ashaland

Welcome to the blogosphere, Catherine!

One of my favorite parenting writers, Catherine Newman, has written the final entry in her weekly Babycenter journal, Bringing up Ben and Birdy, and a bittersweet, golden entry it is. She has always inspired me with her conversational humor, her touch of melodrama, and her ability and willingness to describe both the pathos and the ecstasy of motherhood.

Thankfully, she'll continue writing a column called Dalai Mama for Wondertime and some bits for Oprah and FamilyFun magazines. There's her book, Waiting For Birdy, for those of you who want a nice, long drag. And, (hooray!), she's just started a blog. If anyone's voice is made-to-order for blogging, it's hers.

Welcome to the blogosphere, Catherine! So happy we're neighbors! Drop by if you need a cup of sugar!

When marketing makes you HOT

Rael and I have been talking a lot about his (our!) new startup recently, so when this headline popped up in my feed reader, I was entranced:

Geek marketing should be like a good lover

Geeks? Marketing? Lovers? I'm all over it, and you should be, too, if you're interested in enticing techie-dom with your product or service. Thank you, Kathy, for writing about what could be a dry topic (ahem) in such a surprising way.

...and yes, I saw the muthaf***in' movie last night.

Speaking of planes...

I would be remiss as a blogger if I didn't mention that I did indeed shell out the bucks to see Snakes on a Plane last night. Saw it with friends, after drinks, and it was the best audience participation since Rocky Horror in 1985. Many people (including us) brought along rubber snakes to hurl at appropriate moments. Rael was wearing his SoaP t-shirt. We gasped, we screamed, we laughed. Sure, the movie sucked, that's beside the point, isn't it? Schwern sums it up.

Technorati Tags: Snakes on a Plane

Blog Book Tour: The Ghost in the House

Parent Hacks is the fourth stop on the MotherTalk Blog Book tour for The Ghost in the House: Motherhood, Raising Children, and Struggling with Depression by journalist Tracy Thompson.

My own transition to stay-at-home motherhood was rocky, and at one point I searched out literature by women whose experiences echoed mine. I read every book, article, essay (and later, blog post) I could find by mothers who were brave enough to reveal their struggles. Suffice it to say that when it comes to literature about motherhood, I'm well-read.

When The Ghost in the House arrived in the mail, I blithely assumed it would be another memoir detailing one woman's difficulty adjusting to motherhood. My jaded attitude surprised me. I am so grateful for the growing body of literature detailing the complexities of motherhood (many of which fly in the face of its popular portrayal), especially those shining light on the demon of postpartum depression. And yet, I found myself resisting reading another story about maternal struggle, perhaps because I've so recently left much of mine behind.

Thank goodness my commitment to this review caused me to crack open the cover, because by page 2, I was hooked.

[Read the rest of this post on Parent Hacks.]

BlogHer '06: Admiration all around

BlogHer '06 is over. It has been over for days, and I'm still slack-jawed. The experience was overwhelming (in a good way) -- both meeting people whose writing I admire, and being recognized for my own work.

I've fiddled with writing a recap, but I keep getting buried by all I want to say. So, rather than give you a play-by-play (it has been done, very well, already), let me simply introduce you to some of the brilliant people I met, spent time with, spoke to for a moment, laughed with, got to know, admire. I'm going by my stack of business cards and faulty memory, so if I've neglected to list you, I apologize. Please comment with your blog address so my forty daily readers can get to know you, too.

And to everyone who attended, thank you for an amazing weekend.

• Liz of Mom-101 and Cool Mom Picks
• Kristen of Motherhood Uncensored and Cool Mom Picks
• Julie of Mothergoosemouse
• Catherine of Her Bad Mother
• Catherine of Mayberry Mom
• Whitney and Heather (the Rookie Moms)
• Mindy of The Mommy Blog
• Danielle of Foodmomiac
• Mary of Mom Writes
• Mir of Wouldacouldashoulda and Want Not
• Heather of Dooce
• Alice of Finslippy
• Sarah (roomie!) of Cafe Mama, urbanMamas, Blogging Baby and much more
• Melissa of Suburban Bliss
• Eden of Fussy
• Amy of Amalah
• Robert Scoble
• Jenn, Jenny and Meghan of Mommybloggers
• Karen of Troll Baby
• Stefania of CityMama
• Guy Kawasaki
• Tracey of Sweetney
• Karen of Chookooloonks
• Lisa of Surfette
• Arianna Huffington
• Laid-off Dad
• Dutch and Wood of Sweet Juniper!
• Jessica of Very Mom
• Izzy of IzzyMom
• Mena Trott
• Caterina Fake
• Meg Hourihan
• Susie Bright
• Chris of Notes from the Trenches
• Sara of Sarah and the Goonsquad
• Cooper of The MotherHood
• Renee of downtheavenue and Blodgett Communications
• Beth and Jill of Silicon Valley Moms Blog
• Rebecca of Cooking Up A Story
• Ann and Yael of Maya's Mom
• Kathryn of Daring Young Mom
• Kari of The Karianna Spectrum
• Wendy of Fire on the Poop Deck
• Elizabeth of Table for Five
• Tracey of Mother May I
• Krisco of Crib Ceiling
• Rachel of Minti