The Men are ON IT

Those of you who have met my husband Matt in person already know that he is cool: far more techno-savvy than I am, well read, a great writer, and just generally hip in that "I can wear jeans and a black t-shirt every day and still be cooler than my cashmere-wearing wife" way. (And he'll wear a floral button-down shirt when we go out - how's that for cool?)

He's also been known to holler at the radio when he hears someone talking about autism the Wrong Way.

The man is edumacated.

It should not have surprised me, therefore, when he said tonight, "Hey, I subscribe to the Jumping Monkeys podcast, and Susan Etlinger was on this week!"

Damn! He was all over it. What's cool, happening, hip, and now. I mean, I knew about this exciting bit of Internet news because I'd seen it on Susan's blog at dark o'clock this morning, but I had never heard of Jumping Monkeys.

So, be hip like Matt and go listen to Susan talking about autism at Jumping Monkeys! You won't be sorry.

***

While I was writing the blurb above, my father called from California. Yet another man in my family who is all about what's hip and happening! He called to tell me that he'd heard two interesting NPR stories while commuting today - I am starting to feel like this is some kind of conspiracy of men-in-the-know. Here are the stories he recommended to me:

Confronting 'That Autism Thing' on Day to Day. A mother explains how different autism is than she had imagined, and tells about how a mall Santa recognized autism in her son when a neurologist didn't. Also highlighted is how her family's visit to the wonderful Dr. Rick Solomon, DIR faculty member who founded The Play Project in Michigan, gave them a great deal of hope for their child. Part II will be aired tomorrow.

"The Ten-Year Nap: Stay-at-Home Mama Drama" interview with author Meg Wolitzer on Fresh Air. This is an interesting piece. The novel is about four bright, well-educated women who leave their careers to stay home full-time with their children. It does not sound polemic, coming down in favor of staying home or working outside the home, but rather explores what happens in these women's lives when their children are all in school full-time. She suggests that the critical thing for women is to have "a sense of purpose" in life, whatever that may be, which is refreshing. Wolitzer makes some points that will simply need their very own blog posts later on.

Lots to read and listen to out there - go on!

(And PS: Don't forget that Autism: The Musical is on HBO Tuesday night!)