Monday, February 02, 2004
More on Houses
On Saturday, we found a great little house in our price range provided we ate nothing but ramen noodles and tuna sandwiches for a year. Sure, it was small. Not a tree house mind you, but also not much bigger than our apartment. Oh, and the house rattled whenever the train passed by across the street. And the owners mentioned that the basement could get a bit "damp". But it had a new kitchen and a fenced in backyard. The kids could go to a cozy little school a few blocks away. We put in a bid.
However, so did 25 other people. And they drove up the price by $100,000. Steve's a little bummed out about it, but I'm not. Who needs an abode when you have two PhDs that come with so many spiritual and intellectual rewards? Also, Richard Hatch is back on Survivor, so that will distract me for a few weeks.
The Birth of a Bad Body Image
My sister took her two daughters to her Weight Watchers meeting last week because her husband didn't get back in time from work. She set them up with coloring books and crayons as the meeting progressed. Erin, the 3 year old, was absorbed the whole time in her art work. But Megan, aged 5, put down her crayons after a while. One woman stood up and told the crowd that she had lost five pounds. Everyone clapped, and the leader handed the speaker a star.
Megan asked, "Mommy, why is everyone clapping for that lady?" Maria replied without thinking, "Because she lost 5 pounds". Megan was very quiet. And Maria, who immediately regretted saying anything, saw the gears turning in Megan's head. Megan was making connections. Hmmm. If you don't eat, then people clap and give you a sticker. Being thin is good. Being fat is bad. Megan asked, "Why aren't you getting a sticker, mommy?" BECAUSE, OK, BECAUSE.
Read This
Stephen Karlson has some good advice on making room for hobbies.
Hey, look. I'm on Erin Zorn's Chicago Tribune's website. (Thanks, Mo.) Maureen Ryan, guest blogger, taught me more than I needed to know about Janet Jackson's nipple shield. She also suggested reading this blog from a mom who runs a sex toy shop in Chicago.
The best academic laugh/cry I had all day, from Household Opera (via the Invisible Adjunct. She's baaaack.)
On Saturday, we found a great little house in our price range provided we ate nothing but ramen noodles and tuna sandwiches for a year. Sure, it was small. Not a tree house mind you, but also not much bigger than our apartment. Oh, and the house rattled whenever the train passed by across the street. And the owners mentioned that the basement could get a bit "damp". But it had a new kitchen and a fenced in backyard. The kids could go to a cozy little school a few blocks away. We put in a bid.
However, so did 25 other people. And they drove up the price by $100,000. Steve's a little bummed out about it, but I'm not. Who needs an abode when you have two PhDs that come with so many spiritual and intellectual rewards? Also, Richard Hatch is back on Survivor, so that will distract me for a few weeks.
The Birth of a Bad Body Image
My sister took her two daughters to her Weight Watchers meeting last week because her husband didn't get back in time from work. She set them up with coloring books and crayons as the meeting progressed. Erin, the 3 year old, was absorbed the whole time in her art work. But Megan, aged 5, put down her crayons after a while. One woman stood up and told the crowd that she had lost five pounds. Everyone clapped, and the leader handed the speaker a star.
Megan asked, "Mommy, why is everyone clapping for that lady?" Maria replied without thinking, "Because she lost 5 pounds". Megan was very quiet. And Maria, who immediately regretted saying anything, saw the gears turning in Megan's head. Megan was making connections. Hmmm. If you don't eat, then people clap and give you a sticker. Being thin is good. Being fat is bad. Megan asked, "Why aren't you getting a sticker, mommy?" BECAUSE, OK, BECAUSE.
Read This
Stephen Karlson has some good advice on making room for hobbies.
Hey, look. I'm on Erin Zorn's Chicago Tribune's website. (Thanks, Mo.) Maureen Ryan, guest blogger, taught me more than I needed to know about Janet Jackson's nipple shield. She also suggested reading this blog from a mom who runs a sex toy shop in Chicago.
The best academic laugh/cry I had all day, from Household Opera (via the Invisible Adjunct. She's baaaack.)
