Thursday, March 4, 2021
Thursday, July 22, 2010
WTF?!!
What the fuck is wrong with people? Today Destiny had swimclass. A group of 4 kids has class every day from 6-6:30 in this itty bitty corner of the pool. There's a guy talking to me about how he's thinking about signing his child up for the next session, etc. etc. so he obviously knows it's a swim class. Yet he lets his child go over there, get in the middle of all the kids, grab the swim barbell and other toys the teacher uses and doesn't say a word! I kept waiting for him to tell the kid to get out of the way but no. He literally waits until the instructor asks the kid for the toys back. And he's not the only one. Several other parents have let their kids get in the way of the class without saying a word. Once the lifeguard even intervened because two boys were roughhousing in the middle of the 3-5yr old class. Their mother was sitting right there at the edge of the pool in a lawnchair watching it all!
No wonder kids don't have manners today. Their freaking dumbass parents don't teach them any!
I get after my daughter too sometimes for letting the girls do whatever they want (although they are generally very well behaved!). Today when I got to their house Serenity (the youngest) was throwing a hissy fit and had apparently been going at it for a while. I literally had to say only three words (Serenity - that's enough!) and she stopped dead in her tracks. She knows Lita means business. lol
It's a good thing I'm a peon. If I had any power, all those lazy dumbass parents would be sent to a work camp in Siberia where they and their bratty kids couldn't bother anyone. Ok, to be fair though - it is the parent's fault, not the kids. But, that doesn't change the fact that the kids are annoying little shits.
I really worry about the future of our country when I see shit like that.
Aaarrgh!
No wonder kids don't have manners today. Their freaking dumbass parents don't teach them any!
I get after my daughter too sometimes for letting the girls do whatever they want (although they are generally very well behaved!). Today when I got to their house Serenity (the youngest) was throwing a hissy fit and had apparently been going at it for a while. I literally had to say only three words (Serenity - that's enough!) and she stopped dead in her tracks. She knows Lita means business. lol
It's a good thing I'm a peon. If I had any power, all those lazy dumbass parents would be sent to a work camp in Siberia where they and their bratty kids couldn't bother anyone. Ok, to be fair though - it is the parent's fault, not the kids. But, that doesn't change the fact that the kids are annoying little shits.
I really worry about the future of our country when I see shit like that.
Aaarrgh!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
“When he woke in the woods in the dark and the cold of the night he'd reach out to touch the child sleeping beside him. Nights dark beyond darkness and the days more gray each one than what had gone before. Like the onset of some cold glaucoma dimming away the world. His hand rose and fell softly with each precious breath.” Thus begins “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy.
This novel is destined to become one of the great American classics. A great novel has to have a story that is timeless, characters that are believable, narrative tension, and, of course, good prose. This book possesses all of these qualities.
What makes "The Road" timeless is that it is a novel about survival, not only of the body, but of the human spirit. Father and son travel through cities, decimated by some unknown calamity and barren of all life. McCarthy describes one such city in his usual minimalist way when he states “The city was mostly burned. No sign of life. Cars in the street caked with ash, everything covered with ash and dust." The father pushes a grocery cart through a ''cauterized terrain'' barren of all animal life. They travel through a post-apocalyptic nightmare world, strewn with corpses, and populated by roving gangs of cannibals, in the hope of finding a better tomorrow. Through every adversity, the two main characters, whose names are never mentioned, manage to hold on to each other, to their hope of finding a better tomorrow, and to their humanity. It is the story of the love between parent and child and deals with the eternal conflict - survival - but at what cost?
The characters are even more believable because they are not named. They could be any parent and child comforting each other on cold and lonely nights. The father struggles with issues every parent struggles with: how to teach his son right from wrong, how to ensure his son’s survival if he dies, and what to tell his son of the nature of evil. The child, like any child, is able to find joy even in this horrible landscape. He plays the flute, and asks his father for bed-time stories. Later in the book, “the boy found some crayons and painted his facemask with fangs”. The father’s job is to protect his child, at any cost. “He knew only that the child was his warrant. He said: If he is not the word of God God never spoke.”
The book is dark and filled with tension. This is what makes it such a page turner and what keeps the reader thinking about it long after it has been put down. It keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, waiting to see how they will survive the next obstacle. In addition, the duo faces the constant external threat of starvation and of succumbing to the elements. They could be attacked by other travelers or roving bands of cannibals at any moment. McCarthy uses flashbacks to show us what could happen to the pair if they are caught by the wrong people. People are raped, beaten, and kept like cattle, as a source of food. The father’s internal struggle is another factor which adds to the overall tension of the book. How far will he go to keep his son alive? Will he kill and steal food from other children? At what point is it better to give up and end their suffering? These questions are always in the background. The father carries with him a gun with two bullets, one for each of them, but is never sure when, or even if, to use it.
The prose in the book is beautiful. The entire book is written like a series of dark and mesmerizing poems. The language is stark and unadorned. There’s no filler, nothing extraneous, as illustrated in this exchange between father and son: “The boy turned in the blankets. Then he opened his eyes. Hi, Papa, he said. I’m right here. I know.” Thus, the writing itself becomes symbolic of the nature of the story. Bleak, desolate, and yet beautifully moving.
This book, although dark, does contain a message of hope. It tells us that we can change our destinies. It tells us that love, can indeed, conquer all. The author gifts us with a timeless story of love and survival. His characters are completely believable and sympathetic. The tension is, at times, almost unbearable. The author‘s prose is sparse and eloquent and beautiful in itself. This book has staying power and will linger with the reader long after the last page has been read. Perhaps the power of a book, to linger with the reader and forever alter him, should be added to the list of criteria by which a book should be measured. This is definitely a book worth reading, not just once, but over and over again.
This novel is destined to become one of the great American classics. A great novel has to have a story that is timeless, characters that are believable, narrative tension, and, of course, good prose. This book possesses all of these qualities.
What makes "The Road" timeless is that it is a novel about survival, not only of the body, but of the human spirit. Father and son travel through cities, decimated by some unknown calamity and barren of all life. McCarthy describes one such city in his usual minimalist way when he states “The city was mostly burned. No sign of life. Cars in the street caked with ash, everything covered with ash and dust." The father pushes a grocery cart through a ''cauterized terrain'' barren of all animal life. They travel through a post-apocalyptic nightmare world, strewn with corpses, and populated by roving gangs of cannibals, in the hope of finding a better tomorrow. Through every adversity, the two main characters, whose names are never mentioned, manage to hold on to each other, to their hope of finding a better tomorrow, and to their humanity. It is the story of the love between parent and child and deals with the eternal conflict - survival - but at what cost?
The characters are even more believable because they are not named. They could be any parent and child comforting each other on cold and lonely nights. The father struggles with issues every parent struggles with: how to teach his son right from wrong, how to ensure his son’s survival if he dies, and what to tell his son of the nature of evil. The child, like any child, is able to find joy even in this horrible landscape. He plays the flute, and asks his father for bed-time stories. Later in the book, “the boy found some crayons and painted his facemask with fangs”. The father’s job is to protect his child, at any cost. “He knew only that the child was his warrant. He said: If he is not the word of God God never spoke.”
The book is dark and filled with tension. This is what makes it such a page turner and what keeps the reader thinking about it long after it has been put down. It keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, waiting to see how they will survive the next obstacle. In addition, the duo faces the constant external threat of starvation and of succumbing to the elements. They could be attacked by other travelers or roving bands of cannibals at any moment. McCarthy uses flashbacks to show us what could happen to the pair if they are caught by the wrong people. People are raped, beaten, and kept like cattle, as a source of food. The father’s internal struggle is another factor which adds to the overall tension of the book. How far will he go to keep his son alive? Will he kill and steal food from other children? At what point is it better to give up and end their suffering? These questions are always in the background. The father carries with him a gun with two bullets, one for each of them, but is never sure when, or even if, to use it.
The prose in the book is beautiful. The entire book is written like a series of dark and mesmerizing poems. The language is stark and unadorned. There’s no filler, nothing extraneous, as illustrated in this exchange between father and son: “The boy turned in the blankets. Then he opened his eyes. Hi, Papa, he said. I’m right here. I know.” Thus, the writing itself becomes symbolic of the nature of the story. Bleak, desolate, and yet beautifully moving.
This book, although dark, does contain a message of hope. It tells us that we can change our destinies. It tells us that love, can indeed, conquer all. The author gifts us with a timeless story of love and survival. His characters are completely believable and sympathetic. The tension is, at times, almost unbearable. The author‘s prose is sparse and eloquent and beautiful in itself. This book has staying power and will linger with the reader long after the last page has been read. Perhaps the power of a book, to linger with the reader and forever alter him, should be added to the list of criteria by which a book should be measured. This is definitely a book worth reading, not just once, but over and over again.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Invictus
Wow! Saw it last night and it was SO good. My daughter and I went to Redbox and didn't know what to get so we got Invictus mainly because it starred Morgan Freeman. We have both been fans of his for years.Nelson Mandela is S. Africa's MLK. I found it amazing that after all he'd been through he was so ready to forgive. He believed people should move beyond the hatreds and pains of the past and work together to make a good future for everyone. He is an amazing human being.
It was funny and at the same time sad that when we were watching the movie my daughter thought it had taken place decades ago. It's so easy for us to forget that there are places in the world where people are still fighting for the freedoms we so often take for granted.
The title of the movie comes from a poem by William Ernest Henley. I'd heard this line before but didn't know where it came from:
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate
I am the captain of my soul
I am the captain of my soul
I read a little bit about Morgan Freeman as I was watching the movie and admire him now even more than I did before. He says the only way to end racism is to stop talking about it, and that there is no "white history month". Freeman once said on an interview with 60 Minutes' Mike Wallace: "I am going to stop calling you a white man and I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a black man."
I believe in this so whole-heartedly. I don't think we should forget the past because it has important lessons for us. But I do believe we should move on. I think any time the question of race is raised, whether it's for good or bad, we are being racist. To stop racism we have to stop differentiating between the races and judge people solely by their characters and abilities.
Now it's probably a good thing I only have 3 followers, only one of whom actually reads this blog because I'd probably have people up in arms on this issue!
Anyway, it's a really good movie and both Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon did really great jobs portraying their characters.
Go watch it!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Hotness!!
Ok, I admit it - I'm in lust. Total major lust. *sigh* I miss Lost. Not because of the awesome storyline, but because of Sawyer. I tried to put him out of my mind but thanks to 5 Question Friday he's back. I would tie him up and do unspeakable things to him. And then I'd do them again with chocolate and whipped cream. Yum! If hotness were a word, his picture would be next to it in the dictionary!5 Question Friday - late again!
So let's face it - I am almost always going to be late on this. Fridays tend to be busy at work which makes me lazy when I get home. Anyway, here we go - And btw, got these from lawlover1 who got them from someone else. :)
1. Do you collect anything?
Dolphins. I'm a dolphin freak, I even have a dolphin tat. I have dolphin shit all over my house. (not literally - lol) Although I'm thinking I will have to stop. Unless I get a place with a built in shelving or something. Running out of room.
And masks. It's a very small collection so far - only 5. Again, there's the problem with room for more so...
2. Name three celebrities that you find good looking.
1. Josh Holloway aka Sawyer from Lost. OMG! He is so hot. Yes, I admit it, I've fantazied about him. Yum! Maybe I should rename my vibrator Sawyer. hmmmm....
2. David Boreanz aka Angel & Agent Seely Booth from Bones. He's got these soulful brown eyes. And he's sweet.
3. Alexander Skarsgard aka Erik from True Blood. You can suck on my neck anytime Erik. Bring it!
3. Do you have any scars? If so what's the story behind it (them)?
1. Scar on left eyelid from when I was about 7. We were playing Zorro. Yes, I said it Zorry. It was huge in Germany at that time and that's what we played. Anyway, I, being the only girl, was the maiden in distress and was wounded in a swordfight with one of Sheriff Nottingham's men. (In other words stick hit eye) lol
2. Scar on right temple from where I got stitches. In Germany we celebrate Halloween a little differently. More trick, less treat. You bring in everything you can possibly get into your house. So one Walpurgisnacht, I fell down the stairs and cut my head open on the fender of my brothers go-cart.
3. Appendectomy scar.
4. Tubal Ligation scar - no more kids for me - no way, no how!
5. Breast reduction scars - self explanatory.
4. What is a food that you like to eat, but others might think it's gross or weird?
French fries with mayo instead of ketchup. Ok - it's a European thing. That is how you get it there when you order
french fries. Or at least it was, when I lived there. Don't knock it til you've tried it. It's yummy!
5. Have you ever seen a tornado in real life?
Only on tv. :)
1. Do you collect anything?
Dolphins. I'm a dolphin freak, I even have a dolphin tat. I have dolphin shit all over my house. (not literally - lol) Although I'm thinking I will have to stop. Unless I get a place with a built in shelving or something. Running out of room.
And masks. It's a very small collection so far - only 5. Again, there's the problem with room for more so...
2. Name three celebrities that you find good looking.
1. Josh Holloway aka Sawyer from Lost. OMG! He is so hot. Yes, I admit it, I've fantazied about him. Yum! Maybe I should rename my vibrator Sawyer. hmmmm....
2. David Boreanz aka Angel & Agent Seely Booth from Bones. He's got these soulful brown eyes. And he's sweet.
3. Alexander Skarsgard aka Erik from True Blood. You can suck on my neck anytime Erik. Bring it!
3. Do you have any scars? If so what's the story behind it (them)?
1. Scar on left eyelid from when I was about 7. We were playing Zorro. Yes, I said it Zorry. It was huge in Germany at that time and that's what we played. Anyway, I, being the only girl, was the maiden in distress and was wounded in a swordfight with one of Sheriff Nottingham's men. (In other words stick hit eye) lol
2. Scar on right temple from where I got stitches. In Germany we celebrate Halloween a little differently. More trick, less treat. You bring in everything you can possibly get into your house. So one Walpurgisnacht, I fell down the stairs and cut my head open on the fender of my brothers go-cart.
3. Appendectomy scar.
4. Tubal Ligation scar - no more kids for me - no way, no how!
5. Breast reduction scars - self explanatory.
4. What is a food that you like to eat, but others might think it's gross or weird?
French fries with mayo instead of ketchup. Ok - it's a European thing. That is how you get it there when you order
french fries. Or at least it was, when I lived there. Don't knock it til you've tried it. It's yummy!
5. Have you ever seen a tornado in real life?
Only on tv. :)
Destiny
My oldest granddaughter has 18-p syndrome. It means she's missing the short arm of her 18th chromosome.
It also means she was born tiny. Under 5 lbs, and with a hole in her heart. The doctor wanted to wait until she was a year old for surgery but we couldn't. It was taking all her energy just to live, which meant she wasn't doing anything else - not growing, not learning. At 9 months she had open-heart surgery. I was so scared. Seeing that tiny little baby with all those tubes and wires running in and out of her... That was hard.
Then eye surgery 2 years ago to correct her drooping eyelids. With another surgery coming up late this year or early next year.
And developmental delays. She doesn't speak as well as her younger sister. But she does speak, for which we are grateful. She can also be extremely fearful - definately not one to run headlong into new things. Except for swimming. She has absolutely no fear there. We tried to teach her that she really can't swim. Took the floaties off and let her go under. She came up laughing "I'm schwimming, I'm schwimming" I told her "No baby, you're drowning". Didn't phase her one bit so she starts swim lessons on Monday. :)
Now she's developed alopecia areata. Which means her immune system is attacking her hair follicles, causing her hair to fall out. She had such beautiful thick curly hair. Now it's thin, and she's lost about half of it. It doesn't matter now but I worry about what it means for her in the future. We women are so caught up in our hair.
She is the light of my life. I love her sister too but I can't help it - Destiny is definately my favorite. I get so angry sometimes that she's had to go through so much already and she's only 3. She is such a sweet little girl. And I worry about what future obstacles she'll have to face. She has to have regular specialist visits to check for new developments. This syndrome can cause all kinds of problems.
I should be grateful though. I know that. So many children with this syndrome are stillborn or don't survive their first year. Many can never sit up by themselves or walk or eat without a feeding tube. And I am grateful that she's able to do all those things. But I am still angry. And I worry about her future.
And I worry that the first time someone calls her retarded or funny-looking or something I am going to kick some major ass and end up in jail! Really. I do worry about that. Not sure how well I will handle that. I know it's ridiculous - all kids get made fun of for something sometime during their life. But I am overprotective. Can we say "Cheerleader Mom"? lol
This pic is of her sliding down her new slide. Another one of her favorite things. She can slide for hours! :)
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