catch-all catch-up

[mamajoan]

hmm, seems I haven't updated in a couple days, oops.

1. The Funny Farm game: I'm very close to solving it. I accidentally got someone else's answers merged with mine, so I zeroed out the whole game and started from scratch. Soon victory will be mine and I can start thinking about other things again! (comment if you need hints!) BTW the guy who created it is on LJ: igor_nav

2. Election Eve and I'm still not decided on several of the ballot questions here. Mostly I'm stuck on the one that would allow food stores to sell wine. Basically, what it boils down to is that I don't care. I don't drink, so it doesn't affect me, and I have difficulty feeling that a "convenience" to others would be worth the trouble. But then, maybe I just can't judge how big a "convenience" it would be. I'll probably end up not voting on this one.

I'm also a bit torn on #5 (which is about supporting the right of return for displaced people to Israel) and #6 (urging the city to divest from Israel). I've seen some pretty persuasive arguments both ways. I need to review the exact wording of the measures before I can decide.

3. Isaac is very very close to reading. He has one book ("Freight Train") that we can't read without spending ages on each page, reciting the words, and then running our fingers over them, and saying the letters, etc. ... I don't know why he particularly likes doing this with this particular book, but he does. It's a 12-page book that literally takes us 20 minutes to read. (edit tonight I kept an eye on the clock and we literally spent 45 minutes discussing every single word in that book!)

Just in the last few days he seems to be really starting to grasp the concept of separate words, and that spaces delineate the borders thereof. The other day he picked up a tupperware container with our last name written on it and said "this is how you spell our last name, [recited the letters]." And it hit me that hey, he just read that! He picked it up, looked at the letters, and deduced what it said! That's reading, dammit. Okay, he's not ready for War and Peace, but then, neither am I. ;)

4. Ruthie has been practicing getting from a sitting position to a lying-down one...which is a fancy way of saying she's been falling over a lot. ;) But she's doing it while reaching for things far away, so this is excellent progress toward crawling. She's figuring out that she can move her body to get things she wants. Yesterday she fell on a toy and gave herself a major bloody nose, but as so often happens, the longer-term trauma thereof was mine, and she's fine.

5. found a preschool that I may start sending Isaac to very soon -- more on that later.

Comments

[girliejones.livejournal.com]

those questions in reference to israel on your ballot form seem really weird. Why should it matter what your city thinks of Israel's right of return policy? *idly curious*

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

Well, the actual wording says that our state representative shall be instructed to vote in favor of a resolution calling on the federal gov't to support the right of return. So the idea is that if a lot of districts vote for this, it puts pressure on the federal gov't to make an official statement. But it's a non-binding resolution, so it's basically just for show -- the feds are under no obligation to do anything. So, a lot of people argue what you said: that nobody cares what the residents of one town think, and since it's nonbinding, it's pointless (some say).

I don't think it's entirely pointless, because I still think there's some value in making a statement of principles even when it'll have no effect. But I'm not completely convinced.

[girliejones.livejournal.com]

it's not that I think nobody cares what some residents think - I mean, that's the whole point of democracy, that every vote counts. It's just that, I'd have thought that there would be more important local issues to poll.

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

well, we do have 3 ballot measures of greater local import (including the one I mentioned about wine sales) though those are all statewide. Questions 4, 5, and 6 are the more frivolous ones and are specific to my district. Apparently we don't have any more pressing district-wide issues to debate.

[girliejones.livejournal.com]

i spose thats a good thing?

[lbmango.livejournal.com]

On more important questions: Can I get some hints on the Funny Farm game? I'm pretty much stumped at like 6 squares... And I still can't figure out 2 of the things comming off of "on the farm"...

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

What kind of hint would be helpful? how about this -- not all of the things coming off "on the farm" are animals.

[techn0goddess.livejournal.com]

The bit about Isaac reading the last name off the container is very exciting. Maybe I'm just easily excited. :) But it's just fascinating to watch kids learning how to read, how to figure things out, etc. Very cool (although it must be pretty boring to spend 45 minutes on a 12 page book).

[eirnoir.livejournal.com]

I agree. The Israel thing seems weird to me. Regardless, I'd say to approve buying wine in food stores. For those of us who do drink, it's so much more convenient, and it usually doesn't bother the non-wine-drinking patrons, as it's just an aisle they don't go down. Like the baby food/diapers aisle for the babyless, or the pet food aisle for the non-pet-having. Just my 2 cents. :D

And too cool about Isaac reading! That's great!

[jorend.livejournal.com]

Basically, what it boils down to is that I don't care. I don't drink, so it doesn't affect me, and I have difficulty feeling that a "convenience" to others would be worth the trouble. But then, maybe I just can't judge how big a "convenience" it would be. I'll probably end up not voting on this one.

What trouble did you expect? They sell wine in grocery stores up here in Siberia. I've never been troubled by it.

It really surprised me that this didn't pass.

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

By "trouble" I mainly meant the administrative costs, just in terms of processing all the new license applications, monitoring them for compliance with the law, etc.; and whatever costs would be involved to the stores in terms of hiring/training new people, rearranging their displays to make room for booze, and so forth. I don't really know how big a deal that would have been, but it was pretty much the first issue that came to mind.

But yeah, I was surprised it didn't pass too.

cool

[jorend.livejournal.com]

By "trouble" I mainly meant the administrative costs, just in terms of processing all the new license applications, monitoring them for compliance with the law, etc.

You mean, mainly economic costs? Interesting, I hadn't heard that objection. Thanks.

and whatever costs would be involved to the stores in terms of hiring/training new people, rearranging their displays to make room for booze, and so forth.

I wouldn't worry about that. The stores were in favor of the proposal. They would have paid these costs out of their new booze profits; that is, the newly-convenienced would be paying for that convenience.

In fact... hmmmm. Arguably the same might be said for regulatory costs. I mean, a community could charge enough in license fees to pay for the costs, if it wanted to. Perhaps it should. (pause) I wonder to what degree other licensing fees (building contractor licenses, commercial driver's licenses, etc. ad nauseum) line up with enforcement costs. In the absence of any facts, I would guess that it's probably pretty random. I wonder how many licensing regimes actually lose money for the state.

[jorend.livejournal.com]

Oh, and the Funny Farm is owning me...

[jorend.livejournal.com]

(comment if you need hints!)

On one square I've got "book" and it links to ".... ....". I tried Jane Eyre and Moby Dick, as well as about 312 stupid things like "blue book". Hint?

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

hmm...that one is not a type of book or the title of a book, but an activity that people do with books.