Surgery News

So. I'm in need of major prayer requests.

Without going into a lot of detail, I'm having surgery on Wednesday. It's a laparoscopy so it's minimally invasive and I can go home the same day, but it still requires cutting and anesthesia and such. I'll be dealing with pain and confined to bed for about a week afterwards.

Reassuring bits? I've had a procedure done before so I'm familiar with anesthesia and its effect on me. Laparoscopies are quite safe and I know women who have had them done, so I'm really not afraid. Also, my problem isn't life threatening, just life inhibiting, so if the procedure doesn't work I'm not in danger of dying or anything.

Not so reassuring? There is no guarantee that the procedure WILL work, and that's what I would like to ask for prayers for. That if this is the way God wants to heal me, the surgery will be successful. Prayers for a quick and complete recovery would also be appreciated!

Thank you all so much being so supportive and encouraging as I deal with these issues this fall. It means the world to me!

What is the plural of Fog?

Did you know it was possible to get 110 points on ONE Scrabble word? I sure didn't. However when my dad put down a 7 letter word, he not only covered two triple word bonuses, but he also got a 50 pt bonus for using all of his letters.

Yes, yes, I was very tempted to throw in the towel at that point, but figured a move that epic should be celebrated by at least finishing the game. And I did manage to close that gap so that I only lost by 60 points in the end. In fact, with 275 points, I think it might have been my highest scoring Scrabble game ever. Which was kind of cool.

We had a couple of words come up that we had to check in the dictionary. Okay, a lot of words. The most perplexing one was "fogs." I mean, that's not a word we tend to use. "There were a lot of different types of fogs settling down in the valley that night." We finally did figure out that it was the correct plural of "Fog" and could be counted in the game, but boy, that was kind of crazy!

Also, "Za" is a legal Scrabble word. "Az" is not.

Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time in a far away land, a prince awakened a princess with a kiss. But on their wedding day an evil witch appeared and cursed their kingdom, saying that she would send them to a place with no more happily ever afters. They search high and low for a way to deflect the curse, but the only answer they find is the little baby the princess carries inside her...

Once upon a time in a loud and cutthroat city, a young woman named Emma makes her living by lending and collecting bail bonds. Sweet and demure she is not, but apparently someone thinks she's a princess in disguise. That someone is 10-year-old Henry who claims he's the baby she gave away when she was 18, and that she, Emma, is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. His town, Storybrooke, is populated with amnesiac fairy tale citizens, and Emma is the only one who can set them free...

'Once Upon a Time' is exactly the show fairy tale fans have been waiting for. It's got princes, princesses, swordfights, evil witches, curses, prophecies, fairies, dwarves, mysteries, and yes, of course, true love.

It's also clean, well written, engaging, entertaining, well orchestrated, beautifully costumed and populated with some really cool and well developed characters.

So tune in on Sunday night, 8/7c, on ABC. You're in for a treat!

The Secrets of Larger Families

Have you ever wondered what it's like to raise a large family? How does that even work?

I certainly have! Granted, I have a bit of experience since the families I nannied had 4 and 6 children. Still, there were plenty of days when I thought "how could I ever handle this many kids?"

And yet I would like a larger family. More than three, for sure (which is what my parents had). I always wished for more siblings growing up and since I'm planning to homeschool my future kidlets, I think having a family on the larger side makes quite a bit of sense. In the end though, it really depends on what God calls me to.

Anyhow, I believe in being prepared, so I love articles that deal with the logistics of raising more than the typical American two. I came across a pretty good one today that sums up a lot of what I've heard from other sources.

http://littlecatholicbubble.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-raise-eight-children-without.html

No, I don't plan to have eight children. But I do have quite a few more domestic skills than this blogger, so if she can do it with 8, I would think I could manage with 4, 5 or 6...

I know many of my readers come from larger families. What are your thoughts on this? Any tips the writer didn't mention? I'd love to hear!

A Secret Klutz? Or not...

Some people are just prone to klutz attacks. It's not a bad thing, as long as they don't hurt themselves. Sometimes it can be fairly funny. For instance, my sister and I always joke that when she falls in love it's going to be a regular rom-com with the coffee spills and other crazy heroine tripping attacks.

I've never really fallen into the klutz zone. I'm really good at catching myself if I trip, and spilling stuff just about never happens.

Well, until this year. Now my number of scars has gone up to 5 (from 2 previous to this summer) and there was a really spectacular incident with a cup of tea the other day that should have been caught on film and sent in to "America's Funniest Home Videos."

So anyhow, I'm now really mystified as to what caused this change. Did I get dropped into "The Princess Diaries"? Are 22 years of suppressed hurts coming out? Have I always been this klutzy, I just kept away from dangerous things?

Actually I suspect it's really just that I'm tired all the time and lack of concentration causes issues like that. Hopefully that'll get better after my surgery in November because today's incident was way too close to leaving me toeless.

But, you know, I wouldn't turn my nose up at the "Princess Diaries" option either.

Women and Comics

(Today's post is guest written by my good friend, C. M. Miller. He and I have been chatting quite a bit about girls in geekdom and he was inspired to write up some of his thoughts for my blog. Enjoy!)

I will wholeheartedly admit to the fact that I am a huge nerd. The biggest source of my nerd-dom comes from my love of comic books, and it’s because of this love that I find myself drawn to situations such as roleplaying via social networking sites. I myself am a fan of it because it draws both players and followers alike in and gives them a sense of connection and familiarity to their favorite heroes. And it’s within this world of fantastical realism that I’ve made quite an eye-opening discovery.

            It’s sort of a given that comic fans are generally going to be male. This has kind of been the given since the invention of the superhero. But you can probably imagine my surprise when I found that Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Wolverine, and many other pillars of machismo from the comic book world were being played by girls. This trend is due mainly in part to the rise of the comic book movie. Because of the success of films like Thor, Captain America, and X-Men: First Class, females are finding themselves drawn into the world of superheroes that, for the longest time, was quite a sausage fest. I personally believe that this trend will move beyond just online roleplaying and into mainstream mediums such as actual comics and films.

            The idea of a strong female comic character that could carry her own series has long been considered a misguided idea perpetrated by supporters of women’s rights. But this rise in female readership will, in my mind, undoubtedly cause an up-swell in demand for more strong female characters. Personally, I hope this does become a reality, as I am quite a fan of these kinds of characters. However, I sadly cannot predict the future and can only sit back and see what lies in store for the female comic audience.

(What do you think? Are we girls making our voices loud enough for the big companies to hear us? Join the discussion in the comments below!)

Downton Abbey

It's easy to write off Downton Abbey as just another BBC Miniseries. Yet to do so would be to miss out on a beautiful gem of drama and a deep and insightful look into the social hiearchy and psychological journeys of the citizens of 1912 Britain.

Downton Abbey is the story of an entailed estate currently belonging to Lord Grantham. However, he has no sons to inheirit, which means the property and money will pass to the nearest male relative upon his death and leave his daughters penniless. Eldest daughter, Lady Mary, has been engaged to the current heir, but when that heir is a casualty of the Titanic wreck, everything changes.

Now the estate is due to go to a distant cousin. Who works. As a lawyer. And doesn't use a valet. Horror of horrors! Mary certainly won't think of marrying him, and he isn't interested in middle daughter Edith. And matters just become more difficult from there.

Meanwhile there is another world beneath stairs. The lives of the servants are given just as much screen time and sympathy as those of their employers and Downton Abbey paints a compelling and empathetic picture of the lives of the working class. Never before have I so clearly felt that I understood what it was like to work as a servant in the Edwardian/Victorian age.

Technically this show is probably the finest piece of work I've ever seen from the BBC. Costumes, writing, acting, cinematography -- it is all fantastic and a definite cut above past dramas.

But what really sells the story to me is the heart behind it. The characters are not stereotypes and one dimensional. They are living breathing people who genuinely care about each other and the future of Downton Abbey. They have their flaws, but they also have their virtues, something which I feel is often lacking in television and period drama these days. I don't just want to see scandal and rivalry... I want to see love, trust and sacrifice as well.

The show (at least the first season) is fairly appropriate. There is one footman who is a homosexual and there are two brief subplots that deal with that, the most obvious being in the first episode but nothing graphic. Then later on one of the women has a love affair, but again nothing is seen and there are clear and disastrous consequences.

Over all I would say this is a top notch show that I would highly recommend. I will be eagerly looking forwards to watching subsequent seasons when they're released on DVD.

Oh, and did I mention that it's quite funny? Maggie Smith plays the hilarious matriarch. I've borrowed some quotes to share with you all and whet your appetite for more:

• Cora: "I hope I don't hear sounds of a disagreement."
Lady Grantham: "Is that what they call discussion in New York?"

• "What is a weekend?"

• "Last night! He looked so well. Of course it would happen to a foreigner. No Englishman would dream of dying in someone else's house."

• "One can't go to pieces at the death of every foreigner. We'd all be in a constant state of collapse whenever we opened a newspaper."

• Cora: "I hate to go behind Robert's back."
Lady Grantham: "That is a scruple no successful wife can afford."

• Lady Grantham: "Why would you want to go to a real school? You're not a doctor's daughter."
Sybil: "Nobody learns anything from a governess, apart from French and how to curtsy."
Lady Grantham: "What else do you need? Are you thinking of a career in banking?"
Cora: "Things are different in America."
Lady Grantham: "I know. They live in wigwams."

• Lady Grantham: "You are quite wonderful the way you see room for improvement wherever you look. I never knew such reforming zeal."
Mrs. Crawley: "I take that as a compliment."
Lady Grantham: "I must've said it wrong."