January 2010

1. Almost finished a paper that’s due on Tuesday!
2. Cinnamon hearts. Oh, how I love those little chunks of spicy sugar..
3. Practicing being non-defensive. It should not surprise you that I suck at this.
4. Coffee’s productivity today while I’ve been hunched over my desk doing school work. Time flies for me so it’s shocking when he appears to announce new happenings (“I’m taking Middle One to his friend’s house” seemed to take place 30 seconds before “I’m picking Middle One up in a few minutes..”).
5. Our new thermostat that will adjust temperatures for us multiple times per day. Sweeeeet!

1. Peanut butter and grape jelly on toast. Nom!
2. Finally saw “Sherlock Holmes” .. it was better than I expected!
3. Jalapeno!
4. A nice mix of productive and slack.
5. Listening to Middle One talk and talk and talk and talk and talk. And laughing inwardly.

Given my recent knowledge that uninvited, extended family members – of the boys’ family, I mean – are reading my blog, I am giving some thought to moving myself to a new location altogether..

The downside is that anyone I don’t know, personally, won’t be able to follow me along to the new location.

The upside is that I’ll be certain that those who shouldn’t be reading won’t be.

Your thoughts?

Thank you to everyone who left comments on the earlier post about the issues going on with Oldest One. There are many, many times when I wish I could explain all about the boys’ pasts (for each of them it’s different in many ways) and how it very obviously, and clearly, impacts on the present. I know that some of what I’d say would probably lead to other, different advice in some cases, but I really appreciate that you gave us some stuff to ponder and a few action ideas.

I’m sort of filled up with the issue at the moment and I fear that if I reply to individual comments right now I’ll go overboard — hence the blanket “thank you” post. There has been much discussion around here, some with Oldest One and some just the adults chatting, so there are many things floating around in my head that I need to sort out.

But again: thank you. :)

1. No school on Friday doesn’t mean I don’t do anything school-related on Friday but it means I do all of my school stuff in my jammas and that’s pretty darned awesome.
2. The recurrence of my cold that popped up on Thursday disappeared mid-afternoon. I’m back to minor sniffles and an icky cough. YAY!
3. Making the decision to send people real mail whenever I’m thinking about them, see something related to them, or just because I feel like it? Feels really good. And everyone likes getting mail!
4. Being assertive in my group work even though I’m pretty sure it’s annoying people to hear from me all the time with the words “deadlines” and “timelines” and “requirements” and “expectations”. Fuck it – it’s MY MARK TOO.
5. Coffee made carrot cake, iced with cream cheese frosting, and it was a marvelous bedtime snack. :)

One of the things that I like about the internet is that, for the most part, it’s pretty easy to use. The basic concept involves clicking on things. The things you click take you to other places and let you see interesting things and usually there are more things to click and, in short, it’s all about clicking.

I also like that the internet is filled with opinions. I do not agree with all of them – or even most, I suspect – but they’re out there and it’s interesting to read what other people think of important stuff (like laws and governmental things) and not-so-important-things (like ice cream flavours or breeds of cats). The traditional media, like newspapers and the news programs on TV, are supposed to be unbiased (oh, ha ha) but when you venture online you can find crazy people espousing awesomely weird beliefs.

If you’re like me, it can be fun to read the opinions of people who think in a way with which you absolutely do not agree. I call this “knowing your enemy” but it’s not usually a big ugly thing. It’s just that I figure I need to know where people are coming from if I’m going to argue with them or even just stand up for my own beliefs. I like to challenge my own thoughts.

So, for someone who’s pro-choice, it’s good to read the stuff that’s anti-choice. For someone who’s a rabid meat-eater, it can be interesting to read about people who are vegans. Pick any issue you feel strongly about and go find the opposite opinion online – if you can find someone who writes well about things, it can be seriously fascinating to see what they believe/feel/think on the subject. It might strengthen your own feelings or shift them or cause you to ponder things from a different perspective. All good!

(I do ask that you not turn into some sort of troll. Remember that you willingly wandered into their opinion and you don’t get to hang around being an asshole and telling them why they’re wrong, even if you KNOW WHY THEY ARE WRONG. Just observe ‘em and save your arguments for your spouse, friend or blog.)

Online, there are a few sites that I read, regularly, that have certain feminist slants to their stories. There are a few that have political slants that I favour, too. And I wish they’d do more than simply report the issues. I want them to tell me what I can DO. Make it easy for me. Give me an email address where I can complain about something, a snail-mail address where I can write, a link to a petition, the fax # for the corporate office..

Hell, when you write an article about an awesome new restaurant, a store or a book, please include info too! Maybe I want to check out that new shop – why do I need to google it when you could have included a link in your article?

The internet is this awesome place of clicking. I want to be able to click!

What got me thinking about it was this article, in which “Canadian medical students practice gyno exams on unconscious patients without their consent.” Now, I have a very strong opinion on this, what with having a vagina and all, so I read it and wondered who I could write to about my feelings as a vagina-owner who could someday need surgery and who would prefer the surgery focus on the medical need and not, y’know, MY VAGINA. The article didn’t tell me.

Read the rest of this entry »

For the past while, Oldest One has been.. difficult.

Now, I know there are reasons for this – but I’m not going to get into them here. I’ll simply state that it’s a combination of being 12, his own life ‘stuff’ (past), and the fact that Coffee and I are clearly the most unreasonable people on earth and we’re determined to RUIN HIS LIFE.

He views it all in terms of that last one, by the way.

Read the rest of this entry »

1. I made it home from school despite the weird snow storm-ish conditions all over the place.
2. Being able to fall into bed shortly after getting home was delightful for me and my head full of snot.
3. Coffee was able to work from home today when Maymo came home sick at 9 am. I was still able to go to school as a result.
4. This is where I tell you how awesome my husband is. :)
5. I love string cheese.

1. I did my second counseling session today. It went really, really well. I can still see where I’m weak and I can also see where I’m stronger. It’s.. really neat.
2. I handed in a big project this morning. I refused to accept the extension that the class was given. REFUSED.
3. Working in Google Documents for group projects and via MSN and, oh, man, I LOVE TECHNOLOGY!
4. Middle One is headed to the Kub Kar rallies tonight. He’s excited!
5. Drugs. I seem to have a new cold forming in my head.. Gah.

1. The hilarity of my two prof’s faces today on seeing my hair. *snicker*
2. I handed in my first (bigger) assignment of the term today. Yay!
3. I (easily) convinced a fellow student to meet with me tomorrow afternoon instead of Thursday morning. YEAH! This means I don’t have to go to school on Thursday morning.
4. Cough drops. (Yep. Day 26 of this stupid cough…)
5. Coffee has taken on a good chunk of my previous role in dealing with Oldest One.. (It was a very necessary thing, I think. There are some issues going on.) I am grateful to have a husband who doesn’t think parenting is the sole responsibility of the female partner and who is actively involved with the kids.