Dear fellow students tucked into your cubicles on the sixth floor of the library desperately trying to study for something,
I apologize if my attempts to muffle my chortling laughter were unsuccessful. I was reading a book titled Forced into faith: How religion abuses children's rights (by Innaiah Narisetti, 2009) and I honestly could not help myself. It is hilarious! Seriously, if you are a sociologist of religion, or have any rational observations about religion, or know anything about religion and culture or the sociology of childhood or interpretive research... you would laugh too. It basically puts forth a "radical humanist" (and this is the self-description on the back cover, I'm not making this judgment) perspective on children's forced indoctrination and subsequent abuses of children. Let's begin with the fact that this is radical. As in, just as radical as a fundamentalist Christian position - which would be among the many religious perspectives the author attacks. That should give you a hint of how hilarious this is.
It basically adopts a "brainwashing"-like position wherein children are passive and forced to believe in X - and they will never escape from X. And they will be abused because of X. Sometimes this is psychological abuse, usually manipulative. Sometimes it is physical abuse disguised as religious.
Now, I'm not saying that humans do not engage in abusive behaviours and sometimes cite religions as justification. That's well known. But I thought most reasonable (emphasis on reasonable) people understood about the role of culture, and the differences between belief systems and applications of belief systems, about politics, and about basic concepts of identity formation that do not involve "brainwashing".
Put simply, I laughed at the beginning because if one were to rationally follow through on the admonition of raising a child with ANY belief system, they would have no culture, no values (including no humanist values!), no worldviews. And the critique in this book is that religions are dangerous because they "force" a worldview upon children, and THAT is abuse.
Like I said - hilarious!
But it gets better.
Yes, if you jump to the wee little section in cults (and it's a small book so all the sections are short using exceptional examples to illustrate a point) there is more fun. (see pp 86-88)
First, it says cults abuse children. A common enough assertion. Then it says there are "several cults" currently worldwide. Just "several"? A mere handful?? That's funny. Now let's look at the list of twenty examples provided. I didn't bother writing them all down. Some are current NRMs. But there is also listed "garbage eaters"*, "televangelists", "Jim Jones", and "Heaven's Gate". The later two committed suicide many years ago; they are no longer a "threat". Oh, and Heaven's Gate did not involve children. I like "garbage eaters" the best. Would the author conclude that all North American's are part of a cult - because you should look at the "garbage" we eat! Or is the author referring to the alternative-lifestyle "dumpster divers"? Or homeless people living on the street?
Anyhow, I was spending some time at the library waiting for my supervisor to sign a form, decided to see what's new on the shelves related to children and religion (not much and I've read most of it already) and decided to browse this book just to see what it says. Good times.
PS - it may not have sounded as funny to you. Maybe you just have to read it yourself. Or be me.
*UPDATE: I ran into a colleague on campus, who I was mentioning this too, and he recognized "Garbage eaters" because he'd happened across the name once. So I looked up this one of THOUSANDS of "cult" groups. Turns out I wasn't entirely wrong about the dumpster diving. Apparently some members of a particular Christian group (also called the Brethren) are called "garbage eaters" by anti-cultists because they will engage in dumpster diving. FYI, while dumpster diving technically involves "garbage", it is still perfectly edible food. Bruised fruit, day old bread, etc. Basically what won't "sell", but you'd still eat it if it was in your home already in that condition.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Colourful
Although this week's letter at home is A, I believe today was more like a D day. D is for Dinosaurs, which Abi and her friend painted many of (thank you Google images!). D is also for Dyeing (with an E, not to be confused with the last post where I initially forgot to add the E consistently, although I'm sure none of you really thought I have a death wish. Not with Abi around. Or is that the other way around...)
First off I did my darndest to get some very light blue and purple yarn to complete the Decepticon hat. White just will not suffice. It stands out too much. This time around I worked with short lengths and a little dish in the oven.
Of course, Abi wasn't satisfied with these little bits of blue. Now that I have all the yarn I need for the hat, the rest could be dyed by Abi. She still wanted pink and blue, so we tried an experiment using a two-halved pyrex dish and the microwave method for setting the dye.
I think it worked out quite well.
Abi mixed the colours. As usual she added a lot of drops and ignored my suggestions about the red.
First off I did my darndest to get some very light blue and purple yarn to complete the Decepticon hat. White just will not suffice. It stands out too much. This time around I worked with short lengths and a little dish in the oven.
Of course, Abi wasn't satisfied with these little bits of blue. Now that I have all the yarn I need for the hat, the rest could be dyed by Abi. She still wanted pink and blue, so we tried an experiment using a two-halved pyrex dish and the microwave method for setting the dye.
I think it worked out quite well.
Rinsing. Trying to capture the shaded variants.
Laid out to be squished.
All in all, we are quite pleased with the results which will be a scarf. I will definitely use this technique again. And the microwave technique is brilliant. Two rounds of two minutes on high, with a short (2 min?) break between. Much faster than the pot method! And those are some bright colours. There was basically no colour left in the dish - except some pale blue, but I find there is always some blue even when blue was just a minor part of the colour mixture.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Social Taboos and the Discussion of Religion
As someone who actively studies religions and religious people and religious activity and religious worldviews - and all that juicy stuff - I am always intrigued by the social taboos surrounding the discussion of religion. In particular, I am intrigued by my seeming-exemption.
Having interviewed and spoken with many Pagans, for example, I often hear (and read about) the implicit "don't-ask, don't-tell" policy they share with their extended family. In some cases, Pagan adults might tell their parents once and if the parents are not also interested in Paganism or related things (such as Tarot or the New Age movement or nature-based spirituality in some form, to cast the net widely) then it's not usually discussed further. Each respects the religious autonomy of the other or, at least, does not actively intrude upon the other. Sometimes even adult Pagans don't tell their own parents - ever. There are many reasons cited for this, but it typically amounts to avoiding real or potential conflict in the relationship.
(Can you tell what part of my research I've been reviewing today? And since I've been tempted to write an extended footnote on this only marginally related topic, I'm opting to blog it instead to get it out of my system)
Of course, Pagans are not the only ones who don't discuss religion outside of their religious community. Even within a religious community, discussion about religious beliefs and practices may not be common; they may be taken for granted as shared. (Not necessarily so with Paganism, but some things are still taken for granted - even if wrongly so). I found it interesting, for example, while following an e-mail list for Pagan parents, that there was very little discussion of Paganism or sharing Paganism with kids. Most of the discussion on the list was very mundane and entirely unrelated to Paganism (and, in some cases it seemed to me antithetical to the movement, but I shan't digress to my critique of a particular thread of discussion I observed).So, talk of religion is not entirely common.
I've also been told on repeated occasions that people (of all ages) are not really interested in religion. People like Robin. And many young people... who grow into adults who remain disinterested. And there are studies, etc, demonstrating the growth of "no religion" as a category of identification and the rise of "moralistic therapeutic deism" (see the works of Christian Smith et al. with youths). Several of the kids I have interviewed said the same. So, some people don't talk about religion because they are not interested in the topic. (Of course, when they do happen to be interested upon occasion, guess who they come talk to!)
So, whether it is the result of disinterest or fear of conflict or just getting caught up in other topics - people don't talk about religion very much.
Unless you happen to mention that you study religion.
Then all taboos are dropped and not only do people ask you about religion and religions from an academic perspective, but they even ask about your personal religiosity.
(Of course, these inquiries may come after I have to explain that I'm not going to be a minister. Or nun. Because if that's not the case - ie, if they can't assume to know or imagine what I would do with my studies in religion, then what is my use for religion? What do I do? What is my religion?
And what do you do with a degree in religious studies? <-- a valid question.)
Why is that taboo not extended to me?
Is it because, as a perceived "authority" I am "special" and beyond the boundaries of taboos that prescribe interactions to maintain "normal" social relationships regarding the topic of religion?
Why do strangers presume to inquire about my religiosity in a conversation?
As a "professional" in the study of religion(s) I anticipate inquiries about religion(s) in general - inquiries that would draw upon my professional, academic knowledge. Even if I'd rather talk about something else.
When people presume to inquire about my personal religiosity I typically side-step the question. Usually I have no interest in beginning an extended conversation related to my personal religiosity with a stranger. It's bad enough that since I study new religious movements I receive many questions about "cults" and other NRMs and have to deliver the same spiel about what defines the Pagan movement (to someone who knows nothing about NRMs).
But as I tried to think of comparisons with other specialties, I realized this may be common. That is, that the inquirers seek to add a personal dimension to their knowledge. They want to get insider information concerning my personal outlook (in this case, on religion) as a "professional". I imagine computer engineers don't only have to answer questions about how a system works, but about what system they personally use and prefer. I suppose it's the same, if one takes a mechanistic view of religion. Having studied religion in many forms, I suppose others might seek my "informed" preferences for my own practice. Certainly I've had people make such direct inquiries of me.
That's when I pull out my ol' cult-leader joke. It's a goody. Have you heard me tell it?
(A little funnier than the Mandy with a Zed joke/story)
Other Person: What would your preferred religion be?
Me: I would want a religion based on respect... (yadda yadda)
OP: Oh, that's good. You should start that religion based on your expertise!
Me: Yeah! And the first thing everyone would have to respect is ME!
mwhahahahahahahahahaha
Seriously, people set me up for that one all the time. It's so easy when people know you study "cults". (or, studied... since I actively try not to say my specialty is NRMs now that I am far more interested in the study of children).
If I was studying to be a minister, I wonder what kind of discussions people would start with me. I try to avoid all of these inquiries and conversations by emphasizing I do "sociology of religion." It seems to confuse enough people that I can avoid further discussion about my personal religiosity. At the very least it makes clear to people that I will not be a minister/nun and I don't have to explain that religious studies is not the same as theological studies (now, or, mostly... depending on the scholar...). Sociology remains a relatively obscure social science I think. I'm certain if I studied psychology of religion I'd encounter a whole other set of inquiries... I can hear them now.
Anyhow, the short of it is, I find it interesting that I am exempt for the social taboos around discussing (and in particular, asking about) religion and religiosity. And, sometimes I'm annoyed by this exemption. But, mostly I'm intrigued and enjoy a good talk about religion. It is my chosen field of study for good reason.
Having interviewed and spoken with many Pagans, for example, I often hear (and read about) the implicit "don't-ask, don't-tell" policy they share with their extended family. In some cases, Pagan adults might tell their parents once and if the parents are not also interested in Paganism or related things (such as Tarot or the New Age movement or nature-based spirituality in some form, to cast the net widely) then it's not usually discussed further. Each respects the religious autonomy of the other or, at least, does not actively intrude upon the other. Sometimes even adult Pagans don't tell their own parents - ever. There are many reasons cited for this, but it typically amounts to avoiding real or potential conflict in the relationship.
(Can you tell what part of my research I've been reviewing today? And since I've been tempted to write an extended footnote on this only marginally related topic, I'm opting to blog it instead to get it out of my system)
Of course, Pagans are not the only ones who don't discuss religion outside of their religious community. Even within a religious community, discussion about religious beliefs and practices may not be common; they may be taken for granted as shared. (Not necessarily so with Paganism, but some things are still taken for granted - even if wrongly so). I found it interesting, for example, while following an e-mail list for Pagan parents, that there was very little discussion of Paganism or sharing Paganism with kids. Most of the discussion on the list was very mundane and entirely unrelated to Paganism (and, in some cases it seemed to me antithetical to the movement, but I shan't digress to my critique of a particular thread of discussion I observed).So, talk of religion is not entirely common.
I've also been told on repeated occasions that people (of all ages) are not really interested in religion. People like Robin. And many young people... who grow into adults who remain disinterested. And there are studies, etc, demonstrating the growth of "no religion" as a category of identification and the rise of "moralistic therapeutic deism" (see the works of Christian Smith et al. with youths). Several of the kids I have interviewed said the same. So, some people don't talk about religion because they are not interested in the topic. (Of course, when they do happen to be interested upon occasion, guess who they come talk to!)
So, whether it is the result of disinterest or fear of conflict or just getting caught up in other topics - people don't talk about religion very much.
Unless you happen to mention that you study religion.
Then all taboos are dropped and not only do people ask you about religion and religions from an academic perspective, but they even ask about your personal religiosity.
(Of course, these inquiries may come after I have to explain that I'm not going to be a minister. Or nun. Because if that's not the case - ie, if they can't assume to know or imagine what I would do with my studies in religion, then what is my use for religion? What do I do? What is my religion?
And what do you do with a degree in religious studies? <-- a valid question.)
Why is that taboo not extended to me?
Is it because, as a perceived "authority" I am "special" and beyond the boundaries of taboos that prescribe interactions to maintain "normal" social relationships regarding the topic of religion?
Why do strangers presume to inquire about my religiosity in a conversation?
As a "professional" in the study of religion(s) I anticipate inquiries about religion(s) in general - inquiries that would draw upon my professional, academic knowledge. Even if I'd rather talk about something else.
When people presume to inquire about my personal religiosity I typically side-step the question. Usually I have no interest in beginning an extended conversation related to my personal religiosity with a stranger. It's bad enough that since I study new religious movements I receive many questions about "cults" and other NRMs and have to deliver the same spiel about what defines the Pagan movement (to someone who knows nothing about NRMs).
But as I tried to think of comparisons with other specialties, I realized this may be common. That is, that the inquirers seek to add a personal dimension to their knowledge. They want to get insider information concerning my personal outlook (in this case, on religion) as a "professional". I imagine computer engineers don't only have to answer questions about how a system works, but about what system they personally use and prefer. I suppose it's the same, if one takes a mechanistic view of religion. Having studied religion in many forms, I suppose others might seek my "informed" preferences for my own practice. Certainly I've had people make such direct inquiries of me.
That's when I pull out my ol' cult-leader joke. It's a goody. Have you heard me tell it?
(A little funnier than the Mandy with a Zed joke/story)
Other Person: What would your preferred religion be?
Me: I would want a religion based on respect... (yadda yadda)
OP: Oh, that's good. You should start that religion based on your expertise!
Me: Yeah! And the first thing everyone would have to respect is ME!
mwhahahahahahahahahaha
Seriously, people set me up for that one all the time. It's so easy when people know you study "cults". (or, studied... since I actively try not to say my specialty is NRMs now that I am far more interested in the study of children).
If I was studying to be a minister, I wonder what kind of discussions people would start with me. I try to avoid all of these inquiries and conversations by emphasizing I do "sociology of religion." It seems to confuse enough people that I can avoid further discussion about my personal religiosity. At the very least it makes clear to people that I will not be a minister/nun and I don't have to explain that religious studies is not the same as theological studies (now, or, mostly... depending on the scholar...). Sociology remains a relatively obscure social science I think. I'm certain if I studied psychology of religion I'd encounter a whole other set of inquiries... I can hear them now.
Anyhow, the short of it is, I find it interesting that I am exempt for the social taboos around discussing (and in particular, asking about) religion and religiosity. And, sometimes I'm annoyed by this exemption. But, mostly I'm intrigued and enjoy a good talk about religion. It is my chosen field of study for good reason.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Playful Videos
I just uploaded (or, technically, am in the process of uploading) two video of Abi playing for your pleasure. Enjoy. Sorry the sound is almost muted on the one - I have no idea why, but you should probably be grateful you can't hear it at full volume.
Here's Abi dancing:
And Abi playing with her Dora lego.
And here are some cute pictures of her in her new house - which she painted.
Okay, you got me, this isn't Abi. This is her friend over to play, but it's the only photo of the door on the house - in all its pink glory.
Thanks go to Candace and Jon for providing the box.
Here's Abi dancing:
And Abi playing with her Dora lego.
And here are some cute pictures of her in her new house - which she painted.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Another day of dyeing experiments
Let me preface the following by stating that even though I enjoy the process of using food colouring to dye wool yarn with Abi, I have no intention of becoming more involved with dyeing. Nope, not me.
Today we worked on creating a few small skeins of yarn that will be used to duplicate-stitch another Decepticon logo onto a black hat for Candace. She wanted the full-colour design - complete with gradients of blue and purple. Silly me said "okay". Hey, it seemed a better idea than doing the same grey work as Robin's hat. That would mean I did the same thing twice! No way!!
First job was to open the skein of yarn, figure out how many stitches were needed for each colour (pre-calculated earlier this week), and measure out the necessary amount, plus a lot extra to be safe.
Next the yarn has to soak for several hours. (Almost forgot that part. Good thing we were going to start early this morning and just had to push back dying to the afternoon.)
Eventually the fun starts!
We started with the blue. But apparently just plain blue food colouring results in a sort of teal or turquoise colour. That just wouldn't do. A drop of red fixed it nicely. The three gradients were created by leaving the yarn in for shorter and longer intervals. I probably won't use the lightest colour since I pulled it out before discovering the red-dye fix.
Next Abi wanted to dye some yarn for herself, so we interrupted the scheduled dyeing of purple. She wanted blue. But then she wanted to add some drops of red directly to the pot after the yarn was in. A couple drops turned into a lot of drops. The result is decidedly NOT blue. But it is a lovely purple. (sorry, these photos taken in the evening with a flash.)
Then I was back to creating a less-mottled purple for the Decepticon yarn. Again, the lightest shade is not what I wanted, so I'll just use undyed. But I think the rest came out nicely.
And, finally, it was Abi's turn again. This time she wanted pink. 4 drops each of neon purple and neon red created a very pink colour in the yarn (the water itself looked muddier). Too pink for me... so I dropped in a couple drops of blue... you know, so it will blend better with the purple later. I have no idea what her yarn will become. It's just plain old wool. I can't even recall if it's Lion Brand or Paton's Classic. Either way, it was originally purchased for making wool soakers, when I thought I would need more. Before she decided to use a toilet and not grow significantly in the diaper region.
This one is still in the dye-bath. In fact, I should probably go rinse it...
Final shot for Decepticon hat yarn:
Today we worked on creating a few small skeins of yarn that will be used to duplicate-stitch another Decepticon logo onto a black hat for Candace. She wanted the full-colour design - complete with gradients of blue and purple. Silly me said "okay". Hey, it seemed a better idea than doing the same grey work as Robin's hat. That would mean I did the same thing twice! No way!!
First job was to open the skein of yarn, figure out how many stitches were needed for each colour (pre-calculated earlier this week), and measure out the necessary amount, plus a lot extra to be safe.
Next the yarn has to soak for several hours. (Almost forgot that part. Good thing we were going to start early this morning and just had to push back dying to the afternoon.)
Eventually the fun starts!
We started with the blue. But apparently just plain blue food colouring results in a sort of teal or turquoise colour. That just wouldn't do. A drop of red fixed it nicely. The three gradients were created by leaving the yarn in for shorter and longer intervals. I probably won't use the lightest colour since I pulled it out before discovering the red-dye fix.
Too light! Back in the blue-bath!
Too teal. Time to play with the blue-bath.
A drop of red made it much better!
The darkest I could get it. Or I may have let it soak a little longer after this. I don't recall now.
Next Abi wanted to dye some yarn for herself, so we interrupted the scheduled dyeing of purple. She wanted blue. But then she wanted to add some drops of red directly to the pot after the yarn was in. A couple drops turned into a lot of drops. The result is decidedly NOT blue. But it is a lovely purple. (sorry, these photos taken in the evening with a flash.)
Then I was back to creating a less-mottled purple for the Decepticon yarn. Again, the lightest shade is not what I wanted, so I'll just use undyed. But I think the rest came out nicely.
Here are all the purples together. Abi's is on the right - the more mottled of the group. The pale purple [slash] pink will not be going into the hat. (Don't worry Candace.)
And, finally, it was Abi's turn again. This time she wanted pink. 4 drops each of neon purple and neon red created a very pink colour in the yarn (the water itself looked muddier). Too pink for me... so I dropped in a couple drops of blue... you know, so it will blend better with the purple later. I have no idea what her yarn will become. It's just plain old wool. I can't even recall if it's Lion Brand or Paton's Classic. Either way, it was originally purchased for making wool soakers, when I thought I would need more. Before she decided to use a toilet and not grow significantly in the diaper region.
Final shot for Decepticon hat yarn:
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Mouse returns
At one point Abi and I watched from a safe distance (on the couch) as the mouse walked into the middle of the open room (I've been trying to clear up kid-clutter to make mouse-catching easier) with two cats following it. Mouse stopped. They stopped and just sat there looking. Mouse ran and George was in pursuit. Caught it, tossed it. Played for a while. Mouse rolled over and played dead with its belly up, and when George stopped to look the mouse took off again!
I can't help but think of Mrs. Brisby and her husband. I'm sure the mouse has good reason to be here... I'm sure there's a few stray cheerios hiding under the couch. Even though I just cleaned everything under the couch. You know, cleared the living room, shifted all the furniture so I could move the couch across the room and vacuum and wash the floor. Left a mousetrap behind the couch. You know, mouse-proofed. All for naught since I found the trap sprung, the peanut butter gone, and no mouse.I would like to emphasize who did all this: Me.
So when Robin asked why I didn't catch the mouse while it played dead (for a whole 10 seconds), I informed him who will be cleaning the living room and catching the mouse with 2 cats, a dog, and a toddler in hot pursuit.
I'll let you know how that works out for him. Especially since he'll be doing his first full cleaning of the living room this week. I'll definitely want to find the camera for this! :P
ETA: Photos from when I walked down the stairs for some water, picked up Abi's fleece from where she tossed it, and found mouse on my way back up. Somehow missed it on the brown tiles when I picked up sweater. Lucky I didn't step on it! Now the little guy is outside. Unlikely to survive - but I didn't kill it. Who knows, maybe the Rats of Nimh will rescue it. Darn cute critters.
Robin's still on cleanup duty!
Monday, January 10, 2011
New Teeth
See the teeth on either side of her top center teeth.
I'm trying to find a good "before" picture...
Today's visit went very well. She's always been good in the dentist chair, but was definitely her best ever this time - especially given that she knew what to expect and one might expect she'd be more apprehensive of going through all that again. I know I was!
All the cavities have been removed (drilled out - and there was a lot) and filled back in so her teeth look better than ever. Yay! Hopefully these will last until they fall out... Her adult teeth won't come in with the same inherent problem.
Saturday, January 08, 2011
Mini-me?
She's stubborn AND creative in her thinking.
She always has an "idea" such as in the following typical exchange:
me "Abi, please do X"
Abi "no wait, no wait. I have an idea! How about I do Y (fun thing) and then I do X. Is that a good idea?"
me "how about you do X"
Abi "no wait, listen..."
me " please do X"
Abi "...listen, listen. I have an idea..."
and so on.
She's definitely a leader and a mothering type.
(That would be me... right mom? Right sis?)
The recent clincher was when she told me her favourite colours are pink and blue and rainbow.
My family and long-time friends will be chuckling. I'll explain for the rest of you.
When I was young my room was pink and blue. They were my favourites. When I finally was able to paint my own room and get new linens, etc, as a young teen, I went with earthy green. I was done with pink and blue! It's only in the past couple years I've come to re-embrace pink as a lovely colour.
As for rainbow, that has long been my stated favourite "colour" (or as I might say now as a fiber-ista, "colourway") - despite frequently being told it's not a colour.
(I also used to list silver as my favourite colour. In my teen years I wore a LOT of silver... you should have seen my shoe collection! And the dresses... Not to mention the rings on every finger.)
So when Abi said that I realized - uh oh - she really is ME!
She repeatedly tells me and everyone those are her favourite colours - not that she ever says anything she doesn't really mean. I sometimes expect she'll randomly say something but won't be consistent about it. But she always proves me wrong. Like names she has given her toys, or who her best friends are.
(For the record, I have definitely never told her what my favourite colours are and would not have said pink or blue. She's never asked and I've never had a reason to say what mine are. I also checked if she was mimicking someone else, but she doesn't know what colours her best friends favour. And trust me, if she knew, she'd tell me about it! She doesn't forget any thing. She still picks up her mardi gras necklaces from Spirits of the Earth Festival and tells me about how she got them and where and what we saw. She knows every gift from every person. And she'll correct me if I get it wrong.)
She always has an "idea" such as in the following typical exchange:
me "Abi, please do X"
Abi "no wait, no wait. I have an idea! How about I do Y (fun thing) and then I do X. Is that a good idea?"
me "how about you do X"
Abi "no wait, listen..."
me " please do X"
Abi "...listen, listen. I have an idea..."
and so on.
She's definitely a leader and a mothering type.
(That would be me... right mom? Right sis?)
The recent clincher was when she told me her favourite colours are pink and blue and rainbow.
My family and long-time friends will be chuckling. I'll explain for the rest of you.
When I was young my room was pink and blue. They were my favourites. When I finally was able to paint my own room and get new linens, etc, as a young teen, I went with earthy green. I was done with pink and blue! It's only in the past couple years I've come to re-embrace pink as a lovely colour.
As for rainbow, that has long been my stated favourite "colour" (or as I might say now as a fiber-ista, "colourway") - despite frequently being told it's not a colour.
(I also used to list silver as my favourite colour. In my teen years I wore a LOT of silver... you should have seen my shoe collection! And the dresses... Not to mention the rings on every finger.)
So when Abi said that I realized - uh oh - she really is ME!
She repeatedly tells me and everyone those are her favourite colours - not that she ever says anything she doesn't really mean. I sometimes expect she'll randomly say something but won't be consistent about it. But she always proves me wrong. Like names she has given her toys, or who her best friends are.
(For the record, I have definitely never told her what my favourite colours are and would not have said pink or blue. She's never asked and I've never had a reason to say what mine are. I also checked if she was mimicking someone else, but she doesn't know what colours her best friends favour. And trust me, if she knew, she'd tell me about it! She doesn't forget any thing. She still picks up her mardi gras necklaces from Spirits of the Earth Festival and tells me about how she got them and where and what we saw. She knows every gift from every person. And she'll correct me if I get it wrong.)
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Daddy's New Toy
I'm sure if Robin were writing here, he'd like to send out his sincere gratitude to our parents for sending him Christmas money, with which he was able to buy an Archos 5 tablet.
He can tell you all about himself one day - and I'm sure he will. The 5 indicates a 5" screen. So it's very portable and does all sorts of things - like play music and videos, connect to the internet with WiFi, touch screen, etc. For comparison purposes, it's rather like an iPad except it's not an Apple product and it runs Android (by Google creators).
It was just left on our doorstep by the UPS guy. (Knock, drop, and run - is that their motto?)
ETA conversation that followed on IM:
Me: "Shall I open it for you and tell you all about it? :P"
Robin: "And steal all my fun?????"
Me: "Yes!"
Robin: :(
Me: "Hey, you get a new toy. What about my fun?"
Robin: "You got to blog about it."
So I blogged more.
And of course I won't open it.
I'm sure I won't even get to see it for weeks...
He can tell you all about himself one day - and I'm sure he will. The 5 indicates a 5" screen. So it's very portable and does all sorts of things - like play music and videos, connect to the internet with WiFi, touch screen, etc. For comparison purposes, it's rather like an iPad except it's not an Apple product and it runs Android (by Google creators).
It was just left on our doorstep by the UPS guy. (Knock, drop, and run - is that their motto?)
ETA conversation that followed on IM:
Me: "Shall I open it for you and tell you all about it? :P"
Robin: "And steal all my fun?????"
Me: "Yes!"
Robin: :(
Me: "Hey, you get a new toy. What about my fun?"
Robin: "You got to blog about it."
So I blogged more.
And of course I won't open it.
I'm sure I won't even get to see it for weeks...
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
it's a new year
Hi all.
I'm feeling obliged to make a New Year post - just because of the number of people I know who are returning to their blogs afresh after a hiatus. Not that I've been away from my blog - no, my obligation to post about Abi and knitting is too great to stay away. I think, upon reflection, that I've done a pretty good job of keeping up with the blog updates for you. Yes, for you. Well, a little for me - I confess that when I look over old posts I'm reminded of events I'd forgotten. But mostly for you, our friends and family - particularly those who are far away.
As I type Abi is on my lap. Asking for fresh water in my cup. brb.
Where was I? Oh, yay me for keeping up with blogging for you (and me).
For those of you who read this on FB, rather than Blogspot, you've probably not noticed the increasing bar indicating the completion-level of my dissertation. It's at 80% now. What does that mean? It means I've finished the really boring review chapters - chapters 2, 3, and 4. I've finished most of the introduction (which I've shared with you here) except for that other boring part where I tell the reader what follows in the rest of the chapters. I'm half done chapter 5 in which I discuss the contexts of religious socialization for Pagan kids (the Pagan movement and families). I've outlined chapter 6 in which I discuss the experiences of second-generation Pagans to discern the processes of religious socialization actually at work. And then there's the conclusion to write, which I have drafted on paper, but will likely be much revised by the time I am done. Does that sound like 80% ? Maybe I should make it higher - because the boring stuff is done. Okay, so there's still some (boring) editing ahead.
Time for our tea. With Abi's new tea set. She's waited patiently.
I'm feeling obliged to make a New Year post - just because of the number of people I know who are returning to their blogs afresh after a hiatus. Not that I've been away from my blog - no, my obligation to post about Abi and knitting is too great to stay away. I think, upon reflection, that I've done a pretty good job of keeping up with the blog updates for you. Yes, for you. Well, a little for me - I confess that when I look over old posts I'm reminded of events I'd forgotten. But mostly for you, our friends and family - particularly those who are far away.
As I type Abi is on my lap. Asking for fresh water in my cup. brb.
Where was I? Oh, yay me for keeping up with blogging for you (and me).
For those of you who read this on FB, rather than Blogspot, you've probably not noticed the increasing bar indicating the completion-level of my dissertation. It's at 80% now. What does that mean? It means I've finished the really boring review chapters - chapters 2, 3, and 4. I've finished most of the introduction (which I've shared with you here) except for that other boring part where I tell the reader what follows in the rest of the chapters. I'm half done chapter 5 in which I discuss the contexts of religious socialization for Pagan kids (the Pagan movement and families). I've outlined chapter 6 in which I discuss the experiences of second-generation Pagans to discern the processes of religious socialization actually at work. And then there's the conclusion to write, which I have drafted on paper, but will likely be much revised by the time I am done. Does that sound like 80% ? Maybe I should make it higher - because the boring stuff is done. Okay, so there's still some (boring) editing ahead.
Time for our tea. With Abi's new tea set. She's waited patiently.
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