Melissa Wiley's Blog, page 180

The Boy with the Perfect Heart

Tonight I am thinking of Billy, as I do this time every year.

Billy was 15 when we met him, a tall, sturdy boy, athletic, strong. He was a sophomore in high school and an adventure rollerblader, the kind of fearless kid who rides down stair rails on his skates. We met him on the cancer ward at the children's hospital. Jane was two, pretty deep into her high-dose chemo regimen for leukemia at that point. Billy had leukemia too.

Jane and Billy were roommates several times during the nine months o...

To the World

…and on earth peace, and good will toward men.

Aught to Be

The other day, Scott pointed out that we, all of us, haven't yet settled upon a name for this decade. You know, like the Eighties, the Nineties, and so forth. I remember speculating about this in 1999, wondering if the decade-about-to-dawn would be called the Aughts like the first decade of the 20th century. It seemed too quaint to be possible—and too quaint it must have been indeed, because I don't think I've ever heard anyone use "the Aughts" this time around.

In 1999 my HarperCollins...

People Who Write About Reading

I am pining for Nick Hornby's "Stuff I'm Reading" column, the one he wrote for The Believer. The one he stopped writing in September of 2008. The column that was published in three collected editions, which I wrote about here.

And here.

And here.

I love the way Hornby writes (wrote) about reading. He didn't review books so much as he meditated upon his reading life. These ruminations were smart, funny, thought-provoking, and appetite-whetting.

I miss them.

Noel Perrin is another...

Sunday in the Park with Spreckels

One of the many treasures of Balboa Park is the Spreckels Pipe Organ—the world's largest outdoor musical instrument. San Diego employs a civic organist and offers free organ concerts on many Sunday afternoons throughout the year. I've been wanting to attend one ever since we moved here, and yesterday we happened to think of it just in time to catch the Christmas concert and community sing-along. The timing was perfect; my mother was visiting for the weekend. (She comes out for my birthday...

Even Behind Bars, Elves Are Jolly

Two More Nifty Apps

Did you know you can play Settlers of Catan (our favorite board game) on the iPhone or Touch? The app is called Catan. Jane and I have been trying it out.

Pro: no tiles and small pieces for the baby to scatter.

Con: the computer-generated characters do too much trading.

Pro: clean, clear graphics and efficient gameplay.

Con: unattractive cartoonish characters (are we shallow?) and it's harder to monitor your opponents' moves and resources.

Pro: just about as much fun as the real game, and we can p...

A Few More iPod Touch Apps

Did you know you can play Settlers of Catan (our favorite board game) on the iPhone or Touch? The app is called Catan. Jane and I have been trying it out.

Pro: no tiles and road pieces for the baby to scatter.

Con: the computer-generated characters do too much trading.

Pro: clean, clear graphics and efficient gameplay.

Con: unattractive cartoonish characters (are we shallow?) and it's harder to monitor your opponents' moves and resources.

Pro: just about as much fun as the real game, and we can...

Going Green

Beanie, upon tasting (and loving) her first green smoothie: "This has liquified my distaste for spinach!"

A Day in the Life of My iPod Touch

I sleep with my iPod under my pillow. No, not because I love it so much that I can't stand to be parted from it even while sleeping, but because I am nursing my 11-month-old, and the Touch lets me read in the dark, with one hand, without disturbing the baby or my slumbering husband.

6:20 a.m. It's still dark when I wake. In a few minutes I will try to slip out of bed without rousing the baby—Scott is already up with Wonderboy, our earlybird—but right now, in this peaceful hush before the rest ...