Random MomBlog

I read (and enjoyed) The Salmon of Doubt by Douglas Adams, and one part that stuck with me was the short passage in the introduction where he wondered why Americans are so impatient that we dunk our tea bags vigorously. Because, well, I dunk my tea bag when I have tea so that I can enjoy the flavor at the temperature I prefer. So here’s my retort, a study reported in Reader’s Digest:

Continuously dunking the tea bag as the tea steeps seems to release far more antioxidant compounds than simply dropping it in and leaving it there.

I dunk my tea bag because I like the flavor, my health, and the antioxidants.

Mostly just “whatever” but with a side of “there is a reason” too.

Another book finished, and I liked My Life as a Quant: Reflections on Physics and Finance by Emanuel Derman too! Derman’s description of why he went into physics was dead-on! I felt much the same way when I went into physics, and I suffered the same disappointment about jobs when I left. I thought the book was lucid (quick reading), self-aware (I had similar feelings about physics, yet it was good prep for the future career change), and way more fun to read (for the human aspect) than you’d expect from any description of it.

After a long spell cuddling a baby while not reading books, I finally finished Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain! It’s a quick read, despite how long it took me to finish it, and very fun if you enjoy the gonzo writing style. Since Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream by Hunter S. Thompson is one of my very favorites, I enjoyed reading this book, as well as finishing a book, any book!

My favorite quote is

for the first time, I saw how three or four ingredients, as long as they are of the highest and freshest quality, can be combined in a straightforward way to make a truly excellent and occasionally wondrous product.

Hey, I finished a book! That’s the good part (and what idle time in airports and airplanes can do)! I read Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, and overall was not impressed with the conceit of telling the story out of order on about three parallel timelines. It’s fine for a “beach book,” the unthinking entertainment you might read on the beach. Or on the way to the beach, in my case.

I read the book Backpacking with Babies and Small ChildrenBackpacking With Babies and Small Children recently. I can’t say I learned anything that wasn’t common sense, but this would be a gentle place to start if I wanted to hike with my kids and were worried about getting started. The same things that matter for adults also matter for children:

• wear appropriate layers of comfortable clothing
• be prepared for potty needs (and please don’t leave dirty diapers out there!)
• be prepared to eat and drink
• have reasonable expectations for distance and time
• be prepared to change your plans with the circumstances

In addition, you do need to think about entertaining children on the trail, and how to carry them (or otherwise take a break) when they say they’re tired of walking (that could just mean boredom).

There’s historical perspective on what you had to do before REI had several product lines for these needs that should appeal to DIY-ers.

This morning, I had a conversation with the manager in the office next to mine, and he said it is important to go outside with your children. His children have grown up before he blinked, and he realizes that he has raised two indoor children although that was never his intention and not his upbringing. I can see how I would fall into that trap myself (I just want to squeeze in a little more work, since we’re swamped), so I thanked him for the reminder to work for a better Big Picture. No excuses! Get outside with the kids!

This blog entry contains three highly inappropriate limericks from the Washington Post’s Style Invitational that I found hilarious. Not for young, innocent, or sensitive types.

Limerick, Literary