I like having lots of ways to say thank you, and saying so routinely in everyday life.

Betsy, you have such a lovely way of getting to the heart of matters and expressing it straight and to-the-point.

A friend told me this about her niece: she was about two years old or so, and was taught to say a blessing before and after eating. So she went to the window, reached out, and said out loud "thank you, G-dy" (as in, using a nick-name to G-d). I love this story - it shows exactly what you're talking about - how it was so natural and obvious for the little girl to say "thank you", lovingly, like to daddy or mommy.

I love how Judaism combines the everyday and the transcendental, how the spiritual is always combined with the physical, and they're feeding of each other. And if you don't stop me I'm going to start babbling about "Objects in Space" and this post is long enough already as it is.

Although I still wonder about the asymmetric "thank you for not making me a woman."

Well, me too.

One answer to that is that this blessing comes in a line of blessings which are all about thanking G-d for making the person more "burdened" with rules (mitzvot). So at first you thank G-d for not being a goy (not Jewish), because they have only 7 rules. Then you thank G-d for not being a slave (they have less rules upon them, either - and of course it refers to ancient terms of slavery, nothing current). And then you thank G-d for not being a woman, because there are quite a few rules that men have to follow but women are exepmt from (is that how this verb should be used?). Of course, most of these differences stem from the way women's role is supposed to be taking care of the house and children, but I guess that this is another matter.

I always liked the women's blessing better, myself - "Blessed be you, who made me according to his will". There are a few women nowadays who say "thank you for not making me a man", and a few men who say "thank you who made me according to his will", but they're still the minority.

Stephanie, she's already so pretty! Not just in an adorable baby way, which of course she is, but also just straight-out pretty. And her face is so vivid!

Nilly, thank you, so much, for explaining this! That has always bothered me, and I'm glad to learn the context around it.

This news story is for ita. Though it warmed my heart too: [link]

Two would-be robbers tried to mess with the wrong girl Monday night.

The 15-year-old girl was walking down Victoria Road in Dartmouth when two young men approached and one tried to pull her knapsack off her.

Police say the girl, fully trained in jujitsu, punched one of the men in the face, knocking him to the ground. When the second man came at her, she kicked him in the groin and punched him in the shoulder.

Both men ran away without the knapsack.

The girl told police she may have dislocated the second man's shoulder or elbow.

The suspects are described as 17 or 18-year-olds, both wearing puffy jackets with fur on the collar.

ita, are you sneaking into my house and teaching Emeline to say your name? ALL MORNING she was chattering, "ita! ita! ita!"

"Do you want breakfast?"

"ita!"

"Let's get dressed."

"ita!"

What a crack-up she is.

Driveby posting, just to say: HEY, NILLY!

The weird thing about babies (no segue here, so don't bother looking) is...I get the purely biological aspect of it, the eating and the converting to energy and the cells replicating. But how in gods names do you make a consciousness out of the air? Personalities just like that? Fricking weird as hell.

Wrod.

Fred, T's promotion is awesome! Congrats!

A friend told me this about her niece: she was about two years old or so, and was taught to say a blessing before and after eating. So she went to the window, reached out, and said out loud "thank you, G-dy" (as in, using a nick-name to G-d). I love this story - it shows exactly what you're talking about - how it was so natural and obvious for the little girl to say "thank you", lovingly, like to daddy or mommy.

I was taught that the word Jesus uses for "Father" (Abba) when addressing G-d was more like "Daddy" than the formal "Father" it is translated as. When I was a little girl (who's own Daddy was far away) that always made me feel so safe and happy -- and truly made me look at G-d in a different way. (I suppose it could be untrue or anachronistic, but I like the notion to this day.)

Not unsurprisingly, that story made me get misty. And then it made me topple my Fruit Water into my lap (grape, no chemical preservatives), but the cap is on, so no damage is done.

There is (was?) a rogue hugger wandering around Westwood bearhugging chicks from behind and maybe reaching for a boob grope. I pray and pray that he'll get a krav student (it's not that far from the centre) and get the tar beaten out of him.

Aimée, I do have to say it's pleasing to me how damned easy it is for babies to say my name. Fun, even. It makes world domination so much easier.

Fred, congrats indeed on T's promotion and its retroactiveness.

But how am I going to pull off the truth (I walked into a door...) with a straight face?

How about another truth: Car accident. It was a car door, wasn't it? Still, I think you should seize the chance to say you walked into a door, maybe along with an eyeroll. Or use Emeline's answer.

Perhaps I shall explodiate, after all. I called the Illinois Attorney General's office and found out I'd had my IL DL suspended in 1981 for failure to appear on a traffice ticket. Apparently, like murder and the enmity of an ex, tickets have no statute of limitations. The nice man gave me my old license number and transferred me to another place whose recorded message informed that they had too many calls, why don't I call back later.

Wonder what the number is...

Apparently, like murder and the enmity of an ex, tickets have no statute of limitations.

ugh! Something like this happened to a friend here in Maryland because of some kind of ticket she got in Boston when we were in school in the late 80s. Even though she had successfully gotten a license down here and had it renewed several times in the intervening years. She actually ended up with a warrant out for her arrest in MA. So she had to go up there and go to court. It all got settled a couple of years ago but came up again this year when she had to get her license replaced after it was stolen. Due to what turned up to be a clerical mix up the bad Boston stuff was still showing up as not having been settled. It's all good and she's a legally licensed driver and all but UGH!

REALLY hoping your situation is resolved much more easily!