Bridging Distances

The above picture is of a t-shirt I received from my blogging buddy Attila the Mom. Her son created the beautiful artwork at the age of 10.

How wonderful is it to receive a gift you are not expecting, from someone you admire tremendously and who obviously thinks you are worthy of receiving such a gift? PRETTY DAMN WONDERFUL!

Thank you, my fierce bunny slipper wearing friend. And thank you, Matthew.

The organization where you can create and purchase such wonderful gifts is called The Nth Degree.

Their philosophy?

"Yes, Virginia, there is a Disability Culture…The Nth Degree is about turning light bulbs on. We are about helping folks to recognize that there is no such thing as "Us and Them", just one big "Us". We're about increasing awareness and understanding; as much about the celebration of our individuality and our differences, as the search for common ground…
Finally, The Nth Degree is about feeding our sense of humor… Laughter is the elixir of life and the universal language. Shared, it levels walls; opens minds, assuages fear.”

Also mentioned in the philosophy blurb is a quotation from author and spiritual leader Ram Dass:

"We're all just walking each other home."

I like that. Very much.



P.S. Ted did read my post G’day, Mate! and left a comment addressed to all. I knew he was checking out Mom’s blog!

Elementary, My Dear...

I don’t watch TV very often but the other night I was in control of the remote. Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, I started flicking through all 400 million channels. (I actually miss the old days when we had about six channels to choose from.)

I stopped at a show called “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?”

Huh? Why? Do I need the assurance that I am smarter than a fifth grader? Maybe.

We’re talking about a woman who doesn’t know (and is afraid to find out) her I. Q. score. I was tested in public school but never told the results. I figure at this point in time I’m better off not knowing. Such knowledge could be devastating.

Anyway, back to this stupid (who’s stupid?) show. The first question went something like this — “Which planet would you weigh the most on?” Three planets were named.

I DIDN’T KNOW THE ANSWER! Crap.

It was of no consolation that the adult contestant didn’t know either. The kid next to her was busy writing down his answer. Little show-off.

Unfortunately (but not surprisingly) I don’t remember the three planets given so you won’t be able to test your brilliance. However, the answer was Jupiter. And I won’t be going there any time soon so that I can weigh more.

Anyone reading this who figures they would have known the answer — bully for you. I don’t remember learning this in Grade Five and even if I did I don’t need this particular bit of knowledge to live. I have no plans for space travel.

I changed the channel.

Who needs that kind of abuse?

Well, apparently lots of people either thrive on being shown up as dumber than a fifth grader or are just plain smarter than me. I’m going with the former.

You know what’s scary? This show “…has proved to be monstrously popular, attracting a larger audience than any new show in the Fox network's history, some 26.5 million."

Reality TV at its finest. Standing before an audience of millions and making a fool of yourself.

At least I have the sense to display my ignorance to only a select few — my blog audience.

And you like me anyway, right?

A Biology Lesson (Yup.)

The following is an e-mail I received from son # 3. (Used on this blog with his permission.)


From : "son # 3"
Sent : January 8, 2007 5:17:58 PM
To : "Mom"
Subject : What I learn in school

Hey, here’s a video of the stuff I get to learn in biology – even if you don’t understand it, this surprisingly accurate animation looks pretty damn cool... and to think, every cell in your body is doing all the things that this video shows all the time… crazy.

Enjoy


He’s right. I don’t have a clue as to what is actually going on in this video but it is absolutely fascinating — and beautiful. My son is studying science in university. This particular aptitude he inherited from his father. Every other wonderful thing about this boy (and there are plenty) he inherited from me. (I wish.)

Please click on this link — “Cellular Visions: The Inner Life of a Cell.” On my computer, once you then click on the actual video, it takes a few seconds to load. (And I didn’t have to download Flash 8 Player. I didn’t check but obviously my computer already has it or its equivalent. Hope yours does too. Just go for it.)

I’ll bet you watch the entire thing — it takes about a minute. Even the music is beautiful. For those of you who don’t possess a scientific bone in your body (like me) think of this as an opportunity to receive your science lesson for the day, week or year. And do read (or skim) the accompanying article. It explains a lot – far better than I could.

Although this is an animation, according to my son, the “crawling,” “surfing,” “walking” and other actions you observe are accurate renditions — as are the fiber strands breaking apart and coming together.

Isn’t it wonderful when your kids start educating you? Well, I guess they’ve been educating us all along when it comes to parenting — that “course” which requires no prerequisite or training.