A Model of True Love

Eva Markvoort died last Saturday, March 27th, just days before her 26th birthday, today.



Eva fought with cystic fibrosis (CF), a deadly disease that affects the entire body and often leads to early death. She wrote about her struggle with CF on her online journal, 65 Red Roses.

I'm starting to read her journal from the beginning, and I stumbled across this gem. Here is Eva, singing a song about Love:

Love is Something

Eva was full of love, and she gave and received it freely. She was a model of true love.

May you be remembered for your love, Eva.

Dress Up

Just received new pictures of Lilianna and Dalila. They were playing dress-up. Lilianna will be three in August, and Dalila is nine months now. It's so good to see Dalila smiling and happy after how close we came to losing her.





"You look Maaavalous Daaling!"

I’m Sick, I Need a Laugh

Rather than spread germs I thought I'd spread humor. My mom emailed me this a while back. The email had the following explanation:

On August 19th, 2007, an oil tanker off the coast of Australia split in two, dumping 20,000 tons of crude oil. Senator Collins, a member of the Australian Parliament, appeared on a TV news program to reassure the Australian public.This actual interview is so funny, you'd swear it was a Monty Python skit. But it's the real deal.

Enjoy, be well.

The Front Fell Off

Olbrich on Wedinator

I watch a couple of sites that post humorous photos, and one of them is Wedinator. (Warning: This site is occasionally not appropriate!) Recently, a user posted the following photo of a wedding at Olbrich Botanical Gardens:

What's with the Broom?

Here's the description:

"So... this wedding taking place in the community garden of a mental institution? 'Cuz Broom Lady seems to be gliding down the aisle with her 'date', and the bridesmaid in the foreground is carrying a bizarrely random basket a la Little Red Riding Hood (off to see Grandma?)."

No one on the site seems to know where it's at. I've let them know. What IS with the broom anyway?

Music from Video Games

Around the interwebs, people are talking about this guy dressed as Boba Fett, the bounty hunter from the movie Star Wars, performing in a New York subway station for money.

Guy Dressed as Boba Fett Playing Zelda Music

The tune he is playing in the video above is from the video game "Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time." What a combination! Star Wars and Zelda. That would be an epic game or movie!

I've always loved that tune from the game, and in fact, I liked it so much I taught myself to play it on the piano by ear and from memory. The game has a lot of other good tunes, too, and the plot actually involves using music to help on the Hero's quest. It's a refreshing and novel use of music in a role playing game.

There are some other video games with good music, too. Currently I'm re-playing Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King. In Japan, there has been a tradition of taking music from this series and performing it with an orchestra. In this installment, the music is symphonic within the game, providing an excellent background while playing. It's one of the few games I know that has real symphonic music.

Some other games with music I enjoy include Breath of Fire, Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross (especially the opening tune, Time's Scar), Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy X, Secret of Mana, Shadow of the Colossus, Xenogears, and of course just about any of the Legend of Zelda games. There are some excellent symphonic albums and piano compilations out there, especially for the Final Fantasy series. Check them out! And let me know if there are any video games with music you really like, too.

My Family Loves Me!

Kyra had an idea for a book for Luca. Her niece, Lilianna, has a photo album with pictures of her family members, including those she does not see often. Since she looks through the album often, she remembers Kyra, Luca, and me by name. Kyra thought it would be great if we could make an album like that for Luca. I suggested looking online for a store that sells custom board books, and Kyra found My Custom Story. Here is the book we assembled and received just yesterday:

My Family Loves Me!


Mama and Baba Love Me


Grandma and Grandpa Love Me


Nana Loves Me


Grandpa Bill Loves Me


Autie Sabrina Loves Me


Auntie Megan Loves Me


Auntie Carla Loves Me


Uncle Kenny Loves Me


Lilianna and Dalila Love Me


I am Loved


Goodnight

The book turned out great! It's sturdy and the pictures are bright. Luca loves it!

Sick Day

Luca is home sick today, and as a consequence, so am I (home that is, not sick). Just a fever, not strep (cross your fingers), and with a bit of Ibuprofen he's not doing too badly. He acts kinda funny when he gets sick though. One, he really doesn't want to eat. This is a complete 180 from the kid who is usually best described as an "easy keeper" (for those of you who haven't spent time around horses, that means "Put food in front of me and I'm happy!"). I got him up this morning and he ate a bit of banana, but really went to town with his milk. After refilling his cup for the second time, I asked him if he was "all done". He said "NO" (he's very good at "no" now), but then refused to drink it. He wanted instead to cuddle with it, the way he does with his stuffed tiger, Hobbes. I promptly removed it before we had a milk explosion on the couch. Luca cried big crocodile tears and acted as if I killed his best friend. He stood at the kitchen gate crying "MULK! MULK! MUUULLK!" It was quite amusing actually.

Luca also likes to read books when he's sick. Of course he has toddler ADD: he gets about three pages into a book then decides he's done and finds a new one. What we've been working is taking out one book at a time, rather than every single book on the book shelf. Then there are some books that, unless I hide them after I've read them a couple time, I will be reading nineteen times in a row. This morning it was an Elmo look-and-find that we've become obsessed with. With some of his books, especially ones we've read a lot, Luca has gotten into reading "by himself". It's quite cute to watch him babble incoherently as he turns the pages. But if I try to help him by turning the pages, or, god forbid, read the actual words on the page, he flips out and starts screaming.

Should be a quietly odd (or oddly quiet?) day.