erm, heebie, are you time travelling?
I think maybe there's supposed to be a link in the first word of this post?
1: see, originally I wrote this post this morning, and then decided to wait, and then found out that the time-stamps don't self-update if you lolly-gag, so I auto-updated them.
2: Well, I didn't, because the front page takes you to a way later post in the story, which seems a bad place to start from.
But then I have no way to get to her front page! Unless I edit the url myself. By hand. Or search for some link on her page to take me there.
The best place to put such a link, in my view, would be like so:
If you've read through those chapters, then I'm sure you're hooked. There are 7 more chapters currently written, but they're all in June, and readily clickable from her front page.
Also, this is indeed fascinating reading.
The solution in 5 is fine, but the "This is a site..." at the begining of the post still throws me. What is the "this" referring to if there's no link? It's borderline dishonest. Maybe if you changed it to read "There exists a site..."
There! That should clear things up!
Really? I thought it was the perfect abuse of power as a newbie poster.
Well, that was uncalled for.
I think you mean "borderline dishonest."
My mom really does double-click on everything.
I'm not even sure that email address will work.
Hmm. Should I include another update to address that?
what if I LIKE double-clicking? Can I still follow the rest of the directions?
it is a bit unusual that her banner doesn't go home.
My mom was wondering recently about an old friend of hers; I asked if she had googled this friend's name, mentioning that she should put the name in quotation marks. Mom replied with a look of wonder: "Oh! And then she'll write back to me?"
So cute.
You're unusual that the banner doesn't go home.
15: That is uncharted territory. Go carefully, and report back what happens.
You know, the problem with putting up something really long for everyone to go read is that then there's no one to talk to while everyone goes and reads it.
I already read that whole website. I'll talk to you!
only for 10 minutes though because I am at a fancy conference and I have to go pretend I am an adult and pay attention to things
20: I read your whole post, heebie. Not to worry.
I was just about to say, you sabotaged yourself because I just clicked over to your blog that I didn't know you had, and am now busily reading up. Your alibi about being at a conference checks out.
24: I really do have a math post pre-written. I was thinking I'd save it for this weekend when Jammies's parents are in town and I might be indisposed. And I'm using math loosely, but it's logical at least, and accessible to everyone.
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Sigh. I wonder what ogged would say about this.
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I read all the parts that you linked! But there are more things to read, and I got sucked in. Also I am busy having a conversation about how using iTunes as an intermediate layer for everything iPhone sure is irritating.
ha! here's what I suddenly got worried about: someone from this same conference googled me earlier today. Maybe I should stop talking shit about it in public.
OR MAYBE NOT.
Well, we already had the Foster Care-y discussion below, so perhaps we should have the Adorable discussion here.
I'll start. Those pictures Joseph drew sure are adorable! Especially the anal bleeding one.
23: woo deaf people! I'm halfway there with you!
28: when you use non-iCal calendaring there's two intermediate layers! Neato!
26: this weekend when I won't be reading. I guess I know how things are.
31: does that mean you are halfway to Connecticut or you are halfway deaf?
I read it, Heebie! I can't help but think that these people are superheroes. And that if I really want to change the world, I'll become a social worker and not suck at it.
this weekend when I won't be reading. I guess I know how things are.
Really? I can cater to my fans; I'll save it for Monday.
Mr.H, remind me what you're back in school for? It's something along these lines, right?
32: halfway deaf. I won't be halfway to connecticut until tomorrow, and since I'm not actually going to connecticut that's only technically true.
Okay I have to go learn things. UP NEXT: Integrating Lexical Information Into Sign Language Databases And Corpora!
I think tomorrow I may try to sneak in some alcohol. I am totally a grown up.
Look, how many hours can I spend standing in front of giant stacks of speakers, realistically? I think I've done all I can.
The word "update" should be in bold. House Style must be maintained!
This is heart-warming. Would Ogged have allowed that? Isn't Unfogged a grumpy blog (TM)?
Mr.H, remind me what you're back in school for? It's something along these lines, right?
No, it's public policy, which, I suppose, could lead me to either quantifying exactly how the foster care system is broken, or writing ineffectual papers on how to fix it.
Right. I remembered that it was in the "make the world a better place" vein, as opposed to "keep technology running smoothly". I paint with a broad brush.
Oh! I just got to the most recent entry about Joseph, and the story of what happened to his birth dad is SAD.
it's like you don't even believe technology is a social benefit, heebie
I know. Joey is such a likable person, who keeps trying in the face of everything. It's awful that his relationship with Joseph gets severed. He could have had permanent playdates or something.
47: okay, whatever, with your techno-speak. I just fear it, is all.
WHAT'S WITH THE THIRD DEGREE? GET OFF MY CASE.
I sorta kinda want to foster/adopt a kid or two, and Mr. B. says hell no. Probably he's right.
And don't hassle heebie, people. Or I'll start a frustrating and unnecessary fight.
I just read all of think linked posts, and I'm very glad that I did.
She tells the story well, and there's a lot of different emotions in that story.
Yay! A frustrating and unnecessary fight! Start the popcorn!
52: (Totally teasing you, Soupy.)
we haven't had a frustrating and unnecessary fight for weeks! Unless I missed one. Entirely plausible.
(Totally teasing you, Soupy.)
Oh good. Not my day at all, so I'm easily boggled I guess.
54: oh I love Boggle.
Indeed. One of my past favorite Internet time wasters, a Boggleish game called Tangleword went away not too long ago (I had cold turkeyed it a year or two earlier. I wanted to spend more quality time with my family ....). So far none of the others available seem quite as good.
One of my past favorite Internet time wasters, a Boggleish game called Tangleword went away not too long ago
Ohhhh man, that sucked up a SHITLOAD of my life.
(exactly right, that is, given the correction in 63)
53
I sorta kinda want to foster/adopt a kid or two, and Mr. B. says hell no. Probably he's right.
After my 'rents more or less successfully raised their four sprog (yeah I'm oldest, male, left-handed. The world stood no chance) my mother told my father she wanted to adopt. That is one of the few times I heard my father curse (as opposed to cuss). He said "Jesus Christ D3lores!"
That is why I think powerful words should be reserved for when you need them. Because some times, lets face it, you need them.
I'd never heard of weboggle. I just found the website, and sat here staring at the "register now to play" buttons on the screen for a good five full minutes. I eventually clicked away, and sucessfully, I'm happy to report, but man was that a close flirtation with disaster.
I'm using math loosely, but it's logical at least . . .
Did anyone else do those logic puzzles that you use a grid to solve when you were a kid? Ms. A didn't use the yellow gun to accidentally blow G's brains out. Mr. P cleaned up G's brains 25 minutes before the shooter, whose first name was not F, rampaged in a high school. Who shot whom and who needed a trigger lock?
Anyway, I showed some to my 9-year-old niece and she's now hooked on them. (Yay! And Encyclopedia Brown. I'll turn her into a mini-me yet.) I'm rehooked on the more complicated ones. Between these and the NYT crossword, I'm never getting Alzheimer's.
I'm looking forward to getting PK hooked on those. Soon....
My parents have fostered for about 22 years. I used to think I'd do it one day - it was great with the cute toddlers, the baby we had for 20 months and all loved, various under-10s, even the special needs siblings who still text me to tell me they love me - but the last 10 with a long-term placement of a boy with Reactive Attachment Disorder (short description: he's a wanker) have put me off that idea. He's 18 now, moves out this summer. I cannot wait.
Between these and the NYT crossword, I'm never getting Alzheimer's.
My current regime of Alzheimer's prevention includes (pretty easy) cryptics. They are the mostest funnest.
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I am currently amused by the elaborate politeness on display in the Senate, as my boss graciously interrupts his FISA speech to let some other senators sneak a few statements in.
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69 - oh yes. My eldest had a phase of them last year. #2's not really that way inclined. Must show #3, he likes the various Japanese puzzles already.
71:
Oh. My. God.
A teen? Plus male?! Plus a disorder?!! Plus foster care?!!!
Your parents have a lock on heaven, that is for sure.
Reactive Attachment Disorder
Yeah, this sort of thing gives me serious pause, especially b/c PK's still young himself.
76 - of course, you can say yes or no to children they ask you to take in. Here, if you have a 7 year old, they'd probably suggest anyway that you have children younger than that. I found emergency/short-term was good, pretty enjoyable, but long-term can be really really hard work.
Between these and the NYT crossword, I'm never getting Alzheimer's.
As I read NBA draft coverage, I wonder whether involvement fantasy sports (loosely defined) prevents or encourages Alzheimer's
78: I dunno but it sure seems to degrade grammar and punctuation.
The archives tell me that I haven't yet mentioned here that my sister is adopting a baby from Ethiopia (one of the few countries that still lets single women adopt). She got a referral a few weeks ago, meaning she's found out which baby she's adopting.
I've been wondering what kind of attachment or other issues they'll encounter. I mean, I'm sure there are always attachment issues in adoption, and especially international trans-racial ones. The baby will be about 9 months old when my sister actually gets to bring her home in -- we hope -- the next 6-8 weeks.
77: Right, they say the same thing here. I just worry, myself, about *not* taking a kid long-term. It just seems like short-term bopping in and out of foster care isn't so hot for kids, and I'm not sure I really want to be part of that, y'know?
Then again, it's reality, and they probably need someone to do it. And the temporary thing might make Mr. B. feel better about it. Hm.
Woooo - that's really exciting SK! There's loads of stuff out there to read about attachment disorders if you want to, and I'm sure there's a lot from the specialist international adoption angle too. I guess it's good to be prepared, but there won't necessarily be any problem - and if there are, then you've got a lot more chance with a 9 month old baby than a 9 year old child. Congratulations on your enhanced aunthood!
81: Well, they're probably different populations of kids, right? It may not be that you're forcing a long-term kid to split up their stay into several pieces, but giving a short-term kid a single residence while their parents are unavailable.
83: Right.
Obviously I need to actually gather some information rather than doing my usual thing of imagining a jillion different scenarios while sitting on my ass doing nothing.
82: Thanks! We have only one picture of her (Amara) which I keep on my desktop. She's gorgeous, though I suppose that's fairly redundant when it comes to babies.
My sister has done tons of reading and going to adoption groups, and etc., so I think she's as prepared as is possible.
My nieces and nephew here are thrilled to be getting another cousin. I don't think they'll have any trouble accepting her into the family, but we'll see. They've interacted with shockingly few black people in their lives, which probably cuts both ways, I think. (Few stereotypes, but more unknown/differentness.)
She's gorgeous, though I suppose that's fairly redundant when it comes to babies.
Surprisingly not true.
The rate is probably a lot higher than in the adult populace, but it's certainly not 100%.
The rate of gorgeousness in your own offspring is 100%, however.
she's gorgeous, though I suppose that's fairly redundant when it comes to babies.
I thought this, but seeing the latest crop of babies in Cassidy's daycare (she just moved up to the toddler room) has proven definitively that not all babies are pretty.
86 is exactly right. Newborns frequently look like shrunken old men. But, you know, cute shrunken old men.
The Gerber baby comes later.
86, 87: she's gorgeous, though I suppose that's fairly redundant when it comes to babies if you squint
Not only gorgeous, but also near-certain to be so in 10, 20, 30, and 40 years. My god, what features!
Okay, yes, she is gorgeous.
But bald.
After perusing some of the posts tagged "Joseph," I've become a bit jealous of his perspective on life. Fer instance:
Today at soccer practice Joseph was being ..... well, Joseph and one of the kids on his team sneered at him and said "Why do you act so weird?" Without missing a beat Joseph smiled and hopped from foot to foot and said "I act this way because I am showcasing my talent which, as you know, is being goofy."
I swear to God that this is 100% true. One minute he's eating his lunch of applesauce and a peanut butter sandwich and the next he looks up at me and says: "If I want to attract a mate when I grow up then I'm going to have to get a wig."
my boss graciously interrupts his FISA speech to let some other senators sneak a few statements in.
Are you in DC for the summer, mrh?
Further on the post tagged "Joseph":
The other night Joseph had put some rubber bouncy balls into a sock and was bouncing it around the room. As he did it he narrated it like a sportscaster. His monologue included him saying "That's right folks, I've really got my balls in a sock tonight!" and then later "I can't even believe how socky my balls are!"
He didn't understand why I kept giggling at him. Oh the innocence of youth.
"That's right folks, I've really got my balls in a sock tonight!" and then later "I can't even believe how socky my balls are!"
Wow.
Woo-hoo Sir K and yay aunthood! (And yay asilon on the reclamation of vocabulary in "enhanced aunthood")
OK, this is funny. I just clicked over to Flickr to admire the picture of the gorgeous Amara (whose name has fewer syllables than most of the Ethiopians I know), and when I logged in was greeted by a message saying that one of my own photos may be used for some tourist-map website.
It's the most mundane, garden-variety picture of a statue you can imagine, so I'm kind of amused at the thought that they couldn't find 1,361 nicer versions available for free all over the place. But whatever.
The site keeps cracking me up:
When I picked Joseph up from school today he got in the car and said "I have a present for you in my backpack for Mother's Day. I won't tell you what it is but I'll give you a clue. It's in a pot, you have to water it and it's a flower."
She's shockingly gorgeous, SK. One day your sister may get bored of being told that, but I expect that will be a while away yet. (I took my lot for eye tests last week, and about 3/4 of the way through the 5 year old's test, the optician turned to me and said, "She's so cute!" Um, yes, she is, but she knows it.)
I wish my brother would acquire some children, I'm sure I'd love them more than my SIL's kids. (Is that a horrible thing to say? I have been letting my honestly bitchy side express herself all day, but I don't want to overdo it.)
99: I got one of those, for a printed map. Then realized that I logged in so infrequently that the copyright released deadline was 2 months gone.
Is that a horrible thing to say?
No.
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my favorite example sentence of the day:
"Joanna stubbed out her cigarette with unnecessary fierceness."
I didn't even pay attention to what this was an example of because I was so busy writing notes to myself about how fierceness is RARELY unnecessary. If EVER.
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Babies:
"He's our kid, Mary, and we love him, but isn't that about the ugliest baby you ever saw?" A guy I used to know grew up hearing that line several times a year. He didn't seem terribly damaged. As a grownup he was average in looks.
heebs, I'm now obsessed with this family's narrative. You and me, babe, we are internet-reading kindreds.
Are you in DC for the summer, mrh?
Nope, working on the junior varsity team, as it were.
80:
Sir Kraab, you weren't really clear on whether you knew about the attachment disorders and were wondering which ones may appear, or whether you want more information on attachment itself. Just in case it's the latter, Rumor Queen at the Chinese international adoption rumor site[1] has a bunch of book recommendations about attachment: http://www.chinaadopttalk.com/BookRecommendations.html
[1] International adoption from China has slowed dramatically since 2005, and some intending parents may wait five or more years for a referral. The support community grows with the wait.