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445th Friday Blog Roundup

Facebook sent me a note on Thursday congratulating me on hitting 700 likes on Facebook. (I’m well aware that by writing this, most of you will quickly unlike me, sending that number plummeting.  But I got to risk it.)  That rocked, but I did nothing.  I mean, I literally did nothingOther people clicked a button.  Shouldn’t they get the congratulations?  Why do we only congratulate the person who got the button clicks?  Why don’t I receive a similar note from Facebook saying, “congratulations, Melissa, you’ve now liked x-many things!  You rock in your liking.  You’re a great liker.”

I do think of myself as a good liker.  I’m a passionate liker.  The things I like, I like a lot.  I care about ice cream flavours and books and people and islands.  I like things with my whole heart… no… with my whole BODY.  I may only click a button on Facebook to show that like, but what I mean by that click of the button is that I LIKE it.  Shrieking it, rolling around with it, hugging it to my body.  That’s what my like means.

Where is the congratulations letter for that?

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Too Many Fish to Fry has a really cool idea, especially for summer.  Trying to reach a goal and have no idea how to make a dream a reality?  Join along because there is strength in numbers.

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I just discovered Candy Crush.  I mean, I heard other people talk about Candy Crush, I saw it pop up in my Facebook feed as other people played it, but I hadn’t actually seen it myself.  And then… and then… I downloaded the app.  And now… I’m candy crushing.  I am crushing my work so I can get back to Candy Crush.  Every time I complete 30 minutes of editing, I allow myself one level.  Oh my G-d, I love this game so hardcore.  Help meeeeeeeeee.

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And now the blogs…

But first, second helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week.  In order to read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

Okay, now my choices this week.

Bereaved and Blessed as a photo that is worth 1000 words.

Pepibebe has a post about being labeled infertile.  After worrying that the doctor would put up a fight because the normal number of insemination cycles is 12 and the author has only done 11, she is stunned to get her referral with the label of primary infertility.  She has a conversation with her wife on the ride home: “I commented to Toku on the drive home that I wasn’t very happy seeing that written in black and white. She asked what I would have preferred, and I said for him to write ‘Unlucky so far.’ She drily remarked that diagnosis wasn’t very likely to get us any publicly funded IVF.”  What can I say?  I like her label better too.

Unconceivably Blessed has a post about holidays serving as a reminder of who isn’t here yet.  She writes, “It made me realize how many holidays, family functions, vacations, or other occasions I have not fully enjoyed because of where I thought we would be in our family building journey at that time. How many times and ways I have imagined telling my husband or family and friends that we are expecting.”  I love the last two paragraphs; that idea of turning off your brain and trying not to see the world this way.  It’s difficult.

Lastly, The Bickerstaff Blog has a post about having to give up a dream position due to reality.  When the opportunity finally rolls around to grade the AP exam — a longtime goal — she’s unable to take it because she’s finally achieved her other long-standing goal: parenthood.  It’s the bittersweetness of living in a world where we’re told we can have it all, and then having reality step in.

The roundup to the Roundup: I’m a great liker.  Project Dreamcatcher.  I am being candy crushed.  And lots of great posts to read.  So what did you find this week?  Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between May 24th and May 31st) and not the blog’s main url. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week?  Read the original open thread post here.

19 comments

1 jodifur { 05.31.13 at 7:49 am }

Candy Crush is like crack…walk away now. Also…IVE BEEN STUCK ON 161 FOREVER HELP ME.

2 loribeth { 05.31.13 at 8:25 am }

Your post from yesterday was awesome, Mel!:

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2013/05/what-do-teens-and-elderly-women-have-in-common-beyond-commentary-about-their-uteruses/

As for Candy Crush, I have resisted (also Farmville, Cityville, Words with Friends, etc. etc.). I just don’t do games on Facebook. So far, anyway. (Of course, at one time I just didn’t do FB either….)

3 lostintranslation { 05.31.13 at 8:29 am }

The part about the FB likes made me remind of the term “powerseller” at eBay – at one time I thought they should also have a label “powerbuyer” (and I could stick that to my account – although we’ve calmed down a bit in the last few years).

4 a { 05.31.13 at 8:42 am }

Hahahahahaha – Candy Crush is evil! (I have to say, I was playing it on King.com for years before they redeveloped it for Facebook, and it wasn’t very interesting. They’ve done a fine job of reworking it for the medium. I also like Pet Rescue Saga, Puzzle Saga, and Bubble Witch Saga. Of those, for me, only Puzzle Saga was as addictive as Candy Crush. And I keep recommending it to people because I’ve beaten all the levels and I would like them to make more!)

Here’s my pick of the week – and don’t forget to read the comment section!

http://lavenderluz.com/2013/05/conflicti-online.html

5 Egg Timer { 05.31.13 at 9:04 am }

Be ware of the Candy Crush… I haven’t played but it seems to turn people into multi-level marketing dealers where they are trying to get other people to play so they can send them things to get further in the game.

6 missohkay { 05.31.13 at 9:51 am }

I jumped on the Candy Crush wagon as well and at first, I thought this is just like every other game… I don’t get the fuss. And now I am ADDICTED.

7 Lacie { 05.31.13 at 11:15 am }

I am totally getting the Candy Crush app. I hope I don’t have to be on FB to join in on the fun.

I appreciate that you do the roundup and the open thread. I’ve found such good nuggets from your willingness to share your platform. I was going to actually share “A Very Special Visit” from Life in the Last Frontier, but someone beat me to it.

I just read “What Does Society Have in Store for My Mixed Race Daughters” from The Blessed Baroness thanks to the open thread. I love how I can completely relate to everything she is wondering about how her daughter who looks to be of african descent will experience society’s perception of her.

Thanks for sharing.

8 Catwoman73 { 05.31.13 at 11:28 am }

Congratulations on the 700 likes! I’m almost never on FB these days, but I must get on there and become #701!

9 Esperanza { 05.31.13 at 11:39 am }

I left these on the last round up, but VERY late Thursday night (Memorial Day really messed me up with what day it is). So I’m going to add them here but I understand if they can’t be included this week because they are really from last week:

http://lavenderluz.com/2013/05/conflicti-online.html

http://esperanzasays.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/my-1000th-post/

http://pailbloggers.com/2013/05/30/guest-post-the-reality-of-breastfeeding/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2013/05/not-riding-the-roller-coaster/

http://jjiraffe.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/dealing-with-the-naysayers-in-my-head-and-beyond/

10 Tiara { 05.31.13 at 1:26 pm }

I was going to link your post yesterday too but see Loribeth already did…it was amazing & I’m still thinking about it.

This one still has me thinking too:
http://aboutsproutblog.wordpress.com/2013/05/29/on-defining-myself/

I am staying away from Candy Crush the more I hear how addictive it is!

11 JustHeather { 05.31.13 at 2:47 pm }

When it comes to candy, I’m addicted and the game Candy Crush is no different. I can’t play it on my phone as it can’t handle it, so I play it on FB.. I’ve been stuck on level 92 for probably a week now. 🙁

12 Kathy { 05.31.13 at 11:13 pm }

Thank you for sharing about the photo I took of Abby at Molly’s grave this week. It is always bittersweet for me to watch Abby play there, but I believe it important for me/us to visit.

Two of my favorites this week are yours:

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2013/05/not-riding-the-roller-coaster/

and

Esperanza’s

http://esperanzasays.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/my-1000th-post/

I know they have been mentioned already, but I think they are both worth repeating/rereading! 🙂

13 Kathy { 05.31.13 at 11:14 pm }

P.S. I have not checked out Candy Crush yet. So that means I may still and your and other people’s commentary certainly has peaked my interest…

14 Melanie { 06.01.13 at 1:03 am }

Oh candy crush. I have been annoyed with all the requests from FB friends for a long time. Why were they repeatedly sending me them and why are they playing this silly game so damn much! Then I played it. Currently obsessed and stuck on level 110.

15 St. Elsewhere { 06.01.13 at 1:41 am }

Well, you are a great Liker, Mel. Now you have your consratukationz! 🙂

There is a reason I stay away from popular addictive thingies – No Candy Crush, No Pinterest, No Instagram and No LinkedIn. That is one lesson I carry about Farmville. I refuse to see them, or I might like them too much.

Here are my picks –

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2013/05/what-do-teens-and-elderly-women-have-in-common-beyond-commentary-about-their-uteruses/

http://babysmiling.wordpress.com/2013/05/30/thoughtful-thursday-mother/

http://lavenderluz.com/2013/05/conflicti-online.html

I can see that the last link has been nominated by others too, but that should not stop me, should it?

16 Jamie { 06.02.13 at 7:27 pm }

Great picks this week.

I read the entry below from No Kidding in NZ and was very moved by it. The part I liked best was, “And we’ve learned that we cannot achieve whatever we put our minds to, and that dreams are lost and new dreams must be found. And through all this, we’ve developed wisdom and compassion and strength.” Learning to let go of what was once hoped and learning to dream new dreams can be a challenge, but one worth taking.

http://nokiddinginnz.blogspot.com/2013/05/our-no-kidding-lives.html

17 Pepibebe { 06.03.13 at 7:29 am }

Thank you for including me in your round up. I’m honored. Or am I just unlucky to be happy about being featured in an infertility blog top list lol! I only found out when someone commented about this over on the featured post. I haven’t been online much since then so hadn’t seen your mention. I’d best put finger to keyboard again tomorrow.
Thanks again,
PB

18 jjiraffe { 06.06.13 at 2:55 am }

Thanks so much for the shout-out!

This post is so important. I hope it is widely read by as many people as possible. This post can quite literally save lives. http://cullensblessings.wordpress.com/2013/06/04/deep/#comment-2617

19 Amber { 06.13.13 at 9:54 am }

I have been addicted to crushing candy for a few weeks now myself…

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