The what flu?

This is getting out of hand.  Just about a week ago, we start reading about Swine Flu basically shutting down Mexico City, and within a week Texans (especially Fort Worthians, apparently), are going into full-blown panic.  I knew the school district had shut down the four schools where specific cases were found.  But I was really blown away last night when my Mom called to tell me that classes are canceled for students until May 8th!  All UIL sporting events have also been canceled.  And city officials are urging those with toddlers in day care or Mother's Day Out to also keep the kiddos at home.  

We sent Gabriel yesterday after a short 2 minute talk about how safe we feel he is there.  But last night I had to reluctantly agree with Jav that it just doesn't hurt to play it safe and keep him at home.  Other than the fact that every time he misses he has trouble saying goodbye to me the next time.  There's only three more weeks of class left, but I sure would hate to keep him out all next week too.  But we are part of the lucky parents who are able to take care of our child at home.  What about all of those working parents, especially single parents?  What are they going to do with their kids for a week and a half?  Take them to work?  Hope that their boss is understanding about having to miss that much work?  That just isn't realistic in the real world.  I really feel for those parents.

For the most part I am thinking that city and school officials are playing it safe, but a little part of me wonders if there isn't something to start really panicking about.  We have decided to avoid certain public places, like the mall.  But next week when I go grocery shopping, should I wear a mask?  I had already stocked up on little antibacterial lotions, and we are using those like crazy along with all the hand washing (for 20 seconds, according to NPR, which is a REALLY long time).  But should we avoid restaurants and take-out food?  We're supposed to go eat at Nonna Tata's, my very favorite restaurant in the whole world, next week for our anniversary.  So we're playing it by ear.  I feel like we're back to settler times, when you kept to your own family and had to be suspicious of anyone else who happened to ride up to your homestead.  

This is something I never imagined having to deal with in my lifetime.  It's truly bizarre.  

Goodnight what?

Ever since Gabriel was about nine months old I've been reading Goodnight Moon to him at bedtime.  It used to make an appearance about every 3 or 4 nights.  Now we try to read it at least twice a month. 

Well, once he started understanding words (somewhere around his first birthday), he started pointing to things in the book as I read along.  When we got towards the end, to the two pages that say, "Goodnight stars.....Goodnight air", he would point to the stars, and then tap the top of his head.  It took me a few times to realize he thought I was saying,  "Goodnight hair", since he had no concept of what "air" was.  

And so, the tradition continues (of course, we started actually saying, "Goodnight hair" after that).  I don't really want to clue him in on the truth just yet.   The day I have to explain it will be a pretty sad day for me.

Favorite shows

Jav and I have a short list of dramatic TV that we like.  Three shows, and one of them has been cancelled.  The funny thing is, all three started with pretty crazy concepts. 

Life on Mars was about a police detective living in our present time who gets hit by a car while chasing a suspect and wakes up in the 70's.  Every episode he gets little clues about why this might be happening.  It had great acting, pretty realistic story lines, and awesome 70's music (some really deep cuts, some mainstream, but always fitting to the story line).  I can't believe more people didn't watch it and it got sacked.  We still have 3 episodes to go, and are happy that the producers at least saw this coming and wrapped up all the questions in the final episode.  (Which I hear from a little bird is fantastic!)

Saving Grace is about another police detective (this time the miniscule Holly Hunter-in a role so suited for her it's spooky sometimes), who has been living life in the fast lane for long time, and has many demons chasing her around.  So God decides to send her an angel to try and help her see the error of her ways.  Before it's too late.  But this isn't your typical all-white-clad glowing heavenly angel.  His name is Earl, he looks like a truck driver, and he loves to get wonderful things to eat and drink wherever in the world he happens to be visiting.  And he also is starting to admire (and be a bit jealous of?) Grace for her humanity and passion for life.  There's a mystery connection between Grace and a death-row inmate that we are trying to figure out (Earl is also his angel), but the acting, writing and directing is top-notch in this one too.  I especially like the female characters, including Laura San Giacomo as Grace's best (and good-girl Catholic) friend and medical examiner.

But Big Love would have to be my top choice for best drama this year.  We watched the final episode of this season last week, and now have to wait a year and a half (or some ridiculously long time for HBO shows), to continue this saga of a polygamist family living in Utah suburbia.  Who would have thought a show with this subject matter would be the most riveting and suspenseful I've seen in years?  I can't figure out why no cast member as of yet has been nominated for an Emmy, but I better see some names next time.  Everyone on the show is great, but Jeanne Tripplehorn (the First Wife of Bill Paxton) rose above this year, in my opinion.  The episode when she is facing excommunication from the Mormon church after her sister exposes her to the Bishop is still haunting me because of her desperate acting.

You have to look hard, but you can still find some good stuff on TV.  Just not on the major networks.  There they cancel anything good before giving it a real chance.  

Books, books, books!

My son has turned into a Reading Machine.  He always has a book in his hands.  He browses them while watching TV.  He takes them outside to sit on the sidewalk in the sun and read.  He gets upset when we make him put the book down to get into the bathtub or go to bed.  Really upset.   He sits and reads ten books or more before switching to his cars and trucks.  He looked at me last Thursday morning and said, "Tita's house?" and I said, "No, it's a school day".  So he thought about that for awhile and then said, "Library, Mama?"  I couldn't believe he was asking me to go to the library.  I told him we couldn't go that day, but we'd go the next day.  Well, he got up saying, "Library today Mama?" and I said yes, and then remembered they recently had to cut back hours and are closed on Fridays.  This did not go over very well, but I took him to PetSmart to look at birds and fish which kind of made up for it.  When Saturday arrived, he was running around the house shouting, "Library.  Hooray!!!"  We took home 15 books this time, and he loves all of them.  

I think it's all wonderful.