I'm generally OK with lost parent themes, and have, um, used them in my own work since becoming a mother myself. But I gave up on Year of Wonders when the narrator's children died, because one of them was exactly Annabel's age at the time I was reading, and it was described in way too much detail.

Though, now that I think about it, I've got a child death planned for Book 3 or 4 of the WIP series, and it's important enough to the plot that I can't let it happen totally offscreen or it'll dilute the impact too much.

The muse is a harsh mistress. I think I'm turning into the most callous mommy ever as long as the deaths are fictional...

Oh, Susan! That is SO scary. I'm so glad she (and you) are ok!

just count (I didn't notice this either until Iris was born) how many (Disney/Pixar) kids movies have 'lost parent/lost child' as either a theme or a starting point. Still great movies, but it's there, nonetheless (and in some cases, it's been there since Fairy Tales were fairy tales)

I actually studied this very thing in a class in Spring 2007. The class was on Orphans, and one whole section of the class was on orphans in literature. Our prof even pushed it as far as saying any coming-of-age story of a teenager is kind of an orphan story. Fascinating stuff, but ugh. So. Many. Orphans in literature.

Oh! Also, I meant to post this last night, but was at a bad angle for typing. YAY Steph for taking it easy.

I'm taking it even more easy today because it seems I overdid it yesterday. Couldn't go to sleep, then couldn't get up this morning. My pain pills are finally kicking in, though, and I have a bit more energy and less pain. I think we're going to go see Indy in a bit. And, since it's Indy 500 day, I should probably specify that we're going to see Indy Jones (though the Indy 500 is on in the tv room). YAY! Summer action movie!

It's not so much the lost parent thing as the "killing off 399 babies before the opening credits" in Finding Nemo. That's a pretty high body count for a G-rated cartoon.

In response to Ichiro's beer quote from yesterday, the USS Mariner readership is on a quest to find beer from Papua New Guinea: [link]

No luck so far. DH is about to try HT Market, the newish Asian grocery that's two blocks or so from our house, but I'll be stunned if it's there after all the places it hasn't been.

Oooh. That's true, Jessica. I'd entirely forgotten that part. I was going straight to the losing Nemo bit. Doh.

How would yall approach anything with a coworker assuming you would.

With much caution, honestly. How closely do you have to work together? Because while this is America, and much love and lust does blossom at work, lawsuits and awkwardness do too. So I'd take very very tiny steps. Cause I'd hate to have to see her evvvvvery day and feel increeeeeeeeedbily awkward every day after asking her out and being all "seize the day" and having her turn me down. Um. So, baby steps.

killing off 399 babies before the opening credits

see. Iris made us fast forward through all the 'bad fish' parts. So I'm pleased to say

I'd entirely forgotten that part. I was going straight to the losing Nemo bit. Doh.

Meara is me.

You think there are a lot of orphans in US lit? Try Japanese manga. I can only think of handful where the main characters hasn't lost at least one parent, who isn't living with relatives or who isn't living alone despite being an early teen because their parents are off 'working' or 'traveling.'

We just got back from a FABULOUS trip to the Brooklyn Flea and Dylan is supposed to be napping but instead is sitting in his crib babbling to himself. (I can hear him from the next room.) I'm going to choose to ignore it and pretend he's asleep while I catch up on the interwebs. (Hey, if he starts crying, I'll go comfort him. Chatting to the ceiling fan? I'll count that as a nap as long as I get some me-time out of it.)

Chatting at the ceiling fan is a perfectly acceptable way of keeping Dylan occupied. I used the wind-up swing and fish tank method, myself. And, no, it was the baby in the swing, not the fish tank.

IOmeN, had a nice brunch with my father. Stopped at the plant nursery and picked up too many flowers for all my pots. Got two pots planted and realized I will have to go back for another pot. And maybe just a couple of other plants. I think I overdid the yellow/purple theme for the garden and I could use a little something to mix it up a little.