No? Oh, well I am.
B and I leave Saturday for Panama City. We’re visiting the g-rents (Fuh-ree!) for a week. Someone up above has been hearing a lot of prayers for nice weather in Panama City next week. Did ya get that Higher Powers? NICE WEATHER, PANAMA CITY. Thanks.
I’m getting ready to go from this:
To this:
(sans hideous tanline) in just a few days! If it rains, I’m taking it out on someone. Could be you. So watch out.
This morning at dooce, Heather talked about motherhood and the choice to stay at home. She questioned one woman’s assertion that it’s a mistake when educated women fail to pursue careers in order to stay home. And that brought up a good question.
When women choose to stay home, does that negate all the accomplishments of the feminist movement?
I don’t think so, and I actually get very aggravated when others, especially women, think so. In my honest (and bold) opinion, this type of thinking demonstrates a level of naivete. This discussion comes right on the heels of something I read yesterday in which a woman complained that the feminist movement had it all wrong. What were they thinking by taking women out of the home and encouraging her to work? Now she has to feel guilty about giving up her job to stay at home with her kids. Couldn’t those feminists have kept their mouths shut and we all could have continuted to enjoy our domestic roles?
This is so, so wrong. The femiminists didn’t force women out of the home and they don’t now force women to work. The movement gave them choices. It made it acceptable for women to work, it paved the way for women to be accepted in the workplace. It gave them the option to go to college and use their degrees to pursue careers. That doesn’t mean that you (any woman) have to go to college; you don’t have to work; you can choose to stay home and not feel guilty about that.
But please. Don’t say the feminist movement had it all wrong. Please. What about those women who didn’t want to stay home? Who felt trapped in their wife/mother roles? If you try to take the feminist movement away, you trap all those women back in the roles they despised. Instead, embrace the options you have and proudly choose to stay home! Or work! Or both!
Dooce asked what our mothers did and what we wish for our daughters. This is what I commented:
My mom worked. She had to. She wasn’t college-educated so she cleaned houses, waited tables and now drives a school bus. All this while being a magnificent single mother to five children. She’s amazing in so many ways, and the only thing I would change is the fact that she HAD to work the jobs she did. I would have found a way to get her a college education because she would have thrived there. I would have given her options, like you said, to choose where and when and how often she worked.
As for my daughters, when I have them, I hope only that they understand that the feminist movement doesn’t demand that they pursue a career first and foremost or risk wasting their minds and talents. But rather that the feminist movement asks them and everyone else to value their womanhood and embrace the fact that they are not forced by society into a role of wife/mother, but rather can choose (hopefully) any combination of wife/mother/careerwoman they want.
What’s up with my sleeping lately? All I do is toss and turn and wait for my head to stop splitting in half. I woke up this morning and couldn’t even see straight. I almost fell over trying to walk to the bathroom, which might have been a relief if I hit my head and passed out. At least then I wouldn’t notice the searing pain.
I went to Grand Rapids this weekend. Friday I had an interview at GVSU with their social work program, which made me excited to go to school, but even more excited to someday have money to go to school (which I currently don’t (which probably means no school for me (unless a miracle happens (which probably won’t)))). Hello internal parentheses lately.
Friday night I stayed at my dad’s house. My dad is such a caveman. His company finally made him get a cell phone, which is obviously a big mistake on their part since he can’t even figure out how to answer the cordless phone at home most of the time. It’s not that he’s stupid, he just has no interest in any of this new-fangled stuff. In his first week of cell phone ownership, he didn’t realize his phone was ringing and got annoyed thinking his coworker was letting his phone ring endlessly. Finally he realized it was actually the phone hanging from his own hip that wouldn’t shut up. Yeah that’s dad. I can only imagine how long it took him to find the “answer” button. Just kidding dad! Love you!
Then Saturday night I helped my mom write a letter in Word. My parents are so untechnological, I don’t think I have to worry about either of them ever reading this site. Just in case though, I’m glad they can take a joke. Right dad? Mom?
Permalink Comments off
Once again, I’m sadly obsessed with American Idol. Oh how those amateur singers capture my heart every. damn. season. I missed half of the girls Tuesday night and wasn’t all that taken by the ones I did see, but some of the guys last night made my heart race and my girl parts tingle. I won’t list them all, but here are some of my personal highlights:
Kevin- Can I just take you home please? I think I could fit you in my pocket. I felt like your mother last night and my heart swelled with pride even though you’re not the best singer. But whatever. Just look how little and cute your are.
Will- Who do you remind me of? Yeah yeah, one of the Brady boys. But who else?
Ace- Okay I really didn’t like you at first, but you can actually sing. I refuse to be one of your Idol groupies, but the hate factor has decreased, I’ll admit. And I like your hair.
Chris- My girl parts were on fire for you last night! You’re one of my boyfriend’s favorites too, so we swooned over you together. And god, what a perfect song! Please stop looking at me because your eyes are causing me to melt all over the floor.
David- Please just go away. That’s all.
Taylor- Who doesn’t love you? You’re totally Robin’s man, I know, she can have you. But you’ve secured my adoration simply because you sang Levon! That’s one of my favorite songs, nobody EVER knows that song. And you sang it. Taylor, you rock.
Why oh why do I have to love this show so much?
So far the healthy eating is going good okay. Monday night we were a phone call away from yet another pizza, having pretty much accepted that we’re evil people with no self-control. But will power prevailed and we ended up with a rotisserie chicken. Please don’t alert me to the bad-stuff content of this meal because I don’t care. It wasn’t pizza, give me that much at least! Plus I supplemented the (extremely aromatic) poultry with peas and a roll, so that’s a kind of a balanced meal right?
We also bought some fruit so I could snack on that at work instead of pulling from my over-stuffed junk food drawer. Seriously, it’s nothing but candy. And my hand wanders there throughout the day and deposits things in my mouth before my brain can register what’s happening. The fruit is a deterrent. I’m hoping my hand grabs for that instead. Today I had an apple and I’m now snacking on some carrots. Look at me go!
Last night I found myself at Bob Evans sitting in front of a stack of pancakes with raspberry topping. How did I get there? I wasn’t sure, but I rationalized that raspberries were a fruit and I dove in. To balance out this obviously healthy meal, we bought ice cream pints on the way home. BUT! I didn’t eat even one bite last night. I’ll need it tonight after my day of apples and carrots.
Enough about that. Wanna see a picture or two? Hmm…let me rifle through flickr here… Okay here ya go: Who looks better in it?
or 
(Don’t be distracted by my Saturday Face (aka: no makeup). And don’t worry, you can totally say Brad. It’s his skull cap afterall.)
Yeah maybe it is time to start working out. My body is starting to break down. I just feel generally unhealthy. My body is practically begging for vitamins and nutrients. I think my stomach-aches, headaches and overall feeling of “ick” directly translates to, “Excuse me, but I could really use some vitamin C. Or A or D or E. Zinc or potassium. Whatever you can find. Please, just don’t feed me Wendy’s chicken strips and french fries again!”
Some of my ailments may be attributed to old age. I know, 25 is hardly ancient, but trust me when I say I ain’t no 18 year old no more (nor do I ever talk like that in real life, I swear). Here’s a list of my recent maladies:
Yesterday when all of these worlds collided, I lost the desire to operate my brain or body at all. We were in Barnes & Noble, I had just used the bathroom, and I thought I might die. Bladder infections+headache+throbbing toe=not fun. I found Brad and he immediately recognized the desperate look on my face. I explained, with much urgency, that I just needed to sit down. I couldn’t put my finger on it before, but I’ve now defined why I prefer Schuler’s over B&N. Barnes & Nobles has a severe seating shortage! Where are the oversized couches? The random chairs throughout the store? Nowhere. It’s either try the floor or remain standing.
Like I said, I had lost all desire and ability to think or function at this point. Here’s a tip. When selecting a boyfriend, find one who will recognize when you are incapable of making decisions and taking much-needed action and who will not only lead you quickly to the only available seat in the building but will also hand-deliver celebrity smut magazines to get you through the suffering. Make sure he’s also willing to sit with you the whole time, perched awkwardly on the four-inch high windowsill/bench even though he is a giant and his legs are crammed up beneath him like the contortionist he’s not. Then when you’re finally feeling well enough to attempt to limp out of the building, make sure he’s the type that will offer to take you to Noodles & Company for dinner. And when you feel sick afterward, be sure your man is ready and willing to play with your hair in bed until you feel better. Trust me, that kind of boyfriend will get you through every time.
Anyway, the plan for better overall health is to eat more fruits and vegetables and less pizza and french fries. Losing weight has never really been a motivator for me, but to get rid of the “ick” factor for awhile, I’ll give it a try.
Did you stop by and find that there was nothing here in the last few days? That’s because I finally bought webspace for this thing and had to move everything over here. I? What am I talking about? Brad bought the webspace because I was too fickle about it. I’m a thinker, he’s a doer. So he went ahead and did it. He also did all the moving of the stuff (?) to this new place (?). Basically I did nothing and he took care of it all. Don’t ya just love a smart boyfriend?
I was also out of town for a few days. Yet another conference. Yet another couple days without internet access. But I’m back, and so is Doahleigh. We missed you!
I’m quickly slipping back into a state of chronic fatigue. I’m tired all day at work, and as soon as I get home I crawl into bed with a book and almost always fall asleep. I don’t sleep long because Brad gets home or something else happens to rip me from my fantasy life where all I do is sleep and read and never have to be productive. And no matter how much I nap or how early I go to bed, I’m inevitably devising a way to crawl under my desk and sleep for a few hours at work the next day.
Last time I felt this way, I determined that I needed more energy. How would I get more energy? I’d sign up for a personalized fitness class at the college and start working out on a regular basis of course! Brad even signed up too, and for about a month we visited the gym about twice a week. We started out lifting weights and walking the treadmill and riding the stationary bikes. Soon we were settling for a few laps around the gym and 10 minutes on the bike. Before long we found ourselves playing ping-pong or bouncing giant balls around and calling it a workout.
This was not working.
Eventually the workouts fizzled out and we never went back. He still plays volleyball a couple times a week, but I mostly dream of the moment I can be back in bed and stop forcing my eyes to be open. I was fine for awhile, I felt good and wasn’t as tired all the time. But. It’s baa-aack.
So Brad has this idea that we’re going to start working out again. He’s says there’s some place in town that’s $35 to sign up and $10 a month after that. Here’s an approximation of the conversation that followed, which clearly illustrates my apprehension at the benefits of forced physical activity:
B: We’ll just go a few times a week after work
S: But see, at 5:00 all I want to do is come home and sleep, not work out.
B: That’s why you need to work out, to get more energy.
S: If I come home and get even a little bit comfortable, I won’t want to leave again. I don’t even like going out to get something to eat once I’m home.
B: But if we start working out, we’ll get in a rhythm and it won’t be so hard.
S: Is this a ploy to tell me I’m fat? ‘Oh we’ll work out. Together.”
B: I’m sure. No.
S: Well we tried this before and it didn’t work. The thought of working out made me even more tired. It made me wish for my bed, not wish to walk on a treadmill and stare at the wall for 30 minutes.
B: This will be different because it’s not at your work. You get leave, come home, then go work out.
S: Well I’m not paying money to do something I hate.
B: I’ll pay for you for two months, and if you still hate it, you can quit. Just do it with me for two months.
S: I need pants. I don’t want to work out with my fat thighs hanging all out. I don’t want to have to buy new clothes for something I hate. It’s like skiing. I will never again pay money to rent skiis and boots and poles. Because I HATE skiing. And I HATE working out. Are you gonna buy me pants too?
B: [after some hesitation] Fine I’ll buy you pants too.
S: How many days a week?
B: Three
S: What three? You’re busy Monday and Wednesday, and we’re gone a lot on the weekends so Friday, Saturday and Sunday are out. That only leaves two days.
B: Well we’ll work it out somehow.
S: Work it out to work out? Ha!
B: [not amused] So are we doing this?
S: We’ll see.
I’m kind of hoping my energy finds its way back to me before I have to make a decision about this. If the energy comes back, then he won’t have any reason to say I should go. I would get free pants out of it though, and I did see some cute workout pants at Target the other day…
It’s Valentine’s Day and I didn’t see a single giant bouquet of flowers or heart-shaped box of chocolates all morning. Not even a stuffed gorilla with pink silk boxers or an oversized red cellophane balloon that says Be Mine in silver Lucida Handwriting.
I was starting to wonder if it was cancelled this year. I was totally expecting it to be like last week’s episode of The Office. Giant bears and regular flower deliveries. Nope. Nothing.
Brad and I had decided not to do anything for Valentine’s Day. We didn’t actually decide that, we just both have a pretty indifferent attitude toward the ‘holiday.’ But when we got back to my office after our celebratory lunch of Lunchables and Sunchips, I found candy and a card on my desk.
Yeah, I’ll admit it’s nice to have someone to give you a giant bag of SweetHearts, a box of Hershey’s kisses and a handwritten card on Valentine’s Day.*
*I’ve been single on many a Valentine’s Day and it really didn’t matter. I had plenty of other people who loved me! So I’m not saying this is better, just different.
This morning I woke up thinking Kelly Clarkson was Brad’s sister. His family is really proud. She was in town for a visit, but she didn’t stay at her old house. Oh no, she had a little bungalow built in the park just for her because she’s now too good for her old bedroom. And she was far too busy to meet her brother’s girlfriend, so I’ve still never met a celebrity even though I’ll probably be in-law related to one someday.
Must have been a dream because I’m pretty sure none of that’s true.
Which do we like better?
Child bearing hips or birthing hips
I’ve always used “child bearing”, but a friend used “birthing” today and I think it has a nice and somehow disgusting ring to it. I kind of like the way you can say “child bearin’ hips” with a slightly southern accent though.
I’m torn.
*Picture those mamas a mere 6 inches below a 29 inch waist and you’ll know why I’m looking for just the right phrase to describe them
I didn’t tell you about our Cruiser did I? We rented a car to drive to WI because my car sounds like it’s losing important pieces when I drive down the road, and in Brad’s Jeep we have to scream at each other to be heard once we hit 50 mph. Conversation is important on a five hour drive, so we rented this:
It was either that or a Malibu, and a Malibu just isn’t that much fun despite what the name wants you to belief. So PT Cruiser it is! Once we solved the whole windshield washer fluid debacle, it proved to be a pretty nice car.
When we got back in town, we still had a quarter tank of gas that would just be lost when we turned the car in, so we sacrificed the watching of Desperate Housewives in order to drive around town and waste gas. We even picked up some coneys and ate in the mall parking lot with the car running, just so we weren’t giving free gas to the evils of Avis (no they’re not really evil, I just thought that sounded good). But this morning when we brought the car in, the needle had barely moved, so that was a lost cause. We did leave nasty salt all over the car though, so ha!
Okay in order to make this post not completely worthless, here are some fun museum pictures:
Doesn’t it look like a giant bird? That’s the actual museum. And we’re standing on a bridge, suspended over a busy street, that wiggles and jiggles–uncomfortably so–if you do anything more than tiptoe.
It’s too hard to explain what this is, but basically it’s part of the building architecture. Isn’t it so futuristic?
You can’t really tell, but Ed’s back there checking out the art, and I’m in the foreground checking out the camera.
From a distance this looks like an empty suitcase. I noticed people peering down into it thoughtfully, whispering insightful things to each other and thought How lame! It’s an empty suitcase you morons, don’t pretend it’s all artistic and important! Then I walked over there and realized that the bottom was a grate that looks down into an aquatic world. You can kind of see it here. So turns out it was pretty cool, and I’m the fucking moron.
And I’ll leave you with this…
…just because I thought it was so weird that the dashboard looked like that. It was like the outside of the car was splooging inside. I was afraid if we got in an accident that hard blue panel would fly off to release the airbag and whack me in the face. Brad thinks that’s the point, to knock me out first so I won’t feel when my legs are ripped from my body and my torso starts to burn.
Permalink Comments off
The reason I tried on 7 pairs of jeans friday night is because I failed to pack a second pair. The ones I wore for the drive were a pair that is too big for me (I thought they’d be comfortable for traveling), but I was going to go crazy if I had to wear them all weekend. I felt like a thug, pulling them up every two minutes. After Target failed me, I thought my weekend was doomed because of a stupid pair of jeans, but Brad swooped me off to Kohls the next day and we found a pair that fit! So things have been much improved since then.
Yesterday we went to the art museum with Ed. There was way too much to see and I got overwhelmed trying not to miss anything. After a couple hours, when we thought we had covered everything, I was ready to get the hell out. But we stopped in the museum gift shop, and that’s where Ed and Brad discovered what they were missing. When we paid admission, we passed on the Elusive Signs exhibit because it cost an extra 6 dollars. But in the gift shop we flipped through a book by the Elusive Signs artist, and basically the artist makes things out of neon signs, some of which are rather sexual. The boys decided it was well worth another 6 dollars to see neon sign orgies. I sat in the car however. Apparently they got pictures, maybe even videos, so you’ll have to check out bradbice.com in the near future if you’re interested.
Brad took some other pretty cool pictures, but we don’t have the cord to upload them, but I’ll try to share them later. We’re about to check out. See you back in MI!
Permalink Comments off
Weekend in Wisconsin, Day 1
Negatives:
-No windshield washer fluid in rental car
-Windshield washer fluid pump still didn’t work even after we added a huge jug of windshield washer fluid
-Lots of salt on highway=lots of salt on windshield=no visibility
-Maintenance man knocked on hotel room door right after I removed my pants; had to hide, pantless, in bathroom while he fixed the phone
-Long wait at restaurant
-Nothing to sit on at restaurant during wait except a stack of large bags of charcoal
-Target doesn’t sell jeans for a girl with short legs and wide hips (I know this because I tried on 7 pairs and walked away with ZERO!)
-Kids in the pool and hottub
-Plate in microwave rattles when we walk around the room, sounds like earthquake
-Forgot to buy condoms
Positives:
-Figured out the hose was disconnected to windshield washer pump; fixed; sprayed windshield liberally and experienced moment of clarity (literally and figuratively)
-Mid-day nap on pillow-top bed
-Amazingly delicious bread at restaurant
-Huge hottub in hotel
-My boobs look amazing in my bathing suit
-Wonderful travel partner
-May have condom in my purse!
Sometimes I hate technology. I wrote this whole lovely post about traveling, and it included a map of all the states I’ve been to. But html sucks and I don’t understand it and it didn’t work and I got pissed and somehow lost the entire post.
Here’s a half-assed version:
I eventually want to travel to all the states. Mostly just because that seems like a good goal for someone who enjoys traveling. However, I’m severly lacking in all things south and east. I need to stop visiting the states I’ve already visited and I need to stop going west for awhile.
I don’t count a state unless I really feel like I’ve visited it, gotten to know it a little bit, gotten a little intimate with its nether parts. Driving through a state in the middle of the night while passed out in the back seat does not constitute a visit. Sitting in one of its airports for a few hours doesn’t count either. Georgia does not count because I only saw it through the tinted windows of a crowded bus on the way to Disneyworld for a freshman year band trip. However, Nebraska does count because I’ve driven its entire length more than once when I was westward (and then eastward) bound. I’m a little too familiar with its vastness. Plus I think I ate at a Perkins in Omaha once.
My primary goal is to set my damn feet on European soil, but nobody seems to want to help me make that happen. And so far I’ve been too poor or too busy or too stupidly intimidated to do it myself. So in the meantime I’m plucking away at my homeland.
The point of all this is to say… roadtrip anyone?
Edit: I forgot to mention that I’m going to Wisconsin this weekend and Florida in a month. I’ve been to both before. So far, the plucking away is not working. But they are both cheap trips, I can’t say no!
