Need Geek Help!
Iz wants to know if Shelob is the same kind of spider as the ones from The Hobbit. None of us self-professed geeks knew--so while we're shimmying into our hair shirts and self-flagellating, will someone else please toss out the answer? Thanks.
1.31.2004
On the Subject of Homework
Iz's teacher sent homework home with her last week. Apparently our girl prefers writing her sentences in creative, maze-like fashion, rather than in the standard order that a non-Iz person can read. Her teacher says our girl needs to practice writing one sentence a day in the regular style. I think that homework in preschool is abhorrent, and intend to tell her so, but in the mean time we're doing as asked (e.g., above). Iz has decided to futz with punctuation instead of position.
Iz's teacher sent homework home with her last week. Apparently our girl prefers writing her sentences in creative, maze-like fashion, rather than in the standard order that a non-Iz person can read. Her teacher says our girl needs to practice writing one sentence a day in the regular style. I think that homework in preschool is abhorrent, and intend to tell her so, but in the mean time we're doing as asked (e.g., above). Iz has decided to futz with punctuation instead of position.
1.30.2004
What I Want to Write About:
Dr. P's Response to the fax of some days ago.
Whether Iz should go into Kindergarten or First Grade.
How Leelo's Occupational Therapist is moving to Sacramento in one week, but only gave me notice today.
What actually happened during my Costanoa retreat.
How much I love Banyuls wine.
Why I am pissed at Iz's teacher for giving her homework.
The amazing amount of driving and coordinating and general whiplash-inducing running about that happened today.
How flabbergasted I am that Seymour's dad called me tonight for the sole purpose of encouraging me to pursue writing and illustrating.
How much I want to kick myself in the teeth repeatedly for telling a lawyer mom that "Well, heh heh, I don't work full time."
What I Am Going to Do Instead:
Read that trashy Nevada Barr book and go to sleep.
Dr. P's Response to the fax of some days ago.
Whether Iz should go into Kindergarten or First Grade.
How Leelo's Occupational Therapist is moving to Sacramento in one week, but only gave me notice today.
What actually happened during my Costanoa retreat.
How much I love Banyuls wine.
Why I am pissed at Iz's teacher for giving her homework.
The amazing amount of driving and coordinating and general whiplash-inducing running about that happened today.
How flabbergasted I am that Seymour's dad called me tonight for the sole purpose of encouraging me to pursue writing and illustrating.
How much I want to kick myself in the teeth repeatedly for telling a lawyer mom that "Well, heh heh, I don't work full time."
What I Am Going to Do Instead:
Read that trashy Nevada Barr book and go to sleep.
Speaking of Humming
The next time my sister-in-law asks me why I give her shit every time she starts talking about getting a Hummer, I'll send her this image. (Thanks Minnie for the link.)
The next time my sister-in-law asks me why I give her shit every time she starts talking about getting a Hummer, I'll send her this image. (Thanks Minnie for the link.)
1.29.2004
Mercury Madness!
As some of you have read already, Seymour's Dad had this to say about the DAN Consensus paper on Mercury Detoxification.* He is very worried about his only grandson.
Thankfully my partner and then a friend did all the thinking for me in response. mb said
this, and seymour said this.
Where do we go from here? I don't know, so I'll just hum along for now.
*The original paper is available on the Autism Research Institute's rather ill-formatted site. Here's how to get there:
Go To:
http://www.autism.com/ari/
Click on the:
Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!)
Link on the sidebar
Scroll down to:
Mercury and Autism
Click on:
* Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!): Mercury Detoxification Consensus Group Position Paper
As some of you have read already, Seymour's Dad had this to say about the DAN Consensus paper on Mercury Detoxification.* He is very worried about his only grandson.
Thankfully my partner and then a friend did all the thinking for me in response. mb said
this, and seymour said this.
Where do we go from here? I don't know, so I'll just hum along for now.
*The original paper is available on the Autism Research Institute's rather ill-formatted site. Here's how to get there:
Go To:
http://www.autism.com/ari/
Click on the:
Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!)
Link on the sidebar
Scroll down to:
Mercury and Autism
Click on:
* Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!): Mercury Detoxification Consensus Group Position Paper
1.28.2004
Confirmation of Your Worst Fears
Everything you ever suspected about the Bushes is true! And a former hardcore Republican who finally cracked when Bush2 stole the presidency wants to tell you all about it!
If you don't have the bandwidth to read all of Kevin Phillips' American Dynasty, at least read the Salon Review.
Everything you ever suspected about the Bushes is true! And a former hardcore Republican who finally cracked when Bush2 stole the presidency wants to tell you all about it!
If you don't have the bandwidth to read all of Kevin Phillips' American Dynasty, at least read the Salon Review.
1.27.2004
Geeking on India Week
It's India and Sri Lanka Week at Iz's school (the director is Sinhalese). Our girl's been sporting the rad kurtas, bangles, bindis, and salwar-kameezes, and tonight we spent an hour doing mendhi on her hands. Not sure how it's going to turn out, as mendhi requires stock-stillness on the part of the decoratee, and Iz is a wiggly worm.
We were out of those cool little pre-mixed henna paste tubes, so I had to make an emergency run to the local Indian grocery to stock up. As we were about to run out the door, I realized that my kids, Bollywood Iz and Leelo the Amazing Guatemalan Jacket Boy, appeared to have just ransacked Pier One Kids. Gaaah, DORK-MOM ALERT! But it was damn cold and Leelo's only other warm jacket is foul with the apparently permanent stench of cod liver oil. So I carried on. And of course the Indian family in line behind us was completely Banana Republic- and Baby Gap'd out. I couldn't bear to make eye contact, and skulked out quickly.
Iz is doing her own geeking today, grooving on Mars images with her dad. With her own twist--she thinks that the best thing about Mars is the sky: "It's PINK! My favorite color!" Lord.
It's India and Sri Lanka Week at Iz's school (the director is Sinhalese). Our girl's been sporting the rad kurtas, bangles, bindis, and salwar-kameezes, and tonight we spent an hour doing mendhi on her hands. Not sure how it's going to turn out, as mendhi requires stock-stillness on the part of the decoratee, and Iz is a wiggly worm.
We were out of those cool little pre-mixed henna paste tubes, so I had to make an emergency run to the local Indian grocery to stock up. As we were about to run out the door, I realized that my kids, Bollywood Iz and Leelo the Amazing Guatemalan Jacket Boy, appeared to have just ransacked Pier One Kids. Gaaah, DORK-MOM ALERT! But it was damn cold and Leelo's only other warm jacket is foul with the apparently permanent stench of cod liver oil. So I carried on. And of course the Indian family in line behind us was completely Banana Republic- and Baby Gap'd out. I couldn't bear to make eye contact, and skulked out quickly.
Iz is doing her own geeking today, grooving on Mars images with her dad. With her own twist--she thinks that the best thing about Mars is the sky: "It's PINK! My favorite color!" Lord.
Changeling
We appear to have our boy back. Mostly, anyhow. The forceful eye contact, sociability, demands, language, and emotional outbursts have steadily ramped back up, with today being the best day yet. This despite his having snagged a cookie during yesterday's playgroup (he is like lightning when it comes to forbidden goods). Makes me again question the GFCF diet and whether it's going to be a long-term approach for Leelo.
I really have to wonder if it was the glutathione and Ascorbic Acid that sent him into the stratosphere. This had been the second time we'd introduced both, and the second time he'd freaked out. Then again, there's always the chance that it was the high-sugar juice cocktails. (In addition to removing the two supplements, we've reduced his juice intake, cutting down from three to two cocktails a day).
Then again, I also forgot to give him his B12 shot on Sunday (he gets them twice weekly). Hmmm. He got one tonight, so if there's spazzing in the air tomorrow we may have yet another possible cause.
But whatever the hell, we had a great day. His therapists confirmed this--many spontaneous Yes and No statements for them, too, plus his NLP responses (prompted and spontaneous free-form language), which had been scanty and only two words long, were voluminous today, and often four words long.
Only negative: I may have to cut my hair off as he keeps grabbing it to pull me in for kisses (inner cynic: he is just seeking deep pressure on his face).
Oh, and Seymour's dad, a man whose powers of research I quaver before, has this to say about the DAN Mercury Detoxification Consensus Paper.
We appear to have our boy back. Mostly, anyhow. The forceful eye contact, sociability, demands, language, and emotional outbursts have steadily ramped back up, with today being the best day yet. This despite his having snagged a cookie during yesterday's playgroup (he is like lightning when it comes to forbidden goods). Makes me again question the GFCF diet and whether it's going to be a long-term approach for Leelo.
I really have to wonder if it was the glutathione and Ascorbic Acid that sent him into the stratosphere. This had been the second time we'd introduced both, and the second time he'd freaked out. Then again, there's always the chance that it was the high-sugar juice cocktails. (In addition to removing the two supplements, we've reduced his juice intake, cutting down from three to two cocktails a day).
Then again, I also forgot to give him his B12 shot on Sunday (he gets them twice weekly). Hmmm. He got one tonight, so if there's spazzing in the air tomorrow we may have yet another possible cause.
But whatever the hell, we had a great day. His therapists confirmed this--many spontaneous Yes and No statements for them, too, plus his NLP responses (prompted and spontaneous free-form language), which had been scanty and only two words long, were voluminous today, and often four words long.
Only negative: I may have to cut my hair off as he keeps grabbing it to pull me in for kisses (inner cynic: he is just seeking deep pressure on his face).
Oh, and Seymour's dad, a man whose powers of research I quaver before, has this to say about the DAN Mercury Detoxification Consensus Paper.
Zombified
Note to all:
Leelo was up for most of the night (okay, maybe only 4 to 6:30 but it felt like eternity) and as a result I am a grouchy fuckface today. Stay out of my way. Seymour was not there to help because he and Iz had built a fort upstairs, and decided to camp out in it (although he reported later that the boy was so loud he kept him up, too. Iz, on the other hand, could sleep through the Apocalypse).
This on-call wakefulness shit is so much easier to deal with when it's daily. I remember the first night in the hospital after Iz was born--the nurse brought her to me for a 2:30 A.M. feeding and I just basically told her to fuck off and give the baby whatever they had available, because I was sleeping, goddammit! Perhaps this is why Iz had trouble latching on, initially.
Anyhow. You've been warned.
Note to all:
Leelo was up for most of the night (okay, maybe only 4 to 6:30 but it felt like eternity) and as a result I am a grouchy fuckface today. Stay out of my way. Seymour was not there to help because he and Iz had built a fort upstairs, and decided to camp out in it (although he reported later that the boy was so loud he kept him up, too. Iz, on the other hand, could sleep through the Apocalypse).
This on-call wakefulness shit is so much easier to deal with when it's daily. I remember the first night in the hospital after Iz was born--the nurse brought her to me for a 2:30 A.M. feeding and I just basically told her to fuck off and give the baby whatever they had available, because I was sleeping, goddammit! Perhaps this is why Iz had trouble latching on, initially.
Anyhow. You've been warned.
1.25.2004
Random Random Random, Go Go Go! The Story of My Happy Yesterday.
Then I spent a blissfully spaced out hour or so webcrawling. Here's what I found:
Thank you Banubula!
http://www.gsi.go.jp/ENGLISH/MAPS/VARIETIES/IMAGINARY/animap-e.html
http://www.californiacoastline.org/
Thank you Minnie!
http://bushgreenwatch.org/
Thank you Iris!
You are
"Tell me if I said something wrong. Otherwise I know I'll say it again -- probably often and in public."
What "Buffy" Character Are You?
So, yeah, my brain is lacking what one might term good cohesion. But it was a good day. Hope that is visible through all the shards above.
- New hair color (shade: "I am too friggin' lazy to deal with root growth"). Got to hang out and chat with KV my bud and AB the world's most talented stylist/doula while Seymour and PV took the four kids to the park for 90 minutes.
- Absolutely gorgeous Sunday lent itself nicely to:
- Outdoor family photo session with talented and patient local lens-wielder, and
- Hike through park accessible and visible from back yard where the poison oak is all dormant and a million different mushroom types are busting out and the kids trotted happily the whole way like good little mountain goats. Please, someone, come kick my lazy butt out the back door and onto those trails!
- Slate of five Tasmanian cheeses gifted to us by KV and PV via her dad. Did our damndest, but much cheese was left for the playgroupgoers.
- Excellent laughs from Iz, who let it slip that I got the Kefir recommended by Chasmyn to see if it would help our girl and her dad with their "tooting." Busted again!
- Good language from Leelo, including more spontaneous yes and no statements. Is it the lowered sugar intake and vigorous exercise? Who knows. We are happy.
Then I spent a blissfully spaced out hour or so webcrawling. Here's what I found:
Thank you Banubula!
http://www.gsi.go.jp/ENGLISH/MAPS/VARIETIES/IMAGINARY/animap-e.html
http://www.californiacoastline.org/
Thank you Minnie!
http://bushgreenwatch.org/
Thank you Iris!
You are
Tara
"Tell me if I said something wrong. Otherwise I know I'll say it again -- probably often and in public."
What "Buffy" Character Are You?
So, yeah, my brain is lacking what one might term good cohesion. But it was a good day. Hope that is visible through all the shards above.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)