My hair is slowly being ripped out by grabby baby hands.

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Could’ve gone short, short, short and completely solved this problem – you may be thinking, “Find a hair fubby, silly!” but finding a hair fubby (hair tie, whatever) at 3:30 AM whilst holding a hangry baby is impossible.  Anyway, I’ll probably never cut my hair short, but I did finally suck it up and did something different.  Bangs!  Serious bangs!

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I came home and the Husband remarked, “Cool! I’m married to Jessie J.”  Not sure if that is a good thing or what…

 

Beyond the hair choppage, I did another day of Couch to 5K reeeeeaally bright and early this morning.  It was still tremendously hot outside.  I think I chafed in all the wrong places, as a matter of fact.

 

So.  Hair and a run.  That’s all I’ve really got so far today (and work, but that’s less fun to talk about than it is to do…).  Here’s some interesting articles from around the Interwebs to spice up this post.

 

For Your Reading Pleasure

 

The Best Response We’ve Heard to Daniel Tosh’s ‘Misquoted’ Rape Joke

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A bit of old news, but this article is worth sharing because it was so well-written.  Comedian Daniel Tosh got in a lot of hot {Twitter} water for opening a set with a slew of rape jokes (an oxymoron if I’ve heard of one…).  This response by fellow comedian Curtis Luciani is a great look at the very thin line between ‘being hysterical and being ostracized.’

 

Friends of a Certain Age: Why Is It Hard to Make Friends Over 30?

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Ever wondered why it’s so easy to make friends in college?  College is the perfect storm of the three elements necessary for making close friends: proximity; repeated, unplanned interactions, and a setting that encourages people to let their guard down and confide in each other, according to Rebecca Adams, a professor of sociology.  It’s harder to make friends as an adult because of differences in professional status, coupling, children, and a lack of constant proximity.

 

What is ‘Having it All,’ After All? 4 Outstanding Women Respond

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This Forbes piece is an inspiring rebuttal to the Atlantic’s recent article on Why Women Still Can’t Have It All, which was about balancing career and family.  I really enjoyed this piece because one of the women that Forbes interviewed was my buddy Molly Barker (founder of Girls on the Run).  My favorite quote: “For much of my life I believed that “having it all” was the goal. But I guess now, I’ve come to realize that so much of what brings me joy, satisfaction and peace with the life I live is my unbridled desire to ”be it all” — to offer up my biggest, fullest, greatest self in each and every situation that comes my way.”

 

The Mother of All Conversations: Where the Chatter About Marissa Mayer Went Way Wrong

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(Source)

Marissa Mayer was appointed CEO of Yahoo this Monday.  A big deal for many reasons:  there are not many women CEOs of Fortune 500 companies (20, in fact), but Mayer is pregnant.  She plans to take a few weeks of leave and then return to work.  Of course, this news triggered some serious Mommy Warring – some called her selfish and ignorant, a few said Yahoo only hired her as a publicity stunt.  I loved this article on the issue because it explored the topic of the Maternal Wall (a new version of the Glass Ceiling) and made me think of the discussion in my own post from earlier in the week (Cease Fire: The Mommy Wars).

 

10 Tips for Beginning Marathoners

A great Q&A that answers the befuddling question: when is a beginner ready to run a marathon?

 

Your turn!  What subjects should comedians not touch with a ten-foot pole – or is everything fair game?  How do you make friends post-college?  What does ‘having it all’ mean to you?  Do you admire Marissa Mayer or worry about how she’s going to handle it? And, if you’ve done a marathon, how long were you a runner before attempting the 26.2 distance?

{ 58 comments }

 

  • Jordan @ Bake Write Sleep July 20, 2012, 2:26 pm

    I like the bangs!

    I have no idea where I even met the friends I have. I feel like I rarely go out of the house for more than dinner & grocery trips.

  • Lauren C July 20, 2012, 2:30 pm

    The bangs look SO GOOD!

  • Katie @ Peace Love & Oats July 20, 2012, 2:39 pm

    I’m definitely reading the marathon article, I’m training for my first one right now!

  • Annette@FitnessPerks July 20, 2012, 2:40 pm

    Cute hair!! LOVE the bangs 🙂

    I def see the point of why it could be harder to make friends later in life–but I do believe that staying connected via online sources and then making an effort to see old friends, helps to stay connected with people-even with kids around.

    LOVE that Molly said that. Offer up your best self. Gotta remember that!

  • Amanda K. July 20, 2012, 2:42 pm

    my hair has been in a ponytail ever since my son was born. not the most fashionable look, but whatev 🙂
    bangs might also do a good job of hiding the post-baby hair falling out thing (which is probably far off for you, but it totally happend to me — my hair fell out and is re-growing in weird wisps. sigh.)

  • Kt July 20, 2012, 2:43 pm

    Thanks for all the cool article links!

    I just want to say that I don’t get the current marathon craze. I think marathons are EXTREMELY unhealthy and I wish more people would realize that. I’ve never known anyone that trained for a marathon that didn’t get injured for at least a short period of time while training. Many have developed IT band inflammation etc., that they have had to deal with for many years (yet they stupidly keep training and trying to do physical therapy). It doesn’t matter how smart you think you are about taking care of the injury , it’s not good for you to let it get better and then train for another marathon later on only to have it happen again. If your body gets injured exercising for something, it’s telling you that you shouldn’t do that! I hope somebody reads this and thinks twice about training for a marathon.

  • Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat July 20, 2012, 2:44 pm

    Love love LOVE the bangs!! I grew up with them almost all of my life and finally grew them out when I was about mid-way through university. Mine pretty much started right at the top of my head so as a kid I was always the girl with the super thick bangs! As for Melissa Mayer, I think it’s awesome to see more women leading the way in the business world, but I worry for her and the amount of critique she’s setting herself up for with the things you mentioned. Only time will tell I suppose!

  • Ashley July 20, 2012, 2:51 pm

    Thanks for the reads! And I love your bangs!

    As for Tosh, I think all the hoopla is stupid. Personally, I think he’s a talent-less hack…and that’s not because of his rape-joke. I thought that loooong beforehand. Even his commercials are dumb! I think, if you’re the type to be offended by trashy jokes like that, you shouldn’t go see comediennes like him. That’s just common sense.

    And honestly, he got publicity out of this, which is what he wanted. So really, who won that battle?

    • Jennifer July 20, 2012, 5:20 pm

      Well, there’s the question… what determines a “trashy joke” from an insensitive statement?

      To insinuate this girl doesn’t have common sense because she went to watch a comedian and wasn’t prepared to hear jokes about rape or to have the comedian think it would be funny if 5 guys raped her right then and there, is, quite frankly, unsettling. It reminds me of how so many women are raped and then blamed for it.

      Some people say any publicity is good publicity, but that’s incorrect. I hadn’t heard about this incident until I read this article and now that I have read it and am aware of what this comedian did, I know I will never watch anything involving him.

      We, as women, lose the “battle” when we don’t defend each other.

      • Stephanie C July 20, 2012, 6:08 pm

        I agree. I used to occasionally watch his show, but I am making a conscious decision now not to put it on anymore.

  • R July 20, 2012, 2:54 pm

    I LOVE the bangs!!!!!!!!!

  • Janae @ Bring-Joy July 20, 2012, 3:09 pm

    Whoa, lots of questions.

    1) I’ve never heard of a hair tie referred as a hair fubby.

    2) Thanks for the links & continuing the “can we have it all” discussion. It’s an important & interesting one. I love the quote you shared about giving everything, living fully, to each situation.

    3) I make friends primarily through kids activities, my church, play-dates, work.

  • Michelle @ Eat Move Balance July 20, 2012, 3:11 pm

    First off, I love the bangs!!! Isn’t it fun to change things up after awhile?!? They’re so cute, too.

    Making friends post-college . . . I’ve struggled with that. I’ve found that making a point to stay social is huge. Getting “old” has caused me to sometimes prefer to “stay in”, “save money, so don’t eat out”, “go to bed early-I’m tired”. But when I do get out, I almost never regret it. Socializing (above and beyond what I’d normally do) feels so good! You engage in different conversations, meet people of walks of life and usually laugh a lot.

  • Caralyn @ glutenfreehappytummy July 20, 2012, 3:13 pm

    what a great post! i love your hair! so cute;)

  • Erin @ erinberries July 20, 2012, 3:17 pm

    Love the bangs!

    I could see why people are going to talk about Marissa and how she will handle it. Your professional life/life dream can completely change once you are a mother. I can see why people are speculating.

    I agree that it’s hard to make friends after college. In college, everyone is the same age, doing the same thing, and striving for the same goal – a job. After college, everyones priorities are different.

  • ash July 20, 2012, 3:36 pm

    I was just thinking about this the other day, why it is harder to make friends after 30! I meet people generally through work and some hobbies, would like to expand my social circle!

  • Becky July 20, 2012, 3:56 pm

    The bangs are awesome! Another thought – although I am guessing you don’t really have time for this either – is to try french-braiding your hair (it’s super easy if you don’t already know how to do it) when it’s wet because it holds better. I don’t have a baby, but I’ve been wet-braiding my hair because it’s the easiest and most comfortable way to keep it out of my face in the summer (and if I do it at night, it usually lasts through my run or bike ride to work in the morning – wahoo).

  • Barbara July 20, 2012, 4:27 pm

    I love your article collection posts! So interesting to read!

    I actually ran a marathon as my first race, well, second, technically. I had raced a 5k once the previous year. I was probably running around 4 miles, 3 days a week at that point. I was at Boston College, watching the marathon, and I just decided “I should do that”. Best choice of my life! I trained for a marathon that fall and almost qualified for Boston myself!

    I also know that this may not have been the smartest decision trying to train for a marathon with no experience in such a short time. I credit my overall activity level and general running base, as well as a great runners world training plan. I haven’t looked back since, but now find that half marathons are more towards my liking 🙂

  • Christine @ BookishlyB July 20, 2012, 4:28 pm

    I find the controversy over Mayer really, really annoying. While Yahoo isn’t perfect, they’re not stupid- if they they think she can handle the job and motherhood, great. If they did it for a publicity stunt, then fine! It obviously worked because of the loads of attention everyone and their mother (ha.ha.ha.) is giving them. And as far as criticizing Mayer for her short maternity, people should also leave her alone. Maybe it will work beautifully, maybe it won’t. Bottom line- it’s her and her family’s business.

  • Rachel July 20, 2012, 5:08 pm

    I love your bangs!

  • Sana July 20, 2012, 5:34 pm

    The bangs are cute! I like having side bangs 🙂

  • Kendra @ My Full-Thyme Life July 20, 2012, 6:10 pm

    The bangs are bangin’! 🙂

    I liked the Marissa Mayer article. It is crazy how people feel the need to give their own two cents on someone else’s life choices. Some women love their work so much and love what they do so much that taking 12 weeks off with no tie to their work would be harder than taking a few weeks and getting back to it. That doesn’t make her any less of a mother it makes her a hard working CEO of a fortune 500 company! I would love to have a job I am as passionate about and loved so much that I couldn’t stand to be away (or that paid as much as a CEO, for that matter). I took 12 weeks maternity leave last time and I hope to take 12 weeks this time and you better believe I won’t be checking emails, checking in with my co-workers, etc. I relished in that time with my son. I just hope that Marissa is making her decision for her and that she isn’t being pressured into a few week long maternity leave. I don’t think we’ll ever know the answer to that…

  • Stephanie C July 20, 2012, 6:11 pm

    I really enjoyed the “having it all” article. I think it’s important to have realistic, older (than me), successful women role models and I will definitely be following these women in the future. I especially loved the portion that talked about paving the way for other women, and “working families” rather than just “working moms.”

  • Bri July 20, 2012, 6:24 pm

    Caitlin! I LOVE the bangs girl!

  • Gabby (Quest for Delicious) July 20, 2012, 6:46 pm

    Super cute! The bangs work for you!

  • Sam @ Better With Sprinkles July 20, 2012, 6:56 pm

    The bangs look so cute!

    Although I appreciate that a lot of comedy involves shock value, Daniel Tosh clearly took it too far – some things are just off limits. Something that invokes serious harm or mental disturbance to someone – rape, cancer or real-life tragedies (such as the Colorado shooting), should really just be left out of comedy.

  • Heidi July 20, 2012, 7:15 pm

    Love the bangs! I’ve always wanted to try them, but the fact of sticky sweaty bangs stuck to my forehead after a good run turns me off! Maybe I’m just out of the loop of what people do to prevent that…lol! Let us know how it goes!

  • Leslie July 20, 2012, 7:21 pm

    In regards to meeting people: When my kids were young it was amazingly easy to meet people. There were all the parents of my kids friends. It was easy to strike up a conversation with other moms at the little league or scouts, etc. You start to see the same people everywhere because of swim team, school, church, etc. now that my kids are grown and gone I find it harder to connect with people.

  • Lindsay July 20, 2012, 7:37 pm

    I met my best friend at 30 when she walked by my house with her daughter who is the same age as my son. We had the mommy thing in common, but it was definitely an effort to get together at first.

    I do admire Marissa Meyer, if that’s what she wants then that’s what she should do! A happy mommy=a better mommy. 🙂

  • Alex @ Raw Recovery July 20, 2012, 8:24 pm

    You look gorgeous! Bangs suit you very well. I absolutely love it! Beautiful 🙂

  • Kailey July 20, 2012, 9:11 pm

    LOVE the hair cut – very high fashion if you ask me!

  • Jen @ keepitsimplefoods July 20, 2012, 9:55 pm

    Great post! I LOVED the Atlantic piece. Long but so worth it. A must read for women everywhere!

  • Jessica @ New Girl, New City July 20, 2012, 10:32 pm

    Love the bangs!! I so with I could pull them off.
    And what is it with babies and hair?! But they are so cute, you can’t get mad at them!

  • Erin July 20, 2012, 11:32 pm

    My mom was the first woman admitted to an all men’s college in 1976, her graduating class had less than 3 dozen women. I attended the same college 23 years later (as the first double legacy; my parents met there). A current student wrote this in response to the “Why women’s still cannot have it all” and I think that it highlights how people (men AND women) can “have it all” in so many different ways: http://cmcforum.com/news/07192012-can-cmc-women-have-it-all

  • Jen July 21, 2012, 12:46 am

    Love you hair – super-CUTE!!! What’s funny is, we seem to be on the same haircut schedule…the last time you mentioned a haircut (at least, that I remember), I had just gotten mine cut too. Now, I am on a MISSION to get my hair cut within the next couple of days (have actually been meaning to do so for the past couple of weeks) to avoid losing my mind! Right now, it is SOO hard to get it subdued into a tolerable state that I can even cope with to make it through the day! 🙂

    • Jen July 21, 2012, 12:51 am

      Also, haven’t read all of the articles yet, but liked the response to the Tosh “incident.” Nice to see a male comedian making that statement!

  • Katie July 21, 2012, 12:55 am

    Thanks for posting the Brendan James video! I am familier with him but didn’t know he had a new album. I watched the video three times then bought the entire album! I have already listened to it four times through, its a great album, not one mediocre song!! 🙂

  • Carin July 21, 2012, 2:25 am

    1) I love your FRINGE (why do you call it “bangs” in the US? It’s just weird… especially when you think of Ricky Martin. Is “She bangs” about a girl who’s a bit of a goer, or someone with a fringe? Hmmm.

    2) It’s definitely cooler to look like Jessie J than Ed Sheeran, like me!

    3) Resist the haircut – you may never grow it back. I cut mine off because of baby hair tugging and fubby dependency (constant ponytailing) and although I’d like to grow it back, I never make it past the awkward mid phase.

    4) People shouldn’t be so daunted by marathons, so competitive and so focussed on time. I’ve done 4 in the last 18 months, just to enjoy the event, improve my fitness and most importantly, to prove to myself that I can do it. It’d be sooooo easy to say “It’s too far”/”… Too hard on the body”/”… I’ll stick with halves”/”…I can’t commit to the training” blah blah. I just tell people to enjoy it and not take it all so seriously! 🙂

    5) It IS hard to make friends as an adult/ parent…. hence time available to read blogs and make multi-part comments! TTFN x

  • Liz July 21, 2012, 3:06 am

    I definitely think it can be hard to make friends as an adult! I do have several friends I’ve made, but they’re all people I work with at the hospital where I work. My ‘main’ friends are actually the 3 girls I’ve been ‘best’ friends with since 1st grade, 5th grade and 8th grade 😉

  • Mel July 21, 2012, 5:00 am

    I love your new bangs! Very hip.

    I think ‘having it all’ is unique to each individual. We all want different things out of life, so I don’t think it’s fair to prescribe the entire female race to a few individuals ideas about what it means to ‘have it all.’ For myself, I think having it all means finding a right balance between my family, friends, love, health,work, play, etc. Although to be honest I’m still working on it (and probably will be for awhile)!

  • Jessica July 21, 2012, 9:54 am

    I just keep a hair tie on my wrist at all times. My daughter is 13 months and I haven’t worn my hair down around her since she was born. “Grabby hands” only continue getting worse as baby gets older.

  • Lexi @ You, Me, & A World to See July 21, 2012, 11:07 am

    Love that Marissa Meyer article! As a business school student, it’ll be particularly interesting to see how things work out for her 🙂

  • Vikki July 21, 2012, 12:28 pm

    I’m 34 and the best friends that I have were made in my late 20s or early 30s. I’ve found that the most important factor in making friends is common interests. That is most important at 5 and at 85. Find groups of people in your area that share your passions (for me, writing). Try new things (knitting and hoopdancing in my case.) Being scared of meeting people is normal, but don’t let that stop you from making a connection. (Lessons from someone who moved a few too many times in her adult life.)

  • AmandaRunsNY July 21, 2012, 8:13 pm

    I look at the Marissa Mayer chatter as very annoying. My initial reaction about it was just like the article you linked to, “Would we have had the same response if she was a man?” And that infuriates me. Why does a woman’s professional opinion warrant discussion about her personal life? Why does it matter? Look, I’m all about stay at home moms and being there for my kids and such, but the choices she makes in her personal life are HERS and hers alone. Granted the fact that she needs to give birth means that she needs some time off, but honestly, the company is not going to implode over the duration of a maternity leave. So what are people stressing about? People need to start worrying about the real issues at hand with her appointment. Will she be able to turn the company around? Does she have the skills for it? This isn’t like someone who has an affair and thus brings into play their ethics (although, again, what a person does in their personal life is ummm….personal).

    Thanks for bring this story up again.

  • Erin Margaret @ Bishella July 21, 2012, 11:41 pm

    I have been in far too many Facebook fights over the Tosh thing this week. Ugh. I feel really strongly that rape jokes are never “ok”. A rape joke can be told in the right context. But it’s such a delicate tightrope and so subjective that it’s really hard to pull off. So all I’ll say is, I am not saying we should take anyone First Amendment rights away, I’m just saying that there are a lot of stupid people in the world. Best to avoid them and keep it positive I guess! 🙂

  • Amber K July 22, 2012, 2:32 pm

    The bangs look great! I always, always have at least one hair tie in my hair, so I could definitely not handle short hair on myself. But babies usually go straight for my earrings. That will be hard to give up if I have one of my own!

  • Kevin July 23, 2012, 10:11 am

    The Curtis Luciani article was absurd. For one thing, he cites a completely absurd “statistic,” claiming that 1 in 5 women have been raped. This is, of course, completely false. Such a ridiculous statistic is the product of including all the outrageously liberal applications of the term “rape” (sex between a 17-year old an an 18-year old, the notion that someone impaired by alcohol cannot legally consent, and thus every time anyone anywhere has sex while drunk, they’re being “raped,” even if it’s a husband and wife celebrating an anniversary).

    Also, at the beginning of his diatribe, he even disclaims, “And if you think I’m being insufferably self-righteous: Good news, you don’t have to read this!” OK, but doesn’t this EXACT SAME reasoning apply to comedians covering offensive matieral? Good news, you don’t have to listen to them! Get up and leave.

    Instead, we’re subjected to his ridiculous analogy that attempts to equate violently amputating a body part with having consentual sex with your wife after 2 glasses of wine.

    • Jennifer July 23, 2012, 12:46 pm

      The 1 in 5 rape statistic does not include consensual sex between a man and his wife nor does include consensual sex between a 17 and 18 year old because there has to be at least a 2 year age difference and one of the parties (or their parents) would have had to make something of it. I think you may be a little naive as to just how often a woman’s “no” goes ignored.

      • Kevin July 24, 2012, 7:53 am

        And I think you might be giving a little too much credit to the radical feminist agenda if you really believe that there are 30,000,000 women in the US who have been “raped” in the worst sense of the word.

        • CaitlinHTP July 24, 2012, 8:03 am

          Kevin, unfortunately, you are giving fellow men way too much credit. I can think of five women that I know who were molested as children (raped) as well as a handful more that were assaulted (no intercourse) or raped as adults – and those are the friends who have told me. It is extremely common.

          • Caroline Leigh July 27, 2012, 2:18 pm

            Caitlin is right! I sadly have similar statistics with my friends.

  • Kevin July 23, 2012, 11:57 am

    Hmm. My comment seems to have been censored. Caitlin, I apologize if my comments were provacative, but rape is a very sensitive topic. Why did you bring this story up if you did not want us to discuss it?

    • Caitlin July 23, 2012, 11:59 am

      Hey Kevin – Sorry about that. I’m having tons of trouble with my SPAM filter and things are getting spammed that shouldn’t and not spammed that should. I went back through the filter and approved. Thanks for alerting me to this – I’m trying to straighten it out.

      • Kevin July 23, 2012, 12:29 pm

        No problem, Caitlin, I appreciate the quick attention and correction!

  • Emily N July 23, 2012, 12:23 pm

    I also just got “serious bangs”. I love them. My husband said “winnie cooper” though rather than Jessie J. (could it be the american born v. british born?) definite compliment I think!

  • Sarah July 26, 2012, 7:25 am

    Love the bangs, they look great! I love to mix my hair up as much as possible and sometimes a spontaneous bang trim is the way to go!

  • Caroline Leigh July 27, 2012, 2:19 pm

    love this corral of articles!! i’m 26 and new to atlanta and i’ve had a hard time “making friends”….that article makes sense! and i know it takes time.

  • Jolene (www.everydayfoodie.ca) July 28, 2012, 1:07 pm

    Cute bangs!!! I wish I had the guts to do it.

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