I was rereading the Harry Potter series (to reacquaint myself before the movie release this summer) and I got to wondering … Nowhere in the books does J. K. Rowling bring up the religious practices of witches, wizards, muggles, or squibs.  I also theorized that there might be a few possible reasons:

• She didn’t want to give away too much of the ending (King’s Cross and all that)
• She had enough to fill all those books already
• She didn’t want to alienate any religious groups (you know, she might alienate the Muslims if we find out that Dean Thomas is actually Jewish).

I don’t think that last one’s the case, as she alienated enough religious groups.  So I’m thinking it’s probably one of the first two.

But then I got to thinking — in a country where (according to one pool) only 14% of people do not affiliate themselves with any religion, and with magical and non magical students attending Hogwarts, there would have to be some students that have some type of religious affiliation.  There is no talk of prayer or medition or any type of services at Hogwarts, but there is belief in an afterlife (the “next great adventure).

So — my question to anyone reading this (Doc Thelma — I’m expecting some input from you on this :^) ) is what kind of thoughts might you have (in sheer speculation) on wizards (in the Harry Potter universe) and religion.

I will give the one thought I’ve had … according to one estimate I ran across (on Wikipedia so we all know what THAT is worth) approximately 10% of the population of the U.K. attends church regularly.  So you’d think that really, of the wizarding (and muggle) families there would be that many that are active religiously.  HOWEVER even though there is some evidence to the contrary (the “owl post” in Sorcerer’s Stone – when the Dursleys were not at church on Sunday but home to be attacked by the letters) I think that the Dursleys did regularly attend church.  And I can back this up by a few assumptions.

• It is of utmost importance to the Dursleys that they have every appearance of being a perfectly normal family.
• Vernon just might find some people to see drills to at church.
• Petunia would totally love to gossip about all the other people at church (or all the people not there this week)
• I bet Petunia would love to show off her cooking at potlucks

Just thinking.  What do you think.

1. All children alarm their parents, if only because you are forever expecting common sense. (When will I learn)

2. Show me a good loser and I will show you a winner. (Because if you can have cheerfulness and grace when losing — you’re not really a loser after all).

3. A Guinness is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs at one time.

4. Too bad that all the people who know how to run the country are busy having children and driving carpools.

5. I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine _____ and _____.

6. It is impossible to think of any good meal, no matter how plain or elegant, without _____ or _____ in it.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to I saw a young couple get married — awwwwwwwwww, tomorrow my plans include yard work and Sunday, I want to dance in the streets (summer is here and the time is right after all)!

This is my response/comment to a post by Ragtop Day.

Like Ragtop, I am somewhat of a pragmatist.  I understand that idea of supporting my local economy, but I also understand that my own pocket only goes so deep.  I’m also married to Spouse, a/k/a skinflint, so that carries into the equation. I do find it a conundrum but I also try to keep local and global issues in mind when purchasing.

Back in the late 80s I was shopping for a new car.  During my expeditions I wandered into a Ford dealer.  After being treated like a “woman car shopper” I started to leave.  One of the salesmen made a snide comment about me going to buy a “foreign” car.  I responded “OH — so you’re saying that instead of buying a Honda made in Ohio I should get a Ford made in MEXICO.”  Which really brings to mind a lot of questions in this global economy.  Which is more “patriotic,” driving a car with the “right” label, or buying a car that provides American jobs, or buying a car that provides profits to an American corporation.   It’s an interesting question.  But seriously when it comes to buying cars my FIRST priority is RELIABILITY.  I’ve had too many cars that had mechanical issues (and have walked tooooo many frickin’ miles in the snow in the middle of the night) to ever again want to be saddled with a car that I’m not SURE of.

(Though — as a sidenote Ragtop and I both have children adopted from China so we do have an excuse to buy Chinese made products as supporting the country that our children came from and where their birth families live … hey it might work).

As I have mentioned before, in 2006,  in 2007, and in 2008, my spouse snores.  This is NOT a new thing.  This has been bothering me for years (and even years before 2006).  Last year we went to a family reunion and had a lengthy talk with his cousin-in-law, a sleep doctor, and he still didn’t have my preferred response (which was to get his durned rear to a doctor).  FINALLY this year he had a sleep study done.  During the night of his first sleep study he had 40 apnea episodes per hour (8 is when treatment is needed), and I later discovered during that night he had no R.E.M. sleep.

NO R.E.M. sleep.

Anyway — this process is kinda longish — first he had to go to the doctor to have the study ordered, then he had to go to the study, then he had to go back to the doctor to get the results, then he had to have another study ordered, and then he has to go back and get the results again from the doctor (this will happen Thursday) and THEN he’ll get the script for the beloved CPAP machine, my new best friend.  So the end is in sight.

Meantime, he’s also under contract where he’s employed, and that contract is set to end at the end of this month.  He’s seeking a new job (in THIS market!!!) but hasn’t found anything yet.

The other night I went out for tea (as mentioned previously, I’m trying to quit coffee) with my BFF Crem.  I filled him in on the latest going ons around here including the lack of REM during the sleep study.  He also knows about the job situation.

So I’m living with someone that’s stressed (and rightfully so) about whether or not there’s going to be an income coming in, who also has some nights with *NO* REM sleep.  Crem looked at me and said “gee, he must be fun to live with these days.”

YA THINK!!!

Why is is that even though I’m always right, people never listen to me???

I’ve been thinking about weaning.  NO NO — not weaning a child (but it’s rather related).

When Chip was a youngun I didn’t much think about weaning.  Oh — probably when his birthday rolled around I’d think “hmm should I start weaning” and then I’d realize that we’d be heading into cold and flu season and I might as well not force things at that time (and then I wouldn’t think about it again).  Gradually (very gradually) he weaned.

So why now, however many years later am I thinking about weaning?  Well, I am currently undergoing a “weaning” process of my own.

I’ve been suffering from fatigue.  I’m pretty much always tired.  And I pretty much always self medicate with caffeine in order to overcome the fatigue.  And then, if I end up having too much caffeine or at the wrong time, then I have trouble sleeping and then the next day I’m tired and…..  well, just think of our pal Sisyphus, keeps pushing that boulder up the hill, and it NEVER gets all the way up.

As a side note, recently Spouse has undergone a sleep study (which is another blog post — YEAH two topics) and, while talking to friends my BFF Crem, he mentioned that he’s sleeping quite a bit better since he gave up caffeine.

So I’ve decided that I’m going to go for it.  I’m going to give up caffeine.

Last week, I did a 75% dose (made my coffee with 1/4 decaf) and this week I’m going half caf.  I’m REALLY tired.

So, I’m thinking about weaning.  Years (and years and years) ago I quit smoking.  Actually that took a few tries, and eventually only worked due to the gum.  At the time I’d never nursed a child, so I never related it to a child’s weaning (but that might be why I was so gradual with Chip).

It is incredibly difficult to give up something that you’re completely dependent on and today as I was thinking of how tired I am, I thought of babies.

Here you have a sweet little innocent brand new life.  They have all the essentials of life provided in one convenient (and lovely :^) ) package, the have nutrition, thirst quenching goodness, and snuggling.  It has got to be sooo hard to give that up.  But they all do eventually, some with a bit of encouraging from mom, some enthusiastically when they get into solids, and some slowly but surely.  But every single one of those children eventually moves on and moves away from breastmilk.

So I think, somehow, that I might be able to manage to brave moving away from caffeine.

I mean, I quit smoking cigarettes, and if I can do that I can do about anything.

But — keep me in your thoughts thanks :^) I’ll need it.

Yeah Yeah — I said last week I’d be more consistent.  So shoot me.  Maybe as the summer goes on.

Anyway …
1. I grew up thinking I was an oddball and I’d never fit in.

2. Kick Start was the last website I was at before coming here.

3. Why don’t you get drunk and screw?  (I’m SORRY — but for some reason that just brought a certain Jimmy Buffett song to mind).

4. Breathing helps me relax.

5. Thanks for the Memory (of things I can’t forget, journeys on a jet, our wonderous week in Martinque and Vegas and roulette).

6. The smell of dead fish is very off-putting.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to relaxing (perhaps at home), tomorrow my plans include a concert of Christian Contemporary Music and Sunday, I want to go to a “pignic” (a picnic for a guinea pig rescue)!

For the past 8 months I’ve been working as a “lunch lady” in a nearby school.  I can say a few good things about this.  I got INSURANCE, my supervisor was a nice guy, and the hours melded well with my children.

I can also say a number of bad things about this –  but I won’t — I’ll summarize though — working with toxic, bitchy, bossy bitches is the pits, and I hope by all means to avoid it in the future.  I have bucked up and taken the hit for the family in order to bring in the insurance, but I hope like heck I find something with more normal people before next school year starts.

Just sayin’

Don’t take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you’ve read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.  (I tag anyone that wants to do this.)

1. Harry Potter and the ______ by J. K. Rowling (I figure it’s some kind of major cheat if I use all the books in all the series I’ve read)
2. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams
3. Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkein
4. The Bible (though not all of it, and certainly not all at once)
5. Myth series by Robert Aspirin
6. Robot series by Isaac Asimov
7. The Baby Book by William Sears (where Mary learns to trust herself — and sometimes even ignore the advice of Dr. Sears)
8. The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne
9. All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot (and other of his country vet books)
10. Giving by Bill Clinton
11. Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka
12. Young Wizard series by Diane Duane
13. Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater (nobody said it mattered WHEN I read the books – just that it will always stick with me. I figure if I read a book when I was 10 and it still comes to mind, it’s stood the test of time)
14. How to Survive the Loss of a Love by Peter McWilliams
15. The Bible: Faith’s Family Album by Jack Good

(added note — Peter Davison played a vet in the TV series based on the Herriot books, and the “dish of the day” in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy BBC TV series so maybe I need to read some Margery Allingham)

(added added note — I like series — I like reading a book when the characters are somewhat familiar)

Since Calvin asked for a summer memory, here you go.  And I bet it wasn’t what one might expect, but it’s the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw those words.

It was summer of 1996.  It may have been the hottest summer on record, it may not.  But I was very pregnant so it seemed like a tremendously hot summer to my pregnant frame.  It was also a very wet summer.   I found this at NOAA

Excessively high daily rainfall totals were observed at a few locations across the northeastern quarter of the country, including a statewide 24-hour record of nearly 17 inches at Aurora, IL (just southwest of Chicago) on July 17-18,

Ah yes — good times *NOT*.  I was about 8 month pregnant, there was an incredible amount of rainfall, there was much flooding in the area.  My split level home would not have flooded, had our 30 (or so) year old sump pump been working, but it wasn’t (working) and it did (flood).  This being during a time of record rainfalls in the area also meant that many other homes flooded (some due to the water levels, and some due to sump pump failures).

Did I mention that I was like 8 – 1/2 months pregnant?  Can you guess that I wanted to get the problems taken care of BEFORE the arrival of the firstborn.  But with everyone else flooding time was of the essence.  So, the morning after the flooding I went SHOPPING!!!  I may have mentioned before that I’m not much of a shopper, it’s not something I enjoy and it’s not something I look forward to doing.  But carpet was needed, and carpet was needed now.  There was also a sense that, if I didn’t get the carpet bought NOW, and get on the carpet installation schedule NOW, that I’d end up being scheduled for installation after everyone else in the Naperville/Aurora area got their carpet installed.  But being 8-1/2 months pregnant I didn’t WANT to wait.  I did not want furniture and other stuff spread out all over my house while I waited for carpet installation guys to come while I had a newborn.

So, the morning after the flooding, in a period of less than 3 hours, I managed to visit most of the carpet stores in my area, pick out some carpet (that was not disagreeable — but was also on clearance), and get an installation scheduled (before my due date).

I may not like shopping — but when I need something now I can be very productive.

So Calvin, there you have it.  It’s a really fun story (in retrospect).

Okay admittedly I’ve been slack with my blog.  So I made a challenge to post every day for a month.  I want to the nablopomo site to see what the theme for June was (Heroes).  I didn’t even know if I could come up with ONE post for hereos so I challenge anyone reading this (if anyone is left) to feed me topics.  Words, phrases, sentences, song titles.  I don’t care — I’m just bereft of ideas.