169th Friday Blog Roundup
This is, most likely, the last Roundup of 2009. The Creme de la Creme falls on a Friday and while an orgy of blog posts upon an orgy of blog posts sounds delightful, I have to assume that the Creme trumps the weekly Roundup. Therefore, this is it. Goodbye Friday Blog Roundups of the aughts. Hello Friday Blog Roundups of the teens. The tens? The teens? What is the next decade called?
Had I realized this prior to today, I would have sent off the year with a fireworks display and parade of elephants.
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The Weekly What If: What if you had unlimited funds to buy one object or experience (read: must be purchasable. It could be a trip, but it couldn’t, let’s say, be a round of IVF or paying the agency fee) for another person in the blogosphere as a Christmas present? Would you give it anonymously or would they be able to figure out it was you? And what would it be?
Added: uh, uh, y’all. It has to be a purchasable gift to give someone. We’re talking hedonism, here–not good deeds. I, for one, would buy Jendeis a Wii so we could play each other via the Internet from our houses when we’re feeling too lazy to cross the bridge.
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I am having a lot of trouble with one section of the Creme de la Creme which is the blogs that closed in 2009 section. If you have any blogs in your Reader that have clearly stated that they are closing, blogs that you used to read that have been deleted, or blogs that literally haven’t updated since last January, send the name to me with “closed blog” in the subject line. I have a handful, but I know that I’m missing dozens. Hundred? Thousands?
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And now, the blogs…
Barren Blog has the story about her egg retrieval. She tells the story with humour and grace, leaving no detail out and because of that, she gives a heads up to every woman who will come after her in this process. And even though I’ve read a lot of egg retrieval posts these last four years, this one was particularly helpful and well-written.
MeAndBaby’s Blog has a post that begins with a quote by Lance Armstrong: pain is temporary; quitting lasts forever. It’s the perspective she brings to her 8th IUI after numerous losses; it’s the strength that powers her words. By the end of the post, you’re cheering her on and I just send good thoughts and hope for this cycle.
Adventures in Reality has a post about the different grief processes after two different losses. As she explains: “I’m not the same person. Losing Daniel took a piece of my heart. And losing Joy took another piece.” I love this post not only for her perspective, but because she retells the story of my friend, Paz. The first time I read this post, there was something familiar in the story she talks about reading, and in the second read-through I suddenly said, “this is Paz! And I know that Starbucks!” And it made me smile that our corner of the blogosphere is so small. It was like finding out that two of your friends know each other and you never knew they were in the same circle. Her unfulfilled due date for the baby she mentions in this post is coming up this weekend and it would be lovely to flood her with love right now.
Lastly, A Woman My Age has a post about being tired, happy, and annoyed. In lieu of a shower, she held an open house so people could meet her new son. Which is both the tired and happy part–that joyous sleepiness from having too much on your plate, but thankful that it’s all there. The annoyed part is the unsolicited advice coming from all directions. I love this post because it feels cozy. It made me smile.
The roundup to the Roundup: The winding down of 2009. Answer the Weekly What If (think of it as the ability to send a virtual gift to someone). Help me with the “closed blogs” section of the Creme de la Creme. And lots of great blog posts to read. Merry Christmas, if you are celebrating Christmas today.
6 comments
Wowza. Can’t believe I am first here.
OK I will answer this question most sincerely.
Don’t think I am a sap or anything.
If money was no object then I would wish every cancer researcher on the planet unlimited resources to cure it.
I am a renal cell survivor. My late fiance, a gliblastoma multiforme… passed after a year. My mother, passed after 4 mo dx of melanocytoma of the brain. Grandma of breast cancer. Cousin to mixed germ cell/ovarian. BFF 4ever Kathy V of ovarian. The DH’s father to lung (since he smoked like a chimney) as well as my grandma (mom’s mother).
That’s what I would wish. That there would be a cure and that the word cancer would be erased from everyone’s vocabulary and dictionary.
Many of us barren beauties are barren due to cancer.
Well, I have a list of about 100 things I’d do including donating a shit ton to the March of Dimes and preeclampsia foundations, but as for a “gift”, I’d start a infertility scholarship program.
I’d want them to know it was me and share my story. I’m an AW like that.
Hmm… I think I’d buy my husband a farm. Just a small one – close by, so I wouldn’t have to move – so he could work it himself.
Alternatively, I would buy all the stuff for this season’s neediest families list that our newspaper does.
I don’t need recognition, but I would like to see that people enjoyed what I puchased.
It has to be a gift, huh? That’s hard, because I really don’t want to leave anybody out! But I’m pretty sure I’d anonymously buy a house for Calliope, W, and her mom. They’ve had such a rough time of it all, and I’d love for them to have some measure of security.
I don’t get why IVF and adoption aren’t purchasable! I’d so so have answered one of those. And the person could know. I’m not shy. Though anon is fun, too.
If not that, then….uh….I’d probably try to find something that would make someone’s life easier. Maybe someone who wants to do IVF/adopt could use a new car or something that would free up the funds to do what they want. Or pay off their house. That would work, too, cause they could get a line of credit.
Is that cheating?
First, I’d pay off Jack, then I’d buy another baby.
Because you can, indeed, buy a baby.
(only this time, I’d not walk so blindly in to the forest….)