Tag Archives: kids

Taking positions

76 Replies

I semi-regularly post controversial things without stating my overall opinions on the topic. I like saying things like, “This is interesting” without specifying exactly what I find interesting or why. It is interesting that people often leap to conclusions about my positions on things. Last night as I was falling asleep I thought about the fact that I probably keep my mouth shut on some of my more extreme positions because I hate the fact that I already get snotty comments about the fact that I have strong opinions without fully expressing most of my strong opinions. That would be, in fact, why I believe that people are trying to shame someone into silence with the phrase “Don’t hold back, tell me how you really feel” and its close cousins.

So ok, you want to know some of my strong opinions? Fine. I’ll state some of them. If you flame me, act like an asshole, or just in generally are rude I will delete your comment without response. If you want to engage me in spirited debate that is fine, keeping in mind that I am leaving the country tomorrow. Alright, here we go…

Continue reading →

Good lines from student papers

6 Replies

During one grading session we kept track of the best lines. I want to throw away the physical paper they were written on, so here they are preserved for posterity:

“It barley pierced me armor.”

“A tree is shedding it’s leaves above me like golden raindrops.”

“The warm sunrays relax me and they make me want to lay there and look at the beautiful colored sky as if I’m not going to see the sky for a long time.”

“Why he had to kill her is anybodies guess.”

“My wings are white and feathery and feel nothing like a bird’s wings.”

“All the excitement and the loss of blood would make any teenage girl nauseous.”

“My uncle is a chairman of one of the California Water Foul Association fund raisers and he knows all about the outdoors and hunting and fishing so…”

“The blackest black, like standing outside in the middle of the night and looking out in the open when there are absolutely no lights around.”

“You know the best thing to do when you want the time to just slow things down, is to watch the humans walk by.”

“Their dead bodies were conjoined by their hands.”

“Upon entering, I was greeted by dirty slums bugging for money. After fending them off and breaking the jaw of a more rowdy slum, I…”

“It’s like I just sat on a syringe loaded with some kind of venom. Well it’s not just any venom it’s a boring venom.”

“I eat the look on your face with great joy.”

“‘You know…,’ the man said as Mrs. Jones began to hide in the guest room downstairs. ‘You can run as much as you want–but you’ll run away from me.'”

“When she opened the door a young man with short brown hair, and blue/green/gray/brown eyes stood in front of her.”

Freak Breeders at the Discovery Museum

Leave a reply

I forgot to say anything here:

Come meet other freak breeders at the Children’s Discovery Museum on Saturday January 17th. I will be arriving at 11:00 am. I will hang out outside eating a picnic lunch until 12. You can get more information about the museum at: http://www.cdm.org/index.asp?f=0

I’m not going to keep spamming my journal, instead you can come join the google group: http://groups.google.com/group/freak-breaders-in-the-bay

Come meet people! 🙂

Do you like thrift store shopping for kids stuff?

11 Replies

Well, you’d better do it quick: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-thrift2-2009jan02,0,2083247.story

The law is very hard to understand. I’ve tried to read it:http://www.cpsc.gov/ABOUT/Cpsia/legislation.html but it’s not clearly written.

It is sounding an awful lot like all small businesses that produce *anything* for children will be in trouble if not sent out of business entirely. I can’t find a super clear explanation for how this law will be applied anywhere.

(Quick and dirty summary: all products that are sold intended for children must go through rigorous testing to ensure safety, they are mostly worried about lead. This means all toys/clothes/household items/whatever marketed for use by children. The cost of this could be anywhere from $150/item to $4000/item no one is sure.)

Everyone who has been contacting their representative has been ignored. This really sucks.

I am very seriously considering going on a buying spree for all handmade stuff I want to buy for the next many many years. If you like shopping for handmade stuff for kids you should consider it as well. 🙁

More info at: http://nationalbankruptcyday.com/

Cute cafepress baby stuff.

3 Replies

I post links here so that I don’t have to bookmark. I’m kinda dorky like that.

http://clothing.cafepress.com/item/super-kid-bib/66873912
http://t-shirts.cafepress.com/kids-and-baby-clothing/design/13625898
http://t-shirts.cafepress.com/kids-and-baby-clothing/design/9751228
http://t-shirts.cafepress.com/kids-and-baby-clothing/design/18629146
http://t-shirts.cafepress.com/kids-and-baby-clothing/design/24486358
http://t-shirts.cafepress.com/kids-and-baby-clothing/design/16210113
http://t-shirts.cafepress.com/kids-and-baby-clothing/design/14052005

The kind of thing I sit and think about

1 Reply

I think that relationships are complicated. When you think about what makes someone “right” for someone else you are looking at a whole elaborate string of interrelated points and it’s hard to figure out what is the clincher or deal breaker. Yeah, Noah is awesome in general and attentive and a good communicator (very unusual) and hot and good at sex and… He’s just a really bitchin package.

But I think I know what the clincher is. See–I have a really clear picture of what I want in my life. Of what the most important non-negotiable thing was in a life partner. I believe with all my heart and soul that Noah will be a good father. He balances me in all the most ideal ways. We’ve already spent a lot of time talking about how we think parenting should look. Yeah, there are going to be surprises and course corrections and there will be things that Don’t Go As Planned–but our overall attitudes and how they work towards dealing with kids is unlikely to drastically change.

I am not the most stable person on the planet. I work really hard at being consistent, but I can only do the best I can do. Noah is incredibly stable and cheerful and good natured. I’m really happy that I can give that to my kids even if I can’t be that. Noah also believes in letting kids do things for themselves and letting them learn how to accomplish things; they can ask for help if they need it, but I think “doing it for them” is a good way to stifle kids learning. My opinion is backed up by a lot of studies. 🙂 There are areas where I am probably inclined to be far more strict than necessary and Noah is good at telling me that I’m being lame and over reacting. (It’s a delicate line let me tell you.) He likes to play and is physically comfortable with touching far more than me which is going to be awesome for our kids. He can make up the best stories. I really suck at making up stories. He’s so willing to try things even if he might suck at them–I spend too much time worrying about looking stupid. Noah will be awesome at reminding me that just because he doesn’t need privacy and it’s ok for me to snoop in his stuff it’s not ok to do that with our kids. 🙂

Noah is everything I wish my father had been and wasn’t. I’m so glad I get to bring kids into the world and have them grow up with him.