Day: October 16, 2003

Last weekend, while down in Los Angeles for the Women’s World Cup, I finished the last few pages of The Thirteen Gun Salute, book number 13 (coincidence?) in Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin series. Most of the book is spent in Malaysia, ferrying a diplomatic mission to Pulo Prabang. All through the book, I was wondering exactly where Pulo Prabang was, so I just looked around a bit on the web. I didn’t get a map, but I did find a book I might have to get: Harbors and High Seas: An Atlas and Geographical Guide to the Complete Aubrey-Maturin Novels of Patrick O’Brian. I’ve wanted a map before this volume, but I really wanted it here, even if much of the action was land-bound. I won’t dig into a plot summary here, but Wray and Ledward — two English traitors working for the French — are killed, and the only question that lingers (O’Brian doesn’t answer it, I think) is whether or not Maturin does it himself. I think he does, which settles a score which lingered through many volumes. The novel ends with the ship’s company beached by a typhoon, and just waking up to the post-storm task of having to build themselves a new boat.

I’m going to take a short break from Aubrey-Maturin, in part because I need to pick up the rest in the series. Still looking forward to the movie, though, which is now getting television advertisements, although it’s nearly four weeks away.

The boy is hitting and pushing other kids, at school and elsewhere. We’re as firm as can be about it not being acceptable behavior, and he knows it’s not OK, but it repeats. Considered spanking, but a few voices have said it won’t help (they are not against the practice, necessarily). I was spanked twice, I think, although I really only remember one incident, and I’m not sure what I did… but I probably deserved it, and I’m certain it was for terrorizing one of my sisters. The boy is still good with his four-month-old sister, fortunately, but not with all others. Of course, he turns 3 in five days, so it’s a bit early to sign him up for counseling. But it’s been a change for the worse over the last few months. Either school (which he likes) or his sister, or maybe both. A phase? We’ll hope.