Everything is Unfinished

Truth be told, I started scrapbooking 8 years ago for one reason: stickers. I love stickers. I have loved them for as long as I can remember. I, like so many of my friends, had a sticker book where I collected my beloved stickers. I traded them. I spent my money on them. I loved looking at them. And I still do all these things. So of course when I saw some stickers of characters that Jack likes, I snatched them up. You know, for him. And the other day I actually let him have some.

I showed him how to peel them off of the paper and stick them to the top of his toybox. He was very serious and in deep concentration as he took every single one off the sheet and (forcefully) stuck them down. Then, because his nails hadn’t been trimmed in a while, he figured out how to peel them up again and place them somewhere else. This kept him busy for nearly half an hour! I couldn’t believe it. And I didn’t even get all anal about it like I used to be about my stickers. When they ripped, oh well. If one got folded in on itself, that’s the breaks. Stuck some to the carpet? That happens. Besides, there’s another pristine sheet of them just waiting for me…I mean him.

So, how’s that daily posting coming along for you, Amy? Yeah, not so good. Oh well. Here’s a picture of Jack!

1. Master :: Cylinder
2. Tour :: Guide
3. Input :: Output
4. Downtown :: Chicago
5. Pricey :: expensive
6. Acceptable :: form of payment
7. Terrace :: Veranda
8. Sunday :: morning
9. Payoff :: Would Payback give up?
10. Jack and Jill :: went up the hill

Am I right? *nudge nudge* Thanks, Dooce.

**Edited to add: Oh my freaking hell, you must go see this. It will disturb and alarm you. I hope.

**Edited again to add: And then you will breathe a sigh of relief as you find out it’s a joke. Hooray! Also, you can get a glow-in-the-dark rosary at the originating site. What good Catholic wouldn’t want that?

Or so the old saying goes. Since moving here this summer, we’ve met about half of the families on our block and we like and get along with them all. We even had a bunch of them over a few months ago when it was still warm and we sat on the deck and drank wine and chatted like normal people. While the fence keeps the neighbors at a safe distance, it doesn’t do anything for their cats. There are three or four outside cats on the street, and for the most part I don’t mind them. They can roam around and chase birds and rabbits all they want. And they’re even welcome to come into our yard - it’s funny to see my cats get all territorial about a place they can’t get to. But I can’t seem to figure out a way to let everyone know that our yard is not your cats’ litter box!

It’s a work of fiction, people.

I’m talking about the upcoming movie The Golden Compass, which is based on a book of the same name by Philip Pullman. I’m sure by now you’ve gotten the email forward about how the movie’s purpose is to bash Christianity and “fool” kids into becoming Atheists, or similar rubbish. First of all, Pullman has stated publicly that he doesn’t know if there is a God, and by definition that makes him agnostic, not atheist. Secondly, the story takes place in an alternate dimension, and although The Church bears some strong resemblances to organized religions that we’re familiar with, I’d say that the thing the story is “bashing” is organized religion itself, not any one religion in particular. Thirdly, if one trilogy of books or one movie is going to make you or your kids question your faith, then your faith doesn’t sound very strong. I don’t recall Jewish/Buddhist/Muslim/pick your non-Christian religion groups boycotting The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe when it came out.

Stop getting your panties in a bunch. I think that’s the overall message that I’d like to send to, oh, 99% of the American public. When Jack is old enough, I’ll encourage him to read this trilogy, just like I’ll encourage him to read Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, and anything else he shows interest in. If he wants to see Battlefield Earth, the supposed Scientology recruiting film based on an L. Ron Hubbard novel, I’ll let him. (Although I’m not sure I could sit through that crap-lousy piece of garbage again.) If he wants to study 10 different religions or none at all, I intend to support that. I also intend to have discussions about all of these things with him, and not brainwash him in my own way. Take a chill pill, people.

1. Music :: education
2. Insanity :: pepper
3. Curtain :: rod
4. Nickname :: (I drew a complete blank here)
5. Container :: Store!
6. Roast :: beef
7. Thong :: flip flop
8. Purple :: favorite!
9. Holidays :: lights
10. Christmas tree :: decorate

Last Thursday I caught what was apparently the 48-hour flu. I woke up feeling queasy and stayed that way until Friday evening after I went to the doctor and got some magic anti-upset-tummy pills. I slept for about 40 hours from Thursday to Saturday before finally feeling pretty good yesterday afternoon. And today I went to work for the first time in 8 days. I expected it to kick my butt, but I actually felt fine and even stayed an extra hour to help out. Then I went to the grocery store, and any of the benefits of not eating for 3 days got blown away - I got all sorts of junk that just sounded good, and justified it by saying to myself that it’s good just to be eating again. And I get to eat it all myself, because now Johnny’s caught the bug! Poor guy. Let’s hope Jack isn’t next.

Dear Hollywood,

Please give the writers what they want (and deserve). I do not like reality television.

Thank you,
EVERYONE