Book Round-Up

Smart Baseball By Keith Law: How could I resist a book about baseball stats that quotes heavily from the Simpsons? Law's book about good and bad stats (or "smart" and "smrt" stats) is informative and engaging, particularly when his exasperation with certain concepts (the clutch hitter, win/loss ratio) generates some really funny writing.


Buttoned Up by Kylie Logan: This appears to be the last one in the series, although the ending suggests Logan originally intended more. In any case, it wasn't the best. Although the concept of art incorporating Vudon and buttons was quite fascinating, and Logan made a point of presenting Vudon accurately, there seemed to be no acknowledgement of the cultural appropriation issues that would absolutely have been a big deal in the real world. Also, the romantic conflict was kind of dumb.

Knit Your Own Murder by Monica Ferris: As always, Ferris's latest was super enjoyable. This particular mystery was unusual and clever, and the new characters were interesting.

Gabriel Finley and the Lord of Air and Darkness by George Hagen: A fun, fun book. The magical Brooklyn Hagen has created is a delight, and the series deserves to be as popular as the Harry Potter series.

The Map Thief by Michael Blanding: One of the perks of my job is the occasional free book. This one is about E. Forbes Smiley, a rare map dealer who shocked the book world when he got caught stealing millions in maps from libraries. Smiley ultimately decided not to cooperate with Blanding on the book, so we don't get as much insight into why he did what he did as I would have liked. And I didn't need quite so much detail about the publication of maps. But still, a good read.

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff: the first installment of a series on the 19th century adventures of a daredevil young woman, the story was fun and the art was cute but there wasn't a whole lot to it. Because the point of view is that of the Turkish Lieutenant, Delilah Dirk remains somewhat of a cipher.

Snow Falling by Jane Gloriana Villanueva*: Jane the Virgin is an absolutely delightful show, so of course when the fictional Jane's novel was published in the real world I had to buy it. Unfortunately, it wasn't nearly as delightful. It simply retells the story of the first two seasons, but set in Miami in 1902.  The novel suffers from trying to hit every plot point from the show, and would have benefited from shaking up the narrative. Or better yet, leaning into the historical setting. The characters were far too anachronistic to be credible.

*really Caridad Piñeiro.

More Legalese for Parents, or Why Children of Lawyers Become Lawyers

The other day on Facebook a friend of mine complained that she felt her two children were miniature lawyers, and every day she was adjudicating cases like Kids Who Want to Dress Crazy v. Winter or Kid v. Vegetable.  I'm quite familiar with that caselaw, and as I wrote earlier, I've had my own experiences with forum shopping and adverse possession.   Another person pointed out how with children there is "a significant lack of attention to precedent,"and that's true too -- no matter how many times I say no to a cookie before dinner, they will not stop asking.

My friend has a theory: those of us who are (or used to be) lawyers are inadvertently teaching our kids semantics and rhetoric and how to argue.  And it's true -- like the good little litigator I was, I back up my arguments with facts and reason and I use words carefully, thereby modeling how to make arguments stronger.  Add to that a child's natural propensity to argue, and we have effectively bred mini-lawyers.  It makes sense; my father was an attorney, and our arguments over the dinner table used to drive him nuts. I seem to have passed down the same trait.

Which is how then-four-year-old Beadboy2 came to defend his scribbling on a closet door, by pointing out that I told him not to draw on walls.  We live in fear of his teenage years.

Legalese for Parents

When I had to give up my job as a litigation associate for Beadboy1, little did I know that the legal profession would not let me go. I'm not talking about the legal issues Mr. Beadgirl and I discussed with regard to estate planning or Beadboy1's city benefits, or even the unofficial legal advice I've given friends and family over the years. Instead, I've been keeping track of the legal terms that apply to parenting.

Adverse Possession: "A method of acquisition of title to real property."* Statutory requirements vary by state, but in general it must be hostile (you claim the property as yours, not the owner's), exclusive (only you have access to the property), continuous (for the prescribed period of time), and open (you don't try to hide what you are doing) (BAR-BRI graduates will recognize the mnemonic ECHO).

Beadboy2 displayed a remarkable grasp (heh) of this concept when he once grabbed something of mine, clutched it to his chest, and said "That's not yours! It's mine!"

Attractive Nuisance: A condition or thing which is dangerous to children, but which is "attractive," causing the children to want to play in or with it.*

Almost everything in a house is an attractive nuisance to a toddler or pre-schooler -- electronics, outlets, knives, medications, needles, wine glasses (and their contents), appliances, and cats.

Forum Shopping: "Such occurs when a party attempts to have his action tried in a particular court or jurisdiction where he feels he will receive the most favorable judgment or verdict."*

While both have engaged in this, Beadboy1 is particularly adept when it comes to that extra cookie or glass of juice I've said "no" to; once he even ordered me to "ask Daddy." Mr. Beadgirl has fallen for it a shameful number of times.

*Definitions from Black's Law Dictionary, 6th ed.

More Advent Squares

Despite a virus striking the family low this week, I was able to finish another two advent squares (and take pictures of a third I finished a few weeks ago).

Saint Nicholas:
In keeping with the Catholic imagery I've been using for some of the squares, I decided that instead of "regular" Santa Claus I'd do Saint Nicholas, patron saint of children* and the origin of Santa. I've given him a red Bishop's miter (he was a bishop) and a long bushy beard made from while wool I needle-felted down (the mustache did not come out as defined as I would have liked).

*He's also the patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers, and thieves. Which reminds me of California v. Greenwood, the Supreme Court case denying an expectation of privacy in trash, which lumped together "animals, children, scavengers, snoops, and other members of the public," all of whom have access to garbage left on the curb. (Take-away lesson -- don't put evidence of a crime in the trash; find a more permanent way to dispose of it.) I bet you didn't expect a post linking Christmas, a Catholic saint, and the Fourth Amendment.

An angel:
We've always topped our tree with a star, but angels are a common Christmas image, given their job heralding both Mary's pregnancy and Jesus' birth. The wings are from the defunct Artgirlz company (so sad, they had awesome stuff), the face is a milagro, and the halo is a large sequin. (With my fingerprint on it, drat).

A Nutcracker:
What's Christmas without the Nutcracker? I adore both the ballet and the original book (which includes a lot of great elements that did not make it into the ballet). This nutcracker is based on Maurice Sendak's illustrations. I'm kind of impressed with how well it came out -- I really didn't think I could pull it off.