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Showing posts from November, 2009
Of course we are doing our best to expose Lark to absolutely everything we can. Her intellectual development in the past couple of months has been unbelievable, truly exponential in terms of language ability and knowledge base--numbers, the alphabet, colors, shapes, all of these key things that she suddenly just knows and can speak about with authority. New words and concepts. She is constantly surprising me with what she says, knows, and remembers. None of this process would be new to parents of older kids but I have to say that watching her just blossom as a sentient individual being is the most incredible thing I have ever been involved in. It is worth mentioning given the hype of Sesame Street's anniversary this week that she has learned all of these things without ever once being sat down in front of the tv. Though her previous daycares did turn one on in the afternoons during pickup time. And somehow she has managed to learn every single Sesame Street character. Maybe a
Here is a fairly bizarre computer generated video for that Los Tigres del Norte song "La Granja" that they refused to be prevented from singing. I know I only dimly have grasped what everything represents, and a friend of mine who is an anthropologist specializing on the politics of corridos (though now working on a fascinating comparative project on whale meat eating cultures that i wish I had come up with) is not fully sure what it all means either. Apparently the Mexican commentators on youtube are not sure either. But the gist is pretty strident. It helps to read the lyrics while listening to it. Do let me know if you have any interpretations of its meaning. "La Granja" Si la perra esta amarrada Aunque ladre todo el día No la deben de soltar Mi abuelito me decía Que podrían arrepentirse Los que no la conocían Por el zorro lo supimos Que llego a romper los platos Y la cuerda de la perra La mordió por un buen rato Y yo creo que se soltó Para armar un gran rel
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I've been so delinquent at posting on Nunal that even Skye is complaining. I never even posted any pictures from Halloween. Lark carved a pumpkin, which is still rotting out front. She had a great costume all picked out but of course refused to wear it before entering the party she was going to. (Apparently she misunderstood the whole task of looking cute for the pictures.) I've been spending most of my time deep in the thickets of extradition and any chance I get some time I have been trying to be outside. Norfolk may have virtually nothing to offer for itself, but the weather sure is nice. It has been sunny and in the high 60s or 70s up until today, which is all rain and strong winds. This is about the best time of year here, clear, dry, warm, and just about perfect. We took Lark for her first bike ride down on the Dismal Swamp bike trail. Beautiful trail that runs right along the canal, barely anyone on it too of course, despite it being absolutely perfect bike weath
I don't think Creigh Deeds' loss for the Governor's seat was a comment on Obama, I think it was a comment on his own pathetic campaign and simpering personality coupled with the lackluster performance of old whatshisname in there at moment. I don't know of a single person who carried a whit about Deeds, even among the state policy obsessed. Plus, sources who know (having served him a drink in a bar) say that Deeds was a poor tipper. Who needs that? Mark Warner was a good governor who helped pull the state back from oblivion under Gilmore, the GW Bush of state politics, and as a result he was rightly well liked all the way into the Senate. Tim Kaine has not done anything well that I can think of. Maybe he hasn't even done anything at all . Deeds was a sacrificial lamb as I see it. It didn't help that he was a bozo. The Republicans now have the governor and a tight control of the state house at a time that the state is tottering on collapse and gridlock. Wi
I was driving home from dropping the Lil Buddha off at school today and noticed a billboard for Coke which advertised a two-pack of 50 oz. bottles in a convenient carrier with the tagline: "Enough for your meal." What kind of mean calls for 100 oz of coke? Terrifying.

"when the train is rolling, everybody wants a ride"

I see they finally got around to posting my review of this film about Peruvian saxophonists .
I read that memoir on life at Hampshire College in the 1980s (and was lucky enough to get a free copy) and can confirm that, indeed, absolutely no one could possibly be interested in it even if they did go to Hampshire in the 1980s. Though I wish it luck.