A new month. After the February we've had in Chicago, I'm ready for it.
Also, I read March by Geraldine Brooks for my Pulitzer Prize book club last month. Recommend.
2015 Projects
This year I'm making a list of projects I want to complete by December. This is by no means an exhaustive list of the projects I'll undertake, but these have been on my radar for awhile and I'd like to finally get around to them. As I work on some of them, I'll post my progress or completion here.
Chicago Voting Day
It is voting day in Chicago. Mayor, Alderman, and four important referendum are on the ballot. Go make your voice heard! (And vote for Chuy!)
Other voting suggestions here: http://www.chicagovoterguide.org
A cynical view...
Paradise
Cash submitted this response to Vanity Fair for their Proustian Questionnaire. Great article on their long running column here.
Everyday.
Every day should have the sentiment of Valentine's Day.
Magic
It is Valentine's week. I like this week because deep down when I admit it to myself, I'm quite a romantic, in the classical sense. And I really enjoy mail and handmade correspondence - two cornerstones of this holiday.
Quote from @AtticusPoetry
Names
Naming a child is an incredibly delicate and difficult decision - often an exercise in compromise between the parents, as well as a lesson in family or cultural differences. When we went to name our two sons, we considered name popularity (or lack there-of), potential diminutives or nicknames (hopefully very few), people with the same name (famous or familiar), heritage, and the meaning of the name itself.
For our first son we decided on Søren Andrew. While we didn't know any Sørens, it is a popular name in several different cultures, mainly Danish and German, with slightly different spellings and pronunciations. Søren is related to the English Severus, and means serious or stern. We liked the gravity of it, as well as its international recognition, and it sounds familiar though uncommon. His middle name, Andrew, is after his Aunt Andrea, meaning "man". It also allows him different name options later in life, if Søren does not suit him.
For our second son, we had him named before we knew he existed. Isaac means laughter or joy (from the Biblical story where Sarah laughed at God when he said she was pregnant at age 90. She gave birth to Isaac, who became a patriarch and prophet in Christianity, Judaism and Islam.) We liked that the meaning of Isaac was a foil to Søren. And there are many famous, talented and dedicated Isaacs, any of whom would be great role models for our son. His middle name, Alfred, was the name of my paternal great-grandfather who immigrated here from Germany as a teenager. (He would have been 120 years old this week.) He was a driving force in my father's life, and is a truly worthy namesake.
A name is the first gift you bestow upon a child, something that will be with them the rest of their lives - we hope we have chosen wisely.
Vonnegut on parenting.
Okay, so I don't think Vonnegut was talking about parenting specifically (though he raised seven children) but to me it wholly encompasses the attitude one should take. With a three year old and a new infant under my roof, if one doesn't stop to appreciate the good times, there is very little break in the energy-drain that is rearing children. But those happy moments, however fleeting, are the ones to acknowledge - if not to others, at least to yourself.
Reverend Doctor
Apologies for being a few days late with this post. Monday was the national holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Many people revere this civil rights activist for all of his laudable achievements. But what they may not realize is how progressive and radical Dr. King really was. At the time of his death, he was classified as an enemy of the state - part of one of the "greatest threats to the stability of the American government since the Civil War", according to President Hoover.
King was a radical - pushing a strong agenda on a country that needed but was resistant to change. He was not overwhelming liked or respected in his lifetime; that was to come with his death and success of the Civil Rights Movement. In the words of Dylan Thomas, King did not feel we should go gentle into that good night, but instead rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Small pleasures
Finishing a cup of warm tea ~ when your toddler gives you a cookie from the package before selecting his own ~ a surprise spare minute to read a magazine ~ unexpected messages from friends ~ letters in the mail ~ a back rub from a loved one before bed ~ ~ ~
Life is made of small pleasures.
May you find them plentiful.
Welcome, little one.
My biggest DIY project of 2014 unveiled on 01.02.15 at 7:56pm.
Isaac Alfred weighed in at 8 lbs 11 oz and is 20" long. Super fast and furious entrance, he's doing well.
And we are all already completely smitten with him.
Happy New Year!
Great and inspiring words from Neil Gaiman. I hope my year could only be as good.
