Hannah, the Hoff, and Wasted Time

Hannah was still coughing on Monday, so she got to stay home one more day. It occurred to us that her class’s field trip meant she’d be walking around outside in near-freezing temps, so she’d be better off at home. It was hard to concentrate on translating, though, so I didn’t get nearly as much done as I’d hoped to.

Hannah’s getting so big. If John’s measurements over the weekend were correct, she had grown 2 centimeters in one month, bringing her up to 52 inches or so. That means she’s within 9 inches of my height (I’m *almost* 5’1).

We were playing Pictionary the other day, and she drew a really good picture of a horse wearing blinders—well, it was good once it was done; while she was drawing, my guesses included a rabbit being eaten by a crocodile and a giraffe. Unfortunately, her word was *blEnder*, not blInder. It was a heroic effort, though.

Hannah and her best friend take turns sleeping over on Friday nights, and we usually let them watch tv if there’s something appropriate on, and a movie if there’s not. One Friday, while flipping through the channels for them, I found Knight Rider. Yep, the original. (Turns out there’s a newer version with a whole fleet of talking vehicles. urg) “Ooh, ooh!” said the friend. She *totally* dug it. I believe it was the first time she had seen it. I think Germans must have some kind of genetic predisposition to like David Hasselhoff. (Of course, even the Fug Girls can’t get enough of the Hoff.) And here’s the link again to the Hasselhoffian Recursion for your viewing... uh, pleasure might be too strong a word; let’s just leave it at “viewing.”

My mom sent us about 10 boxes of Girl Scout cookies around Thanksgiving, providing us with a running start into the holiday bloat. She’s lovely, but evil. Anyhow, I was talking to her the other day, and she offered to send some more this season. I flat out refused her. We are trying to wean Hannah off the sweets, and a 20-lb. care package of cookies is not going to help. I prefer her to make her body out of chicken and noodles and apples (some of the few things she will actually eat) instead of out of Thin Mints and Peanut-Butter Patties.

Apparently I’m not the only one around here to enjoy the winter sunshine. John’s plumbago has put out a bloom. Sadly, Hannah’s fire bean plant didn’t survive to make it all the way to the ceiling, but since its beans are poisonous, I’m not too sad that it didn’t get the chance to make any.

One of John’s students gave him a novel to read and pass on, Colony Girl. I wasn’t too impressed with it. (John doesn’t really read novels. He is currently immersed in a scientific book on the Indo-Europeans.) The story is about a teenaged girl living in a religious colony, and she sees through everyone’s foibles and wants to get away. I read the first 5 and the last 70 pages, and I knew everything that happened in the 200pages in between. And the protagonist didn’t make me care enough about her to want to go back and read the middle. So...not too impressed. (Apparently some The Library Journal wasn’t either, looking at their review on amazon.)

One day I will be so far ahead on my classwork, etc., that I will be able to read my pile o' Pratchett waiting for me. Until then...

Ps. New Flickr photos of Hannah. See link on right.