Eliminate that Diaper Rash

OK, I've heard of pushing children into growing up too fast, but this is taking it to the extreme: Diaper-free babies.

Remember what it's like to potty train a 2-year old? Try a 2-month old.

(Of course, Auntie K doesn't know from experience what it's like to potty train a 2-year old, but she can imagine. And she was a 2-year old potty-trainee once as well).

Cordy

Today is my cousin Cordy West Coon's birthday. She would be 36. When I think about her, I'm struck by the frequent use of quotes and adages about living each day as if it were our last. In Cordy's case, she died of leukemia after an illness of only a few weeks, seven days after her 31st birthday, leaving parents and sisters, a husband, and two young children behind.

I don't know about you, but I rarely do live every day as if it were my last, even knowing what I know about the life to come and our purpose here on earth. After all, there's always tomorrow in which to do what I didn't accomplish today. Someday, however, tomorrow will find us in a very different place from today, and it will then be too late to do most of what we keep putting off.

Cordy cared about her extended family and tried hard to keep in touch with the West cousins we never saw, writing to them frequently and keeping track of their comings and goings. She and I spent two years together at BYU, if memory serves me, and I was grateful to have her as a friend.

Spoiled Rotten

OK, if I were a true blogger at heart, I would have posted about this weeks ago, but what can I say?

Did you hear the news about Philips applying for a US patent that would allow broadcasters to "freeze" a TV channel during the commercial? In theory, the viewer wouldn't be able to surf off to a different channel during the commercial.

I won't go into it all here. Just Google Philips patent commercial, and you'll get all kinds of results from blogs and techie Web sites complaining about the story. Here's an interesting comment I read about how this is the kind of thing that might make people push for the socialization of media organizations. Hmm.

Anyway, the point of all this is to give you my take on the whole thing (else why are we here?). Right after I heard the story, I was in Houston for a few days for the Texas Library Association conference (yay!), and an interesting experience gave the Philips story some personal relevance for me.

As everyone knows, a hotel stay isn't worth the money if you don't spend at least one evening 1) sleeping or 2) eating junk food and watching TV. Thursday night, I opted for #2, and settled in with a bag of mint double stuff Oreos (not as good as I hoped) to watch Without a Trace (I'd already exercised option #1 earlier in the week).

Well, I'll just say that all the commercials were a rude shock to my lazy, spoiled rotten, DVR-watching self. These days, I rarely watch any shows as they're broadcast, because it's infinitely preferable to record it on the DVR and watch it later when I can fast-forward through the commercials.

This led me to reflect upon how truly spoiled we are by much modern technology. My grandparents were my age or older before they even had a television. Forget all the obscene options in viewing and recording we have now.

Of course, that doesn't mean I'm ready to give up the DVR anytime soon. I'm willing to accept and admit that I'm spoiled. I mean, why better myself if I don't have to? Besides, I have an appointment with the DVR right now to watch last week's Lost episode. ...Sans commercials.

Philosophical Question

If a cockroach rustles in the corner, but I can't hear it because I'm wearing earplugs, is it still making noise?


Please excuse me now--I think I'm going to be ill.

A Lilliputian Hiking Pole?

I'll give you two guesses as to the origin and specific purpose of the object pictured below.




(And no, it's not a Lilliputian hiking pole.)