I realize this blog has been a little all-baby all-the-time lately, and to my five loyal readers, I apologize for that. Michael and I have embarked on a joint blogging venture called Adventures in Sprouting. If you aren’t sick of the baby stuff and want to check it out, go here.
I will blog about other things soon, but right now, there is nothing else on my mind as the C-section is scheduled for tomorrow. Tomorrow! Can you believe it? This time tomorrow, I will be a mommy. Just pick an adjective, that’s how I feel; overwhelmed, excited, terrified, unprepared, you name it. So, I likely won’t be blogging here for a week or so. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me on this blog for the last few months. We will return to regularly scheduled programming soon, I promise.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Sibling Rivalry
The following is a discussion Michael and I had last night on the topic of sibling rivalry:
Michael (about his younger brother): “Nobody ever remembers the stuff he did to provoke me. Every time I’d finally had enough and threw a rock at him or something, that’s when the bus would come and there he’d be with blood dripping down his face. That’s the part everybody remembers.”
Me (sarcastically): “Who could blame you? I mean, you were provoked.”
Michael (in all seriousness): “It wasn’t that I was violent, I was just really accurate.”
This has got me thinking maybe just the one kid is enough.
Michael (about his younger brother): “Nobody ever remembers the stuff he did to provoke me. Every time I’d finally had enough and threw a rock at him or something, that’s when the bus would come and there he’d be with blood dripping down his face. That’s the part everybody remembers.”
Me (sarcastically): “Who could blame you? I mean, you were provoked.”
Michael (in all seriousness): “It wasn’t that I was violent, I was just really accurate.”
This has got me thinking maybe just the one kid is enough.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Book Review: "Sepulchre" by Kate Mosse
“Sepulchre” is the second offering by British author Kate Mosse. The book parallels the lives of Leonie, a young French woman living in 1891 Paris, and Meredith Martin, a young American woman visiting France in the early 21st century to research a biography she is writing about composer Claude Debussy, as well as her own mysterious family heritage.
I should have loved this book. Setting is almost as important to me as character, and in “Sepulchre,” Mosse revisits Carcassonne, territory she first trod in “Labyrinth,” now in paperback. Both books weave together two time periods to great effect. Like setting, the device of parallel characters in different time periods, known as time-slip, is a favorite of mine. Another favorite thing of mine is the Tarot cards (the Empress in this blog title refers to the Empress card in the Tarot.), which are featured prominently in “Sepulchre,” adding to the reasons I should have really loved this book. And yet …
Let’s begin in 1891. “Sepulchre” begins in a cemetery following the supposed death of the mistress of Anatole, Leonie’s brother. It takes a while into the book before that scene makes sense as the starting point of the book, but the death of Anatole’s lover is at the heart of the drama. It takes a while for the action of the book to get moving, which doesn’t really find its feet until an invitation arrives for Anatole and Leonie to visit their late uncle’s widow, Isolde, at her estate, Domain de la Cade, near the spa town of Rennes-les-Bains in southwest France. Leonie notices strange behavior on the part of her brother, who leaves a trail of misinformation and makes switchbacks on their journey out of Paris. We know he is being pursued, but we don’t know why or by whom. When the pair finally arrives safely at Domain de la Cade, we know too that Anatole’s relationship with their widowed aunt is more than familial. The reader surmises this, but it takes Leonie a ridiculous amount of time to catch on. Actually, she never does, but instead has to have the nature of the relationship spelled out for her by Anatole. Don’t be thinking incest here though: Aunt Isolde is the much younger wife of Leonie and Anatole’s uncle. Isolde’s relationship to her late husband was one of convenience and companionship rather than love and adoration.
While Meredith Martin is visiting Paris in the present day, a chance Tarot reading reveals more about herself than about her research subject, Claude Debussy, and firms her resolve to visit Rennes-les-Bains and research the unknown history of her birth family. With the deck of Tarot cards in hand, Meredith leaves Paris and becomes a guest at the Hotel Domain de la Cade. She immediately begins seeing strange visions of a young, copper-haired woman with green eyes who appears to be urging her to act. She later learns the woman’s identity—Leonie Vernier. She comes to realize that uncovering the mystery of Leonie might well answer Meredith’s own questions about her family.
Mosse’s descriptions of the town and countryside surroundings of Rennes-les-Bains are amazingly vivid, capturing the feel of the place as well as its beauty. The region should hire her as head of its tourism division, because I want nothing so much now as to visit the area. This setting and Mosse’s descriptions of it are what kept me reading the book. I must say here that of course, I listened to the unabridged audio version of the book. I found the narrator’s voice captivating, both in “Sepulchre” and in “Labyrinth,” and now I want to learn to speak French. A few characters from the earlier book make an appearance in “Sepulchre,” though it isn’t necessary to have read “Labyrinth” first. It’s just a nice spark of recognition when you remember that you’ve met this or that character before.
The book’s troubles begin when while visiting Carcassonne for a concert, Leonie defies her brother’s strict entreaty that she remain nearby. In a turn all too common for Mosse’s heroines, and all too infuriating for Mosse’s readers, Leonie ignores her brother’s warnings. For what purpose? So that she can be the feisty young heroine I suppose. She gets caught in a storm and takes shelter in a church, where the charming yet dangerous Victor, who we learn is the book’s villain, finds her and gleans from her information that will lead him to Isolde, with whom he had a previous affair, an affair so horrific and devastating that Isolde and Anatole saw no escape except to fake Isolde’s death—the opening scene in the cemetery.
I can think of at least five other plot devices, all of them less contrived and more believable, to get Victor to the Domain De La Cade and thereby heighten the tension, that don’t leave Leonie looking like an irredeemable ditz. I recalled this same plot device being employed in Labyrinth, and it nearly ruined that story for me as well. In my opinion, the character of Leonie never recovered from the author’s mishandling of her in that scene. Contrivances abound in this book, both in character motivation and in dialogue.
The sepulchre that gives the book its title is an ancient Visigoth sepulchre on the grounds of the Domain de la Cade that is rumored to have housed a demon that was once released into the countryside by Isolde’s late husband. The sepulchre is the stage for the final showdown between Leonie and Victor, a showdown that occurs after nearly everything is lost to Leonie. In Meredith’s time, the current owner of the Hotel Domain De La Cade, Julian Lawrence, has spent his fortune searching for the original Tarot cards that will lead him to the Visigoth treasure that is thought to be buried on the hotel grounds. He is an evil, twisted man as well, the modern incarnation of Victor.
Meredith must race against time to find the cards before Julian does. It is the only way she can save herself and free Leonie from her ghostly existence.
“Sepulchre” held my interest, albeit with no small amount of eye rolling. In the end, my recommendation is that if you like France as a setting, haunting ghost stories, and epic tales of intrigue, you will like this book. Just don’t let your expectations run away with you. I suggest getting it in paperback though or borrowing it from the library. Its shortcomings make it unlikely to be a favorite reread.
I should have loved this book. Setting is almost as important to me as character, and in “Sepulchre,” Mosse revisits Carcassonne, territory she first trod in “Labyrinth,” now in paperback. Both books weave together two time periods to great effect. Like setting, the device of parallel characters in different time periods, known as time-slip, is a favorite of mine. Another favorite thing of mine is the Tarot cards (the Empress in this blog title refers to the Empress card in the Tarot.), which are featured prominently in “Sepulchre,” adding to the reasons I should have really loved this book. And yet …
Let’s begin in 1891. “Sepulchre” begins in a cemetery following the supposed death of the mistress of Anatole, Leonie’s brother. It takes a while into the book before that scene makes sense as the starting point of the book, but the death of Anatole’s lover is at the heart of the drama. It takes a while for the action of the book to get moving, which doesn’t really find its feet until an invitation arrives for Anatole and Leonie to visit their late uncle’s widow, Isolde, at her estate, Domain de la Cade, near the spa town of Rennes-les-Bains in southwest France. Leonie notices strange behavior on the part of her brother, who leaves a trail of misinformation and makes switchbacks on their journey out of Paris. We know he is being pursued, but we don’t know why or by whom. When the pair finally arrives safely at Domain de la Cade, we know too that Anatole’s relationship with their widowed aunt is more than familial. The reader surmises this, but it takes Leonie a ridiculous amount of time to catch on. Actually, she never does, but instead has to have the nature of the relationship spelled out for her by Anatole. Don’t be thinking incest here though: Aunt Isolde is the much younger wife of Leonie and Anatole’s uncle. Isolde’s relationship to her late husband was one of convenience and companionship rather than love and adoration.
While Meredith Martin is visiting Paris in the present day, a chance Tarot reading reveals more about herself than about her research subject, Claude Debussy, and firms her resolve to visit Rennes-les-Bains and research the unknown history of her birth family. With the deck of Tarot cards in hand, Meredith leaves Paris and becomes a guest at the Hotel Domain de la Cade. She immediately begins seeing strange visions of a young, copper-haired woman with green eyes who appears to be urging her to act. She later learns the woman’s identity—Leonie Vernier. She comes to realize that uncovering the mystery of Leonie might well answer Meredith’s own questions about her family.
Mosse’s descriptions of the town and countryside surroundings of Rennes-les-Bains are amazingly vivid, capturing the feel of the place as well as its beauty. The region should hire her as head of its tourism division, because I want nothing so much now as to visit the area. This setting and Mosse’s descriptions of it are what kept me reading the book. I must say here that of course, I listened to the unabridged audio version of the book. I found the narrator’s voice captivating, both in “Sepulchre” and in “Labyrinth,” and now I want to learn to speak French. A few characters from the earlier book make an appearance in “Sepulchre,” though it isn’t necessary to have read “Labyrinth” first. It’s just a nice spark of recognition when you remember that you’ve met this or that character before.
The book’s troubles begin when while visiting Carcassonne for a concert, Leonie defies her brother’s strict entreaty that she remain nearby. In a turn all too common for Mosse’s heroines, and all too infuriating for Mosse’s readers, Leonie ignores her brother’s warnings. For what purpose? So that she can be the feisty young heroine I suppose. She gets caught in a storm and takes shelter in a church, where the charming yet dangerous Victor, who we learn is the book’s villain, finds her and gleans from her information that will lead him to Isolde, with whom he had a previous affair, an affair so horrific and devastating that Isolde and Anatole saw no escape except to fake Isolde’s death—the opening scene in the cemetery.
I can think of at least five other plot devices, all of them less contrived and more believable, to get Victor to the Domain De La Cade and thereby heighten the tension, that don’t leave Leonie looking like an irredeemable ditz. I recalled this same plot device being employed in Labyrinth, and it nearly ruined that story for me as well. In my opinion, the character of Leonie never recovered from the author’s mishandling of her in that scene. Contrivances abound in this book, both in character motivation and in dialogue.
The sepulchre that gives the book its title is an ancient Visigoth sepulchre on the grounds of the Domain de la Cade that is rumored to have housed a demon that was once released into the countryside by Isolde’s late husband. The sepulchre is the stage for the final showdown between Leonie and Victor, a showdown that occurs after nearly everything is lost to Leonie. In Meredith’s time, the current owner of the Hotel Domain De La Cade, Julian Lawrence, has spent his fortune searching for the original Tarot cards that will lead him to the Visigoth treasure that is thought to be buried on the hotel grounds. He is an evil, twisted man as well, the modern incarnation of Victor.
Meredith must race against time to find the cards before Julian does. It is the only way she can save herself and free Leonie from her ghostly existence.
“Sepulchre” held my interest, albeit with no small amount of eye rolling. In the end, my recommendation is that if you like France as a setting, haunting ghost stories, and epic tales of intrigue, you will like this book. Just don’t let your expectations run away with you. I suggest getting it in paperback though or borrowing it from the library. Its shortcomings make it unlikely to be a favorite reread.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
What we said we wouldn't do
I am in the throws of pregnancy. What’s more, I now get to really indulge myself in it. My doctor, due to some very low-level concerns about my elevated blood pressure, has called a halt to me working. Fine by me. Working all day long, day after day, was starting to get difficult. So now I’m at home all day and find myself wandering into the nursery, petting baby clothes, sniffing baby lotion, and practicing raising and lowering the rails on the crib. As I walk around the room, I realize that what Michael and I swore wouldn’t happen, has indeed happened. We have fallen prey to the baby industrial complex.
We promised ourselves we wouldn’t. We scoffed—actually scoffed—at people who by at least one of absolutely every product marketed for babies. I mean really-- did we need a bouncy seat, swing, and a bassinette? No, we did not. But that’s what we’ve got. I try to console myself that two of those three things were gifts, but we did register for them. Once the doctor told us Sprout might come early, we sort of freaked a little. We went to Nashville to Babies R Us (it’s like they knew we were coming, probably the overwhelming smell of sucker, A.K.A. new parents) and bought anything and everything that we could ever maybe possibly need. We got the afore mentioned bassinette (we did have a coupon), a rocking chair (it was 20% off), a sling, and a crib set. Okay, I’ve got no justification for those last two. I know the sling makes us look like those overprotective attachment parent types, but I really think it is the safest way for me to carry the baby. And we got one that Michael and I both can wear. Honestly, I’m sort of jazzed about the sling. Maybe it stems from my love of bags and purses. What is a sling after all but a bag to carry a baby in? Plus, it’ll make me feel more confident carrying Sprout. I have nightmares about bumping his soft, not-completely-formed head on the corner going from the living room into the hallway.
The crib set though … $179 for a crib set? Yeah, we were over the top on that one. Even if it did come with curtains, that was too much money for what amounts to decoration. It is a beautiful crib set though. It has a great big moon and stars and it goes perfect with the paint and carpet. But $179? I know, I know. I managed to live most of my life without even knowing what a diaper stacker was, then suddenly, I just have to have one? It’s insanity I tell you, there’s no other explanation for it.
The upside of all this is that we are now ready for the baby to come. The furniture is all put together, the room is decorated, the rocking chair is ready and waiting. And though perhaps not priceless, the sense of relief I feel at that is worth a lot. Given the insane temperatures lately, it isn’t like I’ll be going out to do more shopping. I’ll just set the rocking chair by an air-conditioning vent, sip lemonade, and wait for motherhood to find me.
We promised ourselves we wouldn’t. We scoffed—actually scoffed—at people who by at least one of absolutely every product marketed for babies. I mean really-- did we need a bouncy seat, swing, and a bassinette? No, we did not. But that’s what we’ve got. I try to console myself that two of those three things were gifts, but we did register for them. Once the doctor told us Sprout might come early, we sort of freaked a little. We went to Nashville to Babies R Us (it’s like they knew we were coming, probably the overwhelming smell of sucker, A.K.A. new parents) and bought anything and everything that we could ever maybe possibly need. We got the afore mentioned bassinette (we did have a coupon), a rocking chair (it was 20% off), a sling, and a crib set. Okay, I’ve got no justification for those last two. I know the sling makes us look like those overprotective attachment parent types, but I really think it is the safest way for me to carry the baby. And we got one that Michael and I both can wear. Honestly, I’m sort of jazzed about the sling. Maybe it stems from my love of bags and purses. What is a sling after all but a bag to carry a baby in? Plus, it’ll make me feel more confident carrying Sprout. I have nightmares about bumping his soft, not-completely-formed head on the corner going from the living room into the hallway.
The crib set though … $179 for a crib set? Yeah, we were over the top on that one. Even if it did come with curtains, that was too much money for what amounts to decoration. It is a beautiful crib set though. It has a great big moon and stars and it goes perfect with the paint and carpet. But $179? I know, I know. I managed to live most of my life without even knowing what a diaper stacker was, then suddenly, I just have to have one? It’s insanity I tell you, there’s no other explanation for it.
The upside of all this is that we are now ready for the baby to come. The furniture is all put together, the room is decorated, the rocking chair is ready and waiting. And though perhaps not priceless, the sense of relief I feel at that is worth a lot. Given the insane temperatures lately, it isn’t like I’ll be going out to do more shopping. I’ll just set the rocking chair by an air-conditioning vent, sip lemonade, and wait for motherhood to find me.
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