$3.6 trillion dollars is a lot of money. People throw that number around a lot because it is the amount Obama wants for his pet projects (okay, for the budget. Still...).
Just for some sense of what that amount is:
If you used that money to buy houses at $100,000 a piece for families in the US, you could put 38% of the entire US Population into houses that they would own outright. That is, you could buy 36 MILLION houses for people. 36 MILLION families would have a permanent home and be able to use their hard-earned cash on the economy instead of on failing house payments and taxes to pay for cabinet members who don't pay their own taxes. People could afford their own health insurance and education at private schools.
Oh, but a $100,000 house isn't a very good house, you say? Well, let's take the median house price at the end of last year, or $180,000, and assume the government has to pay that much for houses, on average, to give to citizens. 20 MILLION families would get a house. A real house. Here in Vegas, for $180,000 you can get a 2700 square foot house on half an acre.
Not that I advocate giving houses away--I don't think that kind of freebie leads to safe, productive neighborhoods. People treat better things they work hard for (is that why pregnancy and childbirth are so darn difficult?).
It's just something to think about.
Oh, and I realize the entire $3.6 trillion isn't just for Obama's pet projects, but also for things that benefit all of us, like roads.
Here's the kicker: the total bailout cost is looking to actually be worse than that.
From cnbc.com: "The U.S. government has launched an unprecedented array of actions to salvage the economy and stabilize the financial sector that could put up to $10.926 trillion of taxpayers' money at risk." (http://www.cnbc.com/id/29792192/).
$10,962,000,000,000.
That would buy 60,900,000 houses. Almost 61 MILLION houses. Nice houses. 2700 square feet on half an acre in Las Vegas houses. It would put 194,271,000 family members into their own homes. That is 63.5% of the entire US Population. You want to go by households? Census data indicates that in 2007 there were about 105,000,000 households in the US. Almost 11 trillion dollars could buy outright more than half of the houses those households live in. Possibly all of them if we allowed for the fact that some people live in $30,000 properties and apartments.
Again, I'm NOT advocating giving houses to everyone in the US.
I'm just saying....we're spending it anyway. And instead of helping families with it, we're giving it to stupid/corrupt businesses and organizations that are handing it over to foreign institutions, and to organizations that caused the problems in the first place. AND, what's more, it's not helping the economy at all. In fact, I suspect giving everyone in the nation a house would actually help the economy more. Again, I realize the problems, and am not proposing it.
Just trying to give you a little perspective on what the government is spending. For more perspective, realtytrac.com reports that only 2,330,483 houses are actually in foreclosure right now. At the median home price from December, it would only have cost the government $419,486,940,000, or about $420 billion dollars, to pay for all those houses and get the banks out of trouble that way. I wonder how that would have affected people's ability to get loans? Cuz that's what's been holding the economy back all along.... Maybe that's the bailout we should have invested in.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
more funny kids
Daniel told me he was excited that "Valentimes" comes every year.
Benji was standing in the living room yesterday singing his heart out. When I listened to the words, I nearly laughed out loud:
"The eensy weensy spider was out walking about. Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain and the eensy spider was walking all about again."
Makes more sense, especially to a 2-year-old who's never seen a water spout (they have little need for them in Vegas, so we often don't have them; we just let rain fall off the roofs and go where it will).
Benji was standing in the living room yesterday singing his heart out. When I listened to the words, I nearly laughed out loud:
"The eensy weensy spider was out walking about. Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain and the eensy spider was walking all about again."
Makes more sense, especially to a 2-year-old who's never seen a water spout (they have little need for them in Vegas, so we often don't have them; we just let rain fall off the roofs and go where it will).
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
there was a time....
There was a time not too long ago when I wanted to get my masters' degree in this:
http://www.victorianweb.org/history/sochistov.html
For my focus that would eventually lead to my thesis, I wanted to compare the social history of the women's realm in 19th century Britain, America, and among Mormon Pioneer Women, specifically with interest in how the social and cultural influences on the women before they joined the church affected them and their experiences as pioneer women, and what echoes we find in the mormon women's culture today.
My basic assumption was that the 'drawing room-to-handcart' experience of Victorian women who joined the church made them different from average pioneer and immigrant women of the time, especially since their reasons for immigrating and for moving west were NOT the financial reasons cited by most scholars as the motivating factors in most people's decisions to leave Europe to come to America and then to travel west. They were not gold diggers and hussies. And they weren't necessarily poor street urchins or subsistence farmers, either (or were they? That's what I want to know).
In more intimate detail, I'd like to know how they modified/abandoned/clung to their cultures (what recipes did they bring and how did they modify them? What clothing styles did they wear before they left and then when they had to resort to making their own clothes in Utah? What education level did they have?).
Most people never think much about this: Those women we decry for wearing corsets and ostrich feathers and going to the opera to see and be seen? THOSE became the Mormon pioneers. Those beautiful Southern Belles with their enormous crinoline skirts? THOSE became the Mormon pioneers. The people who inhabit Mark Twain's books (the Aunt Polly's and Becky Thatchers of the world)? THOSE became the Mormon pioneers. The audiences for (and women lampooned in) Gilbert and Sullivan? THOSE became the Mormon pioneers.
We so often hold the church history on a different timeline than the world history that we forget that women like Christine, from Phantom of the Opera, were the ones who ended up trekking across the plains and trying to fight off the crickets and cultivate the desert. And I suspect many more than just my ancestors were originally well-bred women who worked hard to keep their milky complexions and spent their mornings 'paying visits'.
I am so glad I found that website.
http://www.victorianweb.org/history/sochistov.html
For my focus that would eventually lead to my thesis, I wanted to compare the social history of the women's realm in 19th century Britain, America, and among Mormon Pioneer Women, specifically with interest in how the social and cultural influences on the women before they joined the church affected them and their experiences as pioneer women, and what echoes we find in the mormon women's culture today.
My basic assumption was that the 'drawing room-to-handcart' experience of Victorian women who joined the church made them different from average pioneer and immigrant women of the time, especially since their reasons for immigrating and for moving west were NOT the financial reasons cited by most scholars as the motivating factors in most people's decisions to leave Europe to come to America and then to travel west. They were not gold diggers and hussies. And they weren't necessarily poor street urchins or subsistence farmers, either (or were they? That's what I want to know).
In more intimate detail, I'd like to know how they modified/abandoned/clung to their cultures (what recipes did they bring and how did they modify them? What clothing styles did they wear before they left and then when they had to resort to making their own clothes in Utah? What education level did they have?).
Most people never think much about this: Those women we decry for wearing corsets and ostrich feathers and going to the opera to see and be seen? THOSE became the Mormon pioneers. Those beautiful Southern Belles with their enormous crinoline skirts? THOSE became the Mormon pioneers. The people who inhabit Mark Twain's books (the Aunt Polly's and Becky Thatchers of the world)? THOSE became the Mormon pioneers. The audiences for (and women lampooned in) Gilbert and Sullivan? THOSE became the Mormon pioneers.
We so often hold the church history on a different timeline than the world history that we forget that women like Christine, from Phantom of the Opera, were the ones who ended up trekking across the plains and trying to fight off the crickets and cultivate the desert. And I suspect many more than just my ancestors were originally well-bred women who worked hard to keep their milky complexions and spent their mornings 'paying visits'.
I am so glad I found that website.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
superhero costumes
Caleb just observed, "While most of us wear our underwear on the inside of our clothing, most superheroes wear their underwear on the outside of their clothing."
He's right. I hadn't thought of it that way before, but he's right.
What does that say about superheroes?
And what does that say about our culture that worships them?
He's right. I hadn't thought of it that way before, but he's right.
What does that say about superheroes?
And what does that say about our culture that worships them?
A post on marriage
I've wanted to do a post on marriage for a long time, and I probably will more in detail some other time.
The observations I've made that drive me to thinking about it are that people treat marriage the way they used to treat having a girlfriend or boyfriend. "Marriage" in action is actually more often a cohabitational 'going steady'.
I realized that, now two or three generations into it being acceptable to be divorced and to solve problems through divorce, there's a good chance that very few people even know what a good marriage looks like, and even fewer who were raised with parents in a good marriage who could model how married people act.
In other words, I don't think people know how to be married anymore. Like using herbal remedies to cure sicknesses, it is an art and science that is passed on culturally that is lost.
The other observation I had recently came yesterday, while I was sitting in the waiting room while they operated on Nathanael. Beside me, an older woman was talking on her cell phone about her son's surgery. Older like in her seventies, with gray hair and hard-earned wrinkles. And she was talking more about how sexy she found the doctor than about her son's (fairly miserable) prognosis.
I was offended. I imagine that hot young doctor and his wife would have been, too.
I kept thinking of it in terms of my brother is studying to be a doctor--do I want women drooling over him? How would he like that? Would knowing that was going on affect his ability to do his job?
It wasn't the words she was saying that were so deeply offensive.
It was the behavior. It was the fact that it is not even culturally tolerated, but rather culturally expected for us to choose to notice a person's physical appearance and then, if possible, lust after it.
And coming out of an old woman's mouth, the words really hit me as sophomoric.
Why have we culturally embraced high school behavior and made it the ideal?
Why have we made it a collective goal to be teenagers, all the while decrying their behavior while we try to emulate it?
I think it is partially because we have turned into a culture (ironically) that first tolerated and then accepted singleness, and now values it above marriedness. Our culture actually teaches us to lust broadly and be lusted after as much as possible, and that therein lies our personal value. It is an immature way of approaching our bodies and our souls. It is, at heart, an intensely selfish way of looking at the world, and selfishness is, ultimately, isolating. And that, friends, is one of the reasons marriage as an institution is failing in our world--we have placed higher value on self than on family.
And then we mourn a culture of isolation and aloneness while we reject the very things that could cure the problems.
These behaviors have always been in the world (I mean, really, who hasn't heard of 'dirty old men'?). The difference is that now there is not a stable body of happily (or at least established) married people who value maturity, dignity, responsibility--you know, all those old-fashioned values.
I find it deeply sad that the only people who seem to really care about and value marriage are the homosexuals. Those of us who have right to the blessing seem to resent it and work against it more often than value and nurture it.
I'm not complaining about my marriage, personally. I feel like I'm the luckiest gal in the world in my marriage, but it's certainly not without attention, care, and cultivation (I daren't say 'work' like so many people do--that implies disagreeable, laborious action, and the action it takes to make a marriage happy is most agreeable to me). And it is absolutely without the choice (and it IS a choice--you can't fool me into thinking it is inevitable and unavoidable and natural) to look elsewhere and lust after people who have no right to my attentions.
The observations I've made that drive me to thinking about it are that people treat marriage the way they used to treat having a girlfriend or boyfriend. "Marriage" in action is actually more often a cohabitational 'going steady'.
I realized that, now two or three generations into it being acceptable to be divorced and to solve problems through divorce, there's a good chance that very few people even know what a good marriage looks like, and even fewer who were raised with parents in a good marriage who could model how married people act.
In other words, I don't think people know how to be married anymore. Like using herbal remedies to cure sicknesses, it is an art and science that is passed on culturally that is lost.
The other observation I had recently came yesterday, while I was sitting in the waiting room while they operated on Nathanael. Beside me, an older woman was talking on her cell phone about her son's surgery. Older like in her seventies, with gray hair and hard-earned wrinkles. And she was talking more about how sexy she found the doctor than about her son's (fairly miserable) prognosis.
I was offended. I imagine that hot young doctor and his wife would have been, too.
I kept thinking of it in terms of my brother is studying to be a doctor--do I want women drooling over him? How would he like that? Would knowing that was going on affect his ability to do his job?
It wasn't the words she was saying that were so deeply offensive.
It was the behavior. It was the fact that it is not even culturally tolerated, but rather culturally expected for us to choose to notice a person's physical appearance and then, if possible, lust after it.
And coming out of an old woman's mouth, the words really hit me as sophomoric.
Why have we culturally embraced high school behavior and made it the ideal?
Why have we made it a collective goal to be teenagers, all the while decrying their behavior while we try to emulate it?
I think it is partially because we have turned into a culture (ironically) that first tolerated and then accepted singleness, and now values it above marriedness. Our culture actually teaches us to lust broadly and be lusted after as much as possible, and that therein lies our personal value. It is an immature way of approaching our bodies and our souls. It is, at heart, an intensely selfish way of looking at the world, and selfishness is, ultimately, isolating. And that, friends, is one of the reasons marriage as an institution is failing in our world--we have placed higher value on self than on family.
And then we mourn a culture of isolation and aloneness while we reject the very things that could cure the problems.
These behaviors have always been in the world (I mean, really, who hasn't heard of 'dirty old men'?). The difference is that now there is not a stable body of happily (or at least established) married people who value maturity, dignity, responsibility--you know, all those old-fashioned values.
I find it deeply sad that the only people who seem to really care about and value marriage are the homosexuals. Those of us who have right to the blessing seem to resent it and work against it more often than value and nurture it.
I'm not complaining about my marriage, personally. I feel like I'm the luckiest gal in the world in my marriage, but it's certainly not without attention, care, and cultivation (I daren't say 'work' like so many people do--that implies disagreeable, laborious action, and the action it takes to make a marriage happy is most agreeable to me). And it is absolutely without the choice (and it IS a choice--you can't fool me into thinking it is inevitable and unavoidable and natural) to look elsewhere and lust after people who have no right to my attentions.
A Waiting Room
Yesterday, Nathanael had surgery to correct an abnormality in his "little boy parts". Everything went well, but I noticed that the outpatient waiting room is a study in human stress response. If you ever want to know how tense people look and act in public, go sit in the outpatient surgery waiting room for an hour or two.
While I was sitting there, wishing they had a library (as were other people who were wandering the room looking for something they hadn't read yet), I started listening to the people around me. Turns out people in surgery waiting rooms share pretty private information ina place that is actually really public, but somehow also very isolated. I suppose they feel alone, so they act like they are alone.
For example, I learned that at least two people there had detached retinas, and one was possibly going to be blind even after the surgery, and that one of the others was there on time and going to have to wait for 7 hours until their surgery, but still wasn't allowed to eat now, and that one little girl was having surgery for an accident that involved bb guns, and that the receptionists have to walk the fine line between efficiently getting their jobs done and not coming across as callous and even aggressive with people who are tense and uncomfortable (and downright scared) and really need someone to reach out to them and comfort them and let them know that things will be fine (which the receptionists obviously can't do).`
The prep room and recovery room was equally intense an experience. It was very open, with beds divided by curtains, and no pretense of being private at all--I heard all kinds of conversations that should have been not public information. Like that an elderly man had all kinds of health problems because of a catheter that got infected (this kind of thing lead to the eventual death of my grandfather, so I really heard that) and that the nurse was peeved that the doctor had crossed off EVERY SINGLE pain medication from the list, so there was nothing she could do to help him once he woke up. And I heard them prepping a baby next door for the same surgery Nathanael was having, and the nurse said, "He'll be really sleepy for the rest of the day," and the poor mother (who was young--in her early twenties?) said with a sigh, "OH good. He never sleeps." And the nurse said, "Well, take advantage of it by sleeping when he does, because he might not sleep at all the rest of the week." My heart ached for that mommy and I wished we could just chat about it. Another baby next to me was being prepped for a surgery to remove a quarter he had swallowed that was blocking his esophagus, so he couldn't eat (and they didn't know why he was throwing up everything for several days, so it had been 5 days and two hospitals since he swallowed the thing). His mother, 3 months pregnant, was starving so his grandmother started walking the baby (they can't eat in front of him because he can't swallow, but he doesn't know that so he thinks they're just being mean by withholding food). I started talking to them because their baby wanted to look at Nathanael, and I ended up sharing toys with him. After we had commiserated for a few minutes and shared each others' stories, a nurse came a yelled at us because a patient isn't supposed to leave his curtain cubbyhole because the anesthesiologist was ready to talk to him (never mind that the patient was 13 months old and his parents were in the right place!).
Anyway, it struck me that what all these people needed was to connect with each other--to hold each other's hands, to talk about their mutual problems and their frustrations--and how dreadful it was that the nurses in the prep/recovery room wouldn't let us, and somehow everyone's common stress and fear prevented them in the waiting room. Even just me saying, "go ahead and take those magazines, I've already read them" to an elderly man who was obviously prowling for distraction was visibly comforting to him.
Even now, 24 hours later, what I want is to go back and hug them all and listen to their stories and offer what comfort I can, even if it's just to hold their hand and sit silently while they talk and talk.
See, this is the thing I've re-learned over the past six months.
People need each other.
When the scriptures say we are to bear one another's burdens that they may be light, it's a big big deal. We don't have to remove other's burdens. We can't take them away, most of the time (although that is, to a great extent, the calling of doctors and teachers). But people need someone to talk to, to listen to, to love. Loving and listening to someone else eases your own burdens and theirs. A culture, like we have, that is too embarrassed to admit we have burdens is a tragedy and a curse on us all. In trying to look good, and right, and like we have everything together, even in the face of stress, we deny ourselves and others the relief and comfort we so desperately need.
While I was sitting there, I knew that, were Jesus there, he might not take away the sicknesses and deformities, but he most certainly would be wandering and sitting down with each person one at a time to listen, talk, and comfort.
We need to be able to do that for each other!
While I was sitting there, wishing they had a library (as were other people who were wandering the room looking for something they hadn't read yet), I started listening to the people around me. Turns out people in surgery waiting rooms share pretty private information ina place that is actually really public, but somehow also very isolated. I suppose they feel alone, so they act like they are alone.
For example, I learned that at least two people there had detached retinas, and one was possibly going to be blind even after the surgery, and that one of the others was there on time and going to have to wait for 7 hours until their surgery, but still wasn't allowed to eat now, and that one little girl was having surgery for an accident that involved bb guns, and that the receptionists have to walk the fine line between efficiently getting their jobs done and not coming across as callous and even aggressive with people who are tense and uncomfortable (and downright scared) and really need someone to reach out to them and comfort them and let them know that things will be fine (which the receptionists obviously can't do).`
The prep room and recovery room was equally intense an experience. It was very open, with beds divided by curtains, and no pretense of being private at all--I heard all kinds of conversations that should have been not public information. Like that an elderly man had all kinds of health problems because of a catheter that got infected (this kind of thing lead to the eventual death of my grandfather, so I really heard that) and that the nurse was peeved that the doctor had crossed off EVERY SINGLE pain medication from the list, so there was nothing she could do to help him once he woke up. And I heard them prepping a baby next door for the same surgery Nathanael was having, and the nurse said, "He'll be really sleepy for the rest of the day," and the poor mother (who was young--in her early twenties?) said with a sigh, "OH good. He never sleeps." And the nurse said, "Well, take advantage of it by sleeping when he does, because he might not sleep at all the rest of the week." My heart ached for that mommy and I wished we could just chat about it. Another baby next to me was being prepped for a surgery to remove a quarter he had swallowed that was blocking his esophagus, so he couldn't eat (and they didn't know why he was throwing up everything for several days, so it had been 5 days and two hospitals since he swallowed the thing). His mother, 3 months pregnant, was starving so his grandmother started walking the baby (they can't eat in front of him because he can't swallow, but he doesn't know that so he thinks they're just being mean by withholding food). I started talking to them because their baby wanted to look at Nathanael, and I ended up sharing toys with him. After we had commiserated for a few minutes and shared each others' stories, a nurse came a yelled at us because a patient isn't supposed to leave his curtain cubbyhole because the anesthesiologist was ready to talk to him (never mind that the patient was 13 months old and his parents were in the right place!).
Anyway, it struck me that what all these people needed was to connect with each other--to hold each other's hands, to talk about their mutual problems and their frustrations--and how dreadful it was that the nurses in the prep/recovery room wouldn't let us, and somehow everyone's common stress and fear prevented them in the waiting room. Even just me saying, "go ahead and take those magazines, I've already read them" to an elderly man who was obviously prowling for distraction was visibly comforting to him.
Even now, 24 hours later, what I want is to go back and hug them all and listen to their stories and offer what comfort I can, even if it's just to hold their hand and sit silently while they talk and talk.
See, this is the thing I've re-learned over the past six months.
People need each other.
When the scriptures say we are to bear one another's burdens that they may be light, it's a big big deal. We don't have to remove other's burdens. We can't take them away, most of the time (although that is, to a great extent, the calling of doctors and teachers). But people need someone to talk to, to listen to, to love. Loving and listening to someone else eases your own burdens and theirs. A culture, like we have, that is too embarrassed to admit we have burdens is a tragedy and a curse on us all. In trying to look good, and right, and like we have everything together, even in the face of stress, we deny ourselves and others the relief and comfort we so desperately need.
While I was sitting there, I knew that, were Jesus there, he might not take away the sicknesses and deformities, but he most certainly would be wandering and sitting down with each person one at a time to listen, talk, and comfort.
We need to be able to do that for each other!
Turkish Delight
Okay, so we're reading the Chronicles of Narnia. I hadn't read most of them til last summer, and then I found them surprisingly moving, and extremely effective at what Lewis probably intended for them to do--causing me to ponder my relationship to Christ.
The kids, once persuaded to listen (Caleb LOVES to read and taught himself how when he was 3 1/2 years old, but refuses to let me start new books in new series--Anda has to force him to let me), have decided they quite like the books, and I frequently catch them re-reading the ones I've already read to them.
Part of the condition Caleb set on us for reading the series was that we couldn't read "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" first. So we read a couple of the others first (the kids have found the books so exciting that they've tried to up our limit from two to three chapters per night, so we're getting through them really fast).
Naturally, like other homeschooling families, we just had to try to make Turkish Delight as soon as we read that part. So we got a recipe here:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Turkish_Delight
and found it called for rosewater, so we got that recipe here:
http://tipnut.com/how-to-make-rose-water-4-recipes/
First, we collected three roses from the front yard--two yellow and one red, since that was what was in bloom at the time. We cleaned them (the yellows had aphids), and the kids took pictures of the petals they liked ("This one is a heart!" "Oh, one perfect rose petal! Oh, look! Here's another perfect one!") (taking pictures of things we like was our solution to the "You can't eat that taco. I want to save it forever" phenomenon in our house that happened whenever someone noticed something out of the ordinary. Now we allow packratism, but only if most of your stash is saved on picasa).
Anyway, we followed the recipe and made the rosewater. It came out a deep red color.
Then we followed the recipe to make Turkish Delight. The first thing we noticed was that the red rosewater, added to the cold sugar water, turned everything a lovely pale yellow. Then, as we started cooking it, the pale yellow grew more intense. And then it turned a lovely pale green. To our utter surprise, the green became more and more intense as the sugar cooked, until it was almost neon. (Perhaps this is why rosewater is often made in enameled cookware?). Anyway, that was a shocker.
Unfortunately, I wasn't terribly careful about following the instructions carefully, and the stuff came out all wrong, with lumps and chunks and hardened cornstarch bits in it. Plus it tasted just awful, like weedy cornstarch. So we weren't inclined to eat it OR to try again, despite the beautiful frosty green color it ended up being.
I do have a recipe from one of my 1950s cookbooks that uses gelatin, so isn't 'real' Turkish Delight but promises to work out better. And word on the street is that the old candies called Aplets and Cotlets were actually Turkish Delight.
I just hate failing at a recipe when I know I didn't follow it exactly, so I might try it again when the kids aren't helping and see if I can make it go, being more careful about the 'cook to hard ball stage' and less about the "that's 250 degrees" (It isn't at this elevation. I knew that, but I forgot when I was looking at the recipe. 250 degrees is hard crack stage; 235-240 is hard ball stage at this elevation), and stirring in the cornstarch mixture instead of holding the kids back with one hand (adding water to boiling sugar can be a recipe for an explosive disaster) and dumping it in with the other.
I think I'll opt for vanilla or fruit juice flavoring this time. But if you want some rosewater for something, I have 3/4 c sitting in the fridge that you're welcome to!
The kids, once persuaded to listen (Caleb LOVES to read and taught himself how when he was 3 1/2 years old, but refuses to let me start new books in new series--Anda has to force him to let me), have decided they quite like the books, and I frequently catch them re-reading the ones I've already read to them.
Part of the condition Caleb set on us for reading the series was that we couldn't read "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" first. So we read a couple of the others first (the kids have found the books so exciting that they've tried to up our limit from two to three chapters per night, so we're getting through them really fast).
Naturally, like other homeschooling families, we just had to try to make Turkish Delight as soon as we read that part. So we got a recipe here:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Turkish_Delight
and found it called for rosewater, so we got that recipe here:
http://tipnut.com/how-to-make-rose-water-4-recipes/
First, we collected three roses from the front yard--two yellow and one red, since that was what was in bloom at the time. We cleaned them (the yellows had aphids), and the kids took pictures of the petals they liked ("This one is a heart!" "Oh, one perfect rose petal! Oh, look! Here's another perfect one!") (taking pictures of things we like was our solution to the "You can't eat that taco. I want to save it forever" phenomenon in our house that happened whenever someone noticed something out of the ordinary. Now we allow packratism, but only if most of your stash is saved on picasa).
Anyway, we followed the recipe and made the rosewater. It came out a deep red color.
Then we followed the recipe to make Turkish Delight. The first thing we noticed was that the red rosewater, added to the cold sugar water, turned everything a lovely pale yellow. Then, as we started cooking it, the pale yellow grew more intense. And then it turned a lovely pale green. To our utter surprise, the green became more and more intense as the sugar cooked, until it was almost neon. (Perhaps this is why rosewater is often made in enameled cookware?). Anyway, that was a shocker.
Unfortunately, I wasn't terribly careful about following the instructions carefully, and the stuff came out all wrong, with lumps and chunks and hardened cornstarch bits in it. Plus it tasted just awful, like weedy cornstarch. So we weren't inclined to eat it OR to try again, despite the beautiful frosty green color it ended up being.
I do have a recipe from one of my 1950s cookbooks that uses gelatin, so isn't 'real' Turkish Delight but promises to work out better. And word on the street is that the old candies called Aplets and Cotlets were actually Turkish Delight.
I just hate failing at a recipe when I know I didn't follow it exactly, so I might try it again when the kids aren't helping and see if I can make it go, being more careful about the 'cook to hard ball stage' and less about the "that's 250 degrees" (It isn't at this elevation. I knew that, but I forgot when I was looking at the recipe. 250 degrees is hard crack stage; 235-240 is hard ball stage at this elevation), and stirring in the cornstarch mixture instead of holding the kids back with one hand (adding water to boiling sugar can be a recipe for an explosive disaster) and dumping it in with the other.
I think I'll opt for vanilla or fruit juice flavoring this time. But if you want some rosewater for something, I have 3/4 c sitting in the fridge that you're welcome to!
Earth Hour
You've probably heard of this, the latest fad for grownups--participating in Earth Hour--one hour where we all turn off all electricity together to save the earth.
I guess this will reflect on me poorly, and maybe I'm revealing too much about my inner soul, but my honest, true reaction to this:
I have a mad urge to find out exactly when everyone else is participating, and for that one hour turn ON every single electricity-using thing in my entire house.
Yes, at heart, I'm rebellious. I absolutely HATE being told what to do, and it almost guarantees I won't do it. Or worse, I'll intentionally go out and do the OPPOSITE.
Fortunately, I was blessed with the curse of caring deeply and intensely about people not thinking badly about me, and also an intense desire to do what's right in God's eyes.
But when it comes to signing this petition to save the whales, or memorizing twenty scriptures (which I probably would have done on my own if you hadn't tried to bribe me) so I can attend a banquet (the seminary teachers had me on the list and gave me an invitation and were appalled when I refused to accept it because I didn't earn it), or passing off whatever it is that missionaries were supposed to pass off when I was a missionary (I have vivid memories of my district leader putting pressure on me and trying to make it a competition, and my companion saying, "You just made a big mistake, Elder. Now she'll never do it." He apostatized completely a few months later, so I won by default)....I don't respond well to those things. But you can see by the vivid memories I have of it that it causes me immense stress to have the conflict between "you can't tell me what to do" and "I have to be the best and look good to everyone".
My mother frequently reminded, when I came home in tears from this or that conflict, that "You can't spit in the eye of the establishment and expect them to love you."
So, earth hour.
I think a lot about saving power, and using it wisely, and making things around our house more efficient and eco-friendly. I'm all about growing your own organic whatever will grow in your area, and never have managed to put pesticides on any of my trees (and then cutting the worms out of the apples). I cringe at water-hungry plants growing in Vegas, and am really really frustrated and angry that every house doesn't have solar panels on the roof--I think it should be required on all new construction in places like this. I am really really big on the first two eco-friendly mantras--Reduce and Re-use--and also recycle whenever I can (I don't end up using recycling programs, but I do use scratch papers for things, and turn cardboard tubes and boxes into toys, etc). It's not that I'm against doing our individual parts to combat the pollutions on the land that the scriptures tell us will be prevalent in the last days.
I guess I'm opposed to Earth Hour because it's superficial. It's a bandaid that will make the casinos feel like they are earth friendly and energy conscious, when in fact it is just a political move on their parts to improve their images, not to save power. It is, in my mind, the same as considering yourself a worshipping, active member of a church when you attend once a year. Salve for your sinning mind, not repentance.
It's catchy, it's easy, and it actually lulls people into security and prevents them from effecting more permanent changes because they feel like they participated in saving the earth, so don't bother them.
I'm not going to say don't join in. I might even join for my kid's sake (since I am really really careful not to teach them my rebellious ways--I assume they inherited the inclination, since it comes from both sides of the family, but I don't need them to think that's the best and right way to interact with the world).
But don't be too surprised if you drive by my house that day and find all the lights blazing for the other 23 hours of that day, just for spite.
I guess this will reflect on me poorly, and maybe I'm revealing too much about my inner soul, but my honest, true reaction to this:
I have a mad urge to find out exactly when everyone else is participating, and for that one hour turn ON every single electricity-using thing in my entire house.
Yes, at heart, I'm rebellious. I absolutely HATE being told what to do, and it almost guarantees I won't do it. Or worse, I'll intentionally go out and do the OPPOSITE.
Fortunately, I was blessed with the curse of caring deeply and intensely about people not thinking badly about me, and also an intense desire to do what's right in God's eyes.
But when it comes to signing this petition to save the whales, or memorizing twenty scriptures (which I probably would have done on my own if you hadn't tried to bribe me) so I can attend a banquet (the seminary teachers had me on the list and gave me an invitation and were appalled when I refused to accept it because I didn't earn it), or passing off whatever it is that missionaries were supposed to pass off when I was a missionary (I have vivid memories of my district leader putting pressure on me and trying to make it a competition, and my companion saying, "You just made a big mistake, Elder. Now she'll never do it." He apostatized completely a few months later, so I won by default)....I don't respond well to those things. But you can see by the vivid memories I have of it that it causes me immense stress to have the conflict between "you can't tell me what to do" and "I have to be the best and look good to everyone".
My mother frequently reminded, when I came home in tears from this or that conflict, that "You can't spit in the eye of the establishment and expect them to love you."
So, earth hour.
I think a lot about saving power, and using it wisely, and making things around our house more efficient and eco-friendly. I'm all about growing your own organic whatever will grow in your area, and never have managed to put pesticides on any of my trees (and then cutting the worms out of the apples). I cringe at water-hungry plants growing in Vegas, and am really really frustrated and angry that every house doesn't have solar panels on the roof--I think it should be required on all new construction in places like this. I am really really big on the first two eco-friendly mantras--Reduce and Re-use--and also recycle whenever I can (I don't end up using recycling programs, but I do use scratch papers for things, and turn cardboard tubes and boxes into toys, etc). It's not that I'm against doing our individual parts to combat the pollutions on the land that the scriptures tell us will be prevalent in the last days.
I guess I'm opposed to Earth Hour because it's superficial. It's a bandaid that will make the casinos feel like they are earth friendly and energy conscious, when in fact it is just a political move on their parts to improve their images, not to save power. It is, in my mind, the same as considering yourself a worshipping, active member of a church when you attend once a year. Salve for your sinning mind, not repentance.
It's catchy, it's easy, and it actually lulls people into security and prevents them from effecting more permanent changes because they feel like they participated in saving the earth, so don't bother them.
I'm not going to say don't join in. I might even join for my kid's sake (since I am really really careful not to teach them my rebellious ways--I assume they inherited the inclination, since it comes from both sides of the family, but I don't need them to think that's the best and right way to interact with the world).
But don't be too surprised if you drive by my house that day and find all the lights blazing for the other 23 hours of that day, just for spite.
Nursing
People keep telling me I'm an 'experienced mom'. I don't feel old enough to be an experienced mom, especially since I know nothing about raising people over 7 years old. But I have picked up a few things on nursing, now that we're on number 5.
I thought I'd pass along some of the stuff I've learned. Skip the rest if you're sensitive about this kind of thing.
In no particular order, what I've learned about nursing since I've done it for a total of 45 of the last 90 months (or 3.75 of the last 7.5 years):
--don't give up until you've been at it for two weeks. The first two weeks stink; the rest is wonderful, easy, convenient, free.
--from the time you go into labor, put on that nursing bra and don't take it off except to shower, change it, or treat thrushy nipples. It minimizes engorgement and sagging.
--for cracked nipples due to getting used to nursing (the crack goes across the nipple): drip a little milk on them and let them air dry, preferably in direct sunshine. Heals them DAYS faster than leaving them alone. Forget all those creams and ointments--they're expensive and don't work.
--for cracked nipples due to thrush (the crack goes around the base of the nipple) or being bit (the crack is on the aureola): dab a little antibiotic ointment directly on the cut and then let it dry out AFTER nursing. Don't let the baby suck on the ointment--it's poison. Sleep with your breasts exposed to the air--no bra. The cuts potentially won't heal without the ointment, and can lead to infections really fast, so do treat them.
--If your baby gets thrush in his mouth, you have it on your breasts. Treat it by rubbing on some of the medicine the doc gives you for the baby, by taking diflucan, or by rubbing acidophilus on (you can also rub the acidophilus onto the thrushy spots in the baby's mouth and it helps it go away faster).
--lactation people always say if you are nursing correctly, it won't hurt. This isn't true of the first two weeks--even if you're doing it right, you can be sore and your nipples can crack. It's just part of the game for some women.
--If you're nursing along fine and then it starts to hurt, you probably have thrush.
--Notice that the pictures of a correct latch-on they give you are all 3-months old babies and older? That's because the latch they teach you in the hospital is physically impossible for most (if not all) newborns to do--their mouths are too small, and most have some measure of receded chin. Also, it's cruel to make the baby latch on 20-30 times to 'get it right'. Let them latch the way they are most comfortable and then gently tug on their chin (and upper lip if necessary) to be sure they are flayed outward instead of tucked in. And, believe it or not, your breasts can adapt within 2 weeks to most semi-correct latches as well as by-the-book ones.
--Don't pump to relieve engorgement. Express a little milk with your fingers to relieve the pressure and trust your body. It will take care of the problem soon and learn to produce just the right amount of milk for baby.
--Nursing pads: you can buy disposable ones (some you can even wash and re-use!); you can take one of those receiving blankets that are super soft but too small for any reasonable newborn and cut it up into squares, layer them together, and zigzag the edges and use that; you can by washable ones (expensive and often don't breathe well enough. Hands down the best nursing pads I've ever used are, for engorged or leaky times (like when you know you aren't going to get to nurse for a long time, when the baby skips a meal, or when you are just spraying everywhere from both sides when the baby nurses on one) or when you really need to stay dry (like when you have thrush), are newborn sized disposable diapers (or if you, like me, are still relatively small-chested, preemie diapers). The second best I've ever used are (don't laugh--sometimes you use what you have on hand) pantiliners or even sanitary pads (the ultra-thin kind). No joke. They are thin, made to keep your skin dry even when they have liquid in them, made to conform to your body shape when you move around, flexible and breathable, and, unlike disposable nursing pads, are sealed around the edges so the milk is less likely to fill the pad and then just drip right on down your shirt anyway. Plus they are made to lock the liquid in and not get squishy, and, because they aren't little circles (like real nursing pads are), they don't show under your clothes. And, what's more, unlike cloth or disposable nursing pads, they don't stick to cracked or seeping wounds on the breasts (like thrush cracks or infected baby bite-marks). If you've ever had the agonizing experience of pulling a stuck-on bra off a sore boob, you know why this is a big deal.
--Nobody talks about it, but nursing can cause hormone surges in the mommy that can make you feel INTENSE anxiety, homesickness (this is me, but only when I nurse on the right side), fidgety claustrophobia (like you just need to bounce your legs and squirm, and if you don't stand up you're going to scream or explode), or even intense depression. This is different than post-partum depression because it only exists actually while you are actually in the act of nursing. For some women it's cause enough to quit nursing. For some women, it leads to full-on depression because they focus on it and think they are depressed (as a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy). For me? I just remind myself that it's "not real" and ignore it, digging into a book (either reading or writing one), a quilt pattern, or something else that makes me happy.
--Something else nobody talks about is that the breast is round. You don't actually have to use a Boppy pillow to support the baby. Rotate them on the circle and set their bum on your lap while you nurse--still tummy-to-tummy, but no pillow needed. Some babies actually prefer to nurse with their feet down between your knees!
--The currently-popular tummy-to-tummy nursing pose ("the right way") is a load of crock for those of us who have breasts and/or nipples that don't face directly forward. Line the baby up so they go straight onto your nipple and them have at it--and for some of us, this position is not tummy-to-tummy. I noticed this when I put my baby in the 'right' position, and he had to turn his head WAY to the side to nurse. The 'correct' position for a baby is the way they face your nipple and can reach it without turning their head too far to one side or the other. And, contrary to popular urban legend, a baby can actually nurse happily with their head turned slightly one way or the other. Some actually prefer it.
--Nursing mothers often say that only drunk mommies roll onto their babies when co-sleepihg. I learned from a near-tragedy that this is NOT true. Normal, healthy, alert mothers can also suffocate their babies by rolling on them, or knocking a blanket onto them, or having their spouse accidentally flop an arm onto the baby, especially when everyone is deeply sleep-deprived in those first few weeks, and when you finally fall asleep, it's deep and intense and happens fast. I don't nurse lying down anymore since I woke up one night nearly suffocating my poor baby, who had slipped off my breast and my arm and had his head tucked right under my side.
--Buy a good nursing bra (or two) with a one-handed clasp. Then, when it wears out, cut off the clasp. Get any old bra you like and insert the clasp into it (you have to cut and sew just a little). Attach a ribbon from the center of the bra to the strap so it doesn't fall down your back while your cup is open. If it won't lay flat, you can attach the ribbon to the bra strap with a little plastic circle--it allows the strap to aim a different direction from the ribbon, helping it lay flatter. You can convert almost any bra into a good nursing bra--and get better support and more comfort for it.
--nursed babies can get sick, contrary to popular opinion. They just share your antibodies, so they can get over it faster. We've had nursing babies get all manner of colds, rsv, bacterial and viral infections.
--sometimes I feel like a cow.
--breast milk doesn't taste like cow's milk
--breast milk can spray a long way, and can come out of the area around your nipple as well as your nipple, and can come in different colors and shades and flavors based on what you eat.
--nursing while you're pregnant can be exhausting.
I'd love to hear your tips, ideas, suggestions on nursing, too!
I thought I'd pass along some of the stuff I've learned. Skip the rest if you're sensitive about this kind of thing.
In no particular order, what I've learned about nursing since I've done it for a total of 45 of the last 90 months (or 3.75 of the last 7.5 years):
--don't give up until you've been at it for two weeks. The first two weeks stink; the rest is wonderful, easy, convenient, free.
--from the time you go into labor, put on that nursing bra and don't take it off except to shower, change it, or treat thrushy nipples. It minimizes engorgement and sagging.
--for cracked nipples due to getting used to nursing (the crack goes across the nipple): drip a little milk on them and let them air dry, preferably in direct sunshine. Heals them DAYS faster than leaving them alone. Forget all those creams and ointments--they're expensive and don't work.
--for cracked nipples due to thrush (the crack goes around the base of the nipple) or being bit (the crack is on the aureola): dab a little antibiotic ointment directly on the cut and then let it dry out AFTER nursing. Don't let the baby suck on the ointment--it's poison. Sleep with your breasts exposed to the air--no bra. The cuts potentially won't heal without the ointment, and can lead to infections really fast, so do treat them.
--If your baby gets thrush in his mouth, you have it on your breasts. Treat it by rubbing on some of the medicine the doc gives you for the baby, by taking diflucan, or by rubbing acidophilus on (you can also rub the acidophilus onto the thrushy spots in the baby's mouth and it helps it go away faster).
--lactation people always say if you are nursing correctly, it won't hurt. This isn't true of the first two weeks--even if you're doing it right, you can be sore and your nipples can crack. It's just part of the game for some women.
--If you're nursing along fine and then it starts to hurt, you probably have thrush.
--Notice that the pictures of a correct latch-on they give you are all 3-months old babies and older? That's because the latch they teach you in the hospital is physically impossible for most (if not all) newborns to do--their mouths are too small, and most have some measure of receded chin. Also, it's cruel to make the baby latch on 20-30 times to 'get it right'. Let them latch the way they are most comfortable and then gently tug on their chin (and upper lip if necessary) to be sure they are flayed outward instead of tucked in. And, believe it or not, your breasts can adapt within 2 weeks to most semi-correct latches as well as by-the-book ones.
--Don't pump to relieve engorgement. Express a little milk with your fingers to relieve the pressure and trust your body. It will take care of the problem soon and learn to produce just the right amount of milk for baby.
--Nursing pads: you can buy disposable ones (some you can even wash and re-use!); you can take one of those receiving blankets that are super soft but too small for any reasonable newborn and cut it up into squares, layer them together, and zigzag the edges and use that; you can by washable ones (expensive and often don't breathe well enough. Hands down the best nursing pads I've ever used are, for engorged or leaky times (like when you know you aren't going to get to nurse for a long time, when the baby skips a meal, or when you are just spraying everywhere from both sides when the baby nurses on one) or when you really need to stay dry (like when you have thrush), are newborn sized disposable diapers (or if you, like me, are still relatively small-chested, preemie diapers). The second best I've ever used are (don't laugh--sometimes you use what you have on hand) pantiliners or even sanitary pads (the ultra-thin kind). No joke. They are thin, made to keep your skin dry even when they have liquid in them, made to conform to your body shape when you move around, flexible and breathable, and, unlike disposable nursing pads, are sealed around the edges so the milk is less likely to fill the pad and then just drip right on down your shirt anyway. Plus they are made to lock the liquid in and not get squishy, and, because they aren't little circles (like real nursing pads are), they don't show under your clothes. And, what's more, unlike cloth or disposable nursing pads, they don't stick to cracked or seeping wounds on the breasts (like thrush cracks or infected baby bite-marks). If you've ever had the agonizing experience of pulling a stuck-on bra off a sore boob, you know why this is a big deal.
--Nobody talks about it, but nursing can cause hormone surges in the mommy that can make you feel INTENSE anxiety, homesickness (this is me, but only when I nurse on the right side), fidgety claustrophobia (like you just need to bounce your legs and squirm, and if you don't stand up you're going to scream or explode), or even intense depression. This is different than post-partum depression because it only exists actually while you are actually in the act of nursing. For some women it's cause enough to quit nursing. For some women, it leads to full-on depression because they focus on it and think they are depressed (as a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy). For me? I just remind myself that it's "not real" and ignore it, digging into a book (either reading or writing one), a quilt pattern, or something else that makes me happy.
--Something else nobody talks about is that the breast is round. You don't actually have to use a Boppy pillow to support the baby. Rotate them on the circle and set their bum on your lap while you nurse--still tummy-to-tummy, but no pillow needed. Some babies actually prefer to nurse with their feet down between your knees!
--The currently-popular tummy-to-tummy nursing pose ("the right way") is a load of crock for those of us who have breasts and/or nipples that don't face directly forward. Line the baby up so they go straight onto your nipple and them have at it--and for some of us, this position is not tummy-to-tummy. I noticed this when I put my baby in the 'right' position, and he had to turn his head WAY to the side to nurse. The 'correct' position for a baby is the way they face your nipple and can reach it without turning their head too far to one side or the other. And, contrary to popular urban legend, a baby can actually nurse happily with their head turned slightly one way or the other. Some actually prefer it.
--Nursing mothers often say that only drunk mommies roll onto their babies when co-sleepihg. I learned from a near-tragedy that this is NOT true. Normal, healthy, alert mothers can also suffocate their babies by rolling on them, or knocking a blanket onto them, or having their spouse accidentally flop an arm onto the baby, especially when everyone is deeply sleep-deprived in those first few weeks, and when you finally fall asleep, it's deep and intense and happens fast. I don't nurse lying down anymore since I woke up one night nearly suffocating my poor baby, who had slipped off my breast and my arm and had his head tucked right under my side.
--Buy a good nursing bra (or two) with a one-handed clasp. Then, when it wears out, cut off the clasp. Get any old bra you like and insert the clasp into it (you have to cut and sew just a little). Attach a ribbon from the center of the bra to the strap so it doesn't fall down your back while your cup is open. If it won't lay flat, you can attach the ribbon to the bra strap with a little plastic circle--it allows the strap to aim a different direction from the ribbon, helping it lay flatter. You can convert almost any bra into a good nursing bra--and get better support and more comfort for it.
--nursed babies can get sick, contrary to popular opinion. They just share your antibodies, so they can get over it faster. We've had nursing babies get all manner of colds, rsv, bacterial and viral infections.
--sometimes I feel like a cow.
--breast milk doesn't taste like cow's milk
--breast milk can spray a long way, and can come out of the area around your nipple as well as your nipple, and can come in different colors and shades and flavors based on what you eat.
--nursing while you're pregnant can be exhausting.
I'd love to hear your tips, ideas, suggestions on nursing, too!
Best Frosting Ever
1/2 pkg (4 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 c (1 stick, or 4 oz) butter or margarine, softened
2-3 c powdered sugar (less for softer frosting, more for stiffer)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon juice
Cream the butter and cream cheese. Slowly add the powdered sugar, mixing well after each addition. Beat (or whip) for a full 12 minutes, or even more. (This seems silly, but do it, even with a kitchenaid mixer--it makes an enormous difference in the frosting you get.) Add the vanilla and lemon juice (and food coloring if you want colored frosting), and beat until it's completely incorporated.
It should come out fluffy and soft, but still able to hold its shape.
Good on cookies, monkey bread, carrot cake, graham crackers.....
1/2 c (1 stick, or 4 oz) butter or margarine, softened
2-3 c powdered sugar (less for softer frosting, more for stiffer)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon juice
Cream the butter and cream cheese. Slowly add the powdered sugar, mixing well after each addition. Beat (or whip) for a full 12 minutes, or even more. (This seems silly, but do it, even with a kitchenaid mixer--it makes an enormous difference in the frosting you get.) Add the vanilla and lemon juice (and food coloring if you want colored frosting), and beat until it's completely incorporated.
It should come out fluffy and soft, but still able to hold its shape.
Good on cookies, monkey bread, carrot cake, graham crackers.....
Sunday, March 22, 2009
another bad headline from fox news
"Egypt Wants 3,000-Year-Old Wooden Coffin Illegally Smuggled Into U.S."
I couldn't figure out why Egypt would want to sneak a coffin out of their country and into ours....
Turns out it's a grammatical ambiguity that could be fixed either with the two words "that was" inserted before 'illegally smuggled' or the addition of the word 'returned' at the end of the headline.
You think maybe they need a copy editor?
I couldn't figure out why Egypt would want to sneak a coffin out of their country and into ours....
Turns out it's a grammatical ambiguity that could be fixed either with the two words "that was" inserted before 'illegally smuggled' or the addition of the word 'returned' at the end of the headline.
You think maybe they need a copy editor?
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Competiton results: Denver
Okay, so two days ago I made a joking comment to Tim that wouldn't it be funny if the two groups he put the least amount of emotional energy (and time, actually) into won their regionals and went on to the finals. I even named the groups. Both awesome concepts that just didn't take Tim as much work to put together.
And tonight, one of them won first place.
Mouthbeats, the all-vocal percussion ensemble won the Denver Regional Rocky Mountain Harmony Sweepstakes.
Not only that, the two groups pretty much cleaned up the competition, winning every award except Audience Favorite and 2nd place.
So, results:
Overall winners: Mouthbeats
Best Solo: Kai, from Wonder Voice (she does have a fantastic solo voice)
Best Original Song: Tim, for Mouthbeats music
Best Arrangement: Matt Murphy, for Mouthbeats version of that Daft Punk song "Harder Faster Stronger" (Or whatever it's actually called--the YouTube one with the hands)
Best stage presentation: Mouthbeats
I'm not sure about best vocal percussionist. It would be ironic if the all-vocal percussion group didn't get this award!
And tonight, one of them won first place.
Mouthbeats, the all-vocal percussion ensemble won the Denver Regional Rocky Mountain Harmony Sweepstakes.
Not only that, the two groups pretty much cleaned up the competition, winning every award except Audience Favorite and 2nd place.
So, results:
Overall winners: Mouthbeats
Best Solo: Kai, from Wonder Voice (she does have a fantastic solo voice)
Best Original Song: Tim, for Mouthbeats music
Best Arrangement: Matt Murphy, for Mouthbeats version of that Daft Punk song "Harder Faster Stronger" (Or whatever it's actually called--the YouTube one with the hands)
Best stage presentation: Mouthbeats
I'm not sure about best vocal percussionist. It would be ironic if the all-vocal percussion group didn't get this award!
Wikipedia vs news outlets
So maybe wikipedia can be just as funny as the news outlets. I found this gem today:
"The population was 90 at the 2000 census. A 2006 estimate placed the township's population at 92."
And there was only one other line in the article, identifying which township in Nebraska we're talking about.
"The population was 90 at the 2000 census. A 2006 estimate placed the township's population at 92."
And there was only one other line in the article, identifying which township in Nebraska we're talking about.
the news....
Here is a concrete example of why I feel like reading the news repeatedly throughout the day is not a valid use of my time.
This is a real headline from today's news:
"First lady admits: I hide my hips with pleats"
Seriously?
This is a real headline from today's news:
"First lady admits: I hide my hips with pleats"
Seriously?
My new hobbies
I've started quilting again. Testing a few new methods I've dreamed up and a few I've heard about. I'll let you know how it all comes out. I actually realized the other day that we had an old sheet that would be perfect for my current project, and I looked at Tim and said, "Do you think anyone would care if I cut up that sheet for a quilt?" He looked at me for a minute and then said, "YOU are the mom in this house." So, once again, I am making an art quilt with entirely recycled materials. It's going to have to be my trademark, I'm afraid!
In this awkward time of writer's block, I've been pining for a good non-fiction book, but the library is totally off-limits until Benjamin can handle it (as in not run off and not pull every single thing off the shelves and not throw the books or color in them and not tear the pages). He's getting close, and the big kids are hungry for the library experience.
In the meantime, though, I've spent a lot of time reading news websites online, and not being terribly satisfied by it. In general, I find only so many things happen, and only so much can be said about them. Consequently, the stories on the news sites tend to be sensationalized, and often not terribly edifying, and, after the first day of some something hitting the news, not very new. In other words, a quick glance at the headlines on google news once a day would do it for me, and then I felt like the rest of the time was wasted.
I want to do a bunch of stuff with my time, but the bundle of Nathanael on my lap pretty much mandates that I had to find something to do sitting in my chair. And I was so so so tired of wasting my time wandering the internet.
So I found a solution: wikipedia.
I know. You're saying, "that's the ultimate wandering the internet!" But I'm saying, "the ultimate nonfiction book!" It's like reading the encyclopedia, which I've always loved to do. But this one has hyperlinks. So now when I'm wandering the internet, I feel like I'm learning stuff. Like about Glenrio, the ghost town on the border of Texas and New Mexico that was on Route 66 but got bypassed by the freeway. Why would I need to know about that, or that there's a list of Italian Actors, or the name of that little town in India that held a speed-walking race for people over 65? I don't know. But it's fun, educational, and I pick up on fun stuff, like this phrase I found: "though more cranially reminiscent of archaic whales". Out of context, it's a beauty!
And, for those days when I just need to stop, there's always this site to stare at:
http://shibumi.org/eoti.htm
In this awkward time of writer's block, I've been pining for a good non-fiction book, but the library is totally off-limits until Benjamin can handle it (as in not run off and not pull every single thing off the shelves and not throw the books or color in them and not tear the pages). He's getting close, and the big kids are hungry for the library experience.
In the meantime, though, I've spent a lot of time reading news websites online, and not being terribly satisfied by it. In general, I find only so many things happen, and only so much can be said about them. Consequently, the stories on the news sites tend to be sensationalized, and often not terribly edifying, and, after the first day of some something hitting the news, not very new. In other words, a quick glance at the headlines on google news once a day would do it for me, and then I felt like the rest of the time was wasted.
I want to do a bunch of stuff with my time, but the bundle of Nathanael on my lap pretty much mandates that I had to find something to do sitting in my chair. And I was so so so tired of wasting my time wandering the internet.
So I found a solution: wikipedia.
I know. You're saying, "that's the ultimate wandering the internet!" But I'm saying, "the ultimate nonfiction book!" It's like reading the encyclopedia, which I've always loved to do. But this one has hyperlinks. So now when I'm wandering the internet, I feel like I'm learning stuff. Like about Glenrio, the ghost town on the border of Texas and New Mexico that was on Route 66 but got bypassed by the freeway. Why would I need to know about that, or that there's a list of Italian Actors, or the name of that little town in India that held a speed-walking race for people over 65? I don't know. But it's fun, educational, and I pick up on fun stuff, like this phrase I found: "though more cranially reminiscent of archaic whales". Out of context, it's a beauty!
And, for those days when I just need to stop, there's always this site to stare at:
http://shibumi.org/eoti.htm
Saturday NIght in Denver
Tim has two groups performing at 7:00 in Denver, CO, for any of you who are in the area. The groups are Mouthbeats, an all-vocal percussion ensemble (I heard the rehearsal tracks--it sounds really cool), and Wonder Voice, an a cappella cover band. If you ever wanted to hear "White Rabbit (Go Ask Alice)" and "Across the Universe" sung together as one song (not just a medley--the melodies cross and interweave at the end. Very cool), now is the time. Also, an awesome operatic rendition of the old Gloria Gaynor classic, "I Will Survive" (sorry, minus the cute green alien and the falling disco ball, although I do think Mouthbeats is going to bring down a Mothership as part of its show....)
To find the place and price, go to this website:
http://www.harmony-sweepstakes.com/denver.html.
You can also see who else is performing.
It should be an awesome show!
(Oh, and if you go to that site and look closely, you'll see both Tim and his doppelganger hanging out on our driveway!)
To find the place and price, go to this website:
http://www.harmony-sweepstakes.com/denver.html.
You can also see who else is performing.
It should be an awesome show!
(Oh, and if you go to that site and look closely, you'll see both Tim and his doppelganger hanging out on our driveway!)
Thursday, March 19, 2009
more funny headlines
on google news:
"Video: Josef Fritzl sentenced to life in Austria"
His crimes were unbelievably monstrous; what does that say about Austria?
"Video: Josef Fritzl sentenced to life in Austria"
His crimes were unbelievably monstrous; what does that say about Austria?
Monday, March 16, 2009
Why I'm scared to even pursue publishing in the LDS market
This is from LDS_Publisher's blog about how the Whitney Award Winners are chosen:
"As a Whitney judge, I look for a well-written story first. I'll accept some structural issues—typos, adverbs, cliches—but if there are too many, it loses points fast. If there are more than a few grammatical errors, it loses points regardless of how good the story is. If the story is hard to follow, changes POV incorrectly, or if I'm constantly being pulled out of the story due to other errors in writing, it loses points."
The Whitneys, if I'm not mistaken, are not granted to the best unpublished manuscript out there. They are for the best books. Published (or, apparently, self-published). If these errors are appearing enough in LDS fiction that it becomes criteria for being rejected for an award, then I'm really scared to associate myself with LDS fiction. And the fact that the judges are willing to look past a few cliches and typos--that's really scary, you know? What does that say about the quality of LDS fiction? Not much.
LDS_Publisher also says, "When it all shakes out, I think the winners tend to be a pretty good sampling of LDS fiction."
And THAT is why I swore I would never publish in the LDS Market.
"As a Whitney judge, I look for a well-written story first. I'll accept some structural issues—typos, adverbs, cliches—but if there are too many, it loses points fast. If there are more than a few grammatical errors, it loses points regardless of how good the story is. If the story is hard to follow, changes POV incorrectly, or if I'm constantly being pulled out of the story due to other errors in writing, it loses points."
The Whitneys, if I'm not mistaken, are not granted to the best unpublished manuscript out there. They are for the best books. Published (or, apparently, self-published). If these errors are appearing enough in LDS fiction that it becomes criteria for being rejected for an award, then I'm really scared to associate myself with LDS fiction. And the fact that the judges are willing to look past a few cliches and typos--that's really scary, you know? What does that say about the quality of LDS fiction? Not much.
LDS_Publisher also says, "When it all shakes out, I think the winners tend to be a pretty good sampling of LDS fiction."
And THAT is why I swore I would never publish in the LDS Market.
This is a cool service
I just discovered that if you go here:
http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories
You can enter your email address (in the left-hand sidebar, near the bottom) and they give you the chance to sign up for whatever news updates from the Church that you might want to have come to your email, including news, commentary, audio and video updates, etc. Very cool.
http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories
You can enter your email address (in the left-hand sidebar, near the bottom) and they give you the chance to sign up for whatever news updates from the Church that you might want to have come to your email, including news, commentary, audio and video updates, etc. Very cool.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
a three-ingredient cold cereal?
Tonight, grocery shopping, we bought one of every cereal at Wal-Mart that cost less than 10 cents per ounce.
We came home with a frosted mini-wheats knockoff made by a company called "mom's best" that I'd never heard of. It had "whole grain" bragging on the box, which I don't take seriously because most companies have more sugar than whole grain.
When I got home, I flipped the box around and read the ingredients as I put it into the cupboard. There were three. I had to look twice to be sure. There were definitely three listed. Just 3: Whole wheat, evaporated milled sugar, and gelatin. Compare that to most cereals in your cupboard! That's as few as (or fewer than!) when you boil your own wheat to make wheat berries or cracked wheat cereal for breakfast (at least the way I make it, it has wheat, sugar, salt, and cinnamon or maple syrup or strawberry jam--that's four, unless I forget the salt, which I often do).
I hope it tastes good because I'm sure happy with the ingredients!
Note, later: It does taste good. Really good. I'm going to look up their other products. I totally believe in supporting companies like this--made with renewable energy, no chemicals, and still inexpensive.
We came home with a frosted mini-wheats knockoff made by a company called "mom's best" that I'd never heard of. It had "whole grain" bragging on the box, which I don't take seriously because most companies have more sugar than whole grain.
When I got home, I flipped the box around and read the ingredients as I put it into the cupboard. There were three. I had to look twice to be sure. There were definitely three listed. Just 3: Whole wheat, evaporated milled sugar, and gelatin. Compare that to most cereals in your cupboard! That's as few as (or fewer than!) when you boil your own wheat to make wheat berries or cracked wheat cereal for breakfast (at least the way I make it, it has wheat, sugar, salt, and cinnamon or maple syrup or strawberry jam--that's four, unless I forget the salt, which I often do).
I hope it tastes good because I'm sure happy with the ingredients!
Note, later: It does taste good. Really good. I'm going to look up their other products. I totally believe in supporting companies like this--made with renewable energy, no chemicals, and still inexpensive.
and the winner is....
Plumbers of Rome, one of Tim's groups, competed in the Harmony Sweepstakes in San Francisco. They won the prestigious Audience Favorite Award and came in second overall, losing by a mere 2 points, much to Tim's chagrin.
Still, I'm not complaining. He's had at least one of his groups in the sweeps every year since 2003, and he's won some award every time--and usually multiple awards, including a couple best original song awards and the Impact award, which is given to the person who has the greatest impact on vocal music in the region and is only awarded when the producers feel strongly about it (not every year, in other words). In fact, Tim's never had a group compete and NOT win something, even when they intentionally tried to disqualify themselves!
So, this year, 4 more to go!
Still, I'm not complaining. He's had at least one of his groups in the sweeps every year since 2003, and he's won some award every time--and usually multiple awards, including a couple best original song awards and the Impact award, which is given to the person who has the greatest impact on vocal music in the region and is only awarded when the producers feel strongly about it (not every year, in other words). In fact, Tim's never had a group compete and NOT win something, even when they intentionally tried to disqualify themselves!
So, this year, 4 more to go!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Stressors in my life this week
Wow. Lots of posts lately. I guess this is how I'm getting my writing fix when I'm having writers' block for my novel (I'm trying to restructure it mentally before I start writing because the idea, pared down and made to look marketable, also became quite boring. I'm trying to rethink--what would make it fun for me? That's the book I'm going to write, the one that is fun for me, even if it's not marketable).
So, this week:
The baby and I both got thrush, which led to open sores on my breasts (I know, too much information!) that won't heal, making it indescribably painful to nurse. So we're dealing with that. At least the bronchiolitis in the baby went away.
We have our first ear infection in any of my children. (5 kids and 7 1/2 years, and we've never had one before!). This one is a result of RSV in Daniel and has caused some temporary but incredibly annoying (especially at night when I've gotten the baby to sleep and Dan wants to ask a question) hearing loss.
Baby had a well-child checkup and got his shots. He's doing remarkably well, and even woke up smiling this morning, but he is a little fussy and wants to be held a lot.
Tim is swamped with work, some of which pays (which actually puts the pressure on, you know?). Right now he's in San Francisco with Plumbers of Rome, preparing to compete tomorrow night. So I'm here alone with the kids again. Good thing I'm not scared to be alone, but I do miss him. He's started getting calls from strangers for music projects, so that's a good sign that maybe even without getting a job he got a job.
A good friend of mine got in a sticky situation (which I have no details on) and had her kids temporarily seized by Social Services. She was in court all day today trying to get them back. This is one of my deepest fears for me, so I've been pretty traumatized by it happening to someone I care about. I've spent the last day trying not to think about the empty bedrooms at bedtime, and how awful it must feel to know your children are crying for you somewhere and you can't get to them. In the process of the whole thing, her husband ended up being taken away, too, and she's heavily pregnant. Again, I have no details, but I know enough to be sad and stressed by it all, especially since, across the country, I can't think of anything I can do to help!
I am trying desperately to get my house in order. The problem has been that we never unpacked enough to get places to put things away, so I'm making lots of piles to sort and then I will find places to put things away, or we'll get rid of the things. We're stuck in this too-small house for now, so we've got to make do, right?
It's hard to make dinner while holding someone whose head is still floppy, so we've not been eating well. This leads to the dreaded weight gain, so I have found myself too big for my regular clothes and unwilling to wear my maternity clothes. I'm tired of looking crappy, so I'm trying to cut the carbs, but when you have your arms and lap full all the time, it's not easy to cook healthy stuff. I wonder how long I can live on cheese and deviled eggs (easy if you make them using a ziploc bag for all the mixing and filling).
Schedule? Messed up again. Instead of fixing the baby's sleep schedule to match ours, he somehow managed to fix ours to match his. So now we're all going to bed after 4:00 am (how I hate to see the sun rise!) and getting up closer to 4:00 pm. This is my most-hated sleep schedule because it is incredibly isolating. And it makes it really hard to get to church at 9:00 am. I'd just keep going at 1:00 pm and switch wards, except I don't speak Spanish, and the ward that meet at that time does. It also makes it really hard to get the kids out to play with other kids, and I feel stressed that they don't really have friends because of the sleep schedule. I remember having a good time with my best friend in first grade--and Jon made lifelong friends when he was in 2nd grade. I want Caleb to have that chance, but it's really hard when we come alive right about when other kids are going to bed.
Lots of my family members (parents and siblings) are sick and in Utah, so I just sit and worry and can't help them.
Daniel has developed full-body eczema again. The doctors always give us creams that sting and burn, so Dan won't let us put them on. His skin was clear in Reno (for the first time in ages), so I'm going through what could it be? The cats? The plush carpets? The dry air? The laundry soap? I think it might be the laundry soap, since he has no eczema on his face or under his diaper, but he does have it wherever clothes touch, plus on his hands (but it always shows up there last, after he's been rubbing and scratching everywhere else). I've had to step back and say, "Dan's comfort is worth the extra $5-$10 we'd have to spend per month for more expensive soap--and our clothes will be cleaner, too, and so last longer." Spending money is hard for me--I even feel terrible when I spend $100 a week to feed my family--of 7. I'm all about getting the best deal ever--and I have to remind myself that 'best deal' isn't necessarily equivalent to 'cheapest.' So I need to go buy the same detergent we had in Reno (arm and hammer liquid) and see if it helps (I think Purell and Tide can help with this, too, but they are so costly!)
So...how's your week?
So, this week:
The baby and I both got thrush, which led to open sores on my breasts (I know, too much information!) that won't heal, making it indescribably painful to nurse. So we're dealing with that. At least the bronchiolitis in the baby went away.
We have our first ear infection in any of my children. (5 kids and 7 1/2 years, and we've never had one before!). This one is a result of RSV in Daniel and has caused some temporary but incredibly annoying (especially at night when I've gotten the baby to sleep and Dan wants to ask a question) hearing loss.
Baby had a well-child checkup and got his shots. He's doing remarkably well, and even woke up smiling this morning, but he is a little fussy and wants to be held a lot.
Tim is swamped with work, some of which pays (which actually puts the pressure on, you know?). Right now he's in San Francisco with Plumbers of Rome, preparing to compete tomorrow night. So I'm here alone with the kids again. Good thing I'm not scared to be alone, but I do miss him. He's started getting calls from strangers for music projects, so that's a good sign that maybe even without getting a job he got a job.
A good friend of mine got in a sticky situation (which I have no details on) and had her kids temporarily seized by Social Services. She was in court all day today trying to get them back. This is one of my deepest fears for me, so I've been pretty traumatized by it happening to someone I care about. I've spent the last day trying not to think about the empty bedrooms at bedtime, and how awful it must feel to know your children are crying for you somewhere and you can't get to them. In the process of the whole thing, her husband ended up being taken away, too, and she's heavily pregnant. Again, I have no details, but I know enough to be sad and stressed by it all, especially since, across the country, I can't think of anything I can do to help!
I am trying desperately to get my house in order. The problem has been that we never unpacked enough to get places to put things away, so I'm making lots of piles to sort and then I will find places to put things away, or we'll get rid of the things. We're stuck in this too-small house for now, so we've got to make do, right?
It's hard to make dinner while holding someone whose head is still floppy, so we've not been eating well. This leads to the dreaded weight gain, so I have found myself too big for my regular clothes and unwilling to wear my maternity clothes. I'm tired of looking crappy, so I'm trying to cut the carbs, but when you have your arms and lap full all the time, it's not easy to cook healthy stuff. I wonder how long I can live on cheese and deviled eggs (easy if you make them using a ziploc bag for all the mixing and filling).
Schedule? Messed up again. Instead of fixing the baby's sleep schedule to match ours, he somehow managed to fix ours to match his. So now we're all going to bed after 4:00 am (how I hate to see the sun rise!) and getting up closer to 4:00 pm. This is my most-hated sleep schedule because it is incredibly isolating. And it makes it really hard to get to church at 9:00 am. I'd just keep going at 1:00 pm and switch wards, except I don't speak Spanish, and the ward that meet at that time does. It also makes it really hard to get the kids out to play with other kids, and I feel stressed that they don't really have friends because of the sleep schedule. I remember having a good time with my best friend in first grade--and Jon made lifelong friends when he was in 2nd grade. I want Caleb to have that chance, but it's really hard when we come alive right about when other kids are going to bed.
Lots of my family members (parents and siblings) are sick and in Utah, so I just sit and worry and can't help them.
Daniel has developed full-body eczema again. The doctors always give us creams that sting and burn, so Dan won't let us put them on. His skin was clear in Reno (for the first time in ages), so I'm going through what could it be? The cats? The plush carpets? The dry air? The laundry soap? I think it might be the laundry soap, since he has no eczema on his face or under his diaper, but he does have it wherever clothes touch, plus on his hands (but it always shows up there last, after he's been rubbing and scratching everywhere else). I've had to step back and say, "Dan's comfort is worth the extra $5-$10 we'd have to spend per month for more expensive soap--and our clothes will be cleaner, too, and so last longer." Spending money is hard for me--I even feel terrible when I spend $100 a week to feed my family--of 7. I'm all about getting the best deal ever--and I have to remind myself that 'best deal' isn't necessarily equivalent to 'cheapest.' So I need to go buy the same detergent we had in Reno (arm and hammer liquid) and see if it helps (I think Purell and Tide can help with this, too, but they are so costly!)
So...how's your week?
fun cooking tip
Bake your favorite quick bread (banana bread, blueberry bread, sour cream cinnamon raisin bread, lemon bread--the kinds that come from batter instead of from dough, and that often have as much sugar as cake, but taste like muffins) in a can.
We use the large cans that hold 30 oz of beans, peaches, or pears usually, but I have also used those big number 10 food storage cans and the smaller pineapple cans; I imagine you could also use the cans that pineapple juice comes in, or even soup cans if you wanted tiny loaves. Take the label off, wash and dry them, and grease them well. Then fill them half-to-2/3 full of batter (my recipes fill 3 cans this way) and bake until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean (60 minutes for pineapple cans; 70-90 for peach cans, etc).
Wait until the loaves cool, and then run a knife around the inside to loosen them and the loaves fall right out. Alternately, you can use a can opener on the bottom of the can and push the loaf right through.
They make the prettiest round slices of bread. Next time you need to show off your bread (like for a ward potluck, or a Christmas treat plate, or a gift loaf, or a family party), this is a really fun and easy way to dress up a regular quick bread because nobody expects to get a slice of bread that is perfectly round. It's kind of cool and fun.
Next, I want to try yeasted bread this way and see if I can make round sandwiches for the kids. It would be great, too, for hamburgers!
We use the large cans that hold 30 oz of beans, peaches, or pears usually, but I have also used those big number 10 food storage cans and the smaller pineapple cans; I imagine you could also use the cans that pineapple juice comes in, or even soup cans if you wanted tiny loaves. Take the label off, wash and dry them, and grease them well. Then fill them half-to-2/3 full of batter (my recipes fill 3 cans this way) and bake until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean (60 minutes for pineapple cans; 70-90 for peach cans, etc).
Wait until the loaves cool, and then run a knife around the inside to loosen them and the loaves fall right out. Alternately, you can use a can opener on the bottom of the can and push the loaf right through.
They make the prettiest round slices of bread. Next time you need to show off your bread (like for a ward potluck, or a Christmas treat plate, or a gift loaf, or a family party), this is a really fun and easy way to dress up a regular quick bread because nobody expects to get a slice of bread that is perfectly round. It's kind of cool and fun.
Next, I want to try yeasted bread this way and see if I can make round sandwiches for the kids. It would be great, too, for hamburgers!
Earthquake Las Vegas
recent studies reveal:
Guess which part of Vegas is set to be completely annihilated if there's an earthquake?
You guessed it--The Strip!
I'm bracing myself.....
Guess which part of Vegas is set to be completely annihilated if there's an earthquake?
You guessed it--The Strip!
I'm bracing myself.....
More concerns about Obama
I'm not sold on a man who has 5 cabinet picks kicked out for breaking tax laws (especially when they're trying to raise taxes on everyone else...).
And when his people get put on leave because their staff members are being arrested for corruption, that has me a little bit worried.
And when his friend and mentor who was glossed over as Republicans throwing fits over nothing actually DOES get arrested for home-grown terrorist activities in the '70s, I start to wonder if we aren't panicking enough yet.
And when he starts to get heavy handed with the press, refusing to talk to them, I'm surprised THEY aren't panicking yet.
I mean, it's nice that he talked about transparency and communication in his campaign, but it worries me more than a little when he starts installing 'czars'--alternate cabinet members who don't have to be approved by congress (who have ferreted out the illegal behaviors of so many of his picks) or report to anyone but the President, and who seemingly have the exact same job as many of the cabinet members...doesn't it look like, just maybe, he's overstepping his bounds even more than Bush did and concentrating way way too much power in a very secretive presidency?
When our sworn enemies worldwide cheer that he's elected, shouldn't we all run screaming?
Charm can only carry you so far. Bossiness can't only get you a few steps further. At some point (and I suspect it's happening), even his own party is going to start screaming Halt.
And if they don't, and we don't, I don't know what to think...it's a little scary. I know the word socialism has been thrown around a little too much lately, but that may be for a good reason.
And when his people get put on leave because their staff members are being arrested for corruption, that has me a little bit worried.
And when his friend and mentor who was glossed over as Republicans throwing fits over nothing actually DOES get arrested for home-grown terrorist activities in the '70s, I start to wonder if we aren't panicking enough yet.
And when he starts to get heavy handed with the press, refusing to talk to them, I'm surprised THEY aren't panicking yet.
I mean, it's nice that he talked about transparency and communication in his campaign, but it worries me more than a little when he starts installing 'czars'--alternate cabinet members who don't have to be approved by congress (who have ferreted out the illegal behaviors of so many of his picks) or report to anyone but the President, and who seemingly have the exact same job as many of the cabinet members...doesn't it look like, just maybe, he's overstepping his bounds even more than Bush did and concentrating way way too much power in a very secretive presidency?
When our sworn enemies worldwide cheer that he's elected, shouldn't we all run screaming?
Charm can only carry you so far. Bossiness can't only get you a few steps further. At some point (and I suspect it's happening), even his own party is going to start screaming Halt.
And if they don't, and we don't, I don't know what to think...it's a little scary. I know the word socialism has been thrown around a little too much lately, but that may be for a good reason.
Chocolate chips and the Navy
This appeared in the margin of a food magazine that showed up in the mail today:
"There are at least 1,000 and as many as 1,500 chocolate chips in each bag of Chips Ahoy! Cookies, according to a study conducted by the United States Naval Academy."
Please tell me no tax dollars went to train our troops to count chocolate chips!
Maybe these guys were in training to staff that Naval Undersea Research Facility that we found out in the middle of the Nevada desert.
I can totally see a study like that being conducted in a junior high school classroom in a public school. I'd probably do a study like that with my students. But the US Naval Academy? It just sounds so...hmmm.
"There are at least 1,000 and as many as 1,500 chocolate chips in each bag of Chips Ahoy! Cookies, according to a study conducted by the United States Naval Academy."
Please tell me no tax dollars went to train our troops to count chocolate chips!
Maybe these guys were in training to staff that Naval Undersea Research Facility that we found out in the middle of the Nevada desert.
I can totally see a study like that being conducted in a junior high school classroom in a public school. I'd probably do a study like that with my students. But the US Naval Academy? It just sounds so...hmmm.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Happiest states
"Health Buzz: America's Happiest States and Other Health News
Posted March 11, 2009
The States With the Happiest Residents
Looking to get a little happier? Relocating to Utah will give you the best chance at bliss, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index released today and reported by the Associated Press. In general, folks surveyed out West had the highest sense of well-being, while more of those living in the South and Midwest reported being in the doldrums. West Virginians were the worst off, followed by those living in Kentucky and Mississippi. And after Utah, Hawaii and Wyoming were the next best places in the contentment ranking." (http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/brain-and-behavior/2009/03/11/health-buzz-americas-happiest-states-and-other-health-news.html)
How's that as a counter to the "mormons are the most depressed people" urban legend?
Hey, now that you mention it...Hawaii and Wyoming have sizeable Mormon populations, too....
There was also this:
"Oklahoma, Utah Lead the Pack in Cell Phone-Only Households
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Trendy California isn't a trendsetter when it comes to relying on cell phones. And while the 1987 movie "Wall Street" helped introduce the then-brick-sized mobile phone to popular culture, New York and other Northeast states lag in dropping landlines. Surprisingly, Oklahoma and Utah lead in going wireless, according to federal estimates released Wednesday." (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,508927,00.html)
Perhaps, if we use the same kind of logic as the "mormons are the most depressed people" people, we could come to some interesting conclusions by joining these two studies. Perhaps cell phones make people happier? Or, even better, landlines cause depression (and the lack thereof, naturally, lead to happiness?)
What I didn't see covered in that last study was people like me--I have neither a landline or a cell phone; I use VoIP technology and have for years.
Posted March 11, 2009
The States With the Happiest Residents
Looking to get a little happier? Relocating to Utah will give you the best chance at bliss, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index released today and reported by the Associated Press. In general, folks surveyed out West had the highest sense of well-being, while more of those living in the South and Midwest reported being in the doldrums. West Virginians were the worst off, followed by those living in Kentucky and Mississippi. And after Utah, Hawaii and Wyoming were the next best places in the contentment ranking." (http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/brain-and-behavior/2009/03/11/health-buzz-americas-happiest-states-and-other-health-news.html)
How's that as a counter to the "mormons are the most depressed people" urban legend?
Hey, now that you mention it...Hawaii and Wyoming have sizeable Mormon populations, too....
There was also this:
"Oklahoma, Utah Lead the Pack in Cell Phone-Only Households
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Trendy California isn't a trendsetter when it comes to relying on cell phones. And while the 1987 movie "Wall Street" helped introduce the then-brick-sized mobile phone to popular culture, New York and other Northeast states lag in dropping landlines. Surprisingly, Oklahoma and Utah lead in going wireless, according to federal estimates released Wednesday." (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,508927,00.html)
Perhaps, if we use the same kind of logic as the "mormons are the most depressed people" people, we could come to some interesting conclusions by joining these two studies. Perhaps cell phones make people happier? Or, even better, landlines cause depression (and the lack thereof, naturally, lead to happiness?)
What I didn't see covered in that last study was people like me--I have neither a landline or a cell phone; I use VoIP technology and have for years.
No such thing as 'quality time' to a child.
A quote from a psychologist who writes a weekly column for our local paper:
"Here is the stark and uncomfortable truth: Children don't give a damn about quality time. That little bumper sticker was coined to assuage parents, not to describe a terrific child-rearing model. Children have very simple and concrete ways of looking at the world. To kids, parents fall into two types: there and not there. Present, reliable and accessible. Or not."
He's talking about custody of kids in divorce situations. I think the concept equally applies to families having two wage earners (who are supposed to be parents, too), and to families where one parent works too much or is otherwise not available to kids when they are home (because they drink, watch a lot of TV or computer, have a time-intensive hobby, or whatever).
I think there's a reason for the uncomfortable truth that people don't even want to talk about in church: God asked mothers to stay home with their children, and fathers to support the family and partner with mothers in raising the children. It's a very simple, but extraordinarily unpopular traditional family approach to living.
Maybe, just maybe, could we consider the possibility that God knows more than we do about what's best for raising children, even if it's inconvenient or socially reprehensible (like raising your own children has become)?
The 'quality time' myth has also been applied to spouses. Really, the only way to have a healthy, happy marriage and family is to forget about designing 'quality time' and just spend as much time together as possible. The happier, the better.
"Here is the stark and uncomfortable truth: Children don't give a damn about quality time. That little bumper sticker was coined to assuage parents, not to describe a terrific child-rearing model. Children have very simple and concrete ways of looking at the world. To kids, parents fall into two types: there and not there. Present, reliable and accessible. Or not."
He's talking about custody of kids in divorce situations. I think the concept equally applies to families having two wage earners (who are supposed to be parents, too), and to families where one parent works too much or is otherwise not available to kids when they are home (because they drink, watch a lot of TV or computer, have a time-intensive hobby, or whatever).
I think there's a reason for the uncomfortable truth that people don't even want to talk about in church: God asked mothers to stay home with their children, and fathers to support the family and partner with mothers in raising the children. It's a very simple, but extraordinarily unpopular traditional family approach to living.
Maybe, just maybe, could we consider the possibility that God knows more than we do about what's best for raising children, even if it's inconvenient or socially reprehensible (like raising your own children has become)?
The 'quality time' myth has also been applied to spouses. Really, the only way to have a healthy, happy marriage and family is to forget about designing 'quality time' and just spend as much time together as possible. The happier, the better.
Housing....hmmmm
I have been wanting to get into a bigger house, but our needs for housing are so unique that it seems doubtful we'll find a place we can afford to rent. So I've been pondering housing a lot. See, if we can move, I don't want to end up in yet another difficult to live in space. And to avoid that, I have to know not only what's wrong with this house, but what would be more right.
Years ago, when pondering going on tour, I realized people need six things to live happily: someplace to be, something to eat, something to do, something to wear, something to believe, and someone to love.
Thinking of living in those terms, I've come up with three rules that should guide finding a place to live:
1. The place to be should make all the other five things easier to do joyfully. What's the point in making something your main place to be if it makes all those other things harder to do?
2. A house should serve its owners, not the other way round. We should not adapt our lifestyle to fit a house; the house should adapt to our needs.
3. A house is a commodity, to be used up, rather than an investment. When looking at a house, it's more important to find a place that would be nice to live, safe, and meet our own unique needs than to find a place that someone else might like sometime in the future. Likewise, when fixing up a house, things should be redone with making life easier in mind, not with what will give you the biggest return when you sell it. We shouldn't live our lives to make money. We should live our lives to make memories. Besides, if you move into a place as an investment solely, the first two rules are too hard to follow.
So there you have it, the summation of the last 10 pages of writing in my journal.
What I realized we mostly need is just plain more space, inside and out.
Years ago, when pondering going on tour, I realized people need six things to live happily: someplace to be, something to eat, something to do, something to wear, something to believe, and someone to love.
Thinking of living in those terms, I've come up with three rules that should guide finding a place to live:
1. The place to be should make all the other five things easier to do joyfully. What's the point in making something your main place to be if it makes all those other things harder to do?
2. A house should serve its owners, not the other way round. We should not adapt our lifestyle to fit a house; the house should adapt to our needs.
3. A house is a commodity, to be used up, rather than an investment. When looking at a house, it's more important to find a place that would be nice to live, safe, and meet our own unique needs than to find a place that someone else might like sometime in the future. Likewise, when fixing up a house, things should be redone with making life easier in mind, not with what will give you the biggest return when you sell it. We shouldn't live our lives to make money. We should live our lives to make memories. Besides, if you move into a place as an investment solely, the first two rules are too hard to follow.
So there you have it, the summation of the last 10 pages of writing in my journal.
What I realized we mostly need is just plain more space, inside and out.
I'm no economist, but...
Apparently the economists agree that Obama's plans for the economy so far stink. Or so said many news articles today.
Even I, with my limited knowledge, can see the flaws in some of what he's doing. For example, he's raising taxes on the 'rich'. Sounds good on paper until you realize that translates to raising taxes on all the employers who can afford to give people jobs with benefits.
So he could raise taxes across the board, and everyone would be out a couple hundred dollars, or he could raise taxes on the rich only, and then all the poor are out a job and in line for the handouts that came from raising taxes on the employers, which necessitates raising taxes on the employers more, which puts more people out of jobs....
Doesn't seem very likely to fix the economy, does it?
It didn't work during the Great Depression. Besides, the rich can afford to get out of the taxes! During the Great Depression, they left the country. Then who's paying the taxes? The poor. We're screwed either way.
Even I, with my limited knowledge, can see the flaws in some of what he's doing. For example, he's raising taxes on the 'rich'. Sounds good on paper until you realize that translates to raising taxes on all the employers who can afford to give people jobs with benefits.
So he could raise taxes across the board, and everyone would be out a couple hundred dollars, or he could raise taxes on the rich only, and then all the poor are out a job and in line for the handouts that came from raising taxes on the employers, which necessitates raising taxes on the employers more, which puts more people out of jobs....
Doesn't seem very likely to fix the economy, does it?
It didn't work during the Great Depression. Besides, the rich can afford to get out of the taxes! During the Great Depression, they left the country. Then who's paying the taxes? The poor. We're screwed either way.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Another great line from foxnews.com
"Agee left a four- or five-line note for detectives after shooting and killing himself at his parents' home, according to Mack."
How he left a note AFTER killing himself is something I'd like to know more about....
How he left a note AFTER killing himself is something I'd like to know more about....
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
random stuff
I fell in love with a house (which is for sale but we can't afford: 4500 square feet on half an acre and a steal at $290,000. But who has $290,000--and the realtor says probably cash only). Turns out the last person to own the house more than 18 months was murdered there 5 years ago, and the house has changed hands 4 times since then. And the murder is unsolved. I still love the house though, even if it looks like a haunted house.
---
Benjamin has struggled to say "Nathanael." For a while it always came out sounding like, "Dinner." Now it often sounds like "Mason." Usually he just gives up after some thought and calls his brother, "baby."
---
I found bullets in my house--on top of the shelf by the front door!
---
Benjamin has struggled to say "Nathanael." For a while it always came out sounding like, "Dinner." Now it often sounds like "Mason." Usually he just gives up after some thought and calls his brother, "baby."
---
I found bullets in my house--on top of the shelf by the front door!
Monday, March 09, 2009
Mr. Tim updates
First of the four competitions is over. Essence of Larynx competed in Olympia, WA and came in 3rd. Not bad for their first public performance anywhere ever!
funschool and other fun free sites for kids
I have known about this web site for a year now, but until now couldn't get it to work on our computers. Now it does (hooray firefox 3!)
www.funschool.com
This site is full of fun, actually educational games, some of which I've 'been looking for something that did that'.
There are games on all subjects and all elementary levels (including preschool). The first we tried totally cracked me up, since I was a librarian in a pre-mother life. In it, you are the librarian and have to get books for kids--but you have to remember where the books are and get them before the kids get frustrated and walk away. It was hilariously like being a real librarian.
Other games my kids and I enjoyed were 'action fraction', 'dr. brain's robot' (an addition 'flash cards' kind of practice game, but fun), and 'super hyper spider typer.' Just the names of the games are fun enough! Besides, how can you knock a game where "big Bruce" flips burgers into people's mouths?
It's not a replacement for a legit, graded curriculum. But it is a fun and free supplement to what you're using, especially for kids like mine who need help practicing skills (like basic addition facts), but don't want to do the flashcards on Compass Odyssey (boring even the first time) or in real life. Maybe we'll get those math facts down after all! And learn to type.
Another site the kids have enjoyed is www.paulysplayhouse.com
I especially like the puzzle game "Hermie Heckle's Playhouse."
Of course, there is also our universal favorite, pbskids.org. I especially like the games on the "Fetch" website. They let you build a rollercoaster while teaching you about energy and do other equally creative science activities. My preschoolers love the videos on the "Curious George" website--they show kids doing science experiments that my kids can replicate at home, and modeling how we talk about science. They also really like the videos on the "Sid the Science Kid" site--especially the movie about decay (scroll down to 'decay song'). PBSkids is loaded with more. There are games that teach about nutrition on the Arthur site, songs and stories on SuperWhy, pbskids Island (great site for teaching early reading skills) and more. In fact, the Sesame Street site is the most boring of those available.
The one kids website I used to recommend that is now banned in our home is nickjr.com. The ads are aggressive, the site is difficult to navigate (leaving the kids wandering in advertisement-laden cyberspace) so I have to get up and help them find what they want, the games are so addictive and plentiful that the kids turn into zombies and won't turn it off when it's time. The site actually teaches kids how to get lost in cyberspace by the way it is constructed, allowing them to literally wander from place to place within nickjr.com for hours and hours and hours. And not only is it addictive in an unhealthy way (I had one kid go into out-and-out night terrors when interrupted during one particularly mesmerizing game--that's when we pulled the plug on that site), it is, by it's very nature, deeply commercial. Nobody's going to find pbskids merchandise at every turn, but they do find Dora stuff everywhere they look. And the more they play on NickJr.com, the more they beg for and are interested in the stuff at the store. I don't need that kind of 'educational programming' in my house. Plus, a lot of their 'educational' games are only superficially educational, despite the information they force-feed parents at the beginnings of the games telling them what vital skills their children are learning. It is edutainment at its finest. I don't need that. If we're going for entertainment, let's go for entertainment and not make any pretenses about it needing to be educational. I'd rather send the kids outside to play, anyway. nickjr.com is for the same people who read those parenting magazines at doctor's offices and take them seriously. Oh, and nickjr.com puts TONs of junk onto your hard drive without notifying you--cookies, java crap (did you know your computer runs faster if you empty the sun java cache every so often, despite their warning when you try that you shouldn't unless you're a programmer or something equally ludicrous), etc.
Oh, and you can always try the Compass Learning Odyssey, which we use as our primary school curriculum, on Time4Learning.com, and on the Compass site.
www.funschool.com
This site is full of fun, actually educational games, some of which I've 'been looking for something that did that'.
There are games on all subjects and all elementary levels (including preschool). The first we tried totally cracked me up, since I was a librarian in a pre-mother life. In it, you are the librarian and have to get books for kids--but you have to remember where the books are and get them before the kids get frustrated and walk away. It was hilariously like being a real librarian.
Other games my kids and I enjoyed were 'action fraction', 'dr. brain's robot' (an addition 'flash cards' kind of practice game, but fun), and 'super hyper spider typer.' Just the names of the games are fun enough! Besides, how can you knock a game where "big Bruce" flips burgers into people's mouths?
It's not a replacement for a legit, graded curriculum. But it is a fun and free supplement to what you're using, especially for kids like mine who need help practicing skills (like basic addition facts), but don't want to do the flashcards on Compass Odyssey (boring even the first time) or in real life. Maybe we'll get those math facts down after all! And learn to type.
Another site the kids have enjoyed is www.paulysplayhouse.com
I especially like the puzzle game "Hermie Heckle's Playhouse."
Of course, there is also our universal favorite, pbskids.org. I especially like the games on the "Fetch" website. They let you build a rollercoaster while teaching you about energy and do other equally creative science activities. My preschoolers love the videos on the "Curious George" website--they show kids doing science experiments that my kids can replicate at home, and modeling how we talk about science. They also really like the videos on the "Sid the Science Kid" site--especially the movie about decay (scroll down to 'decay song'). PBSkids is loaded with more. There are games that teach about nutrition on the Arthur site, songs and stories on SuperWhy, pbskids Island (great site for teaching early reading skills) and more. In fact, the Sesame Street site is the most boring of those available.
The one kids website I used to recommend that is now banned in our home is nickjr.com. The ads are aggressive, the site is difficult to navigate (leaving the kids wandering in advertisement-laden cyberspace) so I have to get up and help them find what they want, the games are so addictive and plentiful that the kids turn into zombies and won't turn it off when it's time. The site actually teaches kids how to get lost in cyberspace by the way it is constructed, allowing them to literally wander from place to place within nickjr.com for hours and hours and hours. And not only is it addictive in an unhealthy way (I had one kid go into out-and-out night terrors when interrupted during one particularly mesmerizing game--that's when we pulled the plug on that site), it is, by it's very nature, deeply commercial. Nobody's going to find pbskids merchandise at every turn, but they do find Dora stuff everywhere they look. And the more they play on NickJr.com, the more they beg for and are interested in the stuff at the store. I don't need that kind of 'educational programming' in my house. Plus, a lot of their 'educational' games are only superficially educational, despite the information they force-feed parents at the beginnings of the games telling them what vital skills their children are learning. It is edutainment at its finest. I don't need that. If we're going for entertainment, let's go for entertainment and not make any pretenses about it needing to be educational. I'd rather send the kids outside to play, anyway. nickjr.com is for the same people who read those parenting magazines at doctor's offices and take them seriously. Oh, and nickjr.com puts TONs of junk onto your hard drive without notifying you--cookies, java crap (did you know your computer runs faster if you empty the sun java cache every so often, despite their warning when you try that you shouldn't unless you're a programmer or something equally ludicrous), etc.
Oh, and you can always try the Compass Learning Odyssey, which we use as our primary school curriculum, on Time4Learning.com, and on the Compass site.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
A pertinent thought for troubled times.
From an old book I found on the shelf, in a section penned by a man named Habakkuk:
"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat, the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls, Yet I will rejoice in the Lord--I will joy in the God of my salvation." 3:17-18, punctuation modernized.
"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat, the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls, Yet I will rejoice in the Lord--I will joy in the God of my salvation." 3:17-18, punctuation modernized.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
More updates on Mr. Tim
Turns out all six of Tim's new vocal groups got into the regional competitions for the Harmony Sweepstakes this year. There was some concern and a couple of calls with the organizer of the contest as people tried to make sure it was allowed for one man to run that many groups and have them all compete. Fortunately, all six groups are distinct from one another, so they were given the green light. Tim did have to explain to one regional why it would not be okay for two of his groups to compete and another one to judge the same competition. So now we are running rounds of rehearsals (Tim is; I'm running around the rehearsals trying not to interrupt) intermixed with rounds of arranging songs for the groups, recording stuff for a project he is doing for NBC/Universal, brainstorming sessions about costuming and staging, reviewing videos of rehearsals, answering emails, shipping merchandise (all over the world, lately!) and watching the odd episode of "Psych", "Chuck", or various other shows Tim follows when things just get too complex and we need a breath. Even Tim, with his seemingly boundless energy, can't work more than 16 hours a day without some down time.
I count myself lucky that Tim actually put a rocking chair in his office and welcomes me to sit in there while he's working (except during rehearsals and recording, when the kids coming in would be a problem). He even lets me speak my mind about his projects, which is fun for me. I love reviewing his business card mock-ups and making suggestions, or commenting on the latest rehearsal video or draft of a recording or song ("why doesn't that song mention Specter?" and "Peter makes you look short on stage" or "I love the emotional contrast between Tainted Love and Fred Jones in that set" or "I really liked the blue cards first, but the black and white have grown on me. Why don't you shrink this picture and put it here, and use this picture on the back?" or "Do you ever think that the original group to write and record a song isn't really the best performers of it? Like that one Beattles song...."). He really lets me get involved, and I deeply value that connection we have with each other and the time we get to spend together now, while he's working from home. (I remember feeling a lot the same way when my Dad started working from home when I was a kid. It's not that I went in there a lot; it's just that I liked knowing I could and he would be there.)
I can't remember which groups are going to which regional competitions, despite the fact that Tim has told me multiple times. But this is what to watch for, especially if you live where one of these shows will be taking place.
In Denver, LA, Olympia (WA), or San Francisco, watch for:
The King 4--a four-man group that sings a cappella arrangements of Elvis songs. They'll be in LA (I remember this one).
Throat--an all-vocal rock band that sings all original music. They'll be in LA, too.
Wonder Voice--a mixed quintet a cappella cover band. I think they might be competing in Denver.
Essence of Larynx--a mixed a cappella comedy group. More sophisticated than moosebutter. Think "Capitol Steps" but not only about political stuff. I think they're going to San Francisco.
Mouthbeats--a vocal percussion ensemble. I think they're competing in Denver.
Plumbers of Rome--a 'deconstructionist unaccompanied male trio'. They take familiar songs and do altogether new interpretations of them that make you see the songs in a new light (for example, in their mouths, that old shallow '80s club tune, "Tainted Love," becomes an emotional exploration of the nature of young love and the maturing process people go through that changes how they approach love). It's pretty cool. I think they're going Olympia way. They've won Audience Favorite and Best Stage Presentation in Denver in the past 3 years, so I'm interested to see what happens in a different state.
You notice moosebutter isn't on the list? We thought moosebutter had retired....
I'm actually really excited about the competitions. They are a great way for groups to get out there and test the waters, see how crowds react, and get to know other musicians. I hope they all win some kind of awards. I wish I could go see them all, but, once again, I'll be waiting for a 1:00 am phone call with the results (which I usually get while Tim is between the competition venue and the after party, so I've heard the sounds of freeway in the middle of the night in the background from several states now).
Anyway, the other news is that one of Tim's songs, "Old Turkey," was nominated for a CARA (Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award) for 2009 for Best Comedy Song. It beat out others of Tim's songs, "Decepticon Woman" and "Cupcakes" which I think, personally, are superior songs. It's not the first CARA he's been nominated for. moosebutter's first album won Best Comedy Song and Best comedy Album in years past, and they've been nominated at least once more (I can't remember if they won that time or not).
I count myself lucky that Tim actually put a rocking chair in his office and welcomes me to sit in there while he's working (except during rehearsals and recording, when the kids coming in would be a problem). He even lets me speak my mind about his projects, which is fun for me. I love reviewing his business card mock-ups and making suggestions, or commenting on the latest rehearsal video or draft of a recording or song ("why doesn't that song mention Specter?" and "Peter makes you look short on stage" or "I love the emotional contrast between Tainted Love and Fred Jones in that set" or "I really liked the blue cards first, but the black and white have grown on me. Why don't you shrink this picture and put it here, and use this picture on the back?" or "Do you ever think that the original group to write and record a song isn't really the best performers of it? Like that one Beattles song...."). He really lets me get involved, and I deeply value that connection we have with each other and the time we get to spend together now, while he's working from home. (I remember feeling a lot the same way when my Dad started working from home when I was a kid. It's not that I went in there a lot; it's just that I liked knowing I could and he would be there.)
I can't remember which groups are going to which regional competitions, despite the fact that Tim has told me multiple times. But this is what to watch for, especially if you live where one of these shows will be taking place.
In Denver, LA, Olympia (WA), or San Francisco, watch for:
The King 4--a four-man group that sings a cappella arrangements of Elvis songs. They'll be in LA (I remember this one).
Throat--an all-vocal rock band that sings all original music. They'll be in LA, too.
Wonder Voice--a mixed quintet a cappella cover band. I think they might be competing in Denver.
Essence of Larynx--a mixed a cappella comedy group. More sophisticated than moosebutter. Think "Capitol Steps" but not only about political stuff. I think they're going to San Francisco.
Mouthbeats--a vocal percussion ensemble. I think they're competing in Denver.
Plumbers of Rome--a 'deconstructionist unaccompanied male trio'. They take familiar songs and do altogether new interpretations of them that make you see the songs in a new light (for example, in their mouths, that old shallow '80s club tune, "Tainted Love," becomes an emotional exploration of the nature of young love and the maturing process people go through that changes how they approach love). It's pretty cool. I think they're going Olympia way. They've won Audience Favorite and Best Stage Presentation in Denver in the past 3 years, so I'm interested to see what happens in a different state.
You notice moosebutter isn't on the list? We thought moosebutter had retired....
I'm actually really excited about the competitions. They are a great way for groups to get out there and test the waters, see how crowds react, and get to know other musicians. I hope they all win some kind of awards. I wish I could go see them all, but, once again, I'll be waiting for a 1:00 am phone call with the results (which I usually get while Tim is between the competition venue and the after party, so I've heard the sounds of freeway in the middle of the night in the background from several states now).
Anyway, the other news is that one of Tim's songs, "Old Turkey," was nominated for a CARA (Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award) for 2009 for Best Comedy Song. It beat out others of Tim's songs, "Decepticon Woman" and "Cupcakes" which I think, personally, are superior songs. It's not the first CARA he's been nominated for. moosebutter's first album won Best Comedy Song and Best comedy Album in years past, and they've been nominated at least once more (I can't remember if they won that time or not).
Friday, February 27, 2009
Goodbye bad decision
Years ago my impression of Mormon books was that they are all heavy on the heartstrings (read: emotionally manipulative but generally spiritually weak) and light on the quality (read: poorly written, poorly edited, and poorly produced). I realize cognitively that the mormon publishing industry has been aware of these problems and working to fix them for the past 10 or 15 years, but the initial impression stuck with me.
I decided back then that I was NOT interested in publishing in the Mormon Market. Ever. Period.
Besides, I wasn't interested in writing books with the Mormon experience being the focal point of the plot. Or in writing inspirational books. And I still am not.
More recently, I have seen that more 'stuff' is being published--not only inspirational lit. More precisely, the Mormon Market has expanded to include romance, historical fiction, and fantasy, but my impression of it was still that it is stuff that couldn't be published for 'real' markets, so the authors went a step down to the 'mormon market', which isn't as discerning (look at all the "mormon" films that have come out for evidence to support this...."Sons of Provo" anyone?)
Nevertheless, I still was following (but not reading) the "LDS Publisher" blog, ever since she acknowledged that many lds books are poorly edited. At least she was aware of the limitations, you know?
Then she posted that there were some holes in LDS Literature--namely, books for 10-18 year olds that aren't fantasy (for boys) or romance (for girls). And that's what I write. (Come to think of it, I haven't seen a lot of stuff outside those categories for adults, either--where are the mormon thrillers and mysteries? Sure there are some, but not tons.)
Anyway, my first thought was, "That's what I write!"
Two days of not being able to forget about it later, I looked up Deseret Book (why not go with the biggie in the first place, right?) and rediscovered Shadow Mountain, their imprint that focuses on mass market fiction with LDS sensibilities (That's what I write!). I also discovered a key phrase on their website that wasn't there 10 years ago, when I last looked them up. That phrase, which I seem to think replaced "not accepting submissions", was "expanding our list." In other words, they're still actively signing new authors.
So I swallowed my pride and sent them a query and 3 chapters.
Then I started thinking: Deseret Book isn't going to be having the same financial troubles as other publishing houses. Why? They don't have the same massive problems with returns because a big part of their sales come from their own bookstores, and they have a built-in audience already identified, and they know those people are culturally inclined to be readers (more so than the regular public) because the prophets have long said "read". So they are probably a good press to publish with right now.
And then I started thinking more: I wouldn't have to worry about putting my (and my characters) Mormon culture into the books. Nobody would say "avoid religion at all costs" like the agent who worked for a Christian agency did. I could write my ex-cia mormon housewife who uses mommy skills as well as cia skills to solve problems without worrying about the fact that the main reason she quit her job at the cia was conflicts between her job and her beliefs that I couldn't explain but that Mormons would understand--and that form a central part of the emotion part of the plot (versus the action part of the plot).
And then I thought some more: I have always identified my audience as mass market with mormon sensibilities. So why shouldn't I try to sell my book to a publisher who specializes in that? And an agent would never go there because the market wouldn't be financially viable for them, so an agent would likely ask me to change the sensibilities of the book to be more 'mass market' so they could sell it.
I am glad I spent years pursuing mass market publication, really, because I have learned TONS about writing and about publishing. But now, all of a sudden overnight, I've come to the conclusion that maybe I belong in the Mormon market, although I still need to be convinced that that's not an insult to my abilities as a writer or to the intelligence of the readers I think would enjoy my books.
The idea of writing to intelligent Mormon women who don't want to read inspirational or romantic fiction (but still love to read) is actually quite liberating for me, now that I've accepted the possibility of it. I KNOW that audience. There's no guessing involved. I can have fun with books and know when I'm crossing lines, or what jokes they'll get, etc. It's like asking me to teach junior high instead of 3rd grade. I know that audience, and I can almost guarantee a slam-dunk.
I decided back then that I was NOT interested in publishing in the Mormon Market. Ever. Period.
Besides, I wasn't interested in writing books with the Mormon experience being the focal point of the plot. Or in writing inspirational books. And I still am not.
More recently, I have seen that more 'stuff' is being published--not only inspirational lit. More precisely, the Mormon Market has expanded to include romance, historical fiction, and fantasy, but my impression of it was still that it is stuff that couldn't be published for 'real' markets, so the authors went a step down to the 'mormon market', which isn't as discerning (look at all the "mormon" films that have come out for evidence to support this...."Sons of Provo" anyone?)
Nevertheless, I still was following (but not reading) the "LDS Publisher" blog, ever since she acknowledged that many lds books are poorly edited. At least she was aware of the limitations, you know?
Then she posted that there were some holes in LDS Literature--namely, books for 10-18 year olds that aren't fantasy (for boys) or romance (for girls). And that's what I write. (Come to think of it, I haven't seen a lot of stuff outside those categories for adults, either--where are the mormon thrillers and mysteries? Sure there are some, but not tons.)
Anyway, my first thought was, "That's what I write!"
Two days of not being able to forget about it later, I looked up Deseret Book (why not go with the biggie in the first place, right?) and rediscovered Shadow Mountain, their imprint that focuses on mass market fiction with LDS sensibilities (That's what I write!). I also discovered a key phrase on their website that wasn't there 10 years ago, when I last looked them up. That phrase, which I seem to think replaced "not accepting submissions", was "expanding our list." In other words, they're still actively signing new authors.
So I swallowed my pride and sent them a query and 3 chapters.
Then I started thinking: Deseret Book isn't going to be having the same financial troubles as other publishing houses. Why? They don't have the same massive problems with returns because a big part of their sales come from their own bookstores, and they have a built-in audience already identified, and they know those people are culturally inclined to be readers (more so than the regular public) because the prophets have long said "read". So they are probably a good press to publish with right now.
And then I started thinking more: I wouldn't have to worry about putting my (and my characters) Mormon culture into the books. Nobody would say "avoid religion at all costs" like the agent who worked for a Christian agency did. I could write my ex-cia mormon housewife who uses mommy skills as well as cia skills to solve problems without worrying about the fact that the main reason she quit her job at the cia was conflicts between her job and her beliefs that I couldn't explain but that Mormons would understand--and that form a central part of the emotion part of the plot (versus the action part of the plot).
And then I thought some more: I have always identified my audience as mass market with mormon sensibilities. So why shouldn't I try to sell my book to a publisher who specializes in that? And an agent would never go there because the market wouldn't be financially viable for them, so an agent would likely ask me to change the sensibilities of the book to be more 'mass market' so they could sell it.
I am glad I spent years pursuing mass market publication, really, because I have learned TONS about writing and about publishing. But now, all of a sudden overnight, I've come to the conclusion that maybe I belong in the Mormon market, although I still need to be convinced that that's not an insult to my abilities as a writer or to the intelligence of the readers I think would enjoy my books.
The idea of writing to intelligent Mormon women who don't want to read inspirational or romantic fiction (but still love to read) is actually quite liberating for me, now that I've accepted the possibility of it. I KNOW that audience. There's no guessing involved. I can have fun with books and know when I'm crossing lines, or what jokes they'll get, etc. It's like asking me to teach junior high instead of 3rd grade. I know that audience, and I can almost guarantee a slam-dunk.
Star Wars still and again
It's back.
Apparently the lawyers in California determined that the Corey/Moosebutter Star Wars video was legal under the fair use act. In other words, it's a parody. No kidding. I could have told you that.
In fact, I did.
But Warner Lost the Fight, for once.
So you can once again enjoy "Kiss a wookie" from Corey Vidal.
Also, a men's chorus in Washington with a famous conductor recently performed the song.
Apparently the lawyers in California determined that the Corey/Moosebutter Star Wars video was legal under the fair use act. In other words, it's a parody. No kidding. I could have told you that.
In fact, I did.
But Warner Lost the Fight, for once.
So you can once again enjoy "Kiss a wookie" from Corey Vidal.
Also, a men's chorus in Washington with a famous conductor recently performed the song.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Completing the Circle
23 days ago, we left Las Vegas and drove north on I-15 to Lehi, Utah. Then, a week later, we continued north to Salt Lake City and turned West on I-80 to get to Reno, NV.
Now, 2 weeks later, we loaded Melody Yellowvan and Trailer and headed south on highway 95, coming back full circle to Las Vegas.
Nathanael woke me at 10:00 for his usual feeding, and I was so excited to get home that I didn't go back to sleep, despite the fact that I was up a lot of the night worrying about the baby (he has RSV and, at 6 weeks old, really doesn't cough effectively, and sometimes vomits instead and once coughed while he was vomiting so that milk came out his nose and I'm pretty sure he aspirated some of it--so I was worried about him).
We left Reno Regency Apartment #1020 (Their name for it. I'd call it a tiny hotel room) by 12:30 and were on our way. I had never traveled that road before, so I was excited to take the long drive. I love wandering the highways and byways with Tim, and this was a great drive.
US 95 is not a freeway. It is a highway that goes through half a dozen small towns and a whole lot of desert.
Still, it was a fun drive. Not too far into it, we drove into a small valley and noticed immediately that a fighter jet was doing tricks in the sky right ahead of us, turning on its side, diving until it almost hit the ground and then pulling up, and zooming over the road close enough that the sound waves from the jet engines shook the van. I have never seen anything so cool before. We passed a couple of other cars that had stopped to watch. It was that neat.
Then we found a lovely lake called Walker Lake, with some pretty dramatic mountains around it. That was neat. It was a pretty enough area, despite the desert, that when we had to stop for construction, I didn't mind.
Just after Walker Lake, we found a sign that said, "US Naval Airbase." Right there in the middle of the desert, with no ocean nearby, which struck us both as funny. I guess it's pretty well hidden, for the navy!
Anyway, just past that, we noticed what looked like bunkers, but there wasn't any military place on the map. Then we started seeing "Danger. DO not enter" and "Property US Army" signs all over the place. Then we drove into Hawthorne, which has signs like, "Trucks carrying live munitions not allowed in town" and is decorated with pieces of bombs. I kid you not. Turns out there is an army munitions plant there. The entire valley is filled with heaps of dirt bounded by cement walls. Doors lead into hillsides. Train tracks run through the valley, stopping beside buildings surrounded by heaps of earth with doors in them. The whole place reminded me somehow of an explosive beehive on a grand scale, and I couldn't help but wonder if all those heaps of earth and concrete walls were connected underground. The place just begged for stories to be told about it.
My personal favorite part of the absolutely deserty town of Hawthorne was the big sign that read, "US Naval undersea research facility". Right there in the middle of the desert, hundreds of miles from the sea. I would have stopped for a picture, but I kind of thought the pair of guards on the road checking the cars coming near the sign wouldn't take kindly to that.
The rest of the drive was more desert (including huge spaces that were sandy desert--like sand dunes laid flat. I'd never seen real desert like that before!), really impressive rocky desert mountains, and awesome half-ghosted mining towns, complete with log cabins that were still standing and impressive but empty hotels that were clearly built at the turn of the last century. And mines, of course. One town, Tonopah, looked like it had an observatory on the hill as we approached, and when we got into town, Tim discovered it claims it's been voted the best stargazing city in the nation (or something like that). That far from anything, up on a hill surrounded by empty desert valleys and clear skies, I could see how that could be true. We decided it would be fun to return there sometime and go on the mine tours and sleep out and watch the stars. I seriously wanted to explore the half-ghosted towns, and wander a few spots in the desert I saw that had the telltale copses of cottonwoods that usually surround old homesites and line old roads.
It was a fun drive. My favorite part is talking to Tim. We do lots of talking on long drives, and nobody seems to mind that we never have a working radio or cd player in any of our cars.
And, for the first time maybe ever, we arrived at our destination early enough in the evening to have some time at home before going to bed!
The baby did really well on the drive, but has been fussing in his sleep since then. Dan wandered the house when we got home, making sure his bed was still there, etc. All the kids were delighted to find the masses of toys available to them, and Benji has been gorging himself on kid videos.
And boy am I glad to be home!
Now, 2 weeks later, we loaded Melody Yellowvan and Trailer and headed south on highway 95, coming back full circle to Las Vegas.
Nathanael woke me at 10:00 for his usual feeding, and I was so excited to get home that I didn't go back to sleep, despite the fact that I was up a lot of the night worrying about the baby (he has RSV and, at 6 weeks old, really doesn't cough effectively, and sometimes vomits instead and once coughed while he was vomiting so that milk came out his nose and I'm pretty sure he aspirated some of it--so I was worried about him).
We left Reno Regency Apartment #1020 (Their name for it. I'd call it a tiny hotel room) by 12:30 and were on our way. I had never traveled that road before, so I was excited to take the long drive. I love wandering the highways and byways with Tim, and this was a great drive.
US 95 is not a freeway. It is a highway that goes through half a dozen small towns and a whole lot of desert.
Still, it was a fun drive. Not too far into it, we drove into a small valley and noticed immediately that a fighter jet was doing tricks in the sky right ahead of us, turning on its side, diving until it almost hit the ground and then pulling up, and zooming over the road close enough that the sound waves from the jet engines shook the van. I have never seen anything so cool before. We passed a couple of other cars that had stopped to watch. It was that neat.
Then we found a lovely lake called Walker Lake, with some pretty dramatic mountains around it. That was neat. It was a pretty enough area, despite the desert, that when we had to stop for construction, I didn't mind.
Just after Walker Lake, we found a sign that said, "US Naval Airbase." Right there in the middle of the desert, with no ocean nearby, which struck us both as funny. I guess it's pretty well hidden, for the navy!
Anyway, just past that, we noticed what looked like bunkers, but there wasn't any military place on the map. Then we started seeing "Danger. DO not enter" and "Property US Army" signs all over the place. Then we drove into Hawthorne, which has signs like, "Trucks carrying live munitions not allowed in town" and is decorated with pieces of bombs. I kid you not. Turns out there is an army munitions plant there. The entire valley is filled with heaps of dirt bounded by cement walls. Doors lead into hillsides. Train tracks run through the valley, stopping beside buildings surrounded by heaps of earth with doors in them. The whole place reminded me somehow of an explosive beehive on a grand scale, and I couldn't help but wonder if all those heaps of earth and concrete walls were connected underground. The place just begged for stories to be told about it.
My personal favorite part of the absolutely deserty town of Hawthorne was the big sign that read, "US Naval undersea research facility". Right there in the middle of the desert, hundreds of miles from the sea. I would have stopped for a picture, but I kind of thought the pair of guards on the road checking the cars coming near the sign wouldn't take kindly to that.
The rest of the drive was more desert (including huge spaces that were sandy desert--like sand dunes laid flat. I'd never seen real desert like that before!), really impressive rocky desert mountains, and awesome half-ghosted mining towns, complete with log cabins that were still standing and impressive but empty hotels that were clearly built at the turn of the last century. And mines, of course. One town, Tonopah, looked like it had an observatory on the hill as we approached, and when we got into town, Tim discovered it claims it's been voted the best stargazing city in the nation (or something like that). That far from anything, up on a hill surrounded by empty desert valleys and clear skies, I could see how that could be true. We decided it would be fun to return there sometime and go on the mine tours and sleep out and watch the stars. I seriously wanted to explore the half-ghosted towns, and wander a few spots in the desert I saw that had the telltale copses of cottonwoods that usually surround old homesites and line old roads.
It was a fun drive. My favorite part is talking to Tim. We do lots of talking on long drives, and nobody seems to mind that we never have a working radio or cd player in any of our cars.
And, for the first time maybe ever, we arrived at our destination early enough in the evening to have some time at home before going to bed!
The baby did really well on the drive, but has been fussing in his sleep since then. Dan wandered the house when we got home, making sure his bed was still there, etc. All the kids were delighted to find the masses of toys available to them, and Benji has been gorging himself on kid videos.
And boy am I glad to be home!
Hammer Magazine.
According to Wikipedia.org, Metal Hammer magazine is "a monthly heavy metal magazine in the United Kingdom, Ireland and in Germany, Italy, Austria, Finland, Spain, Greece, Poland, Hungary, Switzerland, Serbia, Australia and Montenegro by a different publisher. Featuring mainstream and more unusual bands from the wide spectrum of metal music. It is the second-largest selling rock magazine in the UK behind Kerrang! and was often viewed as the more underground magazine, but in recent times has moved towards the mainstream metal market which it originally shunned. In Germany, Metal Hammer has been the market leader since it was launched in 1984."
They recently 'reviewed' and plugged the Enter KazooMan video Tim made. You can read it here: http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/blog/enter-kazoo-man/
Hooray!
They recently 'reviewed' and plugged the Enter KazooMan video Tim made. You can read it here: http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/blog/enter-kazoo-man/
Hooray!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Valentines Day
So, for the first time maybe ever, we got a babysitter for Valentines' day and went to a show.
We parted at the box office, and both enjoyed the show.
As usual, Tim was on the stage and I was in the audience.
Holidays are different for us than other people. Everyone else gets the day off work to spend with their families. And what do they do? Go out. To see shows and to eat dinner and to go to festivals.
That puts us on the other side of the fence--it's a work day.
Not that I'm complaining. Tim loves performing, the audiences love it. He gets a chance to make their holidays worthwhile, they pay our bills.
It just took some getting used to. We do have 'dead times' when there are no big holidays that we get Tim home. And Easter is always free--nobody goes to concerts for easter. Yet. Thanksgiving and Christmas morning are free, too. Sometimes we get Presidents' day off.
Have you ever noticed that the Church doesn't do so many church-sponsored shows and activities on Mondays? It's not because you can't have fantastically great experiences going to shows for Family Home Evening. I personally believe it's because they realize that someone has to put those shows on, and someone has to sell tickets, and someone has to run sound, and someone has to clean up after. And, unless those someones keep their kids up as late as we do, all those someones are missing Family Home Evening to give one to you.
Again, I'm not opposed to Tim performing on holidays. It pays our bills, and he enjoys it, and he takes special pains to spend as much of the holiday with us as he can, and then extra time on other days. It's just part of our life that most people never think about.
We did have a very nice Valentine's day. We were even in the same building this year!
We parted at the box office, and both enjoyed the show.
As usual, Tim was on the stage and I was in the audience.
Holidays are different for us than other people. Everyone else gets the day off work to spend with their families. And what do they do? Go out. To see shows and to eat dinner and to go to festivals.
That puts us on the other side of the fence--it's a work day.
Not that I'm complaining. Tim loves performing, the audiences love it. He gets a chance to make their holidays worthwhile, they pay our bills.
It just took some getting used to. We do have 'dead times' when there are no big holidays that we get Tim home. And Easter is always free--nobody goes to concerts for easter. Yet. Thanksgiving and Christmas morning are free, too. Sometimes we get Presidents' day off.
Have you ever noticed that the Church doesn't do so many church-sponsored shows and activities on Mondays? It's not because you can't have fantastically great experiences going to shows for Family Home Evening. I personally believe it's because they realize that someone has to put those shows on, and someone has to sell tickets, and someone has to run sound, and someone has to clean up after. And, unless those someones keep their kids up as late as we do, all those someones are missing Family Home Evening to give one to you.
Again, I'm not opposed to Tim performing on holidays. It pays our bills, and he enjoys it, and he takes special pains to spend as much of the holiday with us as he can, and then extra time on other days. It's just part of our life that most people never think about.
We did have a very nice Valentine's day. We were even in the same building this year!
Reno
It's a good thing we drove out to the WalMart, or I would honestly think very very little of Reno. But Tim drove me around, and there are some nice neighborhoods, and a Temple, and a nice looking University that reminds me a lot of CU Boulder. And the neighborhoods around the University remind me of Edgemont, where I grew up.
But where we are?
Yikes.
I won't go out to get something from the car after dark.
We're in an 'apartment building' that really is a refurbished hotel, as far as I can see. Our 'studio apartment' is exactly like many a hotel I've stayed in--actually smaller than most (This one is about 12 x 25 ', including the kitchenette and bathroom). The front door to the lobby downstairs is locked--you have to have a key to get into the building at all. And, in this neighborhood, I'm glad. I realize people can get in anyway (just like they can to any gated community in the world), but when the people are outside yelling in the middle of the night (and they are every night), it's better than nothing.
Outside our window, we can see the flashing lights of Circus Circus, which give our room a red glow at night. Since we're on the tenth floor, we can see the whole neighborhood. Across from us and Circus Circus is a giant 'ball building' that is supposed to have laser light shows inside it. We went to see--very disappointing. There was a laser. A few light effects that were timed to music that conflicted with the casino music that was pounding from just below.
The coolest thing we've seen is the Circus shows that are free at Circus circus. The acrobats were cool, the juggling was neat (and the girl jumped rope while standing on the guy's hands while he had them extended up above his head!). And the dog show had better tricks than the Popovich dog show in Vegas. So that was fun.
Toxic Audio is selling well, and I finally saw the show last night. It was great. Different from Vegas, but good. I'd re-do the costumes, but the rest was great. Very funny, musically strong, fun show. Audience was pleased, too.
It took us a week to adjust to being here, but we're doing pretty good now that I'm starting to figure out how to feed people with a half a fridge and a half a kitchen.
But where we are?
Yikes.
I won't go out to get something from the car after dark.
We're in an 'apartment building' that really is a refurbished hotel, as far as I can see. Our 'studio apartment' is exactly like many a hotel I've stayed in--actually smaller than most (This one is about 12 x 25 ', including the kitchenette and bathroom). The front door to the lobby downstairs is locked--you have to have a key to get into the building at all. And, in this neighborhood, I'm glad. I realize people can get in anyway (just like they can to any gated community in the world), but when the people are outside yelling in the middle of the night (and they are every night), it's better than nothing.
Outside our window, we can see the flashing lights of Circus Circus, which give our room a red glow at night. Since we're on the tenth floor, we can see the whole neighborhood. Across from us and Circus Circus is a giant 'ball building' that is supposed to have laser light shows inside it. We went to see--very disappointing. There was a laser. A few light effects that were timed to music that conflicted with the casino music that was pounding from just below.
The coolest thing we've seen is the Circus shows that are free at Circus circus. The acrobats were cool, the juggling was neat (and the girl jumped rope while standing on the guy's hands while he had them extended up above his head!). And the dog show had better tricks than the Popovich dog show in Vegas. So that was fun.
Toxic Audio is selling well, and I finally saw the show last night. It was great. Different from Vegas, but good. I'd re-do the costumes, but the rest was great. Very funny, musically strong, fun show. Audience was pleased, too.
It took us a week to adjust to being here, but we're doing pretty good now that I'm starting to figure out how to feed people with a half a fridge and a half a kitchen.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Hiccups and Bickers are Inevitable
When you cram 7 people, 5 of them under the age of 8, into a 12x25 foot box, some things are unavoidable.
Messes.
Smells.
Fights.
Stepping on each others' toes.
Sharing sicknesses (and I'm pretty sure one kid has RSV; just waiting for the others to show symptoms!).
Grouchy grownups.
Noise.
Too much screen time.
You get the idea.
Oddly, we still can never find all the socks and shoes we need to go out! And we still don't get school done. Go figure.
Still, we're doing remarkably well. The neighbor even commented on how quiet the kids were. That's good. It makes me feel better when I hear one of the neighbors mixing techno music through the walls at midnight. At the very least, we aren't bothering HIM.
Messes.
Smells.
Fights.
Stepping on each others' toes.
Sharing sicknesses (and I'm pretty sure one kid has RSV; just waiting for the others to show symptoms!).
Grouchy grownups.
Noise.
Too much screen time.
You get the idea.
Oddly, we still can never find all the socks and shoes we need to go out! And we still don't get school done. Go figure.
Still, we're doing remarkably well. The neighbor even commented on how quiet the kids were. That's good. It makes me feel better when I hear one of the neighbors mixing techno music through the walls at midnight. At the very least, we aren't bothering HIM.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
The next stop...
Tim flew in to get us and bring us back to Reno with him. He got to Mom's house on Monday around noon, and we woke up and loaded the trailer the rest of the way (I was stopped the night before by the presence of a skunk in the yard). We left for an 8 hour drive at 3:30.
I had not in my memory seen Saltair, so that was cool. It looks like a big warehouse with roof decorations from an Eastern Orthodox Church.
There was a cool tree sculpture by the road.
I had never seen the salt flats before, and I thought they were really cool. I wondered how the pioneers felt when they saw that West of their great city. And what the Easterners thought as they came across on the trains. I felt sorry for the guys who had to build those tracks. It was honestly the emptiest wilderness I've ever seen. Parts looked like they concreted the desert. It was really amazing.
Then we reached Wendover and it started snowing.
3 hours later or so, we were only in Elko, having survived driving conditions that were awful. At times we couldn't see the road at all. It was blowing snow so hard that we could only see the taillights of the car in front of us, not even the car the lights belonged to. It was a white knuckle drive, dangerous to fingernails everywhere. Luckily, the baby and both toddlers fell asleep not too far into it.
By Elko, both Tim and I were too tired to drive the rest of the way, and we realized that, if we had no more storm at all, we'd get in at 4:00 am--and if the storm stretched across the state, we wouldn't get in until morning, if we made it at all. The big 'snow tires or chains required with checkpoint' signs dissuaded us from even trying it.
So we found a room in the Motel 6 for $50, and bought dinner at the Albertsons across the street.
Today, the weather and roads were totally clear, so we left at around 11:30 and got back in time for Tim to hurriedly unload before he dashed off to his show.
So our one day drive took 2, and since I hadn't had a shower, change of clothes, or (most importantly) my vitamins, I was feeling pretty lousy the whole drive. (I get both depression and anxiety with intrusive thoughts when I don't take my vitamins).
Now we're staying on the 10th floor of the Reno Regency looking out on Circus Circus, this giant spherical building, and the rest of Virginia Street, Reno's 'strip'. Great view, right? The room is quite small, with only a half-sized fridge despite advertising indicating the room would have a full-sized fridge. But Tim is here, and the kids seem happy enough, so I'm content.
I had not in my memory seen Saltair, so that was cool. It looks like a big warehouse with roof decorations from an Eastern Orthodox Church.
There was a cool tree sculpture by the road.
I had never seen the salt flats before, and I thought they were really cool. I wondered how the pioneers felt when they saw that West of their great city. And what the Easterners thought as they came across on the trains. I felt sorry for the guys who had to build those tracks. It was honestly the emptiest wilderness I've ever seen. Parts looked like they concreted the desert. It was really amazing.
Then we reached Wendover and it started snowing.
3 hours later or so, we were only in Elko, having survived driving conditions that were awful. At times we couldn't see the road at all. It was blowing snow so hard that we could only see the taillights of the car in front of us, not even the car the lights belonged to. It was a white knuckle drive, dangerous to fingernails everywhere. Luckily, the baby and both toddlers fell asleep not too far into it.
By Elko, both Tim and I were too tired to drive the rest of the way, and we realized that, if we had no more storm at all, we'd get in at 4:00 am--and if the storm stretched across the state, we wouldn't get in until morning, if we made it at all. The big 'snow tires or chains required with checkpoint' signs dissuaded us from even trying it.
So we found a room in the Motel 6 for $50, and bought dinner at the Albertsons across the street.
Today, the weather and roads were totally clear, so we left at around 11:30 and got back in time for Tim to hurriedly unload before he dashed off to his show.
So our one day drive took 2, and since I hadn't had a shower, change of clothes, or (most importantly) my vitamins, I was feeling pretty lousy the whole drive. (I get both depression and anxiety with intrusive thoughts when I don't take my vitamins).
Now we're staying on the 10th floor of the Reno Regency looking out on Circus Circus, this giant spherical building, and the rest of Virginia Street, Reno's 'strip'. Great view, right? The room is quite small, with only a half-sized fridge despite advertising indicating the room would have a full-sized fridge. But Tim is here, and the kids seem happy enough, so I'm content.
Friday, February 06, 2009
A Teaser
While grateful for the immense amount I learned about writing from agents and their feedback and friends and their feedback, I finally got to a point where constantly re-writing my book to other people's specifications wasn't fun anymore. In fact, while it did make my book better, somewhere along the lines I lost the joy and the freedom that writing for myself brought me.
It was supposed to be fun. When I started out, with absolutely no knowledge of 'how to write', I found it deliciously joyful to be able to put in anything I wanted, and take the characters wherever I pleased, without restraint and without worry.
I needed that back. I needed the freedom and joy from writing--it was my therapy and my drug of choice, the thing that made being a mommy easier enough that I could do it happily. I needed to be able to write the way some people read 'junk' books (which is exactly what I aspire to write--good old fashioned escape fiction)--with abandon, and without getting all tied up in the themes and character development, beautiful word choice, or literariness of it all. I don't want to worry about if it's good, or even good enough, or marketable, or who the audience is.
The audience is me. The writing is good enough for me, so it's good.
Writing is supposed to be fun, you know?
So I've taken it back. I am, for now, going back to being a recreational writer.
And what am I going to do about that? Something that seems to run counter to my intention to make writing an entirely selfish activity. I'm going to 'publish' here the first chapter of my current work in progress, a retelling of a 16th century Irish Arthurian Legend as a contemporary mystery. Why am I sharing this?
Well...
Imagine you have just baked the most excellent cake ever. What do you do?
Do you call the food critics? Or send it to the author of the cook book? Or ask people to give you detailed feedback on the frosting technique you should have used (or did use) or the amount of vanilla or if a different filling would have been better or ask for a detailed analysis of the crumb of the cake?
You could do all those things, and you'd learn a lot, but it would be an educational experience, like taking a cakemaking class. But you're not in a class. You are just someone who enjoys baking, and this cake pleased you.
So what do you do?
If you are anything like me, the first thing you do is you make your husband taste it, even if he's sworn off sugar. And you dish it out to the kids, or take it to share with the family home evening group, or call your sister and get her over for cake and ice cream "because it's Thursday" (as Winnie the Pooh said). Or you put your recipe on your blog.
I'm a recreational baker. Taste my cake?
Chapter 1
Melora rushed over to the fallen man. He looked like an old-fashioned gumshoe, complete with khaki trench coat and black fedora, which was still pulled down over one eye despite the fact that he was lying on his back in a mud puddle. Both hands were tucked into his coat.
“Are you okay?” she said as she dropped to her knees beside him in the alley.
“Rosebud,” the man said.
“My name is Melora,” she replied.
“No, ROSEBUD,” the man said, looking her in the eye. He reached one bloody hand out of his coat and grabbed her new white T-shirt.
“Stained!” Despite all the years she’d been on her own, she could still hear her mother’s voice on all matters housekeeping-related. “Don’t even tell me how you got a bloody hand print on your new shirt!” the phantom mother scolded.
“Rosebud,” the man said again, laying his head back onto the ground.
“What is this, The Maltese Falcon or something?” Melora said, leaning over and looking into the man’s rugged face. He looked like every high-school football coach she’d ever seen.
“No,” the man gasped. He spit blood onto the ground beside her.
Great, she thought. There go my new jeans, too.
“No,” the man said again. He struggled to get his other hand out of his coat. “This is the Maltese Falcon.” He pushed the bird into her hands.
Melora took the black bird. It was about the size of a football and heavy.
“Hurry,” the man said, coughing again. “Take it and get out of here before Asia catches up to me.”
Suddenly afraid, Melora clutched the bird to her chest with one hand and, dialing 911 on her cell with the other, she ran across the street into the library.
It was supposed to be fun. When I started out, with absolutely no knowledge of 'how to write', I found it deliciously joyful to be able to put in anything I wanted, and take the characters wherever I pleased, without restraint and without worry.
I needed that back. I needed the freedom and joy from writing--it was my therapy and my drug of choice, the thing that made being a mommy easier enough that I could do it happily. I needed to be able to write the way some people read 'junk' books (which is exactly what I aspire to write--good old fashioned escape fiction)--with abandon, and without getting all tied up in the themes and character development, beautiful word choice, or literariness of it all. I don't want to worry about if it's good, or even good enough, or marketable, or who the audience is.
The audience is me. The writing is good enough for me, so it's good.
Writing is supposed to be fun, you know?
So I've taken it back. I am, for now, going back to being a recreational writer.
And what am I going to do about that? Something that seems to run counter to my intention to make writing an entirely selfish activity. I'm going to 'publish' here the first chapter of my current work in progress, a retelling of a 16th century Irish Arthurian Legend as a contemporary mystery. Why am I sharing this?
Well...
Imagine you have just baked the most excellent cake ever. What do you do?
Do you call the food critics? Or send it to the author of the cook book? Or ask people to give you detailed feedback on the frosting technique you should have used (or did use) or the amount of vanilla or if a different filling would have been better or ask for a detailed analysis of the crumb of the cake?
You could do all those things, and you'd learn a lot, but it would be an educational experience, like taking a cakemaking class. But you're not in a class. You are just someone who enjoys baking, and this cake pleased you.
So what do you do?
If you are anything like me, the first thing you do is you make your husband taste it, even if he's sworn off sugar. And you dish it out to the kids, or take it to share with the family home evening group, or call your sister and get her over for cake and ice cream "because it's Thursday" (as Winnie the Pooh said). Or you put your recipe on your blog.
I'm a recreational baker. Taste my cake?
Chapter 1
Melora rushed over to the fallen man. He looked like an old-fashioned gumshoe, complete with khaki trench coat and black fedora, which was still pulled down over one eye despite the fact that he was lying on his back in a mud puddle. Both hands were tucked into his coat.
“Are you okay?” she said as she dropped to her knees beside him in the alley.
“Rosebud,” the man said.
“My name is Melora,” she replied.
“No, ROSEBUD,” the man said, looking her in the eye. He reached one bloody hand out of his coat and grabbed her new white T-shirt.
“Stained!” Despite all the years she’d been on her own, she could still hear her mother’s voice on all matters housekeeping-related. “Don’t even tell me how you got a bloody hand print on your new shirt!” the phantom mother scolded.
“Rosebud,” the man said again, laying his head back onto the ground.
“What is this, The Maltese Falcon or something?” Melora said, leaning over and looking into the man’s rugged face. He looked like every high-school football coach she’d ever seen.
“No,” the man gasped. He spit blood onto the ground beside her.
Great, she thought. There go my new jeans, too.
“No,” the man said again. He struggled to get his other hand out of his coat. “This is the Maltese Falcon.” He pushed the bird into her hands.
Melora took the black bird. It was about the size of a football and heavy.
“Hurry,” the man said, coughing again. “Take it and get out of here before Asia catches up to me.”
Suddenly afraid, Melora clutched the bird to her chest with one hand and, dialing 911 on her cell with the other, she ran across the street into the library.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
The Adventures of Melody Yellowvan
I started this blog to chronicle our adventures as the touring family of a musician--and named it after the car we bought to tour in right before our first tour (we are still driving that car, and just passed 200,000 miles on it. I figure we've put on 60,000 miles since June 2006, when we bought it).
I have drifted through the rest of my life in the process of chronicling being the family of a touring musician. I've wandered through the realms of parenting, writing, public events, my own thoughts.
I thought it might be prudent to get back to the roots of the blog, just to catch you all up on us.
We're touring again.
Actually, Tim never stopped. I figure, except for his 6 months with Toxic Audio (which was still a professional musician gig), Tim has been gone for 2-3 days every two weeks for years now. Ever since we left Utah in January of 2004, I think.
And now Melody Yellowvan, with her trusty sidekick, Trailer, is parked in Utah, where I am hiding out with the 5 kids while Tim does a month-long gig in Reno, NV. Why Utah? I ran away to my mom's house, not wanting to live in a hotel room with a new baby and 4 other kids under 8 years old for a month. We will stay here a week, then join Tim in Reno for either one or two weeks, depending on how bad the hotel room is and our schedule is and how hard it is.
This after a pretty hairy month already: We were nominated for a People's Choice Award (and lost by just a couple hundred out of millions of votes!), had a baby--number 5 no less. And, on the side, Tim put together 6 vocal groups, complete with pictures and demos, 5 of them from scratch. He arranged and composed music for them, did the recordings, and got them all applied for vocal competitions (so far 3 are in, one didn't make the cut). He started doing his solo show and made some friends in the Industry doing that. Oh, and he did a 2-day gig in Reno already, followed almost immediately by attending receptions/concerts of out-of-town friends who are looking for a permanent gig for their group in Vegas, and followed literally immediately by a trip to LA where he taught workshops and did little solo performances to demonstrate solo vocal live looping. He was home less than 24 hours before we loaded the car and drove to Utah, where he stopped less than 48 hours before catching his flight to Reno. Oh, and he got a contract with NBC signed and is now composing, performing, and recording some things for them. And did I mention that he's also been trading off with me changing diapers and staying up literally all night with a sleepless baby?
This is why we're camping at Grandma's house. All of that was in 3 or 4 weeks and on top of his usual work, and, having just had a baby 3 weeks ago, I couldn't keep up and then stop in Reno in a hotel room with 5 small children I have to entertain, feed, clothe, etc. Especially since one of the kids nurses a lot, one throws up a lot, and one is a little tornado all by himself. The other two are big enough to take care of themselves somewhat--but not entirely.
Some women recover quickly from having a baby. Not me. It takes me 8-12 weeks of being really careful with myself in order to physically get over childbirth without getting caught in depression. I suppose that's partially the fibromyalgia, but I also like to think that every woman ought to treat herself gently and be free of outside obligations until her baby is at least 3 months old. If all women had free meals brought to them for a whole month after having a baby, I think there'd be fewer cases of depression. Seriously.
Anyway, that's where we're at. It's been a trick convincing people that I really don't want to go anywhere (even to the grocery store) while we're here. We are not brave and on vacation. We are desperate and returning home instead of being alone and being grouchy and crying every night (since it's been taking literally 5 hours or more from the words 'bed time' until I get to drop off to sleep, what with nursing, nights and mornings mixed up, throw up, hyperactive toddlers, night terrors, and the usual hungry- thirsty-need one more kiss--potty time--too hot--too cold--forgot to brush my teeth--where's my special animal I can't sleep without her bedtime rituals of children, plus our usual insomnia, messed up schedule, and difficulty getting people to bed when I'm too tired).
What can I say? The adventure continues.
Now if I can just get the kids back to doing school....
I have drifted through the rest of my life in the process of chronicling being the family of a touring musician. I've wandered through the realms of parenting, writing, public events, my own thoughts.
I thought it might be prudent to get back to the roots of the blog, just to catch you all up on us.
We're touring again.
Actually, Tim never stopped. I figure, except for his 6 months with Toxic Audio (which was still a professional musician gig), Tim has been gone for 2-3 days every two weeks for years now. Ever since we left Utah in January of 2004, I think.
And now Melody Yellowvan, with her trusty sidekick, Trailer, is parked in Utah, where I am hiding out with the 5 kids while Tim does a month-long gig in Reno, NV. Why Utah? I ran away to my mom's house, not wanting to live in a hotel room with a new baby and 4 other kids under 8 years old for a month. We will stay here a week, then join Tim in Reno for either one or two weeks, depending on how bad the hotel room is and our schedule is and how hard it is.
This after a pretty hairy month already: We were nominated for a People's Choice Award (and lost by just a couple hundred out of millions of votes!), had a baby--number 5 no less. And, on the side, Tim put together 6 vocal groups, complete with pictures and demos, 5 of them from scratch. He arranged and composed music for them, did the recordings, and got them all applied for vocal competitions (so far 3 are in, one didn't make the cut). He started doing his solo show and made some friends in the Industry doing that. Oh, and he did a 2-day gig in Reno already, followed almost immediately by attending receptions/concerts of out-of-town friends who are looking for a permanent gig for their group in Vegas, and followed literally immediately by a trip to LA where he taught workshops and did little solo performances to demonstrate solo vocal live looping. He was home less than 24 hours before we loaded the car and drove to Utah, where he stopped less than 48 hours before catching his flight to Reno. Oh, and he got a contract with NBC signed and is now composing, performing, and recording some things for them. And did I mention that he's also been trading off with me changing diapers and staying up literally all night with a sleepless baby?
This is why we're camping at Grandma's house. All of that was in 3 or 4 weeks and on top of his usual work, and, having just had a baby 3 weeks ago, I couldn't keep up and then stop in Reno in a hotel room with 5 small children I have to entertain, feed, clothe, etc. Especially since one of the kids nurses a lot, one throws up a lot, and one is a little tornado all by himself. The other two are big enough to take care of themselves somewhat--but not entirely.
Some women recover quickly from having a baby. Not me. It takes me 8-12 weeks of being really careful with myself in order to physically get over childbirth without getting caught in depression. I suppose that's partially the fibromyalgia, but I also like to think that every woman ought to treat herself gently and be free of outside obligations until her baby is at least 3 months old. If all women had free meals brought to them for a whole month after having a baby, I think there'd be fewer cases of depression. Seriously.
Anyway, that's where we're at. It's been a trick convincing people that I really don't want to go anywhere (even to the grocery store) while we're here. We are not brave and on vacation. We are desperate and returning home instead of being alone and being grouchy and crying every night (since it's been taking literally 5 hours or more from the words 'bed time' until I get to drop off to sleep, what with nursing, nights and mornings mixed up, throw up, hyperactive toddlers, night terrors, and the usual hungry- thirsty-need one more kiss--potty time--too hot--too cold--forgot to brush my teeth--where's my special animal I can't sleep without her bedtime rituals of children, plus our usual insomnia, messed up schedule, and difficulty getting people to bed when I'm too tired).
What can I say? The adventure continues.
Now if I can just get the kids back to doing school....
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