Blog, uninterrupted

Today is my birthday and I’ve just dropped my son off at play camp. That means I have two whole uninterrupted hours to do something or other. I could make a more responsible choice, but it’s my personal holiday, so I’m going to blog about a bunch of random crap. Hooptydoo!

Topic # 1: If I could just accept these things, I might be happier
1. I’m 38. It’s 2008. Really, it is.

2. My birthday will always fall between Comfest and the Fourth of July (hence Doo Dah Parade), therefore my husband will always look gobsmacked that the day has arrived, and run out at some inconvenient last-minute time to buy me a gift, or offer to buy me something practical that I was already going to get for myself and then not wrap it. However, I get flowers year-round for no reason.

3. If I need to get somewhere on time and Declan is with me, I should aim to get there 10 minutes before whatever it is starts.

4. My father’s birthday gift to me will arrive on Christmas. I already have cards from cousins-in-law on the piano. My mom got me a cake and something else that there is a 99 percent chance I will like. My dog will probably not poop in the dining room today because it’s sunny. Family is what it is and hooray for what it is.

5. This will be the year I learn to like fireworks. Declan will teach me.

Topic #2: Brief rants
1. Who thought it would be a good idea to call a food event A Taste of Boom? And is this only funny to me because I have a toddler? Does the fact that I think this is funny mean that I’m suddenly going to start laughing at the poopy jokes in the Shrek movies? Because I don’t, usually.

2. I was so very sad that I’m not going to BlogHer this year – Skybus folded and ruined my plans. But now I’m not sad anymore. I’ve been watching some stupidity unfold in the mom-o-blog-o-sphere and Twitter, and it’s giving me agita. It seems someone semi-famous said something critical of someone non-very famous (in blogging terms) and then a bunch of blind criticism of said semi-famous person ensued. I had to contort my brain into a Complete Intersection CalabiYau Manifold to try and figure out what the hell was going on and why, and in the end, it felt like the clarion calls for women to be decent to each other have become at least as punitive and damning as the original critcism, only launched by, like 50 people instead of one.

If, for some masochistic reason, you want to follow this, go here and here, and if you’re feeling particularly nosy, here. The original offending comments are here and here and here. I think I wouldn’t have bothered if I’d only known what all the hubbub was about to begin with, but it was introduced as though there was a crisis of decency among mommybloggers that needed to be addressed, with no actual details presented, which, being a mom blogger, tantalized me to dig into what was happening so I could have an informed opinion. (And it’s what journalists do.)

Seems like there was an interesting opportunity there to discuss blog community, blog culture, idea ownership or maybe even appropriate avenues for criticism that has instead drawn people into different camps of self-righteous back-slaps and high-fives. Yuck. I feel totally outside of the mommy blogging “community” now. Have a nice time y’all!

3. Dan and I clarified some of the details of the often asked-about ending of Little Brother’s here.

4. Okay, I’m still sad about not going to BlogHer, because there are a few people I would really have liked to meet who live and write and play well outside of all of that crap that I shouldn’t have bothered writing about.

5. Holy crap, they are playing “Xanadu” by Olivia Newton John in this coffee shop. This is not helping my “I’m 38. It’s 2008” mantra to sink in.

Have a great Wednesday. Eat cake.

P.S. Now they’re playing “Words” by Missing Persons. Perhaps I should come back to this coffee shop daily, because there’s apparently a time warp here that makes this my 12th birthday.

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8 thoughts on “Blog, uninterrupted”

  1. The interwebz always blows up into trainwrecks. There used to be a trainwreck blog to track ’em but that got trainwrecked. It’s inevitable.

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY! (on blog and on twitter — I should go stalk you on facebook, eh?)

    We should have our own mommyblog blogher-ish event in Columbus. You and I could plan it. Because we aren’t busy enough. But seriously — I’d plan it with you if you wanted to play it with me. Why not? We’ll drag in all the mommy bloggers we know, even the ones on LJ who don’t like to venture out of their virtual community!!!

  2. Happy Birthday Tracy! You and Tina can commiserate (sp?) about being 38 — that rhymes too 🙂

    Yesterday I enjoyed someone playing REO Speedwagon on their cell phone in the bathroom (80’s songs check, potty humor check) and then some kid who might have been 19 y.o. listening to Private Eyes loud enough for us all to hear on his iPod (meaning it was chosen not just on the radio). The fact that I hear Depeche Mode and New Order in Giant Eagle all the time cracks me up as well. Which brings me to the wrap up… if you haven’t seen Control (and you like/d Joy Division) I highly recommend it.

  3. Wow, thanks folks!

    Dawn – I would completely LOVE to do that. Let’s start now. Seriously. I’m close to your neighborhood MWF next week if you want to meet and chat about it!

    Amy – Muchos gracias, senora!

    Andrew – Ive been marveling at this whole weird Hall & Oates obsession among college kids lately. It’s surreal. I once followed Daryl Hall into a grocery store and dreamily touched some hamburger that he had picked up and decided against, so three years ago I was a dork, but now I’m awesome.

    Karen – Based on one of my past internet lives as a BBS moderator, I should have known better than to track down the skinny. You are wise to extinguish the flames.

  4. I don’t know how I feel about being mentioned in the same paragraph with the dog pooping in the dining room. I am glad you thought you would like your present and pleased that you did. I think this was a good wednesday to celebrate my gifted daughter- I love you- Mom

  5. Happy Birthday.

    And yes, you will begin to find humor in poop jokes–because it makes your kid laugh and that makes you happy. My five year old giggles every time he hears the word butt.

  6. “Seems like there was an interesting opportunity there to discuss blog community, blog culture, idea ownership or maybe even appropriate avenues for criticism that has instead drawn people into different camps of self-righteous back-slaps and high-fives.”

    In retrospect, I really wish I had just written that instead of getting all righteously indignant which only served to add fuel to the fire. I could have handled my reaction to the situation much better, too. You make good points here. Please feel free to visit Table for Five any time, it’s usually a very nice blog 🙂

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