Spice Rack
I wanted one so bad.
I got one.
Glass canisters, stickers and all cost $15. I love you, Target.
The Favourite Toy
This week CJ and I decided on a toy we intend to be Louisette’s favourite, and (once the danger of SIDS has passed) sleep-time toy. She really liked a particular monkey toy because it was a comfortable size, easy to hold on to, and nice to chew on. I didn’t like the monkey’s face, so I used it as a model to find something that had it all: no TV brand name, washable, portable, and suitable for a five or a fifteen-year old as well as a baby. It took a long time, but we found Eeyore, and although it’s been less than a week Louisette is already fond of him (we bought three so the creation of dependence doesn’t horribly backfire when Favourite Toy is lost out a car window or has just been thrown up on and needs a wash). As parents, some of your plans come to naught – but some do actually work.
In other news, Louisette has been crying with frustration at every breastfeed (I breastfeed, then give her a full bottle feed, morning and night) so if she continues crying at every single feed for a week, I will let her (and myself) stop.
This amazing photo was taken at my baby-only playgroup this week:
Eurovision
Oh, Eurovision! How I love you.
Eurovison is a Europe-wide* contest for unsigned musical artists. It is astonishingly, spectacularly bad. In some ways it is amazingly predictable. In other ways it is. . . not.
Some of my favourites included the terrifying snake woman apparently giving birth on stage, the snow ninjas, the easybake babushkas (who did extremely well despite/because of their tremulous dance moves), the sailor girl (not funny or weird – just the best song; it did very badly), the vampire sailors (why sailors? Wait for it. . .), and “Oh dear I really have drunk too much and I’m seeing a gay space knight jiggling about and backflipping – plus I’m seeing double.” Moldova was trippy once again, too.
I won’t tell you who won (unless someone asks; then I’ll put it in the comments), but it was one of the above.
Louisette was enthralled:
We playing the Eurovision drinking game – mostly with lollies. This is what we ate in a matter of hours:
And this is how. . .
Drink/Eat for any of the following:
- Any casual racism/country stereotypes
- Any on-stage costume changes
- Anyone pretending to play an instrument
- Three or more nonsense syllables/intelligible English (eg lalala, I wuv oo)
- Use of wind machine
- Anyone dressed all in white
- Key change
- Not quite getting that big note
- Someone winking at the camera
- Obvious technical problems
- Cartwheels and Back-flips. And wire work.
- Awkward jokes
- Presenters /Performers hitting on each other
- Performers/presenters getting drunk before the end
- Michal Jackson inspired moves
- Space/futuristic type costumes
- Silly hats
- Countries voting for their neighbours or obvious political votes
Until next year Eurovision. . . don’t ever change.
*Some North African countries are also involved. And Israel. Why? Because.
Assorted
Video of working difference engine, as designed by Charles Babbage.
Photos taken in India in 1912 (including the royal visit). This is Lal Dighi, Calcutta:
And an article carefully explaining why gravity is a good idea, in memory of a wealthy eccentric.
Tell a dream, lose a reader
Today’s article is by intern and author Hilary Smith. It’s a fact of life that writers love dreams (especially during National Novel Writing Month, or any other time a lot of words need to appear fast), and readers hate them.
Hilary writes three excellent reasons why dreams tend to be rubbish. One thing she forgets to mention: never ever ever use the “It was all a dream!” ending in any of your stories, especially at the climax. It’s cheating, and stupid, and everyone who reads the story will hate you forever. Also, if you think it’s a clever twist ending – you are wrong. It’s not clever, it’s not a twist, and it’s not an ending.
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin
I’ll be reviewing Ursula LeGuin’s whole Earthsea trilogy* over the next few weeks. This is the first book.
When I was eighteen, I invented a wonderful world based on the Indonesian archipelago. It contained literally thousands of islands, and hundreds of diverse cultures. When I first read the Earthsea books several years later, I discovered that not only had my archipelago idea already been done, it had been done by a masterful writer who was already a classic. Fie upon you, LeGuin! You preemptively stole my idea and had the gall to do it better than me.
So: the world is excellent, and the writing is beautiful. The rest of this review is at Comfy Chair, where I get paid for it.
Poor Man’s Zoo
Yesterday I took Louisette to a pet shop to be fascinated by fish. Shiny, shiny colours and moving parts. What more could she want*?
*other than the ability to put them in her mouth, of course. . .
COMING SOON (and if you live in Canberra you can come too):
Eurovision party this Sunday (you can’t come to mine, but you can host your own). I’ll be playing Eurovision drinking games with lollies.
Free performance of circus band (not actually a circus band, but if that description sounds good to you you’ll probably like them) FLAP! at The Front Cafe Gallery in North Lyneham (yes, near Tillies) Wednesday 30th at 8:30pm.
“The Avengers” showing at the ANU film club Thursday 31st. It’ll cost you $15, but that’s a weekly membership so you get to watch other movies too.
Food Glorious Food
After about a month of intense anticipation, CJ and I sat down last Saturday (the first Saturday after Louisette passed the current recommended minimum age of four months) to give our little girl her first taste of food. Mmm. . . rice cereal mixed with watered-down formula. . .
I’d taken too long to get ready and she was grumpily sleepy before we began:
But she went for it! Hence my crazy eyes, and her “What just happened?” face:
We could have kept going but I didn’t want to overfeed her and cause problems for her tummy or kidneys. I’m so delighted she didn’t reflexively spit it out! Instead you can see her turning her head towards the spoon for another go. A world of messy delight stretches out ahead of us. . .
Since Saturday we’ve discovered that her preferred method of feeding is to be sucking on her hand at the same time. I knew feeding would get messy fast, but Louisette has truly done her bit in making it messier faster.
She’s been crying after feeds (both bottle and food), which is obviously quite disturbing, but it’s possible that all she really wants is more solids faster (I talked to a nurse about it, and most of the crying-during-feeding scenarios are already somewhat familiar – burping, wind, reflux, hunger, stress. . .). A desire for more solids certainly seemed evident during last night’s rice cereal feed. Now that I think I know the answer, I shall attempt to start breaking her hand-sucking-during-meals habit. And to let her eat more in a sitting.
This morning she’ll try her second food ever: zuccini mush. I’ll have CJ take a video, but I’m not posting it today. I have a Very Cunning Plan That You Will Love in the works, and filming her spewing bright green goo is just one of many parts of said plan.
PS: Long before Louisette was born, I planned to lay something on our dining table so I could lie her down and be at her level without crawling around on the floor. It worked very nicely when CJ and I had friends over last Monday – but the macabre overtones weren’t lost on any of us.
Mmm. . . delicious baby, buffet style.
PS:
Walkies
A friend and I and our daughters took a walk by Lake Burley Griffin on a perfect autumn day.
Felicity Banks 