Monday, April 12, 2010

I put my thing down, flip it and reverse it

April blogging challenge, day 12. I'm running out of thoughtful commentary, and beginning to wonder if I'm a 2-trick blogging pony (my two tricks being a deep-seeded love of coffee and all things liberal).

It might be the pressure I'm feeling from my newfound blog audience- my hits have tripled since the beginning of this challenge. Now that I have you all in my snares, I don't want to go back to only my six best friends reading this. So I'm trying not to say things that might alienate you, rando new readers, like how I hate cats or how I think Tiger Woods might be a sociopath.

Still reading? Whew.

I was happy to read this article last week, which states that men are spending more time with their kids than ever before and are beginning to more frequently feel the same guilt about their work-life balance that women have been experiencing for years. It is, as journalist Julia Baird mentions, especially sweet to hear these stats as we sit in the midst of a never-ending media blitz that involves famous men, strategically saved text messages, and tattooed strippers.

My girlfriends and I, all unmarried, often talk about whether or not we think we can 'have it all'. I know that we have absolutely no frame of reference yet, but we still discuss what it will be like to juggle a career, a marriage, kids, and (hopefully) our own identities. Mostly we end up feeling overwhelmed as we share anecdotes about our female bosses sending emails at both 1 AM and 5:30 AM, or stories of moms we know nodding in agreement as they discuss the collective incompetency of their husbands. It's... discouraging, to say the least.

This article made me hopeful that my generation will be able to more easily pursue our ambitions in tandem with our chosen partners, all while feeling less guilty and more well-rested.

In my future, I'll also have a faucet that drips French Press, a closet full of BCBG, and my husband will look this guy from Friday Night lights:



but have the brain of Jon Favreau. (This Jon Favreau, not this one.)

4 comments:

Joel said...

I laughed so hard when I read you wanted a guy who looked like Taylor Kitsch and the brain of Jon Favreau. At first I was like, "the writer of Swingers?", I never even knew you saw that movie. Then I saw your parenthetical note and it all made sense. You huge geek.

Also, you may wonder how I know who Taylor Kitsch is since I have never nor ever will watch FNL. He played Gambit in the Wolverine movie. Yahtzee!

KC said...

I love Tim Riggins. LOVE HIM.

My experience is that you can't have it all, but there's pleasure in the trying. ;)

LH said...

I think you CAN have it all. You just have to redefine what ALL means.

I've never seen that guy before. He does not look like someone who's going to be spending a heck of a lot of time with the kids, but I probably shouldn't judge.

I'm glad I've found your blog. Don't worry. I'll keep reading, even after April.

KC said...

lee, you need to get friday night lights on netflix. order it RIGHT NOW. you won't be sorry.