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LFCA Latest Issue: Friday, September 25, 2009.

Latest Post on BlogHer: Parenting after Infertility.

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Friday, February 06, 2009

Friday Blog Roundup

Here is your task; answer this two part question:

There is a knock on the door. Someone with the initials B.K. is on the other side of the door. Do you let them in? Why or why not?

You may define the initials any way you wish--it could be a name, a title, or even a secret disguise for a person who really has very different initials. In other words, who do you imagine on the other side of the door? What are your reasons for inviting them in? What are your reasons for keeping them out?

Leave your answer in the comment section. This game will make sense early next week.

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Okay then.

Really, it will make sense next week. Play along--it's fun to play.

While you are mulling over the initials B.K., let's talk about the new Gmail. Usually my first instinct with change is no likey, but after a few minutes, I got settled and started liking it. It makes a lot of sense, it will just be a matter of retraining my finger so I stop clicking on the wrong menu. Your opinion? Has your account changed over yet? And did the change hurt?

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You may have noticed (if you signed up yesterday) that I changed the sign up for IComLeavWe. I closed off the comment section and added a form instead. If you read the directions, you'll see a link for it in the post. It will (1) save time for me and that is always a good thing, (2) make it so you don't have to scroll through a long comment section, (3) give me a way to send out a reminder on the 20th and have a way to communicate with someone. From now on, that is how I'll always do IComLeavWe.

If you signed up for IComLeavWe and you're not currently on the list (there are about 15 people?), sign up again via the form. But check first if you're on the list. I added everyone who signed up who had the icon on by yesterday afternoon.

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I currently have 15 more posts on hand to add to the Creme de la Creme list. I hope to get to them this weekend. Check the icon on the right side bar--I update the date/time whenever I update the list.

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And now, the blogs...

Uppercase Woman
had a gorgeous post about her father who died four years ago this week. It is not infertility related except that I think it speaks to how our experiences form how we are as parents and who we look for as a partner to get us through the hardest parts of life. It is a moving post that walks a fine line between expressing the natural anger she feels while also honouring the man.

Making Me Mom had a small rant about male factor infertility. Her friend emails her about her fears of infertility and shares her story. The author wants to connect, but what holds her back is her husband's wish to only share their diagnosis with a small handful of people. She is not upset with her husband; her anger is at society in general: "I just hate our culture's attitude towards MFI that makes him feel embarrassed. Apparently, there's a book out there for men who's wives are expecting that explains pregnancy entitled, My Boys Can Swim!. I think that title says a lot. So...what about the guys who can't say that?" An important post that I think many will read nodding their heads.

Southern Infertility wrote what she thought was just a boring pregnancy post but in actuality was really this very interesting situation. Even though she gave others the advice to speak freely about their pregnancies after infertility, she is finding it difficult to take her own advice. She writes: "It hasn't seemed right to me to focus on my pregnancy in a community where my pregnancy could be painful for some, and some other things have just seemed out of scope or too personal to place in my blog. As someone once said, all infertility blogs eventually morph into something else: a life without children, a mommy blog, a journal of other aspects of life that take over. It's hard to decide where I want to go and how I want to go about it, even if I'll want to continue to blog in the future." It continues the thought BrooklynGirl threw out in her post last week about how a blog changes identity as the writer changes identity. I like how Samantha honours the space--it is presented as an old friend--and just as I have missed her (the writer) it is also a space (the blog) I would miss too.

Tash, who normally blogs at Awful But Functioning, had a post at Glow in the Woods about winceables. What are winceables? Well, you will need to click over and read the post to find out because she explains it so much better than I could ever capture in a few sentences. The post will gut you but you will also understand exactly what she means and that is enormously important.

And lastly, Baby, Interrupted had a post about the itch to offer out unsolicited advice even if you know how it feels to be on the receiving end of it. She writes a hypothetical response as an addendum to an actual email exchange and while you will laugh through it, as you wipe your eyes, you will read: "The amazing truth is, most people can get pregnant by having sex. This is a fact I appear to have forgotten. My lashing out at her will do nobody any good." And that fact, these small words, set you back down in a very different space.

The roundup to the Roundup: (1) you've been meditating on my question about B.K., right? So go answer it below. (2) Hey, what do you think of the new gmail features? (3) I changed IComLeavWe signup. (4) Trying to finish up the Creme this weekend. At least, what I have on hand. (5) Lots of great blog posts to read. Catch you Saturday night for Show and Tell.


I leave you with this video just because. Because it's necessary?



Because I need those boots. I absolutely can't wait; Milk comes out on DVD in a month.

33 comments:

areyoukiddingme said...

I am sooo not answering the door! It's that creepy, plastic-faced Burger King. Help! Call the police!

Delenn said...

That is so funny, cuz that is EXACTLY who I was thinking--its that creepy, plasticy Burger King! I would get an ax.

On the other hand, it could be my husband with BK...and the ax would be a bad idea, I guess.

Mrs. Higrens said...

I guess it's reflection on the amount of crappy TV I watch that my first thought of B.K. also was that creepy king that shows up from Burger King. I'm really hoping that's NOT what you are heading towards.

JuliaS said...

Add me to the group who automatically came up with the icky plastic King guy for BK - well, that and the next one I thought of was the BK strangler . . . shudder.

Anywho . . .

The Winceables post was amazing and some of the comments - wow. I've been bawling ever since and go back and keep reading and re-reading. So many seemingly innocuous things that can cause so much pain, and until you are inducted into the "club" they just seem like silly little nothing things, not something that tears the heart out of someone.

Lisa said...

Add me to the list of having the burger king guy knocking at my door. Although, I'd open the door, grab the food, and slam it again. I'm hungry and I rarely get time to eat.

loribeth said...

In my world, BK is my sister. : ) So yeah, I'd better answer the door -- or I'll be answering to my mother. ; )

AwkwardMoments said...

BK is my Brother in law, and I'd answer the door.

Anonymous said...

B.K. is Bobby Kennedy. I would welcome him in and call his family and then take him up to Cape Cod.

HereWeGoAJen said...

Before reading all the other comments, I immediately thought of the creepy Burger King guy. I make Matt change that channel when those commercials come on.

Our baby Zambia said...

For the woman who wrote that offensive article about miscarriages for prolifers, I say

Your mother should have let you run down her leg!!!

Beautiful Mess said...

HA! I watch too many spy shows. I did not see the Burger King guy. I saw a good looking spy guy dressed in a nice suit and I TOTALLY let him in! I LOVE the new gmail features. Although, I do have to get use to the different place of buttons.

Jendeis said...

I was thinking Bug Killer and I definitely would answer the door. Oh, it could also be my mother. I'd open the door for her too. :)

Tash said...

I actually thought the BK guy was funny in the football commercial, but that's me.

Now I'm wondering if it's "Big" something. Big Kahuna?

Thanks for the GITW shout out!

Anonymous said...

For me B.K. = Burly Knight & I would so answer the door to that. I would hope that his giant white horse was parked in the driveway and that he came with a plan to save and salvage. & as much as the juicy feminist in me HATES that I would love a rescue (& that in my rescue vision it is a hawt dude)- I am feeling kind of small and in need of swooping.

so. um. yeah- I'd open that door.

Sunny said...

I'm in the crowd picturing the Burger King guy. My first instinct is to dial 911... but then again, it's been a looong time since I've had a Whopper.

Kristin said...

Oh man...I'm also with the crowd that pictured the Burger King dude. He is so creepy looking. If he had a whopper and onion rings with him, I'd let him in.

Shinejil said...

The Butter Kween! YES! It's my lucky day! Come on in!

Lori Lavender Luz said...

Yup. BK is Burger King. Don't eat there, but I'd be curious why he'd be at my door, so I'd open up.

I'm trying to find a way to make YOUR initials B.K. I'd love for YOU to show up at my door.

Hint hint.

Michelle said...

Sorry, you can add me to the list of people who got creaped out because I too thought it was Burger King guy and therefore I am definitely not answering the door.

Serenity said...

I know a person who goes by BK [lastname], so I didn't think of the Burger King.

But I'm not entirely sure I'd open the door either, mostly because BK [lastname] was pretty darn annoying in college.

My second thought is that it's Buzz Kill at the door, and well naturally I wouldn't open it either. Because really. Who needs a Buzz Kill? Not me! :)

Lisa said...

Yep, my mind went to the Creepy King, as he's been dubbed in my house!

Betty M said...

Definitely Burger King.

caitsmom said...

It's Burger King, and I'm not letting him in. I'm been following weight watchers, lost 32 pounds so far, and I'm I can't afford the points!!!!

annacyclopedia said...

BK is my sister, too - well, if you reverse the initials. And I'd always open the door for her, even if she inexplicably started calling herself by her backwards initials.

Can't wait to find out what character quirk my answer reveals about me.

Cara said...

Ok - this is lame-o, but the first thought I had was Big Kitty. I definately let him in cause he ran away a month ago and him coming back would be the BEST! (His real name is Tigger...but is was the BIG Kitty as opposed to Sally the Little Kitty)

Suzanna Catherine said...

Hmmm. Yup. I go with plastic Burger King guy.

sharah said...

B.K. is my godfather's initials, so I would totally open the door :)

Amanda said...

I'm so glad I'm not the only one that wouldn't answer because the Burger King guy would be on the other side. Now maybe if it were Rondald McDonald....

Jo said...

Since I am an unsociable misfit and am not expecting anyone, BK (whoever he/she is) can ring the damn bell all night long.

I'm not only not answering, I'm grabbing my laptop and my blankie and taking my sweatpants and greasy hair to bed to catch up with all my bloggy friends.

Geohde said...

The whole male factor thing is bonkers. Everybody I tell about my IVF seems to assume it can solely be me at fault, so to speak. WHy don't the public know that IF is as much a man's problem as a female one? The same reason newspapers talk about implanting embryos.....people don't bother to check because it doesn't enter their radar. It's not malicious. They're lucky.

J

Anonymous said...

Going with teh first thing that came into my head: Burger King?! Go away! My cholesterol is high enough already!

momofonefornow said...

His name is Busceppi Kaliente and I would absolutely let him in because he is coming over to teach me how to salsa dance!

(These answers didn't have to rooted in reality, right?)

Kim said...

I too thought Burger King! I think I have food on the brain - stressed b/c we didn't move much at all in the last month in our wait for a referral!