Do the Yak

Our drive to New Jersey on Friday was punctuated by frog-choking downpours, mostly on the Mass. Pike. On Sunday in New Jersey, there was another FCD, but fortunately it held off until everyone was back at Ben's brother's house having brunch. An hour earlier, and dozens of people would have been drenched, standing outside at the cemetery for the unveiling ceremony for Ben's aunt, who died last September just 22 days after being diagnosed with stomach and liver cancer. Unveilings are apparently a uniquely American Jewish custom. Traditionally, family members bury the deceased within 24 hours and sit shiva (mourn) for seven days (shiva means seven in Hebrew). Some think the unveiling evolved as another life-cycle occasion to bring together geopgraphically scattered members of an extended family. Or if you're more cynical, you might see it as a way of saying "It's been a year, let's move on." In any case, it was very moving for the adults and sort of so...

We went to Mass. Eye and Ear last Wednesday so an ENT could have another look at Sarah's humongous tonsils. Her dentist had recommended getting them out, not because she's getting sick a lot, but because they're so big that they sometimes bother her with the feeling that she's about to choke on something. But the main reason is because they cause her to breathe through her mouth a lot, which is somehow messing up the developing shape of her palate, necessitating earlier (and undoubtedly more expensive) orthodontic stuff. She's gonna need braces anyway as she inherited my overbite, not helped by the fact that she sucked her thumb until the dentist told her a couple of months ago to stop -- and lo, she did! But the damage has been done. So Sarah gets to have an unbearably sore throat starting March 18. Side note: when I checked in at the main desk for our appointment, we were aided by a nicely dressed and coiffed middle-aged woman. I couldn't help stare a bit, tho...

Jerry Falwell just died, and I'm glad. So there. I know I'm slipping into his own gutter of insufficient compassion by saying this, but too bad. That man was just pure evil. Remember this comment right after 9/11? "I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen.'" If that doesn't make you mad enough, there are more of his timeless pronouncements here and here . Off to Old Blighty tomorrow evening. Part of me (the minority part) is sort of looking forward to hours of uninterrupted reading, sleeping and listening to my iPod, but most of me is sad and anxious about (a) not seeing the girls for four days (and Ben too, though he has an adult grasp of elapsed time and separations), and (b)...

I guess this blogging thing has started to affect my brain, because I’ve jumped another blogger bandwagon. What the hell, like I tell myself about the rest of this drivel, at least my kids will have something to know me by, assuming the North Koreans don’t nuke the Internet. My herbs and spices are in alphabetical order. I cut the ends off bay leaves so they’ll fit in my jars. I love starch, dairy foods and melted cheese (not raw). Fettuccine alfredo is almost ideal. My favorite food in the universe is Pizzeria Uno deep-dish cheese and tomato pizza. I can’t stand stupid people who don’t care that they’re stupid. I converted to Judaism in 1998 even though I’m an atheist (my rabbi said it was OK). I love Macs and deplore Windows. I especially enjoy desktop publishing. I am a huge Boston Red Sox fan. I’ve watched the Oscars every year since about 1978. One year I had to watch it in my father’s car on a little TV that ran off the cigarette lighter because our power was out. When I was 10,...

"The fact that a scientific theory cannot yet render an explanation on every point should not be used as a pretext to thrust an untestable alternative hypothesis grounded in religion into the science classroom or to misrepresent well-established scientific propositions." -- Judge John Jones, in today's ruling that shoots down the teaching of intelligent design in Dover, Pa. Way to go, judge. Some interesting posts on related topics: Answering your child's questions about religion when you're an atheist ( Tuckova ), and how sex messed things up right from the start ( Geese Aplenty ). Segueing onto the topic of kids and the provocative things they say... Sarah loves to threaten to poop on my head, while Becky has learned to use the word "diarrhea" with correct pronunciation and conversational context with her sister. It comes as no surprise that this theme is a favorite among the preschool set (see here and here ). Speaking of poop, when I forget somethi...

At the risk of boring the hell out of everyone (including myself), I have to put down some thoughts about the "intelligent design" debate and how it pertains to religion. A big topic, to be sure, but also the most important issue of our time. It’s frightening to me how much attention and acceptance ID has gotten, and ID is even more frightening than other silly ideas like UFOs because its goal is imposition of religious belief on an entire country, starting in public school. For an intelligent, in-depth and even-handed explanation of the “intelligent design” theory and debate, see this New Yorker article . Also see this article at livescience.com with simple explanations from the scientific viewpoint.First of all, ID is not a scientific theory of any kind, including a theory of evolution. We already have one, and many IDers actually agree with it -- they just think a higher power got the life-on-Earth ball rolling, so to speak. ID is about religion. It is a justification for...

Just in case there was still any lingering belief in the separation of church and state in our fine country, our fearless leader has declared a national day of prayer and rememberance for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Some choice quotes from the official White House press release: "Across our Nation, so many selfless deeds reflect the promise of the Scripture: 'For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in.'" (The peculiar capitalization is from the release, not me.) ... "We pray that God will bless the souls of the lost, and that He will comfort their families and friends and all lives touched by this disaster" ... "I ask that the people of the United States and places of worship mark this National Day of Prayer and Remembrance with memorial services and other appropriate observances." I suppose it's only fair that the government ask houses of worship for a favor, since i...