November 14, 2008
Quick Takes
Quick Takes
Because it's theoretically easier than writing long posts (not that I write those either) and to show my slavish devotion to Jen of The Reluctant Atheist, er, Et tu, Jen, er, Conversion Diary, I thought I would join in her Quick Takes blog-a-thon.
1. Can you ever have too much tea? My friend Jo-Lynne, who hates tea would say yes and my friend Meredith would probably agree with her, but I think that just means there is more tea out there for me to drink. When I was growing up tea was always drunk hot. I came to college in the South and if you asked for tea it came cold and sweet, unless you specified "hot tea" or asked for it without sugar.
I'm so flexible I can drink tea hot or cold and even enjoy a cup of coffee, but the true comfort drink for me is hot tea. You can imagine that my trip last winter to England was tea nirvana, right? And I brought home several boxes of some new favorites -- my most favorite of all was Fortnum and Mason's Rose Pouchong. And then I used it up and was sad. Now I'm very happy again, because my friend Patricia, back from her own extended journey through London, sent me enough Rose Pouchong to fill the air with rosy tea scented goodness for a long, long time.
2. My six year old has decided this is the week to develop an act of great oppression every time I announce it is time to do schoolwork. We've tried taking breaks and doing things she's more interested in, but eventually one must learn to do a little math, history and spelling. I'm out of creative solutions.
3. The baby has decided that the sleeping through the night thing that she's been doing for the last three or so months has been going on long enough. I think she heard me plotting to move her to her own room. She can stay with us, but I want my sleep back.
4. When you learned punctuation, assuming you did learn punctuation, how many spaces were you told to put after a period? I was told to use two. My husband informs me that in the age of the word processor, the double space after a full stop is unnecessary. I do recall reading that a lot of journals have done away with the extra space as a space-saving measure (heh) but I think it may be a sign of barbarism. Do I really need to retrain my thumb to leave out that extra space?
5. Twitter -- do I need to drink the Kool-Aid?
6. Yesterday my friend brought her four children ages twenty months up to seven over so that she could go to her first midwife appointment. They wound up staying about three hours and all the kids were great -- no fighting or fussing. Other than her little one nearly giving himself a black eye when he tripped, it was easy. Who'd have thought nine kids could be so little trouble?
7. For those of you who are Catholic -- do you fast during Advent? Some people I know do, but it seems like most don't. However, to really prepare for the coming of Jesus, fasting does make sense. We're thinking about doing something as a family, but the selfish part of me doesn't really want to do anything that would interfere with all the Christmas parties that take place during the time before Christmas.
Re #4 - sadly, yes. Some nasty professor gave me a bad grade on a paper in college solely based on the double space after periods. I was so furious. That is the way we were taught to do it, it was the RIGHT way with typewriters. I thought it would be hard to fix, but now I'm totally used to it.
Re #1 - that sounds like a fabulous tea. Next time we go, I'll have to hunt it down. I had been thinking we might go before Christmas, but not in the first trimester. We'll see our friend again someday.
Re #7 - post if you do, I'll be curious. I can't see fasting while pregnant - then again, maybe morning sickness is kind of like an enforced fasting, or something worse.
Jennifer
Posted by: Jennifer at November 14, 2008 04:28 PMWhat kind of fast do you mean?
For Yom Kippor my husband and I try to not eat or drink anything from sun down to sun rise. We usually end up breaking a bit early, but we really do try. The kids however, are exempt. In fact the sick, the elderly, the young, the pregnant and nursing mothers are exempt.
From the Jewish viewpoint, I think fasting is a very good thing to do. I moan and groan about it with my friend Meryl during Yom Kippor, but it does hit the right note spiritually. We just get a bit grumpy at the end.
Posted by: Sarah G. at November 14, 2008 10:43 PMOoops! that's sun down to sun down. It works out to being 25 hours.
Posted by: Sarah G. at November 14, 2008 10:44 PM#1 - I am SO trying to develop a love for tea, but it keeps not working. I always end up feeling so crushingly tired that I'm terrified to drink anything less caffeinated than coffee.
#3 - Ouch. I am so, so sorry. Sleep deprivation makes everything tough.
#5 - Yes.
#7 - Hmm. Good question. I just figured out what Advent was about halfway through Advent last year, so I hadn't thought about it. Let us know what you do!
Thanks for participating!! Loved your quick takes.
Posted by: Jennifer (Conversion Diary) at November 14, 2008 11:42 PMOh, that tea sounds delicious!! Is that the Fortnum's that Mrs. Pumphrey used to send hampers to "Uncle James" Herriot?? I see they're online and ship internationally!
Posted by: Kim at November 17, 2008 09:12 PM(2) You have my sympathy. My son does the same thing at the beginning of every new week. "What?" he says, as though he is shocked -- SHOCKED -- that I planned on having him do school. Again. (Didn't he just do that last week? What was the weekend if not the beginning of No School Ever Again?) Then the moaning and groaning commences.
That's usually when I consider dumping my scalding hot tea all over my own head, because it would numb the pain the school-related whining causes (but I can never bear to waste perfectly good Tazo Chai like that).
Posted by: Jamie at November 18, 2008 10:26 PMDon't drink the Kool-aid! says the woman without a cell phone. :)
We don't usually fast during Advent, but I'm pretty sure we have a few times, and I'm thinking about doing it again. I don't think it has to completely interfere with Christmas parties that take place before Christmas though. My (Anglican, not Catholic) priest told us that when you're fasting, but you're a guest, you can take what the host offers you. Because not taking it is drawing attention to your fast, and imposing it on your host. So, I think it's possible to make your fast a home fast, without making it a public fast. (And then, of course, being restrained in public. Taking what's offered, but not taking more.) Maybe that would work for you?
Posted by: Jessica Snell at November 20, 2008 11:49 AM
Jordana Adams, Chief Pontificator