October 2008 Archives

I am quite disappointed to see that Ning.com, the social network site that hosts National Blog Posting Month, hasn't managed to fix their CAPTCHA problem that discriminates against the blind and other people with disabilities who can't read those squiggly little letters. So I'm not going to create an official NaBloPoMo account on Ning.com. Whatever features I would enjoy over there, others can't benefit from them without jumping through extra hoops. I know it's not much as far as conscientious objecting goes, but it's my little line in the sand. And I'm going to go another round with Ning.com in the next week to see if I can bring their attention to this issue once again.

However, I'm not going to let that stop me from posting every day in November, which is the place that NaBloPoMo originally called home before it went monthly.

Last year I made lists. This year I'm trying a less structured format. I'm going to tell you 30 things, one per day. I'm only giving myself four slots for anything related to parenting. The others will be a mixture of everything that made up who I was before I became a mother, because all those things are still there and just as important to me as ever. There are 18 categories on my blog, and only one of them is kids. It's high time to refresh all the others. No scheduled posts, no backdating. The goal isn't just to have something new appear on my blog every day. The goal is to write.

Welcome to November.

Men like babies.

This had not really sunk in for me until now - despite having experience with fathers of babies who like those babies very much. My own husband, for example.

Our trips to California (for BlogHer) and to Colorado (to hang out with my sister and her three kids for five days) are what opened my eyes. On both of these trips through various airports, I have been amazed at how many men smiled at Boy Detective, played Peekaboo with him over the airplane seats, shared anecdotes about their kids and grandkids at similar ages, and generally acted like they truly enjoyed interacting with small children.

The model of fatherhood I grew up with would not have supported the claim that men like babies. And somehow, despite having observed different models since I've been an adult, I've been stuck with that model in the back of my head.

So, strangers in airports, thanks for helping clear out some cobwebs for me. All your smiling, waving, peekaboo games, and crumpling of torn magazine pages into toys have strengthened my faith in humanity.

My sister, driving the minivan: Why are you whining?

Her son: They're HAPPY whines!

I'm not sure you can actually MAKE an internet connection out of glue, but if you can, that's what they hooked up to our house.

This came out in mid-September, but I just found out about it today.

Sen. Joe Biden gave $3,690 to charity... over 10 years.

In case you're interested, here's more about all four of the candidates' giving.

Conservatives have scolded him quite harshly for this, and I have to say that in the absence of any additional information - which I did not locate with el Google - I agree. That's pathetic, especially for a person in elected office.

Without being rude, how exactly do you tell a fellow white person to stop comparing (a) themselves or (b) Sarah Palin to Rosa Parks?

I've seen it on two blogs that I generally like, and I am so... I hate to use the word "offended" because people mock it so much, as if being offended is just something that people make up when they want to cause a scene. And I think I'm more shocked and bewildered than angry or hurt, so offended is probably not the right choice even though it's the first word that comes to mind.

Rosa Parks was not just some random woman who got on a bus one day and thought "Gee, you know, I'm tired, I think I'll just refuse to move." She was an activist and an African-American during a time when you could be beaten, your house bombed by terrorists, and you and your family murdered for standing up for your rights. After she acted as plaintiff in the test case against bus segregation by going to trial for her actions, she was fired and her husband had to quit his job. They had to move to a different city so she could find work. (You can learn more at the Rosa Parks entry on Wikipedia and her biography at the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute.)

Saying that a white American is the Rosa Parks of whatever cause is really disrespectful. It's not synonymous with saying "she's a fighter" or "she's breaking down barriers." It's appropriation of a person and a context and a movement that you do not own and do not have permission to borrow. And I'm pretty sure it's my anti-racist duty to point that out, even if the parties involved don't care what I have to say, but I'm having a hard time figuring out how to explain it without throwing 5,000 words at it when 15 would be better.

Suggestions welcome.

I wish I could help you, brave Internet Searchers who are so confused about what Google spits back out at you. You must be confused, or you wouldn't actually have clicked through to this blog when looking for the following things:

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"tired of writing" "good code" (dude, suck it up. otherwise you just make things harder for the people who come after you)

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