Peony Moss: July 2007 Archives

I was tagged by Alicia.

1. How long have you had a cell phone? (If you don't have one, why not? What would prompt you to get one?)
I had a cell phone for a while in 1997 and dropped the subscription. I got a new one in 2002 and have had one since then.

2. How much do you use it?
Maybe once every couple of days.

3. Do you get jittery without it?
No. But I probably should, or at least feel its absence, in case the school nurse is trying to reach me or something like that.

Computers

1. How many computers in your house? One.

2. How much time do you spend on the computer in a day?
Varies. If it's a work day, between work and home I'm probably on the computer seven or eight hours.

3. How does the time break down?
Home computer use: One part personal email, one part home business, two parts blogs/ blogging/ surfing.

4. If your computer malfunctions, do you-
1. Log in as root and fix the problem in a few swift keystrokes?
Who's root?

2. Get some online help and fix it yourself with slightly slower keystrokes?
Once in a while, mostly if my connection is acting up.

3. Enlist outside help? from whom? How does he or she respond when you ask for assistance?
Nope.

4. Opt for the wishful thinking computer repair strategy, also known as the reboot-with-fingers-crossed strategy?
I do this before I turn to option 2.

Meta

1. What techno-gadget would you most like to own?
A DSLR.

2. Of those you own (including PDA, iPod, etc.), which would you miss most acutely if you dropped it in the lake accidentally while canoeing?
My digital camera (I have a point-and-shoot right now.)

3. What's something you'll never buy?

Gigantic television.

Vacuuming? Check.

Swimming lessons? Check.

Dinner? Check.

Receive and read the book?

CHECK.

Started reading at 3:50 PM; finished around 10:30. (I did take breaks to for dinner, bedtime stories, etc.)

Much to think about; much to discuss. But I just have to say...

1. Vacuum the family room.

2. Take Hambet to swimming lessons.

3. Make dinner (bratwurst on the grill.)

4. Wait for the THUMP on the doorstep that means the UPS man's brought my book:
.

Drop everything and start reading, remembering to take it slowly.

5. Kick myself for not having plugged this book when I read it in May:

I wish I'd had this book in college just as a general reference. The chapters on alchemy were fascinating, and the chapters on post-modernism were enormously helpful (and jargon-free.) I'm going to try to get my husband to read it, even though he will probably never open a Potter book, for its explanation of how symbols really work (as opposed to the this-equals-this "code" approach.

I understand that Granger will update the book post-Deathly Hallows. It will be well worth reading, both as a guide to Potter and a friendly guide to reading in general.

I'll leave the robots to Pansy and just blog all-Ratatouille all the time. I'd love to write a long, leisurely review but Happy Catholic Julie wrote a good one, so I'll just link to it and say, "what she said":

When "Fin" came up on the screen, I suppressed an impulse to applaud. No need. The audience around me, without my reservations, burst into applause anyway.

There was applause when I saw it, too.

Two themes I want to tie together at some point. Julie quotes Juila Child:

Noncooks think it's silly to invest two hours' work in two minutes' enjoyment; but if cooking is evanescent, so is the ballet.

I want to pull out Pieper's Leisure: The Basis of Culture

and consider that idea in the light of Pieper's comments on sacrifice.

OK to invade and remove Mugabe, Ncube tells Brits

Saying that he is prepared to lead the overthrow of President Robert Mugabe but that the people are not ready, Bulawayo Archbishop Pius Ncube has told reporters that Britain would be justified in invading Zimbabwe.

The Courier-Mail reports that Archbishop Ncube told London's Sunday Times the deepening destitution in his country, including millions going hungry and the world's highest inflation rate, meant Britain would be right to act.

"I think it is justified for Britain to raid Zimbabwe and remove Mugabe," he said.

"We should do it ourselves but there's too much fear. I'm ready to lead the people, guns blazing, but the people are not ready."

Archbishop Ncube said the president was squandering money while the people starved and had just spent $US2 million ($A2.37 million) on surveillance equipment while most people struggled along on $US2 ($A2.37) a week.

"How can you expect people to rise up when even our church services are attended by state intelligence people?" the archbishop said.

It is worth noting, by the way, that the most sentimental people, who are loudest against the right to wage a just war, to execute a criminal, are just the people who are most likely to be in favour of ‘putting incurables out of their pain,’ which the commandment against murder most emphatically forbids.--Hilaire Belloc, via "The Daily Eudemon", via TSO

"You can be very caring and still be extremely dangerous." -- S., one of my instructors in nursing school

Anthony Esolen on sentimentality