Infidel

Anthony drove away last night, making all of us very sad. It will be at least another year until we see him again. It’s easier for the adults to take than for L. M & Anthony even violated the straight-man rule last night with a four-second hug, rather than the acceptable three-second or less hug.

Though I feel so lucky to have the Internet, which makes keeping in touch over long-distances very easy and painless, it’s not the same. It can’t replace hiking together or a big group of us piled in our family room with the dogs and cats trampling across us and our laptops. I’m sure A will miss Daisy’s special vomits most of all, and though we could send daily pics, it’s just not the same without the sound effects and scent!

**Parents can skip this paragraph**
So last week, Sep. 30, was National Blasphemy Day. Of course the girls and I participated, but it was a busy few days. We didn’t get videos posted in time, and I didn’t have time to blog. Though tardy, I want my blasphemy counted and on record. I whole-heartedly and permanently deny the holy spirit and the rest of the bunk that goes along with it. Though the video of me gesticulating and shouting, “Suck it, Holy Spirit” (in my best Kathy Griffin voice), would be much more entertaining, this works just as well.

L & I made slime for her science lab on Thursday. We were talking about chemical reactions and polymers/monomers. She’s become addicted to making slime, and I must admit it is fun to touch and play with and ridiculously simple to make. She returned to the kitchen on her own several times throughout that day and Friday to make more slime on her own. She did a great job and was having fun choosing different colors to make. She’s been testing her slime under various conditions, which has given us even more science fun to discuss. Whether you’re into science or not, it’s a really fun, cheap experiment. L loves blowing air into it to form giant bubbles. It ends up being very similar to the Flarp that is sold in stores.

On a piece of wax paper, mix one TBSP Elmer’s school glue or glue all, one TBSP liquid starch, and food coloring of your choice, with a spoon until it starts to mix and separate itself from the wax paper. Let sit for 3-4 minutes. Then knead with hands for about a minute. Store in Ziploc bag when not using.

L and I are in the midst of reading Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s, Herland, for our bedtime reading. I LOVE CPG, who is the author of my favorite short story, The Yellow Wallpaper. Herland is another of her great works, and L and I are both enjoying it tremendously. We end up having very interesting conversations and philosophical discussions after we read most nights. I love sharing my favorite works with her and being present while she experiences them for the first time. I love looking at my favorite works from her perspective.

There are not very many people who want to read, analyze, and discuss the classics with me, so this is so much fun! I am so looking forward to continuing this and revisiting old faves with her as her mind continues to develop and grow. It does bum me out a bit when she doesn’t get as excited about a particular book or poem as I do (or anticipated that she would), but that’s not uncommon. She and I have very different literary preferences, so there will always be different outlooks, but that also makes for some fun discussions, too.

Now I understand how one of my favorite Lit professors felt when I (an A student with a passion for 19^th century lit.) was disgusted, repulsed and completely turned off by Moby Dick, which was one of his true loves. I suddenly feel very guilty for raining on Dr. B’s literary parade. I know, I know—it’s a classic, blah, blah, blah. Still hate it with every bone in my body! Not just Moby Dick either, pretty much anything by Melville makes me want to hurl. I don’t like Steinbeck either. I may now be expelled from Sigma Tau Delta (honor society, NOT a sorority—I was able to make friends in college without help) for literary blasphemy.

Poor M didn’t have fun at the wedding reception Sat. and now is sick. He appears to have gotten the virus that L & I had a couple of weeks ago. He was so bummed about not having fun at the reception! He had big plans of drinking too much and having a blast. He was saddened and disillusioned about learning that his sweet, ‘good girl’, much younger cousin had morphed into a trashy bar chick who married a less-than-impressive guy. I was a little surprised by the depths of his disappointment, though I totally understand it. I wish he hadn’t gone, and she could remain the sweet, classy young woman in his mind forever. And though I do feel bad for him, I’m a little happy that I’m not the only one with relatives that are fairly embarrassing. For the most part, his family has been appallingly normal, which is not so true of my family, so it’s about time they start to catch up.