Heading out of town soon. No, not to Blogher! In fact, this is the place to come this week if you are incredibly jealous and bitter that you weren’t able to be at Blogher, because I’m going to officially deem that topic off-limits. No, we’re heading “Down the Shore,” as the area residents like to say. We’ll be back at the same place where Sam took his first steps (oh, it was so weird just looking at those old pictures of him…) just two years ago, and judging by the way Robby has claimed my laundry basket as a walker, I’m starting to wonder if I won’t have a similar announcement upon our return next week.

Guess what though - I’ve set up some wonderful guest posters for you all! No, I don’t believe I’m one of those big old money making blogs that requires guest posters when I step away from the computer; I just thought it would be FUN. You know, fun? Like, there are lots of blogs out there worth reading and if you haven’t found them yet I want to introduce you to them, just in case. I’m very excited about the whole thing, and I hope you all have fun next week . . . without me . . . just like Blogher . . .

BTW, for all you other East coasters that maybe don’t know this (I only recently found out) there is, in fact, a festivus for the rest of us. Blogher is having a Reach Out Tour in the month of October in several other locations. I plan to hit the one in DC on October 13. You with me?

Oh, and for those of you who are still trying to simmer down, I did get an email from someone at Cookie, directing me to Amanda Peet’s public apology, for what it’s worth.

Labels: Bloggy Stuff - Memes/Links/Business, Vacations and travel

So, what do you think?

Ok, now get out of your Google reader or bloglines or whatever you’re using and get over here!

Now . . . what do you think?

It was time for a new ‘do, wouldn’t ya say? Huge thanks to the wonderful and talented Jo-Lynne, writer of Musings of a Housewife and owner of DCR Design, for the perfect banner. She was fun to work with, patient with my nit pickiness, and quite speedy, I must say. And yes, I will miss my boys greeting me at the top every time I look at my site, but I thought it was about time that the banner have more connection to the blog name. Also, after having several people tell me that white on a black background is hard to read, I realized it was time to let go, despite the fact that I always liked how photos looked on the black (if yours still has a black background hit refresh on your computer). I hope this is easier on the eyes, since it’s not like I’m known for my really short posts around here.

We’re still tweaking with colors and so forth (we being the Hubby and I), so if you notice anything weird please let me know. I’m happy though. Ah, blogging. Blogging is fun, huh?

Labels: Bloggy Stuff - Memes/Links/Business

Originally posted 2006

The airplane full of passengers, after hurtling through the atmosphere in flames, comes to a screeching halt just a few feet over a baseball diamond. Thank goodness, Lois is safe and Superman has saved the day again. The whole crowd is on its feet at this spectacle. When they realize what has taken place, that Superman is back, they burst into applause. Hubby and I burst into tears. We, like the audience at that baseball game, were so happy to see Superman again: “I’m so glad he’s back. I’m so happy to be HERE, at a movie, with YOU!”

This is only the second movie Hubby and I have seen since Sam was born, not including the two that we tried to take Sam to when he was younger because, well, they just don’t count. And we used to be a couple that would go to a movie and on the way out decide we wanted to see another. So it was a big deal to be at the theater, a few hours that made the trip to visit the in-laws well worth the travel in the car with the infant, even though the fireworks were canceled.

And it’s not just that we got to see a movie, but we got to see Superman Returns. To be fair, it’s really not that great. But that’s not the point. That first action sequence makes it worth it, because I think for anyone of my generation we’re going to feel nothing but complete joy when we hear that music (yes, they keep the awesome music by John Williams) and feel that relief when we see that he’s done it yet again. We grew up with Superman, the amazing Christopher Reeve. We grew up with Star Wars, the original trilogy before all of the crap was added. We grew up with He-Man, Thundercats, Indiana Jones, and E.T., everyone’s favorite extra-terrestrial. What will Sam grow up with? Who will his heroes be? When he is about to turn 30, who will return to make him think, “Thank goodness, I’m so glad he’s back in my life again – I really missed him”?

It makes me sad. I want my son to have all the things I had growing up. I really feel like our generation benefited from a fabulous burst on the scenes of Hollywood just as we were getting old enough to appreciate it. Some of what we had as children has become a quintessential part of our culture today. There are moments from these films that still will give you the chills when seen again. Just watch Elliot riding his bicycle at that beautiful moment before they lift off the ground and you’ll know what I am talking about. Elmo, Dora, Sponge Bob for goodness sake! They just aren’t comparable. And I realize that to Sam they will be totally and completely comparable. And I suppose that to some extent one could argue that Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy are comparable. But…well…I want Sam to love what I loved, I guess. I want him to see Star Wars and realize how amazing it was for its time, not be distracted by what he considers to be poor special effects. I want him to feel the joy that his father and I had as children from seeing something new and loving it innocently, without cynicism or criticism.

I want Sam to be able to enjoy the world in which I grew up, and I am starting to be afraid that he can’t. What if we can’t find a house in a neighborhood where it is safe for him to go out on his bike for hours with his friends? Do kids even get to do that anymore, leave for the afternoon and be free and independent? Or is the world already too dangerous, too scary? I don’t want to raise my child to be afraid of the world, but…I just don’t know…if I can.

On the drive home today Hubby and I were talking about Kim Jong-Il developing nuclear weapons and my gut reaction was, “Oh my God, what if something happens to our planet before Sam gets to live his life?” I can’t even bring myself to watch Al Gore’s movie, An Inconvenient Truth, because I already feel so amazingly powerless when it comes to the fact that I know we are destroying our world. I don’t want to be afraid, but it is so much, SO MUCH harder now that I have him. I have no control. Who will save the world for my baby? Even Superman can’t stand up to the radioactive material from his home planet.

I don’t want my son to be afraid of the world, to lose his childhood to fear. I want Sam to play with his friends in the street without me watching him out the window every moment. I want him to have some clean air left to breathe, some fresh water to drink, some sunlight safely touching his face. I want for him to have some superheroes, both real and fictitious, in whom he can place his hope. And yes, I want him to have some truly awesome movies too.

I originally wrote this post in July of 2006, and in reading it back now, I don’t really know that all that much has changed. I still want the same things for my boys (there are, of course, two now), Al Gore won the Nobel Prize, and I still have the same anxiety about the state of our planet. Oh, and a new Indiana Jones was released since then, and it was seriously one of the worst movies I have ever seen - even the music couldn’t save that one.

I am reposting this here as part of Scribbit’s Write Away contest for July. The theme is “Wonder Woman/Superman.”

Labels: Bloggy Stuff - Memes/Links/Business, Mommyhood, Writing

Ready? brrrrrrrrrr…you know, I can’t actually make that drumroll sound with my mouth.  So I guess it makes sense that I have no idea how to write it here, either.  Anyway, picked at random using a random number generator (I had this whole elaborate plan of writing the numbers of all the comments down and having Sam pick one at random and documenting it with photos and such, but seriously, who has the time, right?), the winner for the Brain, Child subscription giveaway is brrrrrrrrrr… Chrissy of Sing a Lullaby!

I’m so happy because Chrissy and I have always been bloggin’ buds, ever since the beginning (as in, when I started blogging).  She’s one of those people you meet out here in the good old internet and then go on to have as a real friend.  So congrats to you, Chrissy - enjoy!

Thank you for all who entered.  As a consolation prize, please enjoy this great picture of what I forced my husband to do on Father’s Day. I had completely forgotten about these pictures that were on my phone - how could I? Imagine, if you will, him mounting himself onto the camel in front of everyone and me yelling, “Happy Father’s Day, honey!” That’s a guy who will do anything for his kids, no?

Labels: Bloggy Stuff - Memes/Links/Business, Hubby, Pictures, The Big One

That’s right people, it’s my 200th post here at the old Haircut. Technically I should have a lot more, but the 12 month hiatus during that second pregnancy and then the first few months of having two kids really put a damper on the frequency of posting - I think I probably wrote maybe 10 entries max during that time. ANYWAY…

I wanted to thank you guys for sticking around during that time, as well as to all you bloggers who I am just meeting now that I’m doing this again. It always meant so much to me that I heard from some of you checking in on me, and that some of you are still here despite the fact that I disappeared without a word. And even more than that, I just want to thank you for making blogging so much fun. I honestly had no idea what this would be for me when I started, but I quickly learned that it was something I needed in order to keep me sane. The community of you all, learning about you and sharing my own crap with you, well, I friggin’ love it. So thank you, bunches and bunches. I have no intention of disappearing ever again.

And to thank ya good and proper, I thought it would be nice to do a good old fashioned giveaway, my very first. And I must say, the prize is awesome…because I picked it.

You know that magazine that I talk about all the time, Brain, Child? I told you about it here, many moons ago, and then I mentioned it also here, at the end of my depressing post? Don’t read that last one now - it’s giveaway time. In that first post I talked about what a smart magazine it was (it is, after all, “the magazine for thinking mothers”), and two years later I feel even more strongly about its worth. This magazine is not filled with fear inducing guides to your baby’s many stages/mommy make-overs/things you should buy/etc. No, it’s mostly essays, a little fiction, and some current parent-related news. Every issue makes me laugh, some issues have made me cry, and always I learn something new. Go check out a few pieces from the current issue and see what I mean. And then enter this giveaway and find out for free!

The ladies at Brain, Child would like to bestow a one year free subscription to one of you lucky gals (Or guys? Are there any guys here other than The Hubs? And my dad?). All you have to do is leave a comment on this post by Friday, June 27th at midnight (EST). And you don’t even need a blog, just an email where I can reach you to arrange your awesome subscription, so come on out of hiding you lurkers.

And no, I’m not getting anything to do this - I really just love it that much. I even sent them an essay once and they rejected it (but they were very nice about it and had at least read it through:), and yet I am still doing this - now that’s love, people. Go ahead, win a subscription so that you can spend the next year reading each issue thinking in the back of your mind, Wow, that Beth, she sure was right…

Labels: Bloggy Stuff - Memes/Links/Business

Sorry about that you guys: I totally forgot to enlighten you with the results for the Grossest Person at the Playground Poll! How could I do such a thing?

Well, it was a close race. I thought A-Hole on the swing (Remember? “Is that a swing for retarded people?”) was going to get it for sure. He’s the one I think I would have cast my ballot for. But no! At the last moment A-Hole pushing the swing busted into first place by the narrow margin of one little vote. To refresh your memories, he was the one who wouldn’t stop pushing his daughter really high on the swing despite the fact that she was crying for him to stop.

Of the beautifully classy group, dude teaching his son to pee on the fence received no votes, a few of you expressed extreme disdain for the smoking parents, and, like I said, the two swinging A-holes had very special places in your hearts. Ah, a lovely day at the park . . . I hope none of you experience anything like it any time soon.

BTW, on our way out of the zoo yesterday (Father’s Day outing) we walked by a very, VERY pregnant woman lighting up. Aaaawesome.

Labels: Bloggy Stuff - Memes/Links/Business

Do I follow you on Twitter? Heck, no! That was way too much for me, ya’ll. It lasted what, like 24 hours? I know, I’m so old fashioned. You know, back in my day we just wrote something called a blog post. And then, if someone was particularly tech savvy and they wanted to read it it, they’d use something called Bloglines. We didn’t have any of these fancy schmancy tweets that all you young ‘uns are talking about today.

Yeah, I guess not everything is for everybody. I know people use it to feel in the know, but I just felt really behind, even more so than I did just last night. I guess I’m just the grandma who refuses to learn how to use the internet because it just feels too fast paced, too complicated, too much for her aging self. I hope to use the time that I would have tweeted by reading your blogs more carefully, and writing your comments more frequently and thoughtfully. I’m a blogger, not a Twitterer. But I’m glad we can all still be friends, you TWITS!

Oh, and Happy Father’s Day, honey. Your gift is that I’ve deleted my Twitter account. It really is the gift that keeps on giving, as my mind is now here in our house again and I’m not staring at the screen trying to figure out what the heck is going on. He also got a used Superman DVD box set, which again, we will be able to watch tonight only because I am letting go of the twitter thing.

Happy Father’s Day everyone!

Labels: Bloggy Stuff - Memes/Links/Business