Rough week. Every part of my body decided it was old and hurting this week. My eyes keep stinging and watering - maybe too much computer? Plus the issues that make me suspect cataracts continue. My GERD and my IBS both decided to flame up. My kidney stone pain came back. I was whimpering on the couch for a couple of days there. The arthritis in my hands, especially my thumbs, really flared up. I am developing a little knot on my left thumb knuckle. And my feet were killing me and the pain even shot up my right leg - maybe hamstring? Ugh. Because my GERD was so bad, I was having actual painful throat spasms, I have cut way, way down on coffee or any caffeine. That means I am really slow moving and grumpy. I have been subsisting on bananas and yogurt for breakfast and chicken and rice for other meals, except when I am just having chicken bone broth and those ak mak sesame crackers. And I've been drinking lots and lots of water. So I am feeling better. But it is taking awhile. Anyway, I probably should get to the doctor, but there was too much going on and I didn't have the energy to do that as well. We had a huge leak in our finished basement which resulted in a gaping hole. The plumber came on Thursday and fixed the leak but had to ruin the dining room wall in order to get to the leaking pipe.
In addition to that Sean is having a rough time adjusting to not being in school. It is so irrational. He complained and complained about school but now he's out he's sunk into such moodiness and his behavior has regressed. Poor Seano, damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. The trick is to keep him busy but I was feeling so low I couldn't really do it.
The week wasn't all bad though. We found out that Josh scored in the upper 2% on his IQ test! So now we need to find out what he's supposed to do with all that smartness that is bottled up inside of him.
Will came home yesterday to accompany Becky at her voice recital. They did well but not as good as when they are sitting in the family room jamming and singing together. That's so much fun.
Tonight we are going to celebrate Will's 22nd birthday a week early while he's down here. He goes back to Boston Sunday morning. Ok, I better get busy with that!
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
What We're Up To
Just thought I'd record what's going on right now.
Becky is busy reading the Artemis Fowl series (among other books). She got an idea from her friends on google plus. She took a jar and decorated it and each time she finishes a book, she writes the title on a piece of paper and puts it in the jar. At the end of the year she'll be able to go back and see all the books she read. I had nothing to do with it! She's also getting ready for her voice recital this Friday. And she starts Theater Camp tomorrow; that's three weeks long and ends in several performances of Peter Pan. She's a mermaid. Other than those things she's been having a pretty quiet couple of weeks. She just finished her last math lesson with the math tutor yesterday morning. She won't start that up again until after Labor day, though we promised the tutor that during the last couple of weeks of August, Becky would do a little review to jump start next year's journey into Algebra. Becky's also been watching lots of Dr. Who, mostly with Rick in the evenings. She's also been helping around the house, hanging with Sean, doing a little baking and cooking, etc.
Sean was so lost yesterday. It was his first day of summer vacation and he, who is not good at transitions, was already afraid of having free time. He said, "Mom, I have that same feeling I had when we were homeschooling!" Uh oh. So I tried to explain it was just the first day and that he could plan his summer so that he had stuff to do and he wouldn't have long stretches of time, which as I expressed it, always makes him feel droopy (but really is a depression trigger). We brainstormed stuff he was going to do this summer. Then I said let's go out for the afternoon, so we went shopping, to the library and then to get ice cream. That seemed to satisfy him. He decided that I should get him up by 9 (if he isn't up earlier) and that he would shower every morning and get completely dressed so that he'd feel like he was ready for the day. That was his idea! Today he's got his physical trainer coming at noon and the speech therapist coming at 4:30. Plus, he's supposed to get a new yo-yo from Amazon today. He's excited about that. He has gotten really into yo-yoing of late. I, as a result, am learning so much about yo-yos! It is amazing! Did you know there are responsive and un-responsive yo-yos? There are looping yo-yos and 'off-string' yo-yos? Sean is teaching himself all kinds of tricks and spends lots of time practicing. He also spends a lot of time learning, talking and thinking about the new Super Smash Bros game coming out. He is really fixated on it.
Josh continues working at the marina. He gets himself up and off to work. He is very tanned. He comes home and tells us stories of rescuing people who don't know how to sail and wind up capsizing. Apparently the Potomac River isn't really the best sailing area. It is too shallow in many places so one of his jobs is to go out and rescue people who get stuck in the mud. He also mows grass, weed-whacks, takes care of trash and recycling, power washes boats, paints boats, re-rigs boats (don't know what that means) and watches the dock to make sure the boat rentals are going right. He works now with a few other guys. There's one guy who is a retired software engineer whose wife told him he needs to get out of the house, so he works at the marina just because he enjoys it. He's a character apparently. Josh really likes him. Then there are three other summer helpers, like Josh, two are about Josh's age and one is 27. They are new, so he doesn't really know them yet. Besides that Josh just comes home and stays in his room, except for meals. Hannah got him to play Ticket to Ride on Saturday night though. He's been going to the 8:00 p.m. Mass on Sunday nights at GMU and that same GMU ministry group has a meeting on Thursday nights and Josh mentioned he might start going. Josh's days off are Thursdays and Fridays.
Will is up in Boston. He's got tons going on. He just interviewed with guy who runs an experimental Bible theater in Boston and who needs a composer for a production (probably in a year and half). Will sent him some of his stuff, but he has no idea if he'll get the job. He has no real portfolio and no experience. He's got to work on developing all that. He's also decided to put on concert series. He's done this once before. The musicians play some of his music but then also play other pieces too. The musicians don't get paid much (pass the hat) but Will is pretty ingenious at finding free places. He's got a frat house at MIT willing to put on his next concert. Will goes out and buys cheese and crackers and wine from Trader Joe's and some of the other guests bring some too. He put one on a couple months ago and now he's planning one for his birthday weekend. One thing is he needs to allow more time to plan it and advertise it. It takes more planning than he thinks. He's learning as he goes. He is also very involved in his soup kitchen work and also in the MIT Catholic club (or whatever it is called). And he's also taking classes this summer! Plus he is writing music and practicing. And he's looking for a permanent part time job somewhere just to earn a little cash. He's really kind of overwhelmed himself. He's taken to asking me to call him at 6:00 a.m. so he'll be sure to get up and get going. And on top of all this, he's coming home this weekend. He's going to accompany Becky during her voice recital. Also, we will celebrate his birthday a week early, while he's here. He'll be 22 (but not until the 29th)!
Hannah is also very busy. She's working at Starbucks with Peter. She's also taking two classes at NOVA. And she is busy planning to get married. We went for a fitting for her wedding dress which is beautiful, way too expensive and the Russian lady who runs the store is scary as hell. She is going to get as much money as possible out of us. I should have gone with Hannah the first time when she got the dress. Anyway, she also got her invitations from the printer this week. Really, really pretty! I think she said she had to take a PRAXIS exam today. . . she's got all sort of things like that going on. I can't keep track of it all. She's been really helpful with Sean who really leans on her emotionally.
As for me, I am trying to wind up Aquinas Learning stuff (hopefully today), focus on my kids and the house for a change. Also, I just started volunteering for an organization that tries to prevent homelessness in our area. They put me on the communications committee which means I write stuff to help fundraising. I have two little assignments, one which is due by July 1st. I am not sure what I am doing, so it will be interesting. I am excited and shy at the same time.
Rick's work has really heated up so he's been traveling a lot recently to California and New Jersey. No travel this week though.
Other stuff: my nephew got married over the weekend. Another nephew (who is a drummer and owns a studio) took an old recording that my mom made for my dad, of her singing Always. I've got it now as a download. I should put it on here, if I can. She had such a nice voice. Hannah says she sounds like Judy Garland. Last night I kept dreaming about Jackie as I fell asleep. I'd start to fall asleep and then Jackie would be there talking about something and I'd startle awake. It kept happening. Gosh, I miss my parents. I think I will go visit the cemetery soon.
Becky is busy reading the Artemis Fowl series (among other books). She got an idea from her friends on google plus. She took a jar and decorated it and each time she finishes a book, she writes the title on a piece of paper and puts it in the jar. At the end of the year she'll be able to go back and see all the books she read. I had nothing to do with it! She's also getting ready for her voice recital this Friday. And she starts Theater Camp tomorrow; that's three weeks long and ends in several performances of Peter Pan. She's a mermaid. Other than those things she's been having a pretty quiet couple of weeks. She just finished her last math lesson with the math tutor yesterday morning. She won't start that up again until after Labor day, though we promised the tutor that during the last couple of weeks of August, Becky would do a little review to jump start next year's journey into Algebra. Becky's also been watching lots of Dr. Who, mostly with Rick in the evenings. She's also been helping around the house, hanging with Sean, doing a little baking and cooking, etc.
Sean was so lost yesterday. It was his first day of summer vacation and he, who is not good at transitions, was already afraid of having free time. He said, "Mom, I have that same feeling I had when we were homeschooling!" Uh oh. So I tried to explain it was just the first day and that he could plan his summer so that he had stuff to do and he wouldn't have long stretches of time, which as I expressed it, always makes him feel droopy (but really is a depression trigger). We brainstormed stuff he was going to do this summer. Then I said let's go out for the afternoon, so we went shopping, to the library and then to get ice cream. That seemed to satisfy him. He decided that I should get him up by 9 (if he isn't up earlier) and that he would shower every morning and get completely dressed so that he'd feel like he was ready for the day. That was his idea! Today he's got his physical trainer coming at noon and the speech therapist coming at 4:30. Plus, he's supposed to get a new yo-yo from Amazon today. He's excited about that. He has gotten really into yo-yoing of late. I, as a result, am learning so much about yo-yos! It is amazing! Did you know there are responsive and un-responsive yo-yos? There are looping yo-yos and 'off-string' yo-yos? Sean is teaching himself all kinds of tricks and spends lots of time practicing. He also spends a lot of time learning, talking and thinking about the new Super Smash Bros game coming out. He is really fixated on it.
Josh continues working at the marina. He gets himself up and off to work. He is very tanned. He comes home and tells us stories of rescuing people who don't know how to sail and wind up capsizing. Apparently the Potomac River isn't really the best sailing area. It is too shallow in many places so one of his jobs is to go out and rescue people who get stuck in the mud. He also mows grass, weed-whacks, takes care of trash and recycling, power washes boats, paints boats, re-rigs boats (don't know what that means) and watches the dock to make sure the boat rentals are going right. He works now with a few other guys. There's one guy who is a retired software engineer whose wife told him he needs to get out of the house, so he works at the marina just because he enjoys it. He's a character apparently. Josh really likes him. Then there are three other summer helpers, like Josh, two are about Josh's age and one is 27. They are new, so he doesn't really know them yet. Besides that Josh just comes home and stays in his room, except for meals. Hannah got him to play Ticket to Ride on Saturday night though. He's been going to the 8:00 p.m. Mass on Sunday nights at GMU and that same GMU ministry group has a meeting on Thursday nights and Josh mentioned he might start going. Josh's days off are Thursdays and Fridays.
Will is up in Boston. He's got tons going on. He just interviewed with guy who runs an experimental Bible theater in Boston and who needs a composer for a production (probably in a year and half). Will sent him some of his stuff, but he has no idea if he'll get the job. He has no real portfolio and no experience. He's got to work on developing all that. He's also decided to put on concert series. He's done this once before. The musicians play some of his music but then also play other pieces too. The musicians don't get paid much (pass the hat) but Will is pretty ingenious at finding free places. He's got a frat house at MIT willing to put on his next concert. Will goes out and buys cheese and crackers and wine from Trader Joe's and some of the other guests bring some too. He put one on a couple months ago and now he's planning one for his birthday weekend. One thing is he needs to allow more time to plan it and advertise it. It takes more planning than he thinks. He's learning as he goes. He is also very involved in his soup kitchen work and also in the MIT Catholic club (or whatever it is called). And he's also taking classes this summer! Plus he is writing music and practicing. And he's looking for a permanent part time job somewhere just to earn a little cash. He's really kind of overwhelmed himself. He's taken to asking me to call him at 6:00 a.m. so he'll be sure to get up and get going. And on top of all this, he's coming home this weekend. He's going to accompany Becky during her voice recital. Also, we will celebrate his birthday a week early, while he's here. He'll be 22 (but not until the 29th)!
Hannah is also very busy. She's working at Starbucks with Peter. She's also taking two classes at NOVA. And she is busy planning to get married. We went for a fitting for her wedding dress which is beautiful, way too expensive and the Russian lady who runs the store is scary as hell. She is going to get as much money as possible out of us. I should have gone with Hannah the first time when she got the dress. Anyway, she also got her invitations from the printer this week. Really, really pretty! I think she said she had to take a PRAXIS exam today. . . she's got all sort of things like that going on. I can't keep track of it all. She's been really helpful with Sean who really leans on her emotionally.
As for me, I am trying to wind up Aquinas Learning stuff (hopefully today), focus on my kids and the house for a change. Also, I just started volunteering for an organization that tries to prevent homelessness in our area. They put me on the communications committee which means I write stuff to help fundraising. I have two little assignments, one which is due by July 1st. I am not sure what I am doing, so it will be interesting. I am excited and shy at the same time.
Rick's work has really heated up so he's been traveling a lot recently to California and New Jersey. No travel this week though.
Other stuff: my nephew got married over the weekend. Another nephew (who is a drummer and owns a studio) took an old recording that my mom made for my dad, of her singing Always. I've got it now as a download. I should put it on here, if I can. She had such a nice voice. Hannah says she sounds like Judy Garland. Last night I kept dreaming about Jackie as I fell asleep. I'd start to fall asleep and then Jackie would be there talking about something and I'd startle awake. It kept happening. Gosh, I miss my parents. I think I will go visit the cemetery soon.
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Getting Started with Spanish - Book 24
I've been giving myself a quick, crash course in Spanish using Getting Started with Spanish by Antonia Orto and William Linney. William Linney wrote the book Getting Started with Latin, which I like so much as a very easy, direct and fun way to get a solid introduction to Latin. Well, here, his friend Antonia uses the same exact, step by step approach and teaches Spanish. It is amazing how solid a foundation one can get just by learning one simple thing in each of the 177 short lessons.
To honest though, I am just up to Lesson 122 or according to my Kindle 48% through the book. Since I am flying through this book (I started it about 10 days ago) I have to say I am really just learning to read simple Spanish. If I took the time I'd go back and really focus on speaking it. But while I say a few of the exercises out loud, I haven't been emphasizing that part of my study.
If you want to hear audio helps related to this book, here's your link. While I think the whole approach that Linney has developed is just pure genius in terms of making learning a language easy, the version on the Kindle has some flaws. For instance the Lessons are set up in one big chunk so it is very hard to go back and refocus on a particular lesson. Secondly, the grammar charts are way too tiny in print. I have my Kindle type set to a fairly large size because of my bad eyes, but the print in the charts is tiny! I have to use a magnifying glass to read them. Also, I can't find a glossary of all the new vocabulary words. So if I forget the meaning of a word I have to go back, chapter by chapter, searching for it. So it isn't as user friendly as it could be. It probably would be much better to get the actual book.
Anyway, now I can say things like Yo quiero leer libros in espanol!
This is a really solid way to introduce young (and old!) students to Spanish.
For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
To honest though, I am just up to Lesson 122 or according to my Kindle 48% through the book. Since I am flying through this book (I started it about 10 days ago) I have to say I am really just learning to read simple Spanish. If I took the time I'd go back and really focus on speaking it. But while I say a few of the exercises out loud, I haven't been emphasizing that part of my study.
If you want to hear audio helps related to this book, here's your link. While I think the whole approach that Linney has developed is just pure genius in terms of making learning a language easy, the version on the Kindle has some flaws. For instance the Lessons are set up in one big chunk so it is very hard to go back and refocus on a particular lesson. Secondly, the grammar charts are way too tiny in print. I have my Kindle type set to a fairly large size because of my bad eyes, but the print in the charts is tiny! I have to use a magnifying glass to read them. Also, I can't find a glossary of all the new vocabulary words. So if I forget the meaning of a word I have to go back, chapter by chapter, searching for it. So it isn't as user friendly as it could be. It probably would be much better to get the actual book.
Anyway, now I can say things like Yo quiero leer libros in espanol!
This is a really solid way to introduce young (and old!) students to Spanish.
For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Am I an Old Fogey?
I have been having trouble with my eyes for a while now. They always seem to have blurry patches or little squiggles or specks of something floating in my vision. And I can't drive at night in the rain at all. The glare just renders me blind. It's scary. I kept thinking to myself, I gotta go see the eye doctor. But I went not that long ago and got new glasses, etc. They were all worried because it was discovered that I had blind spots in my lower peripheral vision. I was sent to a specialist who basically thought I had a tumor on my pituitary gland. Except then I found out that 3 of my sisters also have this problem and it is just hereditary. But shouldn't they have noticed my cataracts? Because I looked up my symptoms on the internet and a diagnosis of cataracts fits them perfectly. I hate eye doctors. I am neurotic about things in my eyes. I'll have 10 c-sections before I'll have eye surgery! Well, that's probably an exaggeration, but that's how I feel. Guess I'll have to buck up and face the music. Anyway, this makes me feel old.
Another thing that makes me feel old:
Over the last couple of days I have gotten people mad at me when I commented on the fact that girls should dress appropriately for school (no short shorts for instance) and that college women should not let themselves get so drunk they pass out and put themselves in a position where some creepy guy can take advantage of them. People really got hot under the collar and lectured me about my double standards and how they raise their sons to be honorable (because apparently I don't) etc. etc. way out of proportion and reading things into what I said that I did not say.
Is it really crazy to say that women should dress appropriately, that is, with some sense of dignity and decorum for given situations? Should one really show up to school wearing the same thing you'd wear to a beach? Is looking sexy never inappropriate? Is showing so much skin never in poor judgment? I don't mean that men are allowed to be rude or molest women because they dress that way, but why the heck do girls try to dress that way to begin with? Because they want to be attractive and being sexy is seen as the height of attraction nowadays. One doesn't just want to have a put-together, stylish look; a look that gives authority. No, the only power now is from being sexy. Girls want to elicit a response from they guys, they want attention and respect too, but unfortunately, men being sinners and all, they often elicit the wrong response by the way they dress.
The way you dress communicates something to people around you. That's just the way it is. That's why we don't show up at a job interview in torn jeans and an old t-shirt but we do if we are joining in on a neighborhood clean-up-the-local park drive. That's why a sleek black dress and heels look great when going to an elegant dinner party but look kind of ludicrous if you are at the circus. If you want to be taken seriously, you don't walk around in clothing that leaves nothing to the imagination. And I think it is BS to say that girls aren't a little bit complicit in this.
Behave and act with dignity. Dress like you are more than an object to be desired. Dress like you think deeper than Seventeen or Cosmo. Guys too have restrictions on dress, if they want to convey some dignity. A boy who is wearing pants that are falling off him is going to convey something different than a guy who is wearing a sport coat and tie. The restrictions don't go to the same degree though and I guess that is what sticks in people's craw? That there is inequality there because there is a difference (in degree) in the way the two sexes relate to one another?
I got a petition from change.org. They wanted me to sign one to get to the bottom of bullying that purportedly happened to a young college women who had taken her life. The petition said she had made the 'choice' to be in a porn movie. And that people had bullied her by tweeting nasty things at her. Except the things that they used as examples of bullying were relatively mild or simply people showing disappointment at her actions. It looked like disapproval, not bullying to me. Isn't there a difference? If you do something that alienates the majority of people on your twitter list (or whatever it is; I don't twitter), is it bullying if they say so? By that standard the folks who decided I was a sexist ogre for thinking girls should dress appropriately and not drink themselves into stupors are bullying me. Wah! It's so unfair!
I am very sorry that this girl committed suicide. I truly, truly am. Any suicide is a great tragedy. But frankly I will bet you a lot of money that most girls who participate in porn movies at the ripe old age of 18 are probably not the most happy and stable of people to begin with. I know girls make mistakes and do stupid things. Boys too. All the time. I can be sympathetic but I feel like we've gotten to the point of enabling these mistakes and then getting our backs up if there is any whiff of disapproval for the stupid or outright sinful choices. I feel like this actually opens girls up to more exploitation, not less.
I mean there is a middle ground somewhere isn't there?
Rape is always, always wrong. But naively or recklessly putting yourself in harm's way is not too smart. Is that blaming the victim? I don't think so. Sometimes rape happens and there isn't a thing the victim can do about it. But isn't prevention important? Don't we want young women to value themselves enough that they don't open themselves up to disrespect or violence? Isn't that empowering them? Instead, insisting on their right to be stupid, to dress badly, to party excessively is pushing them into victimhood. You do not have a right to behave anyway you want and then dictate how others should respond to you. You do not have a right to do careless, dangerous things and then demand the world keep you safe. If you engage in risky behavior, you are more likely to get hurt. Period. That doesn't mean that the perpetrator who harmed you isn't at fault, but it means you didn't protect yourself the way you should have in that particular situation.
Anyway, I am just ranting. Because I suddenly feel very old.
Another thing that makes me feel old:
Over the last couple of days I have gotten people mad at me when I commented on the fact that girls should dress appropriately for school (no short shorts for instance) and that college women should not let themselves get so drunk they pass out and put themselves in a position where some creepy guy can take advantage of them. People really got hot under the collar and lectured me about my double standards and how they raise their sons to be honorable (because apparently I don't) etc. etc. way out of proportion and reading things into what I said that I did not say.
Is it really crazy to say that women should dress appropriately, that is, with some sense of dignity and decorum for given situations? Should one really show up to school wearing the same thing you'd wear to a beach? Is looking sexy never inappropriate? Is showing so much skin never in poor judgment? I don't mean that men are allowed to be rude or molest women because they dress that way, but why the heck do girls try to dress that way to begin with? Because they want to be attractive and being sexy is seen as the height of attraction nowadays. One doesn't just want to have a put-together, stylish look; a look that gives authority. No, the only power now is from being sexy. Girls want to elicit a response from they guys, they want attention and respect too, but unfortunately, men being sinners and all, they often elicit the wrong response by the way they dress.
The way you dress communicates something to people around you. That's just the way it is. That's why we don't show up at a job interview in torn jeans and an old t-shirt but we do if we are joining in on a neighborhood clean-up-the-local park drive. That's why a sleek black dress and heels look great when going to an elegant dinner party but look kind of ludicrous if you are at the circus. If you want to be taken seriously, you don't walk around in clothing that leaves nothing to the imagination. And I think it is BS to say that girls aren't a little bit complicit in this.
Behave and act with dignity. Dress like you are more than an object to be desired. Dress like you think deeper than Seventeen or Cosmo. Guys too have restrictions on dress, if they want to convey some dignity. A boy who is wearing pants that are falling off him is going to convey something different than a guy who is wearing a sport coat and tie. The restrictions don't go to the same degree though and I guess that is what sticks in people's craw? That there is inequality there because there is a difference (in degree) in the way the two sexes relate to one another?
I got a petition from change.org. They wanted me to sign one to get to the bottom of bullying that purportedly happened to a young college women who had taken her life. The petition said she had made the 'choice' to be in a porn movie. And that people had bullied her by tweeting nasty things at her. Except the things that they used as examples of bullying were relatively mild or simply people showing disappointment at her actions. It looked like disapproval, not bullying to me. Isn't there a difference? If you do something that alienates the majority of people on your twitter list (or whatever it is; I don't twitter), is it bullying if they say so? By that standard the folks who decided I was a sexist ogre for thinking girls should dress appropriately and not drink themselves into stupors are bullying me. Wah! It's so unfair!
I am very sorry that this girl committed suicide. I truly, truly am. Any suicide is a great tragedy. But frankly I will bet you a lot of money that most girls who participate in porn movies at the ripe old age of 18 are probably not the most happy and stable of people to begin with. I know girls make mistakes and do stupid things. Boys too. All the time. I can be sympathetic but I feel like we've gotten to the point of enabling these mistakes and then getting our backs up if there is any whiff of disapproval for the stupid or outright sinful choices. I feel like this actually opens girls up to more exploitation, not less.
I mean there is a middle ground somewhere isn't there?
Rape is always, always wrong. But naively or recklessly putting yourself in harm's way is not too smart. Is that blaming the victim? I don't think so. Sometimes rape happens and there isn't a thing the victim can do about it. But isn't prevention important? Don't we want young women to value themselves enough that they don't open themselves up to disrespect or violence? Isn't that empowering them? Instead, insisting on their right to be stupid, to dress badly, to party excessively is pushing them into victimhood. You do not have a right to behave anyway you want and then dictate how others should respond to you. You do not have a right to do careless, dangerous things and then demand the world keep you safe. If you engage in risky behavior, you are more likely to get hurt. Period. That doesn't mean that the perpetrator who harmed you isn't at fault, but it means you didn't protect yourself the way you should have in that particular situation.
Anyway, I am just ranting. Because I suddenly feel very old.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
The Old Patagonian Express - Book 23
I have been AWOL here on this blog. I haven't been doing the internet as much. Mostly facebook and reading a couple of blogs. I haven't felt the impulse to blog and for some reason it took me a long time to get through this book, The Old Patagonian Express; by Train through the Americas by Paul Theroux. It took me a couple of weeks which is a long time for a book I found so thoroughly engrossing. But I think it was because I was savoring it so much. Theroux is a brilliant writer. The way he evokes the whole experience of travel is captivating. I could feel the train rumbling, see the landscape outside, meet the motley travelers and all the exotic, uncomfortable and surprising things he encountered. The book isn't just about traveling to exotic, off the beaten path, places. It is also about reading while traveling and pondering while traveling.
Maybe twenty years ago I read Theroux's book on riding a train through China, entitled Riding the Iron Rooster. I remember really enjoying it but thinking Theroux was a rather sour fellow. I did not think of him that way at all this time. Maybe Theroux was in a better mood this time? Maybe twenty years gave me a different perspective? This time I thought Theroux was exceptionally honest, insightful, a little self-deprecating, witty and simply a brilliant painter of images and evoker of time and space.
The book starts with a subway ride. Theroux has decided to ride trains all the way down to Patagonia, Argentina. He begins riding the subway during the morning commuter rush. But he's not a commuter, he's beginning a great voyage and leaving cold, blizzardy Boston behind. He moves through the U.S. by degrees, noting the changing people, customs, climate and landscape.
There were many things that endeared Theroux to me as he traveled. One was that read as he rode the rail, and what he read became an integral part of his journey. I do this too!!! A kindred spirit! I remember that I read Report to the Commissioner back in 1976, while curled up in a window seat that looked out over the Devonshire countryside. It was weird to be reading a novel about a New York City cop while being in such a remote and charming place. I remember reading Christ Stopped at Eboli on the long trans-atlantic flight from Rome to Washington DC. That must have been in 1983 or 84. Just two summers ago I read Penrod by Booth Tarkington while sitting in an outdoor cafe in Avila, Spain, sipping caffe and watching tourists disembark from buses in front of the Medieval city walls.
Here's what Theroux read on his trip (he seemed to be trying to read lesser known works by famous authors). The Wild Palms by Faulkner (Theroux didn't like it), Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain (he thought it was brilliant), The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym by Poe(very scary - too much for that particular moment when Theroux was encountering many disturbing things on his trip; later he had a chance to read it in better circumstances and really marveled at Poe's storytelling talent), The Judge and the Hangman by Friedrich Durrenmatt (I'd never heard of this guy! Must put on my to read list!), Boswell's Life of Johnson (which meshed beautifully with insights that were completely timely in Theroux's travels). I started Life of Johnson a few years ago but didn't get far. MUST READ IT!
This is a long journey and broke down pretty logically into three sections - his travels through the U.S., his travels through Central America and then his travels through South America. I initially started reading this book because I am intrigued by all things Argentine, since we have a young gentleman from that country coming to stay with us this summer. So I wanted to read about Argentina and that doesn't come until the very end of the book, but in spite of my impatience, I was completely fascinated by the whole trip.
There are some really funny moments in the book. For instance in El Salvador Theroux gets into a conversation with two young salesman. They have an absurd conversation where the two men talk about how English doesn't have as many words as Spanish. Much later on, Theroux gets to meet and spend time with Jorge Luis Borges, probably Argentina's greatest literary figure; a great writer of short stories, poems and essays) and Borges keeps saying how much better English is than Spanish in terms of word-craft. Also, in El Salvador, one of the salesman invites Theroux to go to a soccer match with him. Theroux describes the whole experience as an alien (which he was) viewing the most baffling behavior of the crowds. At one point the people in the crowd unleash a bunch of long white balloons which Theroux recognize as condoms. He remember how the WHO has recently begun giving out condoms. He doubts it will decrease the number of births but he imagines how much fun children's birthday parties will be, what with the free balloons. That is just the tiniest snippet of what is going on in this book. It is like a warehouse crammed full of impressions, reactions, musings and puzzlement. You get to work through the warehouse systematically though, from railroad station to railroad station (with some buses and a plane flight or two thrown in there).
At another point, perhaps this happened in Peru or Bolivia, Theroux is riding with a few American tourists who are being rather whiny and crass. They begin to rip on the Indians who are in the process of celebrating Holy Week. Why, the Americans want to know, do they make their crucifixes so gory and bloody? Why do their statues of the Virgin look so plump and why do they dress her up with dresses and lace? It strikes the Americans as vulgar and over the top. Theroux, however, has been visiting churches all the way, and watching how the devout Indians live out their faith. He sees that it gives them joy and sustains them in their incredibly hard and undignified lives. At last he can bear to hear no more. He bursts forth with an impassioned analysis. Of course their crucifixes are bloodier. If Jesus redeemed them by suffering and dying for them, than he must have to suffer more than they do in their every day life. In the U.S. crucifixes only have a couple of bruises and perhaps a drop or two of blood, but here where the Native Indians live, he must suffer far more than that. If Mary is their beloved Queen of Heaven, she can not be starving like they are. She must be more fecund, not less. She must wear more beautiful clothing than they do, not simpler. His explanation shuts everyone up at once.
I absolutely loved the part where Theroux meets Borges. Again, I felt kinship. Borges is blind and Theroux reads him Kipling out loud. Borges says something that I have always thought! He says that Huckleberry Finn is a great book with a bad ending. Tom Sawyer enters the picture at the end and ruins the book. I have always thought that! I hate the ending of Huck Finn! If you've read Tom Sawyer and loved that character, you see him in a very different light in Huck Finn. It is a betrayal to his readers. I can not forgive Mark Twain for that.
There is so much to this book. I have barely scratched the surface here. I highly, highly recommend it.
For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
Maybe twenty years ago I read Theroux's book on riding a train through China, entitled Riding the Iron Rooster. I remember really enjoying it but thinking Theroux was a rather sour fellow. I did not think of him that way at all this time. Maybe Theroux was in a better mood this time? Maybe twenty years gave me a different perspective? This time I thought Theroux was exceptionally honest, insightful, a little self-deprecating, witty and simply a brilliant painter of images and evoker of time and space.
The book starts with a subway ride. Theroux has decided to ride trains all the way down to Patagonia, Argentina. He begins riding the subway during the morning commuter rush. But he's not a commuter, he's beginning a great voyage and leaving cold, blizzardy Boston behind. He moves through the U.S. by degrees, noting the changing people, customs, climate and landscape.
There were many things that endeared Theroux to me as he traveled. One was that read as he rode the rail, and what he read became an integral part of his journey. I do this too!!! A kindred spirit! I remember that I read Report to the Commissioner back in 1976, while curled up in a window seat that looked out over the Devonshire countryside. It was weird to be reading a novel about a New York City cop while being in such a remote and charming place. I remember reading Christ Stopped at Eboli on the long trans-atlantic flight from Rome to Washington DC. That must have been in 1983 or 84. Just two summers ago I read Penrod by Booth Tarkington while sitting in an outdoor cafe in Avila, Spain, sipping caffe and watching tourists disembark from buses in front of the Medieval city walls.
Here's what Theroux read on his trip (he seemed to be trying to read lesser known works by famous authors). The Wild Palms by Faulkner (Theroux didn't like it), Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain (he thought it was brilliant), The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym by Poe(very scary - too much for that particular moment when Theroux was encountering many disturbing things on his trip; later he had a chance to read it in better circumstances and really marveled at Poe's storytelling talent), The Judge and the Hangman by Friedrich Durrenmatt (I'd never heard of this guy! Must put on my to read list!), Boswell's Life of Johnson (which meshed beautifully with insights that were completely timely in Theroux's travels). I started Life of Johnson a few years ago but didn't get far. MUST READ IT!
This is a long journey and broke down pretty logically into three sections - his travels through the U.S., his travels through Central America and then his travels through South America. I initially started reading this book because I am intrigued by all things Argentine, since we have a young gentleman from that country coming to stay with us this summer. So I wanted to read about Argentina and that doesn't come until the very end of the book, but in spite of my impatience, I was completely fascinated by the whole trip.
There are some really funny moments in the book. For instance in El Salvador Theroux gets into a conversation with two young salesman. They have an absurd conversation where the two men talk about how English doesn't have as many words as Spanish. Much later on, Theroux gets to meet and spend time with Jorge Luis Borges, probably Argentina's greatest literary figure; a great writer of short stories, poems and essays) and Borges keeps saying how much better English is than Spanish in terms of word-craft. Also, in El Salvador, one of the salesman invites Theroux to go to a soccer match with him. Theroux describes the whole experience as an alien (which he was) viewing the most baffling behavior of the crowds. At one point the people in the crowd unleash a bunch of long white balloons which Theroux recognize as condoms. He remember how the WHO has recently begun giving out condoms. He doubts it will decrease the number of births but he imagines how much fun children's birthday parties will be, what with the free balloons. That is just the tiniest snippet of what is going on in this book. It is like a warehouse crammed full of impressions, reactions, musings and puzzlement. You get to work through the warehouse systematically though, from railroad station to railroad station (with some buses and a plane flight or two thrown in there).
At another point, perhaps this happened in Peru or Bolivia, Theroux is riding with a few American tourists who are being rather whiny and crass. They begin to rip on the Indians who are in the process of celebrating Holy Week. Why, the Americans want to know, do they make their crucifixes so gory and bloody? Why do their statues of the Virgin look so plump and why do they dress her up with dresses and lace? It strikes the Americans as vulgar and over the top. Theroux, however, has been visiting churches all the way, and watching how the devout Indians live out their faith. He sees that it gives them joy and sustains them in their incredibly hard and undignified lives. At last he can bear to hear no more. He bursts forth with an impassioned analysis. Of course their crucifixes are bloodier. If Jesus redeemed them by suffering and dying for them, than he must have to suffer more than they do in their every day life. In the U.S. crucifixes only have a couple of bruises and perhaps a drop or two of blood, but here where the Native Indians live, he must suffer far more than that. If Mary is their beloved Queen of Heaven, she can not be starving like they are. She must be more fecund, not less. She must wear more beautiful clothing than they do, not simpler. His explanation shuts everyone up at once.
I absolutely loved the part where Theroux meets Borges. Again, I felt kinship. Borges is blind and Theroux reads him Kipling out loud. Borges says something that I have always thought! He says that Huckleberry Finn is a great book with a bad ending. Tom Sawyer enters the picture at the end and ruins the book. I have always thought that! I hate the ending of Huck Finn! If you've read Tom Sawyer and loved that character, you see him in a very different light in Huck Finn. It is a betrayal to his readers. I can not forgive Mark Twain for that.
There is so much to this book. I have barely scratched the surface here. I highly, highly recommend it.
For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
Monday, May 26, 2014
Priorities
I have these thoughts roiling around my head right now. I am sure though I have already thought them over and over again. I am sure I have posted these same thoughts before in one shape or another on this blog. I was talking to one of my sisters on the day of the funeral. She had moved recently to a much smaller place and had to go through a lot of stuff and get rid of it. She found all these old diaries she had kept over the years and started reading through them. "I just wrote about the same things over and over again," she said, sounding amazed at herself. "What was my problem???" Yep. I can identify with that!
Anyway, at the risk of repeating myself, somehow, here are what my priorities should be. I feel a new freedom in the fact that I am pulling way back on my volunteer obligations, even though I also feel wracked with guilt over it too. This coming year I will officially volunteer for the following: 1) Spirit Team leader for Becky's confirmation group 2) Co-leader of Becky's Pi/Pa AHG troop. 3) Religious Awards coordinator for AHG Troop.
That's it.
My husband is so happy about this. Yesterday at Mass they were asking for someone to step forward to lead the Marian Society. I leaned over and asked him, should I volunteer? He said: NO! I need him to keep me steady!
Instead I am going to make my priories thus:
1) Prayer and my relationship with Christ. Instead of feeling pulled in a hundred different directions and doing nothing as well as I would like, I 'll be less scattered and so should be able to really quiet my mind and focus on what is supremely important.
2) My job as mother and homemaker. This is a good sacrifice for me. I hide from these obligations by volunteering too much. The outside stuff is more important, or so I tell myself, and therefore I give myself an excuse. But I have got two sons who really need a focused mom to help them. I've got some homeschooling to do. I want to prepare Becky for high school this year. I've got a household to maintain (thus the name of this blog!). I've got a husband to love and support. We've got a wedding coming up! Those should be my main priorities.
3) My own health. Because I am tired and overwhelmed and stressed by all the external stuff I put on myself, I use these as an excuse for not planning meals well, not eating well, not exercising, etc. I have been doing this for years. I need to stop. It is self-destructive.
I think I'll stop there. I'll keep it simple. These three things encompass a lot. For prayer, for example, I am thinking of joining a scripture study group. I am trying to figure out when I can get to daily mass. Even though I don't want to lead any volunteer activities, I would like to help out at regular times. For instance as a family we could help make sandwiches at church once a month. That sort of thing. So life will still be very full, but pointed in a different direction.
Anyway, at the risk of repeating myself, somehow, here are what my priorities should be. I feel a new freedom in the fact that I am pulling way back on my volunteer obligations, even though I also feel wracked with guilt over it too. This coming year I will officially volunteer for the following: 1) Spirit Team leader for Becky's confirmation group 2) Co-leader of Becky's Pi/Pa AHG troop. 3) Religious Awards coordinator for AHG Troop.
That's it.
My husband is so happy about this. Yesterday at Mass they were asking for someone to step forward to lead the Marian Society. I leaned over and asked him, should I volunteer? He said: NO! I need him to keep me steady!
Instead I am going to make my priories thus:
1) Prayer and my relationship with Christ. Instead of feeling pulled in a hundred different directions and doing nothing as well as I would like, I 'll be less scattered and so should be able to really quiet my mind and focus on what is supremely important.
2) My job as mother and homemaker. This is a good sacrifice for me. I hide from these obligations by volunteering too much. The outside stuff is more important, or so I tell myself, and therefore I give myself an excuse. But I have got two sons who really need a focused mom to help them. I've got some homeschooling to do. I want to prepare Becky for high school this year. I've got a household to maintain (thus the name of this blog!). I've got a husband to love and support. We've got a wedding coming up! Those should be my main priorities.
3) My own health. Because I am tired and overwhelmed and stressed by all the external stuff I put on myself, I use these as an excuse for not planning meals well, not eating well, not exercising, etc. I have been doing this for years. I need to stop. It is self-destructive.
I think I'll stop there. I'll keep it simple. These three things encompass a lot. For prayer, for example, I am thinking of joining a scripture study group. I am trying to figure out when I can get to daily mass. Even though I don't want to lead any volunteer activities, I would like to help out at regular times. For instance as a family we could help make sandwiches at church once a month. That sort of thing. So life will still be very full, but pointed in a different direction.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Night Flight - Book 22
I stopped reading for a couple of weeks there. Actually, I didn't stop reading but I just couldn't get in to anything I started reading. Theology and Sanity seems to have just fallen by the wayside completely. I started reading The Monuments Men but frankly I thought the author was terrible. He took a really exciting idea and managed to make it boring. I started reading a P.G. Wodehouse Jeeves book (forget which one) and even that couldn't hold my interest. But once I got over the emotional bump of the funeral and things started to settle down, I made one last attempt. Since we are going to have an Argentinian student stay with us for a month this summer, I thought I'd read something set in Argentina, so I picked Night Flight by Saint-Exupery.
The only other book I've read by this well known author is The Little Prince, which is one of my all time favorite books. Night Flight has the same dreamy quality to it, but it is an adult novel, of course. It reminded me a bit of Camus in its plain telling of detail and sense of existential searching that permeates the book. When I was young existentialism struck me as profound and edgy, now it just annoys me. This book would have annoyed me more, except for Saint-Exupery's gentle, poetic language. What also annoyed me were the many typos in this Kindle version, and the nerve that Amazon (or maybe it is the publisher who sets the price?) has in charging over $8.00 for it. It's a short book! Surely someone could have proofed it before putting it out there in e-book land! Whatever happened to professionalism?
The story takes place during one night when the airmail must fly through changeable weather to deliver mail to various cities in South America, mostly Argentina. I guess it is set in the late 1940's/early 1950s? The head honcho is Riverie, a driven man, who has so enlarged his idea of duty (the mail must get through) that he willingly endangers the lives of his pilots and radio dispatchers. Under him is Robineau, a sycophant to Riverie's dictatorial methods. Neither of these men are likable but they are pathetic. Riverie is slowly working himself to death, in fact, the reader is in suspense wondering if he is going to have a heart attack on the job. Robineau is a lonely, lonely man who has no real relationships with anyone because he, like Riverie, has given over his life to his job. There are a couple of unnamed pilots we meet, but mostly we follow Fabien a pilot who is sent on into the night by Riverie even though he should not have been. The weather is beautiful and clear until a sudden cyclone moves in from the ocean. We meet two of the pilots' wives and we find out that Fabien has only been married for six weeks, when his boss puts him in mortal danger.
It is a depressing book that ends in uncertainty. In spite of this, I still want to read Saint-Exupery's other book Wind, Sand and Stars. He is a beautiful writer. I think the man, Saint-Exupery, is a really fascinating person.
For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
The only other book I've read by this well known author is The Little Prince, which is one of my all time favorite books. Night Flight has the same dreamy quality to it, but it is an adult novel, of course. It reminded me a bit of Camus in its plain telling of detail and sense of existential searching that permeates the book. When I was young existentialism struck me as profound and edgy, now it just annoys me. This book would have annoyed me more, except for Saint-Exupery's gentle, poetic language. What also annoyed me were the many typos in this Kindle version, and the nerve that Amazon (or maybe it is the publisher who sets the price?) has in charging over $8.00 for it. It's a short book! Surely someone could have proofed it before putting it out there in e-book land! Whatever happened to professionalism?
The story takes place during one night when the airmail must fly through changeable weather to deliver mail to various cities in South America, mostly Argentina. I guess it is set in the late 1940's/early 1950s? The head honcho is Riverie, a driven man, who has so enlarged his idea of duty (the mail must get through) that he willingly endangers the lives of his pilots and radio dispatchers. Under him is Robineau, a sycophant to Riverie's dictatorial methods. Neither of these men are likable but they are pathetic. Riverie is slowly working himself to death, in fact, the reader is in suspense wondering if he is going to have a heart attack on the job. Robineau is a lonely, lonely man who has no real relationships with anyone because he, like Riverie, has given over his life to his job. There are a couple of unnamed pilots we meet, but mostly we follow Fabien a pilot who is sent on into the night by Riverie even though he should not have been. The weather is beautiful and clear until a sudden cyclone moves in from the ocean. We meet two of the pilots' wives and we find out that Fabien has only been married for six weeks, when his boss puts him in mortal danger.
It is a depressing book that ends in uncertainty. In spite of this, I still want to read Saint-Exupery's other book Wind, Sand and Stars. He is a beautiful writer. I think the man, Saint-Exupery, is a really fascinating person.
For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
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