Tristan und Isolde

We've been on sort of a Wagner kick lately. That's the only context I can give for this recent conversation:

Me: If they updated "Tristan & Isolde" to the present day, would they have to use Rohipnol?
Robert: Leave me alone.

A related thought...with the new T&I movie coming out, I wonder if Mattel regrets their decision to lame out on naming the Isolde Barbie (Legends of Ireland: Spellbound Lover). It's not like "Isolde" is trademarked.

Kids

The problem with having a baby is that you now have something to lose. I read about those families getting killed in Virginia, and for the first time in my life I'm serious about getting a gun when we move back to the States. When it was just me and Robert and Legion, we could all fend for ourselves, but anyone who tries to hurt my child gets no quarter. I actually don't like this feeling of being so committed to something - it's scary. No, it's terrifying. But it's happening down in my lizard brain.

On a lighter note, Mallory just experienced his first earthquake. He was napping, I was doing dishes, Robert was writing - we thought at first a truck was going by, then Legion bolted for the front room and I got that tearing-paper feeling up my spine and all my hair stood on end. Robert called "Earthquake!" but it seemed to have ended before I got to a doorway. Then it started up again, long and growly. The shivering and shaking lasted for 30 seconds or more, waking Mallory up.

No aftershocks so far (knock wood), but as the epicenter was closer to Crete than to Attica we might not feel them. And the modern world is great: I immediately hit the USGS website, and after about 20 minutes, they'd posted the info: 6.7! Some dude in Pasadena, where it's about 3 am, posted information about a quake halfway around the world. It's also on the news tickers already. (Greek news won't have it until tomorrow, of course).

In other light news, Larry sent us his photos from our trip to Bavaria, and amoung them is this amusing one. I did get about half my hair cut off!