New appreciations (1.3)

It has been nearly three weeks since I last updated this blog; I apologize to all our faithful readers who check WIS regularly in order to postpone attending to whatever work they ought to be doing. That said, I present to you the First Post of 2006.

I know for a fact that our readership comprises astute minds from a broad spectrum of political perspectives, ranging from those who would support President Bush in invading the Vatican, if such an invasion were deemed necessary in the fight against terror, to those who would oppose a presidential edict denouncing cannabalism on the basis that even those with alternative dietary preferences must have their civil rights protected. Nevermind, though; all are welcome.

All this leads up to my new appreciation for the phrase "Axis of Evil" (for more, if sometimes contentious, discussion, see here). Though I fully appreciate that 21-century American usage demands that an axis comprise three entities, the two items pictured immediately to the left ought to be included in any responsible understanding of the term. These items are, from right to left, the Zantac that I have been instructed to coerce into my baby girl twice daily, and the odious implement by which said coercion takes place.

Though I have as yet been able to refrain from uttering the loathsome words, "This will hurt me more than it hurts you," sympathetic readers will appreciate that only my precious daughter's screams of displeasure compete with the overwhelming sense of angst I feel at having to inject such a wretched substance into what is otherwise a very lovely and contented little angel. As if you needed the photographic evidence, this picture gives some clue as to the drama that takes place in the Rodriguez family with each completed journey of the hour hand. Still . . . if it helps ease the discomfort of her Gastroesophageal reflux, I will persist in the administration of this most vile of Devil's Concoctions.