Random thoughts

I really enjoyed this article by Judith Warner (one of my favorite opinion columnists) on myths about teenagers. The main idea is that, no, teenagers are not having rampant sex. Nor are overscheduled or overmedicated (mostly). I am so glad she wrote this column, although I wish it had come in conjunction with a major pseudo teen scandal so it could get more attention. I have failed to find any "overscheduled children" among any demographic of youth that I have had contact with in the past several years (yes, even the well-to-do). And sexual behavior among teens has been on a decline for many years now. What bothers me about these myths is, not only are they not true, they are also usually built around fears of the upper middle class, despite the fact that the issue being discussed (sex, health, and stress) are more likely to be experienced by the lower class. So we end up ignoring real problems in favor of fabricated ones.

Enough said. Anyway, updates. I am currently reading through the transcripts from my interviews. I am somewhat shocked by the number of interviews I conducted, in part because I can barely remember my time there. I do remember the participants and interviews themselves, but the rest of my experience there is hazy...like a bad dream.

Speaking of bad dreams: Last night I dreamed that I was rejected from the postdoc that I am really hoping to get. This may have something to do with the slice of pizza I ate at 1 am, after getting home from drinking and dancing at Silk City.

Lastly, I am super excited for two upcoming vacations. Alison & I are going to the Poconos in two weeks to do some snowboarding (yay!), courtesy of a Christmas gift from my parents. And then in March, we are going to Miami for Alison's 30th birthday. Neither of us have ever been, and we haven't ever done a "tropical"-type vacation. We are really, really excited. If you've been, feel free to send recommendations!