shinybluegrasshopper

2007-12-16T08:55:00.000-06:00

I've been working on our registry. The whole idea of a registry goes against the principles we've been trying to live by—consume only what you need, buy new as the last option, etc. But we realized that even if you try to do it simply, you do need a significant amount of stuff for a baby.

So I made a list of priorities for us as we build our registry:

Can something else serve this purpose?
Buy locally made. If that's not possible, buy locally available. If that's not possible, buy fair-trade.
Buy organic and/or natural (non-synthetic) materials.

I've been sticking to the locally available and organic/natural guidelines pretty well, but it sure is easy to get wrapped up in what people say you "need" for a baby. I mean, do you really need that many different types of linens for an 8-pound human? Wash cloths, burp cloths, receiving blankets, swaddling blankets, and on and on. Maybe you do—I guess I won't really know til I get there. And so I'm probably going a little overboard and putting things on the registry you can live without pretty easily.

So here's my pledge to anyone out there who's actually interested in all this anti-affluenza pregnancy talk: As I discover what you actually do need versus what's just nice-to-have, I'll share that here. I'm sure it's different for every baby and their parents, but at least it will be a starting point.

And if you know of a knowledge base like that already out there, please let me know!

2007-12-05T06:39:00.000-06:00

As of today, I am 7 months pregnant! Wow.

I could have this baby anywhere from 9 to 14 weeks from now. What I really want to be doing is getting our house ready, working on our registry, and mentally preparing myself for the work of labor. But we're hosting two (!) holiday parties this weekend, I'm helping to coordinate two groups adopting families in need for the holidays, and we have two of our own Salvation Army angels to shop for. I did this to myself, I know. And it's one of the things I love about the holidays—the crazy busyness.

But I should have been more protective of my time because I feel a wee little breakdown peeking its head around the corner at me every couple of days. I'm so busy I don't even have time to get my celebratory turned-another-month-milestone massage this weekend! There's something not right about that, huh?

But I know I'll get through it. In a couple weeks, it's going to be all baby prep all the time. I promise.

2007-12-02T09:46:00.000-06:00

Oh goodness. I haven't posted since March? Shame on me. I have been thinking about this site a lot lately and how I really enjoy posting. So I'm going to try to post more often again.

First, an update: A lot has changed this year. I'm pregnant and due early March/late February next year. My 18-year-old niece is living with us while she goes to her first year of college. My sister passed away unexpectedly in February. This baby growing in my belly is due to join this world on my sister's birthday. I know babies rarely come on their due dates, but regardless of when she shows up, I feel that this baby's life will honor my sister's memory. And yes, our baby is a girl.

I am so incredibly excited and happy and scared about becoming a mother. But sometimes, it's felt bittersweet given what all has happened this year.

I was thinking about my sister last night during dinner. I don't think about her much these days because I'm keeping myself very busy with preparing our house and our lives for a baby. But sometimes, I can't quite keep myself busy enough and it sneaks up on me, like last night.

We were talking about the holidays and what we could send family. Since I left for college 11 years ago, I haven't stayed in close contact with my family. There are some good reasons for that, which I think resulted in me growing up to be a stronger, healthier person. But the offshoot is that I didn't stay in close contact with some family I wish I would have, including my sister and her children.

So I was thinking of sending some goodies home with my niece when she goes back for Christmas to share with her sisters and brothers. And then it hit me—my sister won't be around this Christmas. She always cooked so much food. Like for an army. Seriously. But she won't be there to do that. And at Jason's Deli while eating my baked potato with no bacon no chives easy on the cheese, I couldn't hold the tears back. I didn't sob out loud, but I'm sure those poor Jason's Deli employees who walked by noticed the tears streaming down my face. I haven't cried about her in a couple of months, so it took me by surprise (and Erik, I'm sure).

I want her back. I want to tell her I'm sorry. Whenever I'm alone and I think of her now, I say to her out loud that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for throwing the baby out with the bathwater. I'm sorry for not being there for her. I'm sorry I can't ever have a closer relationship with my sister again. I lost my chance.

I started attending a loss of sibling support group last Thursday. Which is probably why things are coming up for me again. But it was good for me. The counselor said something that keeps repeating itself in my head. None of us think today is going to be our last day. We always think we'll have more time to do x, y, or z. But sometimes you don't.

This was hard for me to hear. There are many things in life I want to accomplish, and I always assume I'll have tomorrow to get to them. Kind of like how I always assumed I could rekindle my relationship with my sister.

So promise me this: If there's a person in your life who you wish you were closer to, give them a call or drop them an email today. If you had a stupid fight or just fell out of contact with them, none of that will matter when the time has run out.

This reminds me of something Ann Richards' granddaughter Lily Adams said when Richards passed away. She was recalling her grandmother's advice to her and her siblings and cousins:

"This is your life. It is the only one you get. So no excuses and no do-overs. If you make a mistake or fail at something, you learn from it, you get over it, and you move on. Your job is to be the very best person you can be and to never settle for anything less."

Well said, Ann.

2007-03-17T09:56:00.000-06:00

If you eat canned foods or use type #7 plastics, you are exposing yourself to Bisphenol A. What is that, you ask? It's a plastic and resin ingredient used to line metal food and drink cans, and it's a main building block for polycarbonate (PC) plastics. But here's the kicker: Even at low doses, Bisphenol A has been linked to cancer, birth defects, miscarriages, obesity, and insulin resistance, which can lead to Type II diabetes.

If you'd like to rid your life of this chemical, here are some things you can do, some of which are recommendations from Environmental Working Group:

Avoid all type #7 (PC) plastics. The most common plastic item of this type is one of those hard water bottles. As an alternative, look for stainless steel bottles that are not lined with a plastic coating. Klean Kanteen is a popular brand, but my local Whole Foods carried another brand that I bought.
If you can buy fresh produce instead of canned items, do.
Children are very susceptible to this chemical, so avoid canned formula. Breastfeed if you can, or look for other non-canned alternatives.
Never microwave plastics. If you use plastic tupperware, consider replacing them with glass storage containers such as Pyrex.
The Green Mommy has even more tips on avoiding Bisphenol A.

We buy certain canned items every week for convenience (such as beans), so I'm going to contact all the brands we usually buy and get confirmation about whether they use Bisphenol A in their cans. Here are the brands we use:

Westbrae Natural—Their FAQ says the coating in their cans is "a type of food grade epoxy -- it's the simplest earth friendly coating available."
Eden—I couldn't find anything on their web site.
Amy's—I couldn't find anything on their web site.
Muir Glen—I couldn't find anything on their web site, but the can says it's lead-free with a white enamel lining.
365 (Whole Foods)—They have a fact sheet on Bisphenol A, but it doesn't say anything about can linings.

2007-01-26T07:15:00.000-06:00

Maybe Bush calling out the Baby Einstein creator at the State of the Union address had a deeper motive:

Particularly relevant to the future state of our democratic union is research showing that the more time babies spend in front of TV, the less time they spend in one activity which we know is educational--creative play. Losing, or never acquiring, the ability to play may not sound like much until you realize that play is essential not just to learning, but to democracy. It's through playing that children learn skills essential to thriving in, and protecting, a democratic society. Critical thinking, initiative, curiosity, problem solving and creativity are capacities that develop through play, as are the more ephemeral qualities of self-reflection, empathy, and the ability to find meaning in life.

And what do children learn from the more than forty hours a week they spend with a commercially dominated media? They are being taught the corporate values embraced and promulgated by the Bush administration--unthinking brand loyalty, impulse buying, and a belief that consumption is the solution to all ills. Remember, this is the administration that told us to go shopping after the World Trade Center was attacked.

2007-01-21T11:22:00.000-06:00

So it's Girl Scout cookie time again! I usually love this time of year, but this year I checked the ingredients list and found two big no-nos—partially hydrogenated oils and high-fructose corn syrup. Ugh. So to combat my depression over not eating the cookies this year, I sent this email to the Girl Scouts:

When my neighbor Girl Scout came by today to sell cookies, I was disappointed to see that even after all the negative studies about the effects of trans fats, the cookies still contain partially hydrogenated oils. In addition, they contain high-fructose corn syrup, which has been shown to cause liver damage over time.

Please improve the ingredients of your cookies so that I may continue to support your organization without putting my family's health at risk.

2007-01-20T22:42:00.000-06:00

Tonight, we finally watched An Inconvenient Truth. I highly recommend the movie. It has some great ideas at the end for how you can make manageable changes in your own life to help prevent the effects of global warming.

After the movie, we went poking around online. So what's your ecological footprint? My total footprint is 14 acres, compared to an average of 24 acres per person in the US. Sounds good, huh? Well...

IF EVERYONE LIVED LIKE YOU, WE WOULD NEED 3.2 PLANETS.

Doh.

So as a first step, we just made our first annual (tax-deductible) donation to offset our carbon footprint. And we're going to go back and make special donations anytime we take a trip that's over our 6,000 miles/year budget (as calculated for our annual donation).

2007-01-18T07:16:00.000-06:00

Have you called your House representative this week? If not, this plan is a good excuse to call! You can ask them to support the Bring Our Troops Home Act or at the very least ask them to stop the escalation.

Today in the House of Representatives, I am introducing the Bring Our Troops Home and Sovereignty of Iraq Restoration Act, a comprehensive legislative proposal to quickly end the occupation of Iraq. It is a broad measure, capturing ideas from military and diplomatic experts and including provisions offered in previous legislative proposals. Specifically, the bill would, among other things:
Withdraw all U.S. troops and military contractors from Iraq within six months from the date of enactment.
Accelerate, during the six-month transition, training of a permanent Iraqi police force.
Prohibit the continued funding, except for the redeployment of troops currently in Iraq, of combat troops to Iraq.
Prohibit any permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq. (Despite official denials, bases are under construction, including one that includes a miniature golf course and a Pizza Hut).
Authorize, if requested by the Iraqi government, U.S. support for an international stabilization force, which would stay no longer than two years.
Prohibit U.S. participation in any long-term Iraqi oil production sharing agreements before the enactment by the Iraqi government of new regulations governing the industry.
Authorize an array of non-military assistance in Iraq, including reconstruction of a public-health system; destruction of land mines, recovery of ancient relics; and distribution of compensatory damages for civilian casualties.
Honor the sacrifice of our servicemen and women by providing full funding for every health-care treatment, and benefit that they are entitled to under current law.

2007-01-15T18:41:00.000-06:00

I came across this quote from a speech by Arundhati Roy, and I had to share it:

Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.

2007-01-15T07:18:00.000-06:00

A study has shown that whites behave differently in all-white groups and racially diverse groups. Quite an argument for having a diverse workplace:

Something more subtle -- and intriguing -- also seems to happen when people of color join groups that were formerly all white: The entire group starts to think in new ways. Minorities, in other words, not only bring new perspectives to the table but also seem to catalyze new thinking among others.

Tufts University psychologist Sam Sommers recently created mock juries -- either all white or diverse -- with volunteers from the public. He then provided the groups with ambiguous information about a crime involving a sexual assault and a black defendant. Sommers asked his "jurors" to judge whether the defendant was guilty.

About a third of whites in juries that were diverse thought the defendant was guilty, while 50 percent of the jurors in all-white groups reached that conclusion. What was really interesting, however, is that Sommers had people draw their conclusions before the groups had any discussions. The mere presence of people of color in the diverse groups caused whites to think differently about the case.

2007-01-15T01:34:00.000-06:00

A little late coming, but here are the books I read in 2006. My goal was to read one a week, but I didn't quite make it. But I did read more than last year, so I'm happy about that!

On the political front, I would recommend Fast Food Nation and Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal to anyone. In children's fiction, I loved Speak, The Folk Keeper, Well Wished, Because of Winn-Dixie, and The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place. Besides Fast Food Nation, there were some others I've been wanting to read for a while and finally did—1984 and His Dark Materials trilogy (The Golden Compass, etc). And the one book I wish every woman would read is Taking Charge of Your Fertility. It ain't just about wanting to get pregnant! However, if you are on the parenthood track, I highly recommend Our Babies, Ourselves.

For more information about each book, see my LibraryThing reviews.

2007-01-11T06:41:00.000-06:00

So. Stay the course + 21,500. Oops, except make that 18,500.

Britain will cut troop levels in Iraq by almost 3,000 at the end of May, the Daily Telegraph reported on Thursday, citing a timetable for withdrawal the newspaper said it had seen. Within the next two weeks, Prime Minister Tony Blair would announce the reduction to Britain's 7,200-strong force based in the south of the war-ravaged country, it said.

Know what I say? Hell NO.

Search to see if there's an event planned for your area today. And go. Please, please go.

2007-01-10T06:51:00.000-06:00

Here's a preemptive petition (appropriate, huh?) to prevent escalation in Iraq. BUT DON'T SIGN IT.

Instead, take those 2 minutes of your life to do something more effective—call your U.S. representative today and register your opinion that way. A phone call is a thousand times more effective than a mailed letter, which is five hundred thousand times more effective than an email.

To find the phone number for your representative, visit congress.org and enter your ZIP code.

Call the DC number or the district office number. Doesn't really matter. Just call. All you have to say is something like "I'm a constituent of Congress(wo)man So-and-So, and I'm calling to ask that s/he oppose any increase in American troops in Iraq." Don't worry—the staffer won't ask you why or challenge you. They'll just record your call and add it to the report of constituent feedback for their boss.

Then if you call, go ahead and sign the petition. It couldn't hurt.

2007-01-06T09:09:00.000-06:00

Last night on All Things Considered, Guy Raz did a story on the conservative American Enterprise Institute's latest report on Iraq. Here's a tidbit:

And here's something you can try. Over the weekend, go to AEI's web site, aei.org. Read their Iraq proposal carefully. And then next week, when the President comes out to announce his new Iraq strategy, compare and contrast. And don't be surprised if they look a lot alike.

So to save you all some time, I read through the executive summary of the report myself. Here's an executive summary of the executive summary—their words, not mine:

Victory is still an option in Iraq.
Victory in Iraq is vital to America's security. Defeat will likely lead to regional conflict, humanitarian catastrophe, and increased global terrorism.
We must send more American combat forces into Iraq and especially into Baghdad to support this operation.
The ground forces must accept longer tours for several years.
Other courses of action have been proposed. All will fail.
- Withdraw immediately. Iraq will descend into total civil war that will rapidly spread throughout the Middle East.
- Engage Iraq's neighbors. Iraq's neighbors are encouraging the violence, but they cannot stop it.
- Increase embedded trainers dramatically. Removing U.S. forces from patrolling neighborhoods to embed them as trainers will lead to an immediate rise in violence. This rise in violence will destroy America's remaining will to fight and escalate the cycle of sectarian violence in Iraq beyond anything an Iraqi army could bring under control.
Failure in Iraq today will require far greater sacrifices tomorrow in far more desperate circumstances. Committing to victory now will demonstrate America's strength to our friends and enemies around the world.

So I guess we'll see next week.

2007-01-05T20:18:00.000-06:00

Does Molly Ivins have a hidden camera in my heart?

The president of the United States does not have the sense God gave a duck�so it�s up to us. You and me, Bubba.

I don�t know why Bush is just standing there like a frozen rabbit, but it�s time we found out. The fact is we have to do something about it. This country is being torn apart by an evil and unnecessary war, and it has to be stopped now.

So. What will we do? We obviously need some new ideas. So here's my best crack at it for right now. Please respond with your ideas!

Find 3 other friends and make a pledge to each other that each of you will "adopt" one of your 3 representatives or the White House and call them once a month to voice your opinion. You'll just make 1 phone call every month, and you can rest assured knowing that you and your friends are hammering on all your reps and the White House! Or you could all agree to make these calls once a week and really put the pressure on.
Set aside one day a month or once a week with your family or with a friend to have a good meal and write a letter to your representatives. Hubby and I have a pancake routine every Sunday morning, so after pancake time we'll write a letter together. A real, live, old-fashioned letter. We'll put it in an envelope and everything!
Hang a peace flag outside your home and/or in your office.
Wear a peace pin on your lapel every day. (Some other pins.)
Have some friends over to watch a movie about the war, then discuss it afterwards over good food and drinks.

2007-01-02T19:01:00.000-06:00

This blog has been pretty dead for a while, and it's time to revive it. I made a new year's resolution to read an article about the world every day. (And lucky you, you get to partake of my pithy observations about said articles!)

So today at Common Dreams, I saw a piece by UT prof Robert Jensen. I admire Jensen, but I don't see eye to eye with him on this argument—that people who want to talk about solutions ("what can I do?") shouldn't be talking about solutions yet because they don't fully understand the problems. I used to be a pretty gung-ho little activist. But the last couple of years, I've found it hard to motivate myself to do anything more than near-meaningless point-and-click "activism". Why? Because with every new problem I learn about and every problem I learn more about, I sink deeper and deeper into a feeling of utter powerlessness.

Jensen posits that in addition to needing a revolution in which we can dance, we need one in which we can cry. Fine, I get that. I really do. This weekend, I finished an article about female genital mutilation in the latest Mothering magazine, where I learned that some new husbands are given a hunting knife for their wedding night so they can cut their new wife open where she's been sewn shut. And you know what I did after gaining new knowledge of that particular problem? I cried my eyes out. That's healthy, I agree.

But you know what's not healthy? Wallowing. Despair. Feeling completely powerless. And that is why after reading that article, I did not send a letter. I did nothing.

What I think Jensen fails to realize is that I (and I think all of us) need to feel that what we do matters. If you do not believe that what you do matters one whit, why the crap would you do it in the first place?

What Jensen is hearing is people asking for solutions. I believe what they're really asking for is for someone to tell them that yes, they do have power. And while one letter from one person won't do a damn thing, a thousand letters from a thousand people might open someone's eyes just a peep. And a hundred thousand? Well. Do you think we would be where we are in this war right now—3000 Americans dead and over 50,000 Iraqi civilians dead—if everyone in this country who disagreed with how it's going actually used their power, their collective voice?

In this country, we are taught every step of the way that we don't have this power. Heck, even our history textbooks twist things around so that it seems the federal government made all these great changes. Nevermind the powerful collective who beat the government over the head with it over and over and over until something actually changed.

So Dr. Jensen, I beg of you: The next time someone looks to you for solutions, for the answer, please realize that your function in this struggle is to awaken that power in your fellow citizens. Feed it. Whether you wanted it or not, people look to you for this. And please don't just tell people to wallow. Help them learn more, yes. No one person can say they don't need to learn any more. But don't forget to temper that by helping our community realize how powerful we are together.

2006-10-08T15:37:00.000-06:00

I just finished reading Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal by Anthony Arnove. This slim book lays out eight reasons why the US should leave Iraq immediately:

The US military has no right to be in Iraq in the first place.
The US is not bringing democracy to Iraq.
The US is not making the world a safer place by occupying Iraq.
The US is not preventing civil war in Iraq.
The US is not confronting terrorism by staying in Iraq.
The US is not honoring those who died by continuing the conflict.
The US is not rebuilding Iraq.
The US is not fulfilling its obligation to the Iraqi people for the harm and suffering it has caused.

Admittedly, I already agreed with most of these assertions before reading the book. The one lingering doubt I did have about when we should stop the occupation was the 4th point. This book didn't go into great detail on that point (it's less than 120 pages), but it did give some examples of how the US authorities are actually pitting factions against each other in the formation of the Iraqi government -- the ol' divide and conquer approach. The book inspired me to go read more on the subject, and I am now convinced that our presence in Iraq alone is the source of most of the agitation. I am not naive -- I don't believe that as soon as we pull out, the violence will stop. But I do believe that by continuing to be an occupying presence and contributing to the culture of violence, we are only rubbing the wound raw.

Another key part of the book for me was a list of five factors that brought about an end to the Vietnam war:

Mass resistance of the Vietnamese people to US intervention
Resistance of US soldiers and veterans
Domestic opposition on a scale that forced elites in the US to recognize that they had lost the war at home
International protest and opposition that isolated the US politically
Growing economic consequences of the war, which led to inflation and deficits that undermined the position of the US economy

Holy crap, I thought after reading it for the first time. A lot of ridiculously big stuff has to happen to stop a war. But what gave me hope is knowing that we did stop an unjust war in our nation's history, with citizen outcries being a major factor in doing so. And hey look -- we have a roadmap for doing it again! A roadmap with crazy zigzag roads criss-crossing every millimeter, making it unbelievably hard to get where you want to go -- but a roadmap nonetheless.

In the last 2 weeks, I've seen 2 movies that have inspired me to do more in my daily life to work against this war: The War Tapes and The US vs. John Lennon. They were inspiring for very different reasons -- one is raw and upsetting, the other hopeful and admiring.

These movies and this book made me realize that if I care deeply about something, I can't just send an electronic pre-written letter to my representatives when I happen to get a reminder to do so. If you truly care about something, it should be part of your daily life. If you can devote a few minutes (or more) each day to surfing the web, watching TV, or generally just killing time, certainly you can devote a few minutes to writing a real letter or reading an article to learn more or sharing an article with friends and family or volunteering for your local anti-war group or any of the countless things you can do to contribute to the cause in your own way.

Sure, nothing I do is going to stop the war tomorrow. Nothing will. You don't beat back a war machine overnight. To do that requires constant and creative pressure from all types of people. So if writing a letter doesn't seem useful to you, sit down and think about what does seem useful to you. Maybe working against in-school military recruitment is something you feel makes the most difference. Or maybe you want to learn more about the issue so you can make an effective argument with friends and family. Or maybe you have an idea for a new type of action against the war. Just do something, anything. And do it regularly. Ending this war will require more than just one-off efforts from everyone who's against it. It will require us to weave our efforts into our daily lives. People are dying unnecessarily every day in this war. The least we could do is devote a tiny part of our days to honoring that in our own way.

As a wise man once said: "Whatever you do may seem insignificant, but it is most important that you do it." -- Mahatma Gandhi

2006-07-26T15:12:00.000-06:00

Bill Moyers for President? Hell yeah!

If you agree, write to Moyers and ask him to run—the health of our democracy is at stake. P.O. Box 309, Bernardsville, NJ 07924.

2006-05-24T22:34:00.000-06:00

I've been helping plan an upcoming 5K in the Austin area, and we need more people to register. So if you're not busy on the morning of Sunday, May 28th, please consider signing up for Blue Dog Rescue's first annual 5K, Run for the Rovers!

All proceeds from the event benefit Blue Dog Rescue, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, all-volunteer organization working to place adoptable, homeless dogs with forever families. This is the same group we've fostered for, and they do great work.

2006-01-21T10:51:00.000-06:00

From a piece by Molly Ivins titled I Will Not Support Hillary Clinton for President:

The majority of the American people (55 percent) think the war in Iraq is a mistake and that we should get out. The majority (65 percent) of the American people want single-payer health care and are willing to pay more taxes to get it. The majority (86 percent) of the American people favor raising the minimum wage. The majority of the American people (60 percent) favor repealing Bush's tax cuts, or at least those that go only to the rich. The majority (66 percent) wants to reduce the deficit not by cutting domestic spending, but by reducing Pentagon spending or raising taxes. The majority (77 percent) thinks we should do "whatever it takes" to protect the environment. The majority (87 percent) thinks big oil companies are gouging consumers and would support a windfall profits tax. That is the center, you fools. WHO ARE YOU AFRAID OF?

...Bush, Cheney and Co. will continue to play the patriotic bully card just as long as you let them. I've said it before: War brings out the patriotic bullies. In World War I, they went around kicking dachshunds on the grounds that dachshunds were "German dogs." They did not, however, go around kicking German shepherds. The MINUTE someone impugns your patriotism for opposing this war, turn on them like a snarling dog and explain what loving your country really means. That, or you could just piss on them elegantly, as Rep. John Murtha did. Or eviscerate them with wit (look up Mark Twain on the war in the Philippines). Or point out the latest in the endless "string of bad news."

Do not sit there cowering and pretending the only way to win is as Republican-lite. If the Washington-based party can't get up and fight, we'll find someone who can.

2006-01-08T01:00:00.000-06:00

Progress on my 2006 reading goals: 2 out of 52

The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place by E.L. Konigsburg—After reading just the first couple of chapters, I knew I�d love this book. The characters are delicious, especially the main character�s uncles! Their tiffs are hilarious. And at the heart of the story is an interesting discussion of history, art, and property values. I highly recommend this middle-grade novel, even for adults.
Two or Three Things I Know for Sure by Dorothy Allison—This was an interesting memoir, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I were familiar with any of the author�s other work. But it was a very quick read (less than 100 pages) and wonderful writing.

2006-01-01T23:04:00.000-06:00

Last year I kept track of how many books I read, and it was kind of pitiful. For someone who has hundreds of unread books in her house, I'm not making much progress. My total for 2005 was 29. Next year, I'll try for 52. We'll see how that goes...

But here's the run-down of what I read in 2005. My big favorites for the year are in bold, and I would highly recommend them.

The Hip Mama Survival Guide: Advice from the Trenches on Pregnancy, Childbirth, Cool Names, Clueless Doctors, Potty Training and Toddler Avengers by Ariel Gore

Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year by Anne Lamott

How to Write a Children's Book and Get It Published by Barbara Seuling

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen

A Long Way from Chicago: A Novel in Stories by Richard Peck

Mothering Magazine's Having a Baby, Naturally: The Mothering Magazine Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth by Peggy O'Mara

Frindle by Andrew Clements

A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6) by J. K. Rowling

Necessary Dreams: Ambition in Women's Changing Lives by Anna Fels

Some Tame Gazelle by Barbara Pym

Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner

Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie by Peter and Connie Roop

The Blue Jay's Dance by Louise Erdrich

Edwina Victorious by Susan Bonners

Don't Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate by George Lakoff

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

Until I Find You by John Irving

A Beginner's Guide to Changing the World: A True Life Adventure Story by Isabel Losada

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America Barbara Ehrenreich

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Witch Child by Celia Rees

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

Summerland by Michael Chabon

Please Stop Laughing at Me by Jodee Blanco

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

2005-12-25T21:53:00.000-06:00

Tonight we went to see Walk the Line. I hadn't even heard more than one of Johnny Cash's songs let alone heard his life story, and it was a great story.

We saw it at a local theater that instead of showing ads before the movie showed clips of Johnny performing throughout the years. They played a clip of him singing "The Man in Black," which before tonight I hadn't realized was an actual song in addition to being his tagline. The song moved me, especially with it being Christmas night. So I thought I'd share the lyrics:

Well, you wonder why I always dress in black,
Why you never see bright colors on my back,
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone.
Well, there's a reason for the things that I have on.

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he's a victim of the times.

I wear the black for those who never read,
Or listened to the words that Jesus said,
About the road to happiness through love and charity,
Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me.

Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose,
In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes,
But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there oughta be a Man In Black.

I wear it for the sick and lonely old,
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold,
I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been,
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.

And, I wear it for the thousands who have died,
Believin' that the Lord was on their side,
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died,
Believin' that we all were on their side.

Well, there's things that never will be right I know,
And things need changin' everywhere you go,
But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You'll never see me wear a suit of white.

Ah, I'd love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything's okay,
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
'Til things are brighter, I'm the Man In Black

2005-12-11T21:06:00.000-06:00

I just finished reading Please Stop Laughing at Me by Jodee Blanco and thought I'd share my review of it:

I started this book this afternoon and finished it before bedtime. The author's story is engrossing yet so sad. I wasn't popular in school by any means, but luckily I experienced not one iota of what the author had to endure. Hopefully this book will bring bullying to the forefront of parents' and teachers' minds and encourage them to learn more about effective responses to bullying.

My only minor criticism of the book is that I wished the author had commented more on how very lucky she was to have all the resources at her disposal that she did -- a seemingly affluent family that for example, could whisk her out of the country on a moment's notice. My heart goes out to kids who have to deal with bullying without those luxuries.

But I hope more parents, teachers, bullies, and the bullied read this book. Here are some resources that she lists at the back of the book for those needing help or wanting to learn more:
KidsPeace
Bullying Online
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-SUICIDE

2005-12-06T08:45:00.000-06:00

As much as possible this holiday season, I'm going to try to simplify. We just finished purging a car-and-a-half full of crap from our closets that we never use, so we certainly don't need to perpetuate the cycle by getting each other more crap that we won't use.

Here are a few of the things we're trying this holiday season:

Instead of a secret santa or white elephant party, we're having a party and asking people to bring a toy or non-perishable food item to donate to a local group that's helping needy families.
We're setting dollar limits on what we spend on each other.
We'll try to give inexpensive gifts or make donations in the name of friends and family. We'll also try to buy gifts from nonprofit organizations—the dog rescue group we work with is selling 2006 calendars as a way to raise money for the group's work, so we'll buy those as gifts and support the group while we're at it.

If you have more ideas, please post them!