Blogger's Best Friends

I have a proposition, blogging friends. I say it's time we show our animal companions some blogosphere love. Let Friday, June 1, be Post Pics of Your Pets Day. Photos of our animal friends will spread like wildfire across blogland.

What say you? Are you with me? Leave a comment if you're planning to participate, and I'll include links to all Pet-Friendly Blogs on the big day.

Hooray for our furry/scaly/feathered/etc friends!

Positive Thinking Revisited

Warning, Lost fans: Possible spoiler alert.

I'm just going to say this right here, right now, and the force of my will will make it true:

Charlie is not dead.

That is all.

So Much to Fear

While filling out a poll for an online polling service, I came across this question:

Which of the following is more worrisome to you?

• The government gaining legal access to my phone records (e.g., through the provisions of the Patriot Act)
• A cyber-criminal (someone who uses software for criminal purposes) gaining access to my personal information (i.e., bank account and credit card numbers, passwords, etc.) through my PC (personal computer)
  

Um, all of the above?

We Remain Neutral

In honor of the Crosstown Classic series:

Fighting Crime in the Streets

This is my alderman:

Crime-fighting Chicago alderman foils robbery

I confess, I haven't been Joe Moore's biggest fan (see here), but this is pretty cool. My favorite quote from the story:

"I saw a guy running down the street carrying a purse," Moore said. "I knew it wasn't his because it didn't match his shoes."

Nanny 9-1-1

We've been struggling with the idea of childcare recently.

I love being a stay-at-home mom. I wouldn't have it any other way. I get to be with my kids during these amazing and crucial years, teaching them and learning from them and creating a safe, loving environment for them. I know Airan is totally jealous and would trade places with me in a heartbeat. That said, my side job as a freelance editor has been harder and harder to fit into my day while maintaining my sanity. So a choice is before us: Either we find a daycare solution, or I quit freelancing.

For now, we're tentatively going with the daycare path -- by which I mean we're kind of, sort of, just barely starting to look into our options, and I'm feeling a touch overwhelmed and intimidated. Nanny or daycare? Daycare center or home daycare? Part-time or full-time? Nanny share? Just find a friend with kids and trade off duties a few days a week? How much is all this going to cost?

I tell you, my head is spinning. Aside from the fact that there are so many flavors of childcare to choose from, I have two big concerns that I'm not sure how to handle:

1. How do I find/create a situation in which I'm comfortable leaving my kids, the most important people on Planet Earth?

2. Even when I find/create that situation, where on Planet Earth will I find the courage to actually leave them there?

It's a Small World After All

Gaze upon this and ponder how tiny we all are.


Found at Bad Astronomy, with some very interesting comments about the significance of this image.

Wait a Minute, Mr. Postman

Thanks to Nanette, I am now totally sold on the concept of Good Mail. (Nanette knows the way to my heart -- any greeting that involves the f-bomb is going to win me over. Come over, Nanette, and we'll watch The Big Lebowski together.)

Balance

I love this post over at Wil Wheaton's blog. I'd love to write a long, thoughtful, inspired post of my own on the topic, but I think a simple "ditto" really sums it up for me.

Happy Mother's Day

Who could ask for a better Mother's Day? I got to spend the day with these amazing and adorable kids ...


... who made these stunning works of art for me (with some help from Daddy) ...



... and I got to eat ice cream cake and play two (count 'em -- two!) games of Puerto Rico. Life is good.