Helen, Joshua and Gerald

This is what I've decided to name my children. I haven't spoken to Robbin about this. And I probably won't have 3. I'll probably have 2 girls and the fun of coming up with a new one. But for now, I've made this decision and happy with it. Oh, and I'm also not even considering having children yet.
I spoke with an employee today who talked a lot about the choosing the name process....and I realized I was done with it. I really hope Robbin doesn't want to repeat the RRM initials his whole family has. I think it is really cool. Except that we'd ALL be Rs and I'm afraid my kids won't be able to say R, like I couldn't until my speech therapist from God taught me at 8....after 8 years of being named Rachel*. Plus the only R name I've ever considered is Rose and Titanic may have torpedoed that for me. Maybe Roslyn. Or Robbin's middle name Royce.

It's much easier to think about problems and decisions that don't exist than face the ones that need to be made soon.

*BTW I love my name. It's not girly at all while still not being a feminine version of a masculine name.

Morning Walks

Before Robbin's trip to Brazil, when he was here all week, we took an early morning walk one day and I felt great the whole day. It was a better way to start the day than rushing out the door worrying if my socks matched. And in my mind I decided this is what we should always do when he's in town. Except I really enjoy sleep as well. And when our alarms went off this morning and Robbin asked me if I wanted to take a walk, I said I needed more sleep and I wanted to get to work early. So, no time for walking. Tomorrow, there will be time for walking because I think it would provide more energy than 15 more minutes of sleep and perhaps even enough that getting to work before 8 to get some things done without interruption wouldn't matter.

Revisiting Truth and Beauty

Having finished the book, I understand a bit more part of Suellen's response. I don't think it is justified, but I understand the comments now about exposing Lucy's frailties.

Ann wrote a memoir about her best friend who she grew apart from when that friend became a heroin addict. Heroin addiction is not dignified or pretty. Anyway, the title of "Truth and Beauty" makes perfect sense now.

Desperate Housewives

If you don't want to know what happened in the season finale don't read.

Brilliant. Don't want to bother with tying up the little loose ends from season to season? Need to give the characters some time to live without drama and build up some history? Just set your next season 5 years in the future. There really isn't any sense of time on DH anyway. Also, with the teenagers getting ready for college, this allows them to pop back as guests with real lives, not college angst.

I watched DH the first season. The second season was painful, and I never got back into it. But I would read the recaplets on Television Without Pity. (Because I have a lot of things I like to procasinate about and I'm a spoiler addict. I realize that normal people do not read TWOP recaplets about shows they do not watch regularly. As Robbin says, due to this, I may never know joy. Spoiling the ending to last season's Lost was a horrible mistake, and yet I still haven't stopped. I have a problem.)

Anyway, I love this angle. It allows Bree and Susan's babies to suddenly be children. For Lynette to have teenagers. And for all of us to wonder how things worked out this way, why did Gaby decide to have children? (although I think it is a stretch for there to be 2 sets of identical twins on the show and speaking of that, are there many talented redheaded twin teenaged brothers to replace the Scavo twins or are we just taking what we can get?) Is Nathan Fillon going to be around? Did Orson turn himself in? Where in the world is James Denton?

Truth and Beauty

, by Ann Patchett. I'm almost at the end of it. I googled Lucy Grealy to see if I had ever seen her on TV or was familiar with her work. She did strike me as familiar, but I'm not sure if that is my mind playing a trick on me. I also came across an article her sister, Suellen, had written in the Guardian as a response to Truth and Beauty. While Ann's work is a beautiful description of a friendship between two very accomplished, creative women; Suellen's response comes across a sister bitter about her sibling's fame and friendships. She resorts to comments clearly meant to hurt Ann.

It must be very difficult to have your sister's death be as public as Lucy's. Suellen's response reveals more than just that difficulty though. She is upset about her how her family was protrayed in Lucy's memoir. She is upset about the death of her father and sister; about her mother and brother who struggle with mental illness; about friends, other than Ann, who appartently stole Lucy's belongings. But she has a special cruelity for Ann when she mentions that Lucy tossed Taft aside when she received it. This along with the naked comment that Ann is a less gifted writer than Lucy who was just sharing the spotlight makes her come across as no more than a bitter woman.

Ann clearly admired Lucy greatly; she valued and was proud of their friendship. With Truth and Beauty I wish I had known Lucy, had read her memoir when I was in highschool or college...(instead of putting it on my reading list at 30). With Suellen's essay, I just hope Suellen has found peace and forgiveness. It doesn't compel me to read Lucy's work or seek out her interviews on the web. It makes me pity Suellen for being so bitter. Lucy wasn't only her family's to grieve. Ann's work manages to celebrate Lucy (honestly or not only those close to them can say) and allow Lucy's readers to be a part of that. Since Lucy was writer, I can't imagine a more honoring tribute.

So, if you're listening, read Truth and Beauty...it's good.

Speaker for the Dead

, by Orson Scott Card. I wish that I did not know that Mr. Card was a crazy homophobe. This knowledge tainted the whole book for me. That's ll for now.

Brazil is far away

Robbin has only been gone for four days and yet it seems much longer. I'm not sure if it is because he was here all last week or if it is because Sao Paulo is farther away than Moscow. But I miss him.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Very funny. More male frontal nudity than expected. And I wasn't expecting any. Even if I was expecting some male frontal nudity.....this had more than I would have anticipated....at least it was done in good taste...or good humor.

The Little Friend

, by Donna Tarte, goes in a direction I did not expect. It's surprisingly suspenseful. I thought it would be more of a coming of age story than suspense novel. The imagery is fantastic. And having lived in the South, I feel like the attitudes and customs were accurately captured. (which should be expected from someone who grew up in Mississippi) The subtlety of the racism isn't really a plot point, it's just there. It's part of the environment and the backdrop of the story....it's not about that. Recommended read.