Joie d'Eve - October 2009

10/30/09

Truly Scary Things

“I’ve been reading Mark Twain’s autobiography lately,” my dad said to me the other day as we sat drinking Abitas at my kitchen table. “And I have to tell you, it really makes me feel sorry as hell for kids today.”

I glanced over at my daughter, drinking chocolate milk out of a BPA-free sippy cup and watching Dora the Explorer with her feet propped up on the dog.

“How’s that?” I asked him. “She has TiVo. I would’ve killed for TiVo as a kid.”

“You had something better than TiVo, and you had a whole lot less of it than I had,” he said. “You had the freedom to run around outside unsupervised. How much will Ruby get to run...

Posted at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments: 3

10/23/09

Reality Check

When I was in high school, there was a wildly popular book called Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls by Mary Pipher. I’m way oversimplifying here, but the basic premise of the book is that it’s hard for girls and young women to maintain a strong sense of self in the face of the cultural messages we get. Pipher, a therapist who specializes in working with troubled adolescent girls, shared stories of girls who cut themselves or starved themselves or convinced themselves that they had a shot at a happily-ever-after with The Artist Formerly Known as Prince.

My teachers read this book. My mom read this book. My friends’ moms read this book. Everybody read this damn book.

And suddenly, everybody was looking at me if I...

Posted at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments: 4

10/16/09

Almost Lost

I did not have an easy pregnancy with my daughter. I became pregnant on the heels of a miscarriage at 14 weeks, and the pregnancy was high-risk from the start. I bled every day for the entire first trimester. I threw up so much that I went to the hospital. I was diagnosed with a gene mutation that made me much more likely to have a late-term loss. I injected blood thinner into my stomach twice a day. My thyroid got out of whack. My daughter had markers for Down syndrome. She was breech. I had pre-term labor.

“Let’s just take this one day at a time,” said my perinatologist.

So every day, I expected to lose the pregnancy, and when they finally put my daughter in my arms, safe and sound, I just sort of thought, “Huh. I made that. In my...

Posted at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments: 2

10/08/09

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

When my mom, a Wisconsin native, was 10, she memorized the entire roster of the Green Bay Packers. Even now, she’ll give me her bank card and tell me, “The PIN is Bart Starr-Max McGee.” And I’ll look at her blankly until she sighs and clarifies, “1-5-8-5.” I have the same uncanny memory for numbers –– I did my high school sweetheart’s college applications for him, so I still know his social security number, and even though she moved away a decade ago, I will remember my best friend’s old phone number on my deathbed –– but I have no passion for football. I mean, yes, of course I love the Saints. Who Dat, etc.

Posted at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments: 4

10/02/09

Vicarious Autumn

When Michael Jackson died, I found out from Facebook. When President Obama gave his health care speech, I was able to gauge the general reaction by everyone’s Facebook statuses. Ditto when Kanye West made an ass out of himself at the VMAs.

And now, Facebook tells me that something called “autumn” is happening all around the country. I have friends in New York and Missouri and Ohio who post things like “Kim is raking leaves!” and “Charles is eating some pumpkin-spice cupcakes!” and “Hannah is pumped for sweater weather and apple cider!” and “Mike loves the smell of wood smoke on a chilly morning!”

Here? I woke up yesterday and said, “Huh. October already?” while drinking my iced coffee...

Posted at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

	10/30/09 Truly Scary Things “I’ve been reading Mark Twain’s autobiography lately,” my dad said to me the other day as we sat drinking Abitas at my kitchen table. “And I have to tell you, it really makes me feel sorry as hell for kids today.” I glanced over at my daughter, drinking chocolate milk out of a BPA-free sippy cup and watching Dora the Explorer with her feet propped up on the dog. “How’s that?” I asked him. “She has TiVo. I would’ve killed for TiVo as a kid.” “You had something better than TiVo, and you had a whole lot less of it than I had,” he said. “You had the freedom to run around outside unsupervised. How much will Ruby get to run... Posted at 12:00 AM \| Permalink \| Comments: 3
	10/23/09 Reality Check When I was in high school, there was a wildly popular book called Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls by Mary Pipher. I’m way oversimplifying here, but the basic premise of the book is that it’s hard for girls and young women to maintain a strong sense of self in the face of the cultural messages we get. Pipher, a therapist who specializes in working with troubled adolescent girls, shared stories of girls who cut themselves or starved themselves or convinced themselves that they had a shot at a happily-ever-after with The Artist Formerly Known as Prince. My teachers read this book. My mom read this book. My friends’ moms read this book. Everybody read this damn book. And suddenly, everybody was looking at me if I... Posted at 12:00 AM \| Permalink \| Comments: 4
	10/16/09 Almost Lost I did not have an easy pregnancy with my daughter. I became pregnant on the heels of a miscarriage at 14 weeks, and the pregnancy was high-risk from the start. I bled every day for the entire first trimester. I threw up so much that I went to the hospital. I was diagnosed with a gene mutation that made me much more likely to have a late-term loss. I injected blood thinner into my stomach twice a day. My thyroid got out of whack. My daughter had markers for Down syndrome. She was breech. I had pre-term labor. “Let’s just take this one day at a time,” said my perinatologist. So every day, I expected to lose the pregnancy, and when they finally put my daughter in my arms, safe and sound, I just sort of thought, “Huh. I made that. In my... Posted at 12:00 AM \| Permalink \| Comments: 2
	10/08/09 Take Me Out to the Ball Game When my mom, a Wisconsin native, was 10, she memorized the entire roster of the Green Bay Packers. Even now, she’ll give me her bank card and tell me, “The PIN is Bart Starr-Max McGee.” And I’ll look at her blankly until she sighs and clarifies, “1-5-8-5.” I have the same uncanny memory for numbers –– I did my high school sweetheart’s college applications for him, so I still know his social security number, and even though she moved away a decade ago, I will remember my best friend’s old phone number on my deathbed –– but I have no passion for football. I mean, yes, of course I love the Saints. Who Dat, etc. Posted at 12:00 AM \| Permalink \| Comments: 4
	10/02/09 Vicarious Autumn When Michael Jackson died, I found out from Facebook. When President Obama gave his health care speech, I was able to gauge the general reaction by everyone’s Facebook statuses. Ditto when Kanye West made an ass out of himself at the VMAs. And now, Facebook tells me that something called “autumn” is happening all around the country. I have friends in New York and Missouri and Ohio who post things like “Kim is raking leaves!” and “Charles is eating some pumpkin-spice cupcakes!” and “Hannah is pumped for sweater weather and apple cider!” and “Mike loves the smell of wood smoke on a chilly morning!” Here? I woke up yesterday and said, “Huh. October already?” while drinking my iced coffee... Posted at 12:00 AM \| Permalink \| Comments: 0

Living, loving, laughing, and learning in the new New Orleans

October 2009

10/30/09

Truly Scary Things

10/23/09

Reality Check

10/16/09

Almost Lost

10/08/09

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

10/02/09

Vicarious Autumn

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