1. A desi guy won the Booker! Aravind Adiga, who's only 33, won for his debut novel The White Tiger. If you've read it, let us know your thoughts. While reading about it I ran across this snippet: "Dr. Adiga said Aravind's mother - his first wife Usha, who died before she could complete her PhD in social work - was a great influence on her son's literary aspirations. 'She inculcated in him the desire for reading,' Dr Adiga said." Devis everywhere are now adding one more thing to their to-do list: "Must inculcate desire for reading into son/daughter...."
2. The last presidential debate is tonight! Is anyone else hoping, like I am, that McCain does start the personal attacks on Obama? I have a feeling that if he does, Obama is going to have some fantastic comebacks. Plus, polls show that most Americans hate it when McCain brings up this kind of stuff. Bring it on Johnny Boy!
3. Madonna and Guy Ritchie are officially splitsville! How sad is that. Looks like the divorce is going to be messy too -- they haven't agreed on a settlement and she's worth hundreds of millions of dollars. I wonder if it's basically impossible to be married to such a powerhouse.
4. Health flash: Are your kids getting enough vitamin D? The American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending that infants, teens, and everyone in between receive 400 units a day – twice the previous recommended amount. Here are some vitamin D sources. Related: A friend who lives in San Francisco told me her doctor says she's vitamin D deficient thanks to the lack of sun there. That, and she's a vampire.
5. Uh oh, Diwali is coming up on October 28th! What's a devi with baby to do? Look for a post on insta-cultural ways to celebrate Diwali with your kids, coming soon....
6. For those who have asked, yes, we finally chose a Halloween costume for our daughter. She's going to be... a bumble bee! She was a ladybug a couple of years ago, so we thought we'd continue with the insect theme. (Fodder for her future therapy sessions? Probably.) Plus it was the only costume at Spirit in her size -- aside from "Renaissance Princess." Who comes up with those costumes, anyway?
Deepa is a wife, mother, writer and she sometimes masquerades as a lawyer as well. She revels in friendship, humor, champagne, and laughing at herself--often. She never ever reads US Magazine, thinks Rushdie is a genius, wishes she could write one sentence as funny as "Arrested Development," and lives in the Bay Area with her motley crew. She can be reached at deviswithbabies@gmail.com
Yet another fantastic desi who ends up making all the other uber-educated and accomplished desis feel insecure and insignificant. I often think that just bathing my daughter in the morning is a huge accomplishment.
I've often thought of starting a blog about desi dropouts - oh wait - i remember that SF magazine cover a few months back about the desi dropout tech gazillionaire.
best joke i heard so far on madonna: if she's dropping guy ritchie, does that mean she will drop her british accent too?
Here I was, going about my day, feeling fine and now my to-do list includes: (1) instill love of reading in children; (2) make sure kids get more vitamin D; (3) celebrate Diwali; (4) find way to be worth hundreds of millions. Jeez, thanks alot...!
Vitamin D - remember you get vitamin D from sunlight. Light skinned people are at risk for skin cancer if they get too much sun, but dark skinned people who get the same amount of sunlight as a lighter skinned person actually gets less vitamin D. So it's important to get out in the sun and get your D.
Vit D has many more functions besides just improving bone health. it helps fight infections, and some scientists believe that it may even help fight cancer.
wow, i had no idea about the importance of vitamin D! you learn something new every day...
where can i find more out about diwali?