In the car with Justin on the way home...UPDATE!

"I am going to blog about this," I told him. "The title will be, 'Musings of a sleep deprived new mother:' or something like that. I realized as I was playing "patty cake" with my daughter that I really don't know the words. Is it two words, like 'Patty Cake?' Is that someone's name? Baker's man? Why does the baker have a man? What kind of man? Is Pattycake like a slave name? Is the song racist? Or is it like the baker's special manfriend?"

"No, Alex, I think it's 'baker-man.' Like Pattycake is the baker's nickname or that's just what he does, he pats cakes."

"So there's not a 'baker's man'?"

"No."

I've been singing it wrong. He sounds like he knows, but I am still not sure.

"So if it's a name, is it Patty Cake or Paddy Cake, like he's Irish? And why are we in such a hurry for the cake?"

"Oh Christ, Alex. I don't know."

*********UPDATE**********
I found this from 1901, perhaps confirming that the origins of "pat-a-cake" are racist:

Hallelujah

Obama's first press conference was on the 9th and what a treat it was. My dad, who I called to wish, "Happy birthday," said that he was sitting and watching it feeling like it was a birthday present in itself to hear our President make sense, talk logically and respectfully about doing his job.

My favorite part: he uses three syllable words (i.e. bellicose)! He uses them correctly, doesn't mispronounce them and doesn't feel the need to say what they mean as if we are stupid.

Can I get an AMEN?!

10 Ten Movies I Saw in 2008

I just put my 2008 Movie list up on my movie blog...the top ten from last year are as follows:

Synecdoche
Burn After Reading
Encounters at the End of the World
Man on Wire
The Fall
Mister Lonely
The Year my Parents Went on Vacation
Be Kind Rewind
Persepolois
There Will be Blood