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319th Friday Blog Roundup

As we turn the corner into the last few days before Christmas, it feels like this hush has come over the blogosphere.  People are still posting somewhat — though that has slowed down — and commenting here and there, but it feels very quiet.

Barring duplicates, 271 posts should be on the Creme de la Creme when it goes up on January 1st.  Just to give you a sense of proportion; last year’s Creme had 288 posts total, and on the 15th, when the soft deadline fell, there were 187 posts.  So almost 100 posts more this time.  Gulp.

Yes, I am seriously worried that I won’t finish in time.

But I’m up for the challenge.

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While I am reading and writing about your posts, you could read my new book (hint, hint), Life from Scratch.  Lori from Write Mind Open Heart is throwing an online book tour for the book.  For those who have been missing the Barren Bitches Book Brigade, here is your chance to march again.  Everyone is welcome (and begged) to participate.  And it would make my weekend if you joined along.

If you would like to join along (and I really really hope you’ll join along.  How many times can I say that?), please visit Lori’s post to see how to sign up.  In brief, you sign up, read the book, send one question in February that  you’d propose to the group (Lori will collect these), and then she’ll send you the list of questions that you can choose from to answer in a blog post.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

So … this is my begging you to join along.

Pretty please?

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Three things that caught my attention this week:

1. I wrote a post about why I’ve written for BlogHer for the last four years over at The Field Trip.

That obviously caught my attention because I wrote it.

2. Anna Olswanger has started a new site called Yerusha for older, child-free Jews (in other words, Jewish men and women who are child-free not by choice).  It has forums and advice.  I know it only services a specific niche, but since there are people who read this blog who fit that specific niche, I thought I’d throw it out there.  I love how Julia Child is what kicked off the whole idea.

3. 16th and Q created a video for the It Gets Better Project.  And it’s clever because Chanukkah was about the ultimate bully (King Antiochus) telling people that they couldn’t be themselves, and the point of the chanukkiah is to shine light in the world so intolerance has no place to hide.  This video also passed the “Does it Make Melissa Cry” test, though I’d like it noted that I lasted almost 7/8ths of the way through the video before I started wailing.

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The Weekly What If: What if you could time travel and be physically present to witness one moment in history.  You’d be perfectly safe regardless of the situation, and you’d only be standing witness.  What moment would you choose?

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And now, the blogs…

Riding the IVF Roller Coaster has a post about the emotional roller coaster of being pregnant again after a loss.  She writes of her first pregnancy: “When Blobby died I felt so much guilt for not having celebrated and accepted his life while he was alive. ”  And now, back in the same position again, she is struggling to apply the lessons she learned the first time around.  Because it is just so damn hard.  She finds the root of her fears, but it is the last few lines that are so lovely that you need to click over and read the whole post just for that ending.

Many Many Moons has a post that includes Ally McBeal’s dancing baby … sort of.  She was attending a party at a restaurant and she had one of those evenings that was so ridiculous that she couldn’t actually get upset from it.  One after the other, people asked her if she was pregnant yet, that is, until she got to the final moment: “I was standing there barely recovered from the firing squad that had just accosted me, when in walks (and I’m not kidding when I say this) a string of 5 women marching military style as if reporting for duty.  They came to rest almost right in front of me, Ver.a Brad.ley bags in hand, and turn to face me almost in unison.”  Oooh, you’ll have to click over and read the end of the post to hear where they were from.

This is why I’m thrilled that Infertile Fantasies is back to posting on a public blog.  She has a wonderfully terrible post about worst case scenarios, nodding to the actualities of life (“‘Pre-eclampsia can be serious. Worst case scenario, you might even start having seizures and we’ll have to admit you.’ Uh, no… worst case scenario, you die and your baby dies, too.  But, see, it’s awkward to bring that sort of thing up.”) and mixing it with the absurd.  But it’s the stark truth in the fact that the birth is such a small part of the whole, as well as the fact that it’s just as easy to say “shut up now” as it is to say, “take deep cleansing breaths.”

The roundup to the Roundup: good lord there are a lot of Creme posts.  Please join along for the blog tour of Life from Scratch.  Three things that caught my attention this week.  Answer the Weekly What If.  And lots of great posts to read.

11 comments

1 Lacie { 12.17.10 at 8:39 am }

I will indeed participate in you online book tour. In fact, I will be ordering your book before day’s end. Why? Because you are a fantastic writer with clear and strong voice and I know that I am in for a treat. Aside from that, you are an amazing and selfless leader in this community of fertility challenged writers and, for you, I am grateful. You not only encourage us to encourage one another and to lift each other up, but you encourage us to keep writing! In fact, you have even provided us with a FREE guide to get our books published! Who does that? Ahem, MEL does that, that’s who!
Can’t wait to dig in to Life From Scratch.

2 Tara (TIMO) { 12.17.10 at 9:20 am }

Ahhh, but you have to get through all the Creme de la Creme posts. I waited until nearly the last minute but got in on time because you promised I would be on the list. And because of that I will go out and buy your book and join the book tour. I promise.

3 Keiko { 12.17.10 at 9:43 am }

If I could travel in time, I’d want to witness the following things:

1. Traveling the Hudson River Valley mid-1800’s with the Hudson River School of Art gang: Cole, Church, Bierstadt.
2. The building of the Pyramids, from start to finish.
3. The Tunguska Event.

Your question reminds me of a super obscure sci-fi movie that I saw under it’s AKA title, “Grand Tour: Disaster in Time” but is apparently listed as Timescape on iMDB. *Spoiler* – it’s about time travellers who have a morbid fascination with disasters and travel through time to witness them first-hand. It stars Jeff Daniels, and is surprisingly good (from what I remember of seeing it nearly 20 years ago). http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104362/

4 manymanymoons { 12.17.10 at 10:19 am }

You’re the best…thanks for the shout out!!

5 HereWeGoAJen { 12.17.10 at 10:43 am }

Hmm, one moment in history. I don’t know. I actually think I’d like to be a guest at my own wedding. Which is probably a weird request.

6 a { 12.17.10 at 3:22 pm }

Hmm. I’d want to go and witness some of those great mysteries. Like what happened to the Jamestown settlers? Did Hitler really kill himself. Did Lee Harvey Oswald really shoot JFK? What about that whole crucifixion of Jesus thing – how did that actually go down?

I’m planning on getting your book – but I gotta ask…which one are you more attached to, this one or Navigating the Land of IF?

7 myinfertilitywoes { 12.18.10 at 2:31 pm }

I’m excited about the book tour event!

As for moments in history – I would defnitely pick my grandmother’s wedding day. I never knew my grandfather (he died when my mom was 5) and I’d love to have witnessed their love that she always talked about!

But if that doesn’t count as history, I’d pick seeing one of Jesus’ miracles and if that is too far-fetched, then something as trite but as amazing as MLK’s I Have a Dream speech. I think I’d be chilled to the core to hear it with awesome life-affirming emotions.

8 Jessica { 12.19.10 at 6:40 am }

Hmm, I would go back in time to witness Jesus’ birth. I love Christmas and the Nativity story has always fascinated me…. I would love to be there in the first moments of His life on Earth.

9 Lifeslurper { 12.20.10 at 4:03 am }

Mel:

Congratulations on the release of ‘Life From Scratch’.

Lori’s online book tour is a fabulous idea. I will be signing up too.

Any chance there will be a follow up around the world author tour? We are really friendly here (just ask Oprah!) you are welcome to stay at my house!

LS x

10 Bea { 12.21.10 at 6:41 am }

Ooh! I’m here! It always tickles me to see me here.

I was just missing the book brigade the other day. I’m wondering whether I can get anything read by Feb, though… ordered, delivered AND read, mind you…

Bea

11 marilyn { 12.22.10 at 1:33 pm }

I agree with some of the above posts- you really are such a great leader. I feel like in the if Island..I am not alone..thanks to you:)
going to start tearing up thinking about it. I have been a little emotional lately. I am reading your navigating book of if right now. I was in such a horrible spot last night…reading your book calmed me. If i were to go back in history…it would be before
In 1490, where a number of Hebrew Bibles and other Jewish books were burned during the Spanish Inquisition. I would have liked to have the knowledge that went into studying of these books.

(c) 2006 Melissa S. Ford
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