this week has been scrambling
to find childcare for the bubs for
the month of august. they were signed
up for morning ymca camp activities
but munchkin (at 3 years and 3 months)
has been the fail as far as potty training
goes. i admit, i started late, but he didn’t
have much interest. and actually, he
is doing great with number 1. it’s the number
2 that is a challenge.
i was able to find something for 3
days a week and am much relieved.
i think august will prove to be a very
busy month for me. and i’ll NOT go into
how difficult it is to find good affordable
childcare here in the states.
we’re all booked for our trip to the
uk this christmas time. christmas
is an espcially stressful time to go
abroad, but the love’s family is traditional
in their celebrations (christmas pud
and queen’s speech after dinner!)
so it’s always nice to share
that with them. i’m also looking forward
to visiting london, my favorite city,
for a few days. harrods here i come!
(i’m addicted to their turkish delights.)
i ran across an interesting myth during
my research on water creatures and folklore :
Ondine was a water nymph in German mythology. She was very beautiful and (like all nymphs) immortal. However, should she fall in love with a mortal man and bear his child – she will lose her “gift” of everlasting life.
Ondine fell in love with a dashing knight – Sir Lawrence – and they were married. When they exchanged vows, Lawrence said, “My every waking breath shall be my pledge of love and faithfulness to you.” A year after their marriage Ondine gave birth to Lawrence’s child. From that moment on she began to age. As Ondine’s physical attractiveness diminished, Lawrence lost interest in his wife.
One afternoon Ondine was walking near the stables when she heard the familiar snoring of her husband. When she entered the stable, however, she saw Lawrence lying in the arms of another woman. Ondine pointed her finger at him, which he felt as a kick, waking up with a start. Ondine uttered a curse: “You swore faithfulness to me with every waking breath, and I accepted your oath. So be it. As long as you are awake, you shall have your breath, but should you ever fall asleep, then that breath will be taken from you and you will die!”
…
what’s interesting is that there is an actual
medical condition where breathing is not
autonomic:
Ondine’s curse is now a medical term applied to a rare syndrome where the autonomic (involuntary) control of breathing is lost, resulting in the need to initiate every breath consciously. Untreated, patients with Ondine’s curse supposedly will – like Ondine’s unfaithful spouse – die if they fall asleep.
…
how long would you last if you had to
remember to take each breath? i’m not
sure if i’d make it past 5 minutes.
*walking along the estuary in england
last september.
13 Comments
staying awake i can’t do too well, being faithful, no prob….
I’d be dead in about 5 minutes. Too easily distracted. London at Christmastime. I’m so envious!
Really? That’s ENGLAND? I was certain it was San Diego.
MMMM…London. Yummy. And I’m afraid I wouldn’t make it very long, I am also too easily distracted.
I’m surprised I can remember my own name, sometimes. How long can the human brain survive without oxygen? Anyway, that’s exactly how long I’d last.
I love London. I’ll be visiting over the coming months if all goes according to plan.
I have been seeing your face on fellow bloggers a lot lately, so I thought I would stop in and introduce myself. I am also a children’s writer – but unpublished as of yet. Congratulations on your debut novel! I can’t wait for the day that I get to say that I have a debut novel coming out too!
That is really interesting about Ondine. I never knew that, but it is really fascinating!
LW, you mate for life. that is so sweet! =D
AW, i’ll post a lot of fotos just for you!
amber, yep! his folks live near southend. and it was fantastic weather in september.
stuart, haha! i actually decided i’d live for a while, but misearbly, always gasping for breath like those sad goldfish that leap out of their bowls. oh crap i forgot to breathe again!
sheri, isn’t it an interesting myth? a german one! i’m glad you enjoyed it and thanks so much for visiting and commenting!
jkb, have you been to london? it’s such a great city!
I have Cindy, only once unfortunately. I would love to live there. YUM :)
I LOVE London too!! I could stay there…well…at least until fall lol!
Oh, I’m jealous of your English Christmas plans! How fun. And what a great myth! Thanks for sharing.
jkb, my best friend is there for a few years, which makes it even MORE fun!!
orion, thanks for visiting and commenting on my site! gosh, to have a little writing studio in a flat in london overlooking a park–imagine that!
angie, have you been? it’s a glorious city. i’ll take oodles of fotos!
ooh if you’ve 5 mins to spare and would love a coffee then drop me a line when you’re in london – it would be lovely to meet you :))