Status Report

It's the last moment of calm before the wild and crazy ride of this weekend begins. Here are the major points on the agenda:
- ballet class for Rose 9:45 Sat. am
- lasertag for Richard Saturday afternoon
- slumber birthday party for Rose starting at 4pm (requiring cake baking, house decoration,
dinner making, present wrapping...etc.)
- church on Sunday
- Rose's baptism on Sunday afternoon (requiring shopping trip to find appropriate baptism
gift)
- Richard goes to slumber party Sunday evening (requiring shopping trip to find appropriate
12 year old boy gift - oh, that'll be easy...)

I think I can fit it all in. Oh, and I promised my little one, Marie, that we would spend some "alone time with Mommy" somewhere in there. She has been a little sick this week, and acting pretty atrociously, so I really do need to give her some dedicated focused time. OK.

In the meantime, I have started Dostoevsky's "The Gambler" about seven times in the last few days - I just can't get into it. I don't get gambling. It is so stupid. So far all I've gleaned about the gambling world in this novel is that the aristocrats have to act like gambling is pure entertainment, and they don't care about the results. While the riff raff are more honest in their pure greed and desire for easy money. Hmm....still seems silly to me. But he does have a way with words.

Considerations for next week: should I dress up for Halloween? My hubby's (strange and very alternative and artsy) office in SF wants all the kids to come in next Friday. Do I dress up? As what? And let's be real, I will never be able to compete with the trans-whatevers and the art nymphs. Maybe I'll just drop the kids off at the door and wait outside? And how the heck can I help my son be a Nazgul for Halloween?

Other wonderings: how do I encourage my son in his interest in philosophy? He has read every intermediate level book on philosophy that I can find and wants more. "Ideas," he says "like, what is reality?" and " how do I know I exist?" O.....K...... And you are 11? OK. He needs to read Descartes. But I haven't even read Descartes (at least not since college). Ideas people?

And how do I help Rose when her nightmares are like bad hallucinations? Seriously, I'm totally stuck when she describes what she is seeing. I really don't know what to say. Dumb stuff like, "It's alright. It's OK. You're OK. I'm here." is usally all I can think of. I suppose that will have to do.

Life is interesting.