Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Ilaria S' LiveJournal:

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Monday, February 9th, 2009
12:10 pm	Breaks My Heart I am happily married. I want other people to be happily married too. This video made me tear up. vimeo.com/3089746 I'm not sure how I feel about the grounds to overturn Prop 8 in California -- the people have spoken -- but really, it was such a wrong decision. At the very least, I don't think we should be divorcing those poor people. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, March 12th, 2008
8:59 pm	Bullying I haven't posted for quite a while -- unwilling to at work these days, and perennially short on time at home -- but  Her Bad Mother's post on her experience with being bullied as a child really hit me when I read it, and I thought of it again tonight, for no particular reason. I was almost never bullied as a child, except by my brother (and that's a whole 'nother post). A random school bus incident one day when I sat next to an older boy, a weird experience when a girl wanted to fight me... that's about it. But my husband has related to me his experience of being, literally, stoned as a young child. He was foreign, and different-looking, and the neighborhood kids threw rocks at him.  And reading  about Her Bad Mother's experience as the Green Pickle Martian, and the comments of others  reacting to her post, I thought a lot about my husband, and I hurt for him. I think that I will be very careful to watch for bullying of, or by, my daughter.   (Comment on this)
Sunday, November 4th, 2007
5:17 pm	Waterboarding and History I don't much like to think about waterboarding, frankly. My mind shies away from descriptions of it, and I am repulsed by the knowledge that the United States is practicing it, and is having actual debate about whether or not it is torture. But Hilzoy's commentary is sharp and deserves to be read. There's where we are now, and there's where we came from. This article on St. Clair, the Indians, and Executive Privilege is just a fascinating little slice of history. Nothing to do with waterboarding, but certainly something to do with where and who we are now. (Comment on this)
Thursday, November 1st, 2007
9:29 pm	Halloween It turns out, by some serendipity, that we now live three blocks away from McDonald Avenue, AKA The Street that Does Halloween -- you know, the one where people come from out of town for the experience, the one where neighbors start planning their displays back somewhere in April. Whereas my household managed to buy (but not to carve) two pumpkins, these people are, well, just insane. But in a good way. I generally am pretty lukewarm about Halloween, but I must admit, that walking down The Street, with the displays, and the cutely costumed tots scampering around, and the evening light turning the trees aflame, I found myself overflowing with benevolent good cheer. And I didn't even need candy. The Kid, who is now 16 months old, went as a chick, and lasted remarkably well. No interest at all in trick-or-treating yet, and that's fine. She just likes to watch. I can't wait to see what they do for Christmas. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, October 10th, 2007
10:00 pm	Ouch I started at a new gym today, and took an hour-long class in cardio kickboxing. It has been over four years since I last darkened the door of a gym. I may not move tomorrow. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, October 9th, 2007
9:38 pm	The Raging Breastfeeding Controversy While pregnant, I encountered an absolute deluge of encouragement to breastfeed -- better for the baby, etc etc etc. I intended to breastfeed, so I wasn't a hard sell on this point. And I did so for 14 months, in the privacy of my own home when possible, sure, but in public when the occasion demanded -- and you'd better believe that she demanded, on occasion. And whatever I loved about it (and I did love a lot about it), it was not the chance to whip out my breast in public. I didn't hate that part either, come to that -- that was just doing what needed doing, when it needed doing. But then you get these yahoos concerned citizens who are so quick to protect the American People from the sight of a breastfeeding mother, that they want women to breastfeed in a public restroom, or to throw a blanket over the baby's head, and they remove any picture depicting breastfeeding as if it were an obscenity <coughfacebookcough>. And I'm just puzzled. Would you want to eat in a restroom, or eat with a blanket over your head? Would that strike you as sanitary, or pleasant? Me neither. It's not obscene. It's a female breast, and I think that it's absolutely marvelous that it can feed an infant. I much prefer this system to, just for example, regurgitating half-eaten food like birds do. Men generally go to significant lengths to see women's breasts, and women should be just kind of used to the sight -- we do have mirrors. What's the problem with seeing them in use? And if you didn't stare, you probably wouldn't normally see much of anything. So, in celebration of breastfeeding mothers everywhere, here's a little video on the subject. (Comment on this)
Monday, October 8th, 2007
8:54 pm	It's been a while... Actually, it's been a very long while, since I last posted. I haven't wanted to post from work, and haven't had alone time at home. But here I am tonight, very much alone. And lonely. I am out of practice at being alone. My husband and baby are three time zones away, dealing with a family issue. I've been alone for approximately 11 hours, with five days to go. And I miss them dreadfully. It is nice to have the opportunity to catch up on my friends' list, though. Current Mood: sad (Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 30th, 2007
10:11 pm	California Here I Come! I got a job offer at my former law firm in Northern California, and we are moving back in July! I am happy, and excited, and oh-my-god overwhelmed... and exhausted. But mostly, very happy. ...How did we ever manage to acquire so many things? And why do they all take so very long to pack? (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, March 28th, 2007
1:53 pm	Yay Burger King! Burger King has announced a shift towards cruelty-free pork and eggs. Given the sickening conditions that the vast majority of US commercially-sold pigs and chickens are raised in,  any move by such a major player is good news. I hope it's a harbinger -- McDonalds appears to be thinking some of the same thoughts.  Here's an excerpt from the NY Times article:             In what animal welfare advocates are describing as a 'historic advance,' Burger King, the world’s second-largest  hamburger chain, said yesterday that it would begin buying eggs and pork from suppliers that did not confine their animals in cages and crates. The company said that it would also favor suppliers of chickens that use gas, or “controlled-atmospheric stunning,” rather than electric shocks to knock birds unconscious before slaughter. It is considered a more humane method, though only a handful of slaughterhouses use it. The goal for the next few months, Burger King said is for 2 percent of its eggs to be 'cage free,' and for 10 percent of its pork to come from farms that allow sows to move around inside pens, rather than being confined to crates. The company said those percentages would rise as more farmers shift to these methods and more competitively priced supplies become available. (Comment on this)
Sunday, March 18th, 2007
2:46 pm	Parenting Blogs Lately, I've been reading a lot of parenting blogs. Most of them revolve around slightly older children -- toddlers -- and it sure is fun to see what's coming down the pike. Because I want to share the love, here are three of my current top fav's: Her Bad Mother -- thrill to the doings of WonderBaby! Plus great links and general funniness It's Not All Mary Poppins -- the woman has mad parenting skillz -- runs a daycare, so wrangles 4 toddlers plus her own children & stepchildren How About Two -- a father's perspective, and a good jumping-off point to other daddy blogs There are a lot of smart, funny people out there blogging about the experience of being a parent. These are only a few of them. (Comment on this)
Thursday, March 8th, 2007
10:07 pm	Edge of Flight The babe is almost crawling... so very close. She's not actually crawling, but if I  look away for a few seconds, I often find that she is a couple of feet away from wherever I sat her down. She rocks back and forth, and edges towards objects a few feet away, and then ends up on her stomach and can't push herself back up. Tonight she spent a fair while tossing a Kleenex package out  a bit and then retrieving it, with a big, gummy grin on her face. I want to encourage her, and yet I fear our house is totally unready for a mobile baby.  Four floors -- do I have to put baby gates at the top and bottom of every flight of stairs? Can't I just hook a bungee cord to the back of her clothes and call it good? (Comment on this)
Saturday, January 27th, 2007
5:01 pm	Solid Foods, yay! Two weeks ago, we started introducing the kid to solid foods. With the encouragement of strangers, we decided to try a practice called baby-led weaning, in which you basically put finger foods in front of a 6-month-old (or older) baby: if she can pick it up and put it in her mouth without assistance, she's ready developmentally to handle it without choking. As a huge bonus, you skip the whole rice cereal/pureed baby food stage, and go straight to things you yourself might contemplate eating. So far, it's been messy but fascinating.  The babe has tried bananas, steamed carrots, zucchini, and apples; stewed tomatoes, roasted parsnips, and bread crusts. She likes things warm and not too slimy, so we've been leaving at least some peel on -- she just gums around it. So far, no hints of choking, and her enthusiasm is growing rapidly.  Next up: roasted sweet potato wedges, cucumber, steamed broccoli. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 12th, 2006
2:53 pm	Obama AIDS Speech I'm not a Christian, but Barack Obama's version of Christianity is one I could only support.  His speech to the Rick Warren's So-Cal megachurch on World AIDS Day was dead on target, was nuanced, was generous in spirit, was...inspirational. I  gotta say, that guy keeps impressing me.  The Son held up his hands. Luminescent, they seemed, as if dappled  by autumn sun reflecting off a stream into shade. "My grace flows    from these as a river, wolf-lord. Would you have me dole it out in  the exact measure that men earn, as from an apothecary's dropper?    Would you stand in pure water to your waist, and administer it by    the scant spoon to men dying of thirst on a parched shore?" -Lois McMaster Bujold, The Hallowed Hunt (Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 21st, 2006
7:48 pm	Babies Are Strange My four-month old is reclining on her back, and whapping herself in the diaper region with a silver ring rattle, grinning away. Babies are very, very strange. (OK, where she is hitting is well padded, so I don't think it really hurts at all, but still...strange.) Or maybe it's just her.... Naaah. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, October 10th, 2006
6:52 am	The Energy Diet Huh. I may even do some of this. (Comment on this)
Friday, September 29th, 2006
6:38 pm	Pandora My musical tastes got stuck somewhere around the late college years. I get tired of the music I have (even though there's really quite a lot of it) but have difficulty finding out what else I might like. Enter Pandora, an internet site that takes your inputs on artists or songs you like, and produces a radio station for you (without commercials) of that music, and similar music that it thinks you might like. And then tailors your station further, based on your feedback. And gives you up to 100 free stations, all individually tailored. This is really great stuff, and a terrifc way to expand your musical universe.  (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, September 5th, 2006
5:55 pm	Doris Day Love Me or Leave Me is a 1955 Doris Day / James Cagney vehicle loosely based on the life of singer Ruth Etting. She plays a nightclub singer with high ambitions and little sense. She flirts restrainedly with a cute piano player but goes with the older, Mobster manager (Cagney) who has dishonorable intentions but gets semi-seduced by her basic uprightness, and eventually marries her. As presented, she apparently marries him as a demonstration of gratitude. That is not the best basis for a marriage, especially since she appears to like what he provides for her more than she likes him for himself. The movie is set in the 20s but the bulk of the costumes look 50s to me. The film won an Oscar for Best Story. Maybe the competition was weak that year. Doris Day wears lots of blue eyeshadow and has blond helmet hair.  She was a big star, and she certainly can sing, but I just totally fail to see her appeal. So. Now I've seen a Doris Day movie. Check. (Comment on this)
Friday, September 1st, 2006
3:41 pm	Life in 1491 Teresa over at Making Light led me to this fascinating article by Charles C. Mann, discussing the question of how many people there were in the Americas at the time of Columbus, and what they were all up to. Apparently, both the Great Plains and the Amazon forest may be due in significant part to early land management. It's lengthy, but well worth the time. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, August 15th, 2006
4:28 pm	Kiva Kiva is a non-profit organization enabling individuals to make personal loans to microenterprises in developing countries, via Paypal. You pick a company, give them $25 or more, and the money goes via Kiva to a microenterprise lender, which handles the loan and its repayments. Kiva recollects the money, and when the loan is fully repaid, reimburses the lenders, again via Paypal (which is not charging fees for any of this.) You don't get interest on your money, but you do get to Do Good and be an International Financier for very little risk (96% repayment rate). Really, this is cool stuff. (Comment on this)
Thursday, August 10th, 2006
2:28 pm	Time Sink There is no time sink like a young infant. The hours drip by in nursing and diapering and comforting, then the day is gone and once again I've accomplished almost nothing, and haven't updated my LJ. But 5 weeks after the Little One was born, I am finally on balance enough to be reading LJ. Contributing shall resume again, I trust. (Comment on this)