Daily Kos

Got a happy story II?

by Carnacki

Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 05:55:12 PM PDT

I thought I would post another similar diary in a month. Then this past week occurred. The war was still awful. Too many young lives were lost. Too many horrors endured. But the Democrats are fighting back for our country. New Kossacks joined: Barbara Boxer, the Senate Democratic Communications Center, Drain Bamaged. Kossacks on hiatus rejoined: JamesB3. I admit: I'm superstitious. I believe in the supernatural power of prayer, karma, positive energy and good vibes. The sharing of joy and happiness can help us get through the cold and dark nights of this administration.
My happy story

Tonight Ms. Carnacki and I had the party for two of our three daughters. Their birthdays are a week apart.

When the first one was born, I thought my heart could not fill any happier. Then the second one was born and I found there is not a finite capacity for love. It is infinite. They make me happier than anything ever will.

I'd like to post an eloquent story about each of their births. But they were messy and with each of them, because of difficult labors, genuinely scary. Life is like that. Long hours of exhausting work, moments of terror and then a happiness that goes beyond all thought and fills every cell with a glow.

So happy birthday my dear, dear girls.

Got a happy story? Please post away.

Poll

Would you like a piece of cake?

48%47 votes
1%1 votes
36%35 votes
13%13 votes

| 96 votes | Vote | Results

Tags: happy story, community (all tags) :: Previous Tag Versions

Permalink | 186 comments

  •  Tip jar (4.00 / 62)

    They wanted a cake decorated like pizza to go with their pizza party.

    Thrice is he armed who hath his quarrel just. Sherlock Holmes.

    by Carnacki on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 05:53:41 PM PDT

    •  Happy Birthdays (4.00 / 16)

      To your Carnacklings.  Is that white cake?  I like white cake.

      Outta here, I don't deal well with sites that condone racism.

      by fabooj on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:08:06 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Happy Birthday to (4.00 / 15)

      the obviously brilliant and compassionate little Carnackis.

      and thanks to the big Carnacki for reminding us of joy.

      Come visit us at ePluribus Media Community

      by Cho on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:30:11 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Reminds me of (4.00 / 14)

        a wonderful bumper sticker I saw today.  I was coming from a stressful business meeting, lots of traffic, and while stopped at the light, the bumper in front of me read:  "Don't Postpone Joy"

        I smiled and felt my stress drifting away.

        When the oak is felled the whole forest echoes with its fall, but a hundred acorns are sown in silence by an unnoticed breeze. -Thomas Carlyle

        by Caldonia on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:41:46 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  Happy "Labor" Day Mrs. Carnacki (4.00 / 13)

        We had a little tradition in our house when all the kids were little.  During the night preceding thier birthdays, I would go to the party store and get a dozen or so brightly colored helium balloons and leave them in the bedroom while they slept.  The first thing the birthday boy or girl saw in the morning was a rainbow of colorful balloons filling the bedroom.  

        We moved several times and the kids got older (as they will) and I stopped doing it.

        Recently, my daughter turned 20 and was home from college for her birthday.  She woke up on that day to 20 bright balloons floating in her room.  She was so thrilled, and we both cried when she came downstairs.

        by getmeoutofdixie on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 07:10:00 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

    •  That's so creative! (4.00 / 12)

      my daughter is a total pizza monster.  She eats practically nothing , until she gets to a pizza-- then it's like feeding a frat boy.

      I'm going to shamelessly steal the whole idea of a "pizza cake."  I'll tell her I found the idea from one of the sweetest families I've never actaully met.

      Happy birthday to your babies, Congrats to you & Mrs. C. for another  year of parenthood, and please keep thsi Friday night "happy story" tradtion going!

      (Ps- does your third duaghter get jealous when the other two get a birthday so close together? )  :-)

      "One Nation....Under Educated"

      by mrsdbrown1 on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:53:13 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  The other (4.00 / 7)

        The other is just shy of 14 months. She follows them every where and seems to hero worship them so there doesn't seem any jealousy.

        Thrice is he armed who hath his quarrel just. Sherlock Holmes.

        by Carnacki on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:58:27 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  If shown what (4.00 / 4)

          true love and respect are ( and I'm sure you do this) your children will not only be siblings but best friends.  I am always amazed at how much y children enjoy each other's company.  They are all involved in different things, dance, soccer, lacrosse and art and they all want to go to see each other do their thing.  I always tell them that friends will come and go but only they will have a shared history from their earliest memories and only they will be able to look back and laugh at what goofy thing their parents did while they were growing up.

          "Do Iraqi children scream when the bombs fall if no one is in the White House to hear them?" Bernard Chazelle

          by dmac on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 07:33:53 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

    •  cake, please (4.00 / 5)

      Can I have my cake and eat it too?

      "I have lived with several Zen masters -- all of them cats." - Eckhart Tolle

      by catnip on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 07:18:00 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  I hate to be a politico on this thread, BUT.... (4.00 / 11)

      Isn't it amazing the number of TEACHERS on this thread.  I, myself, am a professor (please don't hate me, I actually have tenure, lol) and we all know that teachers - regardless of the level - are pretty much overwhelmingly DEMOCRATS and REALISTS.

      Why hasn't our party co-opted 'EDUCATION' in a way that the Rethugs have 'owned' the words 'family values'?

      The whole No Child Left Behind is a freaking joke and here in BibleLand people like to call the NEA - yeah, those hardworking, on-the-front-lines teachers - 'militaristic libruls.'

      Now how GWB can demonize TEACHERS is befuddling.  And, while I take my shots at the South, the MAJORITY of Southerners are not home-schooling their children and forcing them creationism.  

      Framing is vital and Kerry - whatever your feelings about him - finally is starting the framing with the 'Kids Come First.'

      Now - REPEAT IT OVER AND OVER AND OVER.  That's the key.

      by yankeeinmemphis on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 07:31:16 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Let's hear it for teachers (4.00 / 3)

        In honor of our happiness thread I will share with you what one of my students said to me.

        It was a dreary day and my normally energetic students were lifeless.  I commented on their lack of enthusiasm and then blamed the weather adding that grey days get me down, too.

        One of my students piped up, "No, they don't.  You're teaching so of course you're happy."  It is my favorite student comment ever.  What better compliment is there than for your students to realize how much you love your job of educating them.

        My side of adoption.

        by Poor Statue on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 09:39:55 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

    •  well Carnaki (4.00 / 7)

      i may not have kids, but i do have cousins.  here are Aidan, Jack and Benjamin.  i just found out last week that their monther, my cousin is pregnant with a little girl. :D

      this was Ben's 6th birthday party in September.

      by juls on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 08:44:31 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Add my voice to the Happy BD chior (4.00 / 3)

      Softly though, I sometimes get off key.

      Hands off my Social Security, John McCain.

      by emmasnacker on Sat Jan 29, 2005 at 01:25:21 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  swedish chefs and backpacking (4.00 / 34)

    in between my freshman and sophmore year in h.s. my youngest sister was old enough for my family to embark on a trip my parents had been planning in their minds since we were born: a cross country tour in an RV.  not just any trip but a 3 week odyssey in a 34' RV with 4 kids (i am the oldest) and two parents. (the dog, cats, bunny and fish stayed home).  it was the best vacation EVER! 9,500 miles, countless national parks, hundreds of family bonding moments and amazing memories.

    so anyways, one of my favorite memories from that trip was the day we were driving through Montana.  we had just been to Glacier national park in both Canada and the states.  Crusing down the highway looking for adventure (trip theme song song, which we sang crossing ever line at the top of our lungs) a tire blew and of course my mom was driving.  Dad never gets flats, just mom.  She starts screaming, "what do I do what do I do".  calmly dad says "pull over".  and she does.  We pull out the cell phone and call AAA and in an hour or two they were there, in the middle of nowhere, in MT.  they change the tire, but said it looked funny and we should get it checked out.

    so we drive 20 miles or so to Butte.  let me tell you about Butte: it has a lot in common with the way it is spelled.  not much there, other than an enormous open copper mine that is big enough to be seen from space.  we get the RV into the shop and find out the bushings are gone and they have to send for the replacement parts: total 24 hours 'till it is ready.  so we cruise the town, buy some copper and walk past the mall.  generally get bored and go to the KOA campground.  we cook dinner and crash out early, after unsuccessfully trying to convince my father to put up the antenna so we could watch TV.  i was trying to fall asleep on the table beside my brother and all of a sudden we hear giggles.  then the words: "Swedish chefs," the accompanying noise "renefrende rendefrende" and the word "backpacking". what the hell was going?! on we whispered to each other.  i piped up, what the heck are you guys talking about?  we realized they (the parents) had broken in to their stashed Tanquray and somehow got on the subject of "wouldn't it be fun if we took the Swedish chefs backpacking?"  no, they weren't high, just a bit buzzed and worn out from the day's adventures.  to this day i still marvel at the randomness of that connection: Swedish chefs and backpacking.

    some day i will take my kids on an adventure like we had. "crusing down the highway, looking for adventure, whatever comes our way BORN TO BE WIIIIILD, BORN TO BE WIIIILD" :D

    by juls on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 05:59:44 PM PDT

    •  juls (4.00 / 8)

      That sounds like a great time. Sure the tires blew, the vehicle needed fixed and you're in the middle of nowhere. But how often do you get to see parents that silly? (OK, in my house just about daily).

      Thrice is he armed who hath his quarrel just. Sherlock Holmes.

      by Carnacki on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:11:01 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  you're kids are lucky, Carnacki (4.00 / 11)

        you're a great guy & I'm sure Mrs. Carnacki is just as wonderful to be married to you. Happy birthday, girls. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

        Often, when I am reading a good book, I stop and thank my teacher. That is, I used to, until she got an unlisted number. --Student, Age 15

        by unemployedschoolcounselor on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:15:25 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  indeed (4.00 / 8)

        it was a grand adventure and a wonderful day.  even my mom found humor in her freaking out over the tire blowing (once she calmed down).  she is a redhead afterall.  

        it will forever be a family story and one that i tell my kids.

        by juls on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:15:33 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  What's that about redheads? (4.00 / 2)

          I resemble that remark! (If you ignore the white patch on top, of course.)

          "It is our choices Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." -Albus Dumbledore ~~~~~~~~~ http://slugcrossings.blogspot.com/

          by Lainie on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 09:45:01 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

    •  Tanqueray is the stuff (4.00 / 18)

      in my opinion.  Money is wasted on more expensive stuff.  

      When I was young, we went down to Garner State Park in Texas, down on the Frio river near Uvalde.  

      In the middle of the night, there was a crash, and my cosmic-cowboy step-father gathered his 6' 3" frame together to confront the intruder, only to have his flashlight reflect back two massive eyes, a full foot apart and six feet off the ground.  

      I can still hear him say, "well, either we found Sasquatch or..."

      And the next thing you know, it's a fucking horse.  

      Seems that the horses from the dude ranch across the frio river, freezing waters, lynxes, and all, had a deal with the racoons.  

      They'd enter the campgrounds.  The horses would tump over the trashcans, the racoons would haul out the trash, and then their Mammal Federation would divvy up the spoils, sorting through the trash.  

      Scared the shit out of me.  

      But what I remember even more than that:  it was the first time I ever saw the Backbone of Night.  You could see the whole Milky Way out there, no light pollution.  

      I've been meaning to go back for over twenty years.  

      Will "gooks" vote for John McCain? Will "c-nts" vote for John McCain?

      by Grand Moff Texan on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:58:19 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Enjoy them every minute (4.00 / 30)

    even when they infuriate you- which they will.  Tonight my oldest drove herself to a party for the first time.  The look on my husband's face was priceless.  We have four and they are very close in age (17,16,14,13) so our time with them now is very short.  They are the greatest joy in our lives and have the power to bring me to tears even as I write this thinking about them going off on their own.  How did their time with us go by so quickly?

    "Do Iraqi children scream when the bombs fall if no one is in the White House to hear them?" Bernard Chazelle

    by dmac on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:00:29 PM PDT

  •  My happy story? (4.00 / 26)

    Today I had some fun listing my own Blog Commenting Service on eBay.  I've posted it and have received a couple of responses.  Then I wrote a diary about it and about 35 people recommended it.

    Probably three or four hours of snarky satire work, but I had a great time.

    The link is here if you want to see, but the story is that I feel a strong sense of community with dkos.  Today's work to entertain the community made my day.  And I hope yours as well.

    PS.  this ain't diary whoring.  I did that earlier....

    Kleeb ~ Powers

    by NYBri on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:01:26 PM PDT

    •  NYBri (4.00 / 10)

      Even though you weren't diary whoring, you're always welcome to be a whore in one of my diaries.

      Thrice is he armed who hath his quarrel just. Sherlock Holmes.

      by Carnacki on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:08:54 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Carnacki.... (4.00 / 14)

        Another story....

        short and sweet...

        I joinded the kos community in november and since then, I've gotten to know many of its denizens...and come to appreciate their minds and lives and joys and sorrows.  You, Carnacki (and Mrs. Carnacki, btw) have become a couple of my favorites.... anong with:

        Maryscott
        Deleware Dem
        Armando
        georgia10
        Bill in Porland Maine
        mcjoan
        Raybin
        pontificator

        and many many more.  That's another happy story...

        Kleeb ~ Powers

        by NYBri on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:13:56 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

  •  Since it was after your last (4.00 / 36)

    "diary of good feelings," last Saturday night, my wife and kids and I were fortunate enough to host DCDemocrat for dinner.  It had snowed all day and we were cold and a bit tired, but we had planned the dinner and wanted very much to get together.

    I picked up our guest at the Silver Spring Metro at about 5:30.  We went back to the house, where for the next six hours or so, we ate and talked, sometimes about politics (we met on Daily Kos, after all), sometimes about religion, sometimes about life in general, sometimes about history, personal stories, you name it.  We had wonderful food (Mrs. Lawyer can really bring it!) and DCDemocrat was wonderful company.  At times both our kids (10 and 4) joined the conversation, at other times they watched TV and entertained themselves.

    It was truly a great and wonderful evening.  The kind that as parents of young kids you can forget exist.  Pleasant, adult conversation, getting to know someone better than you did before.  I hope to do it again very soon, and as I have suggested, Carnacki will definitely be invited the next time.

    So whenever anybody tells you how impersonal and cold the Internet is, tell 'em they're full of shit.  I have met several people that I hope to continue to get to know better in the months and years ahead, and it has cheered me in this cold, cold winter of our political discontent to know that I do not stand alone.

    That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

    by jsmdlawyer on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:04:08 PM PDT

    •  Dinner (4.00 / 14)

      We're looking forward to it. It sounds like a wonderful time. I also think it'd be great if we had a DailyKos meet up this spring in Harpers Ferry to tour the historic community together.

      Thrice is he armed who hath his quarrel just. Sherlock Holmes.

      by Carnacki on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:07:45 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  We've been to Harpers Ferry (4.00 / 6)

        a couple of times, and really liked it.  I think that would be a great idea for a get together.

        Let's plan a date maybe in March for another dinner get together.  Not to mention a February Daily Kos meetup.

        by jsmdlawyer on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 07:12:57 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

    •  Internet friends (4.00 / 6)

      So here is my happy story of a similar vein. 9 years ago now I joined an internet group of moms due to have babies in Aug 1996. We call ourselves the August '96 moms.
       The first year or two was filled with many growing pains as we all learned the ropes of getting along online and had the usual heated discussions which end up weeding out those too defensive and unable to open their minds to have respectful debates.
      Pretty soon we were talking about anything and everything - sometimes even the kids we had in the summer of '96. Those of us who could, met a few IRL and the bond grew further. In the fall of 1998 we organized a "reunion" in Seattle. About 25 moms, many with DH's (Dear Husband or any other words you need to insert) and kids journeyed for a long weekend. A family was born.
      Every year now in October we gather in a different city. We have shrunk from a total in 1996 of over 100 to about 50 active members. I've been to every reunion and it is THE highlight of my year to reconnect with these fabulous women.
      Thanks to Alex (my Aug 96 baby) and the internet I now have an extended family of sisters. As an only child it means a lot to mw. I have somewhere warm and safe to stay in nearly every major area of the country. Including Portland Maine, home of my new addiction - Bill and C&J!!

      Trees, Flowers & Birds

      by SanDiegoDem on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 09:20:39 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Got an e-mail (4.00 / 30)

    from a former student telling me she published her first poem and that she never would've done it if I hadn't encouraged her to write.

    The poem was about the plight of a poor family living in rural America.

    by tepster on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:06:02 PM PDT

  •  Every day, my daughter... (4.00 / 28)

    ...who is about 18 mos old now, runs to the door whenever I hear the car pull into the driveway and say to her, "is that daddy?"

    She runs up to the couch and I hold her up to the living room window so she can see him walking up the driveway.

    It always makes me happy.

    BTW - Carnacki - can you check out my sad, little diary?  It got so lonely I started trolling myself.

    "The revolution's just an ethical haircut away..." Billy Bragg

    by grannyhelen on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:07:18 PM PDT

    •  Recommended (4.00 / 9)

      Thank goodness pyrrho stepped in or else we'd have to start passing out some troll ratings. :)
      That's a great diary and I hope you hear back from the senator. (I won't hold my breath either)

      Thrice is he armed who hath his quarrel just. Sherlock Holmes.

      by Carnacki on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:17:20 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Happiness (4.00 / 30)

    Even though it kills us to have the little monster wake at 3:30am.  Every. Freaking. Night.  She's so cuddlicious that I can't help tossing her into the bed.  She showers us with kisses, tucks us in, and then pretends to sleep by snoring loudly.  We've been running on about 2 - 4 hours of sleep a night, but it's worth it.  

    Outta here, I don't deal well with sites that condone racism.

    by fabooj on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:12:32 PM PDT

    •  I remember a baby boy (4.00 / 15)

      who I thought I would never get to sleep.  Rock, rock, pace, pace, sing, sing, pleeeeeze go to sleep, little one.  Exhaustion.  Then he'd fall asleep, and be so incredibly sweet in my arms that I wouldn't put him down, just hold him and rock again, knowing this was perfect peace.  

      (He's 12 now.  I still go into his room at night and check on him sleeping, like that creepy mom in "I'll Love You Forever.")   :-)

      "One Nation....Under Educated"

      by mrsdbrown1 on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:40:25 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Beautiful girls Carnacki! (4.00 / 15)

    Happy Birthdays!

    What an excellent day for an Exorcism... SCI/Kenyon

    by DianeL on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:16:56 PM PDT

  •  My in -laws have two dogs (4.00 / 22)

    and my 3 1/2 year old daughter, on a recent visit, had found a piece of metal stuck in the couch, which she showed to her grandmother.

    "That's one of the dog's licenses", Nana said. "Better go give it to Pa."

    "But Nana," Bea replied, "Which one of the dogs can drive?"

    Cheers to you all

    Four Legs Good

    by Spud1 on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:17:15 PM PDT

  •  I won't tell you my life story (4.00 / 37)

    but from age 24-32, life was absolute hell, for a number of reasons, not the least of which was a psychopathic ex-husband and a multitude of medical problems (including major surgery - now I can't have kids).  It always felt like I was on borrowed time;  once one problem was fixed, another one came up, and it didn't seem to end, except for the marriage, and the legal bullshit took a year to resolve.

    So, anyway, all of that was in Seattle.  

    In 2001, I got the hell outta that town, which was good for a number of reasons that I don't want to talk about (a stalker was one of them - yeah, I used to be a psycho-magnet).

    I moved back to New Mexico, and decided to apply to graduate school in chemistry at the U. of NM.  I chickened out at the last minute, and deferred my admission for a year.  I did research and had a great time during that year;  my boss was this guy (the picture says it all - he was badass cool, and brilliant).

    So I finally tried out grad school for a year.  It sucked, but...

    ... here comes the happy story...

    The best part of grad school was I got to teach a couple of undergraduate organic chemistry lab sections.  I adore teaching;  I felt totally at ease, and it was so much fun.  I guess I wrote pretty tough quizzes, but the students studied hard, and there was a nice balance of respect and camaraderie between us.

    So, at the end of one semester, my later section, the one that lasted from 6:30-9:30 pm, was running  a reaction, one that took about two hours to run.   I was walking around helping them, when I saw a couple of girls giggling, and writing something on a piece of paper and passing it on.  They told me "go sit over there, and don't stand up until we say so".

    I did what they said, and everyone was smiling at me when they were done with the piece of paper.

    The last day of class, when they had to check out of their lab drawers, the two girls showed up with a huge bouquet of roses and other flowers.

    The class had bought me flowers, with this note attached:

    To Page:  Thanks for making organic chemistry painless and fun for us.  We'll never forget you.

    Damn, I'm getting tears in my eyes again.

    It meant so much, because they were great kids, and really worked hard.  

    It's not like I was an easy teacher, and they liked that.

    BTW, one of the girls who organized the whole thing is Iraqi, and she sent me e-mail after the Nov. 2004 election, which I posted in a diary.

    I'm really sorry this comment is so long.


    There is only one "bug killer" that will work on "Oil Maggots"-- Hydrogen. -- edscan

    by Plutonium Page on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:20:50 PM PDT

    •  I know what you mean about teaching (4.00 / 21)

      Teaching is a family tradition for me, both sides, four generations, both genders.  

      I also happen to rock at it.  I love that my students love me, because I know it has nothing to do with me.  I'm in love with my subject, and they fall for it.  

      As they say, the first time a woman falls in love it is with her lover.  From there on out, it is with the idea of love itself...  

      Will "gooks" vote for John McCain? Will "c-nts" vote for John McCain?

      by Grand Moff Texan on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:35:56 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Page (4.00 / 15)

      You know, I can tell from your diaries that you were a great teacher. I learn from them all the time.
      I'm just glad there's not a test.

      Thrice is he armed who hath his quarrel just. Sherlock Holmes.

      by Carnacki on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:38:59 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Well, I gave very fair tests (4.00 / 13)

        because I could remember how much it SUCKED to take unfair tests as an undergraduate.

        So, they were difficult, but fair, and I gave extra credit from time to time.


        There is only one "bug killer" that will work on "Oil Maggots"-- Hydrogen. -- edscan

        by Plutonium Page on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:41:56 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  The best teachers (4.00 / 13)

          are the ones who remember what it was like to sit on the other side of that desk.

          Teaching is just a joy.  I know, we're traditionally underpaid, underappreciated, overworked--- all that, (and yes, some days just bite)  but I truly, secretly, always feel like I'm getting away with something-- you mean you'll not only let me keep going into that classroom, you'll actually pay me for it, too?!  (Shhh. don't tell my school board.)

          "One Nation....Under Educated"

          by mrsdbrown1 on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 07:03:14 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

    •  Like guys always say (4.00 / 6)

      it's not the length of the comment, it's the quality (nyuk, nyuk).

      And Page, ALL of your comments are high quality, short OR long.  Smart, funny and full of life.  Comments say a lot about the person who writes them, I always say.

      by jsmdlawyer on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 07:18:19 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Wow! We all need teachers like you! (4.00 / 4)

      :-)

      Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices. Voltaire 1694-1778

      by SallyCat on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 07:27:36 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Carnacki (4.00 / 27)

    Beautiful pictures of some beautiful children. Happy Birthday to them!

    I also think of my daughter's birth but will not share it. Somehow it never translates into the sheer, incredible sense of wonder you feel as a new parent. . . Oh what the hell, now I can't help it.

    I was lucky enough to be in medical school at the time (although I never, never, never recommend anyone take a class in embryology while they, or their spouse is pregnant). I got to "catch" my daughter. When I looked into those deep blues, it was like lightening hit and I was lucky I didn't drop her cause Kids are slippery when they are born. Knowing I was the first person she ever saw still gives me a powerful connection. I still cry, 9 years later, when I think of it.

    I no longer live with her and miss her every day, which also makes me cry.

    <sniff> Thanks a lot Carnacki! Now I have to go drink on your "Happy Friday Diary". Do I have to be happy every Friday for you? Huh . . . do I?

    42.

    by SeattleLiberal on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:21:46 PM PDT

  •  Celestial Requiem (4.00 / 27)


    For me, the desecration of 9/11 that has been the bread and butter of the Bush administration has been a personal as well as moral affront.

    It was also something that I, as with many others, had no way to strike against save by the dreadful choice between violence and victimization.

    When the opportunity came, months later, to choose a third and more profitable course, I took it.

    I chose to draw on a former career ambition, that of the architect, and pick up the pencil for serious use for the first time in 15 years.

    I decided to submit a design for a World Trade Center Memorial.

    Wishes

    I wish that I could tell you it was my design that was selected. I wish I could tell you that mine was a finalist. I wish I could tell you that I wowed at least some of the judges; that I was one of an estimated fifty-odd also-rans.

    No. I was just a schmoe who drew by hand sketches (other than cartoons) for the first time since being a freshman in college, and had only one prayer of notice -- that I would be (a) obviously an amateur, and (b) had a compelling concept.

    I think I pulled off both objectives. And they were not enough.

    Regardless, this is a happy story. It is the story of my reawakening as a creative person after a slumber encompassing almost half of my life.

    Background

    To appreciate this, I have share something I do not share easily in private, never mind publicy, but tonight I am in a generous way. I think in music. I do not add, or assemble, or envision or evoke in the absence of a soundtrack. When I have a bad notion, there is dead air, and I can literally hear it. When I'm on to something, there is a Muse, and her name is Calliope, the elder sister, the harbinger of music.

    Alas, I am no composer; I can compose music freehand on a keyboard, but this is not my voice, just an intermediary. Still, what music I hear I must give voice to, and in the fashions available to me. Often it is the spoken word, at other times the written text.

    In this one case, this one alone, I had intended an anthem of stone.

    The elements of my submission are here, perhaps in better resolution than at the official site, which is here. (For comparison to other submissions, just peel off the subfolder addresses, and search away.)

    My idea was simple: the time of the attack had already become such an aspect of the attack, that it was impossible not to relate to one without the other.

    I saw this as problematic, then decided to declare victory and make the time of the attack THE memorial.

    There are many ways to represent time, especially in nature. I chose to select the most universal of all that was accessible to the human observer in nature -- the position of the planets as of 8:43 AM, EST, on September 11, 2001.

    I consulted a Jet Propulsion Laboratory solar system model, and identified the relative positions of (a) the six planets known the antiquity and (b) the Moon, and (c) the moons of Jupiter, the Galileans, the last four of the first eleven worlds known to Humanity.

    I designed a radial representation for their relative positions, and designed a memorial around this, an eleven-rayed star composed of red granite pillars, pillars from a quarry in the appropriately-named town of Granite, Oklahoma, a late autumn sunshine set in feldspar and mica and rose quartz.

    It would have outlasted the city itself. Accompanying the array would have been a mural, comprised of the same stone, bearing on its surface the names of the many fallen, and the black mica silhouette of the ancient skyline, the negative-image afterimage, the ghost that haunts our retinas even to this day.

    Even a billion years hence, so long as the basic parameters of our Solar System maintained, an observer with literacy in celestical mechanics could parse out (a) when an event worthy of a monument occured and (b) at length, the nature of what occurred, if not how or why.

    That for me was sufficient.

    The images at the homepage cited represented two solid months of work; for all intents and purposes I held two jobs at that time. Ironically, I performed excellently at both in comparison to my "real job" performance on either side of this episode of inspiration.

    There are only three time prior where I felt such pride and accomplishment.

    One was my senior track season (the subject of a post on a Plutonium Page diary). The other occasion was my marriage.

    The third occasion, a mere three weeks after 9/11, was witnessing the birth of my firstborn son.

    We're about that far away from the birth of our second son. We have a name and a home and the love of all three of his older family members waiting to greet him.

    And when the time comes, I will show him these pictures, too, and hope he takes something from the moment.

    Great (and productive!) attachment to one's own life comes rarely, from what I gather. I've come into contact with my personal 'now' a handful of times.

    It is more than most encounter in their dreams.

    Regardless, it is a banner I continue to chase, now that I now I have the pulse of thing.

    Wish me good hunting.

    What I claim I will share with you all.

    And that's my happy story. :)

    What kind of traitor puts the Constitution first and the candidate second? :)

    by cskendrick on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:28:32 PM PDT

    •  Design (4.00 / 8)

      I really liked your designs. I went to New York City the second weekend after the attacks. There was a New York Times editorial that called for tourists. It said if you wanted to help the city to visit. My wife and I spent our honeymoon in New York City. We love the city and the attacks troubled me deeply. And like you it awakened me creatively.

      Thrice is he armed who hath his quarrel just. Sherlock Holmes.

      by Carnacki on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:50:33 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Follow Up (4.00 / 7)

        I had the opportunity to meet a few of the other contestants in the competition, both times in New York City proper.

        I recall the first time; I could not obtain an affordable plain fare, so I took the 13-hour train ride from Charlotte to New York to attend a seminar two Decembers ago.

        My cousin Kevin lived in Soho, so I had convenient digs for the duration, and it was an easy sub ride from Penn Station.

        I had the opportunity the next day to meander about Lower Manhattan, at one point walking in the midst of a full-blown Blizzard from the Chrysler Building all the way to what was once the World Trade Center on foot, a reverse of the headlong flight of several million people undertaken two years prior.

        I learned several things, among them

        1. Snow is wet
        2. Wet is cold
        3. It's a really long walk to the Battery from Midtown.
        4. Did I mention it was snowy, wet and cold?

        The most memorable episodes of that march were:

        a. Good God, there are a lot of people in Midtown all the effing time!
        b. As of thirteen months ago, there was a mural at Union Square station, covered in signatures and notes of family, friends and concerned New Yorkers to/about the deceased and missing from 9/11. In my opinion, it is the only appropriate memorial to the event that is currently standing. I hope that simple, sacred grafitti is still there.
        c. You really can get anything you can think of wanting of within walking distance in New York. I needed dozens of color copies for the seminar; I got 'em. Beauty! I needed to run -- YCMA (got membership) two blocks from cousin's house. Beauty! Want pancakes! Covered --diner down the street! BEAUTY!
        d. It's a really long way from Midtown to Downtown.
        e. When I arrived, finally, at Ground Zero, it was impossible to see. The blizzard had arrived, full-bore. It was if a white burial shroud had been cast over the site; I could see the fence, and the barest silhouette of the pit and equipment therein, and that was it. Later, when I saw the site in still, clear air and under lights, the awe was not there. Only that first time I saw Ground Zero, when I could not even see it, did I feel close to the site.
        f. I sure am glad the subway line going north was open, else it would have been a loooooong walk back to Soho!

        What kind of traitor puts the Constitution first and the candidate second? :)

        by cskendrick on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 08:08:22 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

  •  Give your girls... (4.00 / 17)

    ...an extra birthday hug or two from the folks at kos.  

    I'm happy to say that my niece has just moved back from Hawaii.  She and her beau moved there this summer and my parents missed her terribly.  They gave it a shot but really missed being around family and friends so they flew back last night and got in this afternoon.  They only lasted about 5 months but they gave it a shot.  I bet they're loving going from that lovely warm weather back to the K.C. winter.  heh.

    I'm also happy that it's Friday and that I can sleep in tomorrow, all snuggled up to my sweet husband.

    with a ring like that I could, dare I say it, rule the world.

    by abbysomething on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:31:36 PM PDT

  •  Dramatically Happy (4.00 / 29)

    Most of my  "happiness moments" seem to center around husband, babies, and family, and I have been blessed with so many of those that it seems hard tonight to focus on one or two...

    So I'll tell y'all a different kind of happiness.

    I was a drama geek in high school, starting in elementary school actually, and loved it so much that I went on to be the school's drama coach/drama club advisor when I became a teacher.  I loved it--working with great, unique students, the whole creative process, the way a theater production seems to have a place a place for everyone, either onstage or backstage, from the most colorful prima donna to the quietest stage hand or lighting techie.

    Then we moved.  I took a new position at a new school that I was convinced was going to be my dream job--half English lit & writing, half theater.  I was going into a school that already had a thriving drama program with about 75 active students participating, and I couldn't have been more excited.  Until I got there.  

    Because they didn't want me.  Seems the previous drama teacher had not been a teacher at all, but a young local guy who was actually trying to make a living as an actor.  The kids adored him.  He would show up late in the day to rehearsals in paint-stained jeans, chain smoking and swearing up a blue streak.  He was wonderful with the kids and very talented, writing all original scripts with parts tailor-made for individual students and inviting the kids back to his house to hang with him & his girlfriends after rehearsals.  Hell, some of the students even ended up as bridesmaids in his wedding when he got married.

    As you might have guessed, this behavior didn't go over all that well with the administration, who decided they needed to hire a "real" teacher--and here I come, from out of state, and totally out of touch with the whole situation.  Oddly enough, even the parents had been rooting for this guy to stay in the position, but no one thought to tell me the background or the whole "internal candidate" politicking that had gone on.

    It was not pretty.  The kids resented me, the parents tried to undermine what I was trying to accomplish, and every choice I made--which play to produce, which contests to enter, even when to hold rehearsals, became a battle royale.  I was heartbroken!  I was so used to being adored by my students and here I was with the things I most loved, unable to even make headway because of all the advance prejudices.

    So I put my head down and worked at it--hard.  I held meetings, I set up e-mails and newsletters, I worked to build rapport/trust/ enthusiasm/confidence.   When it came time for the biggest drama event of the year, the state-wide competition, I selected a difficult, controversial play about the emotional realities of teenage sexual behavior, because I thought it was the best vehicle for the creative talents of my yes, very talented group, and because I loved the truthful, emotional impact of the writing.  Now, because I was doing a play about      s-e-x, I had to battle the administration and community watch-dog groups to get it produced.

    But by now, I had the kids behind me, and by the time we did preview shows, the parents were ecstatic.  We won, and won again.  When we got to the state finals, I had a moment that, to me, felt like it could rival Olympic athletes getting to stand on the podium and hear their national anthem.  Because when the judges got up to announce the winners and explain their choices, they talked about my play, our play, using terms like "truth," "stunning" "achievement," and "excellence."

    In that moment, surrounded by 100's of cheering students, practically being lifted up on the shoulders of kids & parents like we'd just won the Superbowl, I felt on top of the world.  The battles, the struggles, it was all worth it, to see my creative vision not only "born" on stage but trumpeted! And it wasn't even the win so much, or the personal struggles--it was seeing once again the power of theater to bring all the different talents and audiences together for a shared experience, and knowing that what I had imagined just six months before had actually happened, for real, right on that satge and in that auditorium.    It was incredibly sweet.  It was unbelievable.  It was, truly, happiness

    "One Nation....Under Educated"

    by mrsdbrown1 on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:31:39 PM PDT

    •  What a wonderful story! (4.00 / 2)

      I was hanging on each word.  I'm getting my first stab at directing kids right now so it's nice to hear some stories about it.  (Big secret:  In college I double majored in Math and English with a concentration in theater.)

      My side of adoption.

      by Poor Statue on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 09:54:59 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Math and English?! (4.00 / 2)

        You must be very talented with both sides of your brain!  :-)

        Good luck with your directing!  It's really a wonderful experience to see it all come together.  Keep me updated on how it's going!

        (and I really enjoyed your postings last week in this same diary title-- you have been through some incredible things already.  Best wishes!)

        "One Nation....Under Educated"

        by mrsdbrown1 on Sat Jan 29, 2005 at 07:15:18 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  I Always Scored in the Middle (none / 1)

          on those brain tests.  I'm not a real fan of science or history though which tends to baffle people.

          Thanks for the well wishes.  I did some directing in college but it was with college students, most of whom were also majoring in theater.  

          I'm really excited about directing kids though I'm also quite nervous.

          My side of adoption.

          by Poor Statue on Sat Jan 29, 2005 at 07:41:37 AM PDT

          [ Parent ]

    •  What was the play? n/t (none / 1)

      The degree to which you resist injustice is the degree to which you are free. -- Utah Phillips

      by Mnemosyne on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 10:29:07 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  It was called "Dolls" (4.00 / 3)

        and it's by Jerome McDonough.  It's written as a series of monologues where kids talk about sexual experiences including things like:
        1. the shy girl who was convinced she was really, really in love
        2. the freshman boy who's embarrassed that he doesn't realy know how to do "it"  (and the girl he's with makes sure everyone in school hears about his fumbling the next day!)
        3. the "playa" who won't take no for an answer
        4.  the girl who gives up her virginity in the back seat of a car and finds out it was no big deal-- especially for the guy, and they go home-- early.

        And lots of others, some stereotypes, some refreshingly orginal, and all truthful.

        I decided to ditch the monologue format and instead to "set" each scene-- so instead of each character talking directly to the audience, we gave them each an on-stage audience-- a slumber party where the girls  giggled, a school hallway where the boys bragged, etc.  It was fun, and had lots of room for creative development becuase the play is written so simply.

        The play uses no street language but presents facts about teen tex in honest terms.  What I most liked was its emphasis on the emotional aspects of sex-- not just a list of don't-do-"it"-or-you'll-get-pregnant-get-diseases-die type of scare tactics.

        It's a bit old now, about ten years or so, and I'd love to see it updated to include a gay/lesbian teen's perspective, but it still presents well.   It has a slight anti-abortion message, with the narrators describing the various stages of pregnancy as the play progresses, but I saw the overall message as much more--YOU Be in control of your body from the start, rather than "don't kill your baby!"

        I'm still amazed that we got it produced at all, much less that it got such a wide audience.

        "One Nation....Under Educated"

        by mrsdbrown1 on Sat Jan 29, 2005 at 07:12:47 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  Wow. Just wow. (4.00 / 2)

          I am in awe of you, that you were courageous enough to take that on, that you got it produced, that you made such an incredible difference in those kids' lives. Brava.

          And it sounds as if it would have been just fun to watch, as well.

          The degree to which you resist injustice is the degree to which you are free. -- Utah Phillips

          by Mnemosyne on Sat Jan 29, 2005 at 07:57:36 AM PDT

          [ Parent ]

  •  My wife is pregnant (4.00 / 33)

    with a baby girl.  

    We play her a recording of Gregorian, Eastern Orthodox, and Maronite chant every night we can, using headphones and a CD player.  I'm a recovering musician (though it's not what I do any more, not for years, but I'm from a multi-generational musical family), and have heard so much anecdotal information about in utero music and child development that I though we'd give it a try.  

    Music has so much to do with intelligence.  I'm so lucky I was raised on Mozart every morning for years as a child.  

    So, she starts kicking like mad as soon as the CD stops.  Then we start it again, and she kicks when it stops again.  

    That's my happy story.  

    I can't tell you how happy I am.  

    Will "gooks" vote for John McCain? Will "c-nts" vote for John McCain?

    by Grand Moff Texan on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:31:40 PM PDT

    •  AC/DC (4.00 / 12)

      Don't forget the AC/DC either. Gotta broaden her mind.

      Thrice is he armed who hath his quarrel just. Sherlock Holmes.

      by Carnacki on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 07:10:46 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  That's just like my oldest son... (4.00 / 5)

      Only he would kick like crazy after the theme song of "The Simpsons".

      No word yet on if that particular tune increased or decreased his intelligence. :)

      by cais27 on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 07:18:54 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  GMT.... (4.00 / 9)

      I don't know if this is your first or not, but treasure every minute of it...

      She will grow up to be a little spit-fire I'm sure (just based on her daddy). But, just wait for those moments when she truly does you proud.

      And don't be afraid to play the little girl games with her. If she asks you at age 4 to play My Little Pony with her, get down on the floor and grab yourself a pony, because these are the greatest moments. Trust me, I know.

      PS. When is your wife due? My wife is expecting in July. Maybe our kids can someday be running mates on the Dem ticket :)

      "I do tears." -- George W. Bush

      by the holy handgrenade on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 08:08:34 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Then I highly recommend (4.00 / 3)

      a regular dose of Brendenburg Concerto #3 (any of the other 5 will do too but #3 is... is... #3) as well as idomeneo, cosi fan tutte, and Take Five (both Brubeck and Al Jarreau).

      Congratulations! I hope Mom and baby girl are happy, healthy... and Democrats!

      Full Disclosure: I am Chair of the Darius Shahinfar for Congress Campaign Committee in NY-21.

      by Andrew C White on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 09:10:05 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  don't forget to sing to her (4.00 / 3)

      Playing music for a baby is great, but what they really want to hear is mom or dad's voice, singing absolutely anything. You can make up your own songs or sing fragments of famous ones (simple tunes are easy for babies to grasp). I spent ages singing to my son when he was a tiny baby--even when he was content already. Then when he was fussy, I found that a little singing calmed him down immediately.

      Now he is almost two, and I still sing to him all the time. He can talk now, so he can request the songs he wants to hear.

      So play your Mozart or whatever, but sing as well. My baby has especially enjoyed the first few lines of "Scarborough Fair" and the refrain from "Love Is the Answer," as well as "Danny's Song."

      John McCain: 100 years in Iraq "would be fine with me."

      by desmoinesdem on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 09:51:54 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  be careful! (4.00 / 4)

      that stuff's prayer, not music. just so you know what you're getting the little one into!

      ps georgian's the best orthodox chant, if you don't have it already.

      Join the battle against cosmic evil!

      by gzt on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 10:04:41 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Keep doing that (4.00 / 4)

      We are big time music fans and I listened to music all throughout my pregnancy.  When my kid was a baby all the neighbors would grab instruments from our Band in a Box and play and sing silly songs to her.  She's 21 mos. now and a total wonder.  Not matter the instrument she can bang out a tune and keep rhythm.  She makes beats with my husband and they record them.  She forces us to be her back up singers and will instructs us on how to play whatever instrument she's chosen for us.  She's very driven.  It's so sweet to hear the "concerts" she puts on for us every day.  She has songs and dance patterns and after every performace, she bows and and says "thee oo" (thank you).

      Outta here, I don't deal well with sites that condone racism.

      by fabooj on Sat Jan 29, 2005 at 01:58:51 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  well, we have fur-kids (4.00 / 19)

    that cuddle up at our feetsies to keep them warm at night. (and then stomp on our full bladders in the morning for the "feed us!" call)

    Happy stories: too many to enumerate. Mornings when I was 22 years old, waking up on the Pacific coast just north of Santa Cruz in a goddamned sleeping bag after crashing there on the beach the night before - driving with the windows open back to Silicon Valley at 6am smelling the sage and listening to Yo La Tengo, the Dead Kennedys and NWA at top volume, going directly to lab and setting up another experiment. ::: Or the nights I spent in Berlin with my friends - one of whom was a well-regarded DJ - drinking wine, eating parmigiano and proscuitto, jabbering in an unholy mix of german, french, turkish, italian and english, before going out and getting in the expedited line (friends of the dj's, yo) at some of the coolest clubs in Europe. Coming home at 7am, sleeping for a few hours and start the process all over again. ::: Each day I spend with Mr. Xray, doing random shit like tonight: listening to William Shatner's rendition of Rocket Man at the 1973 Science Fiction Movie Awards...

    Ask Copernicus about pushing limits.

    by Xray the Enforcer on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:32:54 PM PDT

    •  huh... (4.00 / 13)

      I realize that I really miss being a scientist some days. Miss lab, miss the people, miss the smells, miss the disaster. I don't miss my fucking Doktorvater, but whatever. Then again, I've had some really wild and great times here in NYC. Many of which I don't clearly remember.

      Ask Copernicus about pushing limits.

      by Xray the Enforcer on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:39:36 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  the circle of life (4.00 / 21)

    It's quaint, isn't it? And yet, majestic.

    The passing of the flame, the handing off of the baton?

    To look into the eyes of the young ones, to see their hope, their dreams, and in them, your own hopes and dreams.

    The mystery of of life. The passing on of the history of all that we are. How precious is the gift that they give us, that we might live on.

    I am in awe.

    There is nothing natural about the abomination of modern factory farming and its attempt to reduce living, feeling beings to machines. -Stephen Walsh, Ph.D.

    by timerigger on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:34:39 PM PDT

  •  My boys (4.00 / 16)

    are are my very happy story.  My two little men, 4 months and 4 years.  I love them, even when they run amok and cry endlessly in the middle of the night, and run into Republican Represenatives at the airport, causing havoc (that would be the 4 year old, not the 4 month old)

    See my diary, "On the road with my Republican friends." to find out more.

    Shamelessly whoring my diary .....it might already be gone. poof!

    by PatriciaPA on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:41:19 PM PDT

  •  My happy story (4.00 / 23)

    is that I was notified I am going to be laid off my job in a couple months. I've been unhappy working in high-tech for a while now but was too comfortable to leave, so even though I'm scared about being unemployed I'm happy they are giving me the boot. It motivated me to enroll in college and finish my Bachelor's degree - I start full-time next month. I'm excited about being a student again and exploring new career opportunities.

    Fear not the path of truth for the lack of people walking on it.

    by slee on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:41:53 PM PDT

  •  My daughter voted (4.00 / 26)

    ...in a Canadian federal election for the first time this year. And she asked my advice, not just "who?" but "well, why him?" -- and I got to lay out my reasoning and talk about the political situation here and get some satisfying digs in at the Tories.

    How's that for a happy story?

    Here's another: when she voted later in our local municipal election, she had to register on voting day. Nothing could have been easier. She, my wife and I all went to the polling station together, and all I had to say to the two middle-aged ladies at the desk was "My daughter here needs to register", and leave them to it, and in five minutes she was signed in, had her ballot and voted.

    No hassle, no fuss, no "challenges", no ridiculous provisional ballots: just show two pieces of ID, one with photo, and maybe a phone bill to prove duration of residency. Didn't make any difference that she is visibly mixed-race (Asian-Caucasian) and that the registry ladies were quite, quite white. The whole exercise was completely colour-blind and perfectly painless.

    Now the happiest story of all would be that this wasn't a remarkable thing at all, but just the way things are -- everywhere.

    by North of 49 on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:46:09 PM PDT

  •  Happy Birthday to (4.00 / 21)

    All Carnackiacks (especially Mom - why do we throw parties for the kids when we should be throwing parties for the Mom that did all the work)!

    I'm about to learn how to braid bracelet strings cuz my grandaughter just came in and asked for help in making one for Gramma.

    That infinite love and joy continues onward and onward.

    Full Disclosure: I am Chair of the Darius Shahinfar for Congress Campaign Committee in NY-21.

    by Andrew C White on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:47:11 PM PDT

    •  Jamie Lee Curtis (4.00 / 12)

      I think, is the one I heard sent her mother roses every year on Jamie Lee's birthday & called her mother at the exact time she (Jamie Lee) was born. I thought that was a nice idea.

      Often, when I am reading a good book, I stop and thank my teacher. That is, I used to, until she got an unlisted number. --Student, Age 15

      by unemployedschoolcounselor on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:58:56 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Beautiful children (4.00 / 19)

    And knowing who their parents are, I'm sure that beauty goes all the way through. You said in my Part II of my "Losing My Religion" series that you were glad people like me were on your side. Well, we're blessed that people like you are on our side. I can bring the pain, but you know how to find that little bit of gladness in us to keep us healthy and fighting.

    We're in a fight for our country right now and what we do matters. But why we do it matters too. We love, we have loves, we know happiness, and we want it to be without end.

    Thank you for reminding us.

    So, reading this diary is a pretty happy moment for me, but if I can finish paying the bills at a reasonable hour tonight, I'll post another.

    P.S. You wrote to me about critiquing and I lost the email. Can you resend?

    Stephanie Dray
    of Jousting for Justice, a lefty blog with a Maryland tilt.

    by stephdray on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 06:49:54 PM PDT

  •  bedroom invitation (4.00 / 20)

    Can't talk about my kids, who are too soon