health dramas

i now have experienced the horror of seeing my child have a seizure.
it was seriously scary business.

he is ok now, of course, and all is well, but the trip in the ambulance and hospital stay - complete with very scary tests for a 3 year old - were not my idea of a fun way to spend the weekend.

aghast!

well, today i discovered another depth that people can sink to in their darkness, their smallness, their hatred, their vindictiveness and stupidity.

the fact that it is wrapped in a facsimile of christianity and putting words into god's mouth made me more furious than i have been in a long time.

i hate that i was brought to tears by these people. and their effect on good people. people who live with the knowledge that others want them dead!?! it's insane.

we're so sheltered here in australia.
we hear the news.
i know what is going on in the middle east.
we see the movies.
i've seen 'mississippi'.
i have jewish ancestry so i know this stuff in theory.

but i'm still shocked how people can react against people for who they are.

i'm aghast.

i shouldn't be surprised.
why on earth was i so surprised?

ok. rant over.

happy birthday rupert grint.

the lovely rupert, who plays ron in the potter movies, was 18 years old today.

happy anniversary to us....

well, i had miscalculated. i've been thinking this was 15th and it was 14th. oops.

so it arrived, and we both started the day by forgetting about it.
possible tension and despair was avoided when we both remembered in time to save face.

pizza and a bottle of wine after the kids were in bed was quite a nice way to spend a tuesday and all was right in the world.

amazing to think we've been 'together' since early 1988. we're almost talking 'decades' here folks.
YIKES!

my sister's keeper

"my sister's keeper" by jodi picoult

i wasn't going to read it, and if i did, i certainly wasn't going to like it.

it was for a new bookclub (some of the homeschool mums are going to do a thing after the kids' literacy group once a month).
this was the book decided on for the first one.
when my reserved copy came in at the library i took one look at the cover and went EEEEK!

when my dh read the blurb on the cover he just looked at me and said 'no way are you reading that!'.
now he's not the bombastic sort, just that he didn't think it conducive to my mental health and the stability of the family (or the likelihood of him getting any meals prepared for him) if i read a book which was asks

if you use one of your children to save the life of another, are you being a good mother ... or a very bad one?

he knows i've never quite recovered from 'sophie's choice'.

still, i didn't want to decide against it without even dipping in, so i did.

i hate it when i like popular things. i feel so normal. (just kidding).

i really enjoyed this book.
it's got quite a light touch, regardless of the soul numbing horror it's dealing with.

the different voices were all distinct and believable, and i was moved by the unexpected insights each of them had.

i was so ready to hate sara (the mother) and yet, her viewpoint made me sympathetic despite myself.

jesse (the delinquent brother) is my favourite character.

cheers all,
jo

british article on LUMOS

well, this would have been an even better article if the person HAD actually read all the books in preparation for covering the conference, but still, there are some interesting observations.

MERLIN, interested in hearing your response to this article.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,1837941,00.html

jo

tagging the franoggle

tagging the franoggle too

i am all things evil, and have bullied my sister into getting a blogspot identity, so that i can talk to her online too.

so i am adding her to my tags for this book meme as i am really interested to read her answers.

so frannoire, post a comment here with your answers.
(cut and paste from my one below and then replace the answers with your own)

big kisses and stuffjo

YIKES i've been tagged! - books

1. One book that changed your life:
"Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl ( i think i have spelt that correctly)

2. One book that you've read more than once:
ummmm everything i've owned?
ok..
have to be from the Harry Potter series, I think.
"HP and the Half Blood Prince"

3. One book you'd want on a desert island:
am i allowed to say The Bible? or is that cheating?

4. One book that made you laugh:
"Hitchhiker's Guide to the Gallery"

5. One book that made you cry:
"To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee

6. One book that you wish had been written:
"World Peace for Idiots"

7. One book you wish had never been written:
"On Becoming Babywise" by Gary and Marie Ezzo - please no hate mail.

8. One book you're currently reading:
just finished (again)
"Bono on Bono" Conversations with Michka Assayas

about to start
"My Sister's Keeper" for book club. am dreading it actually.

9. One book you've been meaning to read:
all the things on my list from merlin - i'll pick ....
"The Great Divorce" by C.S. Lewis

10. Now I'm supposed to "tag" 4 people.
- i don't think 4 people even read this blog... Merlin's had his go, so

* Sumara
*My Boaz's Ruth
*Narelle
*Katef

make sure to leave a comment if you get the tag so i can go sticky at what you say!

jo