Miscellaneous rambling, and bragging about my kids.

Or was it Ptolemy? Anyway. Yesterday we're in the car and she asks me whether the sun moves. I explain to her that this is a very smart question that confused many people for a long long time, but actually the sun stays right where it is and we move. She says she doesn't get it, so I promise to show her at home.

This morning (since we were very busy last night) she reminds me that I haven't shown her yet. So I borrow E, who is watching Dora, and say "Stand right here." Next I pick up K and stand her so that E is right in front of her. "See? She's right in front of you, that's daytime." I then picked K up and began walking her around E, clockwise. "Now she's over there, and it's getting to be night time. Woops, now she's behind you, that means it's night time and the other side of the world is having daytime. Oh, wait, here she comes up on the other side, morning again. Get it now?"

Of course it would have been funny at this point to report that my sun walked away, thus disproving Galilean astronomy, but she stayed put.

Later on that day (yes I realize I'm jumping backwards in the story) we were discussing "night time on the other side of the world." "Like where Uncle Derek lives?" she asks.

"Oh, no, farther away than that," I say. "Let me see if I can think of somewhere it's night time…" trying to figure out some foreign country that she would know.

"How about Egypt?"

"…Well, yes. Daddy didn't know you knew what Egypt was."

"Or China?"

"Right again, it's night time in China too."

"And Disney World!"

"Well, no, Disney World is over in the daytime section with us."

"But Daddy, you have to take a plane to China, and we took a plane to Florida. I don't understand."

I love explaining this stuff.

Does anyone else have a problem with them blowing a boat up by putting gasoline in a lake?? Where are the environmentalists??

Really a nice love story. Hope to buy his CD soon and enjoy listening to it w/my hubbie and we are only in our 40's. That's young still, right?

The song is "Alive With the Glory of Love" by Say Anything

Duane, I apologize. I understand that this is a family blog, an that even though I was defending myself, cursing is unnacceptable. I sincerely apologize also for the comments that other people have made. Hopefully they will apologize themselves as well.

I love this song…!!! i love u chris you are the best!!! and the song is wonderful, i listened in american idol and i'm in love with that song.

your fan "yari from panama"

when does the show start

Thanks Bill! I learn something new every day :).

Now, does anybody know the deal on the Smarties? 🙂

His Holiness, like most people who value human relationships over tradition, will eat meat if it is served to him in good faith.

Since I follow the same principles, here is an example. I come to your house for dinner. You do not know that I am a Buddhist and vegetarian. You serve me a steak. Because I value your personal comfort and friendship more than a beef that has already been killed, and that was not killed for my personal benefit, I will eat (and enjoy) the steak.

If, however, you knew of my preferences and served meat anyway, I might or might not be offended depending on the circumstances, but I would pass on the steak. Like most things, it's a matter of intent — and the Middle Way. There is no need to be extreme; it gains nothing, and causes unhappiness.

Thanks for the info! Do you know if "advocating vegetarianism" means that he is now, in fact, a vegetarian? Because just a few weeks ago there was a story about him visiting some restaurant (and a funny story about the chef meeting him on the stairs and having to walk backwards up them so that they would not cross paths). In that story they specifically said he had the veal.

Please note I'm in no way trying to disparage the man, just commenting on what I'm reading and trying to put it all together.