verbatim

Book Review

I forgot to mention last week that I finished Kazuo Ishiguro's novel Never Let Me Go. Wow, it's still hard for me to believe that this is the same author who brought us The Remains of the Day, one of my favorite books (and, incidentally, one of the few cases in which a film adaptation lived up to the book—I hope you've both seen the movie and read the book; if not, you're in for a double treat). I mean, the writing in both books is just as gorgeous and heart-felt and carefully executed, but the plotlines couldn't be more different. Whereas The Remains of the Day concerned the dying days of a proper British estate and, more importantly, its staff of household help, Never Let Me Go tells the story of a mysterious boarding school for "special children." Hints are dropped here and there about the purpose of the school, but it's left to the reader to piece everything together. I won't give away any more than that.

I picked up and put aside this book many times in the past—picked it up because it was recommended so highly and because I love Ishiguro's use of language; put it aside because I was turned off by the idea that it would be futuristic, sci-fi, upsetting, and just plain weird. Well, it's a little bit of all those things, but it is all done with such a deft hand that I wasn't freaked out by it. Once you start to realize what's going on, you just kind of accept it (albeit with a burning curiosity to know more details about how things came to be this way); this is all thanks to the voice of our narrator, Kathy H., who just tells it like it is. She is at a point when she is looking back on her years at the boarding school and remembering the relationships she had there and what became of them.

Truly, this is a remarkable book, both hard to put down and devastating to consider and reconsider after reading. I am normally not a fan of dystopian novels (I'm still haunted by the memory of The Handmaid's Tale, which I had to read for a college course), but this one was somehow easier to take, probably because Ishiguro really seems to care about his characters and goes out of his way to let them show their heart and soul.

And you know what? The more I think about it, perhaps Never Let Me Go and The Remains of the Day are not as different as I first thought. Both introduce us to characters who are born into a particular life, one that may seem unfair to us but one that they accept without question as "their lot." They have all the same doubts, fears, and passions as we do, but they recognize that "theirs is not to ask why." We feel for them and want them to ask why, but instead we must just watch them living out their assigned destinies.

Ow, My Toe!

So I forgot that some of my loyal readers (cough, cough, one pair of brothers in particular) like nothing better than my tales of hypochondria. I've withheld from you, friends, and I apologize.

Last Thursday night, out of nowhere, the second toe on my left foot began to hurt like you can't imagine. Well, maybe you can imagine: Supposing someone wrapped your three smallest toes and your big toe in bubble wrap, and your instep too, just to be safe, and in fact the tip of your second toe too. Then, imagine that same someone whacked your still-mostly-exposed second toe with an iron mallet of some sort. Or dropped an anvil on it. Or the like. Yow!

Of course I lay awake most of the night imagining gangrene + amputation + no one at Kim's being willing to give me a pedicure etc. By morning, I was not feeling quite so dramatic but still very much in pain.

Several Twitter pals suggested gout. (With pals like that, who needs enemies?) I didn't think so, what with gout mostly affecting men's big toes, but who knows? But the initial symptoms of gout are redness, swelling, and hotness, none of which my poor toe had. It just plain hurt, right smack in the middle. Not on the surface, either, like a cut or bite, but deep within.

I could barely put weight on that foot all day.

Next day: Gone! Completely and utterly gone. I don't know which is more remarkable: the suddenness of the onset of excruciating pain or the suddenness of departure of excruciating pain, but I'm glad it's done with.

Today

7:45    Andy leaves to drive up to camp to pick up Steph.
9:15    Andy arrives at camp, only to learn that they've let everyone sleep late because it's pouring rain.
9:45    Andy and Steph leave camp.
10:30    Andy and Steph arrive home! Joyous reunion!*
10:45    Andy goes to work; Karen takes Steph, Pete, and Julie to pediatrician for rabies shot #3.
11:30    Kids get shot #3.
11:45    We hit the road for camp.
12:45    We arrive at camp, leave Steph.
1:15    We hit intense thunderstorms on Route 3. Scary.
2:15    We arrive at Waltham Urgent Care Center for Karen's shot #3.
2:45    Ouch!
3:15    We finish up with paperwork and leave.
4:00    Pool!

(To be repeated next Monday.)

*Steph was awesome. She loves camp the way I loved camp, feeling as though THIS is the place she is meant to be. I asked about every meal, every activity, every person. She is so happy, so self-confident, so in her element. This is THE BEST.

More from Maira

You know I'm a big fan of Maira Kalman—you'll recall how delighted I was by her illustrated version of Strunk & White, and how moved by this piece about Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Well, here's another one: this time about a visit to Monticello and a peek inside the life of Thomas Jefferson. Really, take a few minutes to check it out (and the Ginsburg one, if you haven't already).

Surely I Jest

I finally settled in for the start of Infinite Jest yesterday (for those who missed the big news, I'm doing the Infinite Summer thing). Even though I'm a really good reader, I was nervous that it would be very hard work and that the challenges would soon become too daunting too face. I even considered buying this Reader's Guide.

People kept talking about the need to have a dictionary handy, and the footnotes (!), and the seemingly endless cast of characters to keep track of, and so on. Well, none of this has been a problem so far. Yes, I've looked up a few words (lapidary and pargeted, for instance); yes, I keep one bookmark on the part I'm reading and another at the footnotes endnotes and find it disruptive when an endnote comes in the middle of a sentence (and then when the endnote has its own footnote); and yes, I've had to flip back a few pages now and again to remember a character's name (I predict I will soon feel very grateful for this handy database of characters). Big deal. Sure, it's more work than a drugstore whodunnit, but the reward is already so much greater (and I still have more than a thousand pages to go—gulp!). I have quite literally laughed out loud several times while reading, and that sure doesn't happen every day. I am blown away and am so glad I took this challenge.

My 2006 paperback edition comes with a wonderful foreword by Dave Eggers; you should read it here and then consider joining our cult book group. It's not too late, really.

For a Good Time, Call ...

... anyone but me. This just in: Julie has strep too. Pete and I must have the best natural antibodies around to have escaped all these plagues. (So far, anyhow.)

Friday iPod Random Ten

1. Help Me Make It Through the Night (live) - Norah Jones
2. Wasn't That a Mighty Storm - Nanci Griffith
3. Love Keep Us Together - Martin Sexton
4. Sympathy for the Devil - The Rolling Stones
5. Time Loves a Hero (live) - Little Feat
6. I Can't Make You Love Me - Bonnie Raitt
7. Why Worry (live) - Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris
8. Blinded by the Light (live) - Bruce Springsteen
9. Candy (live) - Morphine
10. Down to the River to Pray - Alison Krauss

I have always wondered about what a "music producer" actually does, but I'm guessing that someone told Mick Jagger et al. that "Sympathy for the Devil" should start off with bongos, right? I'm fascinated by how all that stuff comes together.

Strange Day

Yesterday Steph requested Legal Seafoods for her last supper; Andy was not feeling great but came anyhow, along with Barbara and Jerry. I had a delicious almond-crusted salmon with mushroom raviolis and spinach.

Andy had a lousy night's sleep, but we all got up early and headed out for Round 2 of our rabies shots (left arm this time). While we were there, we (all but Steph) got throat cultures in case we'd caught Steph's strep. All came back negative, although the doctor wrote Andy a prescription for zithromycin anyhow because of his fever and cough—figuring if it's not strep, it's something. He said Julie's symptoms were likely those of just a garden-variety cold (I agree), and Pete and I don't currently have symptoms. Anyhow, they'll send the swabs off to grow (which is what Steph's did, as you may recall).

After lunch (Steph's swan song with Bill's Pizza), we drove up to camp. And ... the sun was out! I almost didn't recognize that glowing yellow orb in the sky. I held my breath during the lice check, but apparently the gods spared me that particular arrow. It was sweaty and hectic unpacking all Steph's stuff and figuring out where to put it all, but we managed. It was strange leaving her there; on the one hand, she'll be away 7 whole weeks, but on the other, we'll see her this Monday for our next rabies shots! I also got to see a few old friends (all of whom I'd just seen last Saturday at the reunion, but still).

On the way home, I noticed that there's a crack in my windshield. Which goes nicely with the passenger-side rear-view mirror I knocked off a couple of weeks ago. Too bad I happen to be switching insurance and have to get inspected next week.....

Anyhow, now we're back home, sans Steph, and I just learned that the '70s are officially over! Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson are both dead. Wow. As Kelly quipped on Twitter, "Poor Ed McMahon. Side-kicked again, even in death."

The Hits Just Keep On Coming!

I swear I'm never answering the phone again. I found out this morning that Steph does indeed have strep! That rapid test on Monday night was negative, but they sent it off to grow ... which it did. The good news is that it's just in time for her to squeeze in 24 hours' worth of penicillin before we take her to camp tomorrow afternoon, otherwise she'd have to wait a day to go up! I feel so bad for her. Why couldn't all of this have happened some other month?

I think we'll all get swabbed tomorrow when we get our rabies shots anyhow, because maybe we all have strep. Julie and Andy aren't feeling great today as it is. The irony is that Steph's feeling much better! But we're told that you have to treat strep or it can cause cardiac problems later in life.

And Another Thing

1. I love the title of Universal Hub's post about my rabies adventure: "Did you know a rabid bat could bite you in your sleep and you'd never know until you start to die?"

2. Steph's H1N1 test came back negative. She also had a normal white blood cell count, suggesting that she's not fighting off an infection. That, plus the negative rapid-strep test yesterday means that it's just a garden-variety cold and cough, albeit a nasty one.

3. Today was the last day of school! Steph of course missed it, but Pete and Julie had their half day. I'm now the proud parent of a seventh-grader, a fifth-grader, and a second-grader.

4. I have not yet begun reading Infinite Jest. I plan to finish Never Let Me Go tonight, and then dig in to IJ this weekend, a little late. I have two work deadlines next week too, so I fear I'm off to a rocky start.

5. Today I received the iPhone 3GS case that I won. Too bad I have nothing to put in it yet! Maybe I can get to the Apple Store next week. If not, Marla suggested this ("just about the right size and shape").

Adding Insult to Injury

I spent about four hours on the phone today with the pediatric nurse, the camp nurse, the camp director, and the lovely folks at Blue Cross today, trying to figure out how to get Steph her rabies shots while she's at camp. (Other parents are trying to figure out how to sneak a pack of gum to their kid at camp....)

I regret to say that I did not prevail, nor did common sense. I suggested that I bring the vials and syringes up to camp for the nurse to administer to Steph there. No! The pediatrician can't give me the drugs because they can't distribute drugs, only administer them. And I can't get them from a pharmacy because I can't transport live vaccine for fear of contamination. OK, I get that. So, then, we'll bring a prescription up to camp? No! The camp is not an authorized health care facility. So ... how about the nearby doctor's office that the camp uses for really sick kids? No! They're not in my network! We'd have to pay a fortune out of pocket. So where can we get shots up there? Only at the ER, after paying for an ER visit each time and having someone sit around there with her for a bazillion hours waiting until all the "real" emergencies get seen.

Yes, after all this, it was determined that the "easiest" solution is for me to drive up to camp, pick up Steph, bring her back here, get a 5-second shot, and then drive her back up to camp. Three times this month. Gee, that shouldn't be too disruptive, eh?

I'm not feeling the love for Blue Cross today, that's for sure.

But ... just as I was about to post this, the phone rang. It was one of the nurses at Waltham Urgent Care Center, just calling to check up on us and make sure we survived our shots yesterday and are still planning to come in as scheduled for our next round of shots on Thursday morning. Honestly, I can't tell you how much it means to me when someone goes out of their way like this! I think I forgot to mention that they even gave us popsicles yesterday. Way to go, WUCC! (Take note, Blue Cross!)

The Ultimate Pain in the Butt

Hey, remember that crazy bat thing yesterday? What an annoyance, right? Well, yesterday Sara tweeted me a link to something scary, which I of course ignored. La la la, I can't hear you! She grew a wee bit persistent, and then a few other people started tweeting and emailing me, using phrases like "rabies is 100% fatal!" and "a bat can bite you while you sleep and you'd never know it!" so I started to pay attention.

Here's what I learned: If you find a bat in your house and you don't know when it got in, it's possible it's been there since at least the day before. In that case, it might have been flying around while you and your happy family slept. And it could have bitten one of you in your sleep and you would never know. And it could be rabid. And if so, you die. Not "you might die": YOU DIE. So, on the one hand, you have the expense and pain in the butt (both figuratively and literally) of a long series of shots that you might not have needed; on the other hand you die of a completely preventable disease.

I also learned that what you're supposed to do is trap the bat somehow and call Animal Control. They come take away the live bat and test it for rabies. Andy actually had the bat trapped on the sunporch, but we didn't know about this, so he gladly let it fly out the back door. Now you know.

So I called the pediatrician's office to schedule a visit for Steph tomorrow (she's feeling much better, so I'm no longer worried about swine flu; I'm hoping she has a respiratory infection and can get some antibiotics to knock it out of her before camp). I think I've mentioned before that the triage nurse at our pediatrician's office is the ultimate firewall. Nothing alarms her. You have to say you can see your child's exposed spinal column for her to raise an eyebrow. So when I mentioned the bat thing, I was surprised when she paused. She asked, "Did you see the bat come in the house?" I said we didn't, and she said simply, "That's too bad." And then she recommended that the whole family get the full series of rabies shots. That was the last bit of convincing I needed.

She recommended that instead of going to the ER, we go to Waltham Urgent Care Center, and I'm so glad she did. I didn't even know about this place, which is affiliated with Newton-Wellesley Hospital. We hardly had to wait to be seen (although we did have to wait a long time for them to do their calculations of how much immuno-something-or-other we each needed, depending on weight), but more importantly, everyone there was great. The office staff, the nurses, and the doctor were all pleasant and smart and really just as helpful as you could hope for.

We all got one shot in our upper arms, and we'll need four more over the course of the next month. In addition, we each had to get a one-time-only series of shots in our butts. Andy got four (plus one in his thigh); Steph and I got four each; and Pete and Julie got two each. OUCH! It hurt! Everyone was much braver than I was.

None of this would be half as distressing if Steph weren't leaving for camp on Thursday! She'll have her second arm shot on Thursday morning before we leave, but then we have to arrange for her to have the other three up there somehow. I plan to coordinate with our pediatrician's nurse and the camp nurse tomorrow. The poor kid. (For the record, the doctor we saw for the shots said that she sure doesn't look like she has the flu, and he did a rapid strep test, which came back negative. Phew.)

To sum up: If you have a bat in your house, trap it and call Animal Control. If you instead let it out or kill it, you will need to get lots of shots (at $15 a pop, which quickly adds up for a family of five needing a round of five shots each).

Oh, another thing: We are now all free and clear to pursue careers as dog-catchers, veterinarians, and so on. Even if we get exposed to rabies in the future, we never need the ouchy butt-shots again, just boosters in the arm.

Going Batty

Poor Steph is sick! She has a fever and a terrible cough, and I am trying not to believe it's flu, swine or otherwise. She will definitely miss school tomorrow, which is the sixth-grade party at Weir's Cove, and she will likely miss the last day (half day, actually) on Tuesday too. I want her to rest up and be able to go up to camp on Thursday! I will feel so bad for her if she has to go up to camp a day (or two!) late and miss all that initial bonding and settling in.

All my good-weather karma finally came to an end, and it rained all day. Pete had his tie-breaker game today, and they lost. The Little League World Series will be between the first- and second-ranked teams, which I think is how it should be. I was sorry we lost, but it was really remarkable that we even made it to the semi-finals, so I didn't feel too bad. I was also not a little relieved that it was all over already.

Later we left Steph on the couch watching TV and went over to Barbara and Jerry's for a family BBQ in honor of Father's Day. While we were there, Steph called to say that there was a bird in the house! She said it swooped over her head, so she ran out into the yard to make the call. Andy dashed home and found her sitting in the mudroom watching it fly around the house through the French door. Only it wasn't a bird—it was a bat! A flying rodent! A rat with wings! He opened the door to the sunporch and it flew out there; then he opened the back door and waited until it flew away. We did not tell the kids that it was a bat (Steph said she would have freaked out), so don't you let on either, OK? Meanwhile, I told Andy that if I had been home, I would have absolutely lost my mind. My life would have forever been divided into The Time Before the Bat and The Time After the Bat. I am so skeeved out by the mere thought, and it certainly doesn't help any that we have no idea how it got in the house in the first place.

No Rain!

Surprisingly enough, the weather has really been cooperating this weekend. Last night was supposed to be rainy, but it was dry and breezy instead. Pete and Andy went to Pete's playoff game, which they won 10-3! Julie went on a dinner date with Andy's parents (Bertucci's followed by ice cream). Steph and I invited friends (another mom-daughter pair) to go to Fenway with us, and it was a great night—although an awful game.

Today I feared rain again, but it was lovely, just in time for my camp's 70th reunion! What a wonderful time. I saw so many old friends from 25–35 years ago, some I'd seen since then and some not. I'll be heading up there again on Thursday to bring Steph up for the summer, so it was nice to see some of the people today and get a chance to hang out. (Pete in the meantime had another playoff game, which they lost 6-3; tomorrow will be the tie-breaker. The winner will go on to the final best-of-three series. To which I say: Enough already!)

Friday iPod Random Ten

As you know, every Friday I hit "shuffle" on my iPod (or, more often, my iTunes library here on my MacBook Pro) and tell you the first 10 songs that pop up. This week I'm doing something a little different. Earlier today I was in the car listening to a month's worth of NPR podcasts that I'd missed, when I ran out. I switched over to music, but the iPod was still set to play all tracks in order. So, here are the first 10 songs that came up alphabetically on my iPod:

1. Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder (live) - Loudon Wainwright III
2. The Absentee - Crooked Still
3. Acadian Driftwood - The Roches
4. An Acceptable Level Of Ecstasy (The Wedding Song) - Lyle Lovett
5. The Accident (Things Could Be Worse) (live) - John Prine
6. Accidents Will Happen - Elvis Costello
7. The Acid Song (live) - Loudon Wainwright III
8. Ackee 1 2 3 - English Beat
9. Across the Great Divide - Nanci Griffith
10. Across the Universe - Rufus Wainwright

I like all of those songs. What are the odds?

Rainy Days and Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, etc.

It's going to rain every day for the next 10 days at least—that's as far as the forecast extends. So, tonight Pete's playoff game was rained out (although the Sox are playing). Tomorrow afternoon is supposed to be Pete's end-of-year class party at the pool; I don't know what the indoor alternative is. Tomorrow night is another playoff game, plus we have Sox tickets. Andy and I were going to take Steph and Pete, but then we found out Pete's team was in the playoffs, so Steph and I are going with friends. I just hope it's either rained out or not—there's nothing worse than getting all the way down there and having a rain delay. Saturday is my camp's big 70th reunion fest. I spent many a rainy day there between 1973 and 1982; I was kind of hoping for some sunshine this time around. And so on, rain every day, including a prediction of thunderstorms next Thursday, when we bring Steph up to camp for the summer. There's just nothing like having all your kids' stuff get wet and muddy and mildewy before you've even driven away.

So, let's all do a sundance, shall we? I'd even take a cloudy-but-dry-dance at this point.

We Became America

Today Pete's class had their Family History Project presentations. The theme was "We Became America," and each kid was supposed to portray an immigrant ancestor. The kids dressed in costumes, from sari to business suit to hospital scrubs to camo fatigues, and introduced themselves with an encapsulated story of their life. It was really moving. There were kids whose ancestors have been here for a good long while (one boy traced his roots back 13 generations, to a man who came over from England in 1639), and others whose own parents are newly arrived here, from Russia and India and Israel and Germany and Bolivia and elsewhere.

Pete portrayed Grandma Sophie, and I persuaded him to wear a shawl for the part, even though Gram was much too stylish to ever wear something so dowdy. He had a poster board with photos of her and a timeline of her life. His presentation talked about how her father came here from Russia and worked as a musician to earn enough money to send for her and her sisters, and the struggle they had just to get here and make a life. The information came from a transcript that Lisa typed up after "interviewing" Gram some years ago about her childhood in Russia and early years here.

Most of the kids really got into it. The parents just walked around from kid to kid, learning about each one's family history. What a wonderful project!

Special Guest

Today was Julie's end-of-year class picnic, graciously hosted by one of her classmates. The kids walked over from school for fun in the sprinkler, chalk drawing on the driveway, pizza and cake, and all that other good stuff. I delivered a big bowl of watermelon and then hung around for a while, enjoying what is forecast to be the last sunny day in a good long time.

I left before it was over, because I had to head to Petco for cat food and run other glamorous errands like that. Shortly after I left, the host family's next-door neighbor came out on his balcony and noticed the party going on:

So he came by with autographed photos for all the kids. Yeah, Jason Varitek. Damn.

[Update 9/7/11: For some reason, this post attracts more spammy comments than usual, so I'm closing off the comments. If you want to send me a legitimate comment about this post, please email me!]

Little League Lives On!

So here's the thing about baseball: You just never know. As you may recall, on Saturday Pete's team won their last game of the season. In something like 15 games, that was their only win. But in AAA league, everyone goes to the playoffs, and tonight they faced the same team they beat on Saturday—and won! Really! That was a single elimination round, and now they will meet the first-place team for a best-of-three series (while the second-worst team and second-best team similarly face off), then comes a best-of-three World Series for the two remaining teams. (Pete's team won the World Series last year, but that was after a mostly winning season.)

The only complicating factor is that we have Red Sox tickets for Friday night, the same night as Little League game 2. Hmmm.

[Update 5/21/13: This post is attracting lotsa spambots, so I'm closing off comments.]

Burn After Viewing

"Burn After Reading" has many elements common in movies by the Coen brothers—for instance, kooky plot twists, self-absorbed characters, unexpected violence, and Frances McDormand—but it's lacking the oomph of their best films. It's neither as darkly funny as "Fargo" nor as darkly dark as "No Country for Old Men." It's still plenty funny, but it will never make anyone's Top Ten Coen list. That being said, I was giggling loudly during most of the scenes involving Brad Pitt as a bimbo gym rat; George Clooney continues to delight me in his serial efforts to play a total doofus; Frances McDormand is as perfectly cast as always; and John Malkovich and Tilda Swinton play the most obnoxious, despicable, heading-for-divorce couple imaginable. There are also a couple of quick scenes with a CIA boss played by J. K. Simmons that had me cackling.

I'll say the same thing about the Coens' weaker movies that I've said about Richard Russo's lesser novels: They're still better than much of the crap out there, and hardly a waste of time. Set aside 96 minutes to watch "Burn After Reading"—but expect to be tickled with a feather rather than blown away.

[Update 5/31/13: This post is attracting lotsa spambots, so I'm closing off comments.]

Weekend Update

We had a deer on our lawn today! It was surreal watching him run off down the street after the kids spooked him. We're used to squirrels and the occasional bunny.

Pete had soccer tryouts tonight—next fall he's going to play on the travel team instead of intramurals.

School is hurtling toward a close—tomorrow is Day 174 out of 180.

Steph leaves for camp in 11 days, and I have just a few more things to pick up for her. She got about 6" of her hair cut off today! Pete got a very short haircut too—I don't think anyone will recognize him at school tomorrow.

I've been suffering from terrible insomnia. I hope to report tomorrow that I had my first good night's sleep in ages.

Winners

Today was Pete's last game of the Little League regular season and ... they won! Finally! Such euphoria in Mudville! At this age, all teams get to go to the playoffs, but this gives us a little more legitimacy, don't you think? And the end-of-season pizza and cake party was considerably more joyous than it might have been.

In other news, my own winning streak continues as I just learned I won a new iPhone case from Belkin. I think that pretty much settles the issue of whether I should get the new 3GS, don't you? I mean, what else would I do with a new case?

[Update 6/14/13: This post is attracting lotsa spambots, so I'm closing off Comments.]

Friday iPod Random Ten

1. I Like to Sleep Late in the Morning - David Bromberg
2. Sneaking Sally Through the Alley - Robert Palmer 
3. Too Hot (live) - The Specials
4. Down the Old Plank Road - The Chieftains (f. John Hiatt, Bela Fleck, Jeff White, & Tim O'Brien)
5. Back to Dallas - Eilen Jewell
6. This Tornado Loves You - Neko Case
7. Goodbye Girl - Squeeze
8. Miss the Mississippi and You - Doc Watson
9. Sara Smile - Hall & Oates
10. Too Far Gone  - Elvis Costello & The Attractions

Deadline

Check out this brilliant little stop-action video about procrastination:

And here's the "making of" video, in which we learn that some 6,000 Post-It notes were used:

Three on Thursday

1. Tonight was the Grade 4 concert. As was to be expected, I started crying as soon as the first song began and didn't stop till I was hugging Pete afterward. He played saxophone and recorder and also sang in the chorus. And looked darn nice in his white shirt and black pants.

2. Remember I told you that Julie learned all 50 state capitals by osmosis while Pete was studying? I forgot to include a funny anecdote. Julie was trying to remember the capital of New Hampshire, and I prompted her with, "Remember that place we stopped for lunch on the way home from skiing?" and she replied, "The capital of New Hampshire is Burger King?!" (P.S. It's really Concord.)

3. My pal Sara has just started a blog, Shiny Red Houses, and she's already having a giveaway! Go here if you want to win a puppy for your American Girl doll. Or just to say Hi. Tell her I sent you and she'll treat you real nice.

An Apple a Day

So, you're probably wondering why I've been so uncharacteristically silent about the latest news from Cupertino. I'm confused, that's why! I've spent so much time with Nelson that I feel like I should invite him over for dinner already. So the iPhone 3GS is beyond awesome, there's no question about that. What there is a question about is who can get it for the low-low-low price of $199—that is, who is a "qualified" customer? After much tweeting about it, I finally learned that I could just log in to my account at AT&T, and it turns out that I do in fact qualify! Yes, I can! (Oh wait, wrong campaign.)

But then there's the $99 3G issue—do I really need the "S" for an extra hundred bucks? As it turns out, um, yes, I do! "S" is for Speed, but it's also for So freaking awesome! Must. Have. If I already had a 3G, I would perhaps not be able to justify the upgrade, but I have the lowly old first-generation with the stupid-fricking Edge network that works nowhere. At a Little League game the other night, I was trying to email a photo of Pete with only 1.5 bars while the 3G owner next to me had all full bars. Grrrr. No wonder we lost.

The things I'm excited about that the 3G offers over the one I have are the 3G network (obviously) and MMS texting. Beyond that, the 3GS will have a most-awesome video camera and twice-as-fast app loading, among other things. And some of the apps they demo'd at the WWDC were unbelievable, particularly the TomTom GPS (which I desperately need). Wheee!

Meanwhile, I don't relish the idea of extending my AT&T bondage by another 2 years, but I have no choice. (Today I tweeted that I hate AT&T even more than I hate Microsoft, which prompted several Twitter-pals who also read this blog to inquire where Maytag fits into that hierarchy. Ugh, don't remind me.) Anyhow, if the 3G network helps me get an AT&T signal in my own house, I'll be happy. I won't hold out hope that I'll be able to use my iPhone in the White Mountains, since the AT&T map up there is completely blank.

Did I mention that no upgrades of any kind are in my budget? Sigh. Stay tuned.

What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

You know how I decided to participate in the Infinite Summer challenge to read David Foster Wallace's tome Infinite Jest this summer? Well, my big, heavy package arrived from Amazon today.

The book—in paperback, even!—weighs 2 lbs. 8.75 oz.:

It is a full 2 inches thick:

And the last page of footnotes—footnotes!—is 1079:
 
(The text itself ends on page 981.)

In other news, it has taken me most of the morning to get through this comparatively brief but wonderful essay of Wallace's. Oy.

Thank goodness I have Verbatim readers Joel, Nancy, Susan, Sharon, Steve, Janeen, and (another) Susan in it with me (and possibly Jo and Margaret), as well as many others around the world—we'll cheer each other on! Will you join us?

A Capital Idea

Pete's been studying the United States at school. They are going through the country, region by region, learning the capital of each state as well as its geography and history. He can now fill in a blank map of the country with every state and capital in place! As could Steph before him. (She can still recite the names of the 50 states in alphabetical order, after learning the "Fifty, Nifty United States" song last year. I can too.)

Meanwhile, we didn't realize that Julie was listening in all this time that we've been quizzing Pete, and she now knows all 50 state capitals! Really—all of them, even the hard ones like North Dakota (Bismarck) and West Virginia (Charleston) and South Carolina (Columbia)! Which made me start to wonder about the ones that I've always considered "hard" to remember, and what the people from those states have trouble with. I mean, some states are easy, regardless of where you live. If you know only one city in Massachusetts, chances are it's Boston; same for Atlanta, Georgia; Denver, Colorado; Honolulu, Hawaii; and so on. But if you're from Pierre, South Dakota, you might not know Montpelier, Vermont, or Jackson, Mississippi, huh? It's all relative.

So, quick! Name the 8 states that begin with the letter "M"!

And now, name the 8 states that begin with the letter "N"!

Can you do it?

Do you know all 50 state capitals? Could you fill in a blank map, even all the little tiny states up here in New England and all those big rectangles out in the middle-west?

Cooking Class

I'm reading short books these days, partly to get away from Angle of Repose (which I'm dying to love but can't so far) and partly to get ready for Infinite Jest. The latest is The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister, which I lapped up like a bowl of chocolate pudding. It's a story told in separate sections, each from a different character's point of view, and it works.

Lillian owns a well-loved restaurant that is closed on Monday nights so that she can hold cooking classes. Her favorite part of these classes is trying to figure out what each student needs. The menus she prepares always include something that will speak to a particular student—reawaken a forgotten memory, ignite a suppressed spark of passion, resolve a long-hidden conflict. The language is occasionally too flowery for my taste, but it was still a delightful read.

Lillian's ingredients and techniques are designed to help each student reach inside and find what is missing, or what has been pushed aside, and the omniscient Lillian knows just what each student lacks. I grew somewhat impatient with the powers of this ever-wise spiritual leader—I found myself rolling my eyes at the many examples of the all-knowing elder delivering "the message" to each grasshopper—but I still enjoyed seeing how each scenario played out.

The food descriptions are positively luscious, and anyone who's ever waited eagerly but patiently as a pot simmered, or held a sharp knife expectantly over a cutting board, will surely be enthralled by the descriptions of combining certain ingredients in certain ways to create magic.

Alive and Kicking

Andy and I started watching "Young @ Heart" a few weeks ago but were interrupted, and we somehow didn't manage to finish it until tonight. It's a documentary about Bob Cilman, a chorus director who assembles a group of senior citizens to perform rock songs (from the likes of The Clash and Coldplay and Bruce Springsteen and Talking Heads) for live audiences. It was terrific—a wee bit sappy but mostly just plain heart-warming.

You get to know the members of the chorus and feel just as deeply when a member dies as they do. You cheer them on when they can't quite get the rhythm right in an Allen Toussaint song and when they finally manage to stick the signature screams in James Brown's "I Feel Good." They play at a prison, and you're clapping along with the inmates during the performance.

Some of the songs take on greater significance for these folks in their 80s and 90s, such as "I Wanna Be Sedated" and "Stayin' Alive" and "Forever Young." I could've done without the somewhat cheesy music videos, but the rest was just wonderful. I ended up loving these rockin' surrogate grandparents and wishing I could hang out with them a bit longer.

She Got That Right

Pete's Little League team really, really should have won tonight. But it was not to be (as it has not been all season). As we left, Steph said, "I know that when a team hasn't lost, you call them undefeated, but what do you call a team that hasn't won?" Julie, without missing a beat, replied, "I call it a shame."

A Good Boss...

...decides spontaneously to go to the local burger joint:

orders a mess of burgers:

and brings them back to the office for his staff:

(via the Official White House photostream on Flickr)

Friday iPod Random Ten

1. I Want You Back - The Jackson 5
2. Girlfriend Is Better - Talking Heads
3. Now She's Gone - Steve Earle
4. I Know What I Know (live) - Paul Simon
5. When Doves Cry - The Be Good Tanyas
6. Say Goodbye (live) - Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds
7. Higher Love - Steve Winwood
8. Girl From the North Country - Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash
9. Instant Pleasure - Rufus Wainwright
10. Song for Sonny Liston (live) - Mark Knopfler 

10 Years, 1 Month, 16 Days*

Today we celebrated Pete's tenth birthday—again. Back in April, he wasn't sure what kind of a party to have, and then we sort of forgot about it, and the next thing you knew, it was June. So today, we took him and a handful of pals to see "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian." Last week we rented the original "Night at the Museum," but Andy and I never got around to watching it (the kids did), so I can't compare the two. This one was fun and clever and managed to have exciting action scenes and battles without any violence or gore. I'm told that the original movie was funnier, but this one did have a few funny parts. Hank Azaria, in particular, always makes me laugh.

After the movie, we drove back to our house for pizza and cake and ice cream, and lots of spontaneous whiffle ball hitting and soccer ball kicking in the yard. Even more good clean fun!

I had suggested to Pete that we request that no one bring gifts, and I was pleased that he agreed without any arm-twisting whatsoever. (I did subsequently buy him a $10 Bionicle that he'd been wanting, but that was just because I was so proud of him!) There really isn't a single thing he needs, and in this economy I feel bad asking anyone to spend money on my kid.

*Thank you, WolframAlpha.

Julie and Friend

Today I chaperoned the first-grade field trip to the Public Garden. Before our swan boat ride, we had plenty of time to hang out at the frog pond, walk around a little on Beacon Hill (the kids had fun counting boot-scrapers at the doorways of all the old brownstones), listen to the teacher read Make Way for Ducklings, and sit on the statues of said ducklings. Afterward the kids got to let loose on the playground. The weather was perfect—sunny and breezy. Here's my favorite photo of the day:

Thanks, TJ!

If you bring your own shopping bags to Whole Foods or Stop & Shop, you get a nickel back for each one—and those nickels do start to add up. If you bring your own shopping bags to Trader Joe's, you get to enter a weekly raffle to win a bag of groceries. (And if you bring your own shopping bags to Shaw's, you get ... to bring home your groceries in your own bags. C'mon, Shaw's, get with the program!)

I have never heard of anyone who won the Trader Joe's raffle, nor have I ever heard of anyone who's ever heard of anyone winning. On Monday, as I wrote down my name and phone number, I said to the cashier, "Does anyone ever actually win this thing?" and he assured me that there's a weekly winner. When I got home, I complained on Twitter (and Facebook, via a great little app called Selective Twitter) that I'd never heard of anyone winning, and everyone agreed that they hadn't either.

Exactly 24 hours later, I got a phone call from Trader Joe's that I'd won! Coincidence? Luck? Karma? Squeaky wheel? Who knows.

I picked up my bag today. I got all kinds of goodies:

That's a new TJ's bag, Bite-Size Everything Crackers (topped with garlic, onion, sesame, poppy, and caraway seeds), Blue Corn Tortilla Chips, Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce, Organic Lemonade, Microwave Popcorn, Chunky Salsa, Organic Spaghetti, Organic Lollipops (watermelon, pomegranate, orange, lemon, and raspberry), Pumpernickel Pretzel Sticks, and Way-More Chocolate Chip Cookies. Nice haul, eh?

Catching Up (Miscellaneous)

1. Pete's Little League team has not yet won a single game this season. They recently tied twice, though, which was cause for euphoria.

2. I know the sidebar over there says I'm reading Angle of Repose, but in fact I'm taking a break from it. I found it slow-going, but I very much want to read it, so I'm going to come back to it at another time. Really.

3. It turns out that the parents of Pete's Bar Mitzvah partner both went to Wesleyan! I didn't know them there, but still.

4. Yesterday all three kids woke up with sore throats but no other symptoms. I crossed my fingers and sent them all to school and then went off to work, fully expecting the school nurse to call. But no! They all came home feeling fine. Allergies are annoying, but still better than strep or the flu!

5. School ends three weeks from today!

Infinite Jest, Finite Gesture?

A few days ago, I came across this article about David Foster Wallace, which discusses what might be the best "gateway" book for those of us who haven't read him yet. Yes, "us." The only thing I have read of his was (some of) his lengthy treatise on lobsters in Gourmet magazine many years ago. OK, so I came across this article, but more importantly, I came across the photo accompanying the article. I can't stop staring at him. I'm fascinated, I'm intrigued, I'm a wee bit obsessed with this genius who took his own life.

I innocently tweeted, "Maybe it's finally time for me to try Infinite Jest." Several Twitter-pals immediately pointed me to the Infinite Summer website. Apparently, I'm not the only one with this idea. For those too lazy to click over, here's the gist of it:

You’ve been meaning to do it for over a decade. Now join endurance bibliophiles from around the web as we tackle and comment upon David Foster Wallace’s masterwork over the summer of 2009. The festivities begin on June 21st and run through September 22nd.

That's right. It's a global book group for Infinite Jest. Whattaya say? Should we do it? I think I'm game. Will you join me?

Meanwhile, I'm thinking that I should at least get my feet wet with the proposed Wallace starter, A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again.