caerula's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pottermania, pregnancy, pah So Ms. Rowling has finally ponied up with the 5th Harry Potter book, and it will be coming out in June. Now don't get me wrong; I like these books, very much, not in the least because these are the works that finally convinced YMB that reading is a good thing. Not to mention sucking Blue in to reading fantasy. And yeah, I want to find out what happens to Harry and Hermione and everyone as much as anyone else. But gee, it must be nice to be so damn secure and popular that you can pretty much name your publishing date and write whatever the hell kind of book you want � I mean, nearly 800 pages for what is still, essentially, a kids' book? YMB isn't going to be able to read it all himself, and I have a feeling my reading-aloud skills are going to get quite a workout this summer. Well, yes, I've put in my pre-order already. What can I do? I have a nine-year-old boy in the house. And I'd much rather he be obsessed with Harry Potter than P0kem0n or Yugi0h. At least there is the redeeming value of thought being involved, instead of some monster-things with a mysterious system of point values made up by some Japanese person to get American kids to spend all their money. Instead we have magic things made up by a Scottish person. I know. What's the difference? Well, I think grasping the Harry Potter stories does require some honing of critical thinking skills. And it does encourage kids (my kid, at least) to read a lot more than they would otherwise. I doubt I would have gotten YMB interested in Lloyd Alexander, Dianna Wynne Jones, and Tolkein without the influence of Mr. Potter. As far as I can tell, an interest in Japanese monster cartoons leads to nothing but the desire for cheap plastic toys, trading cards, and expensive video games. And the Potter universe has its share of those too, but somehow I am much more willing to let him spend his allowance or plunk down birthday money on a toy or video game that draws its inspiration from a work of fiction. Is that hypocritical? I don't know. Sigh. Kitty has discovered she has placenta previa. If you watch the Discovery Channel "Let's See All the Horrible Things That Can Happen During Pregnancy and Birth" show, you'll know this basically means that the placenta is underneath the baby and would be delivered first in the course of a normal delivery, which is bad. Also there are apparently some chances for complications like premature labor and heavy bleeding. So, she's beginning her third trimester and she already knows she's going to have to have a c-section, which people tend to make out like it's no big deal these days. So many moms have them. And she doesn't really have a choice; it's not a matter of the baby turning � although he is also lying on his back in a sort of half-breech position, and they doubt he'll move because she's so tiny there's really just no room for him to turn � but it's a matter of her and the baby's health and safety. I know she's worried and trying not to seem like she is; it is a common thing and it happens all the time and everyone ends up perfectly fine and healthy. But ugh. I'm tired. Just really, really tired. My wrists and my feet hurt. Started a new cross-stitch projectlast night that is supposed to be for Kitty's nursery, and did maybe three rows - a tiny bit of the gold at the bottom - before I had to stop. I'll never get done at this rate � maybe by the time the baby's in high school. 11:36 a.m. - January 16, 2003 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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