So, I’m a bit behind on the blogging thing. How behind?
Almost precisely 35 weeks behind. Yes, that picture is for real. I took it myself back in November.
Shortly after I got married, close to 15 years ago, I started to write an essay called “A Hyphen is a Very Small Tightrope.” It was going to be a humorous but poignant retelling of the brain mastication that eventually led me to hyphenate my name. I had fantasies of selling the piece to Ms. magazine (and maybe having Gloria Steinem herself compliment me on how enlightened I was). I’ve got the nascent essay around here some place, but every time I look at it it makes me wince for the same reason everyone’s junior high school picture makes them flinch. Perhaps some day I’ll actually rewrite the essay and send it to Ms..
Pan ahead 15 years. I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s another essay about ready to be written: “A Positive Pregnancy Test Is Also a Very Small Tightrope.”
And just like I felt with the first incarnation of this metaphor, I’ve got one end of the tightrope in my hand and the other is tied to who knows what? Nor do I have a good idea of what I do when I get to that side. Wish it was as simple as “stop on the platform, wave at the crowd with a flourish and drink in the applause.” Just FYI, that didn’t work for marriage either.
Back to blogging. I’ve got a bunch of stuff backed up around the fun with pregnancy that I may try to post here if I have a spare moment. I can assure you that I don’t intend this to turn into a blog entirely about pregnancy or poopy diapers. There are plenty of better blogs for that sort of thing. But given this stuff has/will consume my life for a while, the blog will no doubt include some of it. If these topics aren’t to your liking, I’ve created a new category for those posts (‘natal’) so you can just avoid them.