The best babies are other people's babies

Had a dinner party last night. Two couples, with one little boy each, invited. One little boy is 5, but the other is just 6 weeks old and... awww... boy, he was cute. He was also really, really good - fussed a little bit around 6-7pm, but otherwise was just really calm and cheerful. Well, more calm than cheerful, since he's not smiling consistently yet.

I love babies. But what I really love is being able to coo and smile at babies, touch their soft little cheeks, and then give them back to their parents. Not have to change them or dress them or feed them or walk up and down the stairs with them for hours on end making airplane noises while they scream on and on and on.

It was also really great to get in touch with other parents again. We don't get that much in Ottawa, not like we did in London. I really miss that.

Best moment of the visit: Daniel and Justin and Stephan had gone upstairs to play, and the noise level was steadily climbing and climbing and climbing until finally I went upstairs to make sure nobody was being stomped to death. Came upon all three boys rolling around in the Bed Room (queen-size low futon next to queen-size thin mattress on the floor) apparently fighting. I cleared my throat because, while Daniel and Justin do this all the time, Stephan is an only child and has always been a lot less violent than my two savages. They stopped, looked at me, and Stephan said, "Aw!! We were just enjoying all the fun!!"

Boys.

So, because of dinner last night, my house is relatively clean, and this morning we spent a great deal of time in the basement, moving and clearing and working and getting rid of crap.

Culture or its closest simulation

Finished Years of Rice and Salt. I would so have Kim Stanley Robinson's children, if he ever asked.

This was a journey through 700 years of history, based on the premise: what if the Black Death had wiped out 90% of Europe's population in the mid 1300's, instead of just 30-50%? The last 700 years dominated, not by Christianity and European colonialism, but by China and the Muslim world. Buddhism, Confucianism, Islam, and to a lesser extent, Hinduism as the main religions, with Judaism and Christianity mere historical footnotes. Europe repopulated by Muslims and renamed "Firanja" (after France). Spain renamed Al-Andalus, Germany = Al-Alemand, Scandinavia = Skandistan, Switzerland = Alpine Emirates, Britain = Keltic Sultanates, etc. North America colonized by Buddhist Chinese on the West Coast, Muslims on the East Coast, and pretty much left alone all the way down the middle. India and Native North America as major world powers standing against the superpowers of China and the Muslim world.

Really, really cool.

Wanna see a map of this alternate Europe? Alternate world?


So that's the literature part of this month's cultural programme. We also went to West Coast Video and rented Fame, which Chris has never seen, and A Clockwork Orange, which I have never seen. I'd forgotten how much I liked Fame. And Clockwork... well, I haven't finished watching it yet. But... uh... gross.

snarkhunter, I have to rent Fried Green Tomatoes now. Haven't seen it in years. It's the movie that we were watching when Chris proposed :)