Tuesday, March 30, 2010

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Obama style...

Hallelujah!

Like a lot of Canadians, I've been following the political goings on south of the border pretty closely. I feel strongly about healthcare for all. The campaign in the US against universal healthcare clearly illustrates several points. One, that people can be talked into or out of almost anything when bombarded with daily misinformation and propaganda, a la Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachman and their friends at FoxNews. Second, most people who oppose healthcare for all, already have it for themselves and their families. 'We've got our's' so you and your children are on your own. It speaks volumes about their world view. 'You've had arthritis? Your child has had cancer/diabetes/acid reflux? Well, that's a pre-existing condition - no health insurance for you!' Which leads to the saddest point - that most of the opponents of healthcare do not care about their fellow man, as long as they are taken care of themselves. How un-Christianlike, for a a group that largely identifies itself as Christian. I'm not particularly religious, but I respect much of what the bible says. Christians who are against health reform should consider the following inconvenient verse...

Deuteronomy 15:7. If there is a poor man among you, one of your brothers, in any of the towns of the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand to your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.

I've discussed this at length with people who oppose universal healthcare, and their argument boils down to money. It will cost too much. Well, the American insurance companies make billions of dollars in profits. Billions. In. Profits. That may be a moral stomach turner for some, but it's a fact they are not going to part with that money and will (and have) spent millions if not billions lobbying in Washington to protect their profits.

Following the passing of health insurance reform last week (called Obamacare from the fair and balanced right) the airwaves were bombarded with anger, vitriol and violent language unlike anything I've ever heard. After everything that has happened south of the border over the last decade, it's mind-boggling. Remember what the right did to the Dixie Chicks in 2003, because Natalie Maines said they were embarrassed George Bush was a fellow Texan at a concert in London on the eve of the Iraq War? Think about what they endured for years after that for ONE REMARK made off the cuff, and then listen to the hate, fear, lies and spewed by Hannity, Beck, Palin, Limbaugh, etc, etc. These people have a strong following; thus we have the tea partiers. Remember when anyone who dared speak about against the Iraq War debacle was accused of being unpatriotic and vilified as hating America?? I guess criticizing the president is only okay if the republicans don't get their way.

Last weekend, I received an email from one of the American political blogs I follow. I read lots of political blogs, from both the right and left. This one did not come with an author named, so I will just pass it on. Consider this a love letter to the tea baggers...

We had eight years of Bush and Cheney, Now you get mad?

You didn't get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and
appointed a President.

You didn't get mad when Cheney allowed Energy company officials to dictate
energy policy.

You didn't get mad when a covert CIA operative got outed.

You didn't get mad when the Patriot Act got passed.

You didn't get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us.

You didn't get mad when we spent over 600 billion(and counting) on said illegal war.

You didn't get mad when over 10 billion dollars just disappeared in Iraq.

You didn't get mad when you found out we were torturing people.

You didn't get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.

You didn't get mad when we didn't catch Bin Laden.

You didn't get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed.

You didn't get mad when we let a major US city, New Orleans, drown.

You didn't get mad when we gave a 900 billion tax break to the rich.

You didn't get mad when the deficit hit the trillion dollar mark.

You finally got mad when the government decided that people in America deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick. Yes, illegal wars, lies, corruption, torture, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich richer, are all okay with you, but helping other Americans...oh hell no.

Friday, March 26, 2010

SEXTING (is) FOR DUMMIES

I haven't seen many of Sandra Bullock's movies... the last one I loved with her in it was A Time To Kill. But, I like her a great deal based on years of watching her on Leno, Letterman, etc, etc... I never found her marrying Jesse James that strange... because I also found him to seem quite kind and intelligent. Of course, this is also based on what I see on latenight talk shows. I don't even know what he does... something like American Chopper...?

Anyway, they're all over the fluff news. Yesterday, I was volunteering at the kids' school for HOT LUNCH DAY. It's a BIG DEAL. Afterwards, I was talking with some of the teachers and someone mentioned "poor Sandra Bullock". I said that I wished I'd gone to see The Blind Side in the theatre, to throw some love her way the only way I could. One of the teachers said The Blind Side is still at the cheap theatre up the road.

Well... my older kids are busy, and Kate is home with the sitter about to have a 2 hour nap. I could totally go see The Blind Side. Alone. In the middle of the day. On a school day. Escandalo!! So I did, and I liked it a lot. I thought I'd feel guilty, but I didn't.

So that brings me to... what in the hell is wrong with Jesse James? He has been texting, or 'sexting' for years, but up to and even including the few last months that brought us Tiger's texts. Who has been sending sex texts since Tiger's car hit that tree? JJ must be an idiot. And have you seen these skankolas? The first one is just repulsive to me to even look at. The others look... trashy. The first one's tattoos make me itchy. Granted, I'm not a tattoo person. I don't hate them; I'm just not getting one myself.

Obviously, not every man (or woman) who cheats on their spouse is a bad person. People cheat for lots of reasons. Jesse James has 3 children. The youngest, Sunni, has been raised by Sandra Bullock since she was an infant. By bonking - I guess we're up to 4 now - of these women, he has really jeopardized the stability of this little girls' life. To say nothing of how unbelievable the timing is, with SB having just won the oscar. She thanked him often - very sweetly, and I think sincerely... ugh. I hate to think of how she must have felt. I'd hoped there might not be a Tiger-like menagerie, but we're already up to 4...

And speaking of Tiger... what is wrong with him? Really. I mean really. What an asshole. Have you read the texts he sent to one of the girls, which she has now released and posted on her own website. Some of them are just filthy and misogynistic. I am no prude. But those texts... man. There is no way Elin will be able to get past those. I hope not, anyway.

The Tiger Woods story is one that I would like not to be interested in, but I can't help it. Trashy and unimportant news, clearly, but it is/was compelling enough that after years of not doing so, I finally gave in and added TMZ to my bookmarks.

What bothers me the most about Tiger Woods? Well, back in December, it bugged me when I heard how cheap he was; to his mistresses but more so, to the wait staff in restaurants. Asshole. But, now I think he probably has some degree of socio-pathos to his personality. Easy to say now that I never liked him, but I never did. I am not a golfer and I've never watched him play, ever (that won't change). I thought he was boring and uninteresting. Not now. Now I wonder what makes a man, with two sweet babies at home, go and pursue girl, after girl, after girl, after girl... I don't care that many of the girls are employed in some sort of sex trade. That doesn't make them any sluttier than your average girl who enthusiastically has sex with married men. There's more dignity in being paid for sex outright, than doing it with a longterm plan of saving texts and lawyering up with Gloria Allred, in order to fake-cry your 15 minutes of fame out of trash tv. "I thought I was the only one"... boo effing hoo.

The really gross part of this is that he had unprotected sex, over and over, with teams of girls; all of whom live high risk lifestyles, sexually. Then, he went home to his wife and BABIES. Where is the guilt? I can see this happening once. You're out, drinking, your guy friends are there, girls are all over all of you... I can see how that can happen. But, the next day, when your 3 yr old looks at you and says, "I love you, Daddy", don't you just hate yourself? Really. Every time I see the same footage of Tiger at some big tournament, and walking over to his wife, mother and baby girl, who he takes from his mother and kisses on the face, I wonder who was he last kissing, and where. Gross.

How big a narcissist do you have to be to think you are above catching (and then passing on) something from the two prostitutes you just paid to have a threesome with you?

Tiger is an asshole.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Katey

This post is for mothers. And, a few fathers.

Kate is ready to potty train. Every time she pees, she tells me a moment later. "Mama, I pee..." When she is creating something more significant than pee, she hides. She hides, but only where she can still see me. Like, in my closet, with the door half closed, but peeking around the corner. One of her favourite places to do this is between the chair and the tv stand in the living down. She crouches down, focuses on hiding from me/watching me, and fills her diaper. Then she announces it.

These are signs that she is ready to potty train. So, today we tried. And a half hour in, we had pee in her potty chair. "Mama! I pee in potty!" "Bradley, I pee in potty! Look my pee!!" Proud moments for all.

But, pee is all she will do. Reluctant to do anything else on the potty but pee. So, to encourage her, I moved her potty chair to one of her top secret favourite places for hiding and sniping. Took her diaper off and watched her walk to her potty in the private location. She sat on the potty, and we gave her the privacy she desired.

What we didn't see was her then go and hide behind the potty and poo on the floor. Which she did. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon-style. So, we'll put the potty chair away for a few more weeks and try again soon.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Up in the Air...

George Clooney.

I like him. He's my only traditional celebrity crush. He's no Gary Salsman, but in Up in the Air, he's a close second. Very close.

It's my favorite movie of the year, so far. And, not just because it reinforced our decision to not move to Omaha this time last year.

Watch this movie if you get the chance. Gary loved it as much as I did, and George C isn't even on his list...

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Is this normal? Abnormal? Or abnormally early...

I haven't blogged in awhile. I've been feeling sad and haven't wanted to write a downer posting. I've been sad about a lot of things, but I'm only going to talk about one (for today, anyway...) Because, I just realized yesterday why I've been more .... let's say.... emotional, than usual. And it's not just how depressing I find the news (no one is less cut out to be a real world news junkie than me, but that's for another day).

I miss having babies. I mean, actual babies; infants.

Don't get me wrong. I love being a mother. Love it. And, I don't suck at it. I love kids, mine in particular. In the last 8 years, I have often parented alone; for weeks on end. I have never really minded or complained. Gary travels a lot, and until this year, we didn't even have a babysitter. Ever. Except for 2 evenings before Kate was born, we just didn't go anywhere without them. My friends can attest to my patience. Well, with children - not adults - especially adults I am married to. Again, another post for another day.

I am not a Martha Stewart-inspired, crafty, good-soulfoodcooking type of stay at home mother. I don't download craft ideas, then spend 2 hours at the table doing them with the kids. But, I color a lot - I'm an excellent colorer. I play games. I read a lot. I talk a lot. Hold the jokes. And I love them a lot. I hug em and kiss em a lot.

Over the years, we've spent a lot of time traveling. Spent several months, several times living in hotels with toddlers. That won't mean anything to people who don't have toddlers. Imagine living in one room with a 1 yr old and 3 yr old, or a 2 and 4 yr old, who both have to nap. No toys, no tv, just you, two little ones and some books. I did it a lot. It wasn't easy at the time, but looking back, they are some of my best memories.

Living in Trois Rivieres, PQ was the not the highlight of places to live, socially. But, Bradley was born there - before we even finished unpacking, and Ellie turned 2 and 3 there. I was lonely for adult company, yet looking back, it was one of the happiest times of my life.

A major life lesson that we've been smacked in the face with, over and over again, is that life rarely gets easier or less complicated. You know the expression, 'life is what happens when you're busy making plans'... so true. Tacky and true. Hopefully, I don't sound too knowitall-ish, but when the kids were smaller, I really was aware of this. I daily said to Gary, or my Mom, that I felt so happy and lucky and that these were the best days of my life. Which brings me to my sadness....

Am I past the best days of my life? I can't be. I'm 36. My kids are 7.5, 5.5 and 2 years old. Aren't I too young to be feeling this way? Is this a normal or abnormal feeling? I think it's a normal feeling, but that I am having it abnormally young. Knowing that I'm not going to be "birthin' no mo babies" makes me cry. And, I hated being pregnant. I think I miss the quiet joy of watching a 3 yr old push a 1 yr old around in their laundry basket-boat. I miss the sweet cuddling that comes with breastfeeding. I miss having little ones playing in the house all day, with no frantic running around to various lessons. I also miss the quiet of peace and tranquility, ie NO FIGHTING. Ellie and Bradley did not fight until this year. They just didn't. They never, not once, got on my nerves. Gary never came home to a wife who said, "I have to get out of here before I lose my mind". We really didn't have bad moments, let alone bad days. They played, played, played and then played some more. My Little Ponies, Pollies, Barbies, Store, LPS, and then Lego. Total BFFs. Now, Bradley is not so into being told to play with girl toys, and Ellie usually has her nose in a book. Which hurts Brad's feelings. And, all of this bothers Kate, arguably still a baby, who does not appreciate not being included. Which she rarely is, because she destroys all their things. It bothers her. She does not express this through gentle gestures. She screams. She really screams. Poor Katey. I don't think being the baby is the cozy family position previously thought. I have a lot of guilt about her. She was born at the beginning of our diabetes - induced chaos. Ellie and Bradley have lately both started saying things like, "Remember how great life was before we had diabetes?", or when I'm tucking them in, they might say, "I wish no one in the world ever had diabetes". Last night, I was snuggling Ellie in bed, and telling her how when she was in my belly, I used to hope and pray that this little baby would be a sweet baby girl and that is what she is - my sweet and perfect little girl. And she said, "But Mom, now I have diabetes."

Maybe that is what I am really the most sad about.