7 Quick Takes Friday: Vol. 4

1. We survived Catholic Schools Week. And yes, it was nice to not cook for two of the nights when we went to Pizza Night fundraisers instead. And our school raised over $2,300 for Haitian relief, with kids buying raffle tickets to win all kinds of things including a grand prize of a full week of free dress. I am inspired by how much we raised at $1 per ticket. Imagine if every school in the country did that: we could do so much good.

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2. I took Little T and Lady E to the doctor today. The younger has been sick (turns out she has her first ever ear infection) and the older needed two vaccines. The drive to my pediatrician's office takes me by a hillside that contains a single cross for every American casualty of the Iran/Afghanistan wars. I've posted about this before. Today's total is 5,302, up from 4,012 when I first wrote about this hillside in April of 2008. I am against the war. But I am grateful for and awe-struck by the sacrifice of those who have died and I wonder about their families, how they cope with such a loss. I do not know anyone personally who has died in the war, but I wonder how much longer I will be able to say that.

I also think about that number, 5,302. That represents ONLY American troops, no soldiers from any other country, no civilians, no American contractors: just U. S. military deaths. I don't think the hillside is big enough to include any other group.

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3. It's Friday night. It's the weekend. Remember when weekends used to be relaxing? What the hell happened to that? These days, I get to Monday morning and experience relief akin to nirvana. Friday night used to be the time to let off steam; now it's the time to batten down the hatches.

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4. I am looking for good book suggestions. I need a few more books to pretend to read and to leave in a pile next to my bed for weeks on end. Eventually, I'll pick one up and re-read 25 pages I've already read at least 3 other times. Feel free to send me some titles. Especially if the first 50 pages are really good, since chances are slim I'll ever get past page 51.

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5. We got a webcam for Christmas and it's sitting in a box on my desk staring at me and challenging me to figure out how to use it. Am I up to the challenge?

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6. I took the girls to a bookstore today to get four birthday present for various parties this weekend, and was humbled to discover that I have become that parent who lets their children run wild in public. I will admit defeat. Little T sees any store as an opportunity to practice the art of escape and today, I just didn't have it in me to chase her. Might she get lost? Some nice person will find her and probably bring her back waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too soon. Might she get kidnapped? So very unlikely, and then if she were, pity the unsuspecting napper who gets stuck with that little terror. I could probably get money from HIM to take her back. So I let her be impossible. It wasn't pretty, I wasn't proud of it, but I didn't pour on the Mama Nazi routine until I was trying to get her in her carseat, and I'm sporting a scratch on my chin for my troubles. I refuse to play that particular scene inside of a store, on display for other patrons.

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7. And yes, four birthday presents. Which leads me to my next great insight: birthday parties should be outlawed. (Except Cait's, of course!)

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Go visit Conversion Diary for the original 7 Quick Takes, and links to others.

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