jmc_bks | Pessimistic year end

The 3,000th American soldier died in Iraq today.

Check out the op-ed piece in the LA Times asking what George Washington would think about Iraq.

Saddam is dead. Does anyone think this accomplished anything, really? (I'm not saying he wasn't an evil human being, I'm just questioning the validity of his conviction and the purpose of his execution.)

Car bomb at Barajas. I thought ETA had declared a cease fire. Anyone interested in the history of the car bomb? Check out the October issue of Harpers, which has ~~a brief summary~~ Mike Davis's article The Poor Man's Air Force, which can also be found online at TomDispatch.com here.

I read today at BBC New's website that a 67 year old Spanish woman has become the oldest woman to ever give birth. To twins, which are now in incubators. The article is here. I don't know any background, but becoming a parent for the first time at 67? Of twins? That's an exhausting thing to do when you are 27, forget adding four more decades. That's not to say that older parents can't (or aren't) good parents, but stop and think. When he (if either twin is a boy) is 15 and wants to play football, will either parent be in good enough shape to go out and kick the ball around? When she (if either is a girl) is a teenager needing to talk about sex with an adult who gets it, is her 80ish parent really going to be that person? And everyone is going to assume that Mom is Grandmom when they are out and about.

Judgmental much me? Well, yes. You can tell I'm not likely to decide that I need to be a parent when I'm 50, can't you?

Unrelated to headline news, can someone explain the purpose of holiday photo postcards to me? Do people really think that acquaintances want a copy of the annual family photo turned into a postcard? Especially one the sender couldn't be bothered to even personalize by signing or addressing personally? I like the cards with a small photo and an actual handwritten note or signature on the inside; I even like the annual letter sometimes, especially from friends or colleagues that live long distance. The photo postcard? Don't bother to send it to me, please. And what was Someone Who Shall Remain Nameless thinking to turn a photo of her two dogs into the family photo postcard? WTF? I'm pretty sure that even if I were stoned out of my mind, I would know better than to use a photo of The Goofy Cat as my holiday card. If the photo is of the entire family, I smile at the photo then feel vaguely guilty about throwing the photo away. I have no such problem when looking at a (poorly taken) shot of Fluffy and Fido. If one doesn't have any good family photos that include humans, then perhaps the photo postcard should not be attempted.

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JMC - I'm really sorry to hear about the death of so many honorable men and women.

I'm with you on the execution of Saddam but then I guess there were no good options. Keep him alive in prison and have his followers try to get to him or kill him and possibly make him a martyr.

As to older women getting pregnant - oy! Even so, there are many grandparents that end up raising their grandchildren while the parents are off at work but still, they know that sooner or later the kid is going home. I don't know. I look at the death angle more - you are more likely to die before your child reaches 20. How's that going to go over? What if she dies early? It just makes my head hurt.

Photo cards - I don't toss them but I don't put them in frames either. I'm bad that way with all pictures but I do think the photo cards are cute. As to the person with the dogs as her Christmas card? Don't visit my blog for New Years ;)

CindyS

Cindy, even if I didn't regularly check your blog, I'd have to now with that teaser. Actually, I like dogs and love to see fellow bloggers' pets' photos posted online. A "family" photo of my brother and sister in law, or of my best friend and her husband, would seem strange without their dogs. But SHSNBN used a poor photo of only her dogs - bad angle, bad lighting, no humans. And sent it to someone (me) who has never met the dogs and hasn't seen her in ages (literally our only communication is via Christmas card). It just seems like there HAS to have been a better photo to use, or even a generic holiday card would've been better. It felt like little or no thought went into the card being sent. Which negates the point of the card, IMO.

Oh yeah, I understand that. I think I have finally severed the relationship I had with a SHSNBN (one time bestest friend ever for over 22 years) this year because I was sick of getting B-day gifts and Christmas gifts dropped at my door when we weren't home. I would rather see the person then get a gift that tells me you don't have a friggin' clue anymore. She just got engaged to a man I've never met and she lives 5 minutes away from me - I only know she got engaged because my mother told me and yeah, I cried for 3 days over that because she was the first person I called when I got engaged. Now though I have coasted back into bitter and no more tears ;)

CIndyS

Happy New Year, jmc!

As to the news- all I can do at this point is sigh & wish the next elections are sooner rather than later. Motherhood over age 45 = desperation IMO. It's ridiculous & unnatural & pathetic. Ok, I guess I'm not exactly sympathetic.

I'm only sending cards to people who send us cards this year. Cheap? Maybe, but I'm tired of mass mailings where the sender doesn't even sign the darn cards (or photos) themselves. Very few people even bother to do that much. I spend probably $40-50 on cards & postage not to mention time when I mail out my whole list. Not anymore I don't think.

Hi, Amanda! Happy New Year to you, too!

The mass mailing resentment is at the heart of my frustration with the photo postcard. They aren't signed, nothing personal about them. I'd rather get an email that is personalized to me (which is free!) than a mass mailed post card.

Sorry- the post above is me- Amanda (Bookwormom). LOL Need more coffee!

I also send out cards and only wish there were more ways to say Merry Christmas. Sometimes it does just feel like a mass mailing and I try to put something personal in each card but sometimes the pressure is just too much so it's a simple Love Bob and Cindy *shrug*.

Meanwhile, I don't believe we are currently on anyone's mailing list except one blog buddy and a few corporations oh and one of Bob's buds! It's Bob's mom who loves (and I mean loves) to get cards so I make sure I send them out because I know she saves them all and shows everyone who shows up at the house. I am diligent in ohhhing and ahhing over them all and since she probably gets close to 100 with little notes and pictures it does take some time. Whatever you can do to make an 84 year old woman smile ;)

CindyS

Cards take time. Even without personalization. With it, it's impossible, for me at least. I wrote my Christmas letter and bought the cards, but they didn't get sent out. Sigh. I personally like the photo cards. But that's me.

My father adopted at 57. He's going for another one, and if they get a child, he'll be 61 or 62. I think he's out of his mind. I'm trying to make the decision of when to stop trying and I'm only 31 right now. But my half-sister is very happy. ::shrug:: I'm still with you, though.

It isn't the card per se that bothers me, but the postcard with a generic typewritten sentiment, put in an envelope that was run through the printer -- it seems impersonal and unthoughtful to me, missing the original intent of the holiday card. Especially when the only personal "touch" that occured was the sender licking the envelope. (Can you tell I got a lot of those?) Speaking just for myself, I'd rather receive a thoughtful email or note after Christmas, than a generic photo card before the holiday. I know personalization takes time: thinking of something specific to each recipient on my list, which isn't that long, required inspiration from the vine.

I think the "best" child bearing age must be a moving target, different for everyone. My admittedly jaundiced view of latter years children comes from watching a second, later (but not significantly late) pregnancy, and comparing/contrasting the relationships and child-rearing strategies of each child, and also watching my mom with her godchildren (my favorite youngest cousins). She had us young (too young), and by the time she was helping with the cousins, we were grown and she was out of the young child groove, even though she was only in her early 40s.

Pessimistic year end

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Dogs :)

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Cards

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