We Have Moved

Into the Inkpot has moved to its own domain.

Blogger simply doesn’t seem big enough anymore. Now, the possibilities are endless, and all of you are invited to share in the new adventure.

New stories, rambling, photos, and debates await. All you need to do is journey over to our latest secret hideout.

So, say farewell to this old space.

Into the Inkpot is now located at:

www.intotheinkpot.com

I can’t wait to see you all there!

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NOTE: If you link to Into the Inkpot, please change the URL to: www.intotheinkpot.com

I’m a Bit Overwhelmed…

“You cannot escape the responsibility
of tomorrow by evading it today.”
~Abraham Lincoln

And, I need to slow down. It seems that life has caught up with me, held tight to my shirt collar, stolen my milk money, and then shoved me into a musty, old locker. Now, I’m feeling a tad bit claustrophobic, and I have no clue how to open a sealed locker from the inside.

For those of you that don’t know, I am a college student that studies English Literature and Women’s Studies. I adore being an English major; however, when you choose a path that is so reading and writing intensive, you are bound to lose sleep. On average, I read three novels a week, several excerpts from various literary anthologies, and complete at least two written assignments. In other words, when my fellow bloggers can’t find me, I am sitting next to a reading lamp.

Blogging only adds to my reading queue. Do you see the twenty-nine blogs that I have listed in the sidebar? I read every single one of those blogs each week (and some that aren’t listed yet). I love those blogs. The writers are so creative and passionate. I can’t always comment on everything I read due to time constraints. Nevertheless, I do appreciate every post that is written.

I have begun to transfer Into the Inkpot to its own domain. I’ll be operating the blog on WordPress. The main frustration I am encountering is that I can’t seem to make up my mind about a new blog layout. I love the one that I have now. It has been this blog’s layout for less than a month. I just don’t want to say no to Mr. King Frog. He is just too terribly cute.

Writing blog entries is also sucking my sleep up like a famished tornado. I have actually been disappointed with myself lately. I feel as though I have not provided my readers with enough meaningful material. If my assumptions are correct, I apologize. Furthermore, I will rectify the problem as soon as time allows. I want all of you to find happiness in what you read.



I want you all to be happy. That is why I posted that poll last week. Seven of you responded, and I thank you all. At the end of the three days, the types of Into the Inkpot entries that you liked best were: Feminist Friday, Fiction, and Non-fiction. The three winners were closely followed by Ramblings and Fun Posts. Then, Recipes brought up the tail end of the results. I have taken these results into account, and I will structure my posts accordingly.

But, I also need to take into consideration what makes me happy. Sleep makes me happy, and I need a lot more of it. I have noticed dark circles under my brown eyes, and there are small creases highlighting the fact. I need to pass out for twenty-six days. I need to dream for more than three hours.

I also need to make sure that I am in top mental condition. As many of you know, my passion in life is to become an English Literature professor. I owe it to my future students to learn as much as possible now. College students pay money to learn. I won’t have them coming to my class unless I know that all of those hours they put in at the local McDonald’s drive-thru are paying off.

You may find this strange, but all of you remind me of my goal. Each day, at least a few of you post something new in your blogs. The simple fact that you are all writing makes me utterly joyful. One day, if I am lucky enough to acquire a professorship, I hope to be teaching a new generation of writers. I want my students to understand just how empowering and moving writing and reading can be. All of you exemplify the sort of students I hope to have. Each of you is filled with wonder and awe. You’re curious and you’re intelligent. You speak your minds, and none of you are afraid to wield a quill in the name of creativity and the joy of sharing words.

Furthermore, you all support one another. There is so much competition in life. So many people spend every waking moment of their days trying to become greater than their fellow man. They never stop to ponder the fact that status does not matter when the moist loam is surrounding their final bed. Like all things, each of us will soon fade. We will wilt like the blossom that no longer feels the feather-touch of a bee’s buzzing wings. We will perish like the dilapidated ruins of our own architectural structure.

But, while we are breathing, we can make a difference. All of you make strides to better yourselves and those around you. You are all valuable to your fellow bloggers and man.



I’m afraid that I will not be able to comment on blogs as much as I would like. It isn’t that I don’t want to. It is just the fact that I have so much on my plate. The china is cracking under the weight of so many tasks.

I will be reading your blogs. That will not change. And, as soon as Into the Inkpot is relocated to its new domain, I will be back to commenting many, many times. Until then, I hope that all of you understand why I must dwell in the shadows. Just remember that even if I seem to linger in the darkest of night, the radiance that your minds exude will surely give me enough light to read by.

I am forever your friend and fellow ally to the quill. I am still here. I will always be here.

I [Heart] Blogs and Stars

I would like to thank Jesse for giving me two new blogging awards! I am honored to receive such generosity.

The first award is the I Luv Your Blog Award. As the title implies, this award is to be given to bloggers whose blog you enjoy. The award was created by Tish and Mike at BlogsWeLove, and I have decided to give it to the following bloggers:

Staci Rose
Sunshine
Stephen Newton
Keeyit
Thira
Nihal

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The second award is the Blogging Star Award. It was created by Barb at Skittles’ Place. On her blog, Barb states that the award “…is for bloggers who shine their light throughout the Blogosphere. Some do it with humor, others with creativity, and others with their kind and thoughtful natures.”

I am honored to receive this award, and I have chosen to give it to the following Star Bloggers:

Lisa C
Speedcat Hollydale
Dan C. Rinnert
Diane
Zunnur

Thank you Jesse! Congratulations to all of the new winners!

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Welcome Stacy and Neoauteur! I hope to become friends with both of you.

What This Photo Can’t Tell You…

A beautiful tree, isn’t it? Would you believe that the pool of water, that placid mirror that circles this mighty tree on three sides, is actually thick with raw sewage?

The smell is nearly unbearable. Imagine the noxious odor of rotting fruit. Picture your lungs expanding. Feel that thick, putrid fog seep into your body.

Try to exhale. You won’t be able to. You can’t escape that stench.

This tree can’t escape its fate.

We have let beauty rot.

Gender and Parenting: Babysitting the Norm

[Delayed] Feminist Friday: Tardy Slips are Ready

Traditionally, it was a woman’s role to raise a healthy family. Above all other things that a woman was supposed to accomplish, the care of her children was considered to be the most obvious indicator of her worth in society. She should nurture.

Men were supposed to provide a stable income. He should bring home the bread and the eggs. He would be valued according to the size of his bank account, the money in his wallet, and the possessions he acquired. He should provide.

The gender roles in American society were declared, and all people that veered away from this system were deemed abnormal.

Until WWII.

After the Second World War, women entered the workforce. Thus, women were no longer confined to the domestic sphere. They walked out into the public sphere. There, they were reborn.

(Keep in mind that poor Caucasian women and minorities had been working for many generations prior to this.)

Daycares were needed to care for children that were once raised by stay-at-home mothers. The industry boomed. Women needed the support.

Then, there would come times that women would need to attend work or they would wish to visit with friends. Men—the fathers—would stay at home to take care of their children. Taking over all of the responsibilities of the mother, fathers would need to feed, clothe, bathe, and nurture their children. They would become the nurturer while their wife was away.

Some men were fine with this. They enjoyed nurturing their children. They were proud.

However, some men found shame in this role. Some men found that being a nurturer made them feel unmanly and weak. They felt that caring for their children, in the way that a mother cares for her child, made them less powerful.

Therefore, many men declared that they were no more than “babysitting” their children. They would explain to anyone that found them caring for their children that they had to take care of the children because their wife was not present. It was actually their wife’s job. He, the father, was simply filling in.

The father would baby-sit, much like the way a teenager baby-sits your children while you are on a date with your spouse. The father would choose to say he was “babysitting” because the act did not imply that he was actually nurturing.

He did not want to admit to parenting.

Gender roles and norms dictate how we are seen in society. If a person adheres to their sex’s specified gender code they are seen as ideal. However, if the individual decides to adopt roles that are intended for the opposite sex, the individual is seen as unusual. Therefore, individuals often seek to rationalize the act of going against what society has deemed acceptable for their sex. For example, a man is deemed womanly if he nurtures his children. Thus, he adopts the term “babysitting” because the word implies he is not truly fulfilling the traditional feminine gender role of being a nurturer.

How do you view the concept of a man babysitting his children when he is obviously nurturing them? Do you feel that if men use the term “babysitting,” an unequal balance of power between feminine and masculine roles in parenting is created? In 2007, do you feel that a man is still pressured by society to take less responsibility in the basic care of his children (i.e. a father should not bathe and feed his children, but instead he should work in order to obtain the funds needed for the mother to do so)?

I open this debate up to all of Into the Inkpot’s readers, and look forward to all responses.

Dear Friends,

Feminist Friday needs to be a bit late this weekend. I have a serious problem that I need to deal with. I hope you all understand.

Your friend,
Erina Hart

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UPDATE: The problem has been taken care of. I’m back

Thanks for the support.

Awards from Some Rockin’ Bloggers

I have received two new awards! I can’t thank Rolando and Tatiana enough. I always feel a lot of pride when I am granted such blogging honors. These awards make me feel like I am building a community here at Into the Inkpot. I feel a bit more confident that I am providing a safe place for all of you to visit.

I want you all to feel comfortable and safe here. This blog is my home. Every day, I put out tea and danish for all of you to enjoy. I offer you a lounge where you can each express yourselves. I look out for “anonymous” posters that may harass you. You are all friends to me. We may never see one another in person, but I hear your comments and I read your blogs. Every time I visit one of your homes, I am reminded of your unique voices and your great ideas. I’m so proud to have such intelligent, creative, and talented friends. You all have a voice. Remember that. You all have a voice and it is important.

As for the awards, the first is from Rolando at R Playground. It is called the Power of Schmooze Award. It was created by Mike at Ordinary Folk and Danielle at Pink Reviews. The award is intended to “…recognize those people that [are] exceptionally adept at creating relationships with other bloggers by making an effort to be part of a conversation, as opposed to monologue.”

According to the rules, if you are granted the Power of Schmooze Award, you should offer the award to up to five other bloggers. Then, the winners you announce should post a message that explains who gave them their award. The post should also include up to five new bloggers that they are giving the award to.

I have made my decision. The following bloggers are to receive this award:

Zunnur, Mikkers, Suzie, and Brown.



The second award is the Rockin’ Girl Blogger Award. It was given to me by Tatiana of La Última Información Digital. The award was created by Roberta at Blogging Made Devilishly Simple. The award is simply to be given to female bloggers that you think rock.

And, I think the following women rock out loud. The women receiving this award are:

Suzie because she rocks on through excruciating pain.

Brown because she rocks her way onto bookshelves.

Joanne because she rocks her true emotions.

Lisa C because she rocks an awesome family.

And…

Mikkers because she rocks sudoku and knitting.

I hope you all enjoy your awards. Each and every one of you deserves the honor!

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I’d like to welcome Tatiana and Thira! It is great to have you both as friends!

Like the Seasons, All Things Eventually Change

Like leaves on the breeze, Into the Inkpot may be following the direction of the wind. A little voice keeps speaking to me. It says that I need to build something bigger.

Soon, there may be a new face to Into the Inkpot. I may be taking us all to a private domain name. Hopefully, things will go well.

If not, we always have Blogger.

If I am not posting and commenting as much as usual, don’t fret. I’ll be near. I’ll just be tweaking codes and building pixel mountains.

(Unless a bookcase falls upon me. Right, Rolando?)

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I welcome the following bloggers: Mikkers, Jon, Sunshine, Keeyit, and Chyt! I look forward to knowing you all better!

The Serpent and the Suns

"I do it so it feels like hell.
I do it so it feels real.
I guess you could say I've a call."
Sylvia Plath, “Lady Lazarus”

The blood. That is what I remember most. The thick blood that curled out of my flesh like an eager worm. Marinating in the fluid. The fat, twisted clot that coiled around my legs like vines of ivy. That serpent whose name I still can not recall, but whose foul breath I could never forget. Aching as though the moist earth would be its salvation, it crept along the smoothness of my thigh, the curve of my calf. Still farther, until it reached the still of the earth, rooting my being to eternity.

The canyon, carved deep by the hands of time, spilled rivers of life. Salvation, a salvation cast down to savages, fed nourishment into the canyon. Thus, merriment could fill the void in nature. Thus, life could rise up from the riverbeds and beauty could inherit all that was once the territory of agony.

I, finding sanctuary in the canyon, bed down each night in the comfort of the rippling river. I fashioned a blindfold of leaves. I drank only of the river. I ate only of the fish that swam inside.

But the serpent, knowing all to well of my dependence on the river, would spatter spit and venom in my face each night. While I slept, I dreamt of my river flowing into tributaries that would eventually meet a red sea. A sea where the horizon always burned bright with the setting of three suns. Where creatures, nearly unimaginable to myself, would bubble about on the surface like bees on pollen. I dreamt that in this sea, all rivers would be forgiven for their birth upon land.

Hence, in my delusion, I devised a plan to travel my river. Not in dreams. Not where reason was victim to whimsical flights of fancy. No, I made voyage for this grand sea with a true pulse pumping at my wrists and neck. In that moment, I no longer made my dependence on the canyon. Instead, I fed upon the rapids and the sound of river weeds bowing in the breeze.

Upon the fifth day of my travels, I heard a gull squawking high atop the wind. Trembling, I stretched my sight as far I could. There, burning brighter than a billion lit candle wicks, I saw the three suns begin to merge with the hazy horizon. My heart, beating rhythms I had never known, ached at the beauty of those setting suns. The heat began to burn my retinas blind, and caused my saliva to bubble and my blood to churn. Straight ahead, stretched out surely for infinity, was my red sea. I wanted to burn. Lost in its fury. Devoured by its warmth.

But, as I opened my mouth to accept the triad of light into my belly, I felt a sting like the chill of snow. Gasping, my eyes left the perfection of those three setting suns, and turned instead, to my left ankle. Coiled round my leg, the serpent sucked at my flesh. His head, wilting in the molten heat of the fierce suns, began to burst and spill pus.

And, I, feeling faint from the venom of my oppressor, tumbled swiftly into the churning, crimson sea.

Please Allow Me to Introduce My 3’s

I’ve been tagged again! This time, I even dropped my snow cone. Joanne from The Laidback Buddhist owes me a new snow cone. It isn’t nice to just tag people while they are relaxing in the park.

(Just kidding. Joanne is awesome.)

Here are my 3’s. As you can see, the third thing that scares me is a bit irrational. I purposely chose my sleeping position based on this fear.

(They’ll take Rob. Yeah. I’ll be safe.)

3 things that scare me:

1. The knowledge that my mother will die one day
2. Seeing that another woman has vanished here in the TriState (I want to find them all)
3. Aliens (from other planets)

3 people who make me laugh:

1. Rob (my boyfriend)
2. Rolando
3. Joanne

3 things I love:

1. Writing
2. College
3. My cat that passed away when I was seven years old

3 things I hate:

1. Sexism
2. Abusive men and women
3. Seeing my friends get hurt

3 things I don’t understand:

1. Sexism
2. Most math
3. People that drive like maniacs

3 things on my desk:

1. My laptop computer
2. A mouse pad
3. A mouse

(I don’t have a desk because I can’t afford one. I actually use an antique sewing table. It is only big enough for me to put my computer and mouse on. My printer actually sits on a kitchen chair that is positioned next to the sewing table.)

3 things I’m doing right now:

1. Realizing that I have amazing friends in the Blogosphere
2. Thinking about how a soda would be great at the moment
3. Procrastinating the fact that I need to fix a spelling error on my blog (I’ll get to it later)

3 things I want to do before I die:

1. Become a professor
2. Become a published writer (I’m often too scared to try)
3. Learn to love myself

3 things I can do:

1. Write
2. Teach
3. Blog until daybreak

3 things I can’t do:

1. Honestly tell myself I’m beautiful
2. Keep my car clean
3. Give up

3 things I think you should listen to:

1. Your gut
2. The sound of crickets
3. All people (But, don’t believe everything you hear.)

3 things you should never listen to:

(I can’t tell anyone not to listen. It goes against everything I believe. Listen to everything. Choose what you believe in.)

3 shows I watched as a kid:

1. The X-Files
2. Xena: Warrior Princess
3. Reading Rainbow

I should tag people now, but I know that most of my friends are busy. I’ll hold off for a few days. That way everyone can make their deadlines.

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By the way, I’ve had some people message me to explain that they are upset because they can’t leave comments on Into the Inkpot. This is due to the fact that I make all visitors have a Blogger ID if they wish to post. I’ve always enforced this rule because I like to visit the blogs of my visitors, I want people to stand by their comments, and I don’t want this blog to be flooded with rude, ignorant “anonymous” messages. I couldn’t bear to see my friends being harassed.

With that said, I am opening comments up to everyone. You no longer need a Blogger ID. If this goes well, I will leave the feature. If my friends are harassed, I will return to previous methods.

I welcome the following visitors: Petercrys, Lisa C, and Staci Rose! I hope you all decide to stay. I am excited to know all of you.

A Shiny, New Navigation System...

But, it’s not for your car.

Into the Inkpot has expanded. If you look to the right side of your screen, directly below my short bio, you will find the new navigation links. Feel free to explore as much as you like. If you are interested in learning more about women’s issues, I do recommend that you try some of the websites that are found in the links section. If you are not in the mood for such literature, you could just pop on over to the photos area. There, I have posted every image (unless it was food related) that has appeared on this blog. With each new image, the gallery will grow.

I have also added a new area to the site called “Buddies.” Please, take a look at this section. It includes the blogs of all of my best blogging friends. I couldn’t help but give them a plug. They each deserve the attention.

Last, I’d like to mention that the Contact link will take you to an easy to navigate list. This list links to everywhere you can find me on the web (just in case you’re a stalker). Feel free to visit me at the other sites I am a member of. And, if you feel the urge, leave me a message on the guestbook.

I hope you all like the new additions!