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Baby ShowerNo phallic hero, no matter what he does to himself or to another to prove his courage, ever matches the solitary, existential courage of the woman who gives birth. |
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Saturday, October 3, 1998
One year ago: Sick and Twisted
This was not a lazy Saturday morning for sleeping in. I had errands to do!
My former manager Valerie is having a baby. What to get as a present, when the prospective parents can really get anything they want or need? Books, of course! So I drove over to where All For Kids Books and Music is, behind the University Village shopping center. Oops! It wasn't there anymore! I drove along that road, cursing heartily, then was very glad to see that they had just moved across the street and down the block, and were in much larger quarters now.
I was able to find the book I was looking for quickly, by the simple expedient of asking the girl that was working there where it was. This book, The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease, is a great resource! Why, how, and what to read to your kids, with lists of recommendations to get you started. I added on a few board books that looked good for very young infants (little kids love looking at little kids), and had it wrapped up, and felt very efficient!
I drove over to the east side to work, but I don't think I got too much accomplished. But I was very glad that my coworker had completed work on a tool that I'll be using for my work in the next week or so. I had brought my lunch from the Safeway near campus (chicken teriyaki, yum!) and had bought some candy that was new to me: caramel-apple chews, which are wrapped candies from Brachs, and candy corn in a caramel apple flavor. I like (or I did like, when I was in an office rather than a bay) to keep candy or fruit in a wooden bowl that was carved by my mother long ago, and have it by the door to my office to encourage people to pop their heads in and say hi. Now that I'm in an office that's almost all my own, I can do this again! I think I forgot to say that my office mate was with me all this week. He's only here one week per month or so. Such a deal!
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I drove east in the rain, way out into the country (but now it's all filled with very nice houses) to Kim and Mike's house. Kim is Valerie's sister-in-law (and she participates in the MS Book club with Val and me) and it was her house that was the venue for a baby shower for Val and Scott. She was glad to see me, since she really didn't know any of the other guests! There were folks from work, and neighbors, and an old college friend of Val's. It was a potluck, and of course there was an abundance of food! I was pleased with the reception for my gifts.
Kim made me take some of the leftover food for Vanguard, a monthly party for science fiction fans that I go to. It was raining hard enough that I was a bit nervous driving on the highway, since I know there are places where the water pools up and a car might start hydroplaning. I made it to Wallingford without trouble, though. There was again a huge spread of food! At first I thought there must have been a memorial service for Luke's aunt, who died recently, but it turned out that it was from Denys Howard's birthday party, held earlier that day. I'd no idea that he anywhere near fifty years old!
I saw Michael Hoffman, who introduced me to Jen, his housemate (and girlfriend?). It was just a year ago that I was introducing him to Vanguard folks for the first time! Ray had brought a group of beautiful origami boxes that he's been making lately. They are made with various colors of paper, so that they look as if they were made from patchwork. Very cool!
John Hedtke and I discussed the various challenges facing computer book authors these days, since a friend of mine wants to do a book soon. He pointed me to some good resources!
I was sorry not to see my friend Luke; he was out to dinner with his sisters who are visiting, and they didn't get back before I got too tired. I went home early (for Vanguard), about eleven thirty.
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