Tag: Rants

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Karma

I must have done something to really tick her off, because man, am I having some bad juju over here. And just in time for the holidays, whee!

First off, I was just thinking the other day how happy I am that my skin is nice and clear right now, seeing as so much of it will be bared on the beach in just a few days. It may be pasty, but hopefully that will be remedied soon, and at least it’s blemish-free. Ha! Not so fast there, young lady. When what to my wondering eyes should appear yesterday morning? A nice big zit, right in the middle of my chest. Come on, gross! And just in time for bikini season, too. Fan-flippin-tastic.

Next up? This ridiculously terrible cold I caught a few days ago, which has allowed me only 1 workout this week. 1 week before I strut around in my new bikini, mind you. I started feeling a little lousy on Monday, and since then things have gone downhill at a rapid speed. I got some Sudafed yesterday, though, to try and get my head cleared before I have to endure the pain of changing cabin pressures on airplanes this weekend. Hopefully it will kick in in time to banish the worst of it.

I also took NyQuil last night so I could get some sleep. Ah, NyQuil, it’s been so long. I couldn’t take it while pregnant or nursing, and fortunately since then I haven’t needed it. See – right there. That’s where Karma got me. Just the other day I was thinking again (maybe that’s the problem – i should just stop thinking!) how it’s been a really long time since I’ve been truly sick, because R was going into the doctor for a physical and weird headaches he gets all the time. I was musing that he seems to get sick a lot more often than I do, then whaddya know? BAM! Who’s sick now, kid?

And just to top things off, my friendly monthly reminder of how magnificent it is to be female kicked in this morning. Yay!! Just what I always wanted – a Hawaiian vacation with my bestest pal. She really is such a treat and an absolute joy to be around. Especially when I’ll be wearing a bikini more often than not this coming week. Ah well, c’est la vie, non?

So, Karma, please let me know what I can do to get back on your good side. Because this right here? Not so nice. No matter what you throw at me, though, I’ll keep my chin up, because I have this to look forward to in 2 short days…

 

 

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Stop it!

Ok, I normally wouldn’t even waste my breath on this, because I feel like it’s been beaten like a dead horse, but seriously, the child sexual abuse needs to end. Well, all forms of child abuse need to end, but especially that of a sexual nature, since that is what’s been making all these disgusting headlines lately.

 

Let’s see, we’ve had Catholic priests molesting altar boys for, well, ever I guess. Then of course the Jerry Sandusky Penn State bullshit that just makes me want to vomit more each time I hear new details come forth, and now the scandal involving former Red Sox clubhouse manager Donald Fitzpatrick, who’s been dead for 6 years? And there are obviously countless other attacks in between all those that have never and may never come to light, but which are no less horrifying and damaging.

 

Well I have a surprise for you all – I have the answer! And it’s this simple:

 

STOP HAVING SEX WITH CHILDREN!!!!!!

 

Period.

 

The end. I will now step off my soapbox and get back to more entertaining fare.

 

 

 

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Let’s talk about hold music

Shall we? You know, that crap “elevator” music you must endure each time you’re put on hold on the phone. Now riddle me this… WHY on earth must it be so terrible? Always??

 

A few weeks ago while on hold I had to listen to “That’s Just the Way It Is” by Phil Collins, which on its own isn’t too obnoxiously unbearable, but throw it into a never-ending string of mind-numbing shit songs and I was ready to chuck my phone across the room by the end of the first refrain. Then this morning I again found myself on perma-hold, being serenaded by the worst light jazz channel I’ve ever heard.

 

Why do companies think their customers, patients, etc., want to hear note after note after note of horrendous music, when they’re probably already in a bad mood about whatever it is that’s causing them to call in and be stuck on hold in the first place? And who picks this stuff out anyway? I’d like to meet the person who decided that oh yeah, EVERYONE wants to listen to Kenny G for 45 minutes while we ignore their call. I would swiftly kick him/her in the shins and duct tape headphones on them to pump in their nauseating choice of songs.

 

Come on, mix it up a little for us! I don’t know about you guys, but personally, I would LOVE to hear some Snoop Dogg for my “on hold” station. That is my JAM! I would rock the socks off some hold time if I could be rollin’ down the street sippin on gin and juice. Or rockin rough and stuff with my afropuffs – hey rage, rock on wit yo bad self! Yeeeaahh, I could be on hold all day listening to Doggystyle.

 

Seriously, throw us a bone here, on hold music administrators. Like I said, chances are pretty good that we’re going to be pissed off when you finally decide to answer our call in the order in which it was received since we’ve been sitting there so long waiting to either chew you out because some worthless product failed us again or to make an appointment for a procedure that no one in their right mind would enjoy. So it would be in your best interest to not enrage us further by making us want to pluck our eyebrows out with your god-awful music, but maybe try to soften the blow to your eardrums a bit by lightening our mood with a little rock ‘n roll, hip hop, or even some Christmas carols this time of year.

 

But please, for the love of god, PLEASE don’t make me listen to any more Phil Collins. Cuz that’s just not the way it is in my book.

 

 

 

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We have lost our manners

I heard that on the radio the other morning, and I could not agree more. We seriously have lost our manners. “Please.” “Thank you.” “May I?” “Excuse me.” (without being immediately followed by “excuse you” from the other party) Opening and/or holding the door for someone. You know, simple common courtesies that have unfortunately become less-than-common.

 

My sisters and I were raised to use good manners. You say “please” and “thank you”. You address adults by “Mr.” and “Mrs.” You say “excuse me” after you burp or fart. That is, after we were glared at for daring to let out said burp or fart within earshot of others in the first place. You do not chew with your mouth open or talk with your mouth full. You do not rest your elbows on the table while you eat. You write thank you notes after receiving gifts. You look people in the eye when being spoken to. You do NOT talk back, especially in public. You do not lie. And you are overall generally obedient to your parents.

 

And I’m sure this will garner many groans and eye rolls, but for the most part we complied. We were, I think, pretty well-behaved children, and have grown into well-mannered adults. I’m sure my mom can provide plenty of instances to the contrary, but I’m speaking on the whole here. Mom.

 

I’ve noticed so often, though, that kids these days are just shitty. They’re rude, they’re disobedient, they’re immature (yes, even kids can have a certain level of maturity for their age), they’re violent, they’re mean, they’re beyond disrespectful, and they’re just plain jerks.

 

How has this happened? Have manners really become so passé that parents can’t possibly be troubled to instill them in their children? Have we become so technologically advanced, absorbed, and jaded that it’s ridiculous to think we would bother to teach children such basic organic processes as good manners? Just leave it up to the computer or cell phone to do that for us? Is it really that hard? Nope. I don’t think so.

 

And when did this happen? When did it become so taxing to insert an extra word or 2 into your sentences here or there? When did it become uncool to be polite? When did we stop smiling at people as we pass? And god forbid anyone actually nods hello. No! Grumble, grumble, shuffle past. What the? Where are we living?

 

Am I the only one who feels this way? Am I the only one who orders by saying, “May I please have…?”; or says “thank you” to a compliment or good deed; or says “you’re welcome” to another’s “thank you”; or holds the door for someone behind me or someone who needs assistance; or hands someone something they dropped instead of walking by pretending not to see; or actually does try to look people in the eye as I walk by and say “hello”, or maybe just “hey”, but still, it’s better than staring blankly past them like they don’t exist? Am I crazy for doing all these things? I guess it doesn’t really matter if I am, for I’ll still do them. I was taught it’s just what you do. It’s not some big, unusual occurrence, not something that needs to be rewarded with a gold star each day. You just do it.

 

Anyone want to join me on a crusade to re-manner the world? Ok, maybe not the whole world, but at least re-manner our own little corners of it? I fully intend on raising D to use good manners. Nothing would crush me more than to see her growing into one of the foul-mouthed, ill-mannered, bad-tempered little hoodlums I see running around, pissing me off. Because really, that’s not the sign of a truly bad kid. I don’t think kids themselves are inherently rotten. That’s the sign of an extremely poor parenting job.

 

Thank you.

 

 

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Back for a sec

I know I said I needed to take a little break after my Week in My Life, and I do. I just needed to get a few things off my chest first, because it’s one of those days again. Those days that need a little venting…

I’m in a funk for a minute. Here’s why:

  • A big project I’ve been really excited about and spent a lot of time on fell through yesterday, which totally sucks.
  • The Brewers are out of the playoffs. (not life-altering, but just a small contributing factor)
  • I hate when my body doesn’t cooperate with me; I’m very less than pleased with it right now. I need to get some runs thrown in again, but I hate running when it’s cold and of course the weather is now starting to turn. Maybe a detox is in order? (hmm, i have a funny feeling i don’t have the willpower for one, but who knows)
  • I was really looking forward to something that had tentatively been slated for next Spring, but now that’s off the table too. Thanks a lot.
  • Starbucks completely messed up my chai this morning – foamy, watery, warm when it was an iced drink. Not the self-pity treat I was anticipating. (again, not a huge deal, just adding to the shittiness of today)

Yes, I know none of these are major problems and I have so many things for which to be thankful. Don’t worry, I am. I’m just in a mood again and feeling like a brat, so I needed to get that out. There. Thank you. Back later.

 

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Dead man walking

Steel yourself for a heavy one here… Capital punishment is a highly debated and debatable subject, the likes of which I usually prefer to steer clear. But with the 2 executions earlier this week, it’s been on my mind. Specifically, do I agree with the death penalty or not?

And the more I think about it, the more my honest answer becomes “I don’t know.” See here’s the sitch: Say someone murdered one of my loved ones. Would I want them dead? Absolutely. Yes, I know how horrible that sounds, to say I would want another human dead, but I’m being brutally honest here. If someone killed R or D or any one of my family members, I might even want to go kill them myself. Screw waiting around for a death sentence.

However… (there’s always a however, isn’t there?)

Say it was one of my loved ones who did the murdering (or whatever other heinous crime would have to be committed to warrant the death penalty). Would I want them dead? Absolutely not. I would much rather have them sentenced to life in prison so I could at least go see them and call them and write to them and just know that they were still alive. Is that fair? Would they rather spend the rest of their days confined to a cell knowing there’s probably no hope whatsoever of ever seeing the free world again than be put to death? I can’t say for sure, but I’m selfish and assuming the answer would be yes. If it were me I would definitely prefer a remainder of a lifetime of imprisonment over dying, so I’m just going to simplify things and say someone I love would too.

So what’s my answer? See, herein lies my dilemma. In one circumstance I’m for it, and in another I’m adamantly against it. And I’ve tried to put the shoe on the other foot in my first scenario, where someone I love has been murdered, and see how the accused’s family would not want him/her to die just as I wouldn’t one of my own to die in my second scenario, but the seething black hole of loss in which I imagine I would be suffering usually takes over and makes my decision for me. They must die! God, that’s an awful thought to have even hypothetically. It kind of makes me ashamed knowing I’ve thought it at all. And I definitely don’t want to be teaching D that an-eye-for-an-eye is the rule by which to live, perpetuating violence and all, but really, if someone killed part of my family I would unequivocally want revenge. I’m sorry, I would. Call it a character flaw, call me barbaric and savage, call me a beast, but when I picture something that horrific happening in my life, I just can’t see it as a wound that would ever heal. Do I forgive easily? Unfortunately, no. Maybe that’s something I need to work on (actually i’m sure that’s something i need to work on, but that’s beside the point here). Maybe if this unbearable scenario did play out in my life someday (and dear god i hope it never does) I would be able to find the strength to not want to enact revenge and rip the accused’s head off with my bare hands as his/her death sentence. But I really just don’t know.

Then when you bring all the exogenous factors into a death penalty case, the decision can become even more complicated. Take the 2 executions this week, for instance. Troy Davis – a black man accused of killing an off-duty police officer in Georgia over 20 years ago; a case that lacked physical evidence linking him to the crime; eye witnesses recanting their claims that Davis was the perpetrator; a confession by another man; Davis’s own offer to submit to a lie detector test to prove his innocence; an enormous outpouring of support for Davis and outrage at this seeming miscarriage of justice that there was no stay of execution. And then there was Lawrence Brewer – 1 of 3 white men found guilty of the dragging death of a black man 13 years ago in Texas; they chained the man to the back of a pickup and dragged him by the ankles until he was decapitated when he hit a culvert; the crime was intended to promote Brewer’s white supremacist organization; odd, but there wasn’t much public outcry for this one; did you even hear about it?

I’d like to think that the gumption with which I stand behind my resolution that I would absolutely 100% never want the death penalty enacted against someone I love is stronger than my desire to have it enacted against one who would take someone I love from me, so therefore means I’m against capital punishment, but does that count? Or am I allowed to say “I don’t know”? Can the answer to such a weighty question be “well, it depends”?

What say you?

Continue reading “Dead man walking”

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Our girls

Is anyone else out there with daughters scared shitless about raising them in today’s world of over-sexed, under-dressed, unsupervised, and generally grown-up-too-fast youth? I am.

I’m horrified by some of the things I see girls younger and younger doing, wearing, saying, and experiencing, and I whole-heartedly pray that I will be strong enough to raise D with unwavering morals and values.

I want her to be proud of herself, love herself, respect others (including her elders), and love having me and R as her parents.

I want to give her a childhood full of innocence and happiness, warm summer days and nights playing outside, cold winter ones snuggled in close, and memories filled with laughter and love instead of micro-minis, stilettos, and make-up.

I want her to fully enjoy being a kid, where her biggest worries are learning to share toys and riding a bike, not whether her clothes are from the right store or if she has the perfect body or, god-forbid, the best cell phone.

I want to foster her confidence so she grows up strong enough to respect herself, not feel like she has to do whatever it takes to get the boys’ attention or that of the mean girls.

My hope of hopes is to give her the best foundation possible early in life so that she grows into a wonderful woman in her own right, ready to take on the world with a good head on her shoulders and a positive (yet not naive) outlook and attitude. I know that may sound uber-cliche, but that’s what I want.

I don’t want to be her best friend (although i’m sure that would be great, but my job is parent).

I don’t want to give in to every whine and beg just because everyone else gets to do it.

I don’t want her to have a cell phone when she’s 7 because I think that’s ridiculous; she can have one when she’s ready and able to pay for it herself (read has a job and can fund her own plan).

I don’t want her to be on Facebook until she’s well into high school, if not college, or ever (wouldn’t it be great if we could actually raise our kids to talk to each other, not online chat??).

I don’t want her to start dressing like a college student in grade school because that’s disgusting.

I don’t want her to think she’s entitled to everything just because every other kid appears to be.

I want her to address adults by Mr. and Mrs.

I want her to say please and thank you and excuse me and may I.

I want her to be able to use her imagination to make up games and stories and make-believe playlands.

I want her to understand and appreciate money and not throw a fit when there isn’t a Bentley wrapped up with a bow in the driveway on her 16th birthday.

I want her to be caring and giving, not selfish and absorbed like so many kids I watch today.

I want that amazing sparkle in her eyes to always be there, never fade.

I guess I just want her to be a good person, and I want to have the strength and wherewithal to get her there. Is that too much to ask?

I found this wonderful post today over on Clover Lane, and it’s exactly everything I’ve been thinking about and wanted to say. I don’t want D’s childhood cut short either, so I hope I’m a good enough mom to make hers long and pure.