them to our older three. A few thoughts while watching (and I assume if you're interested enough to read this, you've seen the movies already, because I don't veil all the top secret plot twists):
* "A New Hope" has such a corny plot. But even after 30 years, it's still so much fun to watch.
* "Empire Strikes Back" is a better movie than the first, but not nearly as rollicking a ride.
* "Return of the Jedi" sure is polished and sparkly compared to "New Hope." They keep those New Death Star floors waxed, baby. Even Darth Vader gleams.
* Oh, yeah, Darth Vader. Is there any child who has not called him Dark Vader? He was the embodiment of evil and scary back then. Now I sort of want to laugh at his plastic helmet.
* The "enhanced" versions do not enhance the experience. Mostly the additions were created by geeks blatantly geeking out with new, geekier technology.
* Daphne announced, "I like watching and talking!" So true.
* Stuart has watched "A New Hope" about seven times in the past two weeks.
* Addie was so distraught over Luke's hand that she flew out of the room and missed the big pivotal line of dialogue. She was also distressed by the scene in "Empire" where Luke is bobbing in a tank to recover from hypothermia -- wearing only briefs. "Did they have to make him do that in front of EVERYBODY?" she wailed.
* "Did you hear what he said, Stuart? Leia is the other Skywalker!" "Yeah, I know, because she's the only girl in the whole Star Wars movie."
* Darren told the kids before starting "Jedi" that in one part Leia wears clothes that we don't approve of and don't want our daughters to wear. Addie agreed wholeheartedly, assuring us that she'd always dress "modern."
*I'm most impressed by the cool special effects and battle scenes because they weren't created with a video game in mind. See: Podracing.
Darren can sit through the new trilogy with them if he wants to, but I'm not interested. Trouble is, the kids probably like those just as well. Maybe better. Which makes me feel like a Baby Boomer, insisting that my original movies are better than THEIR new glitzy movies.
(But they are.)
-- SJ
I grew up with the movies because I have three older brothers. I remember that Matt in particular was fascinated (spelled O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D) by the Star Wars universe. In fact, I can't even watch "Return of the Jedi" now without remembering the parts where Matt whispered explanations and pointed out cool parts. Like in Jabba's palace, there's a two-second shot of this growling toad thing that he thought was really funny. Basically I watch "Jedi" through my brothers' eyes.
As for Darren, "Return of the Jedi" was the last movie he saw in a theater until "The Phantom Menace" came out in 1999. (Those in Kingdom and ATI circles will understand the whole Not Going To Theaters thing.)
Since the movies are such a part of our growing up, even during my hyperspiritual teenage years when I set my face against them, it's been very enjoyable showing them to our older three. A few thoughts while watching (and I assume if you're interested enough to read this, you've seen the movies already, because I don't veil all the top secret plot twists):
* "A New Hope" has such a corny plot. But even after 30 years, it's still so much fun to watch.
* "Empire Strikes Back" is a better movie than the first, but not nearly as rollicking a ride.
* "Return of the Jedi" sure is polished and sparkly compared to "New Hope." They keep those New Death Star floors waxed, baby. Even Darth Vader gleams.
* Oh, yeah, Darth Vader. Is there any child who has not called him Dark Vader? He was the embodiment of evil and scary back then. Now I sort of want to laugh at his plastic helmet.
* The "enhanced" versions do not enhance the experience. Mostly the additions were created by geeks blatantly geeking out with new, geekier technology.
* Daphne announced, "I like watching and talking!" So true.
* Stuart has watched "A New Hope" about seven times in the past two weeks.
* Addie was so distraught over Luke's hand that she flew out of the room and missed the big pivotal line of dialogue. She was also distressed by the scene in "Empire" where Luke is bobbing in a tank to recover from hypothermia -- wearing only briefs. "Did they have to make him do that in front of EVERYBODY?" she wailed.
* "Did you hear what he said, Stuart? Leia is the other Skywalker!" "Yeah, I know, because she's the only girl in the whole Star Wars movie."
* Darren told the kids before starting "Jedi" that in one part Leia wears clothes that we don't approve of and don't want our daughters to wear. Addie agreed wholeheartedly, assuring us that she'd always dress "modern."
*I'm most impressed by the cool special effects and battle scenes because they weren't created with a video game in mind. See: Podracing.
Darren can sit through the new trilogy with them if he wants to, but I'm not interested. Trouble is, the kids probably like those just as well. Maybe better. Which makes me feel like a Baby Boomer, insisting that my original movies are better than THEIR new glitzy movies.
(But they are.)
-- SJ
Sunday, November 08, 2009
A Wittle Wedding
I'm not sure it's good blog etiquette to link to your own post for no other reason than that you think it's funny. Yet I do it anyway. I posted this wedding announcement two years ago. Obviously I like my original post, but the additions by Nina and Queen of Carrots in the comments section are even funnier.
Enjoy! And for those still stuck in the early-kid years, take heart. This too shall pass.
-- SJ
Enjoy! And for those still stuck in the early-kid years, take heart. This too shall pass.
-- SJ
Saturday, November 07, 2009
Saturday Evening Blog Post 3
For this edition, I linked to my Diary of Bella Swan post: I got so many hits on that one that it made the Top Ten Posts by brute force.
Elizabeth Esther hosts more of the "personal best" posts from October. Feel free to throw your own link into the mix.
-- SJ
Elizabeth Esther hosts more of the "personal best" posts from October. Feel free to throw your own link into the mix.
-- SJ
Friday, November 06, 2009
Seven Quick Takes, Friday, November 6
1. I read a fascinating book this week called “The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist.” It’s a true story about a California priest who just a couple years ago was appointed to be the exorcist for his diocese. The book follows his training, which was quite extensive. He learned about how to distinguish between demonic oppression and mental illness, participated in a number of blessing and exorcism services, and came away with a real passion to help God’s people live in victory over the enemy. Very well written, and successfully walks the fine line between ignoring evil spirits and being obsessed by them.
2. This is a cool art site run by a deacon out West. He does all sorts of religious imagery, and we have his poster of the 3 Archangels up in our playroom at home. I really like his style, especially his non-wimpy angels. For a very reasonable price, I was able to purchase one of his pieces, of the 7 original deacons, to use as my email signature when I send out church-related email.
3. On another deacon blog (The Deacon’s Bench), I ran across “Rules of Engagement for Catholics on the Internet.” Which in my opinion is too narrow a title – these rules are good for all of us Christians. My favorite was #2 – “Your salvation is more important than your involvement on the Internet.”
4. Today on the radio I heard “Revelation Song” sung by Philips Craig and Dean. I love that song! I want to do it at church, but the verses have some odd rhythms, so we'll have to see if it ever makes it onto the playlist.
5. If you don’t already subscribe to Touchstone magazine, may I suggest you run out and do so? It’s a marvelous journal of “mere Christianity,” and lots of cool articles that make you think (and yell at sometimes, too). The current issue has a fascinating article by John Granger about the Mormon influences on the Twilight series, that Sara read to me the other evening. We had a good time discussing how much we agreed with Granger’s contention that Meyer is deliberately engaging in Mormon apologetics by some of her settings. For example, all the important confrontations between the good vampires (the Mormons, in Granger’s interpretation) and their enemies take place in a meadow in the mountains. Which just happens to be very similar to a place where the early Mormons wiped out a group of immigrants, apparently without provocation – although the Mormons hotly dispute the lack of provocation, and this episode has always been a large bone of contention between the Mormons and the Gentiles. In Meyer’s retelling, however, the good vampires are always justified in wiping out the enemies - and in fact, the enemies attack first. Sara was skeptical at first that Meyer was deliberately setting up this alternative retelling – she thought at most it might be unconscious use of imagery that Meyer was used to. I disagreed, thinking that Meyer most certainly knew what she was doing here. So I’d like to run a small experiment, if that’s okay. For those of you who are or were connected with the Kingdom, if you were writing a story that took place on a yacht up in the North Atlantic, and you were careful to cast the leader of the expedition as wise and well-intentioned while describing those who wanted to turn back as rebellious and unbelieving, would you have any specific incident in mind? Or would this just be a random setting for you with no specific association with history? I think Meyer’s writing here was completely deliberate.
6. An interesting tidbit from FaithWorld, Reuters’ blog on religion. I hadn’t thought of swine flu causing a problem for pilgrims. And wouldn’t it be cool to be part of a huge pilgrimage like those in the picture at the top? “Next year in Jerusalem.”
7. Last night Sara and I watched a movie that I really, really liked. It’s called “Hero,” and it tells the story of the first emperor to unify China. Told through the eyes of several assassins who are trying to kill him, I found it incredibly moving and thought-provoking. Lots of cool twists and turns.
For Conversion Diary’s 7 Quick Takes on Friday.
--DJ
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Educational Levels
Stuart asked, "Why do leaves change colors?"
I said, "Let's look it up." So we looked it up and talked about photosynthesis and chlorophyll and the change in sunlight and warmth. He was satisfied.
Daphne asked, "Why do leaves change colors?"
I said, "Because it's falltime." She was satisfied.
-- SJ
I said, "Let's look it up." So we looked it up and talked about photosynthesis and chlorophyll and the change in sunlight and warmth. He was satisfied.
Daphne asked, "Why do leaves change colors?"
I said, "Because it's falltime." She was satisfied.
-- SJ
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Good News, Bad News
Fresh bread was just out of the breadmaker, and the kids were buzzing around like yellow jackets to get some. Meanwhile, the living room was a disaster. I said, "Okay, y'all!"
They recognized the tone instantly. "I don't WANT to clean up!" Stuart wailed. "I want bread!"
I continued, "I have good news and bad news."
"We have to clean up," Addie muttered. (She really did mutter. Addie enjoys performing the literary conventions she reads about. You should hear her uncertain quavering voice.)
I continued, "The bad news is, we still have to wait about thirty minutes to cut the bread. The good news is, we get to fill up the time by cleaning up the living room!"
And I laughed out loud at my own cleverness, and because their puzzled expressions just made my funny statement even funnier.
For the record, Addie and Stuart didn't laugh at all.
-- SJ
They recognized the tone instantly. "I don't WANT to clean up!" Stuart wailed. "I want bread!"
I continued, "I have good news and bad news."
"We have to clean up," Addie muttered. (She really did mutter. Addie enjoys performing the literary conventions she reads about. You should hear her uncertain quavering voice.)
I continued, "The bad news is, we still have to wait about thirty minutes to cut the bread. The good news is, we get to fill up the time by cleaning up the living room!"
And I laughed out loud at my own cleverness, and because their puzzled expressions just made my funny statement even funnier.
For the record, Addie and Stuart didn't laugh at all.
-- SJ
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Not an Einstein
Dear Indignant Parents,
So your righteous indignation on behalf of your children has brought the giant Disney to its knees. You'll get your refund for those Baby Einstein DVDs you bought so your children would get smarter, but that turned out NOT to make your children smarter. Who'd a thunk it?
Before you apply for your refund, I have a little rant to deliver. First of all, please realize that everything today is touted as being educational or good for your health. For instance, I saw an ad for McCormick spices that detailed the health benefits. For SPICES. You know, that ground-up powder you put into your food, 1/4 tsp at a time, to make it taste better? Who needs health benefits? P.S. If you perked up and asked what antioxidants are provided by nutmeg, you may as well stop reading this and go back to applying for your refund.
Anyway, Baby Einstein was billed as educational, because that's what we parents like to hear. The stark truth, of course, is that DVDs don't make your children smarter. Disney just said that so you would buy the product. That's how advertising works, see.
I, personally, have several of the Baby Einstein tapes. (Tapes! Back in the old days, they came out on tapes.) These videos were my salvation when Addie was young and I was pregnant with Stuart. They rescued me again when I was homeschooling Addie and Stuart, and one-year-old Daphne was a Mama-seeking, school-destroying missile. I don't care much for the glitzy Disney versions; I like the original slightly unpolished ones. My kids liked them all. In that sense, they delivered exactly what they should.
But if you, overconcerned parent, thought they'd make your child smarter, and now you want a refund because you fell for an ad campaign... well, um, exactly who is it who needs a little IQ boost?
Take them for what they're for: entertainment. And don't ask for a refund.
-- SJ
So your righteous indignation on behalf of your children has brought the giant Disney to its knees. You'll get your refund for those Baby Einstein DVDs you bought so your children would get smarter, but that turned out NOT to make your children smarter. Who'd a thunk it?
Before you apply for your refund, I have a little rant to deliver. First of all, please realize that everything today is touted as being educational or good for your health. For instance, I saw an ad for McCormick spices that detailed the health benefits. For SPICES. You know, that ground-up powder you put into your food, 1/4 tsp at a time, to make it taste better? Who needs health benefits? P.S. If you perked up and asked what antioxidants are provided by nutmeg, you may as well stop reading this and go back to applying for your refund.
Anyway, Baby Einstein was billed as educational, because that's what we parents like to hear. The stark truth, of course, is that DVDs don't make your children smarter. Disney just said that so you would buy the product. That's how advertising works, see.
I, personally, have several of the Baby Einstein tapes. (Tapes! Back in the old days, they came out on tapes.) These videos were my salvation when Addie was young and I was pregnant with Stuart. They rescued me again when I was homeschooling Addie and Stuart, and one-year-old Daphne was a Mama-seeking, school-destroying missile. I don't care much for the glitzy Disney versions; I like the original slightly unpolished ones. My kids liked them all. In that sense, they delivered exactly what they should.
But if you, overconcerned parent, thought they'd make your child smarter, and now you want a refund because you fell for an ad campaign... well, um, exactly who is it who needs a little IQ boost?
Take them for what they're for: entertainment. And don't ask for a refund.
-- SJ
Monday, October 26, 2009
School as Home
I read recently that the president has suggested extending school days and school years to improve education. I think it's a stupid idea.
Of course I think it's a stupid idea. I don't even send my kids away to school. And when we do our schoolwork here at home, I feel stretched thin and worn out if it goes more than two hours. So it's not like I have an objective opinion here.
I guess it's possible that making the school day longer and going to a year-round school schedule will maximize educational opportunities. Maybe that way a middle school won't have to display student artwork that encourages classmates to get good grades by admonishing: "Don't Loose a Letter! You Can Do Better! Thums Up!" (Our friend Jeremiah has an actual picture of the actual poster.) I'm not involved in public education, so although I don't really think "more hours" equals "more education," it's not a debate I feel like getting into.
Obama mentioned that he also wanted schools open late to give kids a place to go. See, now that's the heart of my objection. School already sets the rhythm and structure for children and their families. Everything is planned around school. Now, in a culture where families are overextended and broken, school is to become a child's haven and home.
If you attend school for thirteen years, eight hours a day, every month of the year -- with only a few weeks' break here and there -- you will forget how to live at home. You'll reach adulthood knowing calculus and (ideally) how to spell "lose," but you won't have any idea how to grocery shop, cook a meal, keep a house clean, and occupy yourself when you're stuck and home and your computer won't work.
You won't know much about functioning as a family, which is very different from classroom management. A generation raised in school can't break the current cycle of dysfunctional families. In fact, such a generation may forget how to make a family at all.
For those who see academic and corporate success as the highest goal, centering a child's life around school seems like a very smart idea. For those with a slower, broader outlook, however, it's a grief to imagine.
Replacing a home with an institution is a very bleak prospect.
-- SJ
Of course I think it's a stupid idea. I don't even send my kids away to school. And when we do our schoolwork here at home, I feel stretched thin and worn out if it goes more than two hours. So it's not like I have an objective opinion here.
I guess it's possible that making the school day longer and going to a year-round school schedule will maximize educational opportunities. Maybe that way a middle school won't have to display student artwork that encourages classmates to get good grades by admonishing: "Don't Loose a Letter! You Can Do Better! Thums Up!" (Our friend Jeremiah has an actual picture of the actual poster.) I'm not involved in public education, so although I don't really think "more hours" equals "more education," it's not a debate I feel like getting into.
Obama mentioned that he also wanted schools open late to give kids a place to go. See, now that's the heart of my objection. School already sets the rhythm and structure for children and their families. Everything is planned around school. Now, in a culture where families are overextended and broken, school is to become a child's haven and home.
If you attend school for thirteen years, eight hours a day, every month of the year -- with only a few weeks' break here and there -- you will forget how to live at home. You'll reach adulthood knowing calculus and (ideally) how to spell "lose," but you won't have any idea how to grocery shop, cook a meal, keep a house clean, and occupy yourself when you're stuck and home and your computer won't work.
You won't know much about functioning as a family, which is very different from classroom management. A generation raised in school can't break the current cycle of dysfunctional families. In fact, such a generation may forget how to make a family at all.
For those who see academic and corporate success as the highest goal, centering a child's life around school seems like a very smart idea. For those with a slower, broader outlook, however, it's a grief to imagine.
Replacing a home with an institution is a very bleak prospect.
-- SJ
Friday, October 23, 2009
Seven Quick Takes Friday, October 23
For Conversion Diary's Seven Quick Takes rodeo.
1. I love reading Leah's descriptions of the differences between life in Africa and life in the United States. Her post this week about the offensive thumbs-up made me laugh out loud.
2. After reading Iron Elves (terrific book, by the way), I've started following Chris Evans' LiveJournal. He had a post yesterday about whispering into his Blackberry to remind himself of things to write later. I do this all the time with my cell phone and my work voice mail. Driving home in the evening, I'll think of things that I need to do the next day and leave myself messages to pick up in the morning. Probably not the most efficient way to do things, but it works.
3. In my opinion, one of the tragedies of the modern Christian age has been the decline in vowed monastic living. However, I had never thought of this result. Not being a beer drinker myself, I don't consider this to be a tragedy on the same scale :-)
4. I have watched this commercial 20 or more times this week, and I laugh every single time.
5. I have always been fascinated by the practice of Coptic Christians in Egypt getting little cross tattoos on the wrist. This week, there were two interesting blog posts on this practice. Gene Veith, whose blog is always a treat to read, suggested "Maybe we should do that, sealing a confirmation vow with a tattoo as a reminder that you can’t take it back!" Terry Mattingly at GetReligion.org had another point that I didn't know about: "They make it harder for Muslim extremists to kidnap their children and force them to convert to Islam, including forced marriages of young Christian girls to Muslim men."
6. For anyone out there who is a fan of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, Tor.com has been running a re-read with commentary for the last few months. It has been very interesting to me getting another person's take on the series, especially a reviewer who is so different from me on many levels.
7. I am tired of people in this house being sick.
And that's it! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.
--DAJ
1. I love reading Leah's descriptions of the differences between life in Africa and life in the United States. Her post this week about the offensive thumbs-up made me laugh out loud.
2. After reading Iron Elves (terrific book, by the way), I've started following Chris Evans' LiveJournal. He had a post yesterday about whispering into his Blackberry to remind himself of things to write later. I do this all the time with my cell phone and my work voice mail. Driving home in the evening, I'll think of things that I need to do the next day and leave myself messages to pick up in the morning. Probably not the most efficient way to do things, but it works.
3. In my opinion, one of the tragedies of the modern Christian age has been the decline in vowed monastic living. However, I had never thought of this result. Not being a beer drinker myself, I don't consider this to be a tragedy on the same scale :-)
4. I have watched this commercial 20 or more times this week, and I laugh every single time.
5. I have always been fascinated by the practice of Coptic Christians in Egypt getting little cross tattoos on the wrist. This week, there were two interesting blog posts on this practice. Gene Veith, whose blog is always a treat to read, suggested "Maybe we should do that, sealing a confirmation vow with a tattoo as a reminder that you can’t take it back!" Terry Mattingly at GetReligion.org had another point that I didn't know about: "They make it harder for Muslim extremists to kidnap their children and force them to convert to Islam, including forced marriages of young Christian girls to Muslim men."
6. For anyone out there who is a fan of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, Tor.com has been running a re-read with commentary for the last few months. It has been very interesting to me getting another person's take on the series, especially a reviewer who is so different from me on many levels.
7. I am tired of people in this house being sick.
And that's it! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.
--DAJ
Thursday, October 22, 2009
P.S.
Related to the post below:
Stuart was listening as the doctor explained about pneumonia. Darren saw Stuart's face blanch, but didn't think much of it.
In the car on the way home, Stuart asked anxiously, "Am I going to die?" It turns out there's this Calvin strip (he's memorized most of those books) where Calvin wants to go outside in the rain and demands to know why his mother won't let him.
"Because," she says, "you'll get wet, get pneumonia, linger a few months, and then die."
Poor Stuart thought he'd heard his own death sentence.
-- SJ
Stuart was listening as the doctor explained about pneumonia. Darren saw Stuart's face blanch, but didn't think much of it.
In the car on the way home, Stuart asked anxiously, "Am I going to die?" It turns out there's this Calvin strip (he's memorized most of those books) where Calvin wants to go outside in the rain and demands to know why his mother won't let him.
"Because," she says, "you'll get wet, get pneumonia, linger a few months, and then die."
Poor Stuart thought he'd heard his own death sentence.
-- SJ
The Swine Flu
Today for Show and Tell, class, we get to talk about someone who is currently experiencing Swine Flu! Or, as is appropriate to call it now, H1N1, which makes me want to pronounce it "heiney."
Stuart was diagnosed this afternoon with the swine flu, but we already knew what it was because he's been sick since Saturday. As in, running a temperature of at least 102 for six days. He also developed a deep cough two days ago. His temperature did drop to 99.6 last night, but shot back up again by morning. The nurse said without hesitation that he needed to come in.
I really didn't see why, because what could they do about the flu? Well, it turns out that it's not really the flu itself they're worried about. It's the pneumonia that sets in afterward. Stuart has a history of respiratory troubles, so although we haven't had any problems for at least three years, we were monitoring his breathing very closely for wheezing or rasping. We heard nothing, but the doctor detected some slight rattling and wheezing through his stethoscope. It was indicative of early, developing pneumonia. He said that the drop in temperature, and then the rise again, also indicated it.
I don't suppose he could know for sure it was pneumonia until it became a full-blown case; but neither he nor we were interested in waiting to confirm his suspicions. Stuart's on antibiotics to kill the pneumonia, and the occasional albuterol if his breathing gets bad.
He's still coughing, although not badly. His fever has gone down to 99. It seems as if he might have kicked the Flu's heiney. And I should have resisted that, but didn't.
Our major concern at this point isn't Stuart: it's Phillip. As with any sickness, especially respiratory, babies are at a very high risk. At the very first indication of fever or trouble breathing, we're to take Phillip in. Meanwhile, the doctor said, the flu is primarily airborne, so keep the boys as far apart as possible. Not that I'm anxious about this, but the whole reason I'm not in bed yet is that I had to come out and put a hand on Phillip's head to make sure it wasn't hot.
My experience with the Flu is that it lasts absolutely forever and the fever is a little worrisome. (Only a little because Stuart's never got above 104.)
Granted, if your child very small (the doctor didn't seem worried about three-year-old Daphne) or has breathing problems, then you have a bit more to concern you. But is it a replay of the flu epidemic of 1918, which took, among others, three of my great-grandmother's children? No. So ratchet down your general anxiety level. The warning signs seem easy to spot -- persistent fever and wheezing -- and we live in a time of blessings and antibiotics. Take a deep breath.
Um, and don't forget to pray for little Pip.
-- SJ
Stuart was diagnosed this afternoon with the swine flu, but we already knew what it was because he's been sick since Saturday. As in, running a temperature of at least 102 for six days. He also developed a deep cough two days ago. His temperature did drop to 99.6 last night, but shot back up again by morning. The nurse said without hesitation that he needed to come in.
I really didn't see why, because what could they do about the flu? Well, it turns out that it's not really the flu itself they're worried about. It's the pneumonia that sets in afterward. Stuart has a history of respiratory troubles, so although we haven't had any problems for at least three years, we were monitoring his breathing very closely for wheezing or rasping. We heard nothing, but the doctor detected some slight rattling and wheezing through his stethoscope. It was indicative of early, developing pneumonia. He said that the drop in temperature, and then the rise again, also indicated it.
I don't suppose he could know for sure it was pneumonia until it became a full-blown case; but neither he nor we were interested in waiting to confirm his suspicions. Stuart's on antibiotics to kill the pneumonia, and the occasional albuterol if his breathing gets bad.
He's still coughing, although not badly. His fever has gone down to 99. It seems as if he might have kicked the Flu's heiney. And I should have resisted that, but didn't.
Our major concern at this point isn't Stuart: it's Phillip. As with any sickness, especially respiratory, babies are at a very high risk. At the very first indication of fever or trouble breathing, we're to take Phillip in. Meanwhile, the doctor said, the flu is primarily airborne, so keep the boys as far apart as possible. Not that I'm anxious about this, but the whole reason I'm not in bed yet is that I had to come out and put a hand on Phillip's head to make sure it wasn't hot.
My experience with the Flu is that it lasts absolutely forever and the fever is a little worrisome. (Only a little because Stuart's never got above 104.)
Granted, if your child very small (the doctor didn't seem worried about three-year-old Daphne) or has breathing problems, then you have a bit more to concern you. But is it a replay of the flu epidemic of 1918, which took, among others, three of my great-grandmother's children? No. So ratchet down your general anxiety level. The warning signs seem easy to spot -- persistent fever and wheezing -- and we live in a time of blessings and antibiotics. Take a deep breath.
Um, and don't forget to pray for little Pip.
-- SJ
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Love, Sara
Dear Editor-in-Chief of Home Magazine's "Outdoor Living with Style":
Stop permitting your authors to use the adjectives "beautiful," "lovely," and "ideal." They make your pieces sound like a 19th century ladies' magazine, which I doubt is the image you're aiming for. Or so I judge from your picture on the back flap, in which your clothes are sophisticated, your smile knowing, and your eyes strong and assertive. Note that I didn't once call you beautiful or lovely; isn't that refreshing?
Love, Sara.
***
Dear Author of Home Magazine's "Outdoor Living with Style":
Does it bother you that you wrote this whole book and gathered all the photos, only to have the final published edition feature the editor's picture and bio on the back flap? Oh, wait, there's your bio, below hers. Good thing nobody cares what you look like, though.
Friendly tip: Don't send this woman a Christmas gift. She'll rewrap it and give it to her aunt.
Love, Sara.
***
Dear Walter John Williams,
I complained before about your books. I'm going to complain some more. I wish you'd explain things better so your readers actually know what you're talking about. As it is, we have to recite the Reader's Creed: "I believe in the author, creator of this story; and I believe his plot will work and his story is going where he says it is, even if that is hidden from my eyes. Amen."
It's not that I wish I hadn't read your books. I just wish you'd written them better.
Love, Sara.
***
Dear English Language,
I hate you. I hate having to shatter my smiling daughter's illusions that "capris" start with K and "ginger" starts with J. And let's not even discuss words spelled with "IE" or "EI." Why must you be this way?
Yours, Sara.
***
Dear English Language,
Well, okay, sometimes you're not so bad. Like tonight when we were eating lasagna. We concluded that Darren's didn't have to be suspicious that I've included something nutritious and ambitious.
Love, Sara.
***
Dear Flu, Lyme's disease, and Bell's Palsy,
Go away.
Sincerely, Sara.
Stop permitting your authors to use the adjectives "beautiful," "lovely," and "ideal." They make your pieces sound like a 19th century ladies' magazine, which I doubt is the image you're aiming for. Or so I judge from your picture on the back flap, in which your clothes are sophisticated, your smile knowing, and your eyes strong and assertive. Note that I didn't once call you beautiful or lovely; isn't that refreshing?
Love, Sara.
***
Dear Author of Home Magazine's "Outdoor Living with Style":
Does it bother you that you wrote this whole book and gathered all the photos, only to have the final published edition feature the editor's picture and bio on the back flap? Oh, wait, there's your bio, below hers. Good thing nobody cares what you look like, though.
Friendly tip: Don't send this woman a Christmas gift. She'll rewrap it and give it to her aunt.
Love, Sara.
***
Dear Walter John Williams,
I complained before about your books. I'm going to complain some more. I wish you'd explain things better so your readers actually know what you're talking about. As it is, we have to recite the Reader's Creed: "I believe in the author, creator of this story; and I believe his plot will work and his story is going where he says it is, even if that is hidden from my eyes. Amen."
It's not that I wish I hadn't read your books. I just wish you'd written them better.
Love, Sara.
***
Dear English Language,
I hate you. I hate having to shatter my smiling daughter's illusions that "capris" start with K and "ginger" starts with J. And let's not even discuss words spelled with "IE" or "EI." Why must you be this way?
Yours, Sara.
***
Dear English Language,
Well, okay, sometimes you're not so bad. Like tonight when we were eating lasagna. We concluded that Darren's didn't have to be suspicious that I've included something nutritious and ambitious.
Love, Sara.
***
Dear Flu, Lyme's disease, and Bell's Palsy,
Go away.
Sincerely, Sara.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Overheard at the Jones House
Doorbell rings.
"Addie, I think that's Brooke. Please tell her that we've got sickness in the house and can't play."
Addie: "Sorry, Brooke. We've got a flu invalid ["in-VALL-id"] so we can't come out."
***
Addie: "Oooh! I'm so tired!" [Collapses on the other end of the couch that Stuart has occupied for two days]
Darren: "I'm sorry. Do you think you'll live?"
Addie [being stoic and grown-up] "Yes. I'll be all right. Nobody's ever died of the flu!"
Darren and Sara: [Absolutely not touching that one.]
***
Daphne [all day long]: "I have a little tiny fever! I'm a little tiny sick! I need medicine! I have a tiny fever! I'm sick!"
Darren [5:00 pm]: "Daphne, you can't go outside today. You're sick."
Daphne: "I am NOT sick! I'm NOT SICK!"
***
I played a word game with Stuart and Addie tonight. We got it from Bookworm Adventures. The object is to guess the mystery word in five turns, with only the first letter provided. Stuart guessed my first word (HORSE) on his first turn. Addie had more trouble with DIMES, so I gently led her to the right conclusion, not wanting to flaunt my superior age and word skills.
Then they chose a word for me. Despite my best efforts, I went down in flames.
They'd chosen the word SIEGE.
-- SJ
"Addie, I think that's Brooke. Please tell her that we've got sickness in the house and can't play."
Addie: "Sorry, Brooke. We've got a flu invalid ["in-VALL-id"] so we can't come out."
***
Addie: "Oooh! I'm so tired!" [Collapses on the other end of the couch that Stuart has occupied for two days]
Darren: "I'm sorry. Do you think you'll live?"
Addie [being stoic and grown-up] "Yes. I'll be all right. Nobody's ever died of the flu!"
Darren and Sara: [Absolutely not touching that one.]
***
Daphne [all day long]: "I have a little tiny fever! I'm a little tiny sick! I need medicine! I have a tiny fever! I'm sick!"
Darren [5:00 pm]: "Daphne, you can't go outside today. You're sick."
Daphne: "I am NOT sick! I'm NOT SICK!"
***
I played a word game with Stuart and Addie tonight. We got it from Bookworm Adventures. The object is to guess the mystery word in five turns, with only the first letter provided. Stuart guessed my first word (HORSE) on his first turn. Addie had more trouble with DIMES, so I gently led her to the right conclusion, not wanting to flaunt my superior age and word skills.
Then they chose a word for me. Despite my best efforts, I went down in flames.
They'd chosen the word SIEGE.
-- SJ
Heed the Signs
Spotted by my sister while driving somewhere down home:
"YARD SELL"
"BOILED RAWFISH" (In their defense, the C fell off)
"BOILDED PEANUTS" (No defense, Your Honor)
Spotted by my mom:
NO SHIRT
NO SHOES
NO SWIMSUITS
NO SERVICE
"Darn! I forgot my swimsuit! I'll have to go somewhere else to get some pretzels and a Coke."
Spotted by me:
NO SHIRT
NO SHOES
NO SERVICE
NO PETS
I went into the store fully dressed and came out with a guinea pig!
(I collect bad signs like I do names. If you come across any particularly good bad signs, send me word.)
-- SJ
"YARD SELL"
"BOILED RAWFISH" (In their defense, the C fell off)
"BOILDED PEANUTS" (No defense, Your Honor)
Spotted by my mom:
NO SHIRT
NO SHOES
NO SWIMSUITS
NO SERVICE
"Darn! I forgot my swimsuit! I'll have to go somewhere else to get some pretzels and a Coke."
Spotted by me:
NO SHIRT
NO SHOES
NO SERVICE
NO PETS
I went into the store fully dressed and came out with a guinea pig!
(I collect bad signs like I do names. If you come across any particularly good bad signs, send me word.)
-- SJ
Friday, October 16, 2009
7 Quick Takes for October 16
For the Seven Quick Takes roundup.
1. A giant has passed. On Monday, Chris Klicka, the longest-serving attorney at home school legal Defense Association, passed away in Colorado after a 15 year battle with multiple sclerosis. I will miss him. I worked for him briefly nine years ago before I moved to the litigation department, and his passion for encouraging Christian parents to disciple their children was truly amazing. Of the tributes that I saw on the web, I think I liked this one best. "The era of Chris Klicka" - I like that.
2. Thanks to the generosity of the Morgan family on my birthday, I actually bought a brand-new hardcover book this week. This is rare for me; most of my books are paperbacks that I have picked up second (or third or fourth) hand at library book sales. The book is Prospero Lost by L. Jagi Lamplighter, the wife of one of my favorite bloggers, John C. Wright. I am thoroughly enjoying it -- I like the interaction between old mythology and modern technology.
3. When I was single and living at the Hall house, I was a regular at local high school volleyball games. In fact, when I went away for two months to study for the bar exam, the local volleyball team gave me a signed program saying that they would miss my cheering. (I would usually come home from a game with my throat hoarse.) In the last month, I have gotten to go to two local games, and I have brought Addie with me. It's great fun to hear her cheering loudly for the team, especially when we sit over in the visitor section and cheer for the home team.
4. This week at our homeschool co-op, the military history class I teach was on two battles that I entitled "The Defense of Christendom” -- the Battle of Tours in 732 and the Siege of Vienna in 1683. I am really having fun teaching this class. The boys are very good at asking questions and coming up with interesting solutions to the battles. Next week, we discuss Henry V at Agincourt and Joan of Arc at Orleans. I'm going to show them a clip from Kenneth Branagh's Henry V to show them what a cavalry charge looks like from the perspective of the poor infantry waiting to receive it. I first saw Henry V in a homeschool class that I had in high school, and it's still one of my favorite movies.
5. I always enjoy Gene Veith's blog posts, and I really liked the one he did today about a book burning of Bibles scheduled for Halloween - but done by a Baptist church in North Carolina! I remember running into a King-James-version-only advocate at a homeschool conference a few years ago, and it was a rather unnerving experience, since he was so intense and single-focused. With all the problems and issues of modern Christianity, I just can't get too excited about the alleged perils of the NIV.
6. When I was a senior in law school at Oak Brook, my senior paper was on the International Criminal Court, which didn't actually exist yet, since the Rome Treaty had not been ratified by enough countries. The conclusion of my paper: “It is obvious that the purpose behind the International Criminal Court is valid. Too many dictators and strongmen in the world today are not subject to any prosecution for crimes which are decried by all civilized humans. There is truly a gap in jurisdiction. Under natural law and revealed law, their actions are sinful and should be punished by the civil authorities.
But such a complex problem is not susceptible to easy solutions. The current Statute, while well-intentioned, is an attempted 'quick fix.' The serious attack on sovereignty and the lack of protection for criminal defendants show that the Statute is too problematic to fully address the problem.”
Now that the ICC is actually in existence, I have been in favor of many of its actions. However, it will be interesting to see whether the Court actually decides to get involved in the Israeli -- Palestinian conflict, should the UN Security Council determined that either Israel or Hamas has not sufficiently reviewed their actions in the recent Gaza war. After all, we know that this is a "classic blunder."
7. Last night on NPR, I heard about book that I think could be fascinating. It's called "Buy Ketchup in May, Fly at Noon." It's a book on the best time to do everything. Sounds like it's chock-full of great little trivia. Just my kind of book.
Have a great weekend!
--DJ
1. A giant has passed. On Monday, Chris Klicka, the longest-serving attorney at home school legal Defense Association, passed away in Colorado after a 15 year battle with multiple sclerosis. I will miss him. I worked for him briefly nine years ago before I moved to the litigation department, and his passion for encouraging Christian parents to disciple their children was truly amazing. Of the tributes that I saw on the web, I think I liked this one best. "The era of Chris Klicka" - I like that.
2. Thanks to the generosity of the Morgan family on my birthday, I actually bought a brand-new hardcover book this week. This is rare for me; most of my books are paperbacks that I have picked up second (or third or fourth) hand at library book sales. The book is Prospero Lost by L. Jagi Lamplighter, the wife of one of my favorite bloggers, John C. Wright. I am thoroughly enjoying it -- I like the interaction between old mythology and modern technology.
3. When I was single and living at the Hall house, I was a regular at local high school volleyball games. In fact, when I went away for two months to study for the bar exam, the local volleyball team gave me a signed program saying that they would miss my cheering. (I would usually come home from a game with my throat hoarse.) In the last month, I have gotten to go to two local games, and I have brought Addie with me. It's great fun to hear her cheering loudly for the team, especially when we sit over in the visitor section and cheer for the home team.
4. This week at our homeschool co-op, the military history class I teach was on two battles that I entitled "The Defense of Christendom” -- the Battle of Tours in 732 and the Siege of Vienna in 1683. I am really having fun teaching this class. The boys are very good at asking questions and coming up with interesting solutions to the battles. Next week, we discuss Henry V at Agincourt and Joan of Arc at Orleans. I'm going to show them a clip from Kenneth Branagh's Henry V to show them what a cavalry charge looks like from the perspective of the poor infantry waiting to receive it. I first saw Henry V in a homeschool class that I had in high school, and it's still one of my favorite movies.
5. I always enjoy Gene Veith's blog posts, and I really liked the one he did today about a book burning of Bibles scheduled for Halloween - but done by a Baptist church in North Carolina! I remember running into a King-James-version-only advocate at a homeschool conference a few years ago, and it was a rather unnerving experience, since he was so intense and single-focused. With all the problems and issues of modern Christianity, I just can't get too excited about the alleged perils of the NIV.
6. When I was a senior in law school at Oak Brook, my senior paper was on the International Criminal Court, which didn't actually exist yet, since the Rome Treaty had not been ratified by enough countries. The conclusion of my paper: “It is obvious that the purpose behind the International Criminal Court is valid. Too many dictators and strongmen in the world today are not subject to any prosecution for crimes which are decried by all civilized humans. There is truly a gap in jurisdiction. Under natural law and revealed law, their actions are sinful and should be punished by the civil authorities.
But such a complex problem is not susceptible to easy solutions. The current Statute, while well-intentioned, is an attempted 'quick fix.' The serious attack on sovereignty and the lack of protection for criminal defendants show that the Statute is too problematic to fully address the problem.”
Now that the ICC is actually in existence, I have been in favor of many of its actions. However, it will be interesting to see whether the Court actually decides to get involved in the Israeli -- Palestinian conflict, should the UN Security Council determined that either Israel or Hamas has not sufficiently reviewed their actions in the recent Gaza war. After all, we know that this is a "classic blunder."
7. Last night on NPR, I heard about book that I think could be fascinating. It's called "Buy Ketchup in May, Fly at Noon." It's a book on the best time to do everything. Sounds like it's chock-full of great little trivia. Just my kind of book.
Have a great weekend!
--DJ
Thursday, October 15, 2009
The Jones News Updates
<-------------- This little sidebar keeps a running update of new posts on Addie's and Stuart's blog. I think a couple of the posts are pretty funny. Okay, actually, I think it's all pretty cute, but you don't have to agree with me. But you should check it out just to make sure you don't agree.
-- SJ
-- SJ
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The Private Diary of Bella Swan
I can't very well apologize to Twilight fans for writing this because I'm not sorry. But I do understand if you don't think it's as funny as I do.
***
Dear Diary,
Well, I did it. I knew that since my mom, Renee, got remarried, she wouldn't have time to pay enough attention to me. So I gave her space by moving out, not that she appreciated this noble action on my part. So anyway, I've moved in with my dad up here in Forks. Yeah, my dad -- the honest small-town sheriff who's still loyally in love with my mom who left him years ago, who graciously agreed to rearrange his whole life so I could come live with him for no good reason. I show my gratitude to him by referring to him by his first name and thinking he's a schmuck.
So I start school, and it's awful, of course. What can you expect from people who live in a town called "Forks"? In fact, "Forks" just sounds so provincial and comically stupid that me and Steph (my author) like mentioning it anytime we need to emphasize how hard I've got it here.
I get to class, and wouldn't you know it, some kids are friendly to me? Can't they see that I'm lonely and feel awkward? I sit with them at lunch, but man I've got it so hard! What a lonely, friendless world for poor Bella!
Dear Diary,
One reason my life is so hard is that Steph (my author) wrote in her character-outline of me that I'm clumsy. So she's always inserting examples of my clumsiness. They usually have no bearing on the actual story, so it just makes my miserable life even worse to have to endure random acts of clumsiness.
Dear Diary,
I saw him today. OMG, I saw him! It's him! HIM! He's so hot! So handsome! His hair! His eyes! And -- oh diary, the bliss -- HE OBVIOUSLY HATES ME! What more could I dream of???!!!1!!!
Dear Diary,
It's been a while since I wrote. That's because I don't have time for diaries anymore. I really don't have time for anything now except His Mr. Hotness, Edward! This is it, diary, the real thing. Love. I love him so passionately that I don't even care that he's undead! THAT'S how real and passionate this love is! And he loves me! Passionately! Also he wants to kill me and drink my blood, but I know he never will because our love is so real. And passionate.
So everything else in Forks is pretty stupid still, but me and Edward, we're so cool. Also I met this guy named Jacob. He's cool, too. He's got this secret that won't be revealed until Book 2, so it's just too bad for all the readers who figure it out by the middle of Book 1.
Dear Diary,
Oh, yeah, and there are these mean vampires after me, so I just run around and do stupid things until Edward saves me. But mostly what life is about is me and Edward being so cool. And passionate. Also, Edward is hot! Fascinating! His skin! His lips! His eyes!
Also what I love about Edward is that we have so much in common! I mean, he's like a hundred years old -- really -- but it's not like he's got all these sophisticated grown-up opinions and stuff. I mean, he could have spent a hundred years learning other cultures and studying other languages and stuff, but instead he hangs around American high schools and his only observation about music is that the 1970s had some good stuff. I can totally relate to him! How I wish we could be 17 together forever!
Dear Diary,
Me and Edward have had to part. And since we aren't boring stupid practical adults who would try to weather this separation by writing or calling -- no, we're WAY MORE PASSIONATE that that -- he's just vanished! I'm going catatonic for about four months so won't be writing for a while.
Dear Diary,
Well here I am back again. Can you believe these stupid Forks people let me hang around them like a zombie all this time? As if I WANT to be with them! And Charlie, my dad, the schmuck, is all worried that I don't have a life but what does he know about DESTINED LOVE AND SEARING LOSS?!?
Two good things, though: one is Jacob, who's pretty cool and gives me something to do other than angst over Edward. The other good thing is that I found out I can hear Edward's voice if I do stupid things like skydiving off cliffs. So that's what I do. I can just hear the schmucky adults saying, "Wouldn't a cell phone be safer?" Whatever. My life isn't about safety, it's about love.
Dear Diary,
I've learned Jacob's big secret, and how he's a mortal enemy of Edward's and all. Serious bummer. But Edward's back in the picture (okay, how was I supposed to know he'd be back?) and that pretty much eclipses everything else. His lips! His skin! His hair! His EYES! And he's so tender but strong and refuses to have sex with me, which I think is SO NOBLE and don't AT ALL question the ability of an undead being to have sex.
Dear Diary,
I can't tell this to anybody. Not even Edward. It's the darkest secret I've ever had. But I have to write it down. Diary, the fact is, I actually prefer Jacob. To put it bluntly, I love him best. But Steph (my author) is obsessed with Edward, so I'm stuck with him.
In fact, it depresses me so much that Steph lives vicariously through me that there's really not much point in continuing this story. Suffice to say that Edward and I continue our improbable relationship, which results in an impossible child, whom we name an unforgivable name, and we all live angstily, passionately, eternally ever after.
Bummer.
***
-- SJ
***
Dear Diary,
Well, I did it. I knew that since my mom, Renee, got remarried, she wouldn't have time to pay enough attention to me. So I gave her space by moving out, not that she appreciated this noble action on my part. So anyway, I've moved in with my dad up here in Forks. Yeah, my dad -- the honest small-town sheriff who's still loyally in love with my mom who left him years ago, who graciously agreed to rearrange his whole life so I could come live with him for no good reason. I show my gratitude to him by referring to him by his first name and thinking he's a schmuck.
So I start school, and it's awful, of course. What can you expect from people who live in a town called "Forks"? In fact, "Forks" just sounds so provincial and comically stupid that me and Steph (my author) like mentioning it anytime we need to emphasize how hard I've got it here.
I get to class, and wouldn't you know it, some kids are friendly to me? Can't they see that I'm lonely and feel awkward? I sit with them at lunch, but man I've got it so hard! What a lonely, friendless world for poor Bella!
Dear Diary,
One reason my life is so hard is that Steph (my author) wrote in her character-outline of me that I'm clumsy. So she's always inserting examples of my clumsiness. They usually have no bearing on the actual story, so it just makes my miserable life even worse to have to endure random acts of clumsiness.
Dear Diary,
I saw him today. OMG, I saw him! It's him! HIM! He's so hot! So handsome! His hair! His eyes! And -- oh diary, the bliss -- HE OBVIOUSLY HATES ME! What more could I dream of???!!!1!!!
Dear Diary,
It's been a while since I wrote. That's because I don't have time for diaries anymore. I really don't have time for anything now except His Mr. Hotness, Edward! This is it, diary, the real thing. Love. I love him so passionately that I don't even care that he's undead! THAT'S how real and passionate this love is! And he loves me! Passionately! Also he wants to kill me and drink my blood, but I know he never will because our love is so real. And passionate.
So everything else in Forks is pretty stupid still, but me and Edward, we're so cool. Also I met this guy named Jacob. He's cool, too. He's got this secret that won't be revealed until Book 2, so it's just too bad for all the readers who figure it out by the middle of Book 1.
Dear Diary,
Oh, yeah, and there are these mean vampires after me, so I just run around and do stupid things until Edward saves me. But mostly what life is about is me and Edward being so cool. And passionate. Also, Edward is hot! Fascinating! His skin! His lips! His eyes!
Also what I love about Edward is that we have so much in common! I mean, he's like a hundred years old -- really -- but it's not like he's got all these sophisticated grown-up opinions and stuff. I mean, he could have spent a hundred years learning other cultures and studying other languages and stuff, but instead he hangs around American high schools and his only observation about music is that the 1970s had some good stuff. I can totally relate to him! How I wish we could be 17 together forever!
Dear Diary,
Me and Edward have had to part. And since we aren't boring stupid practical adults who would try to weather this separation by writing or calling -- no, we're WAY MORE PASSIONATE that that -- he's just vanished! I'm going catatonic for about four months so won't be writing for a while.
Dear Diary,
Well here I am back again. Can you believe these stupid Forks people let me hang around them like a zombie all this time? As if I WANT to be with them! And Charlie, my dad, the schmuck, is all worried that I don't have a life but what does he know about DESTINED LOVE AND SEARING LOSS?!?
Two good things, though: one is Jacob, who's pretty cool and gives me something to do other than angst over Edward. The other good thing is that I found out I can hear Edward's voice if I do stupid things like skydiving off cliffs. So that's what I do. I can just hear the schmucky adults saying, "Wouldn't a cell phone be safer?" Whatever. My life isn't about safety, it's about love.
Dear Diary,
I've learned Jacob's big secret, and how he's a mortal enemy of Edward's and all. Serious bummer. But Edward's back in the picture (okay, how was I supposed to know he'd be back?) and that pretty much eclipses everything else. His lips! His skin! His hair! His EYES! And he's so tender but strong and refuses to have sex with me, which I think is SO NOBLE and don't AT ALL question the ability of an undead being to have sex.
Dear Diary,
I can't tell this to anybody. Not even Edward. It's the darkest secret I've ever had. But I have to write it down. Diary, the fact is, I actually prefer Jacob. To put it bluntly, I love him best. But Steph (my author) is obsessed with Edward, so I'm stuck with him.
In fact, it depresses me so much that Steph lives vicariously through me that there's really not much point in continuing this story. Suffice to say that Edward and I continue our improbable relationship, which results in an impossible child, whom we name an unforgivable name, and we all live angstily, passionately, eternally ever after.
Bummer.
***
-- SJ
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Bullseye!
Ha, pun not intended, seeing as there never was a bullseye rash that we ever saw. Nevertheless, Addie's initial lab reports came back "strongly positive" for Lyme disease, hence the Bell's Palsy that's still part of Addie's life.
Fortunately the doctors put her on amoxicillin immediately, so another twelve days of that should take care of the Lyme. We just have to wait for the palsy to disappear on its own.
We got as far as saying, "The doctor called and said you do have Lyme disease," before Addie burst into tears, wailing about solitary confinement, presumably to keep from setting off an epidemic that would destroy all human life on our planet. We settled back with our books and said, "When you're done mourning, we'll finish what we have to say." Eventually, she allowed herself to be comforted by the news that the antibiotic would fight off the disease, and also that she wasn't contagious. But when Stuart added that the disease was inside her body, she threw herself on the couch and wailed again.
Rejoice with Addie, for not only is she sick, but she's got a DISEASE inside her body!
And rejoice with us that we've got a cause and that the solution seems very straightforward.
-- SJ
Fortunately the doctors put her on amoxicillin immediately, so another twelve days of that should take care of the Lyme. We just have to wait for the palsy to disappear on its own.
We got as far as saying, "The doctor called and said you do have Lyme disease," before Addie burst into tears, wailing about solitary confinement, presumably to keep from setting off an epidemic that would destroy all human life on our planet. We settled back with our books and said, "When you're done mourning, we'll finish what we have to say." Eventually, she allowed herself to be comforted by the news that the antibiotic would fight off the disease, and also that she wasn't contagious. But when Stuart added that the disease was inside her body, she threw herself on the couch and wailed again.
Rejoice with Addie, for not only is she sick, but she's got a DISEASE inside her body!
And rejoice with us that we've got a cause and that the solution seems very straightforward.
-- SJ
Monday, October 12, 2009
First Love
Darren and I got some time alone today. Free from constant interruptions, Darren asked me kind of a deep question. It was:
"Do you remember your first crush?"
Oh, wait. What he asked was, "Do you remember which movie star was your first crush?" Which was more suited to Dairy Queen Blizzards anyway.
My first celebrity love wasn't even a person. He was a fox. Robin Hood was handsome, dashing, romantic, funny... ahh. Everything a girl wanted in a hero. I loved Robin Hood.
(Not Errol Flynn. Certainly not Kevin Costner.)
Darren's first crush was Elizabeth Shue from Karate Kid. He was in good company: I recall that my older sister had posters of Ralph Macchio on her wall.
So, assuming you were eating Dairy Queen Blizzards with us, what would you answer? Who was your first celebrity crush?
-- SJ
"Do you remember your first crush?"
Oh, wait. What he asked was, "Do you remember which movie star was your first crush?" Which was more suited to Dairy Queen Blizzards anyway.
My first celebrity love wasn't even a person. He was a fox. Robin Hood was handsome, dashing, romantic, funny... ahh. Everything a girl wanted in a hero. I loved Robin Hood.
(Not Errol Flynn. Certainly not Kevin Costner.)
Darren's first crush was Elizabeth Shue from Karate Kid. He was in good company: I recall that my older sister had posters of Ralph Macchio on her wall.
So, assuming you were eating Dairy Queen Blizzards with us, what would you answer? Who was your first celebrity crush?
-- SJ
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Twenty-Five by Forty - An Update
Last year I posted a list of 25 goals that I wanted to accomplish by the time I'm 40. So, after a year, here's an update:
1. Read Dante’s Divine Comedy - not yet. I hope to start this one during the coming winter. Long winter evenings are good times to read!
2. Start learning Spanish - I tried doing this one by getting some materials out of the library, but ran into the same problem I found when I tried doing Latin II my first year of homeschooling - I need a teacher. I hope to do this one at my local community college in the next few years.
3. Take piano lessons for a year - no time, since I started taking Tae Kwan Do in the spring.
4. Learn how to bake bread from scratch - no, but I've gotten pretty proficient with the breadmaker :)
5. Go to a play - Yes! Sara and I went to see a presentation of "The Christmas Carol" at the local theater. I loved it! I so enjoy plays. Hopefully I'll get to see a presentation of "Pilgrim's Progress" in a month or so - my pastor's daughter is playing one of the characters.
6. Take kids to Disney World - no, but since our good friends the Shaws got back and gave tips on it, we've been thinking this one is actually doable. It may not happen in the next 4 years, though, because Phillip probably won't be old enough.
7. Memorize the seven penitential Psalms - done one (Psalm 6) and have started on another.
8. Witness to a non-Christian - no.
9. Make a deep friend - not a new one, but I've gotten back in touch with a number of people who I hadn't seen since the meltdown/explosion in our denomination a few years ago, and I'm scheduled to have supper with a couple of them who I was very close to, next month.
10. Take a retreat at Holy Cross Monastery - not yet. I need to see how Phillip mixes into the family routine before I try taking off for a day or two.
11. Read through the entire Bible in a year - started on October 1.
12. Read Sienkiewicz’s Polish trilogy - not yet, but I did read his "Teutonic Knights" and thoroughly enjoyed it again.
13. Write a good poem - babies and poetic inspiration don't mix in my world.
14. Teach a class on Church history - not yet, but I am getting to teach a class on Great Battles to the upper elementary class in our homeschool co-op. So far, we've done Ai, Thermopylae and Salamis, and Cannae and Zama. Next week is the Defense of Christendom - Tours and Vienna.
15. Go away for a weekend with Sara - we actually got away for a wonderful, fantastic, fabulous Friday and Saturday around Christmas, when our parents were here. Hurray!
16. Memorize the Lord’s Prayer and Apostles’ Creed in Latin - have started, but not completed yet.
17. Go to a performance of Durufle’s Requiem - no.
18. Get to a weight of 190 pounds - Hah.
19. Drive a PT cruiser - Yes! When Sara and I went out (see #15), we rented a Cruiser. It was okay, but I'm actually quite satisfied with my old Honda Civic.
20. Ride in a limousine - no.
21. Have 6 months worth of pay in savings account - Not. But the bank account is Much Healthier since Sara took over the budgeting in the spring. She's really good at it, and we're making progress in this direction.
22. Buy a nice fedora - no. And actually had to throw away the leather jacket that I'd worn for 9 years, because it was getting too many rips in it.
23. Learn to play guitar - I've started. It's hard work.
24. Get article published in Touchstone - no, and not a whole lot of inspiration for one. At least, not this late at night :)
25. Buy a good big seascape - no, but we have a beautiful painting of Harper's Ferry that we bought from a local artist for our anniversary. We love it!
And that's it. I am really looking forward to what the next 4 years bring!
--DAJ (I'm going to start putting all my initials now, because by the time I hit 40, DMJ is going to be blogging too, judging by her siblings' efforts)
1. Read Dante’s Divine Comedy - not yet. I hope to start this one during the coming winter. Long winter evenings are good times to read!
2. Start learning Spanish - I tried doing this one by getting some materials out of the library, but ran into the same problem I found when I tried doing Latin II my first year of homeschooling - I need a teacher. I hope to do this one at my local community college in the next few years.
3. Take piano lessons for a year - no time, since I started taking Tae Kwan Do in the spring.
4. Learn how to bake bread from scratch - no, but I've gotten pretty proficient with the breadmaker :)
5. Go to a play - Yes! Sara and I went to see a presentation of "The Christmas Carol" at the local theater. I loved it! I so enjoy plays. Hopefully I'll get to see a presentation of "Pilgrim's Progress" in a month or so - my pastor's daughter is playing one of the characters.
6. Take kids to Disney World - no, but since our good friends the Shaws got back and gave tips on it, we've been thinking this one is actually doable. It may not happen in the next 4 years, though, because Phillip probably won't be old enough.
7. Memorize the seven penitential Psalms - done one (Psalm 6) and have started on another.
8. Witness to a non-Christian - no.
9. Make a deep friend - not a new one, but I've gotten back in touch with a number of people who I hadn't seen since the meltdown/explosion in our denomination a few years ago, and I'm scheduled to have supper with a couple of them who I was very close to, next month.
10. Take a retreat at Holy Cross Monastery - not yet. I need to see how Phillip mixes into the family routine before I try taking off for a day or two.
11. Read through the entire Bible in a year - started on October 1.
12. Read Sienkiewicz’s Polish trilogy - not yet, but I did read his "Teutonic Knights" and thoroughly enjoyed it again.
13. Write a good poem - babies and poetic inspiration don't mix in my world.
14. Teach a class on Church history - not yet, but I am getting to teach a class on Great Battles to the upper elementary class in our homeschool co-op. So far, we've done Ai, Thermopylae and Salamis, and Cannae and Zama. Next week is the Defense of Christendom - Tours and Vienna.
15. Go away for a weekend with Sara - we actually got away for a wonderful, fantastic, fabulous Friday and Saturday around Christmas, when our parents were here. Hurray!
16. Memorize the Lord’s Prayer and Apostles’ Creed in Latin - have started, but not completed yet.
17. Go to a performance of Durufle’s Requiem - no.
18. Get to a weight of 190 pounds - Hah.
19. Drive a PT cruiser - Yes! When Sara and I went out (see #15), we rented a Cruiser. It was okay, but I'm actually quite satisfied with my old Honda Civic.
20. Ride in a limousine - no.
21. Have 6 months worth of pay in savings account - Not. But the bank account is Much Healthier since Sara took over the budgeting in the spring. She's really good at it, and we're making progress in this direction.
22. Buy a nice fedora - no. And actually had to throw away the leather jacket that I'd worn for 9 years, because it was getting too many rips in it.
23. Learn to play guitar - I've started. It's hard work.
24. Get article published in Touchstone - no, and not a whole lot of inspiration for one. At least, not this late at night :)
25. Buy a good big seascape - no, but we have a beautiful painting of Harper's Ferry that we bought from a local artist for our anniversary. We love it!
And that's it. I am really looking forward to what the next 4 years bring!
--DAJ (I'm going to start putting all my initials now, because by the time I hit 40, DMJ is going to be blogging too, judging by her siblings' efforts)
Pretty Special Day
So I need to come up with a post for today.
It's Darren's birthday, which I suppose is pretty special. His parents think so, anyway. They're always going on about how he's such a good son and all, the way he calls them every Sunday and is always, never fails, available when they need help or advice. So, yeah, they think today's pretty special.
Well, okay, his kids think so, too. They're all crazy about him anyway, the way he plays with them and treats them with respect and answers their questions and rarely raises his voice at them. Pretty much they can't get enough of him. So a birthday of his is a big deal to them.
Actually, he's got a brother and a sister and lots of friends who've got this idea that he's pretty cool. They say he's easy to talk to and a good conversationalist and good at keeping in touch. They think today's all special because of him, too.
I guess I should just come out and say that I think today's pretty sparkly special, too. Thirty-six years ago was the beginning of a fairy-tale story -- the one that ends with me being happily ever after married to a man who fills my life with love and laughter (and the occasional opportunity to build character).
Yeah, today's a special day. I admit it. Happy birthday to Darren! Lots of people love you, but I love you best!
-- SJ
It's Darren's birthday, which I suppose is pretty special. His parents think so, anyway. They're always going on about how he's such a good son and all, the way he calls them every Sunday and is always, never fails, available when they need help or advice. So, yeah, they think today's pretty special.
Well, okay, his kids think so, too. They're all crazy about him anyway, the way he plays with them and treats them with respect and answers their questions and rarely raises his voice at them. Pretty much they can't get enough of him. So a birthday of his is a big deal to them.
Actually, he's got a brother and a sister and lots of friends who've got this idea that he's pretty cool. They say he's easy to talk to and a good conversationalist and good at keeping in touch. They think today's all special because of him, too.
I guess I should just come out and say that I think today's pretty sparkly special, too. Thirty-six years ago was the beginning of a fairy-tale story -- the one that ends with me being happily ever after married to a man who fills my life with love and laughter (and the occasional opportunity to build character).
Yeah, today's a special day. I admit it. Happy birthday to Darren! Lots of people love you, but I love you best!
-- SJ
Friday, October 09, 2009
The Jones News
Stuart said he wanted to do a newspaper about our daily life. He also said he wanted to sell it and make lots of money. Not sure what I can do about the latter, but I did set up a blog to satisfy his reporting urge.
The Jones News
Take a look, if you've got a minute. It won't take long -- he may have grand ambitions, but it takes too much time to type them all out.
-- SJ
The Jones News
Take a look, if you've got a minute. It won't take long -- he may have grand ambitions, but it takes too much time to type them all out.
-- SJ
Seven Quick Takes Friday, October 10
Even if Conversion Diary isn't doing seven quick takes today, I thought I would.
1. For I think the first time in my life, I agree passionately with a stand that the National Organization for Women has taken. Except I’d go farther. Dave should be fired. Think about it. If a boss exhibited this type of behavior in any workplace that I have worked, he would be out so fast there would be skidmarks.
2. Now here is an interesting twist. Usually when I read stories about a noncustodial parent taking kids and fleeing to a foreign country, which then enforces its laws to deny access to the other spouse, it's the father who did the taking and fleeing. However, in this case, apparently Japan has a reputation for only allowing the mother to have custody, and even refusing to let the foreign ex-husbands visit the children.
3. Go Red Sox!
4. Good move, Miley. Maybe you can set a good example for millions of people who should do the same thing.
5. Question: “Will sequel equal original 'Phantom of the Opera' for Andrew Lloyd Webber?” Hmmm. Coney Island instead of Paris? Opening a year late? Answer: Nope. Not a chance.
6. I have been reading a book entitled The Deacon Reader recently. It's an excellent book, tracing the renewal of the Catholic diaconate after Vatican II. However, I picked it up to read last night before bed, and ran across this sentence: “In any virtue ethic, a person's character is formed by aligning one's actions with the moral truth so as to reflect one's inherent human dignity.” Which, as I told Sara, I agree with -- but it's a little too much to take at 10 o'clock at night. So I went and watched a movie instead.
7. This is a very odd story. Reminds me of the Helen MacInnes books I used to love reading in high school. Oh, who am I kidding? I still love to read them. The Cold War just made for better spy stories.
--DJ
1. For I think the first time in my life, I agree passionately with a stand that the National Organization for Women has taken. Except I’d go farther. Dave should be fired. Think about it. If a boss exhibited this type of behavior in any workplace that I have worked, he would be out so fast there would be skidmarks.
2. Now here is an interesting twist. Usually when I read stories about a noncustodial parent taking kids and fleeing to a foreign country, which then enforces its laws to deny access to the other spouse, it's the father who did the taking and fleeing. However, in this case, apparently Japan has a reputation for only allowing the mother to have custody, and even refusing to let the foreign ex-husbands visit the children.
3. Go Red Sox!
4. Good move, Miley. Maybe you can set a good example for millions of people who should do the same thing.
5. Question: “Will sequel equal original 'Phantom of the Opera' for Andrew Lloyd Webber?” Hmmm. Coney Island instead of Paris? Opening a year late? Answer: Nope. Not a chance.
6. I have been reading a book entitled The Deacon Reader recently. It's an excellent book, tracing the renewal of the Catholic diaconate after Vatican II. However, I picked it up to read last night before bed, and ran across this sentence: “In any virtue ethic, a person's character is formed by aligning one's actions with the moral truth so as to reflect one's inherent human dignity.” Which, as I told Sara, I agree with -- but it's a little too much to take at 10 o'clock at night. So I went and watched a movie instead.
7. This is a very odd story. Reminds me of the Helen MacInnes books I used to love reading in high school. Oh, who am I kidding? I still love to read them. The Cold War just made for better spy stories.
--DJ
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