Friday morning roundup

Do you ever open a window of the blogging software of your choice having No Earthly Idea what you are going to write about? Typically, I don't; I usually have some hot topic -- such as pants, or where I should go on vacation -- that's sent me toddling off to the computer. (As if I weren't sitting here already...)

Today, I got nothin', except a guilty feeling about not posting -- or even reading many blogs -- since Tuesday and a morning of assorted freelance duties (and, presumably, a shower) ahead of me. I don't even have enough material for the Random Bullets of Assorted Crap that have been seen here and there.

Aha! But what I do have is a compendium of links, since I finally caught up on my blog reading this morning. So perhaps you'll find something here you like; I certainly did.

If you love food writing (or just good writing), you really ought to check out Gluten-Free Girl. Shauna has celiac disease -- long-time readers may recall that my doctors thought I did, as well, early last year -- and her blog is a chronicle of the amazing foods she's discovered since her diagnosis. She's a beautiful writer and a talented cook; more than that, she is a lovely human being, someone you'd love to have as a friend.

Also in the food category, Scrivener had a few posts this week about his long-awaited drop-in dinners, the first of which featured mushroom risotto, one of my all-time favorite foods. These posts reminded how much, in the pre-pregnancy days, I enjoyed cooking and hosting little gatherings. Though I've done a bit more cooking recently, I really miss the passion I used to have for it. Scrivener's posts reminded me that, even if cooking takes a back seat for a while, it can regain some prominence once the bambino/a is a little older.

In case you missed it a couple weeks back, Anita and her family were featured in the New York Times business section in a story about new parents fighting the urge to buy too much stuff for their kidlets. (Unfortunately, the story itself is now behind a pay wall.)

I think most of you already read Phantom -- if you don't, what the heck are you waiting for?? -- but it's worth pointing out her beautiful post about the tension between wanting her kids to seek their independence and wanting to keep them close and warm. As a parent-to-be, I am entranced by the sheer force of love behind this post.

Melissa in the next county south has a great post about the specious arguments against gay marriage.

Julie at A Little Pregnant started a fascinating discussion about how many kids are enough -- emotionally, physically, etc. If you don't have time to read through all 300+ comments, check out the Cliffs Notes version she helpfully provided.

My newest blog pal, Kate, recently started her own blog. Say hello at One Tired Ema.

Lastly, I am a huge fan of Susan Orlean. She's a staff writer at the New Yorker and the author of The Orchid Thief; she's got an incredible way of characterizing people and places; her profiles are works of art. (In fact, I won an award for a profile I wrote that blantantly copied her style.) Oh, and she's beautiful. I'm not sure why I don't hate her. In any case, she was in town last night reading from her latest book. We didn't make it over for the reading, unfortunately -- perhaps because I was sound asleep on the couch at 7:30 -- but I did get to catch up on another aspect of her life with this piece in the New York Times about the home she and her husband built in Columbia County, New York (Meg, maybe you're neighbors?!?). Read it and weep. And then if you haven't wept enough, check out the audio slide show.