They're not the newest, but...
Monday, March 30, 2009
Connecting the dots
In case a certain someone decides to over and look from facebook, why Don Imus is NOT OKAY.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
We're right on schedule
I had my first OB appointment today and came back with a swag bag full of vitamin samples and some "first trimester gift" that I haven't checked out yet. But, according to the sonogram (um, the "internal" sonogram), we're exactly where we thought: 7 weeks, four days. My expected due date: November 7-ish.
The OB is super nice and upbeat- a basset hound owner to boot. Unlike the clinic at the UI hospitals, this one's nice and quiet- I guess that's what happens at a private practice, though. Since I delivered by c-section with Katie, it'll be my choice more or less, although there are some risks trying to deliver vaginally this time. Truthfully, I'm leaning towards a c-section. My labor was long with Katie and I don't care to push for hours and then be in the worst pain of my life, only from pushing. We'll see, though. And apparently, I'll be delivering at a really good hospital, Presbyterian Plano, or Plano Presbyterian...one or the other.
About that sonogram: I'll get it scanned and posted. They were able to zoom in much closer than the Katie's first sonogram. We saw the heart beat, and Katie kept saying, "Heart? Heart?" She doesn't like the doctor's office too much, even if it's a visit for myself.
So, here's finger's crossed that things keep going smoothly. The nausea has definitely kicked it up a notch, the fatigue absolutely sucks, but that all points to a healthy pregnancy. I couldn't ask for more than that...okay, and a healthy baby end of October-ish, too.
The OB is super nice and upbeat- a basset hound owner to boot. Unlike the clinic at the UI hospitals, this one's nice and quiet- I guess that's what happens at a private practice, though. Since I delivered by c-section with Katie, it'll be my choice more or less, although there are some risks trying to deliver vaginally this time. Truthfully, I'm leaning towards a c-section. My labor was long with Katie and I don't care to push for hours and then be in the worst pain of my life, only from pushing. We'll see, though. And apparently, I'll be delivering at a really good hospital, Presbyterian Plano, or Plano Presbyterian...one or the other.
About that sonogram: I'll get it scanned and posted. They were able to zoom in much closer than the Katie's first sonogram. We saw the heart beat, and Katie kept saying, "Heart? Heart?" She doesn't like the doctor's office too much, even if it's a visit for myself.
So, here's finger's crossed that things keep going smoothly. The nausea has definitely kicked it up a notch, the fatigue absolutely sucks, but that all points to a healthy pregnancy. I couldn't ask for more than that...okay, and a healthy baby end of October-ish, too.
Monday, March 23, 2009
I forgot how good this was
I was browsing blogs and found a link to the last 9 minutes of Six Feet Under.
This is what spawned my Sia kick last night.
This is what spawned my Sia kick last night.
Katie's brilliance
Katie is beginning to make connections that completely amaze us.
We sing Twinkle, twinkle little star "with" her to her monkey every night to before bed. The other day, she found this toy she hasn't played with in forever that plays twinkle, twinkle if you press it's tummy. I was on the phone when she found it, and to keep her happy, kept pressing the tummy so she could hear it. That wasn't enough, apparently; she got frustrated and started yelling, "winkle, winkle!" So I sang it to her, and she calmed down. Only later did I realize she had made the connection between the song we sing every night and nap time with the music on the toy.
Then, tonight, Eric was changing Katie's diaper in the other room. I was in the living room and that Visa commercial that plays the Moody Blues' song, "Tuesday Afternoon" to the images of all the fish and the aquarium came on. I heard Katie in the other room saying something, but Eric and I realized when they came back into the living room, that she had been saying, "Fish! Fish" (or, "ish! ish!" in her words) because she heard the commercial in the other room. We watch it during the day and she's always so excited to see all the fish...and she recognized what commercial was on by the music playing in the other room. Eric said she was almost frantic to get in the living room to see it.
On a sidenote, Katie's been fascinated by her belly button lately (FYI: it's an outie). She shows it off at the store, which has made for a few awkward moments when she pulls her dress up. But she wants to see our belly buttons, too, and today, she kept pointing at my belly button and then to my tummy below it, saying, "Baby." Hmm. ???
We sing Twinkle, twinkle little star "with" her to her monkey every night to before bed. The other day, she found this toy she hasn't played with in forever that plays twinkle, twinkle if you press it's tummy. I was on the phone when she found it, and to keep her happy, kept pressing the tummy so she could hear it. That wasn't enough, apparently; she got frustrated and started yelling, "winkle, winkle!" So I sang it to her, and she calmed down. Only later did I realize she had made the connection between the song we sing every night and nap time with the music on the toy.
Then, tonight, Eric was changing Katie's diaper in the other room. I was in the living room and that Visa commercial that plays the Moody Blues' song, "Tuesday Afternoon" to the images of all the fish and the aquarium came on. I heard Katie in the other room saying something, but Eric and I realized when they came back into the living room, that she had been saying, "Fish! Fish" (or, "ish! ish!" in her words) because she heard the commercial in the other room. We watch it during the day and she's always so excited to see all the fish...and she recognized what commercial was on by the music playing in the other room. Eric said she was almost frantic to get in the living room to see it.
On a sidenote, Katie's been fascinated by her belly button lately (FYI: it's an outie). She shows it off at the store, which has made for a few awkward moments when she pulls her dress up. But she wants to see our belly buttons, too, and today, she kept pointing at my belly button and then to my tummy below it, saying, "Baby." Hmm. ???
Saturday, March 21, 2009
How I'm feeling
There are stretches of the day when I am just so incredibly tired, and when I am ready for bed, I am ready for bed. It's like the times of the day that I've always been a little sleepy, right now, just knock me on my ass. Most nights, I haven't slept too well from achy sides or just tossing and turning, but thankfully, Katie doesn't wake up til 9 so I can at least stay in bed relaxing. I get really weepy at the slightest thing on tv- I saw a snippet of Band of Brothers today and was choked up the entire time. The nausea is still largely under control as long as I'm not too hungry. There have been a few moments, though, when I'm not sure I'm going to hang on to my cookies...
Beyond that, Dallas is making me a little stir crazy. I think it's a mixture of living in an apartment in Plano. We get out regularly, but this area is as old as me and rather unfulfilling. There's not much to relate to around here- no cool little bohemian-ish areas or soothing college campuses that I can get to easily. Mall walking has gotten really, really old.
When I'm in OKC/Norman, though, I do miss Eric. Maybe this edginess will subside if we find our own house (got a nice check in the mail today from the bank with our escrow funds...).
And, a bit of panic has started to set in, due to the warnings about how much work two small kids can be. I'm grateful, for sure, for the reality check, but the list of things that must be done before I can't leave Dallas for awhile is so substantial, I'm almost crippled by it. I just need to get organized and focused and just get it done...but that's always the hard part. I was talking to my master's advisor the other day about all this and as usual, she put my dissertation in perspective.
"Are you trying to make it perfect?" She asked, which made me realize, as much as I'd like my dissertation to be this beautiful work of art and beautifully conceptualized and designed, the old saying goes, a good dissertation is a done dissertation. Instead, my goal is now is that my project will be solid (so far, it is). I'll write it and focus on artfullness later. The flourishes, bells and whistles can come during tenure.
In the meantime, I need to get at least one, if not two conference papers out by the deadline, April 1. One's partly written, the other's an extended outline. The problem? I'm writing this paper outside of any class or professor feedback and that whole self-initiative thing is a muscle I haven't had to cultivate...yet. I'm not sure what I'm doing, or if the paper is organized in a way that makes sense...it's good practice for tenure when this will be the means to my livelhood.
Beyond that, Dallas is making me a little stir crazy. I think it's a mixture of living in an apartment in Plano. We get out regularly, but this area is as old as me and rather unfulfilling. There's not much to relate to around here- no cool little bohemian-ish areas or soothing college campuses that I can get to easily. Mall walking has gotten really, really old.
When I'm in OKC/Norman, though, I do miss Eric. Maybe this edginess will subside if we find our own house (got a nice check in the mail today from the bank with our escrow funds...).
And, a bit of panic has started to set in, due to the warnings about how much work two small kids can be. I'm grateful, for sure, for the reality check, but the list of things that must be done before I can't leave Dallas for awhile is so substantial, I'm almost crippled by it. I just need to get organized and focused and just get it done...but that's always the hard part. I was talking to my master's advisor the other day about all this and as usual, she put my dissertation in perspective.
"Are you trying to make it perfect?" She asked, which made me realize, as much as I'd like my dissertation to be this beautiful work of art and beautifully conceptualized and designed, the old saying goes, a good dissertation is a done dissertation. Instead, my goal is now is that my project will be solid (so far, it is). I'll write it and focus on artfullness later. The flourishes, bells and whistles can come during tenure.
In the meantime, I need to get at least one, if not two conference papers out by the deadline, April 1. One's partly written, the other's an extended outline. The problem? I'm writing this paper outside of any class or professor feedback and that whole self-initiative thing is a muscle I haven't had to cultivate...yet. I'm not sure what I'm doing, or if the paper is organized in a way that makes sense...it's good practice for tenure when this will be the means to my livelhood.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Are you kidding me?!?!?!
Of course, a story questioning breastfeeding is written by a man. Ack!
(big breath in, big breath out)
(big breath in, big breath out)
Typical OU:
Books missing from Bizzell, although they're not checked out.
One teeny, tiny shelf in the library on feminist media studies.
Massive Ford Expeditions in the narrow Union parking garage unable to clear the corners- complete with "OU Mom" sticker in the back window.
One teeny, tiny shelf in the library on feminist media studies.
Massive Ford Expeditions in the narrow Union parking garage unable to clear the corners- complete with "OU Mom" sticker in the back window.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
That other shoe may be dropping
The past two weeks have been relatively painless: passing nausea, no fatigue.
With Katie, the nausea didn't hit til week six...and that would be today. Wouldn't you know it, I'm not feeling so hot today. When I ate this morning, I felt better and I even got a nap since Mom's here. But when I woke up, I still felt exhausted and my lunch was not appetizing at all.
Like Steph and I said this morning, though, at least it means I'm pregnant. I can't complain about that whatsoever. Looks like my ovary is still a little superstar...so far. :)
With Katie, the nausea didn't hit til week six...and that would be today. Wouldn't you know it, I'm not feeling so hot today. When I ate this morning, I felt better and I even got a nap since Mom's here. But when I woke up, I still felt exhausted and my lunch was not appetizing at all.
Like Steph and I said this morning, though, at least it means I'm pregnant. I can't complain about that whatsoever. Looks like my ovary is still a little superstar...so far. :)
Thursday, March 12, 2009
How timely! I'm writing a paper about WBC...
Probably the only time I've ever thought frat boys were cool.
About breastfeeding
Interesting post here on the issue.
My thoughts: one thing that gets me about the posts on jezebel re: breastfeeding are the comments about breastfeeding nazis. I nursed Katie and I think nursing mothers have this one in the bag when it comes to being made to feel uncomfortable about their choice in infant-feeding.
An example: no mother who feeds her child a bottle ever has to cover up. No parent who feeds their child for any period of time is ever made to feel as if they might in some way be sexually abusing their baby when they feed with a bottle. Bottle-feeding is never seen as erotic or inappropriate. Yet, a nursing mother has to go in hiding basically to feed her child.
I think, one, the bottle-feeding medical paradigm still so strongly permeates our culture that folks have a tough time accepting that nursing is actually the way things were intended between mother and child. Formula is a great medical intervention when a mother cannot nurse- and I accept that some women cannot nurse- but I would argue that people doubt the overwhelming benefits of breastmilk because it has been intrenched in us to doubt the worthiness anything a woman's body does. And yes, this pertains to value placed on pregnancy and childbearing in this country.
More to the point, maybe we remember reading about wet nurses back in English lit, but women of means did not nurse themselves up until very recently when it is now upper-class women who are most likely to nurse. Back in the day, women from the lower classes were paid to nurse rich people's children because breastfeeding was seen as primitive. This myth persists; as one former student said, one of his cousins told his sister when she said she was breastfeeding: "You're not a cat!"
When making the decision to breastfeed, I made sure to look at it as a challenge and something I had to figure out and work on. If it didn't work, if Katie didn't learn to latch on, I'd quit. But I had more than one meltdown worrying if she was getting enough to eat.
I think that's the thing: mothers want what's best for their kids and I think no mother ever decides not to nurse her kid because breastfeeding isn't healthy...or at least, I don't think they do. But I think the breast itself is just so fraught with sexual connotation in our culture, that it disguises the value- and really, the absolute joy- that breastfeeding can be if people just calm down and take it easy. (not to mention, IT'S FREE!).
On a sidenote, my biggest plug for nursing is that in that 8 eight weeks before Katie started to really respond to us with smiles and laughs, nursing her was the most gratifying thing about motherhood. If she was upset, she'd nuzzle my chest and nursing would calm her down instantly. But that was me, and I want to respect the choices of other mothers who do not nurse. I just wish those who don't even consider nursing would give it try.
...and I will nurse the next baby. There, the cat's out of the bag. We're expecting again (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
My thoughts: one thing that gets me about the posts on jezebel re: breastfeeding are the comments about breastfeeding nazis. I nursed Katie and I think nursing mothers have this one in the bag when it comes to being made to feel uncomfortable about their choice in infant-feeding.
An example: no mother who feeds her child a bottle ever has to cover up. No parent who feeds their child for any period of time is ever made to feel as if they might in some way be sexually abusing their baby when they feed with a bottle. Bottle-feeding is never seen as erotic or inappropriate. Yet, a nursing mother has to go in hiding basically to feed her child.
I think, one, the bottle-feeding medical paradigm still so strongly permeates our culture that folks have a tough time accepting that nursing is actually the way things were intended between mother and child. Formula is a great medical intervention when a mother cannot nurse- and I accept that some women cannot nurse- but I would argue that people doubt the overwhelming benefits of breastmilk because it has been intrenched in us to doubt the worthiness anything a woman's body does. And yes, this pertains to value placed on pregnancy and childbearing in this country.
More to the point, maybe we remember reading about wet nurses back in English lit, but women of means did not nurse themselves up until very recently when it is now upper-class women who are most likely to nurse. Back in the day, women from the lower classes were paid to nurse rich people's children because breastfeeding was seen as primitive. This myth persists; as one former student said, one of his cousins told his sister when she said she was breastfeeding: "You're not a cat!"
When making the decision to breastfeed, I made sure to look at it as a challenge and something I had to figure out and work on. If it didn't work, if Katie didn't learn to latch on, I'd quit. But I had more than one meltdown worrying if she was getting enough to eat.
I think that's the thing: mothers want what's best for their kids and I think no mother ever decides not to nurse her kid because breastfeeding isn't healthy...or at least, I don't think they do. But I think the breast itself is just so fraught with sexual connotation in our culture, that it disguises the value- and really, the absolute joy- that breastfeeding can be if people just calm down and take it easy. (not to mention, IT'S FREE!).
On a sidenote, my biggest plug for nursing is that in that 8 eight weeks before Katie started to really respond to us with smiles and laughs, nursing her was the most gratifying thing about motherhood. If she was upset, she'd nuzzle my chest and nursing would calm her down instantly. But that was me, and I want to respect the choices of other mothers who do not nurse. I just wish those who don't even consider nursing would give it try.
...and I will nurse the next baby. There, the cat's out of the bag. We're expecting again (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Sorting through some things
I'm in a unique situation: one of my former mentors from my master's program (who is no longer at OU) put one of his master's students in contact with me for some feedback. She had been accepted in the PhD program at Iowa, and later I come to find out, the new doc program at OU.
At the conference this weekend, some of the profs and staff at OU were encouraging me to encourage this woman to go to OU. She's getting a good funding package (better than Iowa, for sure) and in many ways, I think Norman is the better community for her given that she doesn't do the night life thing that's such a strong suit of IC.
Here's what I realized though: like I already posted today, I absolutely love OU. I love the campus and walking through it. It's an amazing place for me and I have so many wonderful memories there. But perhaps I know too much about it, because although my heart is in Norman, intellectually, I'm at Iowa. I can't deny it.
I don't ever remember hearing about as many interdisciplinary interactions at OU as there were at Iowa. The scholarly environment just seemed so much more rigorous and tangible. I might just get really bored at the inanity of the social scientific-ness that I experienced at OU (I really think that shit is so lame and superficial, despite all the statistical acrobatics they accomplish). Not to mention, the profs at the j-school at OU all go by "Doctor So-and-so" by their doctoral students....that tells you just a little about the atmosphere. There was none of that formality at Iowa. As one of my professors said, doctorals students are looked at as junior colleagues, and if my department was a little dysfunctional, at least the dysfunction between the profs trickled down intact to us.
I have some space from Iowa to see the forest for the trees and to recognize the negativity of a few individuals that really, really weighted me down- for no good reason. Unfortunately, I did not have enough resources in the form of friends physically in the state of Iowa to rely on to help me rise above the fray. With that in mind, I think I can see better now that Iowa is giving me precisely what I came for: a fantastic education. Iowa, as a whole, did this, not just one department.
On the other hand, I don't think the j-school is the shining spot at OU. I think those folks are over in Gittinger and Kaufman Halls and that the geniuses in Gaylord just aren't allowed to shine on their own right. I think about how little I knew when I left OU. What I did know and what prepared me for Iowa were, no surprises, Iowa grads.
So, I will always be at peace when walking between Bizzell and Evans Hall, or looking at the library as we walk down the middle of the South Oval. But it's no surprise that my stomach turned when the current dean at OU got up to talk...it just wasn't right and it certainly wasn't the best.
At the conference this weekend, some of the profs and staff at OU were encouraging me to encourage this woman to go to OU. She's getting a good funding package (better than Iowa, for sure) and in many ways, I think Norman is the better community for her given that she doesn't do the night life thing that's such a strong suit of IC.
Here's what I realized though: like I already posted today, I absolutely love OU. I love the campus and walking through it. It's an amazing place for me and I have so many wonderful memories there. But perhaps I know too much about it, because although my heart is in Norman, intellectually, I'm at Iowa. I can't deny it.
I don't ever remember hearing about as many interdisciplinary interactions at OU as there were at Iowa. The scholarly environment just seemed so much more rigorous and tangible. I might just get really bored at the inanity of the social scientific-ness that I experienced at OU (I really think that shit is so lame and superficial, despite all the statistical acrobatics they accomplish). Not to mention, the profs at the j-school at OU all go by "Doctor So-and-so" by their doctoral students....that tells you just a little about the atmosphere. There was none of that formality at Iowa. As one of my professors said, doctorals students are looked at as junior colleagues, and if my department was a little dysfunctional, at least the dysfunction between the profs trickled down intact to us.
I have some space from Iowa to see the forest for the trees and to recognize the negativity of a few individuals that really, really weighted me down- for no good reason. Unfortunately, I did not have enough resources in the form of friends physically in the state of Iowa to rely on to help me rise above the fray. With that in mind, I think I can see better now that Iowa is giving me precisely what I came for: a fantastic education. Iowa, as a whole, did this, not just one department.
On the other hand, I don't think the j-school is the shining spot at OU. I think those folks are over in Gittinger and Kaufman Halls and that the geniuses in Gaylord just aren't allowed to shine on their own right. I think about how little I knew when I left OU. What I did know and what prepared me for Iowa were, no surprises, Iowa grads.
So, I will always be at peace when walking between Bizzell and Evans Hall, or looking at the library as we walk down the middle of the South Oval. But it's no surprise that my stomach turned when the current dean at OU got up to talk...it just wasn't right and it certainly wasn't the best.
Norman just does this to me
I love OU. I love this campus. It's one of my favorite places in the world. Our kids will know this place, even if they don't go here. I've instructed Eric to make sure Katie knows and understands sports so she's not a total dope at OU football games like me.
BUT: I'm in the Starbucks on campus corner right now. I'm pretty sure OU Men's basketball star Blake Griffin was in line in front of me when I got here. The kid has TWO blackberries. Is it normal for college students or student athletes specifically to have two blackberries?
OU has taught me to expect the worst re: university athletics. The AD here is a bona fide crook (just ask the folks at Mizzou), and it's like the athletic culture here just can't get it through their heads that the NCAA doesn't fuck around. The empire they've built has been on the backs of their ticketholders, those of us who love OU regardless, and those of us who forked over cash to get an education here. I see bent rules as a slap in the face for all of us who have supported this school and this program.
My suspicion? Two blackberries= one phone freed up for scouts to call. Isn't this illegal? And couldn't OU get into some serious trouble-- AGAIN-- if it's true? This reminds me of seeing Hollis Price cruise around town in an Audi Speedster a few years ago. WTF?
BUT: I'm in the Starbucks on campus corner right now. I'm pretty sure OU Men's basketball star Blake Griffin was in line in front of me when I got here. The kid has TWO blackberries. Is it normal for college students or student athletes specifically to have two blackberries?
OU has taught me to expect the worst re: university athletics. The AD here is a bona fide crook (just ask the folks at Mizzou), and it's like the athletic culture here just can't get it through their heads that the NCAA doesn't fuck around. The empire they've built has been on the backs of their ticketholders, those of us who love OU regardless, and those of us who forked over cash to get an education here. I see bent rules as a slap in the face for all of us who have supported this school and this program.
My suspicion? Two blackberries= one phone freed up for scouts to call. Isn't this illegal? And couldn't OU get into some serious trouble-- AGAIN-- if it's true? This reminds me of seeing Hollis Price cruise around town in an Audi Speedster a few years ago. WTF?
Friday, March 6, 2009
Parental philosophies and avoiding white flight
One thing that gets me on edge immediately (Eric will tell you, many things do this, but that's not the point) is people who are oblivious to the fact that other people have different lives from them. The biggest example of this is folks who seem unaware, or at least unwilling to consider, that others aren't as well off as they are.
Call this my class-consciousness. It kinda brings me back to the days I waited tables and (mostly women) would calculate down to the penny how much each person owed on the tab. If you're friends, why squabble over pennies? More importantly, why make a big deal about money, when other people around you make much less than you do??
This is not to say Eric and I have ever wanted for anything; our parents, thankfully, have made sure of that and we literally would have nothing without them. I really need to emphasize that point. But I know the limits of our little budget and let's just say, there's no exotic trips to far-off lands any time soon. In fact, our vacations since 2005 have consisted of trips home to Oklahoma...and that's pretty much it.
My point here is to say, then, that I don't want Katie to grow up unaware and insensitive to the situation of others. Income differences are rather minor, really, but from an academic perspective, I guess this is me wanting to transfer my consciousness of my positionality to my daughter and any other children we have. It is just so vitally important to be aware of other people and our differences from each other in order to try and understand and to make the world better.
I hadn't really thought of any of this until some teacher friends who are having kids or going to have kids soon mentioned the school districts they live in. Given our nomadic lifestyle, Eric and I hadn't really thought about picking a home due to the schools. Now, we probably should because there is a chance we'll be in Dallas for awhile.
Here's my concern: if we lived in North Dallas/Plano and the surrounding areas, Katie would go to some fabulous schools...that are largely white and affluent. Yes, I have a problem with that. We'll never, ever, ever be as well-off as some folks in Plano, but I do not want Katie to be in that atmosphere and grow up thinking everyone is comfortable in their whiteness like her. But, if we land in Dallas ISD...well, that's another situation. And the plethora of private schools around here? Sorry, but I don't want my child going to any school that has no responsibility to state curriculum requirements (that are there for a reason).
I'm determined to resist the white flight. In our conversations about this, Eric and I have decided that it's our responsibility to augment her education and to be that much more involved in the event that she does end up in a weak school district. He was a teacher, he knows the ins and outs and how to make things work in a under-resourced environment and I'm pretty sure that Dallas isn't stocked full of shitty teachers. If my education and training have taught me anything, it's that the (education) system that, in this case, under-supports some while helping others that is the problem. And like any other system, we can work in and against it to make it better.
Call this my class-consciousness. It kinda brings me back to the days I waited tables and (mostly women) would calculate down to the penny how much each person owed on the tab. If you're friends, why squabble over pennies? More importantly, why make a big deal about money, when other people around you make much less than you do??
This is not to say Eric and I have ever wanted for anything; our parents, thankfully, have made sure of that and we literally would have nothing without them. I really need to emphasize that point. But I know the limits of our little budget and let's just say, there's no exotic trips to far-off lands any time soon. In fact, our vacations since 2005 have consisted of trips home to Oklahoma...and that's pretty much it.
My point here is to say, then, that I don't want Katie to grow up unaware and insensitive to the situation of others. Income differences are rather minor, really, but from an academic perspective, I guess this is me wanting to transfer my consciousness of my positionality to my daughter and any other children we have. It is just so vitally important to be aware of other people and our differences from each other in order to try and understand and to make the world better.
I hadn't really thought of any of this until some teacher friends who are having kids or going to have kids soon mentioned the school districts they live in. Given our nomadic lifestyle, Eric and I hadn't really thought about picking a home due to the schools. Now, we probably should because there is a chance we'll be in Dallas for awhile.
Here's my concern: if we lived in North Dallas/Plano and the surrounding areas, Katie would go to some fabulous schools...that are largely white and affluent. Yes, I have a problem with that. We'll never, ever, ever be as well-off as some folks in Plano, but I do not want Katie to be in that atmosphere and grow up thinking everyone is comfortable in their whiteness like her. But, if we land in Dallas ISD...well, that's another situation. And the plethora of private schools around here? Sorry, but I don't want my child going to any school that has no responsibility to state curriculum requirements (that are there for a reason).
I'm determined to resist the white flight. In our conversations about this, Eric and I have decided that it's our responsibility to augment her education and to be that much more involved in the event that she does end up in a weak school district. He was a teacher, he knows the ins and outs and how to make things work in a under-resourced environment and I'm pretty sure that Dallas isn't stocked full of shitty teachers. If my education and training have taught me anything, it's that the (education) system that, in this case, under-supports some while helping others that is the problem. And like any other system, we can work in and against it to make it better.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
one little thing
Going to a conference at OU this weekend. Considering I graduated from the college that is hosting this little gathering, you'd think they could spell my name right in the stupid program. I swear...
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
"The Markets" (scare quotes used deliberately)
You know what I hate about "the markets"? I hate that they're invoked as if it's not a group of people without an investment in something. WHO CARES (other than the lucky who have stock investments...which obviously, I am not well-off enough to have) if the stock markets react negatively to an announcement from President Obama. In my mind, that tells me he's correcting "the markets."
Free market theory, be damned. Seriously. "The Markets" do not comprise rational people or entities working in the best interest of everyone else- they work with their own self-interest in mind and they don't give a shit about what happens to non-shareholders. So enough about "the markets."
Free market theory, be damned. Seriously. "The Markets" do not comprise rational people or entities working in the best interest of everyone else- they work with their own self-interest in mind and they don't give a shit about what happens to non-shareholders. So enough about "the markets."
Sunday, March 1, 2009
An interesting case for marriage equality, regardless of sexuality
http://www.afterellen.com/blog/juliamiranda/annie-leibovitz-is-in-a-jam
I never put it together that Susan Sontag and Annie Leibovitz were partners, but what Leibovitz is going through is astounding. Yet, it's representative of what gay people endure in this country; in this case, it's happening to an amazing artist.
Tell me again how people cannot see the denial of marriage equality as legalized discrimination?
A related sidenote: some friends of ours have been more vocal than usual lately about their support of the whole "one man one woman" crap. Considering that we were all in band for a large part of our lives and, as a result, know so many people who are gay, I'm just a little dumbfounded that their hearts are still so hard. How does it feel to regard your "friend" as deviant? How do you sleep at night knowing that you tell someone they're your friend, and yet support discrimination against them? I just don't get it. And, of course, they're "Christian." Whatev.
I never put it together that Susan Sontag and Annie Leibovitz were partners, but what Leibovitz is going through is astounding. Yet, it's representative of what gay people endure in this country; in this case, it's happening to an amazing artist.
Tell me again how people cannot see the denial of marriage equality as legalized discrimination?
A related sidenote: some friends of ours have been more vocal than usual lately about their support of the whole "one man one woman" crap. Considering that we were all in band for a large part of our lives and, as a result, know so many people who are gay, I'm just a little dumbfounded that their hearts are still so hard. How does it feel to regard your "friend" as deviant? How do you sleep at night knowing that you tell someone they're your friend, and yet support discrimination against them? I just don't get it. And, of course, they're "Christian." Whatev.
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