Weekend Open Thread

Brooklyn is all abuzz — well, at least our home is — over the first winter storm of the season that we’re expecting tomorrow. I think it’s ridiculous when New Yorkers freak out over the promise of snow and stand in 3-hour lines at Trader Joe’s and Fairway as if every bodega on every corner won’t have toilet paper and milk and bread, but I did stock up on essentials this morning simply because we happened to be out of those things and I’d be shopping anyway, regardless of what weather was coming our way. And I’ll probably make a quick trip to the liquor store later to stock up on tequila and whisky and bubbly because the bodegas won’t have that stuff and to risk running out and not being able to get to the wine store around the corner while stuck inside with a restless 4-year-old and a teething baby is not something I want to mess with. (I doubt we’re going to get enough snow to shut down the liquor stores, but one should never be unprepared for such an occasion.)

Jackson can’t wait to wear his “Snow Big Deal” shirt and build a snowman and drink hot cocoa with mini marshmallows. And he doesn’t know it yet, but I bought a cool sled for him early last month, since his sled from last season broke, and it’s been hiding under the bed waiting for the perfect day to make its big debut. I foresee a snowy trip or two to Prospect Park this weekend for slides down the hill. And if we can enjoy some quiet time at home in between, I hope to finish my new book, When Breath Becomes Air, the beautifully written memoir by the young neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi, who published two moving essays in the New York Times about facing his terminal cancer diagnosis, before he died last March at the age of 37.

Besides books and booze and snow, this weekend also marks a big milestone: Dear Wendy turns five on Sunday! I published the very first post on January 24th, 2011, and it’s been an honor and a privilege and such a thrill to watch the site and the community grow into what it is today. It wouldn’t be what it is without you, of course, and your support, as always, means so much. Thank you to those who lurk quietly and to those who comment prolifically. Thank you to you who share your own stories and narratives and offer advice and guidance to others. Thank you to my mom for copy-editing and to the rest of my family for their general cheerleading. Thanks to those of you who send in Friday links and like DW on Facebook and click through my Amazon affiliate link before you shop and turn off your ad blockers on DW and donate to help support the site. Thank you to those who send me letters asking for advice and to those who update afterward. And thank you to my brand new volunteer forum moderator, a longtime reader of the site (who shall remain anonymous), who has an eagle-eye and a fierce determination to keep the forums as troll-free as possible. Every one of you helps make DW more than just a blog; you help make it a community. And for that, I am very grateful.

Have a wonderful weekend!