Cute Little Blog

Sigh

2006-04-23T22:39:00.000-05:00

I was sick for a week with my 5th illness of the winter, even though it's not winter anymore. We're still dealing with the Mayo Clinic thing for Beloved. The entire house is a disaster, and there are no clothes in the drawers or closets. Rummage season has begun, and Sweetie is desperately in need of bigger clothes. To top it all off, my computer has an unknown problem which I can only solve by reinstalling everything, and Sweetie can't play with it until I do. I'm babysitting every chance I get, because we need the money. I'm getting over this bug, but I'm still sleeping 18-20 hrs/day with no end in sight. So, unfortunately, I'll have to officially quit blogging for awhile. Hopefully only awhile. Pretty sad, as I still haven't gotten around to posting about my blogroll or giving tribute to my blogparents. I'll still post to Our Kids Speak occasionally and comment on other blogs. If you'd like a notification when I resurface, just drop me an email.

Update: I'm sleeping less, but I still have way too much to do. There are several good posts fermenting in my head, but I don't have time to do my best, and I hate doing less. I expect to be gone for at least a few months, and if that saddens you, you're not the only one.

Christ is Risen!

2006-04-16T23:20:00.000-05:00

He is risen indeed! In the first century, that was a customary Christian greeting. One person would say He's risen, and the other would agree. Lots of people say this on Resurrection Sunday. I was trying to get Sweetie to do this with me, and she just thought I was nutty. I told her when he first came back to life everybody was really excited, because they weren't expecting it, so they kept talking about it all the time. So I was saying it to all our friends at church, and it turned into sort of a game, except half of them weren't playing along.

We got to watch lots of people get baptized, and Sweetie really liked it. She's kinda thinking about wanting to do it, but she has to go to swimming class first and quit being scared of the water. She asked Jesus to live in her heart a little over a year ago, and she's celebrated communion for a few months now, since I was satisfied that she understood the concept. I'm so proud of her!

She likes the Bible stories, but she never said a word about the secular celebration. (That starts next week, after I buy the stuff on clearance.) I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful little girl.

Mayo Clinic

2006-04-13T19:42:00.000-05:00

Okay, they told us the whole thing would take 3-7 days, but they didn't tell us it wouldn't be consecutive days. So we were only there one day, and we have to go back Tuesday, and again in May, and I can't remember after that. But we can go to the department we need and sit around waiting for a cancellation, and we might do that next week. However...

Thank God we aren't there for cancer or heart disease. Thank God we aren't there for a child. Thank God we live comparatively nearby. Thank God we have insurance.

I just hope Beloved's boss can be patient, and not fire him...

Bye, bye, traffic

2006-04-09T22:35:00.000-05:00

I regret to inform my loyal readers that I probably won't be posting again for the next week or two, unless I break down and blog when I shouldn't. Disappointing, because my stats are pitiful the past few months, but such is life. Beloved has to go to Mayo Clinic and find out why he feels like he's drunk all the time, and I have a long list of preparations I've been working on (medical records, precertification) and then we have to be there for 3-7 days. <sigh> I'll be back... eventually.

My head hurts

2006-04-02T11:17:00.000-05:00

I rarely get headaches, but this afternoon I had a doozy, and the light made it hurt. So I was lying down with the blanket over my head, and by the time I thought of strong drugs, I didn't want to leave my dark cocoon for one second.

- Go ask Daddy to give you Aleve.
- Leave?
- Uh-leave.
- <confused>Uh-leave.
- <goes in another room> Will you give me leave?
- Not leave, UH-leave!
<The Aleve didn't make much difference.>
...
- Are you sleeping?
- No, but I wish I were.
- Why?
- Because then my head wouldn't hurt.
- Then go to sleep.
- I can't because somebody keeps talking to me.
- Okay, you can go to sleep. I'll be quiet.
- <doubting>
- Actually, no.
- <laughing loudly>
...
<I also had my usual stomachache, and lots of gas.>
- Excuse me...excuse me...
- You're farting a lot.
- Yep, it makes my tummy feel better.
- I hope you don't start having a farting thing.
- What's a farting thing?
- Like, farting all the time.
- Um, I don't think that would be unusual.

We have conversations like this all the time, and I wish I could write them all down.

Why should we let you in?

2006-03-30T23:32:00.000-06:00

So I heard on the news this morning that Latino demonstrations "were caused by proposed legislation" addressing illegal immigration. In fact, these demonstrations were caused by selfishness. A man was on TV saying he came here legally, but he didn't support the legislation because someday one of his family might come here illegally. Excuse me?!! Why should we let you in our country if you're going to turn around and ungraciously support somebody else coming here against our will? I care very much about the "huddled masses" but c'mon, we can only handle so many at a time, unless you want this country to become just like the country you left.

Building a better password

2006-03-26T23:11:00.000-06:00

You're supposed to have a different password for everything, and never write them down. Yeah, right. With all the websites, bank accounts, and and computer programs we use these days, you'd have to be a savant. If you write them down, don't write all the information. Write an abbreviation for the website, and the password, but leave out your username, since you can remember that. Even better, write some code or keyword that will remind you of the password, but that others can't figure out. If you prefer not to be referring to a list all the time, use two passwords: one for websites that don't require security, like a newspaper or forum, and another when your money and sensitive information are involved.

But most times passwords aren't stolen, they're cracked, by somebody you don't even know. A password cracker is a program that tries every word in the dictionary, then tries every combination of words, then puts numbers after each word, etc. The best protection against cracking is to use a randomly created password, something like Rc9b%mO&. The longer the better. Using small and capital letters, numbers, and punctuation. But that's hard to type, and even harder to remember.

What we need is something hard to crack, but easy to type and remember. The first solution is a pattern on the keyboard, like bgt5678uhb. Try typing that. It's a triangle, see? You can type it with one finger, without looking. To make it even better, you could press shift halfway through, producing some caps and punctuation: bgt56&*UHB. Use any pattern you can think of, as long as it includes the row of numbers for greater complexity.

But I've got something even cooler. See the number pad on the end of your keyboard? You probably have the arrangement memorized. Choose a 10-key section of the regular keyboard, such as 2,3,4,w,e,r,s,d,f,c, and imagine these keys are the 10 digits. Yes, it's slanted, but you'll get used to it. Now choose a number you have memorized, like your best friend's phone number. (assuming it's not 212-123-1213) I'll use 285-143-9246. Type the number on your imaginary number pad, and you get something like 3de2w4f3wr. Again, you can make it more complicated by holding shift for half the keys, producing 3de2w4F#WR. If ten digits isn't long enough for you, put two phone numbers together. Also note that on your password list, you could write the original phone number, and nobody but you would know how to use it.

One more idea: type your name or some dictionary word, even your username, but move your fingers up one row. kiwigeek becomes i828t33i. Of course, you need a word or phrase that will use the number row. The only drawback to this method is that shift doesn't work so well, because when you move your hands the key isn't in its usual position.

One caveat: no matter how good your password is, if somebody sees it, you're out of luck. Keystroke loggers can get into the computer through security holes and send your every move to some criminal who wants to steal your money or identity. Here's a good place to start learning how to protect yourself.

Misunderstanding

2006-03-23T15:56:00.000-06:00

Some kids, by the time they're four, can talk almost as well as adults. Not Sweetie. Some things she says, it takes all my synapses to figure out what she means. The worst was 'tanahat' which turned out to be "Cat in the Hat". I think that took a few days. The funniest is "Holy-you-ya!" Fortunately, she's very patient. I repeat what I thought I heard, and she says it again with slightly different emphasis until I get it right. But now, sometimes she takes advantage of this arrangement, by saying gibberish on purpose, but changing it slightly everytime so that I never win. This is a very funny joke to her, and she tries to keep me going even after I protest that she's pulling my leg.

Tiny has the same problem, but zero patience for my confusion. I usually only have two tries before Tiny starts screaming the phrase, which makes her even harder to understand. (We're still working on the commandment, "Thou shalt not scream") But when I'm lucky, Sweetie is there to translate. Somehow she understands everything Tiny says, even though their pronunciation habits are completely different.

Another game Sweetie likes to play on me is asking the same question repeatedly until I accidentally give a different answer, or asking several questions in rapid succession so I get confused. When in my distraction I give the answer she wants, she tries to hold me to it.

- Can I play in snow when we get home?
- No, you need a nap before church.
- Can I have a snack?
- We have crackers right here.
- I want different kind.
- <checking blind spot> This is what we have.
- When we get home.
- When we get home you're taking a nap.
- I don' wan' take a nap.
- Do you wanna go to church?
- Yes...
- Then you need a nap.
...
- Can I play outside when we get home?
- <waving pedestrian to cross> No, you need a nap.
- Can I sleep with my baby?
- Sure.
- Can I have crackers?
- Right here.
- Can I have a drink?
- Wait till we get home.
- Can I play in snow?
- <looking for space in traffic> Yeah.
- Yay!
- <confused> No, wait a second, you can't play outside...
- But you said I could.
- That's cuz you were confusing me!
- <grins, giggles>

Back in the game

2006-03-22T20:51:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I rode my bike for the first time in 3 1/2 years. After I moved in 2003, I had nowhere to store it, and when we came to Smalltown a year ago and rented a garage, I couldn't get it. My parents finally brought it to me during the winter, along with a bunch of other stuff they were storing all this time, and I'm sooooo happy!

So I hope to ride 5-6 days/week until my legs get back in shape. They were strongest when I did my internship, and rode like a maniac for 10 minutes 5 days/week because I was always late for work. So I figure even if I can only ride 20-30 minutes/day I should get good results.

Of course, I've made resolutions like this before, and didn't follow through. But I plan to ride instead of drive on errands I have to do anyway, and I've already started, and I'm feeling the incentives. <satisfied grin>

The bike is not, strictly speaking, a bike. Fibromyalgia makes it painful for me to ride a normal one, because the only part of my body that works as intended is my legs. I can't ride a recumbent bike because I can't relax and balance right. So I have a recumbent trike which I could never possibly have afforded, but which a very generous friend bought for me. A generic example:

Sweetie might make things difficult. She hasn't learned to ride the thrift-sale bike I bought her last summer, and I refuse to buy training wheels because I know she can do it if she really wants to. She only practices for 5 minutes at a time, and gets all freaked out that I'm gonna let her fall. (I figured out a way to help her in spite of my weakness.) I also refuse to buy a trailer unnecessarily, so she'll be staying home with Daddy, and she's not gonna like that whatsoever. So maybe that'll motivate her to learn how to ride.

Yes, you're strong

2006-03-18T09:55:00.000-06:00

(found this from back in December)

Sweetie is a very strong little kid, as strong as I am with the fibromyalgia. I tried to arm-wrestle her once, but she didn't get it. I'm sure by the time her arm is long enough, she'll beat me easily. One day we were at Kmart and I was looking for some particular electronics item in a display of many choices, and as usual she wandered:

- Look, I can lift this. I'm so strong!
- <thinking about the merchandise> Yep, you're stronger than I am.
- Come look!
- I'm busy, hang on...wait a minute, I wonder what she's lifting. It might be breakable... I better go check.
<I round the corner and see her lifting a display tripod taller than she is with a telescope mounted at the top>
- OH MY GOODNESS, PUT THAT DOWN RIGHT NOW BEFORE YOU DROP IT! Yes, you're very strong, I'm so impressed, but you can't lift something that might break, from now on you better ask before you lift something heavy at a store.
- But I didn't drop it...

I wish she'd show off when it's time to carry groceries. I have occasionally had to refuse to let her in the house until she brings the assigned bags. She claims they're "too heavy", but if a grocery bag was too heavy for this child the handles would certainly break.

Tragedy prevention

2006-03-17T07:45:00.000-06:00

I want my Sweetie to be friendly with people, and there are really very few bad apples. But just in case...

I explained that there are a few mean people who might want to steal a little kid. She can talk to anybody, but if they want to give her something or take her somewhere, she has to refuse. If asked where she lives, she shouldn't tell. If they try to drag her away, she should kick and scream and make a fuss. Then, the most important part: we role-played. At a store, I let her wander a little and then pretended to be somebody else.

- Hello there! You're cute!
- Thank you.
- Do you like these pretty dresses?
- Yeah.
- Which one is your favorite?
- The pink one.
- I'd like to buy it for you.
- No, thank you. I'm gonna find my stepmom.
- Here, would you like some candy?
- No.
- Come with me, I'll help you find her.
- No! I want my stepmom! This person is stealing me! She's not my mom! Kiwi!!

Of course, she doesn't yell at full volume when we're practicing. She loves this game so much she wants to play it long after I've gotten my point across, and I feel more confident that if it ever really happens, she won't be too shy to take care of herself.

Sweetie speaks

2006-03-15T21:35:00.000-06:00

- My leg hurts!
<I ignore this because she isn't screaming.>
- I feel like I need go hostapul and break it and get a new one.
- I'm gonna write that down.
- Can you call 911?
- No.
- Are you gonna write that down too?

*********

- Daddy's home! <looking out the window> He has a paper!
- Why is that so exciting?
- It's not 'citing!

*********

I was looking for Disney Princess coloring pages on a German website, but finding only pictures from the individual movies.

- What, don't they have Disney Princess in Germany?
- Nope.
- How do you know?
- 'Cause I went there.
- You went to Germany?
- Yeah.
- <skeptical>
- I'm serious, I went there!

(She has no idea what Wisconsin is, much less Germany.)

Judaism & Christianity revisited

2006-03-08T20:50:00.000-06:00

I've been learning a LOT about Judaism, so here are the fundamentals as I see them. Previously I thought the most important difference between us is that what Jews are waiting for, Christians believe has already happened. But the difference in our viewpoints of Scripture may be even more fundamental. Evangelical Christians elevate the Bible above any other writings or statements by churches or leaders; it's one of the big points of contention with the Catholic church. On the other hand, somebody on one of the blog discussions said that the Tanach itself isn't Jewish, it's the rabbinical writings and traditions that make it Jewish.

I said before that Judaism and Christianity "are compatible in terms of absolute truth." That's true of the the Old Testament alone, but it may not be true of Judaism the way it's practiced. From everything I've read recently, it seems modern Judaism is still very much like what Jesus criticized when talking with the Pharisees. Which of course is only an issue if you believe Jesus is God.

Still, I consider the term "Judeo-Christian values" to be acceptable, because conservatives of both religions do agree on behavior norms, such as sex is only good within marriage, children must obey their parents, and violent movies are not a good choice of entertainment.

I also said that "we believe the Jews will be redeemed in the end," which is a whole 'nother discussion in which Christians would disagree among ourselves, but to clarify, I don't think all Jews will be automatically redeemed. It's more complicated, and I don't think I'm ready to stake out a position on that issue.

I highly recommend the more detailed discussions on my original post and the other blogs I linked to.

Three cheers for Denmark!

2006-03-01T22:30:00.000-06:00

Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray!

During World War II, Denmark stubbornly opposed persecution of Jews. In 1943, when the Nazis planned to deport them, Danish citizens coordinated a nationwide grassroots effort to smuggle all their Jewish neighbors out of the country just in time to escape the Nazi deportation. They arranged this in a matter of days, risking their own lives, and out of 7,500 Danish Jews, only several hundred were captured. The Danish government continued to advocate for these Jews, so that almost all survived.

Now the Danes have printed political cartoons mocking Islamic terrorism, and have stubbornly refused to apologize, appease, waffle, kowtow, or back down in any way in the face of widespread Arab condemnation and threats of violence.

In both actions, Denmark stands head and shoulders above the rest of the world, defending conscience. My grandfather, probably Jewish, was adopted by a Danish family, and I'm proud to be a stubborn Dane, distantly related to God's chosen people.

Crusts & peels & cereal milk

2006-02-22T00:10:00.000-06:00

(Sorry it's been so long. I've been a little busy talking about Judaism & Christianity)

Tonight I had to peel an apple for Tiny, because her dad always does. What a waste of time & nutrition! Sweetie's tried a few times to get out of eating crusts, but figured out pretty quickly it's a lost cause. We had a minor war for awhile on the issue of soggy cereal, because she dinks around instead of eating. (We do not waste food in this house!)

Why do people cut the crusts off kids' sandwiches, and peel their apples? My mom never did. She told us bread crust would make our hair curly. We didn't believe her, but we gave up arguing. We also had to drink the milk leftover from cereal. Don't drink the milk, eat dry cereal next time, that's life.

Apparently now you can buy crustless bread. That's ridiculous! Bread crust and apple peels are a golden opportunity for kids to learn to deal with reality. If they can automatically eliminate everything unpleasant from their lives at age 5, how will they cope with the real world at age 25?

As children, we told Mom often how mean she was. Now, she tells me often how 'mean' I am to Sweetie. Thanks, Mom.

Two years

2006-02-14T21:08:00.000-06:00

Only two years ago today we took our vows, but before we three became close, I never imagined how much it was possible to love somebody. And just when I think my heart has reached maximum capacity, I love Beloved and Sweetie even more. Hopefully by this time next year, our love will have produced another family member to share it with. I don't know what else to say, but I thank God for these two souls who are so very important to me!

The Muslim attitude

2006-02-11T13:21:00.000-06:00

From a comment at Little Green Footballs:

Hey, I don't think I'm getting through to you infidels.

Sure, I support free speech. But you have to respect my religion. I don't personally advocate torching your embassies and chopping off your heads, but some of my brothers get carried away.

So if you would just be very respectful of my religion, and never criticize it, and always bow and acquiesce when I say "Hey, that's part of my religion," then nobody will get hurt.

But if you continue to criticize my religion, Mohammed and Abdul over there may get violent. Of course, I don't support that. But you have to understand that you are the one getting them all worked up. So in a way, you are asking for it.

The United abomi-Nations

2006-02-10T21:34:00.000-06:00

That was such a perfect quote, I just had to steal it. Apparently they're celebrating their 60th anniversary of being useless and causing trouble, and here's a blog post that says it all. I cannot do better. The proposal at the end is a perfect solution, but regrettably impossible.

Judaism & Christianity

2006-02-10T02:36:00.000-06:00

PsychoToddler says:

Jewish Christians - Ain't no such animal. Pick a team.

These are the only two religions I know of that are compatible in terms of absolute truth. Christianity started out as a sect of Judaism. Most Christians were Jews until Paul started preaching to the Gentiles. The Jewish scriptures (Tanach?) make up at least two-thirds of the Christian Bible. True Christians embrace Jews as long-lost brothers, no matter what you think of Jesus, and we believe the Jews will be redeemed in the end, though I'm not sure if that's by accepting Jesus or some other way. And if all that isn't enough, here's the biggest reason: Christians believe the Jewish scriptures are inspired by God and until ~2006 years ago, were the entirety of revealed truth.

Theologically, the major difference between Christians and Jews is that Christians believe more truth has been revealed, and Jews are still waiting for the next act. I'd say we're more like Sunni vs. Shiite Muslims, or Catholics vs. Protestants, than like Muslims vs. Christians.

Christianity is entirely based on Judaism. Without Judaism, Christianity would make no sense whatsoever. Jesus started Christianity, and he was an observant Jew. Paul is the best-known-ever Christian missionary, and he was an observant Jew. Christians who forgot all this are the biggest reason why there's so much animosity between us, but it doesn't have to be this way, and I don't believe God wants it to be this way.

Shira Salamone wrote a Jewish viewpoint of the differences, which is worth considering. I commented at length over there.

Update:
I feel I should clarify; I mean no insult by saying these two faiths are closely related and sorta compatible. On the contrary, Judaism is the only religion besides my own that's reasonable, that I can truly respect. As I mentioned above, Jews are like brothers and sisters in my mind, and if God wants them to convert, I leave that up to Him.

Update:
Elf has joined the discussion as well.

Early motherhood

2006-02-09T08:09:00.000-06:00

While I was sick, Tiny's dad couldn't get a substitute, and I was unhappily stuck. One night, from the bed, I instructed Sweetie in microwaving chicken nuggets for them. She's never managed the whole process by herself before, so I was pretty happy she did it without any shenanigans, until I got up two hours later and found the bag of chicken in the middle of the kitchen floor, rather than in the freezer. Anyway, as I lay, half-sleeping, half-listening for misbehavior, I heard from the other room,

"I didn't make 'em for you play with, I made 'em for you eat."

Well, I think she's gonna be a good mother someday.

Is this true?

2006-02-07T06:41:00.000-06:00

Your Blogging Type Is Thoughtful and Considerate

You're a well liked, though underrated, blogger.
You have a heart of gold, and are likely to blog for a cause.
You're a peaceful blogger - no drama for you!
A good listener and friend, you tend to leave thoughtful comments for others.

What's Your Blogging Personality?

My face

2006-02-07T05:46:00.000-06:00

Since I won't post a photo, maybe this is an acceptable substitute. Dunno about how I appear to others, but the first three are very true of me, and the last is totally false.

What Your Face Says

At first glance, people see you as strong willed and stubborn.

Overall, your true self is reserved and logical.

With friends, you seem thoughtful and interested in ideas.

In love, you seem like a huge flirt.

In stressful situations, you seem cheerful and optimistic.

What Do People Think Of Your Face?

My answers to the questions:
My face is long and oval, a little square shaped.
I think my eyes are medium size, almond shaped.
My eyebrows are relatively straight. (Also thick, because I don't pluck them.)
My eyes are light blue/gray.
I think my lips curve up, because people say I'm smiling even when I don't intend to.

Also, my hair is blonde with natural highlights, brown underneath. Long, straight, slightly wavy, thin. My skin is very pale with freckles that darken in the sun. Acne most of the time, and I refuse to wear makeup. High forehead, high cheekbones. Naturally yellowish teeth, not stained by anything. Sorta pointed chin. Almost always smiling. I look ten years younger than I really am.

Oh, and also Hot or Not says I'm a 4.5. FWIW. I think with me, more than most people, my attractiveness depends on how well you know me.

If you wanna see my picture, you can comment here and I'll send it to selected known entities, because I'm only refusing to post it because of certain other known entities who could show up here.

Interesting

2006-02-07T05:35:00.000-06:00

This is my other favorite color. But I made my blog pink because it expresses my cute femininity so well.

Your Blog Should Be Blue

Your blog is a peaceful, calming force in the blogosphere.
You tend to avoid conflict - you're more likely to share than rant.
From your social causes to cute pet photos, your life is a (mostly) open book.

What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be?

You tell 'em!

2006-02-07T04:25:00.000-06:00

Somebody at the White House has had the good sense and gumption to tell Muslims they oughta be just as opposed to anti-Christian and anti-Jewish cartoons as they are to the anti-Muslim ones in Denmark. Yay!!!

Sinus infection

2006-02-07T03:00:00.000-06:00

In the history of medical science, has anybody ever invented a tiny double-barreled vacuum? Because I would really like to use such an appliance to end my suffering. Starting early Thursday morning, I alternately slept and felt miserable for two days. (I don't think I've been bed-sick for that long since at least college.) What's the point of sinuses anyway? Why do I need snot up around my eyebrows? Don't my lungs provide enough storage space for germy crud?

I'm not aching anymore, and the headache is mostly gone, but I still harbor a whole lot of compressed mucus, that won't evacuate even when I suck Halls or drink hot tea. Hence the vacuum idea. After I got out of bed, my throat started hurting something awful, and it's coated with some sort of sludge, and as of Sunday night my voice is gone. Also I'm still sleeping a whole lot.

As you can imagine, I haven't done much of anything useful since my previous post, least of all the taxes. (Except take care of Sweetie & Tiny, which is lotsa fun right now.) I also have a bunch of other money-related work to do, that should have been done last month. At least I got the house clean, and kept it mostly so, providentially because we had a surprise visit this morning from Sweetie's guardian-ad-litem. (That's the lawyer who ostensibly represents her in the custody mess, but who really doesn't seem to know much about her needs.)

So hopefully I'll feel somewhat human again tomorrow or the next day, and I can start doing the job I've set out to do. Or if not, maybe I'll just blog.