Time for a New Favorite January 21, 2008
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , add a commentMiss Language has introduced me to the music of Derek Webb. Here is my new favorite, The Very End:
this is my murder trial
I’m going to testify
and I’ll love you to the very end
the very end
the very endcross my heart, hope to die
you are my firefly
and I’ll love you to the very end
the very end
the very end
you are the anti-curse
death going in reverse
and I’ll love you to the very end
the very end
the very end
Frozen Brain January 21, 2008
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , 3commentsI figure I have reason to think my brain is frozen solid. This morning when we were leaving for church, the thermometer said 6.5 degrees. When we were getting ready for evening worship, it said 11 degrees, and I thought, “Oh, good, it’s almost twice as warm as it was this morning.”
Mea Culpa January 19, 2008
Posted by carpebanana in : Bananalets , 1 comment so farOh, the things you say as a Mom.
Me to Mr Music: “It is *not* a touchdown when you throw your shirt onto the fruit bowl” ~ (shirt removed for haircut, I saw it land in fruitbowl, and heard the little victory jump and “Touchdown”!)
Mr Music to me: “I didn’t throw it. I kicked it.”
Notes from School January 19, 2008
Posted by carpebanana in : Bananalets , 2commentsToday was one of those schooldays that makes you wonder if the dear children are learning anything at all, and if so, what? A few specifics should clarify my point.
#1) Saxon requested Miss Dog Lover to consider the case of Julie. “There are three crosswalk signals between Julie’s home and the store. When Julie comes to a signal, she either walks through the crosswalk or waits for the signal to turn. List the eight possible patterns of signals for Julie’s walk to the store. Use the words walk and wait.”
It has been mentioned before that Miss Dog Lover takes things literally. So that last sentence apparently got to her. She came to me with a list of ten patterns and asked if she should keep going. No, she should not. She was on the wrong trail.
*What Miss Dog Lover had written*
walk and wait 1
wait and walk 2
and wait walk 3
and walk wait 4
wait walk and 5
walk wait and 6
walk walk and 7
wait wait and 8
and and walk 9
and and wait 10
#2) Later, I overheard Devastatingly Handsome prepping Miss Dance for her science test, module on friction and whatnot. The question was about a woman pulling on a stubborn dog and you had to answer something about the force she had to pull with to overcome Spot the Stubborn. Miss Dance had a question about this which Devastatingly answered with something about “There is no difference between a dog and a wall.” Hmmmm. Methinks Miss Dog Lover would differ on this.
#3) Mr Music had a history test. One review question was “What caused God to divide Israel into two kingdoms?” His answer (which amuses me): Solomon’s dopish behavior toward God.
Good thing the weekend is upon us. Clearly our brains need a break.
I’m Glad I Don’t Smoke January 17, 2008
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , 3commentsThere are many reasons. But often when I visit Engrish.com, I remind myself that in case I ever visit China, not smoking will be a good thing. I will not have to try to make sense of signs like this one, which in my humble opinion, begs to be diagramed ~ I think it’s that part about a “smoked visitor,” that I hope is not an accurate translation, that gets to me ~
or this one, on which the “please” at the end just plain begs ~
And while I’m rambling, one other thing. Mr Music does not smoke, either, when it comes to his schoolwork. It would be better for my mental health if instead of thinking about how slowly he completes his assignments, instead I think about it as his savoring each individual multiplication problem, each italics worksheet, and about how well he prorates the materials. He gets more hours of enjoyment out of each assignment than any other Bananalet has. Some of them have seemed to think the idea was to get the job done and enjoy the rest of their day. Imagine that!!
Meet Buzz January 17, 2008
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , add a commentSince cyberspace is brought to us courtesy of technology, I feel it only right that you should all meet Buzz, my long-awaited little buddy.
Buzz arrived this afternoon and has been busy charging his batteries and learning some new tunes, thanks to tech support from Miss Language.
Why Buzz? Well, we have been reading about Samuel and I liked the part in 3:11 where “the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.’” I guess in the days before stereo and surroundsound getting both ears at once got your attention. But I decided to, uh, paraphrase “tingle” into “buzz.”
Plus, now I will be able to say I have a buzz on. 
Rodents Of Unusual Size? I don’t think they exist. January 16, 2008
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , 2commentsBut we are now told they used to.
Well, I’m not saying I’d like to build a summer home here, but the trees are actually quite lovely.
Job,Screwtape, and the iPod January 15, 2008
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , add a commentHaving read the title, you could dictate the entry.
I tend to forget and think Job and his interaction with Satan is merely an exception to how the universe usually works. But probably it is the norm, that pretty near every day Satan says, “Does Carpe Banana fear God for no reason?” and God gives permission for some sort of test.
And from reading The Screwtape Letters, I know these tests do not have to involve seven sons, three daughters, 7,000 sheep, 3,000 cattle, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and very many servants. Sometimes they involve prodigal children. Sometimes they involve children who cannot understand expanded notation even after working many problems day after day. Sometimes they involve malfunctioning plumbing. Sometimes they even involve a certain UPS truck failing to come and make delivery of a certain piece of electronics. Can I continue to fear God and turn away from evil in the face of that sort of thing?
Job summed it up with “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return.” No earbuds.
This Just In January 15, 2008
Posted by carpebanana in : Bananalets , add a commentNewsflash: Apparently Miss Language has hit some sort of saturation point. Hope you are sitting down so the shock does not kill you. Here it is: Today at the library Miss Language did not sign out the Introduction to Tagalog book I showed her. She only brought home books in Spanish, Chinese, Hebrew, and a few in English. Go figure.
Here is a site of useful phrases and greetings in Tagalog in case you have a need to know. Walang anuman.
It seems there are some great idioms. How do you like mahapdi ang bituka — a hungry person (literally, sore intestine)? (Just lost my appetite here. Call it the Tagalog 101 Diet.)
And I see this book is available to those who read only Tagalog:
Interesting, because I was thinking about it tonight in my bath which resembled Brigadoon. Our weather has gone cold so I took a candle and had a hot hot bath. I could see the steam rising and my breath by candlelight and was thinking how good God is to give us bodies which sense pleasure in things like hot baths and lavender cream. And then I got thinking about chapter 23 ofThe Little Prince:
“Good morning,” said the little prince.
“Good morning,” said the merchant.
This was a merchant who sold pills that had been invented to quench thirst. You need only swallow one pill a week, and you would feel no need of anything to drink.
“Why are you selling those?” asked the little prince.
“Because they save a tremendous amount of time,” said the merchant. “Computations have been made by experts. With these pills, you save fifty-three minutes in every week.”
“And what do I do with those fifty-three minutes?”
“Anything you like . . .”
“As for me,” said the little prince to himself, “if I had fifty-three minutes to spend as I liked, I should walk at my leisure toward a spring of fresh water.”
Magandang gabi.
Good Little iPod January 13, 2008
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , 4commentsI was becoming a bit frustrated with the non-arrival of my little iPod buddy. (Side issue: whoever had the idea to do the lower case initial followed by an upper case, was a genius. It’s fun. mAybe i’Ll tRy aLl mY wOrds tHat wAy, sOrta lIke gErman uPper-cAses nOuns).
But then I realized as I clicked the UPS shipping site and saw that little iPod has still not moved since 5:20 am on the 11th, that this is actually not a character defect but a strength of the little fellow. Here it is, not even in my hands yet, but still honoring the Sabbath by not shipping. Good for it. And notice my restraint - I have calmed to the point that I did not even calculate how many hours it has now been sitting on a truck on the other side of the country. Commendable, eh?
iPods are so character building.