Links for Friday

My new celebrity love: Maggie Gyllenhal for breastfeeding in public.

Also, in case you hadn't heard, 18% of Texas high school seniors failed the TAKS test and therefore can't graduate. Never mind this means that they can't pass a test of BASIC skills, they're upset that they can't put on a cap and gown and walk across a stage with their friends. Here's an article about it. Check out the protestor's sign. Classic, no?

The San Francisco Treat

So when the husband tells me that his company is sending him to Java One (a "geek-conference") in San Francisco, and asks if I would like to go spend our first weekend alone together after the second kid, I answered "HELL YES." I've always wanted to go to San Fran and if the husband's flight and some other stuff is paid for, there's nothing to debate.

While he spent Thursday and Friday at the Geek Conference (I attended the Thursday night "java bash" disguised as a coworker named Dimitri and there I publicly accused the husband of sexually harassing me. It was very amusing at the time), I shopped. A LOT. Then Saturday and Sunday we got to do the touristy thing.

Here are some pictures! Enjoy!

Feminist Monday

A few articles that I found interesting...

Michelle Obama quits her job to do the expected thing. Sorry - I think she's a very attractive woman, but that picture makes her look like a Jedi knight.

The marriage - industrial complex - the modern American wedding and how it's become a monster.

It's Friday!

Here's the latest column. I actually like it, although I realized after I turned it in that I spelled Gayle King's first name wrong, and my editor didn't catch it either. Oh well.

For those of you that tune in from time to time, I apologize for not blogging more frequently. I want to be a good blogger, I do. I just am frequently overwhelmed with how much information I have to share, and overwhelmed with the amount of things I have to do in a day. Typical working mom complaints, yes?

Another thing to take you into the weekend. If you (hypothetically) inadvertently feed a baby a tiny little bit of very very hot salsa, you will feel really really bad when she starts wailing, but you will also be trying not to laugh at the way her face turned red like a cartoon character. So heartbreaking. Hypothetically, of course.

HURRICANE Winds, y'all

Last night was a big storm for us. BIG. DH and I were standing at the windows, watching our trees lean over at a 45 degree angle. One baby tree in the back yard is wired to the fence, so as it bent over, we worried that it would take the fence with it.

But no trees were down this morning, the kids slept through, and we only lost power intermittently, enough to make my husband cuss repeatedly at the computer, and me just to give up on watching Lost.

Driving through our neighborhood this morning, everything looked normal, until I crossed town and went into the neighborhood where our daycare is. Every single tree had branches down, stop signs were uprooted. I saw fire men standing outside of the firehouse, looking at the roof that had been blown off. When we pulled into the daycare, the playground that E plays on has trees uprooted, and suncovers pulled off the covered areas. E said, "My playground! Broken!" Apparently we are lucky the daycare was open, as the whole section of town behind it still didn't have power.

One of the bitches was in a bathroom last night when the tornado sirens went off. One had a tree fall on her house. I think Mrs. DallasK and I live on the calm side of town.