373rd Friday Blog Roundup

Last Roundup of 2011.  We don’t really have exciting New Years plans.  Part of me regrets not pulling something exciting together, and part of me knows that not having plans is the right choice.  I think I sometimes get wrapped up in the “shoulds” without really considering my wants, and I go along with things out of obligation instead of true desire.  I like being in my pyjamas in a warm house with a book or a movie.  I like hanging out with just the kids and Josh.  I don’t like champagne or wearing real clothes or sitting in a car or talking over music.  But all those facts go out the window sometimes.  And even when they don’t, you get something like this, where I feel like I’m missing out by not making plans.  Even though I don’t really want them.

What are you doing for New Year’s Eve?

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The Kindle version of Life from Scratch is enormously on sale for a few days as part of an Amazon promotion to fill-your-Kindle (assuming, of course, that you just got a Kindle for a holiday gift and it is empty).  So if for some crazy reason you haven’t read it yet, here’s your chance for 99 cents.  99 cents.  You can’t even get a cup of coffee anymore for 99 cents.  And a book is going to last a lot longer than a cup of coffee.  Our daily library fines are more than 99 cents.  Think about that — you can keep my book out from the library for an extra day and pay more than you would if you bought your own copy.

That said, if you truly do love me — and I use the term “love” loosely here to even refer to lukewarm fondness toward me — please help me spread word about the deal before it’s over.  Tweet it, Facebook it, Google+ it (is that even a term?), blog about it, email about it, buy a copy for your best friend.  Tell your coworkers about it as you stand around the cooler drinking copious amounts of water.  Write it in chalk on your street.  Write it across your boobs because that’s where guys are looking while they talk to you.

Pretty please?

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And now the blogs…

But first, second helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week as well as the week before.  In order to read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• “The Longest Night” (Mrs. Spit… Still Spouting Off)
• “Infertile. Pregnant. Myself” (The 2 Week Wait)
• “Here Comes the Sun” (My Life After Loss)
• “Occupy Blog Street” (Stirrup Queens) — thank you, Lori!
• “A Christmas Carol” (Searching for Our Silver Lining)
• “I Wrote This” (Eggs in a Row)
• “Christmas and Infertility” (Our Little Pebbles)
• “Dusting Yourself Off at Christmas” (Viva la Vida)
• Untitled (A Little Blog About the Big Infertility and Adoption Too)
• “Preggo Don’t Preach” (Mommy Odyssey)

Okay, now my choices this week.

Awful But Functioning has a post about the loss of their cat that mixes into the story of the loss of her daughter, Maddy.  It is a gorgeous post about what happens when life continues, and she writes: “At first I was frustrated. Deeply. Eye-roll-y frustrated. But as more names and pictures that filtered past, the frustration melted and I looked at my hot mess of a child, yelling while looking like he was making snow angels but in a grassy lawn, and realized I was lucky. I was so, so fucking lucky. We rode on the elevator in the parking garage after the event with a couple with no children with them. I felt embarrassed, standing there amid my jewels and riches.”  It’s a gorgeous post about life after loss.

Bottoms Off and On the Table has a post about why she hates Christmas.  I think I loved it for this line: “Gift giving at the office is like orgasms.  It’s best when it happens simultaneously.”

Geebaby also has a post about being on the fence about Christmas.  I read so many great Christmas posts, happy Christmas posts, that maybe I was drawn to these two because they were different and because they were just as honest.  Like this: “More than anything, Christmas makes me feel every year like a terrible actor in some bizarre play, woodenly going through the motions and hitting marks. Drink coffee, open gift, thank giver, eat cheese.”

Lastly, Waiting for Little Feet has a post about being asked about her pregnancy… when she’s not pregnant.  Her trip to Aruba turned out to fall smack into everyone else’s babymoon.  But it’s a chance meeting on a boat that reminds her that you never know what someone else went through to get the life you observe from the outside.

The roundup to the Roundup: What are you doing for New Year’s Eve?  Please help me spread word about the Kindle deal.  And lots of great posts to read.  So what did you find this week?  Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between December 23rd and December 30th) and not the blog’s main url. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week?  Read the original open thread post here.