This is walto.com

Month: January 2008

  • Until I Find You

    Has anyone else ever read this entire novel?

    I had finished up 1776, and a re-reading of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol for the Holidays, when I decided to take up John Irving’s most recent work, Until I Find You. This sucker weighs in at 840+ pages, and let me tell you, I am at page 174 and this monster is starting to draaaaaaaaag. I’ve been a fan of Irving’s ever since I read Setting Free The Bears and The World According To Garp back in the late 70’s, and have bought nearly everything he’s published since that time (save for The Fourth Hand), but had never actually gotten around to reading several of his later works (A Son Of The Circus, A Widow For One Year) until I started Until I Find You. So far it’s much of the usual Irving fare, somewhat enjoyable although hardly new, but this may take a looooooong time to finish.

  • Three Funerals and a Baby

    just as I was feeling depressed over my increasing awareness of my own mortality…

    …welcome to the world L. A., born this afternoon to my niece M.! Mom and baby are doing fine, on what is the 7 year anniversary of W.’s due date (although he apparently could not wait and popped out 7 weeks early)

    vital statistics and pictures to be posted when they are available

  • 23 Degrees is too warm?

    My Backyard Rink

    My backyard skating rink simply will not freeze solid. I had built it a few weeks ago, following a design I found online, and have been waiting somewhat impatiently for the weather to turn cold enough for the water in the rink to freeze. W. is so looking forward to lacing up his skates, and to playing hockey in his backyard, but even though the top layer of water has frozen over, the bottom layers will not drop below 34 degrees (during the middle of the night.) Once the sunlight hits the rink, the water warms up to the mid-40s. I realize it’s nearly the end of January, and we’ve gotten hardly any snowfall, and the ground is nowhere near frozen, and I can hope that next Saturday Phil sees his shadow and February brings prolonged freezing temperatures, but if this rink turns out to be a bust I’m going to have a pretty unhappy family.

  • No more sad news, please…

    I am becoming increasingly aware, almost daily, of my own mortality, and I want it to stop.

    First, the husband of one of E.’s close co-workers passed away this past Friday;
    then, my brother phoned Friday night to let me know that my Aunt M. passed away this past Wednesday, January 23rd:
    http://www.legacy.com/philly/DeathNotices.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=101854363

    Lastly (hopefully) I received word late this evening that the mom of a dear high-school friend died on the very same day:
    http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/222-01262008-1477697.html

  • Creative Outsourcing

    Happy Birthday Patsy!

    OK, just as the whole outsourcing thing is turning up some serious heat at work, I found this gem on the web:

    Report: Many U.S. Parents Outsourcing Child Care Overseas