Some nights, even in November, there just isn't a blog post. Maybe tomorrow.

In the meantime, you can read my 140-characters-or-less pearls of wisdom at Twitter.

So, today I was watching Martha Stewart's TV show (OK, fine, I admit it, it's my lunchtime thing, I will hear no more on the matter!), in which she highlighted the finalists of her "Dreamers Into Doers" contest for people who have let their passions drive the establishment of their business. It was a real tear-jerky show, complete with string-ensemble background music, guest Maya Angelou talking about all her "daughters" around the world, and stories from women who have transformed their lives with things as simple as Southern biscuits and as profound as nonprofit services for families with dying kids.

Despite the over-the-top production of the whole shebang, one finalist's story really moved me, and she eventually triumphed as the winner. Amy Jaffe Barzach's nonprofit, Boundless Playgrounds, builds playscapes that are accessible for children of all abilities, with ramps instead of stairs, wheelchair-friendly surfacing, swings with back supports, and elevated sand and water tables. In the footage, it was clear that these aren't simply playgrounds for disabled kids, they truly are just really cool playgrounds for all kids that also happen to be easier for children with mobility challenges to use.

Something I hadn't thought about before seeing this show was how most playgrounds aren't accessible for parents with disabilities, and how this limits their choices for ways they can engage with their own children. One mother talked about being able to push her son on the swings for the first time because finally there was a park that was not planted in a sandpit or wood chips, which are impossible to navigate in her wheelchair. I found this part of the story the most touching of all.

I know how important it is for children to play, experiment, and explore on a daily basis, and I have a hard time imagining how it must feel to not be able to participate in this process as a parent. I found myself thinking about what I would do without my son's and my several weekly trips to the neighborhood parks to play with the other kids. Our lives would be so lonely, so less rich in experience and fun.

You can read more about Boundless Playgrounds, and find one near you, here.

I've seen this one out and about on the blogs, and it seemed perfect for a night like tonight when I have little creative juice and not much energy for things more complicated than one-word answers.

Where is your mobile phone? Buried
Where is your significant other? Adjacent
Your hair colour? Muddy
Your favourite thing? Harper
Your dream last night? Hazy
Your dream goal? Satisfaction
The room you're in? Cozy
Your hobby? Creating
Your fear? Powerlessness
Where do you want to be in 6 years? Present
Where were you last night? Celebrating
What you're not? Focused
One of your wish-list items? 4BR/2.5BA
Where you grew up? Simple
The last thing you did? Construction
What are you wearing? Layers
Your TV? Illuminated
Your pets? Affectionate
Your computer? Integral
Your mood? Hopeful
Your car? Bloated
Something you're not wearing? Lipstick
Favourite shop? Unaffordable
Love someone? Deeply
Your favourite colour? Grass
When is the last time you laughed? Tonight
When is the last time you cried? 11/4/08

Wanna play? Post your answers in the comments or on your own blog.

1. Made this jacket for my boy. One $7 hoodie + One $3 pack of iron-on letters = Just the thing to wear to our friends' election party on Tuesday.

2. Rode bikes with my family around the lake and then downtown in an attempt to vote early. But, hoo boy, the line--definitely not toddler friendly. So we'll be voting on Tuesday after all.

And now I think I'll take a nap. Farewell, "extra" hour. It was nice feeling like I had you.

Harper on Sesame Street from Byrne Reese on Vimeo.

Another highlight of BlogHer was the Sesame Street Suite. The Sesame Street Foundation was one of the conference sponsors, and they had set up a room with a set that looked just like one of the brownstone stoops in the show. Grover and Abby Cadabby were there, along with their actual puppeteers, to film personal messages with or for kids. This is the video Harper made with his dad and Grover. We have already watched it approximately 5,024 times.

As many of you already know, Harper is pretty into Grover, and in the end, he was almost as excited to meet Abby Cadabby. Now he thinks the Muppets live in San Francisco, so we have to explain to him any time we mention the city that Abby and Grover were only there for a special party.

I have to admit, the experience was pretty exciting even for the adults. I was really impressed by the puppeteers, especially by how non-impressed the kids were by them. The kids didn't seem to notice that there was a person moving and speaking for the puppet. All they saw was their favorite character. It was a testament to the skill of these artists and to the true magic of what they do.

Last weekend was jam-packed with fun adventures of the unexpected kind, chief among them being my attendance at BlogHer on Saturday. Byrne's company, one of the conference sponsors, had an extra pass, so while officially I was one Mr. Andy Wibbels for the day, I can now announce that Ms. Arin Hailey had a grand time.

What a treat it was to meet and greet so many women whose blogs I've read for years. The introverted dork in me worried about feeling starstruck and/or tongue-tied around such gifted and accomplished writers, but the "Yay! Ladies!" atmosphere of the whole shebang almost makes you want to go up to everyone there and ask them for a hug and a tampon.

Now I can say that the women I met are not only chock full of talent but also have superior outfits and footwear and are utterly charming. Do go check them out (but surely you already have, right?):

Mighty Girl (she of the Goods, Junior and Haus)
Evany
Que Sera Sera
Finslippy
Jen Lemen
Superhero Journal
Dollarshort

I find myself visiting YouTube much more often now that I have a child. I don't allow Harper to watch a lot of TV, but the minutes-long snippets on YouTube are often just the thing: I can put Harper in his highchair, load up a clip on my laptop on the kitchen table, and be unfettered for that critical last few minutes of dinner prep or what-have you. I've found you can almost never go wrong with classic Sesame Street. Here are some oldies-but-goodies we've been watching lately:

Cab Calloway Sings "Hi De Ho Man"

Byrne remembers this from when it first aired, but I somehow missed it, despite watching my share of Sesame Street back in the day. The best part, besides Cab Calloway? The two-headed Muppet guy excitedly announcing him: "CabbieCalloway! CabbieCalloway!"

James Taylor Sings Jellyman Kelly

The best part, besides the tuba player, and also whatever James Taylor apparently smoked backstage? The kids just dying for their cue to start singing the chorus.

Grover Tries to Grok Personal Pronouns

Harper's "lovey" since he was about 6 months old has been this cuddly plush Grover doll, so he immediately lights up for any bit starring "Gro." I think you'll enjoy the humor in this clip even if you are not 2 years old. My exposure to modern-day Sesame Street is admittedly limited, but it seems to me that they were writing Grover a lot funnier (for kids and adults alike) in the 1970s and 80s.

As this festive season of blogging draws to a close, I am evaluating my feelings about blogs in general, this blog in particular, and my performance in the whole NaBloPoMo experiment.

I've seen this on a few blogs recently, and since I have nothing more specific to write about today, here goes:

Yesterday, I was stuck in holiday traffic, in the rain, driving home from my Thanksgiving trip with my family. We were all cranky but so glad to finally be (almost) home.

Last week, I was prepping and packing for said Thanksgiving trip (you can see photos of the trip here). Every time we travel, even for a weekend, it always amazes me how much stuff we end up bringing for a kid who could easily fit into the suitcase himself with plenty of room to spare.

Last year, I was 4.5 months pregnant and feeling great.

I'm off to give thanks. Back in a few days....

My friend Stef turned me on to Danny Seo's blog, Simply Green, and I am loving it. Danny is a spokesman for eco-friendly living, an author, a contributing editor to Country Home, an occasional TV personality, and a virtual bottomless well of clever ideas. He's a young, Asian, male, environmentalist Martha for the new millennium!

Here are some of my favorite ideas on the site:
Chalkboard fridge (I am seriously thinking about doing this)
Winter village using recycled holiday cards
Bag made from old belts
Fallen leaves as gift tags
Birds' nest centerpiece made of grapevine wreath forms

Day 11 of NaBloPoMo. (I feel like Wolf Blitzer should be saying that, complete with menacing news-crisis music and a blue-screen graphic involving flames, radar blips, and traffic-light-yellow text.)

I have nothing to write about. And I refuse to bore you with the details of my ho-hum day, from my morning coffee to shopping to taking a nap with my baby to getting a haircut to having salmon and a roasted-beet salad for dinner to watching Nip/Tuck on DVD to doing some Web surfing to posting on my blog. Damn. Oh, well.

In the meantime, check out the NaBloPoMo randomizer. It feeds you randomly selected sites belonging to some of the bazillion other people participating in the post-a-day challenge. Here's just a sample of what's out there (the first five sites I got after hitting the randomizer):

So Close: After being so close for so long, I have finally arrived. Life after infertility.
(Warning: The topmost post, from 11/9, is absolutely heartbreaking. It's hopeful in tone, but the subject is almost too much to bear.)

Greenjellysnakes
(Latest post: 11/5. Tsk, tsk.)

sew.crafty: sewing, knitting, kids, husband . . . life

Getting a Kelly Carwash: Where EG's starting to wish she had moved to warmer climes when she had the chance.
(Latest post: 11/1. For shame!)

The Ethicurean: Chew the right thing.

According to this random sample, 60 percent of the world's blogs are mommy blogs, and 40 percent of the world's bloggers are slackers.

Have you noticed that HairyAlien has been on a little unplanned hiatus? What can I say--I just haven't felt the push to blog in many months. I thought perhaps it's been the sometimes overwhelming task of balancing motherhood and life and work or maybe my priorities simply have changed or perhaps it's just that I've misplaced my time-management skills in the last six months. But then, I thought, I also have been suffering something of a blog identity crisis as I tried to "define" what kind of blog I wanted HairyAlien to be. Baby blog? Craft blog? Food blog? Blog where friends and family can read about my daily doings, however mundane? Do I even need to define my blog? I was attempting to articulate the problem for myself and for you, you loyal few readers, when I read that Shokufeh has been enduring the same challenges and wrote about it quite eloquently.

Her solution (and mine)? NaBloPoMo, a bootcamp for delinquent online writers that has been launched by Mrs. Kennedy at Fussy.org. The idea is that you post to your blog every day in the month of November. This is exactly the kind of nudge I need to get going again. I'm interested to see what range of subjects my posts will take on once I'm writing every day. And I promise I won't cheat by simply posting an impossibly cute daily photo of my kid (sorry, Grandma).

I've already convinced Byrne to join me in the NaBloPoMo challenge. Are you up for it, too?

Feeling a little distracted from work as the atmospheric holiday insanity spins into hurricane status? Well, make yourself some cocoa, dip into the Christmas cookie stash, and take a little link break!

Baby Jesus Says, "Buy, Buy, Buy!"

What to get those pesky vegans in your life? Check out SFGate's guide to animal-product-free gift giving.

And, don't underestimate the cool-gift goldmines that are museum gift shops.

The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, The Seattle Times, The Economist, and Amazon.com think they know what's best for the readers on your list.

And Epicurious recommends the best cookbooks of 2004.

Still stumped? Parse through the archives at Mighty Goods. Margaret Mason has impeccable taste and a knack for finding hip and interesting items for all kinds of folks.

Or forget the whole shebang and Buy Nothing.

Make Your Own Dang Gifts, Why Dontcha?

Have your plans to make homemade gifts this year turned your kitchen into your own personal sweatshop? (Not that I would know anything about that, oh no.) Craftster blog has ideas for easy, last-minute crafted gifts.

Knitters: The winter issue of Knitty has arrived to great acclaim. There are patterns for sweaters, scarves, hats, toys, and cozies of all kinds, oh my. And who wouldn't just love to see that knitted uterus under the tree this year?

Don't know the melt-and-pour method from a cable cast-on? Superhero Andrea Scher offers fabulous suggestions as always for independent artists and DIY businesses to check out for handcrafted goodness in her Holiday Gift Guide.

Way easier to work with than construction paper and sequins: The Chronicle offers free holiday cards to download and print.

Now That's the Spirit

Sara at Going Jesus presents a different kitschy, tacky, ill-advised, or just plain ugly nativity set each day until Christmas. The mind reels.

Remember how visiting your childhood advent calendar each day for a new treat or little toy made Christmas come all the sooner? Not really? Neither will Leslie Harpold's annual online advent calendar give you a few extra shopping days, but with a new recipe or story and holiday links every day, it's a fun way to keep up that holiday mojo.

Finally, if you'll be in the Big Apple for Christmas this year (like me), do check out the Manhattan User's Guide's list of 50 things to do in NYC between now and New Year's.

What I love about the Web is that you can always, with a little help from Google, find someone else out there who is obsessed with -- ahem -- wondering about the same things you are.

A few weeks ago I saw Tony Blair on TV wearing an oh-so-freakin'-adorable little poppy boutonniere on his lapel. I had been on a bit of a flower-crafting streak that week, and my reticular activating system was drawing my eyes helplessly to the thing. "What is that, felt?" I asked Byrne. Byrne was indifferent, although I do believe he responded later with his customary Arin-mocking activity, affecting a high voice not unlike Ralphie from The Simpsons and saying, "I like felt!"

Anyway, today I saw a picture of my boyfriend Prince William on CNN and whaddyaknow--he was wearing an oh-so-freakin'-adorable little poppy boutonniere of his own. I could wait no longer. I had to know: What's the deal with those flowers?

So I Googled "tony blair" flower and found out that the poppy boutonnieres are made of paper, and are sold by the Royal British Legion, a U.K. veterans' welfare organization, as a fundraiser every fall to commemorate Remembrance Day on November 11. (The paper-poppy sellers are reportedly just as ubiquitous in London as the Salvation Army bell-ringing Santas are here in the U.S.) The poppy is an "international symbol for remembrance of veterans of war." Who knew?

Google did.

This is the kind of Web site on which you could inexplicably lose a half hour of your life: GroceryLists.org. Bill Keaggy of St. Louis has scanned in and posted more than 500 lists that he's found or that folks have sent him--most are grocery lists but some are intended for places like K-Mart and Home Depot.

There is some abysmal spelling, some barely legible handwriting, and some God-awful eating habits out there, people. There is also a good dose of that precious irony that makes American culture great, as seen in the "list" with one item: "Lunch!", and the one that calls for cheese, milk, ice cream, and diet pills. And there's intrigue to boot--one list for a Wal-Mart expedition lists simply: "Stockings. Undergarments (for work--possibly w/ red stripper shoes.)"

It's fascinating stuff.

(Originally spotted at The New York Times. No New York Times account? Sign in with "freenyt", password "freenyt".