I volunteered to join this one, and here are the questions Sage asked me:

1. I was also a single-mom then found my guy. Name one benefit of raising a child on your own, and one difficulty of co-parenting.

2. How do/will you discuss religion with your daughter, and do you (secretly) hope she follows your own path?

3. Does knowing typology (Myers-Briggs) help your relationships? Expain.

4. Describe your most difficult day as a mom.

5. Describe your fantasy job.

More on this tomorrow.

Since it’s the International Day of the Woman, that’s only appropriate. (Hmmm…there’s a local production of The Vagina Monologues tonight. Wonder if I should go on my own?)

Anyhoo, Sage has Feminism 101 for those who are interested:

Some feminists, like Ilyka, believe we shouldn’t have to explain ourselves, and we don’t, really. Yet it might be useful in the grand scheme of things. Feel free to add on as you see fit or argue with a section or more. I’m not speaking for all feminists (see question #1), just one. It’s a start. And, sure, this could also be called “Human Beings 101” except that I’m most interested in the actions that affect women and have been affecting women for a really, really long time.

I’ve compiled the following 8 questions from a variety of ideas I’ve gathered around these parts from a few simply curious or seriously confused people…

Via Kate:
Boy, do I wish we had more role models who did feel like this:

“It’s completely understandable as a teenager to fret about your body,” she says. “It’s scary because you don’t know how it’s going to wind up. But I’m not a teenager any more; my body’s chosen its shape. I’d rather be strong than skinny for most roles.” (Anne Hathaway)

Read Kate’s thoughts on women and our need to continually be small.

Okay, but I’ll make one anyway. The other day, on the phone with my Dad, we had a very brief (like barely touching on it) conversation about a political article I sent him — one that I told him helped me to perhaps have a slightly better understanding of the culturally conservative mindset. He admitted that he hadn’t read the article yet because if I read something, then I’ll really have to think about it and come to conclusions about it. At a later point in the conversation, this same logic applied to religion, and how he was completely unwilling to even speculate about whether there’s a God — because where could those kinds of thoughts lead???

Oh, the horrors. But then, I know this quite well. I remember clearly the first day after I first questioned whether God existed. I felt somehow let down and lonely — like I just found out a friend had died. I quickly tried to shove that Pandora’s box closed again, but it had been opened, and eventually, I arrived to where I am now. Non-religious whatsoever. I still have a spiritual component to my life, but it has nothing to do with the Christianity with which I grew up.

So, I guess the point is this: his fear is somewhat justified. But is it worthwhile to ignore what might be real, just because you might not like the answers?

From wordsmith.org:

omphaloskepsis (om-fuh-lo-SKEP-sis) noun

Contemplation of one’s navel.

[From Greek omphalos (navel) + skepsis (act of looking, examination).
Ultimately from the Indo-European root spek- (to observe) which is
also the ancestor of suspect, spectrum, bishop (literally, overseer),
despise, espionage, telescope, spectator, and spectacles.]

I’m going to use this. I’m just not sure how yet.