Hey APW,
In this-week-is-crazy news, the baby decided to celebrate the launch of the health care exchanges with what we’re dubbing the $125 cold. The short story is: baby gets cold, cold goes to chest, baby’s breathing goes all wrong, baby gets driven to the ER, ER doctors and nurses are amazing and super nice, baby gets breathing treatment, baby feels better, baby’s breathing goes wrong AGAIN the next day, baby goes back to the doctor, all is finally well. Because I’ve been able to buy health care out of pocket (thanks Kaiser!) the cold cost us $125. If I hadn’t been able to get affordable health care, that cold would have cost us thousands and thousands of dollars, or left us sobbing over a baby who wasn’t breathing properly. The whole thing made me realize AGAIN, that I fundamentally morally oppose a system heath care where people are barred from even being able to purchase insurance, and I’m willing to pay whatever it costs in taxes to change things. It’s been a national disgrace, and I’m so glad we’re starting to fix it, government closures aside. Plus, I think the kiddo and I are actually going to start buying our insurance off the California health care exchange. The two of us buy out of pocket, and we can finally get a more affordable plan.
In closing: if you haven’t checked out the healthcare exchanges yet, do it! And an apology fist-bump to those of you on furlough.
xo,
Meg
Highlights of APW This Week
Greta & Ian’s Wordless Wedding made me dream of summer.
There is a lot of ink spilled over rehearsal dinners, but it’s really the actual wedding rehearsal that’s important. Consider having one, maybe. Consider putting someone else in charge (please).
We got Feminism Month started with a bunch of thoughts from me, and it’s clear from the 360 comments that there is a lot to say, and we better do this up right.
Speaking of having lots to say, I think we’re all waiting impatiently for the follow up to Maddie’s open sex thread.
Remember, just like it’s ok to hate wedding planning, it’s also okay to love wedding planning. Sometimes all in the same hour.
Link Roundup
In our opening discussion of feminism this week, I found it interesting that some commenters posited that they didn’t need feminism, because women are now treated totally equally. I’ve decided that this month we need to put some clear focus on why that (sadly) isn’t so. Let’s start with this must-read article about the kind of online misogyny women in the public eye are routinely asked to ‘just live with.’ Equality? Being ready for humanism instead of feminism? I wish. Let’s try to get there, eh?
Just in time for Feminism Month, “Mama’s Feminism” is the most beautiful essay I’ve read on the subject in a long time. I too, learned my feminism at home, and it’s impolitic and irreverent and non-academic, which makes my relationship with it easy.
Sometimes, Thought Catalog just gets it right.
Changing your last name after marriage can sometimes mean changing your email address, and in this new age of online everything, that can be the decision maker.
When a drag king and a burlesque queen get married, it’s guaranteed to be awesome. (HOW DID THIS WEDDING NOT RUN ON APW?)
Designer Rick Owens brought in college step teams instead of models for his spring fashion show in Paris, and killed it. Our high school step team was way more awesome than our cheerleaders, and I always say, I’m not sending my babies to a school without one.
We love this article about Mr. Rosen, and 103 year old New Yorker whose nightly dinners out “are like [his] therapy.” If going to a nice dinner every night is the key to a long life, sign me up.
This post about how reality TV only wants wedding shows that feature crazy brides, reminds me that I’ve never told you about pitching a TV show while six months pregnant. The pictures alone are amazing.
Our sincerest apologies to those of you who’s venues just got shut down by the government. Maybe Steven Colbert will help? If not, we’ll do our best in the comments.
We’ll send you off with two doses of adorable today. First, these drawings where an illustrator lets her daughter draw the bodies. Then, what if all animals were round?
