Chidi (William Jackson Harper) and Elanor (Kristen Bell), "soulmates" in NBC's The Good Place (Image Source: Vulture)

Alright, after yesterday's start in the 1990s before heading back to the 1690s, it's time we head back to the present, also known as "The Dumpster Fire That Started in 2016 But Has Not Been Extinguished Yet", or 2017 for short. I was talking to my friend Kiki a few hours ago (at this point, Kiki needs to be recognized for not just continually encouraging me to blog, but also providing me with topical material on which to do so), and we formed an instantaneous, mutual admiration society for The Good Place, the Kristen Bell-Ted Danson comedy that premiered on NBC last fall. If you haven't seen it, you can watch the entire first season here. One of the things I like about the show is how it readily and repeatedly dismantles the idea of soulmates (along with a ton of other things, but this isn't a spoiler post, so moving on...). When I think about it, some of the shows I've enjoyed the most in the past year, such as Insecure and Master of None, have done similarly. Maybe Millennials and Gen Exers are just over it? 

Writing at New York Magazine, Danielle Friedman says that "Happily Ever After" simply isn't cool anymore:

Congratulations to my wonderful friends Aja and Paul Thorburn on the birth of baby number three, Isaac, who was born yesterday morning and weighed in at eight pounds, four ounces.

He is joining big brother Theo:

(Wiki Commons)

So I am totally being lazy in the Soren Kierkegaard class I'm taking. Assigned to read Plato's "Euthyphro", I haven't been able to read more than a few pages before having my brain scream "Nope" and start daydreaming of how cute K would look in a pair of horn-rimmed glasses. 

What a day. In between a trip to the bank and my weekly IVIG session, I hung out with a couple of friends discussing life, love and having babies. One friend is pregnant; the other would like to be. This is the first kid for friend one, while friend two has no kids. In the midst of all this blabbing, Zoe sat oblivious, typing away on a mini-laptop that K got for her with a ton of educational games.

My pregnant friend and I had got together first and she spoke to me for over an hour about getting her first sonogram, and seeing her little one hide from the ultrasound wand. She had broke into tears at seeing her shy baby, while her husband beamed with pride. I shared with her about my experiences with seeing Z via ultrasound. Just discussing all these new life made me cry (I am a crier, but true story, I did not cry when I first held Zoe. As I explained to my friend, I was so overwhelmed, I just stared at her in amazement).  

By the time friend number two arrived, I was feeling a little giddy. It was excitement, expectant happiness. I was full of hope. Friend one quickly cued two in on her big news. My heart hurt a bit for friend two.