tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post6886183709156196834..comments2023-10-21T03:54:12.029-04:00Comments on A Gift Universe: Seven quick takesSheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-1170955676337375232014-07-24T16:29:34.028-04:002014-07-24T16:29:34.028-04:00That's why we got three. I only really wanted...That's why we got three. I only really wanted two, but I didn't want to chance having only one ... apparently they don't handle being alone well.<br /><br />I was worried about being able to keep them alive, but then I remembered I somehow manage a dog, two cats, and two children and I hardly ever forget to feed them. I did almost forget to shut up the coop last night -- it's hard to remember, because I have to wait till sunset and sunset comes so late. (If I try to do it early, I have to chase them all over the yard!) But I hurried out in the dark to see if they were okay, and they'd gone to sleep on top of the coop.<br /><br />Our cat is afraid of them. I think this is a good thing. ;)Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-66031604985320466952014-07-24T14:46:50.473-04:002014-07-24T14:46:50.473-04:00+JMJ+
The parakeets sound great! ;-) Seriously, ...+JMJ+ <br /><br />The parakeets sound great! ;-) Seriously, I'd love a few myself. I may struggle getting stuff to grow, but surely I can keep a few animals alive. (Right???) <br /><br />Someone once told me that "parakeet maths" means you should get yourself two more parakeets than you believe you'll need. (He told me that after two of his own had an unfortunate run-in with a neighbour's cat!)Enbrethilielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03414765854670926854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-25477632199398989402014-07-24T12:24:54.213-04:002014-07-24T12:24:54.213-04:00You have a point. Perhaps he thinks every single ...You have a point. Perhaps he thinks every single woman, like every married woman, is contributing to the Downfall of Civilization.<br /><br />The "parakeets" aren't producing anything of interest as yet .... hopefully within a month or so they will!Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-25534322339912265782014-07-21T00:46:56.664-04:002014-07-21T00:46:56.664-04:00"I don't know why Issues Guy would critic..."I don't know why Issues Guy would criticize you for being single ... he himself is single and intends to stay that way because &c."<br /><br />Clearly, whoever this character is (if indeed he is anyone at all) he hasn't anything like the belief of anyone here on equality of Men and Women in any practical plane at all; so at best it is futile to point out what would be incongruous to you as if it were a contradiction in him. He may be wrong, he may indeed even be a hypocrite; but if a hypocrite, yet this is not the locus of his hypocrisy.<br /><br /><br />In other matters, I'd be keen to see the fruits or inspirations of the parakeets anytime!Belfry Bathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00514867101036143597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-64813450645318619242014-07-20T07:27:50.159-04:002014-07-20T07:27:50.159-04:00I think IG is more concerned about the Downfall of...I think IG is more concerned about the Downfall of Civilization than the unavailability of the sort of woman he wants. He feels that men are oppressed by current Catholic teaching on marriage, and that his rather pagan view of patriarchy is supported by Casti Connubii (which it really isn't) so it's his duty to instruct us all.<br /><br />On a personal level, even if he DID find his ideal woman, he fears she would change post-marriage -- which, of course, is the big thing with marriage. Things change and you can't just set up a perfect marriage and expect things to chug along just the same for 50 years. I'm afraid he actually *could* find a woman to agree to his rules -- I know women who think this sort of thing is good -- but he knows as well as I do that sooner or later she's going to get sick, or he's going to get sick, or they'll be poor, or they'll have a disabled child, and his carefully-planned setup is going to disintegrate. And so he steers clear altogether, which for a person in his situation sounds like the only smart option. I hope he sticks to it, unless he changes drastically.<br /><br />Sojourner, those last weeks of pregnancy really mess with your head. Can't plan anything serious, because you might have to cancel, can't leave anything on your to-do list because then it might not get done, and yet if you have nothing to do, you'll go absolutely insane with waiting! "Eat chocolate" seems the only solution.Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-5030397680145111802014-07-19T23:00:53.329-04:002014-07-19T23:00:53.329-04:00"I don't know why Issues Guy would critic..."I don't know why Issues Guy would criticize you for being single ... he himself is single and intends to stay that way because why would he get married if he couldn't have sex whenever he wanted? Um .... the fact that he asks that question proves that no one should ever marry him. I sincerely hope for the good of everyone that he stays single for life."<br /><br />Issues Guy hasn't criticised me because I haven't engaged with him, but he just seems like the sort of guy who would criticise women for not getting married at 21 in spite of the fact that he himself is however old and not married. Whoops. I guess that's a pretty uncharitable assumption of me.<br /><br />As someone else in Simcha's combox said, Issues Guy is not going to need help to stay single.<br /><br />I just think that if one's standards for a potential spouse are really particular and detailed, then one shouldn't complain when so few people meet those standards. Issues Guy has this insane list of requirements, but seems angry that so few women meet them. Well, what did you expect? Part of having such particular standards for a potential spouse is realising that most people won't meet those standards, and that they're not obliged to. So suck it up and just don't marry that person. Sheesh. <br /><br />Anyway, good luck to you and The Sohourner with your respective babies!!<br />Juliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03992516879346846271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-5543779520363973172014-07-19T17:56:01.871-04:002014-07-19T17:56:01.871-04:00I remained in denial up until 36 weeks, at which p...I remained in denial up until 36 weeks, at which point I panicked because OH MY GOODNESS BABY IN LESS THAN 6 WEEKS and made an elaborate to-do list, 9/10 of which never got done because I gave birth at 37 weeks.<br /><br />In hindsight perhaps I should have seen the sudden burst of "nesting" energy as a sign of impending labor.<br /><br />Also, I spent my whole pregnancy carefully training myself to expect a baby shortly before Christmas--my due date being in earlyish December, and first babies always come late, right? I was honestly a little shell-shocked for the first few weeks after J was born, which I think was a combination of his early birth, a fast labor, and all sorts of unexpected breastfeeding difficulties. (That was the other part of the narrative I had absorbed--my mother went 2 weeks late with each of us, but she produced gallons of milk and we were little Jabba babies. So I had no idea what to do with my sleepy, slow-growing baby.) <br /><br />I have no idea how I'm going to handle the cognitive dissonance next pregnancy, since I'll KNOW that going early is possible but still try to resign myself to going late just in case. Probably I'll eat a lot of chocolate.The Sojournerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04559244806125834569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-3915929728957469592014-07-19T10:42:10.814-04:002014-07-19T10:42:10.814-04:00No, it's pretty rare that I meet Catholic craz...No, it's pretty rare that I meet Catholic crazies in real life either. They're all on the internet! So either they pass for normal in public, or there's like 100 of them in the whole country, by far outnumbered by perfectly sweet, normal, reasonable guys.<br /><br />I don't know why Issues Guy would criticize you for being single ... he himself is single and intends to stay that way because why would he get married if he couldn't have sex whenever he wanted? Um .... the fact that he asks that question proves that no one should ever marry him. I sincerely hope for the good of everyone that he stays single for life.<br /><br />As for you, 24 is pretty young! I was married at 23, but that felt very young to me. John said to me just the other day, "Hey, if we'd waited to get married until now, we'd be debt-free and could buy our farm!" Well, it wouldn't really have been practical, but for sure, getting married a little older can be a real advantage.Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-73149599646754036822014-07-19T08:46:02.626-04:002014-07-19T08:46:02.626-04:00Yes, crunches are very bad for separated ab muscle...Yes, crunches are very bad for separated ab muscles! I have heard that standing ab work is good, especially exercises where you contract and release your stomach muscles repeatedly. I haven't had this problem yet, but I know there are some good exercises you can find online to fix this problem. Basically anything where you pull your abs in is going to be good.Betsynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-3681877482901750342014-07-19T07:03:55.338-04:002014-07-19T07:03:55.338-04:00Oh man. Simcha's "Issues Guy". I kno...Oh man. Simcha's "Issues Guy". I know the one. I'm 24, a woman and unmarried, and I'm a practising Catholic who has no desire to get married in the near future (for various reasons). And that's mostly why I'm not interested in dating. If "Issues Guy" ever found out about my existence, he'd probably blow a fuse ("What do you mean a 24-year-old laywoman doesn't want to get married soon and isn't interested in dating??????"). I can't bring myself to care about his thoughts though. He can think what he wants and expect what he wants, and it doesn't affect me. I mean, I have no plans to date him, so I don't care what he expects from a woman.<br /><br />Look, he's a rude, insensitive jerk - one of these self-proclaimed "gentlemen" who is pretty much anything but. Makes secular guys almost look appealing.<br /><br />In Australia, as far as I can tell, Catholic guys aren't really like "Issues Guy". I feel sorry for my American sisters, because you seem to cop most of the crazy.Juliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03992516879346846271noreply@blogger.com