radish times

PRE-PERUSAL NOTICE (read this before you read the rest):

Not all the words in the following update are words which can be found in the dictionary. Two of the most prominent (and possibly the only two) are updateness and unupdateness. Therefore the definitions are provided here: Updateness: the urge to write an update Unupdateness: the absence of the urge to write an update

BEGINNING OF UPDATE:

Ideal Equation: 4 months of relaxation + 2 family weekends = the beginning of regular updates

Equation Proven So Far: 4 months of relaxation + 2 family weekends = a lone update in the midst of the state of unupdateness

or (alternatively)

1 weird sci-fi book + 1 ridiculous but tenacious family joke = a random update in the midst of the state of unupdateness

HELLO!

HOW ARE YOU? LONG TIME NO HEAR AND SPEAK (through updates, at any rate)

The summer is over. Fall has begun. And fall is the best season ever ever ever. Fall means new beginnings, new energy, new projects. It is the time of year that I get a giant energy boost - which I particularly need this year after having such a long resting period (4 months working part time with no graduate classes!!!).

Several interesting things have happened recently which have made my mind bubble with updateness:

1) Peter & I went out to Seattle to visit my brother for the first time (barring our trip out to his wedding) ever. Amy, Paul’s wife, is pregnant and expecting in October. We trekked all over Seattle and country side. I even made a fabulous suggestion for a name for the baby…

… I am a little afraid to tell you all, in fear that you will think it such a great name you will tell all your friends and there will be a positive explosion of babies with this name. Right now I am fairly certain that no baby yet has this name. But, if you swear not to tell anyone about it, I will allow you to read on….

… This illustrious name was inspired by two factors: 1) Paul and Amy have not yet devised a list of possible names for the baby, making it impossible to tease them about any of the names they had chosen 2) Simon and Garfunkel sang a song which included imperfect rhyming.

In the song, “20 ways to leave your love” Simon or Garfunkel sings the lines “Just get of the bus, Gus. You don’t have to discuss much.” “Gus” and “much” DO NOT rhyme nicely. Much nicer would have been: “Just get on the bus, GUCH. You don’t have to discuss MUCH.” Ahhhh, what beauty. What satisfying perfection.

It was this which caused me to advocate to my brother and his wife that they name their baby “Guch,” pronounced just like much. I think they really liked the suggestion. How could they not?

2) On the other side of the family, all our nephews are growing up. Alex, Peter’s sister’s son, is completely grown up (18 yrs-old) and living on his own in New York City (not far from us ). We hope to see him often!

His little brother, Andrew, is almost 2 years old and is walking and almost talking. He answers important questions clearly and emphatically… that is, questions such as “Do you want to eat?” to which he responds “Da!” (Yes!) and “Do you want to sleep?” to which he answer “No!” with a single short shake of the head. He has not yet learned the word “mine” so he is a pleasure to play with. He very much likes pigeons and motorcycles which he demonstrates by pointing at every one that he sees.

3) Sagas continue with the INS, now the USCIS. I will not record them here as it is too late at night to recover my mood before going to bed. Perhaps if the ideal equation turns out to be true, I will devote an entire update to these continuing sagas.

4) Our cats are doing well. They behaved very well this weekend when our nephew Andrew was here, meaning that when they swiped their paws at him they held their claws in - so that they hit him but didn’t scratch him. He only got one small scratch - although he had many warning swipes. This pleased me greatly.

They (the cats) are also getting older. Pippin and Kisco turned the amazing age of 10 years this spring. TEN. Quite a few.

END OF UPDATE: I think that is all since I start to dribble-drabble.