Seven Things with Names

In some cultures, names are thought to give one great insight into the one being named.  While many in our culture want their names to express their selves (have you seen that Facebook “quiz” that splits names into blatantly false root words), I would argue that our names say more about the namer than the named.

And so, I thought, for today's quick takes, I would share seven of the names in our household, for your insight into my mind and the Captain’s:

1. Elefantiles (Eh-lih-FAHN-tih-leez) the Elephant
   

Taylor Swift and Plato

In honor of the first week of taxes, I share this gem with you.  If Taylor Swift and Plato met:

SOCRATES: Yes, I see. Alcibiades is, in fact, a player who will play, play, play.
SWIFT: Yes, very much so.
SOCRATES: But must he? That is the question at hand.
SWIFT: I believe he must for, consider that the hater must hate, hate, hate, and the faker must fake, fake, fake. Why should the player be different?

 Read it an enjoy while I go study St. Augustine!

How Far Is Too Far?

How far is too far? -- Not how close is too close.  I ran across an Ethika Politika piece the other day that piqued my interest because the writer articulated some of the feelz I have in an accessible and non-emotional account. 

It deals with couples (and individuals) who eschew all/almost all physical affection until marriage.  These are the side-hug, no-hand-holding, first-kiss-on-the-altar type folk.  While the idea of purity appeals to me, something about this manner of courtship has started to bother me more and more since I first heard about (and considered) it in high school.  

When Women Refuse Consent

Let’s talk about consent for a moment.  Consent is this important concept that derives from the basic principle of autonomy.  The relationship is thus:

1. I have the right and duty to exercise my free will (autonomy).
2. The existence and exercise of said free will means that I am an actor and not an object.  I acted; I am not acted upon.
3. Sometimes, I am acted upon – for example, a medical procedure.  Because I am an actor, I must give permission for this “acting upon.”  This permission is called consent.
4. I have a right, under ordinary circumstances, to know/be told what will be done to me, what the possible consequences are, and what my other options are.  
5. If I refuse to give this permission, I should not be acted upon.

It's Never Too Early

This morning, the Sleeping Dragon grabbed my bookmark (pictured above), which contains an image of the Divine Mercy on one side and Our Lady of Guadalupe on the other.  I enjoyed watching her play with it, telling her, "That's Jesus; that's Mary," as she flipped it back and forth.

I let her play until she went from putting it to her mouth to actually chewing on it.  "No, babe, we don't eat --" I started, and then changed the end of my sentence -- "Jesus, when He's in that form.  We eat Him in another form."

Because it's never too early to teach about the Eucharist, and I don't want to be spouting heresy to my child!

Once More, On Babycation and Maternity Leave

At the moment, I am a kept woman, and Babycation Part II is harder than Part I.  I start classes in a week and a half (eek!), so this week we are starting the Sleeping Dragon's daycare routine.  Part of this involves double-babying with a couple from our parish and part of it involves my mother -- so we are very blessed.

Thus, for several days over these two weeks, I am once more at home without work or childcare responsibilities.  The whole prospect is relieving, terrifying, exhilarating, and heartbreaking all at once.

In honor of Babycation Part II, I wanted to share some more happy news regarding maternity leave.  Netflix and Microsoft have recently implemented sensible parental leave policies.  Basically, both offer months of paid leave for new mother and fathers.  Yay for people who appreciate that employees who can meet their family needs are better, more productive employees who will stick around and do great things for the company!

All the Better to See You

On our honeymoon, the Captain and I discovered this bookstand.  So I was excited to find this post on the books that fit it.  Apparently huge books existed in part so that monks could congregate and read together, which I think it just incredibly fun.

Power, Joy, and Awe

It has come to my attention that it is National NFP Week. I'm not really sure what that means for people who aren't in the habit of writing about touchy subjects online -- after all, it's not really something you can do for just a week...

On Babies, Bathwater, and Protecting One's Virginity

Have I mentioned before that I want to be Simcha Fisher when I grow up?  Not only is her baby pushing up on her knees before mine (I promise, I don't stalk her -- blame Facebook), but she wrote this wonderful piece on Maria Goretti and what it means to be a saint.

A Newfeed Game

The world appears to be exploding or perhaps imploding in response to today's Supreme Court decision.  And while I acknowledge the importance of the decision, I still (naively) go the Facebook to see cat memes and stalk "friends' " baby updates.  So, here's today's game:

Fish Saving Lives

As I processes the lovely and meaty conversations I have had the past few days, I want to share a little bit of happy. Here's a story about how a little creative problem solving in the form of an iron fish saves lives.

I read something similar today about iodine bindis, although as far as I am aware, it does not yet have a proven record. Either way, I love the idea of using a piece of a culture to help a culture, rather than pushing our paradigm on others.

Life Updates

It's finally time to announce a major life change in the works!  I have left my job (a couple months ago, actually) and am staying home with the Sleeping Dragon until August when I start doctoral work at the Catholic University of America.

I registered for classes last week, which makes it real enough to put on the internet.  I am pursuing a PhD in Moral Theology and Ethics, fully funded (yay, no loans!).  So one day, I get to wear fancy robes.

On the Nature of Beer

What could be more perfectly Theology of the Body than the question: "Whether Beer Exists in Heaven?"

Papas and Princesses

From a secular and science-oriented perspective, this article expresses so much of what I believe about femininity.  We need to expand our vision of femininity to include areas that have traditionally been excluded -- including, but not limited to, the STEM disciplines mentioned here -- rather than focusing on excluding traditional aspects of femininity.

Insight into My Electronic Soul

Google has created auto-folders for my bookmarks.  How well do the Googles know me?  Decide for yourself:

When My Furniture Moves

I've written before about being an INTJ and linked to my favorite INTJ website before.  Well, that website posted another INTJ gem that cracked me up because it hit a couple of things dead-on about me. 

Day Maker #89: For My Inner Child

This exists. Enough said. (It turns staircases into slides. Does it get much better than that?)

Family Ties

Some time ago, during the wee sleepless hours of the first few weeks of the Sleeping Dragon's life, I stumbled upon this gem.  In case you didn't realize it, Arrested Development is The Brothers Karamazov.  If you don't believe me, read the article.  If you have not experienced one or both of these works of art, go find them.  (The links above will help.)

While Feeding the Sleeping Dragon This Morning

While feeding the Sleeping Dragon this morning, I discovered this picture on Hallmark's humor blog:

Baby Carrots Are a Lie

I was horrified to find out recently that baby carrots are a lie.  They are not, in fact, just young carrots or carrots that grow smaller.  They are, in fact, shaved and shaped grown-up carrots.

No, they are not making baby carrots.

Day Maker #88: 2005 FTW

Going through old boxes, I just discovered a Washington Post in which Pope Benedict XVI and I share the front page.  I never realized how awesome my life is until now.

In Which We Take a Risk

Happy Easter, my dear 3.14 readers! This year the Captain and I brought a tiny baby to all three of the Triduum services. Rather than immerse myself in the sensual experience that is these three days, I spent most of the liturgies either feeding a baby or keeping her quiet. So I simply found one spiritual anchor to cling to each night.

A Happy Nursing Story

I often, too often, encounter up-in-arms, negative stories about women's experiences nursing in public.  I want to share a happy story, because those exist too.

Tunnel Vision

You know those times when disasters strike, and your Facebook newsfeed fills up with people commenting on it as well as those people who compare it to abortion? Maybe it's just me, since I'm just friends with too many vociferously pro-life people. It happens -- "Terrorists kill 1000 people in Africa" -- and the Internet response is "But you know who kills almost 1000 people EVERY DAY? Planned Parenthood!"

Are Hillbillies Good People?

"But I'm basically a good person."  It's a common line, used to excuse flaws and look past foibles.  It expresses some vague concept of what a human being should be and suggests that the subject mostly aligns with that undefined concept.  It tends to mean, "I am not a horrible person, so I must be okay."

Maybe I Can Write a Novel

There are two reasons I cannot write a novel: 1) I have trouble creating a plot that both lasts that long and resolves well; and 2) I have trouble with the details needed to make it seem real.

It turns out that the second one might not be a problem -- Futility Closet recently noted that Walter Scott and Fyodor Dostoyevsky had troubles with their sunsets.

Seven Baby Takes

1. I originally wrote this short story to say that the little one does not yet have a blog name.  Then I realized what it should be.  The newest member of our household is, of course, the Princess.  The Captain will disagree, as he swears she will never hear the word “princess” and only have nun dolls.

Doing Things Differently

Remember how I mentioned parenthetically yesterday that right now I eat lots of calories since there is a little person on me for food?  Well, because of said tiny person, not only am I technically exempt from today's fast, but also, it would be a bad idea for me to keep a fast right now.  

Why I Should Go to Mars

In the debate over women in the military, the question of physical ability is often raised as a sort of trump card—no matter my philosophical reasons, what if men are just more physically capable of performing the job?

What We Hold Sacred

This article from The Economist on swear words caught my fancy.  At first it seems to be merely a catalog of acceptable and unacceptable words that change through history and culture.  The writer focuses on religiously charged words and then sexually charged words that have historically been taboo swear words. 

On Susan Pevensie

Die-hard fans of The Chronicles of Narnia, like myself, don’t talk much about Susan Pevensie.  For those who have not read all the books enough time to have at least three committed to memory, she is one of the four children in C.S. Lewis’s first novel about Narnia, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  Four children slip through a wardrobe into the enchanted world of Narnia, where, with the help of the lion Aslan, they break the kingdom free of from the world of the evil White Witch. 

Babycation!

As I am sure my loyal 3.14 readers have noticed (if they are in fact still reading; perhaps I have fallen to 2.72), my posts have been fewer and further between for a few months.  The reason is simple, but I have not yet announced on the interwebs – I have been busy growing a person!

I don’t know how much having a child in my life will affect my ability to post nonsense online, so I make no future promises, other than that I am now on babycation (definition: the portion of maternity leave a woman chooses to take before the birth of her child) and will be using a portion of each continued day of such to write things, hopefully stockpiling some posts for the zombie-stage of new motherhood (which I have heard can last 18 years).

For your edification, as I proceed on to my babycation tasks of the day, such as thank you cards and naps, I leave you with some reading on the benefits of babycation and maternity leave for mothers and children.