J.K.Rowling & Orson Scott Card

I’m aware that I’m pretty out of touch since the arrival of our little man, but how did I miss this?  It’s a tiff between two of my favorite authors, over the free exchange of ideas, one of my favorite subjects.  Between the Ticks has the lowdown on OSC’s opinion of Rowling’s suit against Steven Vander Ark.  It was refreshing to read and sent me out to the blogosphere to read some more, which was also refreshing after all the time we’ve spent in the car this past week. 

Thursday Thirteen: Gross

1. Seeing someone drive by in their car with their finger digging around up their nose!
2. The few that then stick their fingers in their mouths literally make me gag. Those that think they are subtle and wipe it on the side of the car seat aren’t any better.
3. Walking into a building through a cloud of smoke. As a teenager, I’d shower and put on my clean clothes and then run through the house to try and get out without smelling like smoke! As an adult, I’m not a smoker; I don’t like the smell of smoke; I don’t want to smell like smoke for the rest of the day.
4. Kissing someone who has been smoking has always reminded me of what it must be like to stick my tongue in a dirty ash tray.
5. Walking into the kitchen in the morning to find a sink full of dirty dishwater.
6. Ditto for left over tub water, especially with wash cloths.
7. Looking into a mirror that someone has been popping their zits on. If you have to do it, fine. But do you have to leave the evidence for the rest of us to find?
8. Dirty toilet seats. How can you not know if you’ve left a little something behind on the seat?!! Puhleez!
9. Glasses and bottles that have been left overnight with milk in them. That includes discovering bottles that have been “hidden!”
10. Cleaning up the dog poop that has been hidden by snowfall and ice.
11. Seeing someone on ear wax patrol. This is left over from elementary school. I used to have to stand in line next to a boy who never had clean ears. It became a sick fascination to see if he’d cleaned them or not, but it also made me gag!
12. My little man’s constant drooling. I feel sorry for the childless people who come into contact with him!
13. People who don’t close their mouth to chew.

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Photo Hunt: Time

As I’ve mentioned before, the cycles of the sun, way up here in the North, fascinate me. After we moved up here, I wanted to share all of these fascinating new facts with my family and friends, so I labeled a picture to send with an email (because how could they NOT be as fascinated as me? ;))

Looking through our front window, I could see a golden glow on the Eastern tip of the Southern horizon. As the day progresses, we can watch the sun move across the Southern horizon. Other Canadians probably think, duh, when they read those words, because this is normal for them. But I’m used to the sun following the numbers on the clock — 12:00 o’clock means the sun is directly overhead, not centered in the Southern horizon.

So far, I continue to be amazed at the differences in light quality and shadow length and directions (and of course, how short or long the days can be.) At home, I could always tell what time of day it was by the lighting. I’m still working on restructuring this skill in my new environment!

TNChick is our host each Saturday as we go on our Photo Hunt. Please visit her for code and instructions, and photohunt” target=”_blank”>photohunt’ target=_blank>Technorati to see other participants.

Three Beautiful Things

1. Can’t get enough of those giggles, and we heard them frequently today

2. We found a beaver in our pond, right along side the ducks!  So far, the dogs have completely ignored them.  I have no idea why!

3. A quarter section covered in white –  SWANS!  What a beautiful sight (no pictures thanks to our little man’s inquisitive nature and impulse to throw.)

Photo Friday: My Little Secret

Helios thinks he’s in his secret hiding place!

Friday Fill-Ins #70

1. Two of my favorite ingredients in a drink are chocolate ice cream and milk!
2. The incredible beauty of nature often amazes me.
3. You can keep doing that forever, the dog is stubborn and won’t move.
4. Put it in a cup, mix it all together and voila! You have a chocolate shake!
5. If I had a yard with a garden, I would love to grow an orchard full of fresh fruit to go with it.
6. The human body is best au naturel.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m (not) looking forward to packing, tomorrow my plans include a birthday party and Sunday, I will be traveling!

Janet is our host for Friday Fill-ins. Follow this link, to view other participants.

Sky Watch Friday

A promise of things to come

This was taken two years ago, in June! My camera has died (with help from my little man) so it will be old photos for a while to come.

Tom at Welcome to Wiggers World is our host for Sky Watch Friday. Please visit Tom to learn more about Skywatch and other participants.

Three Beautiful Things

1. Honest, sincere compassion

2. Kindness of word and deed

3. A safe environment and a caring listener

Re: The Privilege Meme

I received a very nice email the other day from Will Barratt, PhD,  in regards to the privilege meme.  He included a link to Social Class on Campus, which explains the origin and dispersal of the meme.  If you have the time, please read this information, and if you’d like, try the meme, Examining Privilege and Social Class, which I originally found at History is Elementary, one of my favorite blog spots.

A Book Review: the burn journals

• The Book:  the burn journals

• The Author:  Brent Runyon

• Genre: Memoir

• Intended Audience: Young Adult

• Publisher:  Alfred A. Knopf,, New York, 2004

Brent describes an incident that occurred upon his advent into adolescence and the resulting consequences.  I was told that a reviewer has described this book as “uplifting.”  I would hardly use that word!  This is a book of teenage angst and the world from an early adolescent’s point of view.  Although it is intended for young adults, it is my hope that they would have caring adults in their lives with whom to discuss the emotions and questions this book will certainly stimulate.

The writing style makes it an easy read, almost too easy, considering the seriousness of the content.  Brent is very good at conveying his physical age, psychological state and emotional maturity.  To quote the narrator, “Every time I open my mouth to say what I’m feeling, something stops me and I have to make sure I’m not going to say anything stupid.  It makes me crazy.  And then, once I’ve figured out what I’m going to say, I have to go over it, over and over again, just to see if what I’m feeling is right.  And then I have to figure out how to say it.  Like, if I want to say, I feel sad, do I say, I feel sad, or, I feel so sad, or, Sad I do feel, or what?  How about, Feeling sad am I.  How about, I’m the saddest boy in the world” (pg. 220).

I would highly recommend this book to anyone.