we are hermits....or are YOU.....??

I'm not sure if you realize this, but we do not own a television.  Consequently, we don't have one in our home.  We certainly weren't the only Cambridge, MA dwellers who went TVless, but here in small town Indiana, well, let's just say, we're in the minority--the very small minority.  In fact, I would hazard a guess that there are fewer than a dozen homes in this town without a TV.  Okay, I'm totally making up that number.  But you get the point.

Because we have no TV, we generally have been solely paying for internet and phone services.  Recently, I had to make that semi-annual call to our provider to get the "best package"--you know.... how they rope you in with that super amazing deal and fail to mention that in one year (or sometimes less) that super amazing deal will completely vanish and your rates will either go soaring or gradually increase little by little so that you won't notice it until they ultimately drain your entire bank account.  (You don't hear skepticism in my voice, do you??)

Anyway, my annual call ended up not being what I quite expected and somehow when I got off the phone, we were going to be paying only a little bit less than we were but getting TV, phone and internet.  You might think, wow, GREAT deal!  All three for less than the two?  Yes.  Yes. I hope you're thinking that.  Because it really doesn't make sense.  And it really doesn't make sense that we couldn't get a BETTER deal on just the two services.  They really play you well, don't they?  So, I spent many consecutive  hours on the phone with people from the company trying to figure out why exactly we wanted this deal that they were so happy to give us.  (Many of the hours on the phone were attempts to actually get this "subscription" to actually work for us at our home.)

At this point, I have probably spent more than 10 hours in the past two weeks with this company, getting shuffled from one customer service agent to the next trying to solve my numerous dilemmas.  I believe that in essence, our problems all boil down to this one fact: we do not have a television.  And this greatly frustrates me.  It frustrates me to the point that I'm now actually spending an entire blog post on the matter.

Why do we have to own a TV?  Seems like such a useless piece of equipment when you can do almost all of the same things on a TV that you can do on the computer (at least in our house).  All these service agents at the company painted it like we were hermits and super strange--what if YOU'RE the strange ones!  You know, it's the people with the TVs who are sitting at home all day in front of them.  It's the people with their TVs on all day that are discouraging kids from getting outside and raising the obesity rate.  Shouldn't there be a movement against TVs??  I mean, instead of thinking we're some kind of freaks, why not stop to think about the reality of the culture we live in?  How much better would it be if fewer people had TV.  I'm not saying you can't watch things--in this house, we watch things online.  But the difference is that when you're watching something online, you have to think about it.  You have to be purposeful.  There's no flipping through channels and sitting there for hours.  You pick a show, you click on it, you watch it.  When it's over, you have to get up and go back to the computer.  That's not a nuisance; that's GOOD!

I'm starting to wonder if TV providers should be putting a portion of their profits into healthcare.  I mean, come on--you have to admit they are feeding this frenzy.  Giving away a bundle package of the three services at a lower price (or only dollars more) than the two; it's outrageous.  

But truth be told, I believe that the number of people looking to the internet for entertainment and media is growing.  Obviously at this point, most providers aren't prepared for that.  But if they don't recognize the wave coming, they're going to get washed up on shore with nothing left.  If these companies want to make the big bucks, they better figure out what's happening and act accordingly.  Otherwise, we're going to see a huge shift in the big money-makers we know today.  Some small start-up that's paying attention to the changing winds is going to snatch half their customers and start making their own billions.  (Remember Netflix??)

sickness and parenthood (warning!! in-depth description of illnesses; beware!)

Have you ever longed to see mucous pouring out of your child's nostrils?  No?  Well, okay, I understand--that's a pretty strange, and disgusting, thought.  But to be honest, there are times when I feel like it would be such a great relief to see that.  My almost-three year old is once again sick but showing few signs.  Yesterday he was acting super strange and not eating much, but otherwise no signs of an "illness."  Finally by last night, he had a temperature, but that was still the only sign (minus the lessened appetite--which happens to him fairly often anyway because he has ketotic hypoglycemia and his body gets confused about whether it's hungry or not...).  Sometimes in parenthood I find myself either longing for or enjoying the strangest things.... (Those of you who aren't parents might not understand this--so please don't pass judgment until you've had kids of your own!!)

For instance, there were days when Elijah was doing really poorly medically, with lots of seizures and strange stuff, and I just wished he'd have an abnormal EEG.  In hindsight, I think that's absolutely insane, since it would mean nothing but more testing and more issues, but for some reason then, it seemed like at least it would be something--some kind of tangible evidence that there was a problem with my son.

I also distinctly remember being thrilled on the inside the first time he threw up.  I remember it vividly--I was nannying at the time and was driving my two charges along with Elijah back to their house after a karate lesson for the oldest.  Elijah threw up in the van (THEIR van), all the way in the back seat.  Normal people might be devastated--shocked and embarrassed that their child threw up in someone else's vehicle, and also overwhelmed by the extreme clean-up necessitated afterwards.  But me, heck no!  I was like, "AT LAST! Something I know how to handle!"  I think cleaning up his throw up was one of the most rewarding parts of being a mom so far....  It was one of the first mom-problems I actually knew how to solve.

I'm still not sure whether those kind of bizarre thoughts are just a part of parenthood, or if maybe I'm just crazy and my experience is totally different than others.  (Feel free to chime in here!)  I do know for sure that parenthood is not at all what I thought it would be.   I have become much stranger than I ever imagined I would be--and I think I have my children to thank for that.

the end of hope

Yes, it is the end of hope.  My hope in ever having a creditable, well-liked, oft read blog has run away--high-tailed it to the nearest capable and creative blogging mom who is not me.  Why you ask?  Because tonight, tonight I have journeyed to the other side.  I have spent this last half an hour, while my husband peacefully rests behind me on the couch, clicking on one link after another after another only to find what I desperately feared (but always new inside myself) was true.  <<insert sad and yet suspenseful music here>>  That there are indeed amazing blogs out there that I will never be able to match in beauty or creativity.

Oh, to have the knowledge to make my own website! (Grr, these templates are so unsatisfying!!)  Oh, to have the ability to take great pictures! (Ahh, when a digital point and shoot is just not enough!!) Oh, to have enough lighting in the kitchen to be able to see the food I want to take pictures of!  (Such a dungeon I live in!!)

Yes, yes, it's true.  It is the end.  But, fear not, my loyal readers (however few there are of you) I am a stubborn woman.  And so, while I have realized that my blogging will never reach the ranks of one able to make a small fortune in advertising, I will carry on.  I will continue writing despite the odds stacked against me.  How, you say? How can I push on against such despair?!  It is simple you see...

...when everyone else in my house is asleep, I'll still need some kind of outlet for my obsessive rambling.

Easter is coming to our house

I know, you're thinking "Easter?? It's the end of summer and you're talking about EASTER?"  I am.  Only because Elijah is.

My son has a great memory.  He remembers that when we went to a friends' house to celebrate Easter this year there were jelly beans at the table.  He also remembers that someone dropped a ceramic bunny off at our door that was carrying some jelly beans inside of it--all for him.

Elijah loved the jelly beans. And he still remembers how wonderful they taste.  And so, he's been asking for jelly beans lately.  To this I reply, "Well, we can maybe get some more jelly beans for Easter."  Today we had a longer conversation about it, and I couldn't help but want to share this with all of you...

Elijah: Can I have jelly beans?

Me: Yes, maybe you can have jelly beans when Easter comes.

Elijah: Oh. What's Easter?

Me: Easter is a Holiday that we celebrate.  We remember that Jesus died and rose again; he conquered the grave.  He paid the debt for our sin.

Elijah: Oh.  Easter is a Holiday?

Me: Yes, Easter is a Holiday.

Elijah: Am I a Holiday?

Me: No, you are not a Holiday.  A Holiday is not a person.

Elijah: When Easter comes to my house, I will give him jelly beans.

sewing! :)

I realized that we had only borrowed Elijah's baby bumpers for the crib, so I had nothing for baby Abby.  I found something online for sale that was basically just fabric tightly fitting the crib to prevent escaping limbs and legs.... (yes, putting a child in a crib is like caging an animal....).  So, I figured, hey, it'd be super-simple to make something like that myself, just with a few adaptations.  Tada!!!  Presenting, my homemade bumpers with just stuff I had on hand.  Of course, they'd look prettier with cuter fabric and some adorable ribbon ties, but, like I said, I just used stuff I had on hand.  BUT, I can always buy cutsy stuff at the store if you know of anyone who could use some (since I myself could use some extra $!). :)  Just getting the word out there... :)  

energy; where have thou gone?

Oh how the excitement to blog dissipates as days get busier!  Such a shame, too.  Since (at least in this house) busier days usually come with interesting new stories to tell or questions to ponder.  Let's see if I can remember anything of interest from the last few days....

*Elijah has been remembering the fun of going to the Dining Commons here on campus (it has been closed during the summer) and has been anxious to go where the "man in the white hat makes us food."  We finally went on Sunday and the whole way there he said to everyone who passed by us: "we're going to the dining commons where the man in the white hat will make me food!!!"  Of course, most people had no idea that he was indeed actually yelling something at them--so they all just walked on by the loud unintelligible toddler.  Elijah didn't seem to mind.  He just tried the next person...and the next person...and the next.... until we finally got there.  At last he could enjoy his pasta and corn and chocolate milk (and chocolate ice cream!) that he had wanted for so long.

*There were a lot of door-knockers this past weekend, searching for any listening ear to hear of the great things their religion has done for them.  It does make me wonder--does this actually make an impact in the year 2010?  Did it EVER?  As someone interested in culture, it made me want to go around the neighborhood myself, surveying people to see what kind of impact a door-to-door religious salesman (if I may put it that way) would have on them.  Now, I'm not knocking (get the joke?) the spreading of your faith.  I think it's a crucial part of any religion--sharing it with the world.  But, does knocking on doors really get you anywhere?

*And again with the door knockers, to be honest, I saw the first bunch and was like, "eek! gads!  Mormons!  HIDE!!"  Seriously, I was unbelievably close to trying to get Elijah to stay super still so that they wouldn't know anyone was home.  The only reason I didn't was, well, because I knew Elijah wouldn't actually listen.  (oh, the disadvantages of having toddlers!)  Turns out the first group were just Baptists from down the road, but the second bunch were Jehovah's Witnesses.  I was nursing the baby at the time and couldn't help but laugh at the conversation I heard Jon having outside.  Something like this,

Jehovah's Witnesses: "blah blah blah, faith and assurance."
DH: "yes, we're very sure of what we believe..."
JH: "ahh, blah blah blah Bible."
DH: "Oh, YES.  We very much believe the Bible.  In fact, we'll soon be having a Bible study here in our home.  You're more than welcome to join us."
JH: "OH!  GREAT!  We're always so excited when we hear about people wanting to learn more about the Bible--here's some great information to look through as you read."
<<Insert me inside wanting desperately to yell, "UM, no thanks!!  We don't want any of your crazy books here!!!  But of course, my husband was more loving...>>
DH: "Oh, no thanks.  We don't need that."

But seriously, did they think they were going to change our ideas?  Did they think if we already believed what that Christian Bible said that we'd actually be interested in taking their pamphlets that conflict with what we already hold to be true??  Are they just crazy, or does that stuff really happen???





Well, now that I've bored you (or, worse, made you angry), I will go to bed.  Hopefully I can write a post soon that will be somewhat interesting!  (Don't hold your breath waiting, though!)

pros. vs. cons. to marrying a genius

I have already shared some of the hardships I endure on account of being married to a theoretical physicist. This morning I was spending a little time thinking about some of the pros and cons, and  I thought you may enjoy some of these thoughts. :)

Benefits	Disadvantages
He’s a genius! (genius=heartthrob)	I think everything he says is true even when he’s totally pulling my leg.
He can beat  normal people in pretty much any strategy-based game.	He beats ME in pretty much every strategy-based game; leaves us with so few options of games to play.... (I do so hate to lose over and over and over again....)
He’s smart enough to teach college.  And does.	I’m the wife of a professor--suddenly I feel very very old.
He went to MIT and knows what technology is out there.	Gets [extremely] annoyed almost EVERY time I’m dealing with a provider (medical, internet, phone, you name it) and their systems are “so medieval!!!!”  (So, I’m supposed to tell them that on the phone or what??? YOU tell them that and see if it resolves the issue!)
Likes to teach our children to inquire about the world around them.	Elijah has watched so many absolutely disgusting videos.  Did you know there are parasites that will grow inside another animal and take over it’s functions--so it basically makes the host like a zombie?  Then they’ll eat their way out--GROSS!!!!!!
Finds math very easy.	He can then get frustrated with people who don’t do their math. (Like, when he knows that America’s Got Talent is trying to pull a fast one when they say, “oh! wow! both of you will go instead of just one of you”--No surprise to Jon... he did the math....Why does EVERYTHING have to be about math!?!  give me a break! :-P )

Okay, I'm done chuckling at my husband's expense.... (for now!) Time to make better use of the kids' nap time!