verbatim

A Painting a Day

Every day Duane Keiser does a small (postcard-size) oil painting and posts it on his blog. So far he's sold all of them, for $100 each. It's no wonder—they're lovely.

Cool!

Go to Sketch-a-Move and scroll down to the little video. They draw a line or squiggle on a toy car, and it goes in that direction/pattern! Wowee!

Via Fishbucket.

Twins Born 5 Years Apart?

That's Stephanie on the left and Julie on the right, each about one year old.

Sunday Brunch

Colors
1. What is your favorite color? green
2. What color is your car? green
3. What color are your eyes? green
4. What color do you like to wear most often? black (ha ha—got ya!)
5. Name your favorite possession in each color of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet).

Red: my last bottle of Pesquera, purchased before the price went through the roof
Orange: I've been wandering around the house trying to find something orange, besides the Tide laundry detergent! I finally noticed my fruit bowl.
Yellow: I don't have much yellow stuff either, so I'll just say my butterfly T-shirt (the background of which is a sunny yellow, although it doesn't much look like it here).
Green: earrings (can't make up my mind which ones)
Blue: Le Creuset Dutch oven
Indigo: jeans, my "uniform"
Violet: Another color that is strangely absent from my life! Except for my comfiest sweatshirt.

Second Round of Responses

Three more people played along with my Audience Participation game; here are the results:

Joseph recommends:

Movie: "Donnie Darko" - I'm considering it, but I'm a wuss about scary movies!
Book: Rushdie's Midnight's Children - I haven't read it, but I just checked it out at Amazon and it looks great! Thanks for the recommendation.
CD: Belle and Sebastian, "If You're Feeling Sinister" - Another new one for me -- thanks!

Joseph asks:
1. What is your favorite word?
peace
2. Would you rather be notorious or never noticed?
never noticed
3. If you were given the chance to take one consequence free swing at W
where would you hit him?
right hook to the jaw

Kristen recommends:

Movie: "I Heart Huckabees" -- I don't get many opportunities to get to the cinema, so I will have to wait for this one on DVD.
Book: Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott -- One of my favorite books of all time! I give it to all new moms -- it's a must-read during those late-night nursing sessions.
Music: Keren Ann (French) -- And still another new one for me, thanks!

Kristen asks:
1. How do I get a freelance copyediting job?
It's a horrible Catch 22: No one will hire you unless you get experience, but you can't get experience until someone hires you. Your best bet is to find a job where you get to do some editorial work (even if it's just a newsletter or whatever), then move on from there. Or start off on the bottom rung in publishing as an editorial assistant, which is what I did, and don't say NO to anything you're asked to do! There are many, many online listings for freelance opportunities, but they all want experience. (See here and here and here for starters.) 
2. What's your favorite dish to cook?
Ooh, that's a tough one! Maybe paella, because it feels so special.
3. Do you overspend during the holidays?
No, not too bad. Andy and I don't exchange gifts for Hanukah, so I just have to buy toys for the kids, and I don't go overboard.

Melanie recommends:

Movie: "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" - That's already on my Netflix queue!
Book: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell by Susanna Clarke - I don't know if this one is for me, but I've certainly been hearing all about it.
CD: Rosario, "Muchas Flores" - Checked it out at Amazon, looks wonderful -- thanks!

Melanie asks:
1. Why don't you like coffee?!?
I can't explain it. I just don't like the flavor. I don't even like coffee ice cream or mocha-flavored desserts. Don't hate me.
2. What is the stuff your hairdresser uses to make the color last longer?
Oh, phooey, I just saw him Friday and forgot to ask. I will try to remember next time.
3. Is your fleebag fraying at the bottom corners?
Just a wee bit. The little metal "feet" help. By the way, the owner just opened up a retail store nearby! She's expanded her line to include diaper bags, cosmetic pouches, etc.

FridayQ

FQ TOPIC: Routine.

FQ1: Describe your morning routine on work/school days, from the time you wake up until you leave.
6:00ish: Get kissed by Andy as he leaves for work.
6:30ish: Hear Julie on the monitor, starting to stir.
6:45ish: Get Julie dressed, bring her downstairs to play with Steph and Pete (who've been up since God knows when) while I shower and get dressed.
7:15ish: Go downstairs for breakfast. Drink tea. Pack kids' snacks, lunches, backpacks, etc.
8:15: Leave the house.

FQ2: Now describe your morning routine on NON-work/school days (weekends, holidays, etc.).
6:30ish: Hear Julie on the monitor, starting to stir.
6:45ish: Play number guessing game with Andy to see who has to gets to get Julie dressed and bring her downstairs to play with Steph and Pete (who've been up since God knows when) while the other one showers and gets dressed.
7:15ish: Go downstairs for breakfast. Drink tea.

FQ3: And finally, describe your night-time routine before you go to bed.
10:00ish: Finish watching Netflix rental. Wake Andy.
10:05ish: Blog, Web surf.
11:00ish: Perform my toilette.
11:15ish: Go to bed.

FQ Fantasy: You've won 100 million dollars in the lottery! Re-write your morning routine one month from now!
6:30ish: Hear Julie on the monitor, starting to stir.
6:45ish: Play number guessing game with Andy to see who has to gets to get Julie dressed and bring her downstairs to play with Steph and Pete (who've been up since God knows when) while the other one showers and gets dressed.
7:15ish: Go downstairs for breakfast. Drink tea from sterling silver mug.

First Round of Responses

Thanks to those of you who have already joined in on my Audience Participation post! Here goes.

CJ recommends:
1. "Under The Tuscan Sun" - I saw it but didn't love it. But I do love Diane Lane!
2. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - haven't read it.
3. Martina McBride's latest album - never heard of her! I will check her out, thanks.

CJ asks:
1. Since mail carrier is out, if you could switch to ANY job (without consideration for training and/or schooling), what would you like to be or do?
Well, I'm one of those rare people who found a job I'm really suited for! I love freelance copyediting, I just don't have the time for it now. Or, more accurately, I'm not willing to make the time for it now while the kids are young.

2. What is your favorite holiday memory?
The first night of Hanukah this year was a standout. Stephanie said the first prayer all by herself and lit a candle by herself for the first time. She was so proud!

3. What characteristic of yours do you want people to remember you by?
Um, SmartKindFunnyAndHonest? I guess mensch would sum it up—that's the yiddish word for "good and decent person."

Margaret recommends:
"Goodbye Lenin" which is currently on my Netflix queue or "Amelie" which I LOVED!
The Time Traveler's Wife or Memoirs of a Geisha - I haven't read either of those.
The new U2 CD - I'll give it a listen, but I fear I'm getting too old for that crazy kid stuff. Sigh.

Margaret asks:
Has anyone discriminated against you because of your religion?
Not that I know of.

Scott recommends:
"Kiki's Delivery Service" directed by Hayao Miyazaki - I hadn't heard of this before, but it looks fun, thanks!
Small Pieces Loosely Joined by David Weinberger - haven't read it.
Gling Glo by Bjork and the Gudmundar Ingolfssonar Trio - Huh? Man, I'm out of touch.

Scott asks:
1. Did you laugh out loud when you read Eats, Shoots & Leaves?
Yes, but I also squirmed at the many, many outright errors! I should do a post on it. ARGH!

2. Did you inhale?
Yes.

3. If you were a superhero what would your special power be?
Going back in time and changing the outcome of things.

The Sun Will Won't Come Out Tomorrow

Martin lives in Inuvik, NT (Northwest Territories, a part of Canada above the Arctic Circle). He's just started a month of no daylight and looks forward to a time six months from now when there'll be no darkness! Fascinating.

This is just an example of one of the interesting blogs I've found while click-click-clicking away at Blog Explosion. And my own blog has gained new readers who leave me interesting comments. Win-win.

Le Parkour

Do you know what parkour is? Neither did I, until I watched this Nike video (way cool!) and read the disclaimer about the Presto shoes not really being suitable for parkour. For what? So I Googled def:parkour and found a description here.

I'll Take Two Cases, Please

The possibilities are endless...! Make your own here.

Hold on to Your Hats!

Guess what, the Origins people replied to my message about the typo! Here's their response, in part:

We appreciate your taking the time to let us know of the error which appears on our Last Straw Shampoo packaging.  At Origins we strive for perfection in everything we do, and to this end, we are conscientious regarding the quality and accuracy of information accompanying our products.  Despite our best efforts, there is that rare occasion, such as you have pointed out, when an error is undetected prior to manufacture. Your comments have been forwarded to the appropriate Origins executives, so that this matter may be addressed.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

I'm trying to think of any way in which the typo could have "inconvenienced" me (I wasted hot water as I spent an extra nanosecond in the shower contemplating it?), but I'm happy with the response all the same, particularly the correct use of the gerund ("your taking").

Audience Participation

A) First, recommend to me:

1. a movie.
2. a book.
3. a musical artist, song, or album.

B) Ask me three questions—no more, no less. Ask me anything you want.

C) Go to your blog (if you have one), copy and paste this, and allow everyone to ask you anything.

Different Strokes

There are some jobs that I think I'd enjoy only if everything was perfect that day. For instance, when I see my mailman—oops, I mean letter carrier—on a mild, sunny, breezy day, walking from house to house with his iPod, I'm thinking, "I could definitely do that!" But give me a single day of pelting rain and I'm turning in my mail bag.

I volunteer a lot at school, and I get a real charge out of working with the kids, particularly when we do Writers' Workshop. But you know what? I can't deal with the discipline problems. I just want to shake them by the shoulders and shout, "You're disrupting the entire class! GO AWAY!" Yup, I would only want to teach the good kids.

My vet who makes house calls gets to examine kitties all day. Oh wait, except for that time he called to say he'd be late because he was trying to administer pills to a pit bull!

Then there are the jobs I can't imagine doing even once. For example, my disposal regurgitated a handful of arugula stems the other day and blocked up the sink, and my trusty plumber came to check it out. I'm thinking, "Rotting food? Or worse, raw sewage? Um, maybe another day."

Then there's the guy who came by every day last week to take away trapped squirrels and put out new cages for the family who had taken up residence in our porch roof. Hmm, panicky rodents with sharp teeth? Nah.

I'm sure there are people who'd rather don HazMat suits and remove the asbestos from my old furnace (as two guys did indeed do last spring) than sit around correcting punctuation and spelling all day. That's what makes horse racing, eh?

A Bird in the Hand

Iron Monkey (via Fishbucket) has a selection of proverbs in need of updating. Here are some of my favorites:

Proverb: Strike while the iron is hot.
Problem: Refers to blacksmithing.
New Proverb: Flame while the newsgroup thread is hot.

Proverb: Don't count your chickens before they're hatched.
Problem: People don't count unhatched chickens any more, or watch them hatch. Modern bioengineered chickens are grown in vats.
New Proverb: Don't count your share of the Nigerian exile's fortune before it's wired into your account.

Proverb: . . . Bob's your uncle.
Problem: Erosion of traditional extended-family based group formation.
New Proverb: . . . Bob's some guy your mom met in a chat room.

Now here are some of my own creation:

Proverb: Don't wash your dirty linen in public.
Problem: No one hangs their sheets out to dry anymore
New Proverb: Don't discuss your spouse's infidelity on your blog.

Proverb: Make hay while the sun shines.
Problem: Decreased agricultural population.
New Proverb: Bid on ebay auctions during the wee hours of the morning.

Proverb: Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Problem: No one carries eggs in a basket anymore.
New Proverb: Don't save all your digital photos on one disc.

Proverb: Half a loaf is better than none.
Problem: Low-carb diet craze.
New Proverb: A handful of almonds and some nice prosciutto will hold you over until dinnertime.

Proverb: The pen is mightier than the sword.
Problem: Pen? Sword?
New Proverb: Mac OS X blows away Windows.

That's the Last Straw

Raise your hand if you think Origins is ever going to respond to my e-mail about the typo on the label of The Last Straw conditioning shampoo ("dolop" instead of "dollop").

Favorite Republicans: An Oxymoron? (Or Just a Bunch of Morons?)

Last night at karate, one of the senseis and one of the dads were oohing and aahing over what I gather was a bodybuilding shot of Arnold Schwarzenegger. When I looked up, the dad, who has seen my W lapel pin, smiled at me and said something like, "Oh, it's just a photo of one of your favorite Republicans, Ahhhnold!" I thought for a moment and then realized that Ahhhnold probably is in fact one of my favorite Republicans. I'm glad he's not my governor (although, come to think of it, I'd take him over Mitt Romney any day—ugh!), but at least he's pro-choice, pro-stem cell research, and if not actively pro-gay marriage, at least not actively against it either. (That is, he doesn't see anything wrong with it, but he won't fight for it.) He seems to be more of a Libertarian than a Republican. The same can be said of Rudy Giuliani and a number of other Republicans, including Bill Weld (for whom I voted in the 1990 Massachusetts gubernatorial race! See, I'm not necessarily a "my party right or wrong" kind of gal).

For the record, this dad held his nose and voted for Bush in November. He said he would have gladly voted for Bill Bradley, Mario Cuomo, or some others, but he didn't like Kerry. He said he votes the man, not the party.

Miracles of Modern Medicine

Many of the moms I know are stay-home moms, at least for now. I know many others who work part-time, and some who work full-time. Their occupations vary from lawyer to commercial video producer to architect to social worker. And I know a lot of moms who are doctors—pediatricians, cardiologists, allergists, you name it. One I found out recently is a surgeon. What kind, I wanted to know. Her reply: pediatric gynecology. I was speechless for a second (this doesn't happen frequently, as you might guess!) while I tried to imagine what that would involve. It turns out it's just what you'd expect, repairing unformed or malformed parts of the reproductive system, removing cysts and tumors, and so on. But one thing she does absolutely floored me. She explained that when a little girl has brain cancer, the radiation is often done straight down through the top of the head. So beforehand, she performs an operation in which she moves the girl's ovaries out of the way of the radiation! Imagine that.

First Time for Everything

Here it is, a blog post for just one person, whom I've never met:

Dear DJ in Paris,
You sent me two e-mails this morning, and I replied to them but they bounced back as spam. I tried several times, but no luck. Please e-mail me again and tell me what I should do.
Cheers,
Karen

Got a Question?

Ask the Advice Bunny! (And don't forget to get a second opinion from the Advice Duck.)

Abandon All Hope

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Eighth Level of Hell - the Malebolge!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Low
Level 2 (Lustful)	Moderate
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	Moderate
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Moderate
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Low
Level 7 (Violent)	Moderate
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	High
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Moderate

Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test

A Movie Shorter than the Book's Prologue

Lessee, we need someone to play a 14th-century Franciscan monk . . . I know, Sean Connery! No, not my first thought, either. But it's not as disastrous as you'd expect in "The Name of the Rose." This is of course the film version of the Umberto Eco book, which was the hardest book I ever slogged through on my own (that is, without a professor to guide me). I'd been invited to join a very serious book group and was warned that I must finish the book and come prepared to discuss it. I killed myself reading that book. So naturally the group happened to disband just before the meeting to discuss it.

Well, anyhow, the movie was just OK. Christian Slater looked about 8 years old.

PBJ Variations

Here are the sandwiches I had to make for my kids and their playmates recently:

1. peanut butter and jelly on bread with crust, sliced in half
2. peanut butter and jelly on bread with crust, not sliced
3. peanut butter and jelly on bread without crust, sliced in half
4. peanut butter and jelly on toast with crust, sliced in half
5. peanut butter without jelly on bread with crust, sliced in half

Chappy Chanukah!

No child has ever been happier than Pete is now. I'm not sure what I bought him, but it can transform from various robots into various vehicles and back again. Actually, it can't do anything, and neither can Pete, but Mama can. Sigh. So now he has a very complicated toy that he plays with for a few minutes, then asks me to transform into something else, and so on. But the megawatt grin on his face when he opened it was worth it.

Steph and Julie got more Polly Pockets. Pete had originally said he wanted some too, because he feels left out when they're playing and he doesn't have his own. I was going to buy him his own, but I reminded him that it would be in place of a "boy gift," not in addition to one. He decided he didn't want one anyhow. Tonight I asked him if he was happy with his transformer or wished he'd gotten a Polly. Ha!

Steph was very proud that she got to light a candle herself and even said the first prayer perfectly.

Not Your Average Horse Race

I thought "Hidalgo" was going to suck, but I was willing to suffer through it because Viggo Mortensen is so yummy. Well, it wasn't that bad—Andy even stayed awake for all 136 minutes of it! Compared to some of the other dogs we've rented, this was pretty good. And Viggo is indeed easy on the eye.

Time Is Running Out

Things to do before Bush's inauguration:

    1. Stock up on birth control pills.
    2. Drink a nice clean glass of water.
    3. Cash your social security check.
    4. See a doctor of your own choosing.
    5. Spend quality time with your draft age child/grandchild.
    6. Visit Syria--or any foreign country for that matter.
    7. Get that gas mask you've been putting off buying.
    8. Take out that home loan to cover filling up your gas tank.
    9. Borrow books from library before they're banned - Constitutional law books, Catcher in the Rye, Harry Potter, Tropic of Cancer, etc.
    10. If you have an idea for an art piece involving a crucifix - do it now.
    11. Come out - then go back in - HURRY!
    12. Jam in all the Alzheimer's stem cell research you can.
    13. Stay out late before the curfews start.
    14. Go see Bruce Springsteen before he has his "accident".
    15. Go see Mount Rushmore before the Reagan addition.
    16. Use the phrase - "you can't do that - this is America."
    17. If you're white - marry a black person, if you're black - marry a white person.
    18. Take a walk in Yosemite without being hit by a snowmobile or a base-jumper.
    19. Enroll your kid in an accelerated art or music class.
    20. Start your school day without a prayer.
    21. Pass on the secrets of evolution to future generations.
    22. Learn French.
    23. Attend a commitment ceremony with your gay friends.
    24. Take a factory tour anywhere in the US.
    25. Take photographs of animals on the endangered species list.
    26. Visit Florida before the polar ice caps melt.
    27. Visit Nevada before it becomes radioactive.
    28. Visit Alaska before "The Big Spill."
    29. Visit Massachusetts while it is still a state.

From At the Heart of It via Grow-a-Brain (as usual!).

Sunday Brunch

Precious Metals and Gemstones

1) Which stone is your birthstone? Do you like it?
Diamond. What's not to like?

2) Do you prefer silver or gold?
These days gold, although I do still like silver, too.

3) Name the jewelry that you wear whenever you leave the house.
Watch, wedding band, engagement ring, earrings. That's it. I own very little else, and the few necklaces and bracelets I have rarely see the light of day (or night, for that matter!). It's not that they're so fancy or anything, it just never occurs to me to wear them.

4) What is your most precious and valuable item of jewelry?
Certainly my engagement ring, for all the obvious reasons!

5) Do you carry insurance on any of your jewelry and if not, why not?
Just on my engagement ring.

"Tooth Fairy"

This week's Amazon short film is very sweet. It stars Chris Noth (AKA Mr. Big).

Pieces of Me

How cool is this? I did it with MacOSaiX. I used Google images based on the keywords Karen, mom, editor, and happy. It looks even better if you step back and squint a bit.

Panther!

So, I've upgraded to Mac OS 10.3.2, which comes with Safari. Do I need it now that I've got Firefox?

Miscellany

1. Thursday night I dreamed that I liked bourbon.

2. Friday I had to manuever the car around a butternut squash lying in the road.

3. When I woke up yesterday, I couldn't even get out of bed because my back hurt so badly. I somehow made it to the bathroom but almost fainted or threw up while trying to reach for the ibuprofen. I curled up on the floor until the wave passed. The ibuprofen, a hot shower, and lots of arnica cream made my day bearable. Today I have a little pain, but nothing like that.

Pretty Movies

Some Johnny Depp fanatic! I hadn't even seen "Don Juan De Marco" until tonight! What a fraud! This was such a sweet and romantic movie, and Johnny's got the "Chocolat" thing going, with the shaggy hair and all, and that always works for me. I think this was the first time I ever saw Marlon Brando play just a normal guy. Faye Dunaway overacted, unfortunately.

Last night we watched "Girl with a Pearl Earring." It was beautiful, and Scarlett Johansson was luminous. I didn't read the book; I read Girl in Hyacinth Blue instead, and that was enough Vermeer for me.

Counting Game

A few weeks ago, I couldn't access a link at Grow-a-Brain, because of some problem with my Java. I finally upgraded to OS 10.3.2 (from 10.1.5), and now I can play. And so should you.

Clicking here will take you to a page with a small video screen with a green arrow at the bottom. Clicking on the green arrow will launch a short movie.In the movie you will see a group of people wearing black or white shirts and playing with two balls. Your goal is to count how many times the ball is passed by those wearing white shirts. It’s that simple.Remember, count just the passes of the ball by those wearing white. (Do not run the movie more than once!)

Once the movie is over, write down the number of passes you have counted, and continue by moving to step two.

So, whattaya think?

Fun with International Table Manners

Don't Gross Out the World!

Now That's a Recipe!

Cooking with Esther Bangs

Feast of Presents Lights

For weeks now, I've been buying Hanukkah presents for the kids. I don't go overboard, but I do give each kid a gift each night for 8 nights. I try to do a biggish gift on the first and last nights and smallish gifts in the middle. So today I emptied out the closet where I hide stuff to see what I'd amassed. It wasn't as much as I'd expected. I checked my Learning Express receipt from a few weeks ago, and sure enough, I was missing a bag of 5 items! I called them sheepishly, explaining that it doesn't usually take me 2 weeks to discover I'm missing about $75 worth of merchandise, but I had hidden the stuff as soon as I got home that day and only today took it all out to start thinking about wrapping. Luckily they had the bag still there and were just waiting for some dumb cluck to call in. (Me.) So now I have too much stuff and have to figure out which are the 8 best gifts for each. It's hard not to spoil them, but I'm trying.

The Tooth Fairy Gazebo

If the pentagon dodecahedron calendar wasn't exactly your cup of tea but you do enjoy cutting and gluing paper as much as the next guy, then might I suggest you visit the Toymaker? Witness this gazebo, which will soon (I hope) house Stephanie's fifth baby tooth. (It has been threatening to fall out for weeks now.) Surely the Tooth Fairy will find it here, no? The Toymaker has boxes, bags, thaumatropes, and more. Beautiful stuff.

Friday's Feast

Appetizer: Tell about a toy you remember from your childhood.
Today I'll pick Lite Brite, because I just bought it for my kids! Now they make it in the shape of a cube, so up to 4 kids can play at once. Each year I like to give one Hanukkah gift that's for all 3 kids, and it's not easy to come up with something to please all! I think (hope) this will do the trick.

Soup: If you could make one thing in the world absolutely free for everyone, what would it be?
State-of-the-art medical care.

Salad: Approximately how many times per day do you think about your significant other?
A bazillion.

Main Course: Name something you believe in 100%.
Parenting is mostly about unconditional love.

Dessert: List 3 things you did this year that you would consider a "good deed."
1. School volunteer (library worker, room parent, etc.)
2. Brownie leader
3. Charitable donations (cash, clothing, books, toys, ec.)

FridayQ

FQ TOPIC: Blogged.

FQ1: Which entry in your blog is your favorite so far and why is that?
I can't say I have a favorite, but I'll pick my Open Letters to the People Who Honked at Me Today, because it's Andy's favorite.

FQ2: Which entry in your blog has gotten you the most attention and why do you think that is?
My first real post (that is, the first one after the obligatory "testing, testing" post). That was the post read by the most people I know personally, because when I sent out an e-mail saying "I started a blog," some people read only the first day's posts and didn't really "get" that this would be an ongoing thing. Not the most Web-savvy folks, my friends and family, that's for sure.

FQ3: Which entry in your blog do you feel was overlooked and why should people have read it?
Um, I'd say about 9 out of 10! My friends and family are forever e-mailing me links and jokes and such, and I'm always saying, "Yeah, well, that was on my blog last week!" Who reads this thing, anyhow?!

FQ Reveal: Which entry in your blog do you think is most indicative of who you are, and what makes it so?
Cop-out answer: All of them! I'm a mommy, a (sometime) copyeditor, a cook, a movie watcher, a reader, a bleeding-heart liberal Democrat, a lover of edgy humor, and everything else in there. What you see is what you get, my friends.

Anyone care to nominate other suggestions for any of these categories?

Jinx!

(That could easily have been the title of a post in which I discuss Stephanie and Pete, who seem to exist solely for the opportunity to catch each other —or me—saying the same thing as someone else and shouting "JINX!" and then immediately saying the person's name so as to release them from their 1/19th of a second of silence. Stephanie has also come up with something called "Personal Jinx," which, apparently, she can unleash at any time for no real reason. But this post is not about that. Ahem.)

I double-cursed myself yesterday. First, I started to write a post about how my back hasn't been hurting me for a few weeks now. It was gradually getting better, so gradually that I didn't really notice the pain was pretty much gone until yesterday. I deleted the post. Too bad! I can barely walk upright today.

I also started to write a post about how Pete hasn't peed the bed in a while. We've been going in to drag him to the toilet every night around 9:30 or 10:00, and that seems to do the trick. It's still unclear whether he holds it for the rest of the night or gets up by himself to go. Anyhow, I deleted the post, but shortly thereafter I went in to bring him to the bathroom—and had to change his sheets too.

Talk about your personal jinx, eh?

Jumble!

I forgot about the beloved Jumble games of my youth. It would appear that I'm very rusty—yesterday's puzzle took me forever to solve.

Do you know who is the King of the Jumble? Andy. Yup.

Well, That 'Splains It

From Nina.

Ooh-Ooh That Smell

Being Daddy asks us to list the . . .

10 Smells I'd Forgotten About As An Adult That Now As A Father [Mother] Bring Me Right Back To My Own Childhood

1. Play-Doh
2. graham crackers
3. recently sucked fingers
4. artificial watermelon-flavored candy
5. Oreos
6. Cheerios
7. Johnson's Baby Shampoo
8. a freshly opened package of construction paper
9. Elmer's glue
10. chocolate milk

Sad Day

It seems as though every time I have a funeral to go to, it's pouring rain. And that suits me just fine. I'd just as soon be miserable on a miserable day. (I can't help but think of the various eye-witness accounts of 9/11, seemingly all of which start off with, "It was the most beautiful day imaginable." Somehow that made the enormity* of the attacks that much more devastating, don't you think?) Our friend Steve's father died on Sunday, after a beautiful long weekend with his wife, sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren. Even though his health has been bad for many years (really, since I've known him), it still was "unexpected" when he had his heart attack. Tamara is at sea; they were inseparable and an island unto themselves. She kept asking, "How will I get through this?" and looking hopefully at people's faces as if she might find the answer there.

As an aside, I don't understand how people can present eulogies at their loved ones' funerals. I am a basket case even when it's not my own relative who died. I can't imagine being able to engage in public speaking at my own parent's funeral. At best, I could maybe write something and ask the rabbi to read it.

*enormity means big, bad thing, not just big thing. It's not a synonym for enormousness. Thus, the enormity of the Holocaust, but not the enormity of someone's love.