Reluctant Nomad

A Lost Lady

2008-08-31T16:47:00.001+02:00

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
This novel challenges the concept of 'ideal,' more particularly, an ideal woman. Eastern gentility and refinement are seen as fronts for 'real' human motivations like despair and survival and greed. And yet, the main character still seems enamored by Eastern gentility and education and he leads a respectable, if boring, life. He seems torn by the principles of the East and his home in the West. And in the end that friction remains in the reader as well.

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Mormon Country

2008-08-31T16:26:00.004+02:00

Mormon Country by Wallace Stegner

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Mormon Country is not history, per se. But it's not fiction either. I think it pre-dated the 'creative non-fiction' title that seems so popular now. It reads like a series of short stories and it happens to be about a group of people and a landscape that I care deeply about. I loved the breadth of the writing if not the depth. I also loved the hearty assessment of a people from an outsider, but without the anger or resentment that comes from being an 'other.'

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Gallery Wrap Auction for Nie Nie

2008-08-28T09:23:00.005+02:00

Heard about the auction for Nie Nie yet? Go here to find out more. Here's what I'm auctioning:

11x14 Canvas Gallery Wrap-Around Print. Go bid here now!!!!!

Animal Farm, Review

2008-08-27T09:42:00.001+02:00

Animal Farm by George Orwell

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Given the publication date of this book, it's difficult to distinguish whether the author is writing with keen hindsight or prophetic foresight. Either way, an accurate look at autocracy, human nature, propaganda, and the 'animal' in us all.

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To-Do List

2008-08-26T15:40:00.001+02:00

1. drop off Bam Bam's Poo to Gastro
2. buy chocolate bar with ganze hasselnusse.

Irony?

Goodbye, Hello

2008-08-21T11:37:00.002+02:00

Goodbye little ones. I wish I could say that I want you here under my wings, and my feet, and my protection, always. But I don't. I'm thrilled to see you walk to school, to the bus, to the playground. I love to watch you find shoes, find friends. And I'm honored to be the one to wave goodbye from the porch, counting the seconds until the moment you return.

much love,

Mama

Never. Forget.

2008-08-19T09:36:00.002+02:00

Bam Bam loves to give compliments. Bam Bam loves to use potty words. So, one of the highest compliments he can give is when he says, "You're the pee-ist ever I seen."

It slays me.

He gets it

2008-08-18T11:06:00.007+02:00

Hubby slumped on the couch after the boys were in bed last night. His eyes were red after many hours of making breakfast, lunch, and dinner for us all (and then cleaning it up), grabbing new underwear for littlest brother, fulfilling church duties, managing in-the-night visits by kids needing to potty, etc... He turns his head towards me and says, "I don't know how you do it. I'm barely keeping people fed, the three baskets of laundry that you folded last week are still sitting in the boys' bedroom, the house looks like s*#@ and I have spent ALL DAY LONG in the kitchen. I didn't get the bathroom cleaned yesterday and I'm exhausted. " We both started to laugh, me from my queenly place on the couch where I've been relegated for three days, him on the love seat scrunched between my books and crutches. "I'm always grateful when I come and the house feels organized. But, now I realize just what a miracle it is." Indeed. Indeed.

Quote of the Day

2008-08-11T20:18:00.002+02:00

'While the astronauts, heroes forever, spent mere hours on the moon, I have remained in this new world for nearly thirty years. I know that my achievement is quite ordinary. I am not the only man to seek his fortune far from home, and certainly I am not the first. Still, there are times I am bewildered by each mile I have traveled, each meal I have eaten, each person I have known, each room in which I have slept. As ordinary as it all appears, there are times when it is beyond my imagination.'

--Jhumpa Lahiri, From 'The Third and Final Commandment' in her book of short stores, 'Interpreter of Maladies.'

I've got Soul but I'm not a Soldier

2008-08-11T12:59:00.006+02:00

Hubby is listening to his playlist while doing dishes, singing along in perfect pitch, sexy as hell. As always. I stop on the landing, arms loaded with laundry and listen, enchanted, to his edgy tenor. Cold Play's electric guitar slowly fades and I hear something more acoustic come on, laced with a lilting beat. A steel guitar starts to play. My knees get weak as I hear, "I left out'a Tucson with no destination...." He matches George's baritone and continues to sing almost every word of the verse. I drop the laundry, descend to the kitchen and watch him, smiling a victorious grin. He turns, innocent but not ashamed, and says, "I love this song."

"So do I."

You know how long I've loved you

2008-08-06T15:09:00.004+02:00

It only took an hour and a half to give the medical history.

Yeah.

I'm impressed with the doctors here but it's just so painful to get an appointment/work with the auxiliary staff because of the whole LANGUAGE BARRIER issue. You know, the one where I speak a different language than they do? And neither of us are THAT good at the other person's language of choice? I've been terrified of making the appointment and then, even worse, going to it.

Why?

Because Bam Bam is on the border of being diagnosed with any number of conditions and this doctor wanted to doubt his previous diagnosis (you know, the ones that have revolutionized our lives for the better and worse over the last couple of years? Yeah, those ones). And although I trust our previous docs and his previous diagnosis, I know, have always known, that none of his tests have been 100% conclusive (because of a thousand different factors, I won't bore you. I'm sure you don't want the 90 minute medical history). And because he's not gaining weight, we're now headed for more. More tests. More specialists. More uncertainty.

Frankly, I didn't handle this process that well when we lived in a country where I could communicate with the staff. When I didn't have to pay for everything out of pocket first and then get it reimbursed at out-of-country rates later.

They took 10 vials of blood today. And a urine sample. They want a stool sample. I have to go back in a month. With a detailed description (with weights in METRIC) of his diet. She wants more allergy tests. And to rethink his diet. Potentially change his diet and test him again for Celiac. Somehow figure out if we need to cut out milk. I trust her enough to follow through with what she wants. But I feel like we're starting over. Again. Didn't we just go through this?

Of course I'll do anything to see if he will gain weight and look like a four-year-old instead of a really intelligent two-year-old. Of course I'll go to any expense to get him the best care. But sometimes my will doesn't match my desires. And my desires don't match my heart. And my heart is just. plain. confused.

Mod Sofa Slipcover

2008-08-05T13:10:00.002+02:00

Any ideas where to get a sofa slipcover that doesn't look like it belongs at your grandma's house?

House of Mirth Review--no spoilers

2008-08-04T13:32:00.000+02:00

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a tragedy of manners, well written, a bit plodding, but worth the time spent. I don't love Lily Bart nor any of her 'friends' but I'm pretty sure that's the point. Edith Wharton's social commentary is keen, almost cruel. She shows her skill in explicating that in 'Age of Innocence' and even more so in this work.

View all my reviews.

What is Wrong

2008-07-28T17:26:00.001+02:00

with FOOD?

No naps today

2008-07-25T23:22:00.002+02:00

VICTORY! We will sleep tonight! Yeah, I thought so....until....

the bad dream happened. 30 minutes post bad-dream-wake-up, he's still screaming bloody murder. Hubby is singing him songs on his guitar about not crying so loud. We've sung our favorite tune from the Godfather for him, but it looks like guitar-playing mobsters are not going to calm him down. The kid needs a valium. Speaking of which, so do I.

Good Morning

2008-07-25T10:02:00.004+02:00

Mr. Furious is watching a movie and the DVD presenter says, 'Coming to Own on DVD.' At which point he yells (is there any other kind of talking?), "It's ALREADY OWNED." Then he proceeds to correct the English of the preview, "You mean CRUSHED upon them, not dropped upon them, CRUSHED.'

Can you imagine what this kid will be like as teenager? If I were hubby's grandmother, I would say in a great southern drawl, 'Lord help.' Because we're sure going to need it.

Second Night

2008-07-24T23:14:00.001+02:00

Rinse and Repeat.

Tell me a funny story. Please?

first night

2008-07-23T13:38:00.005+02:00

8:45 pm boys in bed, asleep
9:15 pm I'm in bed, asleep
9:45 pm I wake up as if I'd slept the whole night, wonder why hubby is not in bed
10:45 pm Mr. Furious climbs in bed, bad dream
11:45 pm Bam Bam climbs in bed, no reason
12:00 am Bam Bam needs a baba, I go to fetch it, turn on the light in the boys' room, hubby groans for me to turn it off. I realize my mate has abandoned the communal bed. Traitor.
1:00 am Bam Bam needs more baba, I go downstairs and fill it, realize hubby has returned to our bed and there's nowhere for me to sleep.
1:30-3:30 am Bam Bam and I watch Wallace and Grommit.
3:30 am I fall asleep in the guest bedroom, Bam Bam falls asleep in the chair, I worry that he'll pee on my chair.
12:00 NOON I wake up having no idea what time it is, hubby is awake and dressed, kids are dressed, just returned from the park and lunch. Hubby informs me that he has been up since 4:45 am with Mr. Furious, lucky him.
1:00 pm hubby falls asleep, kids fall asleep. I'm awake, barely.

The Modesty War

2008-07-10T17:46:00.001+02:00

Heard me sound off lately about modesty? OH, lucky you.

unlimited

2008-06-02T18:08:00.001+02:00

"An American in an international church."

Exhausted his Resources

2008-05-23T22:25:00.003+02:00

My hubby has worn all of his house-mates out with his incessant desire to have company while singing 'karaoke' to High School Musical. Actually, let's be clear, with High School Musical 2. The second one, you know, the one that actually has less plot than the first one. Yes, it's possible to have less plot than the first movie. If you don't believe me, you obviously have not watched the first movie.

Well, tonight he recruited a new victim, uh, partner.

We have a visitor staying with us. She doesn't understand English. She's adorably cute. She's 8.

'nuff said.

Have I ever said thanks?

2008-05-23T15:02:00.004+02:00

Here's to S* and his beautiful and talented wife Courtney of Five Elephants who got me into blogging two years ago. And thanks for helping me (just today) figure out how to get pics from MY very own server to show up here on the blog. For someone as technically savvy as myself, it's a freaking modern miracle. Thank you again and again!

Sk8ter Boi

2008-05-23T08:00:00.004+02:00

oops

2008-05-15T12:36:00.001+02:00

Here's the result of a mistake I made earlier today. I kind of like it, I think. Don't worry, I'll hate it again in a couple of hours.

Lesson in Bilingualism...Yeah, I'm 82% sure that's a word

2008-05-15T11:05:00.008+02:00

So far, Bam Bam (3 yo) is by far the German language star in the house. Of course, he also gets the most exposure because he spends three hours every weekday with a native speaker. BUT, nonetheless, it sucks for me to know less German than a person who still drinks out of a bottle.

Here are a couple Bam Bam moments where he gets an A for effort:

We were eating lunch together and I was talking to hubby about some serious subject like food shortages or what color to paint the wall when all of the sudden Bam Bam gets a very solemn look on his face. He turns to me and says with an expression of empathy, "Bist du ein Brot?" His intonation said, "Are you OK?" but the words he spoke meant, "Are you bread?" I had to say no, that I wasn't bread but I sincerely appreciated his concern.

And this morning, he was eating GF bread with Nutella on it. He was lovingly talking about the joys of 'Schokolade' which is what he calls Nutella. And then he stoppped, looked at me and said, "What is 'Schokolade' in Engwich (English)? And I very self-satisfyingly said (hey, the kid speaks better German than me, I've got to show my skills somewhere!), "Chocolate."

I've got that subject mastered.