Way back before I even blogged, when I just did a lot of updating of my crappy website, and before I posted photos of myself, I used Veronica icons for myself. I was looking thru some referral logs and see that Veronica from the Archies is blogging!

I laughed pretty hard because her blog looks a lot like what my website use to look like.

Amy...she's all over the American Idol thing too!

OK, back to real writing & the new SNL.

Labels: blogging

I was tagged by Amy and here we go....

The Rules of This Blog Tag, for those Who Care

A) Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog
B) Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself
C) Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs
D) Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

Seven Random and/or Weird Facts About Myself

1] After 7 years of blogging is there anything I haven't shared? OK, yes, but still...

2] I am so competitive that I never take time to count my victories - unless I think I'm in the lead

3] I do believe in jinxes because each time I tell someone something that hasn't happened yet, the rug gets pulled out of me. I recently received an award at work and I told my coworkers (before the public announcement), "I think I got this award." And I did.

4] I also am so competitive that I have to stop myself from feeling jealous of others.

5] I like to eat things with even number bites. Yup, just as it sounds. If I eat a sandwich, I try to eat it with say 12 bites. 14 bites. Any even number bites. Yeah...lock me up, peeps.

6] I love cheesy chain restaurants. For awhile it was because we could eat quickly & cheaply. Now it's because no one flinches with you have a screaming kid in there. Only teenagers go to Olive Garden for a quiet romantic dinner.

7] Ella & I watched "Monsters Inc." tonight and we cried together when #1 shredded Boo's door.

Now to tag someone...Umm...I'll get back to that later. Maybe.

Labels: blogging

I changed this blogs feed quite some time ago, but just today deleted the actual feed...I dunno how I missed it, but I did. Sorry. I went looking at my stats for the first time in forever and noticed that a lot of people are still subscribing to a very old feed that I don't think was actually working. Anywho...that's me, the nerdy ungeek.

So if you came to here to the real blog because your RSS reader said I wasn't blogging anymore, thanks for visiting. Just click the lil feed icon on the location bar and we're ready to roll.

And thanks again for reading.

Yes, my political stuff has gone down quite a bit and I'm transitioning this blog into more of a personal blog, reflections on Ella, etc. If you're interested in where I moved my weightier writing, just comment or drop me an email at my Gmail account (roniweb).

Labels: blogging

My favorite food blogger is up for a weblog award! Come on, did ya really think *I* was up for one?
So please go and vote for Coconut & Lime today, tomorrow, and as often as you can.

Technorati tags: Weblogs Awards, food blog, Coconut & Lime

Labels: blogging

I just added the Blogrush widget. It's not sitting nicely on the template, but oh well. I'm depressed about my Cubbies which is why I popped back in here. OK...back to work.

----------------
Now playing: WLUW - WLUW Live Stream
via FoxyTunes

Labels: blogging

I'm a pretty lucky grrl.

Not only do I have people who know people, one of those people thought of me for a writing job. So for the next month or two, I'll be wrapped up in a new blogging project.

If I have your email addy, I might have already sent you a note about this.

If I didn't feel free to drop me a line at gmail (roniweb@) and if I know you well enough, I'll give you the scoop.

So don't take me off your RSS feeds, I'll be back. I promise.

Unless this gig turns into a full-time thing. But since my asking price is pretty high, I doubt it.

Take care and keep on blogging. I will be reading!

Labels: blogging

To those visiting from the current Carnival of Feminists....Hi. Make yourself at home. Get comfy. Comment. And link me. I seriously need an upswing in my Technorati score for my book reviewing gigs. Yes, sometimes I don't get a gig because I have 4 readers. But the 4 of you are buying, right? *wink*

Technorati tags: carnival of feminists

Labels: blogging, feminism

Another blogger friend emailed me to point me towards a post she just wrote. Included in her email was a note that "Look, you're rubbing off on me; I'm getting in touch with my long-dormant inner activist."

So where the heck are the activist toaster ovens? In my case I'd prefer a coffee maker or a waffle iron.

Labels: blogging, feminism

I really have no idea whose these women are other than they are reality TV stars, but come on, with a shirt like that, they have to be kewl, right? So my fangrrls and fanboys, get yourself a shirt and worship me!

Haha...can you tell it's Friday & I'm totally silly?

PS: If there is a back story to these women where it would cause me to go "WTF?" let me know. I don't want to be shilling for WTF grrls. ;-) Most of their shirts are pretty funny. And they have an anti-war and a feminist shirt. If they're reading this, send me a Veronica shirt!!

Labels: blogging, misc

I'm still reading thru new sites of people I met at Blogher and it really still amazes me that I know bloggers in real life. That I'm not alone in this crazy online world. That I have a friend who I can rush over to his place and ask, "How do you handle a DOS attack?" Not that I had one, mind you. *knocking on fake wood*

I don't talk about blogging to my non-blogging friends too much, so it's nice to have some really good friends who understand when a blog war erupts and I need to vent off-line. (Yes, that's a warning for some of you!)

When I started blogging after the 2000 election was stolen, I didn't mean for it to be read by those close to me. But Mr. Nerdypants had to find me and link me. ;-) Then I started to meet some of you in person. And for that, I'm grateful.

Labels: blogging

Blogher was AWESOME.

I am soooo happy they moved it to Chicago because I'm so mad that I missed out on it the last 2 years. far too much to go into here, but let me sum up:

* I have fans! Seriously, I know y'all read, but it's way different when there are 500+ other bloggers in a room and someone gets up from their lunch to say, "Hey I love reading you! Sorry I don't comment thou."

* The political thread on Saturday was awesome. I need to carve out more time for my op-ed writing. I'm such a slacker.

* The weather could not had been better. OK, maybe a tad less humid, but otherwise, Chicago was beautiful and everyone was enjoying it.

* Seeing non-blogging friends! I love it that some of my feminist friends have entered the blogging world.

* I'm such a freak. I heard over and over other attendees say, "My friends think I'm weird/crazy!" I get to smile and say that I have RL friends who also blog. Yeah, I rawk sometimes...or rather y'all do.

* Poohbear scored a photo with Elizabeth Edwards and Amy Sedaris! Yeah, he rawks.

I put up a lot of photos on Flickr, so check 'em out.

Labels: blogging

I finished "The Girls Who Went Away" over the weekend and I'll blog about it over at Babes and Books, but if you heard my scream a few minutes ago it was because I found a new blog carnival:

BOOKWORM CARNIVAL

How F'ing kewl is that?!?!?

Labels: blogging, Books

We're going to see the Police TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry for little radio contact but that's what happens when you hit a podunk town in Michigan with no Sprint coverage. When I first realized that I didn't have a signal, I freaked. How was I going to read you all?!? Then I calmed down and thought that a 3 day detox was in order. And ya know what? YOU ALL BLOG TOO MUCH!

haha...seriously, I thought Bloglines was gonna kill me. But now to catch up on my beloved blogs and mark as read the others.

OK...now what to wear for Sting?

Labels: blogging, misc, music

I ask myself this question a lot lately. Not that I don't love my 5 readers, but because of my other blogging life and well, this one isn't quite fitting in anymore. I tried at the beginning to have this blog NOT interact with my 'real life' and my real friends. That idea died a quick death when a friend did find it. Of course then I made friends thru this blog, but they don't quite count in my quandary. Then there are those of you who I know are reading, once in a while or daily basis, that I didn't intend for you to ever read this.

Essentially I failed miserably at keeping this blog a different planet in my life.

Now I'm at a point where I feel I need to decide, what does this blog mean to me? What is its purpose? Do I keep it up? Do I start over at another blog that is more reflective of my current life.

I know I'm not going to stop blogging, it's just a matter of what form it will take.

Labels: blogging

I feel like I'm starting to neglect this blog. No, no, I'm not going to shut down, but just know that I'm blogging elsewhere (email me/comment and I'll let you know) so that's taking up a lot of time. Especially when both are start-ups. One I feel like I'm the ONLY non-professional writer in the group. At first I didn't notice it, but the owners set up a yahoo group and when people starting introducing themselves, I kept reading professional editor/author/writer/you get the picture in everyone else's bios. ACK!

I'm also doing some research for what I hope will be a pretty hefty blog post about recent Chicago events as well as a mini-book review of a book I'm trying hard to get thru right now. It's a great book (the big pink on on the right), but finding time to read is ACK!

Speaking of which, Amy's set up a new blog for her 20 books summer challenge. She wants to read 20 books this summer and has asked for anyone (that means you!) to join her on this insane challenge. Of course I signed up! I'm crazy, have little time for reading, and well, I'm me. I'm doomed thou. I know I won't "win" this challenge as Rachel is in. She goes thru books like I go thru Twizzlers! OK, now I know that Amy will say, this is a personal challenge. Ha! Right. She's just as competitive as me. ACK!

I also just spent almost an hour downloading photos from our new camera. The monster takes UBERsized photos and the hubby is in love with the camera. Which means he racks up some major MBs quickly. He took 600+ at Ella's dance recital. Yes, the new cam has that function where you just hold down the button and zapzapzap photos are taken. Which is why no one has really seen the dance recital photos. ACK!

AND someone whom I've had very little interaction with in my many moons at work has decided to nominate me for an award. AND since we don't know each other well, I had to supply her with a few names of people who could give her the info she needs to submit the nomination. ACK ACK ACK!!! Of course, I have someone else I want to nominate, so I'll work on that all the while knowing my lil nomination will go no where.

Lastly...the hubby's off this weekend for a training. Ella & I are single gals Friday and most of Saturday. My youngest sis is in town this weekend and will whisk Ella off somewhere on Saturday afternoon. Yes people I may some time ALONE at home! OMG, what will I do?!? Then the baby nephew turns one on Monday so his party is Sunday. That also means my dad will be in town and that means that him & my younger sister are kidnapping Ella from Sunday to Wednesday. OMFG, what will we ever do without her for FOUR DAYS!?!

whew! I'm just tired thinking about all of this. Off to blog on Amy's book blog.

Labels: blogging, Books, Ella, misc, writing

Damn, I knew that this whole "I hate kids" thing was a touchy subject. Despite commenters not thinking that hating kids isn't the same as racism, when you call them on it, apparently it's like calling someone a racist.

Anywho, Zuzu has asked me for proof of her anti-kid/parent stance and I give you two posts:

1. March 4, 2007: "Oh, Please" where the entire post is this: "If you let your 11-year-old kids sleep in your bed every night even though you don’t want them to, you might want to consider growing a spine.

   Just a thought." Statements like this showcase perfectly how non-parents make sweeping judgments on us parents without a second thought. While the parents showcased in that article are not representative SES-wise, I do think they are representative of parents in general - DAMN TIRED. So when the munchkin crawls into bed at 2 am, you have a choice to make. You either decide to have a fight with the kid or you just move over and try to get a few more hours of sleep. Guess which I did until Miss Ella learned to stay in her bed on her own?
   

2. Zuzu acknowledging her anti-kid/parent bias with a disclaimer. I assume that the post that set my tone of Zuzu was the one removed on August 13th and then Feministe blocks the internet archive.
   

Zuzu does have a point that if I don't want others to hate kids I shouldn't use the term hater for them. So instead they'll be anti-kid/parent folks.

I think that I've blogged enough about the woes of parenthood and those of you who have met me in person know that I rarely speak of Miss Ella ONLY in positives. She's a child, she's got her dark side! Instead of having to carry a stupid egg around, I think I should go around talking to kids about getting pregnant. I'm not a very positive person about this whole thing. But do I love Ella? Hell yes!

One more thing about this and it may seem out of left field, but be patient.

I am a woman of Mexican descent whose family subscribed to the theory of assimilation. That means that I learned very early on that to 'fit in' one needs to blend into the background. I don't speak with an accent because I didn't learn to speak Spanish as a kid. I rarely wore ethnic clothing as a kid because we rarely got them. I was taught by my family & society to ignore the differences between myself and others in order to fit in. It also helped that I was a smart cookie and that my gender seemed to make me different more than my ethnicity/race. Thus it took until I was almost thirty to realize that assimilation had made me blind to racism that was happening to me and others around me. It had made me blind to seeing anything really in front of me, except sexism. Which is why I'm slowing deassimilating myself.

As someone who learned very early to hide in the background, you have to believe that I teach Ella not to make a scene in public, not to be too loud because gawd forbid that she acts "Mexican" in public. Yeah, still working on that deassimilation thing.

So when people talk about kids being out of control, I take it really personally because we work extra hard to have Ella be in total control in public. Not just for kid reasons, but because we know that she is a reflection of her background and well, to set an example.

Speaking of Ella, it's time for her to get up. So this will have to be it on the topic.

Oh and one more thing. Sorry to seem like I ignored Vanessa & her adorable baby over at Feministe.

Labels: blogging, Ella, feminism

From the feminist blogosphere to my favorite Chicago site, people are NOT afraid of stating "I hate kids." Why the hating?

This topic has touched my third rail even before Ella came into this world, so it was a joyous occasion to see that Feministe has finally added a non-hater to their line-up. Not that all of them are haters, but some of them did roll in that mud once in awhile.

Calling children “radically disempowered” is almost an understatement. Pretty much from the moment they’re born, children are subject to a world that treats them as much like property as like people. Children grow up in a world with no voice. There are countless rules and regulations controlling their daily lives, and they have absolutely no say in any of those rules. They are subject to the whims of the people around them- people who may or may not have their best interests in mind. Children have no privacy and no right to a fair trial when an adult (parent) accuses the child of wrong doing. Their entire lives are at the whims of people who control what clothes they wear, whether they have a roof over their heads, whether they even eat.

Being a child isn’t easy. Very little in your life is under your own control, and you’re also subject to your body’s whims. Children are still growing and developing, and they don’t always even understand how or why they feel certain ways. They may not know why they’re tired or cranky at any particular moment. And, as someone else pointed out, even if they do know, they’re still subject to other people’s whims. An adult who isn’t feeling well can call in sick and avoid interacting with other people, in many cases. Children don’t have that option.

And this is the group that some people have decided that they hate?

Some excuse the hating as just hyperbole. Well if we all excused our 'hates' as hyperbole then we'd be nowhere. "That [insert race here] cashier jipped me $5! I hate them!" "One time my sister dated a [insert religion here] guy and he totally tried to run her life. Stay away from them!"

In 2004, there were about 10,000 children in foster care in Illinois.

A study that took place in November 2005 found that, “Children living in homes occupied by their mother’s boyfriends or other non-relatives are up to 48 times more likely to die from
child abuse.” Mothers can't even date without the possibility that she'll invite her children's murderer home.

In 2006:

• 110,235 children were reported as abused or neglected;
• As a whole, Illinois' child abuse rate was 7.6 per 1,000 - Central & Southern Illinois were almost twice that;
• 250,000 children are without health care in Illinois.

I could go on and on. I don't expect everyone to love kids, believe me I don't love 'em all either. But the lack of outrage that happens on a daily basis when someone states that they hate kids is outrageous.

So here's to Roy and hoping that this guest blogger thing turns into a permanent situation. Because all this hating isn't getting us anywhere.

Labels: blogging, feminism

I will leave you with Kameron to consider what you do in your non-blogging life to change the world:

Blogs are great places, but I see them more as testing grounds - as initial steps, as consciousness-raising - more than I see them as real, solid activism. They're a form of, maybe, virtual activism. It's where you go to find your voice and speak to others who've shared some of your experiences in the world and want to converse about a common cause or interest.

The trick is to then use this voice you've found online and speak out in the real world. If something is fucked up, you need to be able to say it's fucked up just as easily in real life as you can online.

Because you'll find that it's a fuck of a lot easier to rip into the latest asshattery published by the Washington Post than it is to point out your coworker's blatent sexism during a morning meeting. It's a lot scarier to actually do than to talk about (like most things).

....
I got tired of people saying they "just didn't know" something was not cool, offensive, abusive, etc. If you *tell* them they're being sexist, at least you can take away that particular excuse, and maybe your courage can give other people courage. When enough people say no, you have a movement. Behavior changes.

While at Wiscon this weekend, I had somebody introduce me to somebody else as another writer's girlfriend.

One sentence. Full stop.

I laughed out loud and said, "Wow, I can't believe you just introduced me that way at a feminist SF con when I have a story coming out in a Year's Best SF on Tuesday."

Labels: blogging, feminism

Last week, MotherTalk hosted a blog tour for a book about parenting and religion. The book, Parenting Beyond Belief: On Raising Caring, Ethical Kids Without Religion, takes the side of those parents who want to raise their children in a secular vein, without religion. We think the publication of this book gives us a chance to blog about religion and our families and the ways we parent, from a variety of angles.

This Friday, May 25th, we thought we'd invite everyone to blog about religion: what we do; what we don't; what our kids like, or don't; what we argue about; what we feel great about, or guilty of... the list goes on and on and the sky's the limit, bonanzas are all about conversation.

I'm in a mixed marriage. I'm a tree-loving, goddess-worshiping pagan. The hubby is a true Catholic. He likes to label himself that because as far as he's concerned he pretty much lives by what the Bible says, what Jesus would REALLY do, and not so much what TPTB rant about. I'm also a recovering Catholic, so you might really categorize me as a pagan Catholic. I identify a lot with the ethnic part of Catholicism; the way native Mexicans merged their pagan religion with Catholicism.

What we do is celebrate Christmas & Solstice and Easter & Ostara, althou I have to admit to being a lazy pagan and not really getting my butt in gear to do a ritual on any holiday. I personally celebrate Halloween and Samhain. I do believe that this year I will bring Ella into my celebration and get in gear with a real ritual for Samhain. (Yes, long-time readers more angst about my late mother!) I wear a goddess around my neck, the hubby wears a cross. The hubby prays each morning and evening and crosses Ella before we leave her somewhere. He's even teaching her how to cross herself. I rub my goddess when I need a little more strength or peace.

Tonight Ella went on and on about how if I die, she'd have to get a new mommy. Oy...Just what I need. I did talk about heaven. I do believe in a heaven/summerland, where we all go, except the most evil, when we die. (If the Catholics are right, save me a place in Hell, k?) But I phrased it as, "Most people believe..." Hopefully as she grows and keeps hearing that phrase, she'll understand that we want her to find her own path.

We don't go to church. The last time either of us went to a church without a wedding or funeral happening was me. Shocked, eh? Being a pagan can be lonely. So I tried out a UU church nearby. It was nice, but I dunno...Maybe later. And honestly I'm too busy to find a coven to really get involved with. Yeah, I know...Don't ask. I'm just confusing like that.

The only thing I feel guilty about is that Ella doesn't have official godparents. Having those seemed to be comforting to me as a kid. Maybe when she's a tad older and can understand what it means, we'll figure out some type of ceremony we can do in the backyard or at a UU church. The two couples who would be her godparents already know who they are. We told them as much around Ella's birth. (Reminder...get that damn will done!)

I hope that this this and that way of infusing religion into Ella's life keeps going as well as it has been. She's just shy of 4, so we have a long way to go. I do wonder what it'll be like when her friends start asking about it. Then again her best friends are one Jewish boy and one half-Jewish, half-some type of Christian girl (the dad doesn't talk about it). So being half-pagan and half-Catholic won't be too weird. Being my daughter will be tough enough!

All that said, I do fear how I'll be able to teach Ella to respect religion when fundamentalism runs rampant in this world. From fundie Christians in this country telling us who we can love and when I can reproduce to fundie Muslims in Iraq stoning girls to death just for falling in love with someone outside her faith. I guess we'll just borrow from the Catholics and hate the follower, love the faith. Or something like that.

Which brings me to our only big argument about religion - Catholic school. Living in Chicago, it's tough to find a good public school and with all this BS-"School Choice" it's almost impossible. Which forces us to look at private, independent, and *gulp* religious schools. Catholic schools are out. Period. No discussion. OK, maybe a little. But the hubby has to do the research and present the case. I can't give money to an institution that continues to lie and cover up about child rape and then call me out for being pro-choice. And that's just the beginning.

I think the best thing for her is to be exposed to as many different faiths as possible so she can choose or build her own path.

Labels: blogging, Books, Ella, family, feminism, goddess, writing

As my faithful readers have noticed, I've picked up quite a bit of work reviewing books over the past year. It started out with me posting my own reviews of books that I read, loved, and needed to tell my sliver of the world. I'd dare say that 90% of the books I read are not on the NY Times best seller list, heck make that 99%. That same percentage are women authors and at the same time feminist works of literature as well. I feel it is my duty as a feminist book reader to tell you all to go pick up that book and read it as well.

One bit of advice I keep getting over the years as I attempt to hone my craft as an activist/advocate is to write, write, write...and read. What better way for me to sharpen my writing than to blog about what I just read? As a kid I hated writing book reports because they seemed so lame - even as I chugged them out 2-3 times a week. I read a lot of short books. Hey, the teacher valued quantity as well as quality.

Thanks to Get Them Blogging and MotherTalk, I'm just about up to my ears in books to read & review. Three years ago if you had told me that 1) I'd get free books in the mail just for blogging about them and 2) I'd have time to read them all, I would told you to get outta here. This experience has been fabUlous. It has forced to pay closer attention to the writing of the books I read instead of just getting lost in the story. My book club kinda did that, but there's something about putting words out into the blogosphere that makes me take that job a bit more seriously.

You can imagine the fury that went thru my mind when I read on Echidne of the Snakes that a book reviewer, Richard Schickel, is a tad pissy that us bloggers are taking his work:

Let me put this bluntly, in language even a busy blogger can understand: Criticism — and its humble cousin, reviewing — is not a democratic activity. It is, or should be, an elite enterprise, ideally undertaken by individuals who bring something to the party beyond their hasty, instinctive opinions of a book (or any other cultural object). It is work that requires disciplined taste, historical and theoretical knowledge and a fairly deep sense of the author's (or filmmaker's or painter's) entire body of work, among other qualities.

I'll admit that I'm not trained to write reviews, but I guess that's why I get paid in books. One of his main arguments is that my opinion doesn't mean poop:

Opinion — thumbs up, thumbs down — is the least important aspect of reviewing. Very often, in the best reviews, opinion is conveyed without a judgmental word being spoken, because the review's highest business is to initiate intelligent dialogue about the work in question, beginning a discussion that, in some cases, will persist down the years, even down the centuries.

Looking back at my archives and the number of comments I get on book review posts, I'd have to say that I'm not adding much to "intelligent dialogue about" the book (see what happens when you don't comment!). That said, most days I have at least one visitor who comes here because they were looking for a review of a book I have read.

Schickel wraps up with the flawed logic that because writing a print review is permanent, that blogging a review is somehow temporary:

The act of writing for print, with its implication of permanence, concentrates the mind most wonderfully. It imposes on writer and reader a sense of responsibility that mere yammering does not. It is the difference between cocktail-party chat and logically reasoned discourse that sits still on a page, inviting serious engagement.

Tell that one to anyone who has ever posted something stupid on their blog and had that show up high on their Google name list. In what seems to be a hastily written blog post criticizing bloggers who are criticizing Jessica Valenti's book, Jill wrote some iffy statements. She then comes back to apologize for those statements. Tell Jill that her blog post isn't permanent.

I emailed a few other book reviewer bloggers (are we bobloggers? borebloggers? ha!) and learned that this is NOT Schickel's first pooping onto us bloggers. Am I feeding into what must be his HUGE desire to be heard on this topic? Yeah, but blame Echinde for that. I get as many readers a day as she gets in about 10 minutes. *wink* Schickel threw this blog-bomb out there way back in March at a writing conference:

And then suddenly, he veered off course and said that blogging is for idiots. That no one reads a blog except your mother and maybe your cousin, and that it’s stupid to write without getting paid for it. If I heard him correctly, he described blogs as the “near beer” of the writing world.

The irony of this is that the SAME day he said this, his daughter's book was part of a "blog tour" over at MotherTalk. Hmmm...I wonder what the next family dinner was like...Bread anyone?

The thing is that we've all been here before and will continue to have to defend our blogging honor. "Real" journalists still debate whether bloggers should have media credentials, "real" videographers will argue whether or not CNN asking for video has ruined media, and now we have a "real" reviewer wondering if my itty bitty blog with barely 40 visitors a day is hurting his career. My, what a fragile ego we have.

What I have seen in my short time in blogging for books is that it is a community event. I go to other blogs to read what others have to say. It's half-review and half-book club. Just as I don't really care what Rich R. has to say about movies, but love to read Steve's reviews on Gapers Block. It's not just that I adore the owner of GB or that it's online, but I know Steve is far geekier than I am and so if something makes him laugh, I can pretty much guess correctly if it will do the same for me. IOW, I can relate to Steve. Just as I hope that those reading my reviews can relate to me. I can't relate to RR nor do I relate to most mainstream book reviewers. Plus, I rarely read mainstream stuff (I'll return to that next week).

Will I stop reviewing books? Not as long as they keep coming free to my mailbox from the PUBLISHERS. Will my writing get better? I hope so.

Labels: blogging, Books, writing

MotherTalk poses this question:

Dangerous Boys by brothers Conn and Hal Iggulden, reminds us of the days before our culture banished the jungle gyms, and stopped kids from playing in treehouses, running go-carts, and whittling wood with a Swiss Army knife to make a bow and arrow. After a single-page introduction lamenting over the ways we keep our kids from experiencing risk and adventure, The Dangerous Book for Boys mixes recipes of outdoor fun with small-chapter information ranging from great battles, the seven wonders of the ancient world, parts of speech, and how to tap Morse Code.

• Have we made childhood too safe? Are we too afraid for our children, too scared to let them wander, ride bikes around the block, take risks? What are the real risks, which are imagined, and how do we navigate these, as their moms?

I haven't read this book and I don't plan on it. Why? Because the basic premise is that only boys can be dangerous. For a better blog post about the gender issues, see ginmar's post. Yes dear readers, I'd rather focus on the dangerous aspect of this prompt than to tackle the gender issue.

Still with me? Good.

Spend a few minutes with Miss Ella and you'll know that I'm mothering a pretty dangerous woman-child. She loves to jump, jump off of things, climb, jump off, run, and all the great things I remember doing as a kid. I had deep pride in the fact that by 5th grade I knew how to run and flip myself over a fence without ripping my clothes or skin on the top of it. I'd ride my bike up and down the street and then do pop-a-wheelies off a homemade ramp. I made it with a piece of plywood and a brick. Yeah, real safe, eh? I'd spend hours in my tree, reading or just watching the world go by. There was one summer where I'd sneak up to the roof and jump off. Don't be too amazed, we lived in a small one-floor house.

Have we made childhood too safe?

Yes and no. A few weeks ago Miss Ella was rollerskating with a neighbor. The neighbor girl, K, didn't have knee pads, wrist guards, or a helmet on. Heck, she barely had her skates on right! I sat there watching them thinking about when I was a kid skating. Who wore protection then? Seeing yesterday and today skating together made me think that maybe we are too safe today. Then Ella fell and laughed. That's when I knew that her pads were not just keeping her safe, but also making it more fun. She likes falling down and without kneepads, there wouldn't be much laughing. I know that too well.

We didn't have much money growing up, so bikes had to last a long time - even if the brakes were dying. I was racing home one night and took a corner too fast. I wiped out...BIG TIME. I cried the last 2 houses home. I was mad. Mostly at the fact that we were so poor that I was riding a bike without brakes.

On the flip side, there are so many times when the hubby & I butt heads about Ella being too dangerous. Is climbing up on the stoop too dangerous? Is it more so because of the 50 lb flower pot sharing the stoop? Is jumping off the jungle gym really that bad? Especially now that most playgrounds are softer than a gymnastics floor. Ok, maybe it is. But still...a girl's gotta have some fun, right?

In other ways, childhood is safer for great reasons: seat belts, car seats, no riding in the back of the pick-up, on and on. But play shouldn't be just about safety. There needs to be some danger. Why? So that we can push ourselves. If we never take those risks to jump just a little farther than we should, we might not take that large leap move out of our parent's home at 18. And what a bore we'd grow up to be.

Technorati tags: MotherTalk, Fearless Friday

Labels: blogging, Books, writing

Because if you don't, I'll hunt you down.

Amy wants to win a gig so she can blog for a year. Why?

The best way for me to do that is to write about it. I’m a high school teacher back in my home town to be closer to my father and there would be nothing finer than to be paid to blog for a year so that I could focus on my father’s disease and create this living document to give to my child when she is old enough to understand it. To understand what life is like around these parts where I’m trapped in a small town, helping to care for a father who doesn’t remember me, being a single mom, and staying sane.

And other than I think Amy is the bestest why should we vote for her?

1. I miss her blogging. Period.
   
2. When she does write about her Papa, it moves me and it will move others.
3. By sharing her experience & pain, she will be helping others in similar situations.
4. Can you face Isabelle and tell her that you didn't vote for her mama? Yeah, neither could I.
   

SO VOTE

Labels: blogging, family

MotherTalk posed this prompt to its readers in light of the paperback release of Arianna Huffington's "Becoming Fearless:" let's all blog about overcoming fear—at home, in relationships, at school, of our bodies, in parenting, at work, and in leadership.

So what have I done to overcome fear? When I seriously consider this question what quickly comes to mind are all the things I am still afraid to talk about, do, or consider. I use to be much more fearless before the hubby. His more grounded & cautious nature has pulled me out of the clouds - some days - and helped give up some of my more reckless/fearless habits. That said, as I grow up and I guess mature, I've become more fearless in many ways. One particular way was when I took my current job.

My job is a dream job and when you are asked to do what you've been working so hard to do, you freeze. You question your ability to write a simple sentence, add single digits, and speak a coherent thought. I mulled over my decision with everyone I knew and I think that old guy in Lincoln Square who feeds the pigeons. I believe I was searching for that one person who would tell me, "No,Roni, you are not ready. Wait." Luckily I didn't run into that person.

I did however run into people who questioned my ability to do other things like, um, be president of a board because of my new job. Not that said person's ability to run said board was deterred when said person took a new job two years prior. Oh, no. And because of the overwhelming support from family & friends, I was able to see thru that person's bull. I didn't get that gig, but a huge veil of BS was lifted and I was outta there. Now that was fearless. Leaving a community that I had grown to love and I thought loved me back. It had become part of my identity, but loved ones were able to show me that I could still be Roni without being Roni from BS-ville.

That brings me to my final and conclusive thought. Being fearless is addictive and much like a snowball. It grows with each new day, with each new issue tackled, and with each new decision made. And you can never get enough of it. It makes you frustrated when you "need" to be fearful for whatever reason, rational or not. It's brought me to the brink of recklessness again...but with a much more mature heart.

Labels: blogging, Books, writing

I tried it and hated it. Thank you Annalee Newitz.

Labels: blogging

I currently own 2 messenger bags, 1 tote, and 2 handbags from Ms. Cooper. Miss Ella also owns a backpack and now a small handbag.

80% of the time when someone sees me, I have a Poise bag on me or my daughter.

The problem? My coworkers LOVE her bags and one of them is getting married soon. Chances are that my web surfing coworkers (who I supervise!) will find this place soon enough.

So listen up underlings...Get back to work!

haha...thank the goddess I hire cool people thou.

Seriously thou, Cinn...you're a rockstar. People see my new bag and say, "Your friend didn't make that too, did she?" or "Another fab bag from your friend?" And because of that, I feel like one too. So thanks.

Labels: blogging

Didya notice the new blue button over there? >>>

It's to Dawn's new project to get us all blogging in swag. Do you want in? Then sign up! Here's the dish on "Get Them Blogging"...

* What is Get Them Blogging?
Get Them Blogging is a categorical database for the PR industry. It lists blogs and bloggers who are interested in reviewing new products and services on their blogs.

* What does PR stand for?
PR stands for public relations. PR and marketing people are the ones who put together campaigns to sell products and services. If you see the host of your favorite morning show interviewing an actress about her new movie or doing a story on a great new cleaning supply, somebody's PR machine got that story on there.

* Why would a PR person care about my blog?
Savvy marketing people are learning that blogs are an easy way to get their products and services into the hands of their target audience. It's a great way to get feedback, to create word-of-mouth buzz, or to improve their site's page rank with search engines.

* How do PR people contact me?
When you add your blog listing or blogger profile to the database there will be a link at the bottom that says "write to author." If a PR person wants to include you in his or her blog campaign, they will send you a private message through our system. If you asked our system to email you when you receive a new private message when you created your account, you'll get a notification email. If you're interested in reviewing the product or service, can reply via private message with your contact information.

* How do I let them know I'm not interested?
You don't need to do a thing. PR people will only have your contact information if you give it to them.

* How will PR people send me their stuff?
If you are interested in reviewing something then you will need to share your contact info -- likely your name and address -- with them. Again, you do NOT need to share your contact info with Get Them Blogging! staff and you do not need to share it with any PR person with whom you are not interested in working.

Learn more by going to the site>>>

Labels: blogging

Stolen from Kameron.

Labels: blogging

Now Katha's response...

Jessica, you're not the first to point out that NOW, Feminist majority and other big feminist groups founded by 1960s activists have had trouble opening up leadership roles to young women. I'm not sure there's anything particular to women in this--ie anything that justifies your analogy to that idiotic sorority.

I'd agree that the parallel to the sorority is baseless. The institutional feminist organizations need our money, so they keep us around for our dues. *tongue in cheek...kinda*

If you really feel dissed and dismissed by these minor events, don't hang around waiting for your big break. Start your own group.

On the surface this seems like a good plan. But really, how many of us have the time & resources to start a whole new group? That said, I also feel that sometimes our biggest weakness is that there are too many groups out there and we aren't talking to each other. Whether due to ignorance or competition, we need to talk to each other if we're gonna get anything done.

As a constant reader of Feministing, I know that you and your co-writers are quite the blogo-battlers. You don't have the all-inclusive, nonjudgmental, everyone's-a-feminist POV you insist others take toward young women.

OUCH. And she's right. As much as I love reading Feministing, there are days when I roll my eyes at what is up there. I have to admit that I haven't felt the same love towards them since the lame excusing of Jessica's book cover. I know there are a lot of pressures on young authors, but gawd damn...

If there are ideological differences between generations, they should be discussed as ideas, not declared off limits because the person who espouses them is younger (or older).

And this is where I wholeheartedly agree with Katha. There are far too many times when I've been in meetings or email discussions and debate is shut down due to one generation stomping their foot down and saying, "NO. WE ARE THE EXPERTS." Whether it is to have thongs for sale or have a folk singer from the 1970s us kids have never heard before sing at the big gala.

Feminism means something different to each generation. The second wavers have so much to finish and some of them have told me, "I'm too old, you do it." While others won't give up control until we pry it from their dead hands. In many ways, I admire both. I think it's awesome that someone realizes that they are too tired, too burnt out, too overwhelmed to carry on. Maybe they realize they just are out of new ideas, who knows. But it takes a brave person to walk away from their life's work in order for a new generation to push it to the finish line. OTOH, I really hope that when I'm 60 that I still have the fire I see in some of the second wavers. That I still think I have ideas. But honestly, I hope when I'm 60, most of the work will have been done and I'll have put myself out of business.

There is a generational war brewing. But it's been brewing from generations. We'll always have it. As Katha points out, it is very much like a mother-daughter relationship. Which we all know has it's good points & very bad points. It also has no conclusion.

Labels: blogging, feminism, feministcard

For some reason that I don't understand, my blog template has a line limit. So the above post has been edited a zillion times so that it looks nice. I guess even my template knows when to tell me to shut the hell up. Damn, I want to go to bed!

Labels: blogging

Taking 2 days off of work has never hurt so much. And I'm taking 2 more next week, well I'm traveling for work, but still 2 days out of the office. Oy...this is gonna really hurt!

I think I caught up with my emails. If I missed yours, just poke me. I'm squishy, it won't hurt.

Some questions were posed in my comments, so here it goes:

1) Goddesses can wear capes. They are goddesses, they get to wear what they want. Which explains my fashion choices. And yes, purple is the color of choice for this goddess.

2) Abstracts...ok, they seem like a lot, but they aren't really. The hardest part of writing a good abstract is knowing your conclusion and being willing to give away the ending. This is not a formal way of writing one (you can find that here) but this is how I do it. In all honesty, it should be the last thing you write. But since many calls for books, articles, etc. ask for an abstract, you have to think about it as a Cliff Notes version of your future book chapter/article. It should be about 200-300 words long, cover your idea for the article, include the reasons why YOU should be the author, and give a little background of the idea. Sound hard? It is. At least for me who likes to ramble on and on...What you should remember is that this is all that the reviewer will read about your idea, what would make them contact you about writing a full article?

3) My writing. I'm moaned about wanting to do more writing since I left college in 1997. People have given me advise here and there. I read A LOT, but I haven't been writing as much. So I'm trying to write a lot more than I usually do.

whew! I think that's it. For now. I have a blog post about Jessica's moaning about the second wavers in my head. Hopefully tonight after I get our taxes done (I swear I will!) I can get it out the door. I'm starting to find it highly amusing that I like to take such "high profile" articles and thorw in my 2 cents for my 4 readers. But it's all about the process, right? And not the fame, right? Aw, I'm just tired and a little pissy. Time for more of Carol's chocolate chip cookie from Whole Foods. YUM!

Labels: blogging, goddess, writing

One abstract submitted.

I'm also working on some interviews for me other blog project. Remember, email me if you want in on the dish!

Labels: blogging

Egads!

I know life is busy when I don't even have time to blog about the stupid stuff that makes up life. So here's a quick post, just so all of ya who do visit have something new to read.

* Brit: tsk, tsk...what else is there to say? Other than the latest piece I read on her had some doc suggeting that she was suffering from post-partum depression. Maybe Brooke Shields needs to visit her. Not to sound like the cold hearted bitch some of you think I am, but Brit seems to suffer what every other star does. That they are the pay check for almost everyone else. Her mom, her sister, her best buds, etc. Are they really going to tell her to quick acting like an idiot and shape up? Don't get me wrong, I firmly believe that every momma should go out once a week and dance it up. But every night?

* Tick...tock: Less than a week until the city elections. How bad will Da Mayor trounce Dorothy Brown? *sigh* If the media had given her race half a chance, it might had been a good race. And I won't mention the 4-person race in my ward...mostly because I mention it to voters almost every night for 2 hours.

* I use to feel a tad sad that I never lived in the dorms when I was in college. I don't anymore. 'nuff said.

* There's your trouble: Ella's still stuck on the Dixie Chicks. So much so that even I tell her that it's been enough. Funny thing is that because of the embargo against the Chicks, we've been listening to WLUW. I've been a member for a few years and the hubby has pretty much laughed. Of course that has all changed. He's digging the station. Of course, I usually listen during the talk shows. He's a music man. BTW - They are in a pledge drive right now. Support community radio!

* Starting March 1st, things might get a tad quiet around here. I have a new blogging gig. No, I'm not telling. Unless you email me.

* I took the advise given and printed out the calls last week. I was able to write up one abstract that is due March 1st. Now to type it up (yes, I still write, write...as in a pen & notebook) and send it in! Yay for peer pressure!!

* I really need to get our taxes done like today. Hopefully by the end of the weekend. Normally they are done by now, but that's how busy life has become!

* I've been asked to reapply for that leadership program I got rejected by last spring. At first I thought, no. I feel I've evolved past the point that this leadership program can do for me. As you may or may not know, most leadership programs want you to pay them back...Since this is a political one and I don't fall in line, well, you see my quandry. Then I talked to someone else who I thought might have gone thru it or knew others who had and she said she didn't think SHE had enough experience last year. Hmmm...But said that people like us would benefit from it. I guess I'll think about it.

* I got an ingenuiTEA mug like Cinnamon's after seeing her photos. I had just bought their lil tea pot, but quickly realized that I needed the mug for work instead. I LOVE IT! Other than cleaning it out. There's a reason we decided to put tea in bags. If you are going to buy anything from them, email me first! I can send you a gift certificate. (Thanks to Amy & Cinnamon for sending me GCs!)

Labels: blogging, misc, music

If I read one more thing about either FeministBloggerGate or Anna Nicole Smith, I think I'll puke. Seriously.

Come on folks. Amanda & Melissa now have it made. 1) They are grown adults who made a choice to blog for pay for a candidate. Of course they have a party line to tow! 2) John Edwards is running for President, he has to make sure he isn't pissing everyone off. Poopy to whomever hired A&M without fully reading their blogs instead of "Oh, let's hire us a couple of cool feminist bloggers!" Let me see who has the highest rating! Dumb. 3) How long after the campaign ends will it take for A&M to get book deals? The story is all over the mainstream press. If not, at least they have a much higher profile overall. As they say, there is no such thing as bad publicity. (psst...Barak & Hillary, you got my number, why haven't you called? I'll blog for the highest bidder. I'm Latina, feminist, and a mommy AND I blog. Come on!)

As for the pity that is Anna Nicole...the one I feel bad about is that lil girl. No momma, no idea who her daddy is, maybe a ton of money, maybe not. Didn't Phoebe Cates make 2 miniseries like this? *shrug* I'm sure Britney is happy that another blond is hogging up the gossip papers. Now which tabloid will post death photos of Anna Nicole firt? That's what I wanna know.

Labels: blogging, misc

Andrew was on Chicago Tonight last night. It's a local PBS news show that brings on local folk to talk current affairs and other stuff. Andrew & his fellow A-list Chicago bloggers (Chicagoist & CTA Tattler) went on to talk, well, blogs. I never know what time we would get home, so I didn't tell Ella that her 2nd favorite guy was going to be on TV until we got home. After dinner & a bath, we curled up on the couch and waited. And waited. FINALLY! Ella was acting like a 3yo until Andrew came on.

She just kept saying "He's on TV!" "There's Andrew!" And when the camera would show someone else, she'd say, "THAT'S not Andrew!" as if to tell the camera to go back to Mr. Huff. It was quite cute.

After the segment ended, she wanted to know where he was. I said, it was over. Then she wanted to know if he was home (so she can call him). I tried to explain that he was still there, but on his way home. Gotta love the 3yo mind.

And yes, she was on the phone to call him soon after to tell him that she saw him on TV. I think that's all her giggly self could say.

She is a major chatterbox and rarely stops talking or singing. But oh, Andrew walks thru the door and BAM! She stops cold. She does that to Cinnamon too, but sometimes will shake it off quickly. Not with Andrew. She's smitten and always has been.

The four of us laugh and wonder what's it's going to be life when she's a teenager. If she'll still swoon over him. Of course, I wonder how he'll feel the first time she has a real crush on someone else. It always makes me think of when Xander found out Dawn had a crush on Spike. hehe...

Oh...and Andrew did great. He was well spoken, relaxed, but poised. He projected a good image of us bloggers (even if he tried to project GB as a webzine and not a blog). We're not all crazy people in our basements! Althou, gotta say, the lighting on that show does not flatter. I've had another friend on that show and never noticed it. So he's been on NPR, PBS, and in Chicago magazine. Now for the Chicago version of "The Surreal Life". *wink*

Labels: blogging, Ella, TV/Radio

Heather did it and so I shall too:

Reply to this and I will:

1)Tell you why I friended you.
2)Associate you with a song/movie.
3)Tell a random fact about you.
4)Tell my first memory of you.
5)Associate you with an animal/fruit.
6)Ask something I've always wanted to know about you.
7)In return, you MUST spread this disease in your LJ/blog.

As for Heather, her reply was so sweet. I have a hard time I have any fangirls, so that just makes me blush big time. It's hard for this reject to think that anyone likes her. So, if you're game, comment and I'll gush over you.

Labels: blogging

There have been a million things that I want to blog about over the last few weeks, but I've been so busy with work and some neighborhood organizing. Then when I do have time, I seem to have writers block! That and I did indeed have writers block for 2 weeks for an op-ed for a newsletter. It wasn't even like my op-ed had a chance of being shot down! I was asked for it.

Have you seen the new commercial for Clear Blue Easy? OMG...it is so SNL that it made me almost pee my pants! And they aren't "the most sophisticated piece of technology [I] will ever pee on." See the video if you haven't. I wonder if we'll start to get more funny commercials like this since ad agencies know we'll YouTube them. Ah, YouTube, what was life without you?

Speaking of videos, I keep trying to get Ella on video while singing Dixie Chicks. She is soooo cute! Add to that, the hubby bought her one of those kiddie mics a few days ago. She holds it and talks into like she's a stand up comic. Seriously! Ella will say, "Hi everyone! So blahblahblahblah...hahahaha!! Thank you!" We have no idea where she got this from as we don't watch stand up at home very much and especially not in front of her. Her sense of humor is so like the hubby's.

Labels: blogging, Ella, misc, TV/Radio

One of my fave people online is Anathea. She is over at zen-lunatic and really is very zen. She's a SAHM of two cutie pies - both of whom occupy a space on my bulletin board at home.

Her domain is set to expire and is cash strapped. So I'm asking my dear readers to please pledge some money to keep Anathea blogging at her current blog. All we need is $112 for one year of zen-ness!

I'll start the pledges at $30. So all we need is $82. Any size pledge is good. $1 or $10.

At the moment, all I have is her address so if you pledge and want to send a check, leave your email in comments or email me at roniweb@gmail.

When I read her post about closing down shop, I immediately emailed her with this idea. So let's her a mommy out.

THANK YOU!! Enough people contacted me to help out Anathea that for just $10 each, we're going to keep our beloved blogging. Some donors said they'd do more, but that won't be necessary. And special thanks to those of you who said that they didn't know Anathea too well, but took that "Any friend of Roni's" thing to heart. Extra special thanks to those of you who said you were scraping up some money to send her. The power of the internet soooo floors me.

Labels: blogging