Just for Chris...

"And one was a teacher, and one was a queen, and one was a shepherdess on the green..."

Friday 5

Dave posits:

I've been reading a lot about Neurology lately, and the rhythm's behind our thought processes. As if by fate, I came across this article yesterday that sums up one of the most insidious kinds of mental loops we all fall into. They're known as earworms.

"Earworm" is the term coined by University of Cincinnati marketing professor James Kellaris for the usually unwelcome songs that get stuck in people's heads. Since beginning his research in 2000, Kellaris has heard from people all over the world requesting help, sharing anecdotes and offering solutions.

"I quickly learned that virtually everybody experiences earworms at one time or another," he said. "I think because it's experienced privately and not often a topic of conversation, maybe people really long for some social comparison. They want to know if other people experience what they experience."

So, what are the top 5 "earworms" you've faced in your life?

1. "Women and Men" - They Might be Giants Is explanantion really necessary?

2. "Abiyoyo" - a song that went with a reading rainbow story. It has no other words, just "Abiyoyo, abiyoyo, abiyoyo, abiyoyo, abiyoyo, yo yo biyoyo, yo yo yo yo biyoyo." I've set lots of other words to it in my spare time.

3."This is my blood you drink...if you would, remember me when you eat and drink." from JC Superstar, just this part of the song, whenever I take communion.

4. "Samurai Jack theme song" - for a few weeks this plagued me as it has almost no intelligible lyrics

5. "Saints of God" set to "old Irish Melody" - this is entirely Neil Gaiman's fault, as he set new words to it in 1602 about the Fantastic Four. Of course what is stored in my memory banks is, alas, not "And one was a captain, and one was a Lord, and one a young hothead who carried a sword" but "And one was a doctor and one was a priest and one was slain by a fierce wild beast, they were all of them saints of God, and I mean God willing to be one too." I probably have the words for the hymn mixed up as well, but I know them just well enough to be driven MAD.

Other F5 participants are: Melissa, Adam, Will, Chris, Gina, Dave, Colleen, Craig, Gord, Adrienne, and Nanette and Marvin.

The family that slays together stays together

I'm having my second breakfast, typing somewhat distractedly on the computer and mourning my pre-grad school, pre-strange and debilitating illness life. I turned 30 on October 13th and had a great sort-of impromptu birthday party during which I got not-a-little-bit drunk and probably kissed people. It seems to be my current favorite method of blowing off steam. In any case, thanks to all who attended and humored me. It absolutely blew away my 29th birthday which I spent, quite memorably, in the ER with my daughter as she got a cast on her leg.

The next day, as we tried to drop Merlin off at school, she cried and cried. We decided this was absolutely not normal and Will dropped me off at home to study and took both kids to the doctor. Merlin, Gavin, and I had all run 24 hour fevers the week before and had all been tired and coughing some. The pediatrician looked them over and discovered 3 ear infections (two for merls, one for gavin), a wet cough, and Gavin had impetigo from scratching a mosquito bite until it was infected. All through the visit, they were running around and playing like nothing was wrong. The dr. even asked Gavin if his ear hurt, and he said no. She described their condition as "pre-pneumonia." So I make my appointment for Tuesday. I am in the same boat with an erupting ear infection and congestion in my head so thick that I get dizzy when I stand. $300 in medical expenses later, we are all stuck at home for a week trying not to drive each other (and especially William) crazy. Fortunately, I have just been sucked into the Buffyverse and we have something we can all do at home, on the couch, without requiring a lot of that pesky standing.

So, one week and three Buffy seasons later, we are feeling mostly put back together. last night I was feeling tired and went to bed early. When Will got home with the kids, we started to wrangle them to sleep and Merlin said, "But I want to watch part of Buffy." This morning in the car she quoted Buffy explaining Halloween costumes to Willow, "You dress up to be not you, except you are you." and she also said, "I think we need to have a little talk." which is something I have emphatically not ever said to her. I'm sure it is from the show. Earlier this week, she looked over at us, vegging on the couch, and she said, "Oz looks like Dr. Evil's son Scott." I exchanged glances with Will. It was kind of like wondering if you should tell a child that the Santa at the mall is not really Santa. I said, "You're right, they are the same person. The same actor plays Scott and Oz." Her jaw nearly hit the floor, but she just said, "Oh."

I hear other people play at the park to bond with their children.

Friday 5

Gina muses:

I don't have children myself, but I love to hear the knee-slappers that my godson, his siblings, and my nieces come out with. Or, for that matter, the "logic" espoused by the adults around them when speaking to them.

To whit, what are the most amusing things you've ever heard in a household with children?

1. When I directed my daughter to ask her daddy about having another baby in our family because we would need Daddy on board to do it, she insisted that I could do it myself with an egg and a needle. I honestly don't know how she knows anything about in vitro fertilization.

2. I didn't think anything of it, but provoked smiles among other adults when I told my (naked) son who was obviously looking for some comment from me, "Yes, it is a nice penis."

3. My children like to pretend to fall asleep in the car and then "wake up" making animal noises, to which I am required to respond, "Oh no! (S)he woke up a chicken!" (or cow, cat, etc.)

4. Another car game - we take turns describing a "mystery animal" that another person then has to guess. Gavin always begins, "I am an animal. I'm a hippopatomus. I live in water." pause, pause pause, Mommy replies, "Are you a hippopatomus?" Gavin, shrieking delightedly, "YES!" Merlin, clenching her teeth, "GA-VIN, you're not supposed to tell what you are!" Sometimes it can still be tricky if we can't understand him when he "tells" which animal he is.

5. My daughter, on running into Fr. Hoster at Northcross Mall, "Hey, he's from Jesus." and then again on the next loop, "Why isn't Jesus (aka Fr. Hoster) at our church?" I'm not sure how to interpret this theologically.

a runner up, of course, was my little sister Blair, when she was 3, I think, explained to my mom that she had cut the "tags" off of the cat when Mom questioned her about why the cat no longer had whiskers.

Of course, some of the funniest things are when you catch your children imitating you, especially when it takes you awhile to realize it, but they are a little harder to remember and not as funny out of context.


Other F5 participants are: Melissa, Adam, Will, Chris, Gina, Dave, Colleen, Craig, Gord, Adrienne, and Nanette and Marvin.

It was only a matter of time...

I wish I had put money on all my casting suggestions for Harry Potter. I'd probably have a hundred bucks by now.

Here's the question, courtesy of Chris:
I want to expose my son to the very best literature as he grows up -- "best" being defined as "engaging his interest, challenging his intellect, and building his character." Based on your own life experiences, what five books would you recommend?

Hmm. Difficult, very difficult. Children's books, YA books or literature that would be appropriate for any reader 6th grade and above? This seems like several topics to me, but I will do my addle-brained best (in my delerious state, I forgot today was Friday until Melissa commented on it this evening. I guess being sick all week and walking around like a zombie everyday encourages all the days to look the same so that you do not turn your dull-eyed gaze on one in particular in an effort of concentration that would surely obliterate it from the calendar.)

1. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak - I wanted to put In the Night Kitchen, which I dearly, dearly love, but the only message I could come up with for it is that nudity is OK. WTWTA on the other hand has lots going for it - a child with spirit, imagination, and his own kingdom is not fooled by fame and power. He leaves his kingdom to go where someone loves him best of all - it does not say who that someone is, but Merlin thinks it is his mom - and is rewarded with proof that his love is reciprocated.

2. Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney - this will probably be my only newly discovered book to appear in this list. It also may be more directed at girls than boys. It is about a little girl who plans to see the world and come back and live by the sea like her immigrant grandfather, only he tells her that there is a third thing she must do. She "must do something to make the world more beautiful." And she does. Then she charges her young niece (who narrates) to do the same.

3. Grimm's Fairy Tales - all of them you can find, and in several versions. And then all of the variations you can find.

4. Mythology by Edith Hamilton - there may be a better collection nowadays, but I do not know of it (yet), and hers has the advantage of including quite a bit of Norse mythology that is overlooked in other anthologies.

5. A series. It could be C.S. Lewis, Tolkein, Encyclopedia Brown, Hardy Boys, Judy Blume Books, Heinlein, A.C. Doyle, P.D. James, Comic books -the list goes on and on but I believe anything that directs children to the idea of following an author or characters for a while has value in building a person who reads regularly and learns to self-select reading material and becomes something of an "expert" (even if it is in romance!) the habit of reading within a genre also helps a person internalize criteria for what constitutes good writing within that genre. It makes a person a critical reader whether they know it or not.

I know my husband put the Bible (b/c Melissa told me!) and I have to agree as the need to know something of biblical works can be crucial to understanding references in so much that is written that really it is one of the reasons we go, and take our children, to church. Can't wait to read everyone else's and smack my forehead for not thinking of their responses.

Other F5 participants are: Melissa, Adam, Will, Chris, Gina, Dave, Colleen, Craig, Gord, Adrienne, and Nanette, Marvin, and Rob.

Belated and incomplete

Will's topic:

Melissa's quoting Heinlein a few weeks ago made me think of this topic.

Heinlein's Number of the Beast theorizes that all realities, even ours, come from someone else's imagination. And therefore, if you could learn to travel across dimensions it would be possible to find the worlds where every story occurred. The more fully realized story (and the better the story-teller) the more fully realized the world.

So,

What five fictional worlds would you like to visit once William perfects his inter-dimensional mini-van?

I tried to answer the Friday 5 on Friday before I dashed aout with the children, but I could only think of one answer:

1. Middle Earth

where I would unquestionably be a fat and happy hobbit. The only unfortunate thing here is that my husband would probably be a man of Gondor. Ah well.

I tried to think of others, but really, most of the alternate worlds have serious problems with which I might not be able to contend. I also do not have much confidence that I would be a wizard if I were plunked into Harry Potter or a Smart Person were I to turn up in Tellus Tertius. Even the ordinary people who get sucked into such adventures turn out REALLY to have been Very Special People. It's very trying. I might do well in Discworld, as I have some desire to be a Granny Weatherwax even in this universe. In the end, though, I only came up with one other (my serious apologies to my husband.)

5. New York

New York seems to be a fantastical place no matter how they rename it or what story occurs there. The land itself is surely there, but I'm not sure the city exists at all except in the hearts and minds of those who are seeking and dreaming.