Earlier I forgot to mention another funny part of Miriam's bedtime ritual. We keep her toothbrush & paste in a little cup for her, separate from our own. So at the end of every toothbrushing session, she has to put everything back JUST SO. Once when we were in a hurry trying to get her ready for bed, one of us plunked everything back in her little cup. But Miriam let out a shriek and said "NO!!! It has to WEAD!" and proceeded to readjust her toothbrush so the bristles were facing the toothpaste, so the brush could read.
Miriam often likes to request "Tuppence a Bag" (or as she used to say, "Tuppits a Tha") from Mary Poppins for her bedtime lullaby. As you may remember from an earlir post, the words "something something" featured prominently at the beginning of the song, b/c Mommy couldn't remember the actual lyrics. Well, once when Miriam was watching the movie I made a point of staying to listen to that song, instead of retreating into the office like I normally do. So the next time Miriam requested it as a lullaby, I started singing the correct words, but she stopped me and said, "No, Mommy, sing 'something something'!" She won't let me sing it correctly even now. Indeed, another time when she was watching the movie, after the song Miriam said, amazed, "Mommy, she didn't say 'something something'!!"
I meant to write about this a long time ago, but kept forgetting until now. Since Miriam is among those numbers blessed with long, thick hair, windy days are a trial. Like her Mommy, she hates having hair blown in her face. Last fall, whenever we'd go for a walk on a windy day, Miriam would shriek at the trees. Finally I figured out what she was yelling: "TREES!! STOP WINDING!!!" I just about fell over. I guess she subscribes to Calvin's theory that wind comes from trees sneezing or something!
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
When I was a baby ...
This phrase is one of Miriam's current favorites. Whenever we say something about Katie, Miriam will talk about how she did the same thing when she was a baby. For instance, "When I was a baby, I wore a diaper," or, "When I was a little baby, I ate rice cerweal."
This morning, the girls hung out in the bathroom and played with each other while I showered. Katie sat in her bouncy seat and sang various Tuvan throat songs (for the uninitiated, click here and scroll down for audio clips at amazon.com). At one point I saw Miriam shaking the bouncy seat a bit. Once I saw Katie's face turn a bit sour, Miriam and I had the following brief exchange.
Mr. P: "Miriam, don't shake Katie's seat like that. I don't think she likes it. She had an ugly face while you shook her chair."
Miriam: "When I was a little baby, I had an ugly face too."
I just hope I didn't wake my dear wife with my laughter (though that might be better than Katie's morning songs).
This morning, the girls hung out in the bathroom and played with each other while I showered. Katie sat in her bouncy seat and sang various Tuvan throat songs (for the uninitiated, click here and scroll down for audio clips at amazon.com). At one point I saw Miriam shaking the bouncy seat a bit. Once I saw Katie's face turn a bit sour, Miriam and I had the following brief exchange.
Mr. P: "Miriam, don't shake Katie's seat like that. I don't think she likes it. She had an ugly face while you shook her chair."
Miriam: "When I was a little baby, I had an ugly face too."
I just hope I didn't wake my dear wife with my laughter (though that might be better than Katie's morning songs).
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Bedtime Rituals
Our usual bedtime ritual with Miriam involves thanking Jesus for the blessings of the day, praying for everyone we know (often summarized into "God bless everybody" when Mommy or Daddy is very tired), and then singing a lullaby of her choice.
Lately Miriam will start the thanksgiving part with "Thank you for guardian angel... thank you for puudli... [there's a picture of a puudli on her wall -- it's a Belland thing] thank you for Edy... thank you for wectangle on my door... thank you for my curtains...." We get the sense she's trying to be as thankful as possible to prolong the moment when she has to go to sleep.
Her favorite lullaby these days is "What Wondrous Love Is This," which she will request by saying, "Mommy, sing 'Whatdrous this, when I was sinking down, to God and to the Lamb, when I'm fwee I'll sing on'?" thereby also requesting all the verses she wants me to sing.
Lately Miriam will start the thanksgiving part with "Thank you for guardian angel... thank you for puudli... [there's a picture of a puudli on her wall -- it's a Belland thing] thank you for Edy... thank you for wectangle on my door... thank you for my curtains...." We get the sense she's trying to be as thankful as possible to prolong the moment when she has to go to sleep.
Her favorite lullaby these days is "What Wondrous Love Is This," which she will request by saying, "Mommy, sing 'Whatdrous this, when I was sinking down, to God and to the Lamb, when I'm fwee I'll sing on'?" thereby also requesting all the verses she wants me to sing.
Friday, June 10, 2005
Star Wars Again
My dear wife, Mrs. Pickles, has already blogged about Revenge of the Sith, but I have yet to join in the fun and express some of my own thoughts. So here they are (FYI, spoilers ahead).
1.) I must also agree that Anakin's final conversion to the Dark Side was unconvincing. I kept trying to work over the scene in my head, attempting to see the scene from a different angle. Everytime I do I keep coming back to the intuition that something was missing from the scene. It was great to hear the thoughts from my mother in law (comment posted in my wife's blog), as she exactly described what I thought was missing from the scene.
Despair over our sin--the thought that God's mercy could never consum our sin--is what turns people over to the "Dark Side". It is one of the greatest tools of the Prince of Lies--convincing us that there is no longer any hope for us. Anakin had no obvious sense of despair over his sin, and that sense of despair would have made the tragic elements of film even more potent. Anakin obviously had great courage: courage as star pilot, and courage as a Jedi. His lack of courage in facing up to his wrong doings could have been a great and wrenching part of the plot. If only Lucas would have included another couple lines of dialogue, then the scenes could have been complete.
2.) At other times in the film you see that Anakin shows a tinge of regret for his actions. There was one memorable moment when he was crying on the lava planet. However, in relation to comment #1, there were no other actions on the part of Anakin to show that he was struggling with his decision. His tears were a sign that "there is still some good left" in him, to quote Luke in Return of the Jedi. Unfortunately, there's no sign of a struggle with the lingering sense of a conscience that remains. Once again, that was another weakness.
3.) I'd like to watch the Clone Wars cartoons to learn about Grievous. I think that it was a bit of a weak point in the film to say next to nothing about who the character is. He was certainly a very interesting character, so it was disappointing not to learn more about him. I suppose that that peaked interest is all part of Lucas' plot to sell yet more merchandise (such as the Clone Wars cartoon which, I believe, is now available).
4.) There were some intensely moving moments in the film, which is a characteristic I certainly did not expect considering Episodes I & II. (To give you an idea about my opinion of Episode I, I call it "The Phantom Plot".) If I remember correctly, Obi-Wan's fight with Grievous was intercut with Mace Windu's confrontation of Darth Sidious and Anakin's betrayal. As Obi-Wan attempted to kill Grievous and end the War, another man was being prepared to take his place--Anakin Skywalker. With the death of Grievous, Anakin concurrently set his place alongside the Emperor, and, as Grievous' heart burned and was soon destroyed, Anakin's heart (that is, his soul) was also shattered. As one soldier's heart perished, hope was born to the galaxy for an end to the war, yet at the same time another man's heart also perished and a dark cloud would rise to ruin that newly won hope.
That scene showed an amazing touch for visual metaphor that I didn't think Lucas possessed. I, at least, was very moved by it.
5.) The end of the film showed the death of the Jedi. The movie cut between different planets as you watch the Jedi perish. I couldn't help but think of the final scene in Return of Jedi, during which you see different planets celebrating the fall of the Empire. There was such joy in that scene, yet such sorrow in the comparable scene from ROTS. I was saddened by the death of the Jedi, yet I also had certain hope knowing how the series would finish. The music was also perfect for the mood.
I have other thoughts, but I need to wrap up this post. Maybe I can post more later.
6.) Finally, I really, really enjoyed this film, and I definitely want to see it in the theatre again, which is not something I said about either of the first two prequels. Hopefully I'll enjoy it just as much a second time--and maybe get a better seat this time.
Mr. Pickles
1.) I must also agree that Anakin's final conversion to the Dark Side was unconvincing. I kept trying to work over the scene in my head, attempting to see the scene from a different angle. Everytime I do I keep coming back to the intuition that something was missing from the scene. It was great to hear the thoughts from my mother in law (comment posted in my wife's blog), as she exactly described what I thought was missing from the scene.
Despair over our sin--the thought that God's mercy could never consum our sin--is what turns people over to the "Dark Side". It is one of the greatest tools of the Prince of Lies--convincing us that there is no longer any hope for us. Anakin had no obvious sense of despair over his sin, and that sense of despair would have made the tragic elements of film even more potent. Anakin obviously had great courage: courage as star pilot, and courage as a Jedi. His lack of courage in facing up to his wrong doings could have been a great and wrenching part of the plot. If only Lucas would have included another couple lines of dialogue, then the scenes could have been complete.
2.) At other times in the film you see that Anakin shows a tinge of regret for his actions. There was one memorable moment when he was crying on the lava planet. However, in relation to comment #1, there were no other actions on the part of Anakin to show that he was struggling with his decision. His tears were a sign that "there is still some good left" in him, to quote Luke in Return of the Jedi. Unfortunately, there's no sign of a struggle with the lingering sense of a conscience that remains. Once again, that was another weakness.
3.) I'd like to watch the Clone Wars cartoons to learn about Grievous. I think that it was a bit of a weak point in the film to say next to nothing about who the character is. He was certainly a very interesting character, so it was disappointing not to learn more about him. I suppose that that peaked interest is all part of Lucas' plot to sell yet more merchandise (such as the Clone Wars cartoon which, I believe, is now available).
4.) There were some intensely moving moments in the film, which is a characteristic I certainly did not expect considering Episodes I & II. (To give you an idea about my opinion of Episode I, I call it "The Phantom Plot".) If I remember correctly, Obi-Wan's fight with Grievous was intercut with Mace Windu's confrontation of Darth Sidious and Anakin's betrayal. As Obi-Wan attempted to kill Grievous and end the War, another man was being prepared to take his place--Anakin Skywalker. With the death of Grievous, Anakin concurrently set his place alongside the Emperor, and, as Grievous' heart burned and was soon destroyed, Anakin's heart (that is, his soul) was also shattered. As one soldier's heart perished, hope was born to the galaxy for an end to the war, yet at the same time another man's heart also perished and a dark cloud would rise to ruin that newly won hope.
That scene showed an amazing touch for visual metaphor that I didn't think Lucas possessed. I, at least, was very moved by it.
5.) The end of the film showed the death of the Jedi. The movie cut between different planets as you watch the Jedi perish. I couldn't help but think of the final scene in Return of Jedi, during which you see different planets celebrating the fall of the Empire. There was such joy in that scene, yet such sorrow in the comparable scene from ROTS. I was saddened by the death of the Jedi, yet I also had certain hope knowing how the series would finish. The music was also perfect for the mood.
I have other thoughts, but I need to wrap up this post. Maybe I can post more later.
6.) Finally, I really, really enjoyed this film, and I definitely want to see it in the theatre again, which is not something I said about either of the first two prequels. Hopefully I'll enjoy it just as much a second time--and maybe get a better seat this time.
Mr. Pickles
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Revenge of the Blogger
This started out as a really long comment on a post on F.U. News' blog, so I decided to move it here instead. (Major geekiness and mini-spoiler alert!)
We just saw Revenge of the Sith today. (Give us a break! We're parents!) Three words: W-O-W. WAY better than I & II. And I LIKED I & II! What an incredible movie. Much better acting, storytelling, and, for the most part, better script writing. I appreciated the fact that a lot of little ends were tied up (I noticed too that Obi-Wan kept Anakin's light saber). And the opening battle scene was INCREDIBLE -- sort of blows little H's flying past a ginormous star destroyer out of the water!! We got there a tad late (see "we're parents," above) so we had to sit in the second row -- we were staring to feel a little motion sick after a while! (We're not used to having to move our heads to see the action from one end of the screen to the other.) Still, too cool.
I only had a couple critiques:
1. I wish that they had explained how Vader knew Luke existed in the later episodes -- unless it's b/c Vader had "searched his feelings" after their encounter in Ep. IV ("The Force is strong in this one") and found out, which seems too easy, and a little lame.
2. I agree w/Joe's assessment of Anakin's origins -- I just wish that that story had been fleshed out a little more. How (and why) did Shmi (sp?) become Anakin's mother?
3. What the heck was General Grievous? (Aside from a precursor to Darth Vader, of course.)
4. I have to admit I didn't find Anakin's conversion to the dark side fully convincing -- during that stupendous scene with Darth Sidious there could have been a couple more lines of dialogue that would really have made his turn a little more convincing. He goes from "WHAT have I DONE?" to evil Lord Vader totally embracing the Dark Side in about 15 seconds. Something from Sidious along the lines of "There's no turning back now" would have been sufficient. Maybe I just need to see the movie again to absorb more of the details. And the scene with the cute, brave, trusting little younglings was horrible -- all my mommy instincts were revolted by that. Even so, I found myself pitying Anakin/Vader at the end -- to see the newly risen Darth Vader ask immediately about Padme was so moving. You kind of wonder what he has to live for after that.
5. I also wonder about Leia's line in Ep. VI about her mother always being sad -- I had always assumed that Padme had taken Leia into hiding on Alderaan, married Bail Organa, and then died when Leia was a small child. I liked that idea better than what we all know now.
6. Finally, and this is much more of a source of personal amusement really, I also had to laugh at the birth scene -- for one thing, here's Padme, medium with child (you can't really say "great" b/c she barely shows), with the doctors advising a C-section. But then she manages to give birth, screaming of course, to two 10-lb. twins! (with no umbilical cords -- although Mr. Pickles notes that they were effectively slimy.) :) Maybe my birth experiences have been atypical, but I doubt most women scream like that during labor -- although I suppose I might have if I had given birth to twins that size. :) I have to say Natalie Portman looked cute pregnant. And for the most part her maternity clothes were so cool -- elegant and flattering (always a challenge!) -- although I noticed that even the costume designer couldn't avoid using the maternity section at J.C.Penney's (i.e., big tent-like shirt and leggings) at one point.
Okay, so that's more than a couple critiques. :) Anyway, I'm sure there are oodles of books that flesh out a lot of these missing links and stories in between the movies. Guess I'll have to read them all now. Sigh.... destiny, destiny, no escaping my geeky genes!
We just saw Revenge of the Sith today. (Give us a break! We're parents!) Three words: W-O-W. WAY better than I & II. And I LIKED I & II! What an incredible movie. Much better acting, storytelling, and, for the most part, better script writing. I appreciated the fact that a lot of little ends were tied up (I noticed too that Obi-Wan kept Anakin's light saber). And the opening battle scene was INCREDIBLE -- sort of blows little H's flying past a ginormous star destroyer out of the water!! We got there a tad late (see "we're parents," above) so we had to sit in the second row -- we were staring to feel a little motion sick after a while! (We're not used to having to move our heads to see the action from one end of the screen to the other.) Still, too cool.
I only had a couple critiques:
1. I wish that they had explained how Vader knew Luke existed in the later episodes -- unless it's b/c Vader had "searched his feelings" after their encounter in Ep. IV ("The Force is strong in this one") and found out, which seems too easy, and a little lame.
2. I agree w/Joe's assessment of Anakin's origins -- I just wish that that story had been fleshed out a little more. How (and why) did Shmi (sp?) become Anakin's mother?
3. What the heck was General Grievous? (Aside from a precursor to Darth Vader, of course.)
4. I have to admit I didn't find Anakin's conversion to the dark side fully convincing -- during that stupendous scene with Darth Sidious there could have been a couple more lines of dialogue that would really have made his turn a little more convincing. He goes from "WHAT have I DONE?" to evil Lord Vader totally embracing the Dark Side in about 15 seconds. Something from Sidious along the lines of "There's no turning back now" would have been sufficient. Maybe I just need to see the movie again to absorb more of the details. And the scene with the cute, brave, trusting little younglings was horrible -- all my mommy instincts were revolted by that. Even so, I found myself pitying Anakin/Vader at the end -- to see the newly risen Darth Vader ask immediately about Padme was so moving. You kind of wonder what he has to live for after that.
5. I also wonder about Leia's line in Ep. VI about her mother always being sad -- I had always assumed that Padme had taken Leia into hiding on Alderaan, married Bail Organa, and then died when Leia was a small child. I liked that idea better than what we all know now.
6. Finally, and this is much more of a source of personal amusement really, I also had to laugh at the birth scene -- for one thing, here's Padme, medium with child (you can't really say "great" b/c she barely shows), with the doctors advising a C-section. But then she manages to give birth, screaming of course, to two 10-lb. twins! (with no umbilical cords -- although Mr. Pickles notes that they were effectively slimy.) :) Maybe my birth experiences have been atypical, but I doubt most women scream like that during labor -- although I suppose I might have if I had given birth to twins that size. :) I have to say Natalie Portman looked cute pregnant. And for the most part her maternity clothes were so cool -- elegant and flattering (always a challenge!) -- although I noticed that even the costume designer couldn't avoid using the maternity section at J.C.Penney's (i.e., big tent-like shirt and leggings) at one point.
Okay, so that's more than a couple critiques. :) Anyway, I'm sure there are oodles of books that flesh out a lot of these missing links and stories in between the movies. Guess I'll have to read them all now. Sigh.... destiny, destiny, no escaping my geeky genes!
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Childhood Joys
Bill Watterson, the emminent creator of the Calvin & Hobbes comic strip, wrote a strip in which Calvin eagerly eyed the chocolate chip cookie dough batter made by his mother. When attempting to acquire a taste of the batter, Calvin's mom replied, "No dear. You could get salmonella poinsoning." Dejected and fuming, Calvin walks away saying, "Another part of nostalgic childhood goes pppbbbbtttt!! in your face." Perhaps I might think otherwise if I knew all of the debilitating effects of salmonella poisoning, but my first response was to think of the impoverished childhood Calvin would have.
I remember the different occasions when my mom baked cakes or brownies for our family, and, as a child, there were three unforgettable sensual experiences involved: the smell of the baking cake, licking the batter from the bowl, and eating the cake. While it is possible that I'm mistaken, I have a sneaking suspicion that those three experiences are universal for children. Calling upon my memories of nostalgic childhood and armed with a box of brownie mix, I decided to test my theory with Miriam.
I first asked Miriam if she wanted to help me make some brownies. In her mind, brownies = chocolate, so this is a no-lose situation. She ran into the kitchen and immediately point to her purple and white smock hanging on the hall, proclaiming, "Daddy, that's for making cooookies!!" This of course means that I needed to retrieve it from the wall and help her to put it on. As you will see in the following pictures, she certainly needed it.
While mixing up the batter, it was quite obvious that Miriam wanted to dive in head first, but she showed remarkable restraint. She also provided a great deal of assistance in mixing up the batter in the bowl. After pouring the batter into a pan, she eyed the bowl. I told her to go ahead and lick the beater and wipe the bowl with her finger. This wasn't an opportunity that she would pass up, so she didn't need to be told twice. As is obvious from the pictures, she relished the opportunity to clean the bowl, resulting in a chocolate goatee.
Miriam helping Daddy make/eat brownies
A proud "brownie face"
The rest of her actions followed my own childhood experience. She occasionally came into the kitchen to watch the brownies in the oven, chiming, "Mmmmm. Something smells gooood!" For anybody who has a child over 1 year of age, you know how the brownie eating expedition ensued--sheer joy, and crumbs falling over the floor as if the brownie was occasionally exploding!
So from this experiment in joy, I was able to accomplish two I tasks: 1.) I reaffirmed my theory on childhood experiences, and 2.) I learned the incredible value a a body-szed smock for a three-year-old.
I remember the different occasions when my mom baked cakes or brownies for our family, and, as a child, there were three unforgettable sensual experiences involved: the smell of the baking cake, licking the batter from the bowl, and eating the cake. While it is possible that I'm mistaken, I have a sneaking suspicion that those three experiences are universal for children. Calling upon my memories of nostalgic childhood and armed with a box of brownie mix, I decided to test my theory with Miriam.
I first asked Miriam if she wanted to help me make some brownies. In her mind, brownies = chocolate, so this is a no-lose situation. She ran into the kitchen and immediately point to her purple and white smock hanging on the hall, proclaiming, "Daddy, that's for making cooookies!!" This of course means that I needed to retrieve it from the wall and help her to put it on. As you will see in the following pictures, she certainly needed it.
While mixing up the batter, it was quite obvious that Miriam wanted to dive in head first, but she showed remarkable restraint. She also provided a great deal of assistance in mixing up the batter in the bowl. After pouring the batter into a pan, she eyed the bowl. I told her to go ahead and lick the beater and wipe the bowl with her finger. This wasn't an opportunity that she would pass up, so she didn't need to be told twice. As is obvious from the pictures, she relished the opportunity to clean the bowl, resulting in a chocolate goatee.
Miriam helping Daddy make/eat brownies
A proud "brownie face"
The rest of her actions followed my own childhood experience. She occasionally came into the kitchen to watch the brownies in the oven, chiming, "Mmmmm. Something smells gooood!" For anybody who has a child over 1 year of age, you know how the brownie eating expedition ensued--sheer joy, and crumbs falling over the floor as if the brownie was occasionally exploding!
So from this experiment in joy, I was able to accomplish two I tasks: 1.) I reaffirmed my theory on childhood experiences, and 2.) I learned the incredible value a a body-szed smock for a three-year-old.
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Horsie Ride!
Miriam is her mother's daughter. (Mrs. Pickles used to ride the heck out of a horse like this when she was Miriam's age -- Grandma B. has some great blurry photos of it.) :)
horsie ride
It may be too small to see, but Miriam has a HUGE bug bite on her foot. She got eaten alive during our weekend away, while I didn't get a single bite -- as a little furnace she was such a mosquito magnet!
horsie ride
It may be too small to see, but Miriam has a HUGE bug bite on her foot. She got eaten alive during our weekend away, while I didn't get a single bite -- as a little furnace she was such a mosquito magnet!
Road Trip!
A couple weeks back we went on a little road trip to visit Grampa E., who was staying with some relatives about 3 hours away. We hit some traffic, were forced to take a detour due to construction, and had to make a couple stops (toddler bladder), so a trip that should have taken 3 hours took 5. Sigh. At least the drive was pretty -- our unplanned detour took us alongside a scenic river. The girls were pretty good. Katie isn't used to spending a whole lot of time in her carseat, unlike Miriam who was a veteran roadtripper by the time she was six months, so she spent a good part of it fussing in the beginning, when she wasn't asleep (which wasn't for very long). But once she resigned herself to being imprisoned, she managed to entertain herself pretty well. This was her favorite way:
road trip
A couple times she & Miriam would set each other giggling -- it was SOOO cute to hear the two of them chortling at each other in the back seat.
We had a great, relaxing weekend (i.e., Mrs. Pickles didn't have to do any housework) :) and the girls had a blast with Grampa. All in all a success.
The trip home was MUCH better -- the girls took extra long naps and the drive was much shorter, although we all had to make an emergency pit stop 1/4 mi. from home -- couldn't last 2 more minutes!
road trip
A couple times she & Miriam would set each other giggling -- it was SOOO cute to hear the two of them chortling at each other in the back seat.
We had a great, relaxing weekend (i.e., Mrs. Pickles didn't have to do any housework) :) and the girls had a blast with Grampa. All in all a success.
The trip home was MUCH better -- the girls took extra long naps and the drive was much shorter, although we all had to make an emergency pit stop 1/4 mi. from home -- couldn't last 2 more minutes!
"Let's go SWIM!"
Pretty much ever since it stopped snowing, Miriam has been asking to swim in her kiddie pool. No, that's not true -- she asked even WHILE it was snowing. But anyhow, the point is that Miriam loves her pool. A few weeks ago the weather warmed up enough to play with water outside, but since the pool was buried in our basement behind several stacks of boxes (and therefore Mr. Pickles' job to get it), I decided to fill a large bucket with water and let Miriam go to town. She still insisted on going swimming.
swimming
I still don't know how she fit.
Meanwhile, Katie, although enjoying being outside, tried her hardest to avoid touching a single blade of grass. (note left arm)
outdoor babe
...Unless of course she was attempting to eat it.
swimming
I still don't know how she fit.
Meanwhile, Katie, although enjoying being outside, tried her hardest to avoid touching a single blade of grass. (note left arm)
outdoor babe
...Unless of course she was attempting to eat it.
Putting toys to bed...
After her bath one night, Miriam insisted on putting her bath toys to bed (with blanket and all).
toys sleeping
Not exactly sure what's up with the red guy...
toys sleeping
Not exactly sure what's up with the red guy...
Dancing Queen
Miriam looking pwetty so she can get mawwied and dance (see post below)
ready to dance
Love her smile.
ready to dance
Love her smile.
Musical Miriamisms
Miriam has a thing for Julie Andrews. She has all the songs from both Sound of Music and Mary Poppins completely memorized. Of course, her versions are all in Miriamese (see previous post), but still! Whenever she's feeling content with life she'll burst out with, "DO ME ME, ME SO SO, RE FA FA, LA TI TI" (with the last three syllables up in the stratosphere somewhere) and then sing it again in double-quick time, like in the movie.
But in addition to that perennial favorite, her new fav is the Advertisement for a Nanny song from Mary Poppins. She'll come up to one of us and say, "I need something to sing!" So we'll give her a sheet of music, and she'll stand and proceed to sing the entire song, including Michael's side comments ("I put that part in too!") and the little head-nod they do at the end (see "what Miriam's singing," sidebar). I think we've already caught it on videotape -- it's just too precious!
The other day she also burst out with "Ohhhhh, it's a jolly holiday with Daaaad-dyyyyyy....."
This was something that impressed me: the other day Miriam wanted me to help her play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on the piano (I basically take one of her fingers and attempt to get it to play one note at a time). After that she wanted to play the alphabet song (same tune), and proceeded to sing along, IN TUNE!!! (albeit an octave higher than what we were playing!) Being musically inclined myself, I was gratified to see that already Miriam can distinguish pitch so well. Broadway, here she comes!!! :) (Well, maybe the L.A. Master Chorale.)
But in addition to that perennial favorite, her new fav is the Advertisement for a Nanny song from Mary Poppins. She'll come up to one of us and say, "I need something to sing!" So we'll give her a sheet of music, and she'll stand and proceed to sing the entire song, including Michael's side comments ("I put that part in too!") and the little head-nod they do at the end (see "what Miriam's singing," sidebar). I think we've already caught it on videotape -- it's just too precious!
The other day she also burst out with "Ohhhhh, it's a jolly holiday with Daaaad-dyyyyyy....."
This was something that impressed me: the other day Miriam wanted me to help her play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on the piano (I basically take one of her fingers and attempt to get it to play one note at a time). After that she wanted to play the alphabet song (same tune), and proceeded to sing along, IN TUNE!!! (albeit an octave higher than what we were playing!) Being musically inclined myself, I was gratified to see that already Miriam can distinguish pitch so well. Broadway, here she comes!!! :) (Well, maybe the L.A. Master Chorale.)
Miriam-English Dictionary
Miriam, like most little kids, still requires a translator (usually Mom) to make her intelligible to non-immediate-family members, and sometimes even Dad. :)
Here is a handy reference for some Miriamese with their English equivalents:
hostipal -- hospital
balala -- umbrella
kabuzz -- because
telling phone -- telephone
smanooch -- sandwich
peeta butta samooch -- peanut butter sandwich
tapaytoes or peetoes -- potatoes/tomatoes
bixit -- biscuit
flierfy -- firefly
magnick -- magnet
train tractor -- train tracks
troller (said with lips pursed) -- cross between stroller and trailer
umbalella -- umbrella
applepie -- pineapple
board skater -- skateboard
marshalows -- marshmellows
Mamember -- November
Mamember March 19 -- Katie's birthday
ganooner -- granola
last day -- some time past
last year -- a very long time past -- although it could be last week
lemalade (you can probably guess that one)
More Miriamese added as I notice them!
Here is a handy reference for some Miriamese with their English equivalents:
hostipal -- hospital
balala -- umbrella
kabuzz -- because
telling phone -- telephone
smanooch -- sandwich
peeta butta samooch -- peanut butter sandwich
tapaytoes or peetoes -- potatoes/tomatoes
bixit -- biscuit
flierfy -- firefly
magnick -- magnet
train tractor -- train tracks
troller (said with lips pursed) -- cross between stroller and trailer
umbalella -- umbrella
applepie -- pineapple
board skater -- skateboard
marshalows -- marshmellows
Mamember -- November
Mamember March 19 -- Katie's birthday
ganooner -- granola
last day -- some time past
last year -- a very long time past -- although it could be last week
lemalade (you can probably guess that one)
More Miriamese added as I notice them!
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
I swear they make this stuff up...
A session title from a conference for Mr. Pickles' work:
"Regression and Deconvolution with Heteroscedastic Measurement Error"
(I'm having a hard time thinking of a good way to mock this!...) "Heteroscedastic"? Sounds like a psychosis or something. Honestly, I swear they make this stuff up. They have to. Words like "deconvolution" just don't occur in ordinary (sane) English.
(Of course, I'm only teasing Mr. Pickles b/c I could never in a million years understand half of what he does. He's way too smart for me.) :)
"Regression and Deconvolution with Heteroscedastic Measurement Error"
(I'm having a hard time thinking of a good way to mock this!...) "Heteroscedastic"? Sounds like a psychosis or something. Honestly, I swear they make this stuff up. They have to. Words like "deconvolution" just don't occur in ordinary (sane) English.
(Of course, I'm only teasing Mr. Pickles b/c I could never in a million years understand half of what he does. He's way too smart for me.) :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)