By Way of Explanation

I wanted to do NaNoWriMo this year and finally pound out a nice draft of the lesbian Y/A romance that's been in my brain for ten years. But who am I kidding? I can barely keep the laundry from overrunning the house and the baby formula mixed and the bottles clean.

So blogging it is.

I won't promise you earth-shattering brilliance, but maybe I can get into a better groove than I've been in lately and learn to structure my time a bit more usefully in the bargain.

Now would be a great time to ask probing questions about anything you've ever read here. Or something you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask. Please. Shoot.

Comments

[sster]

Selfishly, because of my self-proclaimed feminist rebirth, I'd like to see some posts on how you locate yourself within feminism, as a woman, lesbian, stay-at-home mother, partner, etc., or any other matrix through which you see yourself engaged with feminism.

[courtney]

I'l try to think of questions, but just wanted to say yay! NaBloPoMo!

[Jody]

Your thoughts on adjunct on-line teaching; how you manage your time; what you do with the girls during the day (in a concrete what-are-the-current-rhythms inquisitive way, not a "what do SAHMs do all day" obnoxious way); whether you're reading anything good these days and if so, what; what your plans are for the holiday season (especially Advent, if you're still doing that sort of thing, which I selfishly hope you are).

[Beth]

Any plans you have for Selina's baptism, or for marking her adoption liturgically. And what theological thoughts are bouncing around your head in relation to the above.

[Tracy]

Okay, I have a question! How do you feel about work by people such as Rosie O'Donnell on behalf of GLBT persons? Because I feel that she's doing something great, but at the same time, it seems like she's "celebrity-izing" GLBT's. Like she's working so hard to make being who people are okay with everyone that she's made it even more of a stand-out, somehow. Does that make any sense? Do you think that people HAVE to see being GLBT as something "novel" before it can be seen as "normal?" I don't, but then again, I am "straight" (I hate that term) so I've never been singled out because of my sexual orientation. I guess I feel that way because I think you are born who you are supposed to be. You're born, and you like people of the opposite sex. Or you're born and you like people of the same sex. Or you're born, and you like both. Or you're born into a body that doesn't feel like it should be yours and so you have to do what you can to make yourself more comfortable in it. Is it possible to make being GLBT "normal" without making it "un-normal" first? I hope you understand my question. I'm reading it over and realize it looks like I'm being insensitive, when what I'm trying to say is gee, wouldn't it be nice if we could all be who we are and it never, ever had to be an issue?

[Jessica]

I became a mom in my late 30's. And I'm loving being a working mom to 3 young children - busy life and all that, but what struck me about parenting was how much you need to be involved in other people's life when your kid wants to play with theirs. Before I was ever asked to drop my children off for play dates, etc. I didn't care if people had a wild doberman pincher, unlocked guns, whatever....I never intruded, never asked. Now I do worry about dog attack, gun accidents. BUT what makes me sad is when other parents feel they have to tell me they are gay before they ask my child over for a playdate - like that is some thing that I need to consider before I drop my child off. What is society thinking to allow this kind of open prejudice towards the gay community to the point that gay parents have to give other parents a heads up before asking their child over for a playdate?

[parodie]

Ooo, people are asking excellent questions. I, however, have a very superficial question, but one which I have been wondering about for quite a long time: what is the story behind this blog's name? "Waiting for Nat" was obvious, but this is not!

[Round is Funny]

You've written before about having been married to a man before you were with Cole. What was it like to make that transition in your adult life? When did you know that was right for you?

[Beth]

Jessica, as a lesbian parent myself, I am guessing that the gay parents who come out to you before inviting your kid over to play are actually doing it to protect themselves and their child. They don't know you, so they don't know if you are going to FREAK OUT -- and they'd rather have you freak out over the phone than in front of their child.

[Nicole]

There is a story (more of an image, or maybe several stories packed into the image) that you've told quite a few times about your (privileged, white) students "with tears in their eyes" demanding that you tell them what they can do about racism when they first confront racial guilt during one of your classes.

That image/story/moment seems to be something of a touchstone for you, but also it seems that you find the experience(s?) exasperating.

Is that accurate, the observation of your exasperation? And if so, what's exasperating you? Some sense that these kids should have clued in to this reality way before they got to your classroom? Or with being annoyed that they are making a gigantic, drama-filled deal out of "discovering" said reality?

And, exasperated or not, what does this experience of the crying students mean for you as a teacher? Does it/did it significantly change your teaching style?

(Lately, I'm on the receiving end of a little too much tearful (evangelical) teen witnessing, and I'm never sure whether to offer comfort or debate. But I feel equal parts concern and exasperation, so this is why I was thinking of you and the crying students.)