Do you ever wonder why it is that women can’t just be in a bad mood? Why is it that whenever I am in a crappy mood, it has to be PMS? Why can’t I just have a bad day? Maybe I just didn’t get enough sleep. Maybe I didn’t get my full coffee dose this morning. Why can’t I just be. in. a. bad. mood? GRRRR!!!! And the person who asked me if it was PMS, was another woman!
I mean come on, isn’t bad enough that we have to deal with that type of attitude from men, now we’re doing it to each other? WTF?
Men are allowed to have bad days. And we women folk are supposed to give them their space, and basically let them walk all over us while they’re pissing and moaning. Oh sure, this isn’t said out loud, but it sure as shit is implied. I don’t care what the spin doctors say about women and men having reached equality. That is a great big pile of horse shit, and anyone who bends down close enough can smell it.
We still place all sorts of socially imposed gender roles on ourselves and each other; we even do it to our kids. I know that I have been guilty of this with my own daughter, despite being a raging feminist. It’s hard to escape the norms of society, even when you know that those norms are misplaced.
For example, even though I was raised in an era where women can be pretty much any damned thing they want to, I still deeply crave the traditional female roles of wife and mother. I want the little yellow house with the white picket fence and 2 kids and a dog running in the yard. I wonder what it would be like to be able to stay home and have my only job be to take care of my family. I imagine that it would be just as hard as what I do now. But I also know that I will never be Donna Reed. It just isn’t in the cards for me.
I envy those women who do stay at home and make their families their full-time jobs. To me, that would be a luxury, something that would require that I have a husband who could support us on his salary alone.
When did that switch happen? When did it become that only the wealthiest folks could afford to have only one partner working? Surely throughout history it has been the poorest folks who had to have both parents earning income to make ends meet. Why is it that our society acts as if this is some new phenomenon, and makes the working parents feel so guilty about having to work? Why is it that the ultra right accuses working moms/dads of being bad moms/dads, but doesn’t support a welfare program that would allow them to stay at home, or at least work part-time? Wow, I have really gone off on my soap box haven’t I? I just get so pissed off at our society some days. Shit, today, a little fluffy critter could probably piss me off.
And for the record, no it isn’t PMS. I didn’t sleep well last night, I have a ton of crap to do at work, my office is a mess, and the weather is kinda stinky and if it stays yucky, I won’t be able to go to Waterfront Wednesday and see Old Crow Medicine Show, which I really want to do, even though it means missing knitting tonight.
And if I want to have a bitch fest about that I can. (sticks out tongue and makes pouty face)
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Very long post about vacation, in which we discover how many ways Stephani can find for the word "amazing"
I have reluctantly returned from vacation. While part of me is glad to be home, and sleeping in my own bed again, another part of me wants to get back in the car and drive 12 hours back to Amelia and never return. It was quite simply one of the most amazing places I have ever been. If you ever get the chance to visit – take it. The only thing that was disappointing was that the only yarn shop within 30 miles had closed. Not like for the season closed, I mean completely, no longer any evidence that it once existed closed. But a dose of serious window shopping quickly cleared my disappointment.
The place we stayed, Amelia Island Plantation, is like its own little village. It’s designed so that you never have to leave. There is this super cute market/store that had awesome chocolates and gelato, as well as staples, like milk, and nail polish remover( one of the few things I forgot to bring). And, there is an awesome spa, which I was unable to visit, do to my serious lack of funds. There are also about a dozen little boutique shops, and three or four yummy restaurants. We stayed in this amazing villa, with a view of the beautiful beach just steps away. The part of the island we were on is pretty well protected from over-zealous developers, and a lot of it still looks wild and untamed.
There were salamanders, and turtles and so many egrets and herons I lost count. K went fishing and caught 3 blue crabs and 2 croakers, and 2 what I think may have been sergeant majors. There was a mama turtle (land, not sea) laying eggs on the dunes outside our villa, and we saw four or five loggerhead nests marked off on the beach. Oh, and we swam with dolphins. Yep, that was so cool. Our first day there, and we were sitting on the beach, and K points out this pod of dolphins, about 3 yards from where I had just been wading. It was amazing. Then, on Sunday, we were swimming and as I start to head to shore, I hear K call my name, and I turn and not 20 feet away are 3 more dolphins. Such a sweet way to end the vacation.
I think we ate at every restaurant on the Plantation, and they were all good. Seriously, the dinner we had at one was better than the dinner we had at Vincenzo’s.
Yes, my vacation was wonderful, and I have my amazing boyfriend to thank for it. He may not be the most sensitive of guys, but he sure can plan a good vacation. And, he was so sweet.
He called me "darlin". I know he’s going to scream when he reads that, and probably turn bright red, but too bad. It was so sweet you guys. We were walking over to the shops and such to have dinner our first night there, and I don’t remember what we were talking about, when all of sudden he says, “Blah blah , Darlin’, blah blah.” Notice that I have no earthly idea what it was that came before or after "Darlin’"? I was in such shock, I was almost speechless (almost). And, then, like five minutes later, he did it again. Maybe this type of behavior is routine for some males, but not mine. He has never, in the 17 months we’ve been together, called me anything other than Stephani or Steph. I’m the one who rarely calls him by his given name. So, I was floored, and delighted and well, flabbergasted. Apparently the salt air makes my boyfriend more, well, boyfriend-ish.
So, all in all, the whole experience? Priceless. Wonderful. Marvelous. Stunning. Incredible. *sigh*
The place we stayed, Amelia Island Plantation, is like its own little village. It’s designed so that you never have to leave. There is this super cute market/store that had awesome chocolates and gelato, as well as staples, like milk, and nail polish remover( one of the few things I forgot to bring). And, there is an awesome spa, which I was unable to visit, do to my serious lack of funds. There are also about a dozen little boutique shops, and three or four yummy restaurants. We stayed in this amazing villa, with a view of the beautiful beach just steps away. The part of the island we were on is pretty well protected from over-zealous developers, and a lot of it still looks wild and untamed.
There were salamanders, and turtles and so many egrets and herons I lost count. K went fishing and caught 3 blue crabs and 2 croakers, and 2 what I think may have been sergeant majors. There was a mama turtle (land, not sea) laying eggs on the dunes outside our villa, and we saw four or five loggerhead nests marked off on the beach. Oh, and we swam with dolphins. Yep, that was so cool. Our first day there, and we were sitting on the beach, and K points out this pod of dolphins, about 3 yards from where I had just been wading. It was amazing. Then, on Sunday, we were swimming and as I start to head to shore, I hear K call my name, and I turn and not 20 feet away are 3 more dolphins. Such a sweet way to end the vacation.
I think we ate at every restaurant on the Plantation, and they were all good. Seriously, the dinner we had at one was better than the dinner we had at Vincenzo’s.
Yes, my vacation was wonderful, and I have my amazing boyfriend to thank for it. He may not be the most sensitive of guys, but he sure can plan a good vacation. And, he was so sweet.
He called me "darlin". I know he’s going to scream when he reads that, and probably turn bright red, but too bad. It was so sweet you guys. We were walking over to the shops and such to have dinner our first night there, and I don’t remember what we were talking about, when all of sudden he says, “Blah blah , Darlin’, blah blah.” Notice that I have no earthly idea what it was that came before or after "Darlin’"? I was in such shock, I was almost speechless (almost). And, then, like five minutes later, he did it again. Maybe this type of behavior is routine for some males, but not mine. He has never, in the 17 months we’ve been together, called me anything other than Stephani or Steph. I’m the one who rarely calls him by his given name. So, I was floored, and delighted and well, flabbergasted. Apparently the salt air makes my boyfriend more, well, boyfriend-ish.
So, all in all, the whole experience? Priceless. Wonderful. Marvelous. Stunning. Incredible. *sigh*
Monday, August 14, 2006
What a long strange trip it's been (or rather, will be)
Since this is my last post before vacation, I thought I’d leave you all with this: I have strep-fucking-throat. Isn’t that grand? I’m leaving for Florida in two days, and I have strep throat. Hopefully, please gods, let it be so, I will be all nice and healed by Wednesday, but right now, at this moment, I am not so sure.
I’ve been on antibiotics since Saturday, and I’m feeling only slightly better. I don’t ache from the roots of my hair to the soles of my feet anymore, but my throat is still icky and sore, and I sound like some 100 year old floozy.
Yesterday, I sweated so much, my sheets were literally soaked. Like, at first, I was sure I’d peed in the bed. But, it didn’t smell, so I know it was just sweat.
I am only at work because a) there is no one else here today, and b) I’m off the rest of the week. I really want to just go home, and curl up in bed and sleeeeeeeeeeeeeep. And, I’d really like to be able to eat some real food. I’ve been living off toast, soup and tea for three days, and I want a hamburger! But, I know that if I even try to attempt to eat a burger right now, my throat will most likely declare a mutiny and try to bail.
Two days people, just two more days, then I’ll be in the car, driving far away from here. Bliss. See you ladies next Wednesday.
I’ve been on antibiotics since Saturday, and I’m feeling only slightly better. I don’t ache from the roots of my hair to the soles of my feet anymore, but my throat is still icky and sore, and I sound like some 100 year old floozy.
Yesterday, I sweated so much, my sheets were literally soaked. Like, at first, I was sure I’d peed in the bed. But, it didn’t smell, so I know it was just sweat.
I am only at work because a) there is no one else here today, and b) I’m off the rest of the week. I really want to just go home, and curl up in bed and sleeeeeeeeeeeeeep. And, I’d really like to be able to eat some real food. I’ve been living off toast, soup and tea for three days, and I want a hamburger! But, I know that if I even try to attempt to eat a burger right now, my throat will most likely declare a mutiny and try to bail.
Two days people, just two more days, then I’ll be in the car, driving far away from here. Bliss. See you ladies next Wednesday.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Gar! BAAAAD Code! Bad!
Either I made an error when I copied that code, or it was a bad piece of code. Well obviously, since I am perfect and never mess up anything, it must be that it was a bad piece of code. But, you should still go check it out. Every girl should have a pirate name!
Arrr! My Pirate Name
My pirate name is:
Bloody Ethel Bonney
Every pirate lives for something different. For some, it's the open sea. For others (the masochists), it's the food. For you, it's definitely the fighting. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!
Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Bugger of a week
This week has pretty much S-U-C-K-E-D. The only thing keeping me going is this: one more week to vacation! And, of course, knitting tonight. See you ladies then, I'm out - S
Friday, August 04, 2006
Please Welcome
Now appearing for the first time - Ellie and the new Babies. Yes, please note that this is what happens when you take a stray cat in, try to find her a home, are unsuccessful, she escapes for three days, comes back pregnant, has her first litter of four kittens, only two of whom you find homes for, your mom lets her out before you can take her to be fixed, and she comes back pregnant again - she has her second litter, this time five kittens. I tried to get a better picture of the kittens themselves, but my camera was not cooperating. We have two tabbies, one tortie, one solid black, and one calico. Currently the calico is the house favorite, simply because they are pretty rare. These five join the two boys left from Ellie's first litter, Spot and Smudge.
Spot and Smudge joined our other cats - Katie, Twiggy, Mushu and, of course, Ellie. So, we currently have, lets see, eleven cats in our house. We really have become the crazy cat house. So, if any of you would like a sweet kitten, or know someone who would, the new babes will be ready for adoption in 6 weeks.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Hot. Really, really hot
It is H-O-T hot people. Seriously hot. I am fairly certain that I have sweated off a good 5 lbs today. I think my brain may be melting. Last night, I stayed up and watched Lara Croft and the Cradle of Life, so that may be why another reason why I feel like I’m down a few brain cells also.
I managed to get K to embrace a little of his inner geek this weekend. Saturday, we bought Scene It! The Music Version and played like four rounds. As I was paying for it, he’s all like, “You know that you’re going to lose horribly right?” And, of course, he was right. Music trivia is his forte. But hey, the game was on clearance for $9.18, down from $37.00, and I held my own pretty well. When I got a chance to play that is.
If you’ve never played the game, I’ll sum it up real quick – you roll 2 dice, a numbered dice, and a category dice. You move your piece around the board the number of spaces shown on the first die, and then you have to answer a question based on the category die. If you answer correctly, you get to go again.
Have you ever seen someone hustle pool? You know, they let the opponent make a few shots, pretend to be not so good, then, bam, they hit them with some crazy trick shot and sink like 4 balls at once, and the opponent doesn’t have prayer? Well, it was a lot like that. Not pretty people. But, it was fun.
In other news, I’ve been making slow progress on my ballband dishcloth. I finished up the Blueberry hat, and started on a blanket for a coworker’s baby. It’s just too dang hot to knit. All I want to do is have a nice lie down in front of the fan. And, since E is spending the night with her dad, that is exactly what I plan to do.
Sadly, I will be missing knitting this week. I know you are all heartbroken. Try not to snag all the good yarn, and I’ll be back on the 9th.
And, as of Wednesday, it will be 2 weeks until vacation. That’s right, in just 15 days, my big fat ass is going to be doing a fine impression of a beached whale. Now I know ya’ll are sorry to have to miss that!
I managed to get K to embrace a little of his inner geek this weekend. Saturday, we bought Scene It! The Music Version and played like four rounds. As I was paying for it, he’s all like, “You know that you’re going to lose horribly right?” And, of course, he was right. Music trivia is his forte. But hey, the game was on clearance for $9.18, down from $37.00, and I held my own pretty well. When I got a chance to play that is.
If you’ve never played the game, I’ll sum it up real quick – you roll 2 dice, a numbered dice, and a category dice. You move your piece around the board the number of spaces shown on the first die, and then you have to answer a question based on the category die. If you answer correctly, you get to go again.
Have you ever seen someone hustle pool? You know, they let the opponent make a few shots, pretend to be not so good, then, bam, they hit them with some crazy trick shot and sink like 4 balls at once, and the opponent doesn’t have prayer? Well, it was a lot like that. Not pretty people. But, it was fun.
In other news, I’ve been making slow progress on my ballband dishcloth. I finished up the Blueberry hat, and started on a blanket for a coworker’s baby. It’s just too dang hot to knit. All I want to do is have a nice lie down in front of the fan. And, since E is spending the night with her dad, that is exactly what I plan to do.
Sadly, I will be missing knitting this week. I know you are all heartbroken. Try not to snag all the good yarn, and I’ll be back on the 9th.
And, as of Wednesday, it will be 2 weeks until vacation. That’s right, in just 15 days, my big fat ass is going to be doing a fine impression of a beached whale. Now I know ya’ll are sorry to have to miss that!
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