Bio

UPDATE (10/14/11):

Our Aged Relative spent a good deal of the end of summer in and out of hospital, and finally in home hospice. He kicked the bucket no too many days ago, and we're about to hold the funeral. I also started grad school this fall. So that's why I haven't been around at all lately, and may not be around much in the near future.

_________________________________________________________________

Other rattlesnakes make fun of the Midget Faded Rattlesnake because even though it's a rattlesnake, it's both midget and faded (how embarrassing). Mainly it puts up with this, because it's fairly even-tempered (for a rattlesnake), though it's surprisingly venomous for such an unprepossessing creature.

Politics: Fairly libertarian ("hardcore libertarian" according to The World's Smallest Political Quiz -- but the quiz steers people that way).

Religion: Ecumenical Christian of some kind, too orthodox for some, not enough for others.


People Midget Faded Rattlesnake is Following

This section of Midget Faded Rattlesnake's profile is hidden.


People Following Midget Faded Rattlesnake

This section of Midget Faded Rattlesnake's profile is hidden.


Conversations Midget Faded Rattlesnake is Following

This section of Midget Faded Rattlesnake's profile is hidden.


Conversations Midget Faded Rattlesnake has Started (61)

Midget Faded Rattlesnake's Profile

Midget Faded Rattlesnake
Name:
Midget Faded Rattlesnake
Joined:
Aug 4, 2010

Recent Comments

Midget Faded Rattlesnake

That photo reveals one impressive assemblage of 'stache.

Hi, Bob and Dave!

Midget Faded Rattlesnake
Claire Berlinski, Ed.: Obviously, that isn't a good cover--I just put it there as a placeholder until I figure out how to use Photoshop...

Who sez you need to figure out Photoshop, as long as Ricochet's got EJ and you've got feminine wiles?

In all seriousness, though, I imagine there's a good deal of Photoshop talent knocking about Ricochet. I know you like to make contests for us. What about a cover contest?

Claire Berlinski, Ed.

Pseudodionysius: Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and please pass the telephone cord, its like dental floss for me.

I'm trying wrapping it in aluminum foil today; for the moment, they haven't figured it out. 

Have you tried Bitter Orange or similar?

Midget Faded Rattlesnake

Kimberley

Rob Long: From Boston.com:

 And when in a few years Ms. Davies turns into a close copy of her mom -- which is inevitable -- at least she'll recognize herself.  Which is reason enough to spend the holidays with family. ·

The likelihood is she WON'T recognize herself.  Everyone else will, though.

Well, maybe not. But at least if she spends time with her family after living away from them, the likelihood that she might recognize herself increases.

Midway through college I got seriously ill and had to take a medical leave and move back in with my parents while I got medical care. After having been away from my parents for two years, I was shocked to see how many bad habits they actually had, and to recognize that I had inherited most of them, simply because those habits were my baseline of "normalcy" as I was growing up.

My parents were good, well-meaning people. But I'm a happier, kinder person for knowing that I inherited bad habits from them along with the good, and striving to correct those bad habits in myself. That might never have happened if I hadn't been forced to spend time with them after living away from them.

Edited on Dec. 27 at 10:13am
Midget Faded Rattlesnake
Western Chauvinist: Mr. Chauvinist has donated more mini pocket knives to the TSA than he cares to count. He's learned to keep a stash at home.

Yet at the same time, when my husband was telecommuting he absentmindedly left a honkin' big spring-assist knife in his carry-on (after receiving it as a gift from his brother during a trip). There it remained for about a year, going in and out of airport security, without anyone noticing. Eventually, hubs removed it himself at home during a search for something else he'd lost.

Midget Faded Rattlesnake
Caryn: Jeepers, guys, even I carry a Swiss Army knife in my purse!

I used to, but was tired of having it confiscated for one reason or another. So now I don't bother.

Sorta sad, dontcha think?

Midget Faded Rattlesnake

The Great Adventure!

If the goal is indulgence, however...  a good Pinot Noir with some chocolate truffles.  Mmmmm! 

You confess to no pocketknife, and now this, GA.

Clearly, you are secure in your masculinity.

Midget Faded Rattlesnake
  • That tights are not pants merely because they are footless will continue to elude many women.
  • That most men look like pansies in skinny jeans will continue to elude many men.
  • My phone will remain a stupidphone.
  • I will find out in spring that rabbits, along with chipmunks and other rodents, have dug up at least 50% of the spring bulbs I planted.
  • The deer in our neighborhood will continue to feast on "deer resistant" shrubbery.
Midget Faded Rattlesnake

Western Chauvinist

Midge, my girls are in a Catholic children's choir directed by a very talented opera singer.  At the parent meeting at the start of the year, she instructed us that our job as parents is to love and encourage.  It's her job to instruct and correct.

She is absolutely right. It's the teacher's job to instruct and correct. The parents are to love and encourage -- or at the very least bear it stoically.

Western Chauvinist

If one is a musician parent, perhaps it is best to hire out the teaching job. 

Many parents have success giving their children basic music lessons, like showing them what a scale is and so forth. Some famous musicians (Glenn Gould, for example) also received a large portion of their training from their parents. And if a family were poor enough that music lessons from the parents was the only feasible option, I would hate for them to think that they shouldn't give it a try.

But you're right. A great many sticky problems can arise when parents play music teacher -- especially when they're already paying a professional teacher. Hiring out is often the wisest strategy.

Midget Faded Rattlesnake

Rob Long:

And what husband wouldn't want one or two excellent cigars?  Because with every cigar comes the promise -- and the necessity -- of two hours of solitude.

Ah... that would be my husband. After being raised by two parents who smoked like chimneys, he can't stand any sort of tobacco product. But that's OK. He married an asthmatic, so it all works out.

When dear hubs wants an hour or two of solitude, all he has to do is watch a chick-flick. No kidding.

Midget Faded Rattlesnake

Mollie Hemingway, Ed.

I want that ashtray. And I don't even smoke. 

Well, there's something like it for sale on e-bay, if that helps. Have you got a chicken that needs stimulation?

Midget Faded Rattlesnake

We were thrilled to receive a packet of smoked salmon that requires no refrigeration until it's opened.

And we're always thrilled to give and receive interesting books. (This year, several friends and family are receiving de Soto's "The Mystery of Capital" from us. It was on sale.)

Edited on Dec. 26 at 12:28pm
Midget Faded Rattlesnake
iWc: In other words, my wife and I don't measure our success by our suffering - and most certainly not at the hands of children who could, with a little focused and disciplined effort, actually be a source of happiness and not stress. 

Somehow I doubt Katie would measure parental success by how much the parents suffer at the hands of their children, either.

That said, as a musician myself -- after I went to college and had the opportunity  to shut myself in a practice room and just practice, without the constant barrage of criticism (or at least external criticism: I still have difficulty making music without distracting myself with the same complaints about my performance I internalized as a child, which is counterproductive to say the least) -- I don't expect that any amount of focused and disciplined effort on our children's part will keep their practicing music from being an occasional -- perhaps frequent -- source of suffering to my ears:

That's just not how the game is played. There's some amount of stress and suffering you must be willing to accept if you're to encourage your children to persist in learning to do things right.

Midget Faded Rattlesnake

Midget Faded Rattlesnake

Couples facing certain circumstances (such as military deployment) may ask permission [from their church] for judge first, church later, if they believe it will likely be the least sinful path they can manage. 

In case you're wondering what form the church blessing of a civil marriage takes, it includes an affirmation of the traditional Christian vows and a humble petition for the Lord to show mercy on the couple's prior union, and look upon their life together with favor. (In other words, the union of the couple is considered already established by the secular marriage.)

It is more modest and less celebratory than the sacrament of marriage in the church, and it's considered tacky -- even sinful -- for the surrounding festivities to be as extravagant as they would have been if the couple had been married in the church in the first place.

Edited on Dec. 26 at 11:39am
Midget Faded Rattlesnake

Mack The Mike:

I'm not sure this is true.  My understanding is that the Catholic Church, for example, recognizes the relationship of a non-Christian man and woman who have a marriage license issued by a registrar as a marriage, although not a sacramental one.  Such a couple would not be committing the sin of fornication in course of performing marital acts.

That is also several protestant churches' understanding of marriage.

Marriage by a judge (even of two Christians) is considered legitimately binding before God's eyes, after which a couple is not considered to be living in sin by living together and performing marital acts. There is even a sacrament to bestow the church's sacramental blessing on a union previously sealed by a judge.

While secular marriage followed by the church's blessing is considered inferior to starting the marriage with the church's blessing, it is considered far, far superior to succumbing to temptation before marriage simply because the church wedding cannot be arranged on time.

Couples facing certain circumstances (such as military deployment) may ask permission for judge first, church later, if they believe it will likely be the least sinful path they can manage.

Midget Faded Rattlesnake

Midget Faded Rattlesnake

As for music... if you expect your children to be musical and complain about your kids not practicing, at least have the decency to let your kids alone when they do practice, eh? We don't need to be constantly interrupted with the information that we're still doing things wrong. We already know that. 

I understand that for musically sensitive people, having a child musician in the house can be excruciating. When you're passionate about music, listening to sour notes and lousy rhythms really is a form of torture. But if you want your kids to be musical, too, that is the sacrifice you make. It's simply selfish to expect their practicing to be pleasant to you.

Oh, and if your gripe is that your little darlings aren't perfectly on key, check whether the family piano's in tune. If it's routinely more out of tune than they are... well... children learn by example.

OK, I'll stop ranting now. But sometimes too little tolerance of childrens' natural limitations spoils 'em as badly as too much tolerance.

Midget Faded Rattlesnake

iWc:

  • ...and then are surprised when we discover the inevitable unintended consequences...

Speaking of unintended consequences, one thing my parents never quite got is that when you're not noticeably less critical of your children when they make a good-faith effort to do what they're told than you are of them when they disobey, you can't really be surprised when they aren't as obedient as you expect.

In our house, it was the dishwasher and practicing music. We never were able to load the dishwasher to the satisfaction of either parent. Consequently, it was a waste of everyone's time when the children loaded the dishwasher, as both parents could never learn to resist the temptation to repack the thing and complain about loading that didn't meet their idea of perfection (on which they disagreed with each other, too).

As for music... if you expect your children to be musical and complain about your kids not practicing, at least have the decency to let your kids alone when they do practice, eh? We don't need to be constantly interrupted with the information that we're still doing things wrong. We already know that.

Become a Member to enjoy the full benefits of Ricochet:

Join Ricochet today!

Already a Member? Sign In