Potpourri No. 33

Trinkets o’ life…

Choose the R?
Less than a month ago, I wrote a post about Mormons and R-rated movies. Last week, I wrote a follow-up post. I thought I was done. Well, **spoiler alert!** I am not. The Facebook dialogue that I mentioned in my most recent post has since developed into an extensive back-and-forth with one particularly fervent supporter of the view that all Mormons are officially prohibited from watching R-rated movies. It has been an interesting exchange. This would-be defender of the faith has told me that my failure to see her point of view entails that I am either “an idiot” or “so far from the spirit” that I cannot recognize the truth. Her latest charge is that, because I have yet to update my blog with the particular quotes she has presented to me, I must be insincere in my attempts to understand this issue. (So, yes, she has found my blog and may very well be reading this. Hi, there!) On the contrary, I plan at least two more posts on the topic of Mormons and R-rated movies, and I will indeed be addressing (either directly or indirectly) all of the quotes this woman has shared with me. She has come up with a couple of good ones, and I intend to give them the attention they deserve. Suffice it to say, my view has not changed. Stay tuned for details as to why.

Half the Man I Used to Be
The fall 2012 semester is underway. I’m not teaching any courses of my own this semester and am instead back to being a TA. Because I’ve overstayed my welcome (so to speak), my income has been cut in half and my TA duties have been cut in half as well. That’s the general idea, anyway. I’m supposed to do half the work of a regular TA so as to justify the reduction in monetary compensation, but I’m a bit worried it won’t work out that way. I’m the only TA for the class to which I’ve been assigned, and it’s a 3000-level course. There are various writing assignments due throughout the semester, and while the instructor has implied that he will be doing some of the grading, I’m not entirely sure just how much he really plans to do. I can easily imagine doing just as much work for this class as I’ve always done, and I suppose the only way to avoid it is to make myself look bad and complain when I’m asked to do more than I really should be doing. Maybe I’ll get lucky and receive only a reasonable amount to do, but something tells me it is unlikely. I’ve got my fingers crossed … which makes my typing skills highly impressive.

Out of the Mouth of Babes
Creegan’s vocabulary has taken a drastic turn upward in the last two or three weeks. He says “lunch,” “couch,” “plate,” and whole bunch of words that he didn’t say even a month or so ago. I know vocabulary can develop rather quickly at this stage of life, but Creegan has been a bit slower to develop his speech than were Eddie and Peter. At his 18-month appointment, Creegan’s doctor even suggested that we take Creegan to a speech therapist, just to be on the safe side. While Melanie and I were not worried about Creegan, we obeyed the doctor’s orders. The speech therapist wasn’t concerned by Creegan’s development (or lack thereof), and it seems almost immediately after the visit, Creegan started saying a bit more than he had. But lately there has been another explosion of development. Among the most entertaining things Creegan says is “ice … na na na na na na na.” He is singinging “Ice Ice Baby,” which Melanie sings to Creegan every time she gets ice out of the freezer to put in Creegan’s water (which he requests every night as a part of his bedtime routine). Granted, reciting the bass riff from “Ice Ice Baby” as a series of “na”’s may not count as increased vocabulary as far as the doctors are concerned, but I quite enjoy it.

Seeing Things
Speaking of kids going to the doctor, Edison recently had a checkup. When the doctor tested Eddie’s eyesight, the results were terrible. He could see hardly anything. I wasn’t at the doctor’s appointment, but Melanie and I were both shocked. We’ve wondered about Eddie’s eyesight in the past, but nothing recently has suggested that he struggles to see, especially not to the extent suggested by his abysmal performance on the eye exam. Truth be told, Melanie and I are wondering if something strange was going on at the doctor’s office, like he was confused about where the doctor was pointing or something. This isn’t just wishful thinking. Since the appointment, Edison has pointed out words that are fairly small and far away, spelled them for me, and asked me what they say. (For example, Edison was lying on the top bunk, looking over the edge, and asked me about a word on the cover of a book lying on the floor. The word was relatively small, I thought.) So, although we’ve been told to get Edison to an eye doctor, neither of us is convinced he needs glasses. I guess we’ll see. (Get it? We’ll SEE? And “see” sounds like “C,” which is a letter of the alphabet?! And Eddie was supposed to be identifying letters from the alphabet!?!? HA HA HA!!!)

Can You Hear Me Now?
Peter officially broke tradition yesterday by becoming the first of our children to willfully speak into a microphone in front of an audience. He shared a scripture in primary and did a great job of it. Edison has always refused to speak in church, even if Melanie or I am standing next to him, feeding him lines to say. Until yesterday, Peter had always adopted Eddie’s practice of standing silently at the microphone and waiting for his mom or dad to cave in and deliver the assigned primary talk ourselves. Naturally, I felt great pride in my son as he leaned forward and spoke unhesitatingly into the microphone. Who cares that he whispered most of the scripture, an inadvertent consequence of repeating what Melanie was whispering into his ear? As an added bonus, Peter’s bravery seems to have worn off on Edison, who told me he wants to try talking into the microphone the next time he is asked to speak in church. Rock on ... or should I say, microphone on? LOL!

The end!