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December 19, 2000 continued
In print.....Today's mail brought another minor credit. My article The Seventh Day was published in this month's Green River Writers newsletter.
December 19, 2000
I'll take mine deep fried .....Welcome to Shrimp Wars 2000, installment one in a continuing story of delight and aggravation. Three weeks ago, I got my Christmas present early -- a 29 gallon saltwater aquarium, complete with all the various hardware to support a miniature marine world. (Believe me, that's a lot of stuff!) One the recommendation of a store employee, we launched the tank cycle with 4 yellow-tailed blue damsels, 2 hermit crabs named Edmund and Walter (Hillary and Raleigh, respectively) and 2 peppermint shrimp known as Jean-Claude and Philipe. Sadly, as expected, the original damsels didn't survive the process, but were followed by their spiritual heirs, The Test Pilots: Yeager, Armstrong and Glenn. Once everyone was settled and happy, we added Fats Domino (a domino damsel) and Number Six (a striped damsel). I'm pleased to report all are thriving and eating well. Some a little too well.
I wish someone would explain to Jean-Claude and Philipe that the damsels are their companions, not their food supply. Or that to be edible, the desired object must be small enough to fit in their mouths. I came downstairs the other day to find Glenn caught in Jean-Claude's shrimp hug (like a bear hug only smaller and involving more arms) with his dorsal fin being shoved upwards toward an invisible maw. I'm sure the fish was as shocked as I, because after a moment he shook off his intended digester and swam away in a huff. (Did you know that yellow-tailed damsels can raise their "hackles" just like a dog or porcupine?) Not to be discouraged, Philipe joined in the game of Here Fishy Fishy Fishy while Edmund and Walter watched from atop a large rock.
So now I've got 2 miniature bullies in the tank. I suppose miniature is relative -- their bodies are about 1.5 inches but their feelers are more than triple that. But like any other pet, I've adopted them in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, in herbivore and carnivorous behavior. Since I realize that the chances of their chowing down successfully are slim, I can watch their attempts with a measure of humor.
But I'm still pulling for the Test Pilots and keeping a box of tempura mix in clear view.
(also added today: new book reviews)
December 18, 2000
Christmas wonders....Several months ago, when my hearing loss moved out of the annoyance range and into the disability zone, Kerwin got me a nifty little device to make things easier -- a remote doorbell ringer. While my office is only 6 steps down from the living room and maybe 10 feet as the crow flies from the ringer, I cannot hear the doorbell when I'm working. It was frustrating (and a little scary) finding packages, etc. inside a door that I never heard open. So, he plugged a remote ringer into the outlet right by my feet. It gave me a new security and sense of awareness.
Last week, Kerwin also found a lovely convenience item--a remote control for turning on/off the Christmas tree lights. No more crawling under the branches to unplug them at bedtime! Nifty gadget, huh.
Saturday I was hard at work at my desk trying to debug some java script, and the doorbell rang. Since Kerwin was in the living room watching tv, I assumed he'd answer it. Then it rang again. And again. And again. It was probably one of Tony's snowmates, no doubt. Muttering under my breath, I ran upstairs to get the door and call Tony from his room. The whole family was lounged out around the Christmas tree. I yanked the door open. Not only was there no one at the door, there were no footprints in the newly fallen snow there.
This happened several times; I ignored it. Finally I gave up on working and settled down to read the paper. The doorbell rang.
The tree lights went off.
The doorbell rang again.
The tree lights went off.
"Cool, huh," said my grinning husband.
I stared at him. He held up the tree remote.
Tony ran out the front door and pressed the button. The bell rang. The lights came back on.
Now I know what they mean by "ringing in the holidays."
December 14, 2000
A minor update ....I've added a bunch of reviews to my Recently Read page, including: yesterday's journal entry, The Hidden Gospel; Decoding the Spiritual Message of the Aramaic Jesus by Neil Douglas-Klotz , The Coffin Dancer by Jeffery Deaver, A World Lost by Wendell Berry, The Toughest Indian In the World by Sherman Alexie, Indian Killer by Sherman Alexie, Devil's Teardrop by Jeffery Deaver and Shock Radio by Leigh Clark.
December 12, 2000
"God is no saint....." Jack Miles, God; A BiographyLast night I finished reading The Harlot By The Side Of The Road; Forbidden Tales Of The Bible by Jonathan Kirsch, one of my Powells purchases. This trade paper edition may be just another entry in the Millennium Bible-Rediscovery movement, but it's a fairly high profile one. The author begins with modern retelling of the stories of "forbidden stories" (Lot's daughters, Dinah, The Rape Of Tamar, etc.) which he claims have been buried and sanitized for centuries. I must dispute that point, since I have taught several of them at the grade-school level and indeed, learned them myself at an early age. Still, I will concede that perhaps my experience is not fully mainstream.
If the reader is seeking new analysis and information, she is not likely to find it here. It is mainly a recycled version of the thoughts previously (and more clearly, imho) expressed in the current generation by Anita Diamant, Richard Elliot Friedman, Abraham Heschel, Jack Miles, Alicia Suskin Ostriker, and Herschel Shanks. But more bothersome to me is the unqualified acceptance of the work of discredited theologians, namely Sigmund Freud. Because of the detached footnote structure, this book should be read with a bible at one elbow, and a stack of reference materials at the other.
It is clear from the first paragraph that the author has an hypothesis he seeks to prove, but by the last one, I still wasn't sure just what it that hypothesis was. Or perhaps his intent is not to prove a hypothesis of his own so much as to disprove the theories of every other writer? Over the course of 400 pages, he manages to insult just about everyone with his circular logic. He uses Scripture to dispute Midrash, Midrash to dispute Scripture, feminist theologians to dispute the rabbinical writers, rabbinical writers against the feminists, etc. ad nauseum, somehow managing to mock them all. The commentary reminded me of an adolescent following a parent around, gleefully pointing and saying, "See? You used the wrong fork, and even =I= know better than that. You're not as smart as
you think you are!" Just as the parent would be ready to strangle said kid in a short amount of time, so was I ready to smack the author at several points. This is the same problem which annoyed me in his previous work Moses; A Life.Still, to give the author his due, he does produce a straight-forward account of the various redactors/authors of the Hebrew Scriptures, identifying their time periods and sociological influences in a non-judgmental manner. (This is not new thought, btw -- it's been mainstream analysis for over a century. I first learned it in 1978 in a college class.) Additionally, I agree with his belief that the author/editor of Judges was indeed a woman, though I disagree with his supporting material. Indeed, his writing on Judges is probably the best thematic analysis in the book, introducing some new unifying concepts. Ditto, on the collection of I and II Chronicles.
So overall, I recommend this book with reservations. As a springboard to further reading and study, it serves it's purpose. But a definitive, focused work it is not.
December 10, 2000We had a great time in Portland! Julia was able to eliminate one college from her list and move the other higher up the list, so it was a productive trip. The highlight, though, was being able to spend some time with Johnzo and Victoria. Friday night they met us at Mummy's, a delightful little Egyptian hole-in-the-wall restaurant downtown, where Saqra was hosting an open dance night. If you're going to be in the Portland area and have even a passing interest in middle-eastern dance, be sure to check her webpage for a listing of events, workshops and hang-outs. Don't hesitate to email her for directions and more information; she's friendly, generous with her time and dance space, and truly a joyful dancer. Watching her perform is always a treat.
Even on a non-dancing night, Mummy's is a hidden treasure. But you have to know to look for them. They have no ad and only a single line in the Yellow Pages, and a low profile street presence. But please, take the time to seek them out -- it's well worth it. It's a family business with some of the best Egyptian food in on the coast, and kids are welcome. The owner immediately made us to home. But when the dancers are there...ah! Welcome to the hafla!
Meeting Johnzo and Victoria was a fabulous experience! Such intelligent, thoughtful and fun company! The conversation ranged from politics to law to dance to books to history and I loved every moment. On Saturday, they took us to Powells, then out for lunch to a great Mediterranean restaurant before Julie and I headed back to the airport. I'm humbled by their generosity, spending so much of their limited time together hosting us. Now they need to make a visit to Spokane so I can do the same!
Over lunch, a passing conversation on Robert Heinlein gelled some ideas I've been formenting about his attraction and influence on the Cold War generation, of which I am a part. Watch this space in the next few days for what I've come up with.
December 6, 2000
Tomorrow morning at dark:thirty, Julia and I are off to Portland, Oregon. On Julie's interview list are Linfield College and Reed College. On my list are The Portland Art Museum,Powells Bookstore and Mummy's, a middle-eastern restaurant where Saqra is having an open dance night.
With some luck and timing, we'll also meet up with Johnzo and Victoria for little visit. Cross your fingers for good weather!
I got a wonderful treat this morning; I downloaded Steve Leigh's band Toast's mp3, Java Jive. Lordy, lordy do these boys rock! If you haven't heard it yet, get thee to his website immediately!
November 29, 2000
There are statistics, and then there are damned statistics .....Remember that medical study a few years back that informed us that drinking coffee gave us a higher risk of developing lung cancer? It may have been statistically significant, but was it significant statistics? I don't think so. Too bad they missed the obvious, that smokers drink a lot of coffee, and when we've got a cup of coffee, we've always got a cigarette. More coffee = more cigarettes. DUH.
Remember the Prozac Causes Suicide scare? Common sense didn't apply there, either. Who takes Prozac? Depressed people. Who is at risk of attempting suicide? Depressed people. Again, DUH. You've narrowed your "scientific sample" down from the general population to an already high risk group, and expected the statistical frequency to match not the high risk group, but the general population. When follow up studies were done (after countless lawsuits and high flown publicity), they discovered that ON AVERAGE fewer depressed people treated with Prozac committed suicide/homicide than untreated depressed people. I doubt many of you had the opportunity to read those results, however. Just wasn't sexy enough for the front page.
Well, researchers are back at it again. Early this month a study was released which caught all the headlines: SMOKING CAUSES ANXIETY IN TEENS. And once again, I think they've screwed up. Is there a connection between kids who smoke and kids who have anxiety disorders? Yup. But in my opinion, they've got the cause and affect wrong. (It pleases me to note that the American Psychiatric Association agrees with me, though they haven't publicly commented on the study.) Kids who are nervous, anxious, depressed, smoke. They smoke for the same reason they drink, the same reason they take other drugs. It's called self-medication. Nicotine calms you down and steadies your nerves. It can even short out the beginning of a panic attack. Hell, that's why I started. Because it works. But did the researchers study the existing work on teenaged anxiety, depression and smoking? The connection has been acknowedged for years. Apparently not. Or else they ignored it because it wouldn't have made a sexy headline.
Sexy headlines; that's the name of the game. And accuracy is the loser.
Past months:
August, 2000
May, 2000
Feb/March, 2000
December, 1999
November, 1999
October, 1999
September, 1999
August, 1999
July, 1999
June, 1999
May, 1999
April, 1999
March, 1999
Thanks to Shannon Wendt for the award!
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