I Am Not Cool Enough For: Urban Ruralism

I grew up in a small farming community about 45 miles southwest of Houston.  My parents didn't farm, but 4-H and FFA (Future Farmers of America for those not in the know -- not to be confused with FHA, Future Homemakers of America, an actual club my high school had) were quite popular.  My mom grew up on a dairy farm and still has an unnatural fear of cows.

My time there taught me that farming is hard work that I never wanted to be a part of.  It's hot here in Texas and you don't get paid time off in farming.  So, this sudden urban ruralism trend makes absolutely no sense to me. Several of my coworkers have chicken coops.  Husband spent countless hours building a raised garden and spends about 20 minutes a day checking it out.  He grew one cucumber and insisted on pickling -- a hobby I only associate with my grandmother, who also pickled.  He tried to buy a $20 preserving book at Costco the other day and has plans on creating more garden beds next year.

I spent my entire life trying to get to a real city with things like 24 hour grocery stores so I could avoid farming, only to grow up and suddenly have it be this cool thing that everyone wants to do.

Oh dear: Teen Mom

I already expressed my love for the show "16 and Pregnant" with the complaint that it doesn't make parenting look hard enough.  MTV apparently heard this complaint a while back, because I discovered they have a show "Teen Mom" following four of the moms from "16 and Pregnant".  It's about to go into its second season, which meant that they had a marathon of the show yesterday so I was able to catch several parts of several episodes and the last 30 minutes of the wrap up.

Of the four couples, three were in relationships with their baby daddies when the baby was born -- at the end of Teen Mom, only one is still together.  Other than the mom that gave her baby up for adoption, none of them moms are successfully completing school--apparently, watching a baby is very time consuming!  You can't study and take care of a baby at the same time!  (You also can't catch all of the Teen Mom marathon either while taking care of 1-2 kids for the record.)

Overall, the show portrayed parenting in a much more realistic light.  Kudos to MTV.

A Love Letter to: Publishers on Amazon.com

Dear Publishers:

As I've mentioned before, I have a Kindle. Which I love.  Every time I hear about a book that sounds interesting, I get on my iPhone or computer and send myself a book sample.  When I finish one book, I read some samples until I find something else to read.  As a result, I'm reading a lot more.  And I'm enjoying the books I read a lot more.

Originally, Amazon had priced all books on the Kindle at $9.99.  After the iPad and Apple came out with their own e-Reader software, allowing you publishers to price books at any price, Amazon was pressured to do the same.  And occasionally, this plan does something completely ridiculous, like PRICE THE PAPER COPY OF THE BOOK HIGHER THAN THE ELECTRONIC VERSION.

Take Eat, Pray, Love.  I'm watching a commercial for the new movie, starring Julia Roberts, and it looks like fun. It's all Julia in her perkiness.  And I think, "Hey, even though I've already decided not to read this book because of the reviews on Amazon, but this movie looks like fun, so I'll download a sample and see."  Only to discover that the cost of the Kindle version of the book is $12.99 while a paperback version is $8.25.   This book, published in 2007, is the same cost as the author's new book published at the beginning of the year and only available in hardcover.

So Penguin Publishing, I get it.  You don't really care if I read the book.  And hey, I'm fine with that.  I already rejected your book once.  Now I have a sign that it really wasn't meant to be.

Sincerely,
Me

I Am Not Cool Enough For: Noticing the Old Spice guy videos in a timely fashion

So I'm sure you are way cooler than me, but just in case, the "blogosphere" and "twitteratti" went crazy this week for the Old Spice guy who with apparently the world's best marketing team created over 200 personalized vidoes.  I love the Old Spice guy!  My man smells like the Old Spice man ("I am the man your man could smell like!")  And I complete missed my opportunity to blog about him and possibly have a response video.  Because that's how uncool I am!

Hypothetically speaking, had the Old Spice guy seen the blog entry I didn't write, I'm sure my experience would have been like @matthewsinclair who Twittered:

Feeling like the Old Spice guy! Over the weekend I went for a run, went horsehiding, and chainsawed firewood.#sadlyidontlooklikehim #true

 And received this video response:

I Am Not Cool Enough For: Parenting

I have two kids:  a 3.5 year old girl and a 3 month old boy.  And I am simply not cool enough to parent in 2010.

Fact is, in this high tech, Web 2.0 world, there's been a return to a crunchy granola hippie time and I'm frankly not cool enough to go along.  Examples:

• Nursing in public.  I breastfeed but don't nurse in public.  Not with a blanket, not without a blanket.  I don't find it comfortable.  I'd much rather breastfeed at home on my couch with a bunch of pillows.  And though I'm pumping at work now, once I'm over this whole breastfeeding thing, I'm giving the baby formula.  I'm not even going to pretend I'm going to do this for a year, as recommended.
• VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Caesarian).  I had a C-section with my first baby (not intentionally) and I had a C-section with my second baby.  I didn't try to have a vaginal birth and I certainly didn't try to have the baby at home (as did two people I knew the same month my little one was born.)
• Vaccinations.  I vaccinate my kids, using the schedule provided by my doctor.  I don't create my own schedule or skip vaccinations.
• Baby wearing.  I have this giant Moby Wrap.  I've worn it twice.  And I didn't get it from Amazon, I got it from this natural store which I had never even seen before (I looked up where I could get the wrap), so it was organic cotton, making the cost per use $35 a wearing.  And I've never been to a baby wearing group.  
• Baby food.  I'm not going to make my own  It's Gerber all the way.  And I'm probably going to use the non organic kind too. 

Despite my uncoolness, my kids are happy, healthy, and delightful.