Apt. 11D

Question of the Day

I was going to write a post about the Supreme Court and activists going "venue shopping." Oh, that sounds good, Laura. It's FRIDAY. It's SUMMER. Please!!

Okay, no show offy post on Baumgartner and Jones, then. Instead a Question of the Day.

In my family, it was incredibly bad form to brag about any accomplishment. One could only mock one's deficiencies at the dinner table. My dad would always start off his stories with "Growing up, I was so bad at sports that...." or "Growing up, I was such a bad student that...." Because bragging is never funny.

As a result, my brother, sister, and I probably now need intensive therapy for low self-esteem. (Here's a new one, Dad: "Growing up, my family was dysfunctional that...") So, as part of "the healing process," I'll put something out there. I still hold my high school's record for cross country, and someone only broke my 2 mile record last year. Not funny, but one step closer towards recovery.

What do you want to brag about?

Real Snapshots?

Oh! You wanted to see some real snapshots? Well, these are bit old. Easter, I think. But they're on-line, so here goes. Look below flap.

Spreading Love

Thomas Frank is blogging over at TPM Cafe.

Summer Snapshots

A major work commitment for the summer is finished. Which is good, because camp is almost over and I'll have two little kids with me every minute until September. Which is also good, because they're great kids, and I'm psyched to have fun with them instead of doing the multi-tasking thing. I'm done with reading Bowling Alone on a bench next to swim practice and looking up occasionally to give my son the thumbs up, so that he's not swimming alone.

There have already been some great little moments to the summer. Nothing to build an essay around, but just little good things. I've buried them under the flap, because I assume that no one but my husband gives a crap about this stuff. Still, it's good to write all this stuff down.

Maureen's Mother

I read this eulogy that Maureen Dowd wrote for her recently deceased mother a few days ago and came back to it this morning.

Dowd describes her mother as a woman who "raised five kids in high heels" and had a great love of writing and politics. Her professional successes were not on the monumental scale of her daughter, but were made up of hundreds of little letters to politicians and other political statements noticed only by her daughter.

She paints her mother's life with a touch of tragedy, because her mother's talents were never given the national stage. Pre-feminist times and five children kept this unique woman at home.

I would love to hear what her mother thought about all this.

Give Us the Dirt

Several times this summer, we've heard about bloggers who reveal too much and get burnt.

As these stories unfolded, many commented that these bloggers were just dumb for revealing too much. They deserved whatever misfortune came their way. I've also worried that I show too much of my cards on this blog, and that future employers will frown on a personal life made so public.

But here's another tale. A blogger, Stephanie Klein, revealed so much that she got a book deal. She talked about an abortion, infidelities, embarrassments and got picked up by Judith Regan. Her book will also be turned into a sitcom.

I'm SO confused.

Husbands As a Package Deal

Jo(e) has a funny post about enduring her husband's passion for the Cubs

It is the same old story. You marry someone because you are in love with him, and that blinds you to certain facets of their personality. I knew he was a Cub fan, but I thought he would change. I thought that if I loved him enough, he would abandon his loyalty to the team that always loses. I thought that his fanaticism about the Cubs would fade with time.

The sports I could live with, because a) it's seasonal b) you get to eat food in the stands.

My husband has an even worse side interest. He's a computer war game fanatic. Rome and Age of Empires are the current evils in the home. After he comes home from work, he blows an hour or two in front of the computer. Totally anti-social. OK, I'm reading the blogs and am not really talking either, but that's not the point.

He's sucked my 6 year old into this sick world as well. They sit around talking strategies and making maps on the back of napkins in McDonalds. GEEKS!

Blogging For Kids - a Proposal

Last week, the Times had an article on the medical breakthroughs in saving feather weight, premature babies. Sam Crane writes that society must also do its part in helping support these individuals throughout their lives, because feather weight infants are highly likely to have disabilities.

But I also know that parents of disabled children need a lot of help.  My wife and I are in a relatively fortunate situation - good jobs, flexible time, excellent insurance - and have, I think, been able to care for Aidan rather well.  But we spend a lot of money on a wide variety of equipment and therapists and other things.  We also have had to press back against school districts and insurance companies that try to cut corners and shirk their legal duties for serving the disabled.  I could go on but, trust me, American society - even with the advances of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) - is not well designed to allow for the full participation of the disabled in society. 

Just minutes ago, I received an e-mail from another blogger who was despairing because his school district had again refused to help his autistic son.

Here's a proposal. A number of bloggers have kids with disabilities and write about the issues involved with educating their kids from time to time. Perhaps we should put aside one day when we just write about the difficulties in getting services for the kids and how great they kids are despite their handicaps. We could all link to each other and help raise awareness. Sound good? Any ideas?

Personal Post Sunday

Friday night, I saw my little cousin get married. It was a pleasant ceremony in the back of country club. It was probably made more pleasant by the fact that sound system went out, so we were unable to hear the father-in-law recite an unscripted poem to the couple. The maid of honor, my cousin Debbie, rolled her eyes from the alter and mouthed to the guests It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter.

Question of the Day

My third cousin, Denise, is getting married tonight. In half an hour, I have to get my hair cut and straightened and my eyebrows shaped in a proper arch. Why all the prepping? Well, it's an ITALIAN wedding. Last time one of my Italian cousins got married, she rose from the floor in a sea of dry ice and surrounded by 15 bridesmaids and 14 groomsmen doing Yegermeister (sp?) shots. I have to blend.

After I turn myself into Fran Dresher, then we're off to Long Island. The wedding is at 7:00. And we're leaving at 12:30. Why? To avoid the Hampton traffic. May I just say that Long Island is a festering sore on the coast of America. It should just surgically removed from main coast, and sent off to sea with Billy Joel and Alex Baldwin and P. Diddy. Later, dudes.

The Question of the Day: What was the most memorable wedding you attended? (Can't include your own wedding.)