By chance, I have the dubious distinction of sharing a birthday with the anniversary of one of the most devastating nuclear disasters the world has ever experienced. By choice, I'm pausing to remember, reflect and consider.
Please take a minute to view the following photo essay:
Nuclear Nightmares: Twenty Years Since Chernobyl
Many of these images are disturbing, but they give a powerful sense of the very real and human legacy of this horrible catastrophe.
"As new ideas and technologies are tested it is important to remember past errors and their repercussions lasting centuries. The twentieth anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident is not only a time to reflect on the horrors inflicted upon so many people, but also to question future energy strategies and their potential impacts on the planet."
-Antionette de Jong
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Thirty-five
Yes folks, I am 35 today. I suppose this birthday is considered to be a milestone of sorts (if perhaps not as hefty as 30 or 40), although to me it seems more of a milestone for women than men.
You see, at 35 a man is considered to be "still plenty young", well on his way to success (if not "just getting started") in his career, "best years still ahead of him", yadda yadda. Comparatively, a woman of 35 is considered by many to be "past her prime", "heading into the autumn years", and as such ready to do little more than grow a hairy chin and tend her needlework by the fire with only her 500 cats for company.
OK, I'm making a few generalizations here, but the fact remains that 35 is something of a big deal for women -- in particular, women whom (for whatever reason) haven't yet been married and/or had children. I myself don't have children, but as a married woman society is somewhat kinder to me because it hasn't yet given up hope on me. I tend to get the "well, you haven't had children yet but there's still time", which is true enough...after all, my husband and I weren't even married until I was just shy of my 33rd birthday. It's true that I've chosen a (*ahem*) somewhat different path in life than is considered to be "the norm" by many folks, but I'm into it -- that's just the kind of kooky gal I am, go figure. :-)
S'anyway, I'm not really sure where I was going with this missive. I can't help but feel that I should have something more profound to say as a part of my birthday meditation, but I guess it's escaping me...maybe I'm just too preoccupied with wrapping up the semester to really be contemplative. I do think that I should reschedule my own birthday to May 15th until such a time that I finally get my BFA, though...having it ruined each year by an avalanche of schoolwork is a total drag.
You see, at 35 a man is considered to be "still plenty young", well on his way to success (if not "just getting started") in his career, "best years still ahead of him", yadda yadda. Comparatively, a woman of 35 is considered by many to be "past her prime", "heading into the autumn years", and as such ready to do little more than grow a hairy chin and tend her needlework by the fire with only her 500 cats for company.
OK, I'm making a few generalizations here, but the fact remains that 35 is something of a big deal for women -- in particular, women whom (for whatever reason) haven't yet been married and/or had children. I myself don't have children, but as a married woman society is somewhat kinder to me because it hasn't yet given up hope on me. I tend to get the "well, you haven't had children yet but there's still time", which is true enough...after all, my husband and I weren't even married until I was just shy of my 33rd birthday. It's true that I've chosen a (*ahem*) somewhat different path in life than is considered to be "the norm" by many folks, but I'm into it -- that's just the kind of kooky gal I am, go figure. :-)
S'anyway, I'm not really sure where I was going with this missive. I can't help but feel that I should have something more profound to say as a part of my birthday meditation, but I guess it's escaping me...maybe I'm just too preoccupied with wrapping up the semester to really be contemplative. I do think that I should reschedule my own birthday to May 15th until such a time that I finally get my BFA, though...having it ruined each year by an avalanche of schoolwork is a total drag.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
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