My husband and our kids from last fall.

You know what’s funny? A lot of people who see the title of this blog will think that I put it there with a sarcastic tone. You all know the one I’m talking about, right? A woman rolls her eyes and says “Men.” in a very condescending manner and everyone grunts or chuckles in agreement.

Well, those moments are certainly valid in certain scenarios, but that’s not where I’m going today. Since Father’s Day is coming up, I just wanted to write about how much men do for us.

I just want men out there to know that they are appreciated. It’s hard to be a good father, and for those of you who make a valiant effort to be there for your children, those said efforts don’t go unnoticed.

My mom was single and raised us. I did see my dad on a regular basis, so I can’t relate to those who don’t have a father in their life, but I think we all turn out just fine if we don’t have a male role model in our lives. However, having a positive relationship with a father figure can make a world of difference for children. It helps them to feel loved, have confidence, and gives them essential coping skills for life. The role of fatherhood is very important and I’m grateful to all those men out there who take their role seriously.

I know of plenty of stories of men dealing with wives who are being irrational for one reason or another. I wonder if they get credit for being able to handle those situations. I mean, let’s face it ladies, we are scary when we’re feeling emotional!

Sometimes I wonder how my marriage survived the pregnancies. I’m generally a level-headed kind of person. Even when I feel emotional, I can usually talk my way into calm if I can logically explain something to myself. But I was a totally different person when I was pregnant. It’s quite embarrassing to look back and see how I reacted to some things. It was like another person had control over my emotions.

Boy, am I glad that stage of life is over for me (and I daresay my husband is too!). But I’m very grateful to my husband for trying to be so understanding, even when I didn’t understand what had me so upset myself.

I know my kids are grateful that their dad takes the time to play with them when he gets home from work. I know he’s probably tired and would love to just sit back and relax when he’s home, but he finds the energy from somewhere to chase after the kids and wrestle with them. It’s so sweet to watch, plus it gives me a little break. 🙂

I know that there are plenty of men out there who do the same for their kids, and I hope they all know what an amazing gift they are giving. Their kids are going to grow up feeling loved. It can’t get any better than that.

Hey everyone, please enjoy this guest post about this brilliant writer!

Ask any English or writing major in college if they have read a book by Thomas Pynchon, and you will often be returned with two responses. The first is from the type of student who fancies him or herself as someone who is all-knowing with postmodern literature and will say “Of course! Who hasn’t!”. Then there will be the student who sighs and will solemnly respond – “Well I tried, but none of it made any sense”, insinuating that they express little doubts about their own adeptness in the understanding of American literature.

Fact is, the second student is more credible in response, partially in honesty, but mostly that Pynchon’s writing often makes little sense. His narratives, while a story is very present, are consistently loose. Narrative digression from paragraph to paragraph is not an uncommon practice, and you will find yourself trying to read the same page over and over again thinking that there must have been something you missed.

His books are all historical, and more so, the events in history are very specific, leaving to question what the reasoning is, and what Pynchon is trying to say about our history. For example, Against the Day (2006) takes place between the years of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair and the period following World War I, and contains a story that many people to this day are still trying to figure out. Mason & Dixon (1997), a very loose interpretation of the journey of astronomers and cartographers Charles Dixon and Jeremiah Mason, takes place in the several years before the American Revolution. Oh, and, other characters in Mason & Dixon include talking clocks, dogs, as well as discussions on robots and alien abduction – yes, in the 18th century.

Pynchon’s most famous novel, Gravity’s Rainbow from 1972 is considered by scholars and literary giants to be one of the greatest works of fiction ever written. It has also been a book considered by others as absolutely impossible to comprehend, let alone read in the first place. Taking place at the end of World War II, the story is a mash of complex scientific theories, mathematics, and a plot that only Pynchon would ever think of being appropriate to contain in a historical narrative. It would be unwise to get too much into this story, so all that could be suggested is to tackle the first few pages yourself.

What there is to be said about how Pynchon places his characters, many of which carry an unrelenting dryness and shell that suggests their imperviousness to external events, is how we today perceive our own history. We all want to think of historical figures as romanticized beings, never having committed an error, always honest and true patrons of the formulation of this nation. But we forget that they too were human, and Pynchon aims to poke fun at how we look at history as a fairy tale. It was just as mad and nonsensical then as the events that we bear witness to today, but in the end, it comes to shape us as we are. Funny thing is, if Pynchon were to read this article, he’d probably say I’m dead wrong.

Mike is an avid musician, reader and blogger. He’s always looking for the next best thing in the arts. Also, Mike is a writer for direct4tv.net

Before I got married, I considered myself adventurous. I went skydiving (which is awesome! Totally recommend.) Took spontaneous trips to Vegas, and got really creative when I was broke. 🙂

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always been a hard worker as well and was very responsible with my obligations of work and whatnot. But I also had so much fun.

I didn’t think I would get married. When I worked in the corporate world, I saw myself traveling at least once a month on business and taking annual vacations to Europe, Ireland, and almost everywhere.

So what happened? I found the most amazing man and got married in my early twenties. Seven years later, I have two young children, am a stay at home mom, and I write novels in my free time. I must say that life turned out better than what I had planned for myself. My husband is my best friend and we have so much fun together, and my kids are too adorable for words. Of course, having my debut novel come out in February is a huge bonus.

But what made me think about my life was when I told my five year old son that I used to go rock climbing. He looked at me and scrunched up his nose. “Are you teasing?” he asked.

Sigh. My kids see me so differently, and I don’t blame them. Since I have a little one who won’t sleep unless she’s in her crib, I don’t even go camping right now. My current lifestyle gives off the appearance of a woman who, while getting regular exercise, doesn’t get out much. Some of that can be attributed to my baby weight. I’m still working on losing it (I’ve lost 50 pounds and counting), but being overweight really makes a difference when you’re trying to hike or run after your children. Plus, I gained so much weight with this last pregnancy that it gave me major knee problems. (The joys of being a mom, right?)

Of course, once the kids are older and I’ve lost the weight, I’m pretty sure I’ll come off as more active. I definitely miss camping and will go as soon as my little one is ready for it. I’m also hoping that my kids will let me teach them kick boxing since it’s something I love.

But I guess the question is, how will my kids see me? How do my friends and neighbors see me now? I’m sure they see something totally different than what I think.

I remember when I was a teenager and my mom had told me that all she wanted to be when she grew up was a homemaker. I stared at her in complete disbelief. That’s not how she came across at all. She was a single mom who worked full time at the hospital. She took good care of us, but I never would have guessed that her ambition was to stay home and raise children. Now, irony of irony, I’m doing the opposite of what I had aspired to, and the opposite of what she did.

So what about you? How did life turn out differently for you? Do people around you see you as something very different from what you see in yourself? I’d love to hear about it!