appreciate it!

Help, please! I'm doing copyedits, and I meant to check this before (they're due tomorrow). I have a reference to a bracelet that has an inscription. Right now, I have it say "Manus fortuna" and the hero says "Hand of Fate." I think that's wrong (Working through Latin with my 8yo, so I'm not there yet!). I want the translation to be correct (i.e., Hand of Fate), but after Googling, I think maybe it should be: Manus fati Can anyone confirm for me? Thank you, thank you, thank you

Thanks to everyone else who posted this afternoon/evening; I'm going to read the posts and links more closely in the a.m. In talking with my husband and trying to articulate what I'm trying to focus on, I think I've finally narrowed it down to this: we're going to do GF in the home, both b/c of my issues (or potential issues) and b/c I think that going GF tends to make the food choices (at least in our family) healthier. But what I'm wondering is: to the extent that we do have benefits, are we completely destroying those benefits and going back to square one if, when we eat out, we don't deeply investigate the ingredients in foods at restaurants to see if there's a small amount of gluten. Or, so long as we make smart choices re the food and thereby keep gluten intake to non-existent or "hidden" small amounts, are we still "okay" in that we haven't completely negated whatever benefit there might be? (And, obviously, if we feel a change, that would answer that question.) Or, possibly, there is no "benefit" other than healthier eating if you don't actually have Celiac (let's assume that for our family it does promote healthier choices and all vitamin supplements are being taken), in which case it's somewhat analogous to a reasonably healthy eater deciding one Saturday to binge on ice cream and potato chips (can we say "my college days")?

Thanks, Lisa. I've been learning to bake bread (in the past, I've done it as a lark), and focusing on eating less processed foods, which is one of the reason I like the gluten-free diet, since (despite an upsurge in processed gluten free products) on the whole we've gotten back to a much more "basics" diet. I know I feel less bloated.

Yay!!!! Awesome feeling!!!!!! Julie

Congrats!!!!! I make a living writing novels, so feel free to shoot me questions. Whatever you need to get the story out is my motto ... and congrats! Julie

This is apparently where I am (not yet sure about the kids or husband). I guess what I was wondering is if the benefits if not actually having Celiac are still present if you reduce. But from what everyone is saying, it sounds like, barring Celiac, it all turns on a "how do you feel" aspect, as opposed to a "doing significant harm to your intestines" aspect. At any rate, I really appreciate the feedback!

Hey! Thanks for wondering. I've had an INSANE deadline schedule. Insane! (I actually do have a name-change/addition, too. Starting in September, I'm J.K. Beck as well as Julie Kenner. It's a schizophrenic existence! This is a very good idea; we've been paying attention, but not actually logging. I'll start doing that... Oh! Thanks! I never even thought about that!

So, my family is doing a gluten free experiment just to see if we generally eat better and feel better. Nobody actually has Celiac (I come the closest, showing signs in the blood test, but the actual look inside my intestines being negative). So far, I do like the results. But what I'm wondering is if, for someone who does NOT have Celiac, do you still get a benefit from reducing (as opposed to eliminating) gluten? I can see a time in the future when we might want to allow it back in limited quantities (when eating out especially--ordering things that appear gluten-free, but not necessarily specifically asking the chef--or when on vacation and wanting to just "go wild") I've searched Google hoping to find a scholarly article on the subject and have come up with nothing. Does anyone on the board know? (And as an aside, I'm happy to be back! I've been a looooooong time away, with time only for deadlines and school. But life is easier now. Yay!) Julie

My daughter's been writing a mystery on the blog I set up for her and her sister. She was a reluctant writer at first, and is now going gangbusters. She reads above age-level, and I think she'll love these! I've been planning to do a creative writing class with local homeschool teens, too. Will have to check these out for ideas.

tomorrow, I try to remember how to get in and edit that stuff! (At any rate, happy to be back! I'm coming off the "year o' insane deadlines" where basically all I could do was write and homeschool and eat (you'll notice that laundry and housecleaning are NOT on that list!). Missed this board! J

and just testing out to make sure I know how to work this

didn't answer the poll b/c I don't quite fit. We know longer have a landline, though I do keep an internet phone so that the kids can be on to talk to grandma at the same time (hard with a cell). DH and I both have cells. Mine is my business number, too. But I wouldn't call it my friend; I've never much cared for talking on the phone.

I went to film school at the University of Texas, back in the day! It's an excellent school. Back then, the focus was more production than theory-based, and because UT has so much money, the resources for students, camera and equipment-wise were awesome. Plus, there was the opp to intern for Austin City Limits :) After film school & law school, I moved to LA. I was practicing law at that time, but have many friends in the biz. UCLA and USC provide an excellent film education, and the opportunities for connections/networking (which is extremely important in a biz like film) are awesome. There are also one or two seminars that are just as legit as film school through a university. I believe AFI has one. It's pretty hard to get into. I dated a guy who'd gone through the program, and he was working steadily in the industry. (And if he wants to do theater as opposed to film, Carnegie-Mellon is a good choice, I believe.)

Oh, cool! I'm glad to know they're most likely dolphins (although it didn't matter; no way were we actually getting IN the Pacific in December).