tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97145432011-11-29T18:41:51.720-05:00There are a few things I'm sure about and a lot I'm not.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.comBlogger16061100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-88320036562803443102009-06-13T21:20:00.005-04:002009-06-14T08:32:50.328-04:00

I'm wondering who's been reading since the beginning of this blog. Libby and Dawn, I'm sure (Dawn, you haven't blogged since Tuesday--I'm the one who's supposed to be giving up on this, not you!). Maybe Jackie? Andi? Anyone else?Who has been reading since we moved? Does anyone remember the four years?Oh my goodness, it looks as if I did not blog the four years!! Well, does anyone who knows

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-39439708916890990602009-06-11T21:59:00.003-04:002009-06-11T22:13:13.987-04:00

Life has been quite crazed around here. There is the usually childrenly crazedness of the end of the school year, augmented by the overlapping of the end of E's soccer season and the start of her summer play rehearsals, not to mention the bat mitzvahs and birthday parties. Then S and I have been beset by events and meetings, which everyone seems to think are good to schedule in June. Finally,

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-55855342432353183092009-06-11T12:04:00.001-04:002009-06-11T12:09:10.257-04:00

Julia Roberts is adorable. Kate Gosselin is horrifying. And Letterman discussing Palin is quite funny.

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-2791329631092597302009-06-08T00:14:00.001-04:002009-06-08T00:15:21.193-04:00

I think all there is to say about today's Times is this.

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-64366957126224114762009-06-07T23:33:00.004-04:002009-06-08T00:12:17.856-04:00

My first Shakespeare, or at least the first Shakespeare I remember, was a televised production of Much Ado About Nothing set just after World War I which I absolutely adored (could it be this? the hair looks right), though I did wonder for an embarassingly long time how a turn-of-the-17th-century writer could have set a play in the early 20th century (I really did). I was perhaps 9 or 12 or some

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-45876378909834907492009-06-03T13:47:00.004-04:002009-06-03T14:03:57.570-04:00

On the other hand...M has been sick since Sunday (she seems finally to be getting better, thanks), which means pretty much constant television, much of it in my presence, since sick in our house seems to entail Advil, blankets, pillows, a glass of water, and Mommy, not to mention any and all food and drink you desire, especially when you are starting to get better, and lack of nutrients seems to

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-52962073434992690652009-06-03T10:52:00.003-04:002009-06-03T11:21:30.611-04:00

The two things people are most surprised to learn about me are that I don't eat meat and I don't watch TV. They are surprised because we are such a food family and I am such a pop culture maven, but they are also surprised because I keep these facts pretty quiet. See, people who don't eat meat or watch TV can tend toward the sanctimonious, and you should know by now how I feel about the

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-44571351981173628052009-06-02T17:19:00.002-04:002009-06-02T17:35:13.365-04:00

I have been in a bit of a tizzy about Gardasil, the HPV vaccine. As anyone who knows me knows, I am generally pro-modern medicine from a personal standpoint (hooray for successful emergency appendectomies!), and pro-vaccines from an ideological standpoint (the only reason you can get away with not vaccinating your precious little Artemis is because all the rest of us are vaccinating, so Artemis

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-14940130661092421262009-06-01T16:05:00.002-04:002009-06-01T16:23:08.081-04:00

Here's a political litmus test: What are you most upset about today, Dr. Tiller or GM? Here's an...intellectual? ideological? oh, let's just call it another litmus test: What are you blogging about today?My automotive history:Toyota StarletHonda CivicFord Escort wagon(Honda M5)(Jeep)(Mazda 3)Subaru Outback wagonS's cars are in parentheses, everything was bought used except the Escort, and this

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-48479718543608879642009-05-28T22:59:00.003-04:002009-05-29T00:24:15.553-04:00

I do not intend this blog to become all NY Times all the time, but the hugging teens article is irresistible! And I'm not going to go where you probably think I'm going. No sirree, Bob, this one is right on the mark! Seriously.We first noticed the hugging teens at M's summer camp, where a two-minute walk across the lawn invariably takes 15 minutes, as M throws her arms around every young

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-58872309602825104082009-05-25T07:28:00.004-04:002009-05-25T08:19:52.362-04:00

How much pause do you think the Bernie Madoff scandal gave the production team for the Lower East Side American Girl doll? Because you know the reason we're getting a second Jewish American Girl, rather than a first Muslim American Girl, is the deep pockets of those Jewish American grandmas. (For a romantic feminist, I'm certainly heavy on the materialist analysis these days.)The "look, we're

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-87029915562074458692009-05-15T22:04:00.003-04:002009-05-15T22:13:53.447-04:00

One of E's great dreams is to have a lemonade stand. She and M did it once--with a babysitter, of course--right after Katrina, and, as I recall, they raised $9 for Katrina victims. She's been asking to do it ever since (yes, that long), and it's not that I've been resisting (really), but there's always been some obstacle (like, we've had no lemons, or some such).Today E's friend C came over

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-60444398925882773132009-05-13T22:43:00.005-04:002009-05-13T23:14:58.890-04:00

I try to avoid Penelope Trunk, because she is mad annoying, but she seems to always show up. Most recently, she showed up here, not that I read Guy Kawasaki's blog--I don't even know who Guy Kawasaki is, except that he always seems to show up too, especially around Penelope Trunk--but something linked, and I clicked, and there she was, doing her usual "let me tell you how it is based on nothing

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-72643706872067814092009-05-12T13:32:00.003-04:002009-05-12T13:39:24.154-04:00

I started an Elizabeth Edwards post several days ago, complete with copious links, and then I deleted it, because it all seemed so boring and obvious. But now I am wondering, once again, whether I'm on a different planet from the rest of the world. You can find the links yourself, and if you're one of my blog readers, you've probably read them all already, but basically the going wisdom (a la

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-16382818820388405792009-05-11T07:27:00.003-04:002009-05-11T07:42:07.728-04:00

I truly loved this week's Modern Love. I know that mom, and I know those girls--I mean, I don't know the author and her daughters, but I know people who have been in those positions, including on top of that train, and she just grabbed my heart, though I was glad to be feeling sympathy, rather than empathy.Spot-on review of Ayelet Waldman's new book, about which I have been staying quiet over

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-32051576436831515172009-05-10T13:16:00.005-04:002009-05-10T13:36:04.337-04:00

I had never heard of Jew fishing until Friday, when my sister told me it was the latest manifestation of a recent bout of anti-semitism that has struck my nephew's sixth grade class.That night, we went to the seventh grade service at Temple. The seventh grade studies the Holocaust in Hebrew School, and at the end of the year they run the Yom HaShoah service, during which they make presentations.

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-81772780484846375872009-05-07T21:21:00.003-04:002009-05-07T21:53:56.128-04:00

Oh, I would so like not to be cranky and cynical. I wish I could turn off my critical eye. But it's hard.I went to see Who Does She Think She Is? at the local arts center. It's a lovely arts center. I went with my friends. I love my friends. Lots of nice women I know were there. I'm sure the women I didn't know were nice too.Who Does She Think She Is? is a documentary about women who are

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-37276668979673512032009-04-25T10:22:00.008-04:002009-04-26T12:57:08.682-04:00

On the day after the bat mitzvah, at some point in our daylong houseful of brunchers, who became lunchers, and then late afternoon snackers, my step-nephew picked up a copy of Anna Karenina, which was being used to prop up a sign for the arts-and-crafts store next to the dining room table, and remarked upon what a great first line it has.I thought, for most of the week, that this was why I felt

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-61210748337482449682009-04-21T16:51:00.002-04:002009-04-21T17:10:16.692-04:00

Last night we were at the restaurant, and T was bartending, which means T was DJing, which means happiness all around. "Shut Up and Drive" came on, and we were all shaking our heads and bopping our shoulders, because what else can you do when you hear "Shut Up and Drive"? I mean, that is one irresistible song (and, frankly, I have no interest in resisting Rihanna).Then suddenly Tracy Chapman's

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-45837757610692457402009-04-19T20:28:00.000-04:002009-04-19T21:06:01.102-04:00

M, I could go on and on about the myriad ways in which you are wonderful, and I know you would like that. But I want, instead, to focus my remarks on one aspect of your wonderfulness, an aspect that is particularly relevant today, and that is your relation to Judaism.Despite appearances to the contrary, M has not spent her entire life cosseted in the warm embrace of Temple and the East Town

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-28394048021364008242009-04-16T12:52:00.004-04:002009-04-16T14:30:45.736-04:00

In the last week, two friends have told me that their daughters are not having bat mitzvahs.One is a friend from long ago with whom I just reconnected (thanks, Internet!). When M was born, I had the kind of mother's group you read about and wish you had, except for once I actually had it. We met in prenatal yoga, so we were a copacetic bunch of athleticish, organicish, liberalish moms. Our

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-10007379894275263772009-04-12T15:31:00.006-04:002009-04-12T16:01:00.505-04:00

I have been compulsively organizing books all day, and I'm feeling highly unappreciated. S has assured me that he appreciates me, because I was all grownup, and told him that I was feeling unappreciated, and I do believe him, but, as I also told him, he can't truly appreciate, because he does not truly get what I have done. He acknowledged that this was the case, and reiterated his appreciation

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-49875854099186932722009-04-10T22:07:00.007-04:002009-04-11T08:52:34.609-04:00

Is Facebook killing my blog? Or perhaps I should ask: is Facebook the final blow to my slowly-dying blog? Given the likelihood that I will now start posting three times a day, as I generally do, whenever I predict the death of my blog, perhaps not, but it kind of feels that way. 160 words seem sufficient these days (or, in the New Facebook, 420 words, as Phantom has recently proven, in her

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-32555633209328170452009-03-31T14:48:00.005-04:002009-03-31T22:10:09.639-04:00

I once gave what I still consider to be good advice to a friend who shall not be named. The advice was to pretend that she lived in the reality-based community.This friend did not think very highly of herself, but pretty much the rest of the world thought she was the cat's meow. Generally, if most people think a thing is true, it is (OK, that statement is so wrong, I don't even know where to

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-73353106606228727162009-03-30T21:40:00.002-04:002009-03-30T21:58:10.621-04:00

Between us, the people in my innermost circle have had five stepmothers and one stepfather. The stepmothers have been, to a woman, difficult at best, appalling at worst.My stepfather, on the other hand, is a paragon. He is loving, supportive, and unobtrusive, always delighted to welcome my mother's children and grandchildren, never intrusive or difficult, with regard to us or my mother. This

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-3704147549007878222009-03-29T10:25:00.005-04:002009-03-29T10:34:47.166-04:00

Because I don't think it will make a difference in either energy consumption or energy policy.Because my family has spent plenty of time without electricity (hello, we lived in a tent), so I feel no need to raise our consciousnesses.Because I'm kind of over symbolic action.Because I don't listen to NPR.Because it never crossed my mind to pay attention to it.Because whenever I get dozens of tweets

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-3538811851914105902009-03-27T23:01:00.007-04:002009-03-28T07:22:31.203-04:00

Between now and the bat mitzvah, I have three deadlines, S and I each have two benefits, and E is in a play. The first two benefits are on the same night; my second benefit is on the first night of E's play, and S's is on the second night. Did I mention that the bat mitzvah is three weeks from tomorrow?Last week I had a horrifyingly realistic bat mitzvah anxiety dream. The party was in a hotel

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-16540438747594033232009-03-26T10:02:00.002-04:002009-03-26T10:25:21.917-04:00

I have this idea that, back in the day, Gloria Allred was an impressive and reputable feminist lawyer, and I was going to write a brief, sarcastic post about her publicity-hounding Octomom hounding. Then I went to her Wikipedia listing (because her own website was down, though now it's back up), and discovered that it's more complicated than that. On the one hand, she's done a lot of awesome

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-10588303162705353692009-03-22T18:10:00.002-04:002009-03-22T18:19:40.069-04:00

This essay made me happy. It's a delightful read, and I love both the story, and the moral, overtly stated in the third-to-last sentence. I especially liked reading it today, because yesterday I helped an elderly woman who fell in Downtown Town--helped her up, drove her home, helped her find a friend to take her to the emergency room for what seemed like a dislocated shoulder--and it was such a

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-18204007134473658362009-03-16T06:20:00.002-04:002009-03-16T06:22:29.283-04:00

Just need to make sure you all know that my husband announced yesterday that he wanted to see this Thai martial arts movie he read about. Yes, he too responded to that review, and now you can see the difference between us (the only one? I think not!) (yes, he went; I stayed home and stressed out about summer camp).

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-7389384085495447012009-03-13T15:25:00.000-04:002009-03-13T15:26:43.527-04:00

Were I to make a movie about a young autistic Thai woman who goes on a martial arts rampage to collect outstanding debts owed to her ill ex-gangster mother who needs the money for chemotherapy, I hope I'd end up with something like "Chocolate."

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-40003117920493888782009-03-11T21:02:00.002-04:002009-03-11T21:14:39.461-04:00

I think I've figured out why Twitter doesn't work for me, and it's the same reason chat/IM/AIM doesn't work for me (except with you, M--don't worry, I'll keep it on).I am undoubtedly an internet addict. I spend way too much work time, leisure time, and stupid time online. I blog, I Facebook, I read, I watch, I surf, I email incessantly. I text too, a lot. But what characterizes all those

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-1516015696288540672009-03-08T08:23:00.000-04:002009-03-08T08:24:51.693-04:00

Look! I can blog from my blackberry!

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-22923763255580253192009-03-05T09:37:00.006-05:002009-03-05T10:01:06.842-05:00

Look! It's another NY Times trend story with no legs. Does Jack Shafer do the mommy beat?Apparently some moms are pissed off that their own mothers do not help take care of their grandchildren. The story quotes four moms, an academic (gender studies), and a psychiatrist. The closest it comes to quantitative data is a report from the senior product manager of Urban Baby that "complaints about

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-72074593723940769162009-03-04T21:46:00.003-05:002009-03-04T22:06:46.126-05:00

A very long time ago, I became the boss. Just as I started in my new role, I had a conversation with another boss that I've never forgotten. "I love my job," he said, "because I get to spend all day helping people do what they want to do." Wow, I remember thinking, what a great way to think about this position, and that's how I thought of it, the whole time I did it. (You can probably tell,

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-64746234532673056382009-03-03T07:11:00.002-05:002009-03-03T07:16:36.946-05:00

Turns out Johnny is Junie and Junie is Johnny.S took a close look, and figured out that the cat we have been callling Junie on the assumption that she is a three-year-old female is in fact a male, and the cat we have been calling Johnny, believing him to be a one-year-old male is...female. We've gone back into the paperwork, and the mistake was perhaps made by the shelter, but could hinge on

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-66780668366277292892009-03-01T14:21:00.003-05:002009-03-01T14:42:02.590-05:00

Actually, I can't really evaluate the quality of the essay, because I've read the book. The essay is pieced together from a couple of different passages in the book, so I don't know if it stands alone. But the book is phenomenal. I wasn't going to blog about it till it comes out in a few weeks, but I figured I might as well put in a plug now, especially because you know how I usually feel

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-35231601028942924292009-02-25T23:02:00.000-05:002009-02-26T03:10:13.205-05:00

Pretentious foodies + self-congratulatory Brooklyn Makes me want to eat a Big Mac. In Trenton.

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-3199434711254504002009-02-25T22:43:00.002-05:002009-02-26T01:09:26.371-05:00

I had no idea the Obamas have been so busy. And I have to admit that I'm curious about why Michelle wears sleeveless dresses so often. Huh, looks like someone else is wondering too. But I somehow do not think that's the explanation.Me? I don't remember the last day I did not wear a sweater. But today I wore shoes, not boots!

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-83719965486474783682009-02-25T21:39:00.006-05:002009-02-25T22:19:20.706-05:00

I am not an animal person. But you already knew that.I didn't grow up with pets, but S did. He had cats when I moved in with him, and we had cats until we left No Longer Red State (where we left our last psycho cat behind, because he would not be caught the morning we were leaving, and S is quite sure that the outcome was that our dear neighbor finally caught him and took him to his aunt's farm

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-90643744376232956952009-02-23T19:45:00.002-05:002009-02-23T19:49:37.414-05:00

You know that riddle we used to use to prove how sexist everyone's assumptions were?  The one that goes:A girl and her dad are in a terrible car accident.  The girl is wheeled into surgery, and the surgeon says, "I can't operate on this girl!  She's my daughter."Remember the answer?  The doctor is her mother.  And everyone was shocked and embarassed that they hadn't gotten it?A few years ago, I

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-12160678711795850452009-02-22T21:04:00.003-05:002009-02-22T21:48:04.576-05:00

Let's just do some old-school school ranting, shall we?You know the moon project? I know you homeschoolers have no idea what I'm talking about, but those of you with first graders, second graders, you know what I mean, don't you? The one where the kid has to keep the moon journal? Where they go out and observe the moon, and then they draw what they see, and write down a description, and then

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-46680778655722045892009-02-21T17:51:00.004-05:002009-02-21T18:18:10.301-05:00

Blogging about Facebook is totally lame, but stick with me: this is really a post about culture and class, only not the way you think it will be.Facebook has exploded at me again this week, this time with Town moms and college friends. It's all freaking me out a bit, but I suppose that's life in the 21st century.I went to college with a bunch of future Masters of the Universe, as well as a bunch

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-42625611829051434262009-02-20T15:31:00.003-05:002009-02-20T15:34:12.314-05:00

Pre-felting.Felted.

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-5227805320260692132009-02-19T00:10:00.002-05:002009-02-19T00:12:43.124-05:00

I've been feeling completely bleak about everything today. These stories take bleak to the nth degree. [link from Elizabeth]

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-26969784550218644782009-02-18T20:11:00.005-05:002009-02-18T22:47:55.782-05:00

In the last few months, two local high school girls have walked away from parties and died, one in a marsh, the other in a hospital, a few hours after being found in a stream.The first girl's death was sad and shocking, but far away. She was a cheerleader in a town I don't know, an exurbanish kind of town, maybe even rural, where teens party on golf courses after football games and wander away

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-13936451321977312962009-02-17T08:58:00.005-05:002009-02-17T09:37:23.715-05:00

I don't blog so much these days because: 1) I'm busy, and my thoughts have a lot more places to go than they used to, and much of what I think about (work!) can't be blogged; 2) I've been blogging for long enough that I've said most of it before; and 3) in the torrent of voices, I rarely see reason to add my own.But I think I finally have something to say about the octuplet mom, and, ironically,

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-28344411019552705772009-02-16T12:20:00.003-05:002009-02-16T12:48:58.852-05:00

M has crossed the Rubicon into the land of teen disdain. I am a complete buffoon, the stupidest person she has ever encountered, worthy primarily of eye rolling.In this new role, I am discovering the power of expectations. The closer I get to her, the more buffoonish I become. Leaning over to give her a kiss, I smash into her face and smother her being. Trying to be funny, I fall flat on my

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-71081214108407277132009-02-13T12:55:00.008-05:002009-02-13T13:20:08.245-05:00

S and I had breakfast this morning at a new cafe in City (Mom, it's your favorite restaurant's new cafe, and if you haven't been, you'll love it) (Phantom, it's the new cafe from the restaurant where we had the vegetarian tasting menu) (how's that for in-group blogging?!). It's a lovely little cafe, wood-ceilinged and sun-dappled, with delightful not-your-usual-cafe-food fare, except I did not

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-47636823607028511972009-02-10T22:29:00.002-05:002009-02-10T22:36:52.903-05:00

Being old school like we are, we have family dinner almost every night.  When it's most unpleasant, I tell my children that this is why they won't do drugs, so it's worth it.  Much of the time, it's me, M, and E, and they bicker and compete for my attention.  It's of huge importance whether I ask first "So what's new in second grade?" or "So what's new in seventh grade?" and I try my hardest to

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-63544664136481676612009-02-06T15:41:00.004-05:002009-02-06T15:48:25.992-05:00

I'm not following the battle over the stimulus bill carefully enough, because it makes my head spin, but this is pissing me off! Apparently the Republicans want to cut most of the education funding out of the stimulus bill, including school construction.What I want to know is where their kids go to school.My kid goes to a fabulous public school with great teachers, a diverse student body, a

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-62838634029268699772009-02-03T20:54:00.003-05:002009-02-03T20:58:30.260-05:00

Boras brings another one down.Rejecting a $25 million offer?The idea that Manny could end up not playing baseball because of Scott Boras's (and his own) greed is...at once delightful and horrifying.

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-89013809401457658692009-02-03T10:35:00.006-05:002009-02-03T17:04:13.519-05:00

Whosoever amongst you is without sin can cast the stone on taxes, but it's not going to be me.Here are the tax sins I've committed (at least the ones I can think of):- Paid nanny under the table for two years (she wanted the cash).- Paid several housecleaners under the table (again, they wanted it that way).- NEVER pay estimated taxes (because I am just too damn lazy, though I do pay it all every

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-82539919939152820212009-01-28T22:01:00.002-05:002009-01-28T22:03:32.891-05:00

I am so tired of everything, but I like it when other people can summon the energy to get righteously irate (I feel it, but my feelings seem so useless--I guess I'm not feeling the Hope and Change at the moment).

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-46633690424845405912009-01-25T14:14:00.003-05:002009-01-25T14:19:41.807-05:00

The hip shoe store in Downtown Town is going under, and I am now the proud owner of these ($40) and these ($50), while M is sporting these (also $50). I would feel more guilty if I hadn't bought my Goretex boots there, but I still feel a little guilty. Honestly, though, I don't buy shoes like that for retail (very often). And a huge number of the shoes she stocked were Naot, to which, as we

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-58864584935286021602009-01-25T10:48:00.002-05:002009-01-25T10:58:23.561-05:00

Eels, "Hey Man (Now You're Really Living)"The Magnetic Fields, "Papa Was a Rodeo"(both from James's excellent mix CD, which M and E are getting kind of sick of, but I'm not) (though we've all fallen in love with "Hey Man") (kind of like we fell in love with "Suddenly I See" two years ago) (which makes me wonder whether the Eels are some sort of super-hit that I've never heard of, like KT Tunstall

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-9270897658662243762009-01-22T15:47:00.004-05:002009-01-22T15:56:46.949-05:00

makes more sense to me now that I understand there was a cardigan (and I say this as a true lover of cardigans) (I mean, I liked it before, especially the coat, only the brooch thing seemed odd, but now I get it, and I like it better).

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-60545284781300060712009-01-22T10:43:00.006-05:002009-01-22T10:54:19.979-05:00

You people who have been laughing at me for organizing the books in the new study by color? Take this! [link from Local K](This has been my dream since I used to sit on the living room couch in our bungalow in Berkeley, imagining what it would be like to arrange the variegated books on the surrounding bookshelves by color--orange Penguins, green Viragos, creamy World's Classics. In London, we

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-41199020367697615712009-01-21T17:03:00.002-05:002009-01-21T17:07:01.995-05:00

Speaking of jealousy, Malia and Sasha sure had an Inauguration night to be jealous of, at least according to some local second graders. OK, one local second grader. Bolt, High School Musical, pizza, popcorn (not in the news accounts, but that's what Ms. E said), scavenger hunt, AND the Jonas Brothers?!?! Be still my beating second grade heart.

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-64559253566112867092009-01-21T09:58:00.002-05:002009-01-21T10:19:09.147-05:00

Elizabeth McCracken's An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination is as good as they say.  Who's they?  First Dawn, who told me it was fabulous; then my friend L, who told me it was great and it reminded her of me, which is too flattering for words; then New York Magazine which put it on a top ten list I read at the gym last week; then I'm sure lots of other people I'm too lazy to find.It's

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-59647824264241249722009-01-17T10:33:00.002-05:002009-01-17T10:41:11.499-05:00

How much do we love Youk?For me, I never saw myself on another team. I've always seen putting on that Red Sox uniform every day, putting on that 'B' on the hat. This is home to me. I don't know any other place other than Boston to come to the field every day and to live. For me, it's a great feeling just to know that I can be here and stay here for a long time.We love him.And good for you, Tek,

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-52462362450869176592009-01-14T19:39:00.001-05:002009-01-14T19:39:59.340-05:00

Do you think Michelle regrets the leggings?

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-41072962546904996072009-01-12T23:10:00.004-05:002009-01-12T23:38:15.437-05:00

1. BarterIt is good to cultivate friends with skills. R, the fabulous professional photographer, has offered, completely unsought by me, to take the photos. Local K, the awesome graphic designer, has agreed, beseeched by me, to design the invitation and program.Local K does all my graphic design and I do all her what I do, and we are happy as clams. The irony is that people will be appalled to

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-72233206393931369992009-01-11T21:27:00.003-05:002009-01-11T21:42:48.243-05:00

Spencer Tweedy is studying for his bar mitzvah too, and I know Jeff is just dying to be in-laws with moi! Plus he can write. Plus he'll be able to solve my computer problems! (Spencer, not Jeff, who will have to be content with supplying me with backstage passes.)[J and Jackie, this one's for you. Mom, just ignore it.]Edited to add: M is avidly reading. My hopes are building.

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-67578151209125399362009-01-11T10:59:00.004-05:002009-01-11T11:26:46.501-05:00

E says, "Are you going to write a post about my excellentness?" I tell her I will when I have a good example of her excellentness. She says, "Are you saying I'm not excellent? When am I not excellent?!" I tell her she is excellent. She says that post doesn't even show M being excellent. I tell her I will write a post about her excellentness.Here are some ways that E is excellent:She and her

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-52500015009945712672009-01-10T19:52:00.006-05:002009-01-11T08:25:49.519-05:00

On Friday night, the middle schoolers of Town go skating. Woe to the family who thinks Friday night open skate would be a good time to introduce their precious preschoolers to the joys of ice. They will arrive at the rink and discover hordes of unsupervised 6th and 7th graders whispering, giggling, skating hand-in-hand, slamming into walls, caroming into hockey stops, grabbing each others' hats

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-75525273364932873192009-01-09T08:27:00.003-05:002009-01-09T08:50:17.036-05:00

I am trying to write a post about Gaza, and it is becoming a boring historical disquisition which I don't want to write. What I have to say, I think, is this: I love Israel, passionately. I love my family in Israel. I love the golden stones of Jerusalem. I love Wadi Kelt and the beach in Tel Aviv, and did I mention that I love my family?And yet--and this is the first time I have ever written

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-54964020905072862082009-01-08T08:40:00.006-05:002009-01-08T08:51:02.009-05:00

This morning I read an article about a woman who designs white shirts (I read about Gaza too, and I might write about that some time, if I can bear it, but for now I'm going with white shirts). This woman has stores all over the world, and every season she puts out a new collection of white shirts. To create the collection, she designs 500 white shirts.I so do not get the white shirt thing. I

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-48125270562604358142009-01-04T17:48:00.003-05:002009-01-04T18:11:22.648-05:00

Here are some things I love about our new(ly renovated) house:- Choosing what to wear every day in my closet which is: 1) adjacent to my bedroom (for three years my bedroom was on the second floor and my closet was on the third floor); 2) a closet (for seven years before that, my closet was the landing to the attic stairs); and 3) big enough that I can hang, shelve, and see all my clothes, which

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-51989426947438441842009-01-02T23:20:00.003-05:002009-01-03T08:26:40.326-05:00

3/4 colonialist kiddie brutality porn + 1/4 redemptive cheese = a movie for guilty liberals to love(sorry, folks, but at heart I'm just a theory bitch) (plus I did the India thing so long ago that I have no patience for those who are just discovering it)(hmm, I've probably drunk too much to hit "PUBLISH POST," but, hey, I think I've gotten rid of the typos, so what the hell)

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-71449014980393097802009-01-01T19:29:00.002-05:002009-01-01T19:31:01.440-05:00

Consumer Capitalism meets the Beauty Machine.I tell you, I am going straight to feminist hell. In a handbasket. With my toenails painted vermilion.

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-70983728362630290162009-01-01T09:30:00.010-05:002009-01-01T10:33:42.110-05:00

(Not exactly chocolate cake, but includes chocolate cake, so it counts, no?)M and I were discussing what to have for dinner on New Year's Eve. It needed to be special, but it also needed to be within my purview (i.e. not prime rib, because I do not eat it, and not oysters, because I cannot shuck them) (though you should not feel too sorry for us, because, as always, we are getting the

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-78430452793358332742008-12-28T23:26:00.010-05:002008-12-29T09:29:37.081-05:00

I spend a fair amount of time sleeping with one or the other of my daughters: I lie down with a sleep-reluctant child, and soon enough we are both asleep; one or the other--on unfortunate evenings, both--comes into our bed in the middle of the night, less often than they used to, but often enough for it not to be unusual; on my own fractious evenings, when I'm too tired to put a child to bed, I

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-1077460659630755312008-12-27T21:33:00.004-05:002008-12-27T21:41:37.350-05:00

1. Aunt M. Need I say more?2. Free Anusara yoga class in apartment yoga studio on 72nd Street. The kind of mindfulness schtick you usually abhor, but this time it hits the sweet spot, plus the teacher is spot on with the minute physical adjustments that make all the difference. Your partner in double tree pose says you are so steady. Little does she know.3. Korean baths with sitting and

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-22344282278050755732008-12-23T18:10:00.000-05:002008-12-23T18:11:32.914-05:00

There's a man in a room. The doors and window are locked. All he has is a bagel. How does he get out?He puts the locks on the bagel!

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-62663701735630289052008-12-23T08:28:00.001-05:002008-12-23T08:29:36.590-05:00

This good.

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-45806838331409738612008-12-23T08:25:00.000-05:002008-12-23T08:26:36.344-05:00

The school which at least one of my children has attended for going on four years starts at 8:10, not 8:15. Which would explain why I am so often late.

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-2536429796953176622008-12-21T10:09:00.003-05:002008-12-21T10:18:31.798-05:00

When it's over, you look back and see it all as a whole.  You know you did what you thought, at the time, was the right thing to do.  You know you did, at the time, all you could do.  Everyone else believes you did the right thing, says you did everything you could, even more.  You don't believe in regrets, and you know, given how it was at the time, it could not have been otherwise.  But looking

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-35399602763147172702008-12-21T09:55:00.002-05:002008-12-21T10:06:07.255-05:00

I am trying to learn to live with my daughters' boredom.These days I am almost never bored, except when I am trying to avoid something I need to do, or  when I am struck with existential boredom.  But in the press of daily life, there is always something I want to be doing, along with so much I need to be doing.I remember, though, being bored as a child.  I can't paint a sensory picture of it,

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-83766544741919070322008-12-21T09:39:00.002-05:002008-12-21T09:54:17.154-05:00

My dad thinks that his sons were in on it, but Madoff knew he was going down, so he told the sons to turn him in, so they could get off.  In other words, though he is the epitome of evil scum, he's a good Jewish dad (I took it to that conclusion, not my dad).It makes me furious to think that right this minute he is lounging in his Park Ave apartment, eating sable on his bagel, reading the NY

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-88192006104444657422008-12-19T19:38:00.002-05:002008-12-19T19:48:40.293-05:00

I kept wondering why there were so many Mardi Gras beads. And why they seemed to be proliferating.Then I realized: it's the bar mitzvahs.

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-8136855391551732362008-12-16T14:02:00.004-05:002008-12-16T16:58:01.184-05:00

5:02To: SBarely moving in tunnel w tank on empty.5:07To: SAccident. Fuck.5:14To M:Call me.5:20To S:OK M picking up E. Let's hope I don't run out of gas5:33To: SThis sucks!!!5:50To: MLet me know when you have E5:51To: MNowhere. Far Other City.5:57To: SGot off freeway to get gas. M on way to E but not there yet. I want to be a stay at home mom6:22To: SHome thank god. And thank god I got off

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-61643907400314866112008-12-15T20:18:00.001-05:002008-12-15T20:19:41.513-05:00

M attended the following concerts this year: Dropkick Murphys; KT Tunstall; Method Man, De la Soul, Nas, and Tribe; Madonna; and Wilco and Neil Young. I think she picked the right parents.

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-8755708983969148152008-12-14T10:10:00.009-05:002008-12-14T11:21:44.272-05:00

Is there such thing as a dead allegory? If not, there should be, and I nominate the post office. Like a dead metaphor, a dead allegory cannot be a pretty thing, but metaphors die because they are so apt as to be overused, and the post office is so dense in its bureaucratic ineptness, and we are so in thrall to its power, that I must go once more into the breach.I had four condolence cards to

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-32013814269640464942008-12-12T13:09:00.003-05:002008-12-12T13:19:23.152-05:00

“Research shows that the bigger allowance you get from mom and dad,” explained Andrew M. Sum, director of Northeastern’s center, “the less likely you are to work.” [full article here, but you really don't need to read it--I didn't get past the first page] [Sum does a lot of excellent work on some important topics--I wonder if he regrets this particular soundbite]M has been babysitting at least

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-34870098551868530112008-12-12T08:33:00.004-05:002008-12-12T10:04:12.953-05:00

My knee hurts. It's a precise pain, centered in a spot maybe half an inch in diameter, on the outside of my right knee, where the middle of the kneecap seems to meet the top of the bottom leg bone. That's from feeling around where it hurts. Looking at a bunch of diagrams of the knee, it seems like it's actually where the patella meets the femur (i.e. it's really the bottom of the top leg bone-

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-52089273173391576882008-12-09T13:14:00.002-05:002008-12-09T13:16:47.557-05:00

I have nothing substantive to say, and I have foresworn pointless blog posts, but I just have to say "oh my fucking god" on this one. I mean, not much shocks me these days, but I am dumbfounded.

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-20955130504109690002008-12-08T21:00:00.007-05:002008-12-08T21:46:05.480-05:00

This was my day:6:30 Get up7:00 Leave for first workplace8:00-10:00 With new client (this is going to be a tough one)10:00-10:15 Debrief with new client's boss (luckily we're on the same page)10:30-11:15 Work in cafe down the street11:15 Drive to second workplace11:30-12:30 With client (she's doing much better than last week, yay!)12:30-1:00 Work in client's boss's office, next to her boss, who

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-49465966082406989942008-12-07T20:40:00.001-05:002008-12-07T20:43:06.762-05:00

I remain convinced that Dave Alvin would be the world's best boyfriend--and the worst. He'd ignore you while he played his guitar, go on the road all the time, sleep with women he met on the road, but he'd be there when it really counted, not necessarily when you needed him, but when you didn't know you needed him. Listen (but don't watch, please, and, really, what you want to hear is the

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-1131133204344431572008-12-04T22:32:00.011-05:002008-12-04T23:12:14.824-05:00

I got my ears pierced when I was 11 (my sister got hers pierced when she was 10, which is part of the overall injustice of being the oldest, which M claims I do not understand, but I do).I am shocked that I don't remember where I got my ears pierced, because supposedly I remember everything, but I do remember that my mom's friend P did it with me, and I think it was in a jewelry store at the mall

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-43761130026233270262008-12-03T22:42:00.005-05:002008-12-03T23:03:06.151-05:00

Looks like S and I have only a 3% chance of getting divorced in the next five years. I suppose that's comforting. [link from NY Times, of course--you've probably seen it yourself; if so, and if it's germane, I assume you tried it!] [Libby, I'm thinking you're exactly in our demographic]Edited to add: After reading the comments in the article, I went back and calculated for S: while 15% of people

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-41746523554427938632008-12-03T11:45:00.004-05:002008-12-03T16:28:31.639-05:00

I am deeply uncomfortable with the incipient martyrization of the Mumbai rabbi and his wife.Chabad House Lubavitcher rabbis are not harmless builders of community; they are proselytizers--which I consider distinctly un-Jewish--for a form of Judaism which I consider distinctly pernicious.The zealotry of this particular Chabad House Lubavitcher rabbi and his wife is visible in the fact that they

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-50654735128959352852008-12-01T16:03:00.002-05:002008-12-01T16:07:59.809-05:00

And the people of color. But this time my count is celebratory rather than condemnatory: three white men, two white women, two Black men, one Black woman, and no mention of race or gender anywhere in the article, which in this case I call progress. It's a new day, people.

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-79870661546627058072008-12-01T07:14:00.004-05:002008-12-01T07:22:40.284-05:00

I had given up on the critiquing-Modern-Love blog feature because it was becoming too much like shooting fish in a barrel. But who can resist shooting a whale in a barrel? I do believe that yesterday Lauren Slater took the column to its nadir. Could it really get any worse than this? (Or, as S says: they're just going to have to give up the whole thing after that one.) Then again, we're

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-17784166388472351892008-11-25T07:16:00.010-05:002008-11-25T15:57:57.898-05:00

What is happening to this blog?!Saw this one at Ericka's, like Libby.Things I've done are bolded.1. Started your own blog2. Slept under the stars3. Played in a band4. Visited Hawaii5. Watched a meteor shower6. Given more than you can afford to charity7. Been to Disneyland8. Climbed a mountain9. Held a praying mantis10. Sang a solo11. Bungee jumped12. Visited Paris13. Watched a lightning storm at

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-87628380091914721922008-11-24T21:39:00.003-05:002008-11-24T21:43:08.174-05:00

I am currently on two cancer email update lists, neither one a close friend. Am I supposed to respond to these updates which arrive every week or so? Always? Occasionally? Am I a boor if I never do? One person I see once a year; the other person I run into fairly regularly, and it is generally easy to tell, in person, whether I should say something or not (though I'm not quite sure why).A

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-73648753375925029032008-11-23T20:04:00.002-05:002008-11-23T20:06:05.540-05:00

UPSTAIRS to tell the children to behave in the (filled-to-their-necks) tub.[Yes, that should probably be a Twitter or a Facebook update, but this is the only place where I know everyone will understand the implications of what I'm saying.]

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-8989904803505490762008-11-22T21:18:00.004-05:002008-11-22T21:27:06.476-05:00

I know this SNL skit is so last week, but I only caught up with it tonight, thanks to M.  I don't know what's the best part: the always excellent Paul Rudd, Beyonce with a feminist consciousness and a soft heart, or Justin Timberlake in leotard and heels.  (Stay tuned for my analysis of "If I Were a Boy," if I can figure it out.)

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-91571884487718293342008-11-22T08:05:00.006-05:002008-11-22T09:22:31.847-05:00

This review of I See You Everywhere is spot on, so I do not need to write the long post I was going to write. I will simply say, in agreement, that the unpleasantness of the characters makes the book essentially unpleasant, despite some lovely writing (along with some real clunkers). Similarly, I did not like the way the characters have no women in their lives besides each other, and their

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714543.post-54929560453644306232008-11-21T22:11:00.002-05:002008-11-21T22:16:51.919-05:00

Or, perhaps: The Limits of (Generalized) DataI do not think of myself as particularly happy, but I watch hardly any television.

Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002802440403969922noreply@blogger.com1