How many back injuries do you think Hawaii Chair users have sustained? And how many household pets have been placed in this chair, that has then been switched on?

I’ll stick with my version of a mobile chair, thanks.

Tonight I unwrapped my shipment from Amazon.co.uk. All seven Harry Potter books, hardcover, in a slipcase. The original British editions.

I belong to a list of of word-lovers, and we had quite a discussion about the changes in the first novel for an American audience. Not only was the title changed from “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” to  “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” but many of the slang terms were “translated” into American expressions. That was when I decided that not only did I want the complete set, I wanted the original words of the author.

That left me with two choices: Canadian or British editions. And the British editions were less expensive, when I made the comparisons. And the projected arrival date was just after a huge work project was scheduled to be due. So it seemed like the way to go.

And now they’re here. So perfect and colorful (the covers match the dust jackets, printed all the way around) I almost hate to read them.

But only almost.

More later.

So why would I do that? A sudden attack of delayed adolescence? (Because, after all, as looking at birthdates reminds me, I am old enough to be a college student’s mother!) More like a delayed reward for the girl I used to be — because Logan Magazine is “fashion and lifestyle for young people with disabilities.”

We really have come a long way since I was longingly looking at the girls in Seventeen wishing just one of them had braces that weren’t on her teeth. Leafing through the summer issue, I see the recipes, fashions, and shopping guides that are so key in women’s magazines. But the emphasis is on simple and adaptive, without being obviously “special.”

Although the editors say they hope the magazine will appeal to both sexes, I think Logan is a little pink, figuratively and literally, for guys. However, I’m glad to see the young men who are profiled in this issue. Maybe I’m wrong, and even if only girls read Logan, they need to see guys with disabilities as being “roll models,” potential friends, and crushes, too. Or so I see it.

Because the magazine is founded in Washington, some of the advertisements and services are slanted in that direction… but there’s something here for most everyone.  Check it out.

Intense and energetic, you aren’t completely happy unless you are bouncing off the walls.

You’re addicted to caffeine. There’s no denying it.

You are responsible, mature, and truly an adult. You’re occasionally playful, but you find it hard to be carefree.

You are sophisticated and daring, but you are never snobby.

Check yourself out at: What Does Your Latte Say About You?

If you don’t know Marlette’s strip Kudzu, please go see it now. I don’t always agree with Rev. Will B. Dunn, but he’s a closer exemplar of the Southern preachers I’ve known than the ones you see on TV.

God bless you, Mr. Marlette, and may He grant you rest.

Congressman Evan Baxter has won office on a platform to change the world; but when God (played by Morgan Freeman) appears and tells him to build an ark, it’s clear that wasn’t the kind of change Baxter had in mind. God may respect Baxter’s free will, but only up to a point; the patriarchal beard Evan grows overnight (and can’t shave off) and the sudden appearance of dozens of pairs of animals everywhere he goes are hardly gentle persuasion. But then, this IS the God who had Jonah thrown overboard and swallowed by a fish when he wouldn’t report for duty.

It isn’t until Baxter’s wife takes off with his three sons that God appears to her, and shares this very Catholic insight about prayer:

Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?

And when Evan himself is being grilled by reporters, he shows that he, too, is perhaps not far from the Kingdom of God:

Reporter: What makes you think God chose you?
Evan Baxter: He chose all of us.

I agree somewhat with Steven Greydanus that this is not very deep spiritual truth. Yes, this is not the whole truth, but there’s truth in it. In my opinion,though, it may be a door opener for conversations with friends or relatives who don’t talk much about spiritual things.

IS there a flood, or was this only a test? Does the Baxter family come together, or fall apart? You’ll have to wait and see. But if you wait to borrow a free copy from your local library, the suspense probably won’t kill you.

INaccessibility note: Sorry, no alt text on the images. Get someone to read them to you, if you need to? Okay, now I’m curious: are comic strips just unavailable to those with low or no vision?

• Went to vigil Mass at St. Patrick. Actually heard the priest preach about the sanctity of life! “This passage shows clearly that God is in love with us from the womb. … We must love life from the womb. It is just that simple.”
• Today was a day for proximity to fame. Saw both Julie Andrews and Armistead Maupin. Only 100 people got to get books signed by Andrews; Maupin signed multiple books for people and waited while we told him our own stories.
• Do you DC wheelers get to know the holes in the sidewalk pretty well? It’s disconcerting to come up suddenly on an area of missing or uptilted brick.
• I’m in love with the Metro. Even when it’s broken it works!
• Didn’t spend nearly as much time as usual in the exhibits. I just felt squashed by all the walking people. You know, don’t you, walking people, that you don’t walk in straight lines, and that you turn abruptly and walk backwards without looking? Or maybe you really think I’m the erratic and dangerous one.
• That blue and white symbol on the large stall door does not mean “for people in wheelchairs or people with big wheeled luggage.” Just so you know.
• I know we presented an NLS funding resolution to the ALA Council (or will, tomorrow). Don’t know if it will pass, but I expect that it will.
• This is the first time I’ve been on a computer since Thursday. So maybe I really can stop using the Internet any time I want to.
• Then again, I haven’t had supper, and its nearly 8, so maybe my priorities are a bit skewed. Think I’ll go get a bit to eat, and then pack. Later, I’ll tart this post up with relevant links and all.

If you’re already sure I’ve lost it, I won’t argue with you… but try the sound samples before you judge. Osmond’s voice has deepened and richened (well, yeah, the spellchecker says it’s a word, so I’ll go with it) since his teenybopper days. Man’s got chops! And if he sounds a little off doing those Al Green-style growls, it sounds to me like an old friend being a bit silly. Not bad. (And thanks to Osmond enunciation (no “sacred emulsion” here) — you will understand lyrics you didn’t before.

PS: I was more of a Michael Jackson girl back in the day — but now I’m kind of glad we never did get married the way I thought we would. Definitely worked out for my best there. Stay tuned for confessions about David Cassidy, Bobby Sherman, and (the dark horse candidate at the time, since he was Catholic) Tony de Franco!