It’s been a hell of a week here in the US. The kids are paying attention and asking a lot of questions that have no good answers. Usually when I shut off the TV in exasperation, it’s been blaring Disney sitcoms or the latest teen drama for hours; this week it’s been the news. I watch my kids questioning, feeling compassion for the victims, putting together their own conclusions, and realizing that the world is a scary place. . .which some of them knew, some suspected, and one had no idea at all.
Why would somebody even want to blow people up?
Is this because of North Korea?
Does this mean we’re at war now?
Why does everybody hate us?
Did the same people attack that factory in Texas?
Elvis tried to poison the president?
And as we checked in with our friends in Boston and breathed a sigh of relief when we touched base, it was a short-lived relief and I was filled with conflicted guilt because I was happy that I didn’t have to go through the same first-hand pain as someone else, not yet. It reminded me of this post I read several months ago on Larry Hehn’s blog: Someone Whom You Don’t Know.
Politics, terrorism, and disasters are not only outside the scope of my blog, they’re barely within the scope of my parenting. I struggle for words both there, and here. But we do our best to give them answers, or at least ask them other questions.
We make it a point to tell each other when we hear a good story about someone helping someone else out. We make it a point to try and make each other laugh.
That’s truly the extent of what I can say about this week in the US. So now I’m gonna talk about Narwhals.
I just recently- like last year- learned that Narwhals are actual animals, not mythical creatures.
And I learned about it off of someone else’s blog.
My kids, however, knew. Whereas I first heard about Narwhals in the Archie McPhee catalogue (hence my confusion as to their legitimacy), my kids were taught about Narwhals in school.
That’s your tax dollars at work right there. Or at least mine.
Last week while I was reading some Harry Potter to #5, he kept interrupting me to show me the Narwhal sculpture he was making out of Silly Putty. Over and over. And over.
Here’s a link to the Narwhal song. I had never heard past the first verse until I saw this. It’s kind of hilarious (repeats after 35 seconds, so it’s also a quick view).
Speaking of dramatic sea life, do you know about the Mantis Shrimp? Click this link. Don’t let the “shrimp” fool you. It’s completely badass and terrifying. At the end of the piece are a couple of videos: one of the Mantis Shrimp breaking glass to get to a crab and one of it kicking the crap out of a different crab (think: Heavyweight Championship on Pay-Per-View).
This is the best damn post about parenting an autistic child that you’ll read this month: Autism: It’s How We Roll…and Spin…and Rock…and Whine on “Jen” e sais quoi Also, April is Autism Awareness Month.
Here are 18 Dogs Whose Beds Were Stolen by Cats.
And, because levity is the only thing that IS within the scope of this blog, The Problem With One-Night Stands in Locked-Down Boston on Esquire.
JM Randolph, accidentalstepmom 
Dog beds stolen… #11 and #12 are my favorite! My cat, Bob, can often be found inside the dog’s kennel…happy.
Those pictures are hilarious, aren’t they? Since I don’t have a cat, I have to make do with Casey sleeping on all of the dog toys at once solely so that Jack can’t play with them.
Great shrimp piece, but, of course, being a guy I’ve got to put some on the barbie!
Please just don’t grill a Mantis Shrimp. I am pretty sure they are also fire-proof.
I am TOTALLY with you on that Narwhal thing. I had no idea they were real. I thought they were like unicorns. I also discovered their realness through a blog.
And thanks for featuring my friend, Jen. She is gifted and hysterical. 🙂
Jen is fantastic. I loves her. I also can’t tell you how comforting it is to not be the only one who didn’t know about Narwhals.
Seriously! My mind is OFFICIALLY BLOWN. If you don’t hear from me for the next week, it’s because I’m thoroughly and methodically looking into this. (Just because I’m drunk doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take me seriously.)
I am pretty sure Narwhals came about when a unicorn knocked up a blue whale. And since mythology travels through the mother’s line, it’s just regular.
Thank you for the mention, JM! Now if I could just get that Narwhal song out of my head…
Good luck with that! It’s a catchy little tune.
I always like the links you share!
Thank you- I have great people sending them to me!
That’s funny. I first heard of narwhals on a blog, too. I showed my child the Narwhal video and he loved it. The mantis shrimp is incredible. I love the picture of the narwhals, too. Well done.
Hooray, another person who wasn’t taught about Narwhals in school! Yeah, I wouldn’t want to met a mantis shrimp alone in a dark alley, would you?
I hope this narwhal post you speak of is mine! If not…well…I told you so!
I think I have an old National Geographic from 1990 if #5 needs it.
I don’t think it was. . now I have to go search your blog for Narwhals. On a note related to National Geographics, I just had to explain to #5 last night what encyclopedias are.
Every time one of these tragic events explodes out of nowhere — and they’re happening on a regular basis these days — we end up with a few billion rational people trying to understand the insane behavior of a few. There are no answers that will satisfy our kids because we can’t even explain it to ourselves.
And those shrimp are scary.
Very, very true, on both counts.
Now how about Unicorns? I’m routing for them. – Sawfish are in the same category – a lot of folks think they’re only a cartoon. As a Florida kid I stepped on one so I knew better for sixty years. Great post.
Okay, now I have to go find out about sawfish. . .I’ve never even heard of them. How come they’re not in the Archie McPhee catalogue?
Hi JM – I looked up a pic just for you! Visit my latest post where I pubed it for you. Sandy