Little Brother

"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

I was fortunate enough to get my hands on an advance reading copy of Cory Doctorow's Little Brother. Despite a great deal of illness around here, I was totally sucked into this book, and I shamelessly neglected my sick children and overworked husband whenever possible to sneak in a few more pages. I managed to finish the book last night.

Little Brother gives us a blood-chilling peek into what life could be like after another major terrorist attack. In a near-future San Francisco, the Department of Homeland Security has run amok in its efforts to hunt down the bad guys. Countless innocents are caught up in the wide net cast by the DHS, and citizens are forced to choose between willingly giving up their civil right and liberties or fighting back and falling under DHS suspicion. Marcus (aka w1n5t0n aka m1k3y) is a 17-year-old techno-geek who fights back after spending several days being interrogated by the DHS for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

In addition to gripping action, this book provides an eduction: You'll learn about techno-topics such as the paradox of the false positive and how cryptography works, and you'll pick up a little leet and learn about online gaming along the way. (I'm assuming that most of my usual readers aren't too familiar with these topics. Read the book anyway, because it's awesome and you'll pick up what you need to know along the way. And if you are already familiar with these topics, you'll love the book all the more, as I did.) You'll read about Abbie Hoffman and the Yippies, Jack Kerouac, and Allan Ginsberg. This book provides a great introduction to those topics for YA readers, and should be an enjoyable refresher course for us grown-ups.

If you know a tween/teenager who likes to read smart books, get this book. If you like to read smart books, get this book. (A warning for parents: I don't know how they classify "young adult" books these days, and was somewhat surprised that a book with such strong language, sexual content, and a downright terrifying plot gets that label. But I'm an old prude who's totally forgotten what it's like to be 13. And, if I think back, I recall that I was raiding my mom's stash of non-young-adult sci-fi and fantasy books when I was in second grade, so clearly I'm out of touch with my own youth.)

And in closing, let me say: Seriously. Read this book. It is important, enlightening, entertaining -- and let's hope it's not prophetic.

Blow by Blow

Here's how my day has gone.

Wake up at 4:50 am with Evie coughing up a storm and unable to go back to sleep, as has happened for the last three mornings.

Discover that the Internet connection is still down, even though it was "fixed" yesterday after being down all day.

Start making a shopping list for the baby shower that I'm hosting here tomorrow morning.

Decided that after three days of fever and coughing, and new complaints about painful ears, Evie needs to visit the doctor. Call office and, shock of shocks, get an appointment in just 45 minutes.

Rush around getting the girls ready to go.

Go, leaving Airan here to wait for the cable guy.

Arrive at the doctor's office. Evie is getting worse by the minute. After a thorough examination reveals no ear infection but instead possibly pneumonia, a barrage of tests is ordered.

Sophie jumps and prances and dances around the exam room, begging for attention.

After getting her finger pricked for a blood test, Evie pukes all over herself, me, and Hippo.

Sophie expresses jealousy when Evie gets a pulse oximeter test and she does not. Demands to be tested next. Is disappointed.

X-rays are ordered. Seeing as I can't so much take two almost-three-year-olds to the hospital by myself to get x-rays on one of them, I call Airan, who's stuck at home with the cable guy. A rendezvous is arranged, and the girls and I rush home.

While driving, call a baby-shower-going friend and engage her services to move the venue and inform all guests of the change in plans. (Thanks, Erika!)

The cable guy packs up his gear and leaves. We have Internet service! Hooray! Too bad we have to rush off to the hospital. We pull up, Airan jumps in the van with clean clothes for Evie in hand (all that puke, you know), and we head to the hospital.

Three out of four of us wait patiently in the radiology waiting room for Evie's turn to go in for x-rays. Sophie squirms, dances, yells, and demands a trip to see the hospital lobby's waterfall. She is obliged. The waiting room gets a lot quieter.

X-rays, round one. Evie is a trooper.

More waiting. Sophie and Airan return from their exploration of the hospital. Evie shares her new, hard-won stickers with Sophie. Those girls are so sweet. Evie nods off, and Sophie plays with crayons and runs a non-stop narrative, entertaining the whole room.

X-rays, round two. Evie takes it like a champ.

In the waiting room, Sophie sure is coughing a lot.

The verdict: Pneumonia is confirmed. No hospital stay is deemed necessary at this time, but an antibiotics onslaught is ordered.

Lunch at the hospital cafeteria. Those grilled-cheese sandwiches are like crack.

Off to the pharmacy/grocery store. For the second time since February, I try to fill an antibiotics prescription for Evie, only to discover that the pharmacy is all out. I need a new pharmacy.

Off to pharmacy #2. All prescriptions are secured.

Homeward bound.

Evie's medications are administered. Sophie still has quite a cough going on. Hmm.

Evie throws up again, on herself, me, Hippo, and the couch. Hippo is now in great need of a bath. (Let's face it -- we all are.)

Who'd have thought Evie could do this while battling pneumonia?

Seriously, I'm beginning to worry about Sophie's cough. Evie is holding steady, at least, and I have high hopes that the antibiotics are going to kick in fast. Cross your fingers.

The good news today: We were away from home for hours, and the newly diaperless twins didn't have a single accident, despite trials and tribulations. Huzzah!

Disapproval

So our president now has a 69% disapproval rating. Shocking, I know. Shocking that it took 7+ years of his inept, corrupt, disastrous leadership before 69% of Americans realized what a mess he's made. I'm just surprised that number isn't even higher.

Sederific

Many thanks to Brandi, Matt, and Sara for letting us partake in their awesome and overwhelming Passover celebration. Never before in all the many (many!) seders I've been to (what, three?) have the proceedings commenced and ended with the singing of "The Matzoh Show," sung to the tune of The Muppet Show theme. Those guys really know how to throw a party. Next year in Jerusalem!

Worst Person in the World?

Rob Sherman, enough already. Monique Davis apologized. Now it's your turn--for a real apology, not just a "Dr. King said it, so I can, too" tirade. If, as you claim, you were unaware that your word choice would be offensive (hard to believe, Mr. Sherman), then how hard is it for you to say, "Gosh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that would come across as racist. Let me extend my sincerest apology."

But no. Through your idiotic word choice and subsequent refusal to apologize, you have turned a much-needed discussion about religious tolerance into a racism controversy that just makes you look bad. Nice work, Mr. Sherman. Really nice.

Expelled Exposed

Everyone who's thinking about watching that ridiculous Expelled movie, read this: Six Things in Expelled that Ben Stein Doesn't Want You to Know...

Are “cdesign proponentsists” so scared that their claims are obviously baseless that they resort to shameless misrepresentations of the facts to bolster their cause? Or are they really just incredibly stupid? Or both? Discuss.

Size Matters

A tale of two Hondas, mine and my brother's.

Guess which one of us has trouble with Chicago street parking.

I Heart Dyson

Seen in a women's restroom at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport: The Dyson Airblade

It is magical, a thing of wonder. I want one in my home.

Congrats, Julie and Tomkin!

Hooray for Julie and Tomkin! Their wedding ceremony yesterday was beautiful, touching, heartfelt, perfect. I was honored to be a part of it.

Much to my dismay, my camera battery died early on. But here are a couple of shots from the day.

The happy couple. More brides should wear red.


Me and Julie.


Kerri and Emma -- Emma's first wedding!

And in closing, let me just say, "Ella, ella, ella, eh, eh, eh."

Leaving on a jet plane, as long as my flight isn't canceled

I'm off to St. Paul for Julie's wedding! Think good travel thoughts for me.

Update: Monique Davis Apologizes to Sherman

Rob Sherman reports on his website that Monique Davis called him to apologize.

That took courage, but it was the right thing to do. Thank you, Representative Davis.

My Letter to Illinois State Representative Monique Davis

Representative Monique D. Davis
1234 West 95th Street
Chicago, IL 60643
773-445-9700
773-445-5755 (fax)

Dear Representative Davis,

I was shocked, saddened, and disgusted by your recent comments to Illinois citizen and activist Rob Sherman as he testified before the House State Government Administration Committee. You stated, among other things, that because Mr. Sherman is an atheist, he believes in destroying what this state is built on.

Representative Davis, I'm writing to you as a mother, an Illinois citizen, and an atheist. I love my family, I love my community, I love Illinois, and I love America. I believe in building a better future for all of our children. And I believe in teaching my children to accept that everyone in this great nation gets to choose for themselves what they believe when it comes to God. I am appalled to discover that members of my own state legislature view me as a second-class citizen.

You're right, Representative Davis: This is the Land of Lincoln, where all citizens, even our greatest historical figures, are free to reject religion. Would you have spewed the same vitriol at Abraham Lincoln?

"The Bible is not my book nor Christianity my profession. I could never give assent to the long, complicated statements of Christian dogma." -- Abraham Lincoln

The United States was founded by people who valued religious freedom. Have we as a nation strayed so far from those values that even our elected officials think it's appropriate and just to attack those who hold a different set of beliefs?

Representative Davis, you need to recognize your intolerant hate speech for what it is and apologize to Mr. Sherman and all American atheists. Your statements prove that religious discrimination is alive and well in the Illinois legislature. Please take another look at your words, see the error of your ways, and work with us to end religious discrimination.

Sincerely,

Kelly J. Wright

Friends, if you believe in freedom of religion and reject religious discrimination, and especially if you're an Illinois citizen, please send your own letter to Representative Davis. She needs to hear this message loud and clear.

Illinois State Legislator Attacks Atheists

Friends, this makes me angry.

Metalheads

Oh, dear.