A diapering dilemma

Someone recently asked me if I'd done any research on biodegradable diapers. Her cloth-diaper service is shutting down after 20 years, and she's distraught over the thought of throwing disposable diapers in the trash. She asked if I'd heard of "biodegradable disposable diapers." I hadn't (again, no children), but I'm always wary of a disposable product that claims to be biodegradable. Matt and I watched one of his science shows a few nights ago (or, as Baltimoreans would say, we "looked at" one of his science shows), and some students were doing an archeological dig in a landfill. They unearthed a newspaper from the Nixon administration! A 40-year-old newspaper! What's more biodegradable than paper? But if a material isn't exposed to oxygen, it just won't biodegrade.

With no cloth-diaper delivery service and the distressing truth that something can't be both disposable and biodegradable, I ended our conversation feeling defeated. So I did some research. Maybe some of you with little boos have already heard of gdiapers. It looks like the old-school flushable liners my mom used to use, but upgraded so poo doesn't ooze everywhere (though the price seems pretty upgraded, too). Their promotional video alone is enough to guilt me into trying them one day:



I'm a bit out of the baby-product loop, though, so what does anyone who has changed a diaper this decade think? Does this look like a viable alternative, or the equivalent of snake oil for guilty parents? It looks like there are several similar options out there (Kushies Diapers, for example) though they all appear to be equally pricey.

Of course, there's always this less-conventional route...

To buy or not to buy?

To buy or not to buy organic, that is. Some friends of ours (who shall remain nameless) say that there is no difference between organic and non-organic foods. They say they can't taste the difference, but as we know, buying organic is not about taste. It's about health, both for the human bodies who may ingest the pesticides and for the planet that may soak them up.

In an effort to help those who choose organic, the Environmental Working Group recently tested 43 different fruits and vegetables for trace pesticides. They cleaned them as a typical shopper would clean them (i.e., washed the apples, peeled the bananas, etc.), and measured the amount of pesticides left behind. That research produced a list of 12 foods that should be purchased from the organic section, as well as 12 foods that could be purchased from the mainstream produce section:

12 foods that should always be organic:

• Peaches
• Apples
• Sweet bell peppers
• Celery
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Lettuce
• Grapes (imported)
• Pears
• Spinach
• Potatoes

12 foods that don't have to be organic:

• Broccoli
• Eggplant
• Cabbage
• Banana
• Kiwi
• Asparagus
• Sweet peas (frozen)
• Mango
• Pineapple
• Sweet corn (frozen)
• Avocado
• Onion

It makes sense that the foods with peels or rinds would present less of a risk for humans, but the risk to the planet remains the same. I'm going to continue to drive Matt crazy by insisting that we pay more for our bananas and avocados.

My name is Rachel, and I have a problem.

"Hi, Rachel."

There really should be a support group for former dieters who become addicted to artificial products. I posted recently that I've turned to locally grown, organic produce and hormone-free dairy products, but feel guilty that I'm still holding on to old weight-loss habits--especially my Splenda dependence.

At the height of my addiction, I was pocketing handfuls of the yellow packets at restaurants, coffee shops, and even weddings! But after Barley ate an entire box of the stuff and I let myself think about how harmful artificial sweeteners can be, I really started to feel like a hypocrite. Each morning, I brew a pot of organic/free trade coffee and pour into it organic half and half (no more of the chemically fat free stuff) and Splenda. Ridiculous! So I decided to kick my habit cold-turkey.

Thank goodness for Trader Joe's! Their organic sugar is made from "100% evaporated cane juice." There are no artificial chemicals or additives to be found. And the best part is that it still has just 15 calories per teaspoon! Now I'm off the powder and on the juice--sugarcane juice, that is, and I'm loving it!

Why do I love my nuns?

Because they do the electric slide...


the YMCA...


and the chicken dance...


And they still look classy doing it! Get down, sisters!

Friends who bite...hard

A couple weeks ago, Rebecca posted a story about her son, Frank, getting bit by a "friend" at school. Again, I don't like to compare my canine child to her human one, but sometimes it's just too easy.

This weekend, we're taking care of Barley's friend, Lexi. We've dogsat for Lexi before, but that was back when Barley spent his days in a crate. This time, they've been left out. Together. All day. When I got home last night, Barley had a puncture wound on his face:


And that photo was taken after a day of healing! Of course, we know Barley and what he's capable of instigating, so we were sure he deserved it. Today, we got our proof:


Poor Lexi! Barley's mouth is full of her fur. And just in case he tried to deny it, we got a shot of him with some remnants of Lexi still in his mouth:

What won't Barley eat?

So far, not much. He's not a fan of onions and lettuce, and he turns his nose up at peas (that's my dog), but I can't think of much else that he won't try. We've heard that chocolate, grapes, and even garlic is potentially fatal to dogs. Barley loves all three and has eaten all three in large quantities. Sometimes his culinary (mis)adventures make him sick, but not usually.

Anyway, I've been waiting to post this most recent story of Barley's gastronomic exploits, because this is the first time I've been genuinely concerned for his health. When he ate an entire chocolate cake (twice), he was still his same chipper self both times. But when I got home from work on Tuesday night, I found him under our bed, completely listless. This isn't entirely new, especially since it's been so hot in our house lately, but I also found an entire box of Splenda about 10 feet from him. The box was torn to bits and there was white powder all over the floor--kind of like Barley was a cocaine-sniffing dog who got a taste of the good stuff. I spent the rest of the evening researching whether sucralose was fatal to dogs. From what I read, it's a good thing I don't use Equal. Barley is just fine, and sucralose is not nearly as harmful to them as aspartame. Phew!

In the course of my investigation, however, I read all sorts of scary stuff about what sucralose, my beloved Splenda, can do to humans! I realize that it's somewhat hypocritical of me to give up eating animals and to eat only organically grown fruits, vegetables and dairy, yet consume tablespoons of artificial sweetener every day. I'm on the horns of a dilemma, but I think I'll just perch here for a while.

I love my nuns

Today at work, our sisters and some of my coworkers threw me a wonderful going-away party. They invited Matt, so he got to put faces with all the names he'd heard so much about. In the relatively short time I've been here (just a year!), I've become so close to all of them. The sisters especially are some of the kindest, most intelligent and savviest people I've ever had the joy of meeting. Who would've thought that a good Lutheran girl from the Midwest would count Baltimore nuns as some of her life's greatest mentors?

Historically, the sisters in this order were teaching sisters, and many of them began their careers in the classroom. They're all very proud and excited that I'm going to be a teacher, and they've all offered their advice (solicited or otherwise) from decades of experience. Their mission statement, "transforming the world through education," is displayed everywhere, and it's something that they all try to live out in their ministries and daily lives. As a gift, they gave me this beautiful paperweight with the inscription: "Rachel Scherer: 'Transforming the world through education.'" I will treasure it always.

I wish everyone who has negative impressions of the Catholic church could come meet my nuns. They are so open-minded, so loving, so accepting. One even has a bumper sticker that says "Green is Groovy." In fact, if the Catholic church was run by sisters instead of cardinals and bishops, I think it would be much better off. "This is most certainly true!"

'Our Top Reads' Update

We've had a wonderful response to the post soliciting our own "top reads" list (though I've had more fun seeing what people will never read again). Continue to leave your favorites (and the not-so-favorites) in the comments section, then try to decide what to read first.

Our Favorite Books
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn (Austin)
Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins (Austin)
The Tao of Willie by Willie Nelson and Turk Pipkin (Austin)
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger (Jules)
Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson (Jules)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Jules)
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer (Jules)
The Gathering by Anne Enright (Molly C.)
Star of the Sea by Joseph OConner (Molly C.)
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (Molly C.)
The Secret River by Kate Greenville (Molly C.)
House of Spirits by Isabel Allende (Molly C.)
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Rebecca)

Our Least-favorite Books
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift (Abbi)
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane (Jules)
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (Jules)
Brick Lane by Monica Ali (Molly C.)
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (Molly C.)

Back into 'Blackness'

I've been thinking about an article in the Style section of today's Post ever since I finished reading it.

The piece is a wonderful commentary from Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Robin Givhan, and it stems from John McLaughlin's "Oreo" comment of about a week ago. That inappropriate (and terribly out-of-date! Why does this guy even have a current events show?) comment has brought back to the forefront (has it ever left?) the issue of whether Obama is "black enough" or "too black."

This statement by the author, while accurate, is also rather ironic: "It would be splendid if the man could simply just be in the same way as presumptive Republican nominee John McCain." By writing this article, poignant as it is, Givhan fails to let the issue of race just be.

Givhan contends that the conversation about Obama's "blackness" should be shelved. And while I agree that a debate over whether he's "black enough" or "too black" is ridiculous, perhaps discussion of his race in general isn't so inappropriate. When my mom risked her life in the 1960's to help blacks in the deep south register to vote, I doubt she thought that any of those individuals would ever have a viable run for the White House. Now, just 40 years later, Obama's historical feat should be recognized. The trade-off, then, is that he--and, by extension, his race--will never simply be.

This could mean that bigots like the primary voters in West Virginia who voted for Hillary because "they can't stand the thought of a black man telling a white man what to do" will turn out in droves to vote against Obama this fall. But those same people turned out in droves with fire hoses during the freedom marches and the bus boycotts, and they turned out in droves to threaten freedom fighters like my mom. But that didn't stop progress. If anything, it fueled it.

While the black enough/too black debate (which sounds like a racist "tastes great/less filling") can be shelved, I'm in no hurry to let Obama's historic race for the presidency just be.

More Puppy Guilt

Though not as bad as leaving Barley at the kennel, I do feel guilty for what I did to him yesterday afternoon. But I can't take all the blame.

I was putzing around, half-heartedly cleaning the house, and Barley was following me everywhere. First, he was walking circles around me. Then, he started pacing around the house and he kept bumping into me and getting underfoot. I asked him if he wanted to go for a walk to work off some of his energy. He started running circles around me, and nearly knocked me down on his way to the front door.

Maybe I'm getting used to the steamy Maryland summers, but I really didn't think it was that hot outside. A certain smartypants at home told me it was 95 degrees outside when Barley and I went for our walk. Oops. No wonder the poor thing hugged the air conditioning vent when we got home:


I felt so guilty for dragging an animal with a fur coat through 95-degree heat. In my defense, Matt (said smartypants) asked Barley if he had a good walk. As soon as Barley heard "walk," he started sprinting around me again. Oh, to have boundless puppy energy, even if it is accompanied by a lack of common sense.

Complaint to an Unnamed Soap Company

Matt and I purchased an economy-size package of bar soaps at Costco last weekend. I often find grammatical errors on packaging, and I tell myself that the error is the reason the product ended up at Costco. Wishful thinking, I know, but it gets me through.

This particular package of soap attempted to encourage users to use the product each day, but instead printed a very different meaning: "Everyday is everything." These things always make me laugh at first, but then they just make me sad. Even my "This is why this is at Costco" pep talk didn't help this time, so I wrote an email to the company:

I have to alert you to error on the packaging of one of your products. I recently purchased a bar of your regular soap, and the packaging read, "everyday is everything," apparently encouraging consumers to use the product daily.

Using "everyday" as one word, however, means that company is encouraging use of something mundane and ordinary. I believe the meaning you were aiming for is: "every day is everything." In other words, using product each day makes all the difference.

About a day later, I received this generic response:

Hi Rachel,

Thanks for writing!

We will be more than happy to forward your comments to the appropriate staff. Consumer comments are important and are evaluated daily.

Thanks for your interest!

When the company's Vice President of Copy Editing sends me a more detailed reply, I'll be sure to post that, too. Oh my. That was even more delusional than the "This is why this is at Costco" pep talk.

Caution: BookCrossing

Thanks to my researcher, Austin, for unearthing this one. He asked if I'd heard of "BXing," or BookCrossing. Similar to the Where's George? and Phototag sites, which track pieces of currency and lost cameras, respectively, the BookCrossing site tracks books as they change hands. Users are asked to write a specific "BookCrossing ID" on the inside cover of the book, then either hand the book to a friend or leave the book in a public place. The book is to continue changing hands until, in theory, an eventual recipient logs in to the BookCrossing site and reports on the book's journey.

In theory, I love the idea of people sharing their favorite books with each other. I have several gifted books on my "to-read" shelf, and I've passed several of my favorites to family and friends. What bothers me about BookCrossing is the idea of just leaving one of my favorite books on a park bench or in a shopping mall. Reading a good book is such a personal, emotional experience, I couldn't imagine just leaving a beloved favorite lying about. When I give a book to a friend, I ask that person to pass it on to someone who she or he believes will enjoy it as we have. Giving a book without knowing something about the recipient is a completely abstract concept.

Of course, not every book I read is worthy of sharing with family and friends, nor do I want every book to take up permanent residence on my bookshelf. Maybe I'll BookCross that unabridged copy of Les Miserables that I haven't had the resolve to just throw in the trash.

Star Tribune Makes Istory

A headline in the online version of today's Minneapolis Star Tribune read: 'Mad Men,' 'Damages' make Emmy nomination istory. Yes, it read "istory."

While living in London, I worked for an irate Scotsman named Stuart Murray. He kept a bottle of whiskey in his desk drawer and, quite rightly, often accused me of being a terrible secretary. For example, I once took a message from someone at "The Golden Fax," assuming it was an office supply store and not realizing there was a financial firm named "Goldman Sachs." But I digress.

Stuart Murray used to dictate his letters in a heavy, drunken Scottish accent. I often assumed words I didn't understand were just Scottish or British slang, so I spelled them phoenitically. Quite predictably, I was wrong most of the time. While reading the letters I had typed, Stuart Murray would peer over his reading glasses, stare through me for a moment or two, then slur, "Raaaachel. I have a handy feature on my computer that you apparently don't have on yours. All my misspelled words are underlined with a red squiggly line. I see we'll have to install that feature on your computer. Hmmm...."

I think Stuart Murray should pay a visit to the Star Tribune copy editing desk. They must not have the handy red squiggly line feature either.

The worst part is that I took a screen shot, assuming they would correct the problem immediately. As of this posting, however, it still reads "istory."

We're Gonna Win, Twins!

But Matt's gonna lose.

At the beginning of this baseball season, Matt and my dad made a bet on the seasons of the Twins vs. the Orioles. Matt loves to talk up the O's, but he's never willing to put his money where his mouth is. My dad accused him of not having faith in his team (some might say he badgered him), and Matt finally caved.

The bet is simple: The team with the best record at the end of the season wins. Matt tried to negotiate some wiggle room based on the two teams' past records, but to no avail. I believe my dad's exact words were, "Well, if you don't really believe in your team, we don't have to bet at all." The loser has to buy the winner a jersey from the winner's team.

Now, at the All-Star break, the Twins are 53 and 42--11 games above 500 and a game and a half outside of 1st place. The O's are 45 and 48--three games below 500 and ten games outside of 1st place. Maybe Matt can get his Brian Roberts jersey next year.

Like a good neighbor...

Barley is there.

I'm staying home from work today, so I got to take Barley on his morning walk. Every time we passed someone on the street, I put my head down so we could walk by quickly and avoid early-morning conversation. Not Barley. Like most dogs, he tried to greet everyone we passed. Unlike many dogs (and unlike any human), his whole body quaked with excitement each time he thought he might be able to greet someone: "Did that front door just open? Let's go see! Let's go see!"

Halfway through our walk, I thought I'd try to adopt Barley's life philosophy. It seems to make him happy, after all. So as one of our neighbors left his house and walked to his car, I offered him a cheery "Good morning!" He looked at Barley, looked at me, then got in his car and drove away without saying a word. I looked down at Barley, who sat down on the sidewalk, let out a long sigh and watched sadly as our neighbor's car drove away. "Why didn't he want to play with me?"

The next time we saw someone, I figured I'd learned my lesson. I said nothing, put my head down and tried to walk by. Ever the optimist, Barley greeted her with his trademark excitement. She replied with a "Hey, fella!" and came over to pet him and ask his name. "You made my day," she told him before she got in her car and went to work.

I wish people could be more like Barley.

Our Top Reads

In response to my post below about the so-called "top 100" books, and piggy-backing off Abbi's post that this list is probably less than credible, I think we need to create our own suggested reading list. I'll start with a few of my all-time favorites. Add yours in the comments section (just a few to start, Carol Berg), and I'll update the post as we go. Classics and newer works will be accepted.

I will also accept contributions to a "will never read" or "read it and am worse for it" list, even if yours are on my favorites list. :)

Our Favorite Books
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn (Austin)
Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins (Austin)
The Tao of Willie by Willie Nelson and Turk Pipkin (Austin)
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger (Jules)
Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson (Jules)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Jules)
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer (Jules)

Our Least-favorite Books
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift (Abbi)
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane (Jules)
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (Jules)

Gone Fishin'

Minnesota Public Radio's Morning Show used to play a song that went something like this:

The best part of fishin' ain't the fish, but the fishin'.
The best part of lovin' is the love.
The best part of doin' most anything you're doin',
Is doin' it with all of your heart.

That pretty much sums up the fishing trip Matt, Barley and I took this morning. We didn't catch anything, but we had a great time lounging together by the water.

Okay, I lounged:


Matt actually did some fishing (with his brown, furry assistant):

When his brown, furry assistant saw that we weren't catching anything, he decided to do a little hunting instead. Barley ate literally anything he could find. And I don't mean that in the annoying I-said-literally-but-I-meant-figuratively kind of way: "I literally exploded." I mean Barley ate anything and everything on the beach. We started keeping track; this is a small list:

Doggie treats
Part of Matt's bagel
Part of my bagel
Bait (who doesn't love a good bloodworm in the morning?)
Grass
Weeds
Bugs (the ones he actually caught anyway)
Rocks
Dead birds (guts and/or skeletal remains)
Dead fish (see previous parenthetical reference)
Crabs (with or without shells)
Snails
Unidentified guts and/or food
A lizard (almost)

I took a couple pictures of things he either ate or tried to eat. Yummy:


And I let that dog kiss me?! Yes. Yes, I do.

The Big Read

I read a post on another blog about the Big Read (a program of the National Endowment for the Arts), which surmises that the average adult has only read six of the top 100 books (though some of their "top 100" are debatable). I was initially surprised to hear that most people have read even six of the "top 100" books, then I noticed that they included the Harry Potter series and Bridget Jones' Diary.

Anyway, this is what one is supposed to do with this list on one's own blog:

1) Bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read or have started but haven't finished (I had to fight the urge to italicize every item on the list. These are titles of books, after all, and they should be punctuated as such.)
3) Mark in a different color the books you LOVE.
4) Reprint this list in your blog so we can try and track down these people who've read 6 and force books upon them ;-)

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible (I must have collectively read the whole thing, what with over 12 years of Sunday School, four years at a private college, and teaching Sunday School now.)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (So close!)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien (Thank you, Mr. Collins)
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger (Yuck! Never again!)
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown (A bestseller, yes. But a top 100?)
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving (Not my favorite John Irving book)
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding (Really? No...)
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville (I refuse! Ahab himself could hunt me down, and he still couldn't force me to read this book.)
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson (I love all his stuff!)
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath 77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom (Though I liked Tuesdays With Morrie better)
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad (Not by choice, and not recommended reading)
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery (Hopefully, the English translation counts)
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (I tried to get rid of it, but it kept haunting me. I literally threw this book in the trash, and someone mailed it to me.)

I've read 42 of them. I feel like I should have read more, especially if I'm going to be teaching literature to young people.

So how many on the list have you read? It might be easier for some of you to just share which ones you haven't read. :) Are there any that you feel were left out (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, for example), or are there some that shouldn't be included on this list?

Those who can, teach

...and those who can't, work as administrators. A friend of mine received this email from someone interested in pursuing a post-graduate degree at the college where my friend works:

Greetings! Thank you so much for the information. I have a question wht is the main difference in your PhD for education and your EdD for education program? Also, as I was also looking at you Phd program for psychology and I noticed that some of the psychology courses that are required to take I already took them for my bachelor credits. Will I be able to transfer those credits or they are entirely different?

Thank so much for your help.

If this person is pursuing a doctorate, then s/he already has a Master's degree. How in the world did this person graduate from high school, let alone college and beyond? I tell myself that s/he's probably teaching math or a science (which is still no excuse), but I wouldn't be surprised if s/he taught English. At least as an administrator, s/he will get out of the classroom!

My Eyes!

It burns! If reading the caption under the photograph in this Star Tribune article doesn't hurt your eyes, nothing will.

Is this simply a case of hurried copy editing, or did someone at a major metropolitan newspaper really not realize that the Arboretum has "grown"?

The Beautiful Birth of Words

Happy birthday, Pescetarian and Soju! Today marks your birth into the American lexicon.

CNN ran a story today about some of the many new words Merriam-Webster added this year. Many of them aren't too much of a surprise--words inspired by cooking shows (edamame and prosecco, for example. Thank you, Food Network), as well as words inspired by wars and conflicts (dirty bombs and Noroviruses. Thank you, George W.).

My very favorite, though, is a modern take on the malapropism--a "mondegreen," named for the oft-misunderstood lyrics, "laid him on the green" ("Lady Mondegreen"). The article mentions a few common mondegreens, but left out a few of my personal favorites:

"The girl with kaleidoscope eyes" ("The girl with kaleides goes by")

"Secret Agent Man" ("Secret Asian Man")

"In the Garden of Eden" ("Ina gotta davita")

Does anyone have any others?

Closet Catholics

There was a great article by Anthony Stevens-Arroyo in the Washington Post yesterday about Obama, the "closet Catholic." I enjoyed it not because I think the nuns I work for would love a convert in the White House, but because it highlights the wonderful works done by religious charitable organizations. Too often we hear about zealous Christians proselytizing and preaching the "if you're not with us you're against us" gospel. But actually living the gospel isn't about pointing fingers and looking for ways to exclude people. It's about living life as Jesus lived it--by caring for each other and loving the least among us as if they were family. I'm glad that Obama recognizes the Catholic Charities model and all the great work it does to give life to Jesus' message.

With that said, I don't know if one needs to be a "closet Catholic" in order to know that the Catholic church does a lot of good for a lot of people. I was raised in a liberal Lutheran tradition, and I was nervous when I first began to work for a congregation of nuns that we'd never agree on social issues. But I soon realized that the "Pro Life" issue is such a tiny piece of their lives as faithful Catholics. I also learned that "Pro Life" includes an end to war and starvation, as well as respect for life once its grown and needs help. Many of my nuns, as well as many Catholics who don't get the press, are socially liberal people. They believe in living the mission of Jesus by helping one another, especially the poorest and most destitute among us. I'm no "closet Catholic," but I am inspired every day by the selfless work of my nuns, the people at Catholic Charities and millions of other unsung, liberal Catholics.

Back in Charm City

We got home very late last night, so we had to wait until this morning to go pick up Barley. Since I had to drop him off, I got to go pick him up. I'm not sure if it was the running with the other doggies or the fact that he probably didn't sleep a wink in 6 days, but Barley is exhausted.


Not even the little black dog from down the street, his neighborhood nemesis who walks by at this time every day, could rouse Barley from this stooper. As I type this, I can hear his snoring getting louder and louder.

Poor baby. Doggie Camp is exhausting!

The Long Road Home

On Sunday morning, we took the scenic route back to Denver from Breckenridge. This is just a bit of what we saw:

Right after I took this picture, a chipmunk darted in front of us into those woods. "Look how fast that chipmunk is going, even in this thin air," Matt said. He thought for a moment and said, "So do you think Colorado chipmunks are in way better shape than Maryland chipmunks?"


We were above the clouds:


"Look! Snow in July!"


When we got back to Denver, we had a couple hours to kill before going to my family's house for dinner. We tried to catch up on all the museum time we missed earlier in this trip due to our brewery visits, but, alas, the Museum of Outdoor Arts was closed:

The Sweet-Talkin' Preacher Man

Dear friends and family…we are gathered here at the top of the world on this beautiful July day to witness the renewal of vows between Brian and Heidi.

To this sacred moment here today, Heidi and Brian bring the fullness of their hearts as a gift to share with one another. They bring the dreams which bind them together in their eternal commitment. They bring their gifts and talents, their unique personalities and spirits.

Today, we rejoice with Brian and Heidi in the life they began together 11 months ago, and we are all grateful to be here today to share in this remembrance of their promises to each other—promises of eternal friendship, respect, and love.

(After a reading by Brian's sister)

What beautiful words to hear as you recall the great love that brought the two of you together in marriage 11 months ago. Though I understand this love story actually started a few years before that. Heidi, you recalled for me the first time you met Brian. You first saw him when he and some friends stopped by your friend Anne’s house, correct? Brian, my sister had her eye on you even then, but I guess one of her friends claimed you first. Little did you both know that you met your future life partner that night! But you would both have to wait.

And aren’t you glad you did?! The two of you remained close over the years and developed a deep respect for one another and a close friendship. And that friendship lasted many years…past high school and through other relationships. Then, as with so many great love stories, a twist of fate brought you both together for good.

I believe it was at the annual Renaissance Fair, wasn’t it? You each visited a fortune teller named Madame Caroline, who informed you at different times that you had a strong bond with each other. After that, you began to spend more time with each other—and, quickly, “more time” became as much time as possible. Brian, you said that you knew Heidi was the one for you years before Madame Caroline said so. In fact, you said that you knew for years that Heidi was “the one.” Heidi, you told Mom and Dad that you were going to marry Brian months before you even started dating. Fortune teller or not—these two knew they were meant to spend the rest of their lives together.

I asked Heidi and Brian to write love letters to each other…to share with me how they really feel about each another. Heidi, you told me that you are so glad to have Brian in your life. You said that he is your best friend, your soul-mate, the best thing that has ever happened to you. Whatever you can’t do alone, you can accomplish ten-fold with Brian at your side…you said that you are the perfect team.

Brian, you said that you’ve already experienced so many ups and downs with Heidi…laughter and tears, joy and sorrow. Through all of that, Brian, you said that you have always loved Heidi with indescribable devotion. Heidi, Brian thanks you for blessing him with a perfect little girl (and he hopes someday for the blessing of a perfect little boy). Quite simply, Brian said: You are my Heidi.

In a few moments, the two of you will walk down this aisle—and into the rest of your lives—hand in hand. As you continue to live your marriage—when life isn’t always as beautiful as a mountaintop—I hope you continue to reach for the other’s hand. Rely not only on the strength those hands provide, but also on the tenderness. Remain firm in your commitment to each other, but allow for flexibility. So a marriage is sustained—with strength and tenderness, commitment and flexibility.

Also remember that you don't walk this path alone. Don't be afraid to reach out to those gathered here today when you face difficulty. Our hands are there, too. To accept an outreached hand is not an admission of failure, but an act of faith. For behind us, underneath us, around all of us, are the outstretched hands of those whom we love and those who love us.

Through the years, your family and friends showed you how to love, helped you to grow, and supported you when you found each other and began your life together. You have given me the great honor of speaking on behalf of your family and friends today. I know we will all continue to love and support you -- just as you love and support each other, Lillyana and all of us. May all the blessings of the universe be with your marriage today and always.

Happy 4th of July!

Yesterday was the first brewery-free day of our vacation, though both Matt and I enjoyed a cold brew or two at our respective holiday parades. Matt took in the parade in Breckenridge, and I traveled down the road to Frisco, where my wonderful cousin, Chad, clearly enjoyed his blue snow cone:


While I was taking in the Frisco parade, Matt called to tell me that the rehearsal had been moved from 6:00 to 5:00--par for the course this weekend. At least the rehearsal is still in Breckenridge.

We had a wonderful time at the family reunion/rehearsal dinner, though I lost track of the number of times a relative yelled "We're Heidi's family!" after doing something embarrassing. Fortunately, Heidi does not embarrass easily.

We ended our mountain-top Independence Day with some monster-size sparklers courtesy of the groom's family (all of whom were apparently unaware of the pyromania tendencies of the Scherer family) and some beautiful fireworks over the Rocky Mountains.

Another day, another brewery

We started today the same way we ended yesterday--at a brewery. Apparently, Pete Coors isn't the only one who know how to tap the Rockies. We had a few Dam beers, some good Dam lunch and Matt was much more pleased than he had been the night before. The Dam Brewery has even won a few (Dam) American Beer Festival Medals.

After lunch, I went to Matt's sister's bridal shower. I don't know what it is about shower games that compels me to win by any means necessary. At a bridal shower last year, for example, I stacked my "bridal bingo" card so I would be sure to win. Today, during the "match the famous couples" game, I was furiously texting people who I thought would know who Paul Newmann's wife is or who any of Elizabeth Taylor's husbands were. It's truly shameful, but it gets me through those tedious games. I make no apologies. On the plus side, I did win the "famous couples" game and took home a lovely jar-opening tool kit.

The rest of Matt's family arrived this afternoon, slowly but surely. Matt's parents witnessed a car accident, his brother's car broke down going through a mountain pass and some friends of his parents had a flat tire. A few relatives may still be stranded in Denver, and we're still not sure where Matt's brother will be sleeping tonight. Oh, and Matt and I found out today that the wedding isn't actually in Breckenridge, but in Vail.

If the devil's in the details, the Scherers have to be the saintliest people alive.

Experiencing Matt's Colorado

Matt and I arrived in beautiful Breckenridge, Colorado yesterday and settled in to our nice little condo in the heart of the town. The Scherers are all still in Denver or driving from Minnesota, so we explored the town ourselves. What did we do with our one day of free time? Did we hike through the miles of mountain trails that are literally in our backyard? Did we take in some local culture, such as the Barney Ford House Museum?

Of course not! We found the local brewery.

Matt's verdict: Breckenridge Brewery was decent, but not great. Hopefully, his next review will be on some mountains or a museum or two.

Entree to the Classics, or Fancy Cliffs Notes?

There was an interesting article in the Post this morning about a new, free magazine being distributed at metro stations. Bit o' Lit is meant to fill a void left by the far ends of the traditional mass-transit-reading spectrum: it's neither a trashy newspaper, nor is it a heavy book. While I know I should be glad that some commuters may finally put down their tabloids in exchange for something of relative substance, this seems to be just another easy way out.

The magazine's founder says that she's simply providing commuters with an option. While it's fair to argue that reading Bit o' Lit may be better than catching up on celebrity gossip, it just seems like more fuel for our instant gratification culture. Why should students bother to read a full-length book when Cliffs Notes hit the high points? Why should adults bother to curl up for hours with a good book when the Reader's Digest or Bit o' Lit version will do the trick in a few minutes? True reading is about so much more than a give-it-to-me-quickly plot synopsis. It's about delving into subplots, character analyses, and symbolism. It's about rewarding oneself with the pleasure of getting lost in a book.

I'm all in favor of anything that will get Americans to read, but I wish we would stop trying to placate the masses and start trying to challenge them!

Puppy Guilt

On an intellectual level, I know that Dogwood Acres Pet Retreat is a wonderful place. On an emotional level, I feel riddled with guilt that I have to take Barley there today for his "vacation" while we're in Colorado. On a rational level, I realize that I'm treating my dog like my child, which is of no benefit to anyone.

But look at that face: "Please don't leave me. Please let me go to Colorado."