Monday, November 8, 2010

There's a metaphor in here somewhere...

...but I'm fresh out of cleverness and I've been sick for over a week.

When Little Bit was home sick last week, we had to come up with a lot of "fun" things to do inside all day. I put that fun in quotes because there is nothing, repeat, nothing fun when you are ill and stuck in the house. Add a sick five-year-old to your own sick-in-the-house mix and the word fun becomes a taunting little monster, forcing you to remember those halcyon days when fun actually meant doing something fun, not just coming up with anything, anything, to keep two feverish family members busy. The only creatures having any fun last week were all those little bits of virus staging a rave in my upper respiratory tract for days on end, finally crashing in my laryx where the little suckers stole my voice and have not bothered to give it back.

But back to finding things to do while quarantined in the house, just me and my poor ailing child. After the first dozen Disney and Pixar movies, about ten rounds of Hi-Ho Cherry-O and enough exploration on Jumpstart to risk having a video game induced seizure, Little Bit and I moved to the old school standby of lining up dominoes and knocking them down.

Whee.

It's a good thing we have such a great house to be trapped in. And speaking of great houses, I'd appreciate it if you would have a look at my latest column and video on South Pasadena Patch. (It should be up sometime before lunch.) It's all about the many wonderful places to live in South Pas. The kindly Patch powers-that-be are letting me produce photo slideshows to accompany my articles. And that really IS fun. (Even with laryngitis.)

9 comments:

Dixie Jane said...

Laurie did an amazing version of Marlene Dietrich's, "Falling In Love Again" for me by phone this evening. With peals of laughter I retorted with a Helen Kane version of one of her, "Poop-Poop-a-Doop" songs. I have lost my voice (as I know it) too (for other reasons.) It is good if you can laugh when you can't talk very well. Hang in there, Laurie. This too will pass. I admire your creativity amusing Little Bit.

Anonymous said...

Not a metaphor, but your domino picture conjures up don't-jump-to-conclusions thoughts:

1) knock an end one over away from the others and they won't fall; 2) knock an inside one over and only those in that direction will fall; 3) knock any one over sideways and only it will fall.

Sick is no fun and my sympathy is with you. I hope you and the kiddo feel better and get well soon.

Mister Earl said...

Check out some of the amazing Rube Goldberg-like domino-falling videos on YouTube and show them to Little Bit. She will be amazed.

Hope you feel better.

Judy Williams said...

I just LOVE dominoes. I can't play them worth a flip. I remember playing with an old beau's grandparents by the hour. It was ok, but I would have rather set up a course like this one to organize, then knock down and set up again.

Kids miss out on some of the simple fun things these days so I'm glad you brought it back. I do remember one of my sons getting a cool gift, and instead of loving what lay inside, he spent hours stabbing holes in the big box with a screwdriver. HA!!

Be well.

ben wideman said...

aw feel better, Laurie.

Jean Spitzer said...

Feel better.

I find netflix very helpful for the sick times. Recommend Lost In Austen.

Anonymous said...

Let's all come up with a Laurie movie. My pick: A Private Function with Maggie Smith and Michael Palin. You know if Maggie's there, it's always worth a look. Off to see your post.

Petrea Burchard said...

Oh my god yes, I second "A Private Function." Is that the one with the pig? Oh yes.

Wonderful column, Laurie. I can't find "sick" in there anywhere. I had that thing for two weeks and lost my voice as well. It's a hell of a thing to happen when you do voice-overs for a living. I'm still having trouble with my throat, it's as though it's mad at me.

Virginia said...

Sorry you to kiddos were sick ! :( Love love the light on this tabel and the dominoes. Simple pleasures.
V