Word of the Day
tergiversation, n. 1: evasion of straightforward action or clear-cut statement : equivocation 2 : desertion of a cause, position, party or faith.
Seemed an appropriate word for the week. This one’s from Latin tergiversari “to show reluctance,” and in turn was formed from tergum, “back” and versare, “to turn.” This word showed up in English in 1570; there are also verb forms, “tergiversate,” adjectives, “tergiversant” (“tending to evade”) and noun forms, “tergiversator.”
Daughter at 5 Years
So there’s this song, and it is awesome and a story and it’s called “The Cookie Bakers of the Night.”
In fact, here it is. It’s only three minutes long. Go listen to it, you will laugh.
But anyway. In this song, the singer tells us that she is one of the cookie bakers of the night: “We bake our cookies and we… stay out of sight! We’re hiding… hiding… hiding from the light!”
“Why are they hiding?” Daughter asks me.
“So that no one will know they’re baking cookies, and come eat them,” I say.
Daughter says, “Wouldn’t someone see them?”
“No,” I say. “That’s why they’re staying out of the light. It’s harder to see people in the dark.”
She thinks about this while the singer sings about mixing-mixing-mixing and tasting-tasting-tasting. And then she says, “Wouldn’t someone hear them singing?”
I stare out the windshield in complete bafflement for several moments until I work through the whole “the singer’s telling the story in first person present tense” thing and then I burst out laughing. “Yes, I suppose that would give them away. But it’s still a good song.”
“Yes!” Daughter agrees and we continue listening all the way to the end, where the cookies… come alive, forcing the bakers to chase them (didn’t I tell you it was an awesome song? It’s an awesome song. Go listen!).
“Some were dancing!” the singer cries.
“How can cookies dance!” Daughter says, gleeful.
“Some where running!” the singer cries.
“How can cookies run!” Daughter answers her.
“Some were even… up…side… down!” the singer says.
“How!” Daughter asks the world, “can cookies be upside down! THEY’RE ROUND!”
Cue Mommy laughing until she cries.
“You’re fantastic, you know that?” I tell her when we get out of the car.
“Thank you!” she chirps and dances off for the door.
Creative News/Plans
This week I am finishing up messing with the Black Blossom audiobook (whoo!), finishing the new Aphorisms cover and finishing the Kickstarter video (which, of course, I’ve come up with a new way to do at the last minute). Those are my huge administrative tasks for the week. Otherwise, I’ll be writin’. I was worried that Book 2 of the trilogy wouldn’t be as long as book one, but it’s already 60K-ish words and I’ve just started Part 2, so with my luck it will be longer. *head shake*
And of course, this week we start the “fund extra episodes of the serial” deal, and we’re only a dollar away from a Thursday episode (so $16 from a Saturday one too!). Tuesday’s of course is free. :)
Elsewhere (The Solving-Problems Edition)
• Ethiopian Kids Hack OLPCs in 5 Months with Zero Instruction. This was such a fantastic story!
• We Solve For X. …and it looks like that story came from here? Looks like an interesting group of people.
Quote of the Day
How little a thing can make us happy when we feel that we have earned it. – Mark Twain
