February 2003 Archives

[insert strong exclamation of surprise] MS has a loose tooth!!

I'm deeply troubled.

MS ended up with an hour banishment to her room. (Don't accuse me of being cruel; ask me about the circumstances!) She's actually ended up being in there longer than that, and this is what I find very disturbing: the house is so dreamily wonderful without her. Quiet. Peaceful. Non-demanding. Easy going. Happy. Calm. (You see what I mean.) There have been no fights, no screaming, nothing being thrown around, no mean words exchanged and no threats made. It's just plain NORMAL here without her, and the contrast to what our home life is like *with* her is sharp and very concerning.

She's honestly one of the sweetest children you'll ever meet, but something is horribly askew here.

What's the difference between this and being alone?

3 Doors Down, The Road I'm On

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"One of the biggest problems with your view is that it erases the connection between sex and love. Even you have to admit that sex with someone you love is better than sex with someone you don't love. With someone you love, sex isn't mere empty pleasure. It's communication, it's sharing, it's an expression of affection and care. it means something. The sex that you advocate means nothing at all. It's sterile. ... What you're really doing is reducing human sexuality to animal sexuality. We might as well be rabbits, according to you. But we're not rabbits, and because we're not, loveless sex can't possibly satisfy us or be fulfilling for us."

-OR-

"First of all, I'm not advocating any kind of sex. All I'm advocating is people's moral right to engage in the kinds of sex they prefer as long as they don't hurt anyone. Second, who are you to declare that the kind of sex you prefer is the best kind of sex for anyone else? Third, even if you're right--even if loving sex is better than loveless sex--what morally important difference does that make? Some cars are better than others, but there's nothing immoral about driving the inferior ones..."

?

Olen, J. & Barry, V. (2002). Applying Ethics: A Text With Readings. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

"Does homosexuality really violate the laws of nature? No, because nothing can violate the laws of nature. Natural laws are not like criminal laws. They describe how the world actually works. They do not tell us how we ought to behave. Everything that happens, then, must be in accord with natural law. Is homosexuality an abnormal occurrence in nature? Perhaps, but that does not make it immoral. After all, great genius, great basketball talent, and great musical ability are even more abnormal, but we prize them when they occur, not condemn them. Does homosexuality involve the unnatural use of our sex organs? Again, perhaps, but how does that differ from using our ears for holding earrings, our eyes for giving playful winks, or our thumbs for hitching rides?"

Olen, J. & Barry, V. (2002). Applying Ethics: A Text With Readings. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

"Such critics...insist that we view sex as more than merely a pleasant activity. What we should do is ask ourselves questions like these: Does our sex life contribute to our sense of self worth and dignity? Is it consistent with our most important goals in life? Does it reflect the kind of person we most want to be? Is it the sex life of a mature, well-adjusted person? Does it help us develop or maintain the character traits that most matter to us? Does it enhance our lives as much as it might? Does it help us build the kind of relationships we most value?"

-OR-

"If Jane is satisfied enough with her life, even though she takes a very casual approach to sex, why should she feel any more pressure to involve herself in any soul searching about sex than about any other aspect of her life? No doubt sex and sexual relationships are very important to many people, but if other people feel differently, who's to say they shouldn't?"

?

Olen, J. & Barry, V. (2002). Applying Ethics: A Text With Readings. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

Let's see who's reading this blog. *wink*

Eric Tenbus, history and antropology associate professor at CMSU:

"There's this whole notion that the only reason the US is considering disarming and removing Saddam Hussein is so that our president can steal Iraqi oil for his oil buddies. This might make for great coffee-house conspiracy theory, but it's rather silly."

The news is, at the moment, good. Forgive me, but after the last escapade I'm a bit pessimistic. Still, the repairperson (far too un-PC to say "repairman") said he'd look at my car today, and to my great surprise, he did! Further, he's already spoken to the warranty company (another surprise) and I hate to jinx myself, but here's the best part: They've (shockingly) already agreed to the repairs. Another transmission is supposed to be on its way, free of charge, and the warranty company will pay for an unknown amount of the labor costs for installation (read: whatever the heck they feel like paying; $300 is what they offered last time). Further, I must've said a million times that I need my car by Friday. "Friday!" I insist vehemently, although unbeknownst to the repair shop. (Pissing them off doesn't seem to expedite the repairs, funny thing.) My ears felt good to hear the repairman say Friday was the day he expected to reunite me with my car. (Sorry, "repairperson" is too ridiculous to use.)

I'm not even going to think about the contortions I will have to go through to arrange transportation to and from my school, the girls' school, work, and the myriad of other places I need to go each day. Give my ex your sympathy and admiration, if you can.

I felt so lousy I spent my entire Valentine's Day evening in bed.
Alone, of course.

MS was sitting on the floor crying. I saw why: her sucker was stuck in the cat's tail.

Exasperated and in a hurry, I said, "MS, just pick it up!" (seemed like an easy solution) "I caaaan't!" she wailed. I sighed.

"MB, pick up MS's sucker, please." Obediently, she did. She lifted that sucker until it pulled the cat's butt into the air.

Oh my. That sucker was STUCK.

Kitty was going wild, slashing his tail back and forth trying to dislodge the sucker. When that didn't work, kitty tried chasing his tail and pouncing on it, all to no avail.

I sighed again. "Okay, MB, would you please bring me the scissors? We're going to do some surgery."

She brought them, and then used all her courage and strength to help hold the cat down while I tried to do some serious but careful chopping on this wildly thrashing tail, to free the sucker without causing damage to kitty, myself, or my daughter.

I succeeded, and kitty now wears a tail with a noticeable chunk of fur missing, but he's happy.

MS wasn't so happy; she wanted her sucker back. It was a "push pop", a sucker that resembles lipstick in a lipstick tube. Fully extended, it now looked like a very bushy paintbrush; there was an enormous clump of fur stuck on its tip. "You want to eat this?" I asked her. Sadly she shook her head no, and we continued on.

All par for the course on a school day morning.

"Raising prices every day is the quickest way to get to one hundred (dollars per gallon)!" --MB on rising gas prices

"If you don't expect too much from me, you might not be let down."
--Gin Blossoms, Hey Jealousy

"My client has had the opportunity to review your proposed changes in the settlement agreement and to discuss them with me. He will not agree to any joint 'physical' custody language as proposed. Please give me a call and advise how you would like to proceed in light of this."

If there isn't a God then I don't know who or what it is that seems to be listening to me.

Earlier today a 'friend' told me about a new pain medicine he was taking and we talked about one of its side effects being the feeling of euphoria. I thought to myself dismally, "Yeah, I wish I felt euphoric," a thought that crossed my mind several times during the discussion.

And then later that night I spoke with someone special on the phone, and when we parted, I sat in the glow and realized I do feel euphoric. This is an experience no drug could ever give me. This is genuine, down to my core warmth. It's pervasive, overwhelming, and overflowing. If I were to attempt to label it I'd say it's made mainly of feelings of happiness and love, with additives such as security and care. It's also knowing that I'm not alone, that I am blessed and Life is good and all is as it should be--and knowing that this is so. It's one of those moments of revelation where I can really see the preciousness and beauty that life can hold.

If I seem overly dramatic than I have done well to capture this moment.

I just keep sitting here staring at the screen trying to think of where to begin and how to capture it. It's been said a hundred times by now, but it was a damn fine weekend. Yes, I'd go so far as to say it was perfect.

Everything that happened was wonderful. --See? I can't begin to get it. It was like... ...Give me some time to think about it. Descriptive explanatory entry to come soon.

I'm still glowing.