Monthly Archives: October 2009

I’ve just spent the morning with Jane’s fifth grade class. We saw an amazing presentation at The House Of Blues. If you’re in Los Angeles I highly recommend having your school contact them, they teach African American History from the 1500′s to the 1980′s with art, music and dance. It was incredibly moving, academic and fun.

Oh, it also terrified me.

Ten year old boys do not stop moving. They have shpilkes. After three hours of boys bouncing in their seats, wiggling and jiggling on the bus and generally being boys, I am absolutely exhausted.

Alexander has been an easy child, very low maintenance and able to entertain himself. The last year has brought about increased energy levels and volume too. I’m thinking in two years I will no longer go to bed at night. I will simply collapse.

I just can’t remember being this tired.

Dear Blogger Bob,

I see that y’all are very adept at Social Media. Clearly you are listeners, and so long as I have your ear I’d like to talk to you.

Flying is disgusting and you are making it worse. That I have to begin each and every trip with sliding my bare feet on your stinky dirty floors is unconscionable. Blogger Bob, I don’t even get pedicures because other people’s flaky, scaly, warty, fungus crusted feet disgust me so. Swine flu delighted me, and with the first outbreak I gleefully ceased shaking hands.

We love that you keep our skies safe, but please Blogger Bob, can we get back to keeping our shoes on?

Fondly,

Jessica

Last Friday I used twitter to direct you to a site that told a compelling story.

And of course there was controversy. Then there was a comment that has had me reevaluating my role in social media.

And then we exchanged some emails, the details of which are not necessarily relevant. John is no stranger to blogging, nor to social media and the speed of which anyone can share information. I find it incredibly depressing that there are so many times that bloggers are called into question, and ultimately cannot adequately stand behind their words. Please note, I’m not saying that this is the case with Nicole White. It does make me pause and rethink my own space.

Twitter: I’ve already divided my twitter stream into two separate accounts. One is noisy, filled with links, conversations, misspellings and general silliness. I’ve also established @JessReviews where I review a product a day but there is no discussion. Somehow this felt like my own separation of Church and State. I’m not suggesting it for anyone, but I like that it’s clean, like a sidebar. It felt right, and it still does.

Blogging: I’ve always felt like my disclaimer was good. Is it missing something? I’m not a news source, and I don’t really expect to be. I’m not a journalist. I’m a mom and a wife, I’m a daughter and tech nerd. I don’t mean like a little nerdy either, I mean, I am absolutely devastated that my kids’ school isn’t falling all over itself to take advantage of Wolfram Alpha Homework Day. I remember writing IF THEN programs for fun after school… when I was eight. I love technology, there I said it. I love technology so much I want to marry it <— and I prove that I am, in fact, a Mommy Blogger. [shaddup leave me alone]

Because of John, I’m sitting and thinking about why I blog. A blog is a Web Log. People always ask me what I blog about. I tell them I’m a Mommy Blogger. What is my obligation? I don’t want to be a reporter or a journalist. I’m a Mom, I can’t see the world through anyone’s lens but my own. I don’t have any interest in presenting you with two sides to every story, this is straight editorial. On the rare occasion I give facts, breaking news or commentary on studies, I do direct you to a news source.

Later today I’ll be resurrecting my newsletter, in an attempt to further separate my topics.

What are the standards for bloggers? There was one attempt to create a standard for bloggers, but it quickly became a laughingstock outside it’s own echo chamber. The idea of trying to regulate bloggers is laughable.

I don’t have any hard and fast answers, but I can offer you my truths.

Yesterday Roman Polanski was taken from his Swiss jail cell to receive undisclosed medical treatment.

Unlike Whoopi Goldberg, I’m going to refer to him as a rapist. Why? Because he’s been convicted of rape. Ms. Godberg said, “It’s not rape rape…” on The View.

Uh, she’s right. It’s actually worse. At 43 years old he gave a 13 year old child champagne and Quaaludes, got her naked under the guide of submitting her photos to Vogue and then proceeded to rape her both anally and vaginally. If you doubt my words for a single second please see the pages of the Grand Jury investigation here and here. Reading the court documents should make the bile rise in your throat and a rage may build. Good for you.

Before the world feels badly for an old man in poor health, let’s remember who he is. Did he make a good movie, yes? Should it have been made? No. Polanski should have been sitting out his prison term.

I don’t know how old you are, but I’m looking at 40 next spring and what I have in common with a preadolescence child is minimal. We’re both female, that’s about it. In addition to being a rapist, Polanski is a child predator, loathed even by other prisoners.

As the extradiction unfolds, I’d beg you all to look around your neighborhoods, or even within your families and listen to a thirteen year old child speak. Watch her mannerisms and then you tell me if she could stand up to a 43 year old man.

I know Polanski was a holocaust survivor. My family is too, many people close to me were very damaged by that in ways I’ll never comprehend, but they were still basically good people. Don’t let his tragic childhood tear at your heartstrings, he’s still accountable. Don’t let his rheumy eyes and pale skin trick you into thinking he’s a nice old man.

It’s not too long, it’s not too late. Rape isn’t only an ugly man in a dark alley wielding a knife at a pretty girl’s throat. Rape is an adult giving a child narcotics and entering her both vaginally and anally. Someone please tell Whoopie Goldberg what rape is.

“Roman Polanski is a convicted child rapist“. He needs to be brought to justice.

When he finally is it will be a win for mothers and daughters everywhere.

Apparently the TSA isn’t an old plodding arm of the government in every way.

A few days ago My Bottle’s Up posted about TSA agents taking her child away and [hinted at] incarcerating her. An except is:

The male TSA agent repeated, “I’m going to have to pick him up to inspect him.”

I handed him my son.

I handed him my son and he walked away with my child.

My eyes welled up with tears, I stood up from my chair and I asked the female TSA agent, “Where is he going? Where is he taking my child? Why is he leaving?”

Jackson, while being whisked away looked at the male TSA agent awkwardly and repeated “no no no no.”

In what has to be the best ever use of social media by a bureaucracy, the TSA posted the following:

A blog post has been circulating today from a woman who wrote a very emotional story about being separated from her child while traveling through a TSA check point. Two things went through my mind after reading her post.

1. As a father of two small children, I empathized with her about the alleged circumstances.
2. As a TSA employee and former TSO, I felt it could not be true — especially since our policy is that TSA will not ask parents to do anything that would distance them from their children during the screening process.

TSA works daily to achieve the balance of effective security and passenger convenience. We diligently review claims of improper conduct. But when inaccurate passenger accounts are made either via media outlets or on the blogs, TSA works to resolve them and present both sides of the story. In this case, TSA has made the decision to post the CCTV video of the incident online to allow for transparency.

After watching the video footage, you’ll see the video clearly shows that this invididual was never separated from her baby by TSA. You’ll also see that a lot of the other claims are also unfounded.

Being a Mom and a blogger, I’m guessing you’re waiting for the outrage, for the moment where I scream, she lied she lied.

I can’t do that. I will, however await her reply, and sit here for a moment thinking of when my kids were that age, and how scary the world seemed. I’m going to relax a little and send out support for everyone, because I think when we are new Moms sometimes our perceptions and our fears can become our reality.

What I will say is this.

Social Media is new, but the old rules apply, double check your sources and your facts. Try to be as honest as your can, otherwise, maybe silent is best.

*****

UPDATE: A response has been posted. Nichole White is saying that the TSA tapes are incomplete. Also, Christopher Elliot (of course) has some stellar advice for both travelers and TSA. Christopher Elliot is the go to guy for travel.

I’m in the airport on my way back home, and I’m really happy that I got to be at Sitscation if only for a few hours. I had cocktails with Cassie and a hugs from more than a few of you.

I’m also happy to be going home. Although it looks like everyone will have tons of fun, I’m anxious to get bak to my kids and my husband. I’m happy there.

I was looking at the tweetstream and I realize that although I tried talking about women bloggers being the Prom Queen of the Internet, what got the most tweets is the line “Like Virginity you only get to lose your integrity once”. Wanted y’all to know (as I’d said at the time) that it was something I’d seen on twitter this morning. I’m pretty sure it was from Jessica Smith, and I’m hoping she’ll chime in here.

It’s a wonderful sentiment and absolutely worth repeating.

For all the ladies of Sitscation, thank you, you’re magnificent and I’m grateful for you.