Stupid People, Part I

Holy hell.

So I've been trying for two days to come up with a specific topic to go on a tirade about. There are just so many to choose from, and so many people doing stupid things every day. Decisions, decisions. Do I go with politics? All the crap happening in Boston? How about a parenting post? And then it hit me. At Chili's. And I didn't even have a margarita.

So first of all, there's something you should know about me. I am incredibly nosey. I am constantly amazed at the drama people will create in public places. I mean really, if you're going to have an argument or heated debate in a public place, how can you expect people not to listen? It drives my husband crazy. Maybe it's a character flaw......maybe I get drawn in to people's drama because it helps me forget about the ridiculous drama around me (and that, ladies and gentlemen, is a story for another day).

So there I am, sitting with my kids, and there is a table near us with two older couples. The offspring are preoccupied with their gadgets, and the hubs is out of town, so of course I tune in to the conversation. Here are some snippets:

• "Well yeah, I think Obama is the antichrist. I mean, look at all that's been happening lately, it's a sure sign the end of the world is comin'." (Be sure to read that with a nice redneck drawl.) To which one of the others replied, "Well, all that shit happened in Boston, and they're all democrats. I'm just sayin'." (Took everything I had not to reply to that one.)
• "I've driven a Chevy for over fifty years. You ain't ever gonna convince me that any of that foreign stuff is made any better." (Yadda, yadda, yadda.)
• "I don't wanna talk about no gay marriage. Men was meant to marry women, anything else is against what the Bible teaches." (Let's just ignore the fact that the bible also says that unless the woman is a virgin, the marriage will never be recognized.......and oh I could so go on.)
• And the icing on the cake......I couldn't hear the exact comment, but the gist was that the people in West were being punished for being German, or of German descent. (Because you know that all Germans are direct descendants of Hitler, right?)

And that was when I decided I had lost too many brain cells by listening. Maybe this one will teach me a lesson and I'll stop eavesdropping. Yeah, maybe not. The blatant attraction I feel for completely ignorant and clueless people who have public conversations is a little scary. It's like not being able to look away from a car accident......I can't NOT listen.

So seriously, what the hell is wrong with people? I cannot understand how anyone can walk around being so narrow-minded, so biased, and so naive. A lot of people like this always claim what devout Christians they are, and they love to quote the bible. The funny thing is, in my experience those who profess to be the most Christian also end up being the most judgmental, the most hateful, and the most intolerant. Westboro Baptist Church, anyone? Yes, they are an extreme example, but I am sure there are many more like it that just don't get the air time. Scary thought, isn't it? Doesn't the bible also say love thy neighbor?

I warned you in the page description, I am pro-equal rights. That means I am for equal rights in all things, including marriage. If you're not, and you kept reading anyway, well, I really don't know what to tell ya. Maybe you're clueless, too. But come on!  If two people wish to be married, regardless of their gender, then who am I to say they can't? It has nothing to do with me. And it has nothing to do with you. As long as they are happy, and they aren't hurting anyone, then who freakin' cares? Why is what goes on in someone's bedroom anyone's business but theirs? I just don't get it. Live and let live, people. The firstborn asked me not too long ago if boys could marry boys, and if girls could marry girls. Her grandmother (who is akin to Archie Bunker in her views) was sitting next to her. I told her that mommy's heart had fallen in love with daddy, so that's who I married. But my heart could have fallen in love with another girl, and daddy's heart could have fallen in love with another boy, and that would have been ok. I told her that you can't control who your heart falls in love with. She seemed pretty satisfied with that answer, and she was happily playing with her princess castle a few minutes later. The look I was getting from Archie, though, was priceless. And that made it all worth it.

I have to say.....the argument that gay marriage will destroy the institution of marriage in this country is the MOST ridiculous, self-righteous, narrow-minded argument that one could ever present. Seriously? There are so many hypocrites in this arena it's not even funny. Newt Gingrich, who based his political career on the "family values" platform, has been married three times, and has had affairs each time. He even asked one wife for an open marriage so he could keep his marriage and his mistress. What a guy. The Terminator had a "secret" child with a member of his household staff. You've got General Patraeus, Anthony Weiner........nope, not going there......, Chris Lee, Mark Souder, Bill Clinton (IN the Oval Office, for God's sake), and the list goes on and on and on. Moving over to Hollywood, we could talk about Britney Spears, Hugh Hefner, Elizabeth Taylor, Renee Zellweger, Tiger Woods, Kim Kardashian, blah blah blah. Oh no.....it's the loving same-sex couple living quietly in the suburbs, paying their taxes, living meaningful and productive lives......THOSE are the people that will destroy the institution of marriage. The argument is so inane it makes my head explode. And here again, we have people who argue against equal rights by hiding behind the bible. Sorry, but you lost me at, "The bible says......". I am no expert, but I am pretty sure the bible was never meant to be used to spew intolerance and hatred. Oh but here's the kicker.....people (and I mean people who get to speak publicly, in the media, where everyone can hear them) have actually attempted to defend their stance by arguing that it is unhealthy for children to be raised anywhere but in a loving home that has a mother and a father. A man and a woman.

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? Where do I even start with that? Well, let's start here.

Zach Wahls Speaks About Family

I would love to meet this young man and shake his hand. Hell, I would love to have him and his moms over for dinner. I love these people.

I have seen firsthand children who were being raised by a single parent that have turned out to be well-mannered, productive, and positive examples to society. I have also seen children, who were being raised by single parents, struggle in school and with the law. The same goes for children of "traditional parents". But children being raised by same-sex parents are going to be harmed psychologically or otherwise? Good grief. Being raised by homosexual parents does NOT make one homosexual! And any good parents, regardless of gender, are better than bad parents. I saw this the other day:

I freaking LOVE this. Try to argue this point with a bible thumper and they'll start stammering. They have no argument for this. I mean, if God made me, and I have a baby, then God made the baby too, right? (Well, sex helped, but I digress.) And then if that baby turns out to be homosexual, are you now saying God didn't make the baby? Aren't we all created in God's image? Doesn't God love all of his children? Oh and if you're Catholic, look away........because I'm about to go off on the Pope. He said "gay marriage destroys the essence of being human." WHAT A FUCKING HYPOCRITE. So tell me, all of those priests raping little boys.......how do you think that affected their "essence"? And the fact that the church covered up most of the occurrences, simply moving the rapist priests around to other parishes where they could do it again, what message do you think that sent to those children? There is steam coming out of my ears now.

I'll end with this:

I could go on and on and on, which is why this post is labeled "Part I". I've got to save some stuff for future rants!!

Deep breaths, deep breaths, deep breaths. Okie dokie. Went to the doctor yesterday and my blood pressure was a little high, which is unusual for me. So I am trying to some meditation and breathing exercises to calm myself. But then Archie calls, or I see some news story about stupid people saying stupid things, and I get myself all worked up. Hence this blog......it's kind of like therapy for me. So I'll keep writing, and hopefully you'll keep reading and sharing!

In the meantime? Worry about yourselves, people......worry about yourselves.

Every Day is a Second Chance.....

And I say that almost every freakin' morning. I think to myself, when I get up, that today is going to be better, my first born will finally listen and do what she's told, I am going to get everything done that I planned to, and it will all be rainbows and sparkles.

Yep, not so much.

I had visions of myself as a mom.....the cookie-baking, muffin-making, PTA volunteering, doing crafts with the kids kind of mom that has fresh flowers on the table along with dinner every night.

Yep, not so much.

Clearly, my children and I were never meant to spend any length of time cooped up in an enclosed space together. I hear these moms talk about how they have breakfast on the table every morning, kids dressed and downstairs in plenty of time for school, homework done, hair and teeth brushed, and everyone is smiling and cheery. I'm sorry, but on what planet does this occur? Is this some alternate reality? Because in my house, it's a scream fest before bed and in the mornings. Oh I have tried not yelling, I have tried to be calm. I've tried Love & Logic, focusing on the positive, positive reinforcement, and all of that jazz. I hate it every time I yell, but my first born is so freakin' headstrong (I have NO IDEA where she got it.....) and I swear she is 13 at times instead of 8. This is a work in progress, though, and I refuse to give up.

Just this morning, I woke up thinking this was a new day, a second chance, and I go upstairs to check on my baby (the 3 year old) only to find that the first born isn't even out of bed. Now, she has three alarms.....yes, THREE. The first goes off at 6:30 am, and it's a cute little message that says, "Good morning, Sunshine!" The second one goes off 10 minutes later and it says, "I love you, but you have to get up now." She has a third one that goes off at 7:10 that tells her she needs to be ready to go and downstairs. She also has a list of everything she needs to have done, including brushing her teeth and hair. So this morning I am trying to get her to get her butt in gear, and I am not very nice about it. SHe got to school, lunch in hand, and I went home to feel guilty about the morning we had.

The whole brushing the teeth thing is such a battle. I don't get it. I have warned her about her teeth turning black, I have even showed her pictures on the internet. She's been to the dentist and she does great, but she will flat out lie to me about brushing her teeth. I'm not willing to budge on this particular personal hygiene habit, though, so the battle continues. Any suggestions??

In the meantime, I am so caught up in the craziness of this past week that it is really hard not to just sit and browse through all of the information on any given news station. I have friends in Boston and in Watertown, and I am just so angry that all of this has happened. I hear the mom of these two insane individuals complaining how they were set up, this is all wrong, etc. My first reaction is to think she is completely cuckoo, but then I realize she's their MOM, she's supposed to think that. But also as their mom, you would think she would know them better.

On that subject, I see a reference to the Boston police asking people to stop tweeting their locations and telling people where they (the police) are. I mean, I know it seems cool to say, "Hey! There's an armored truck outside my front door and the tactical squad is surrounding my neighbor's house!" Stupidity runs rampant. Sometimes technology is just not a good thing.

And then the explosion in West happened.....what a week this has been. West is the kolache capital of Texas, and it's right between Dallas and Austin. Nice people, nice town. It's just devastating.

So here I am, trying to appreciate my children more in the wake of all that has happened this week, trying to make every day a second chance, and falling right back into routines that make none of us happy. How do y'all handle you child when they are disrespectful? When they lie? When you just have no patience left? Suggestions are welcome.

I'm hungry.

Hello and welcome!

Hello!

Welcome to my blog. This is my place to vent, to be grateful, to toot my own horn, to complain about current events and situations, and pretty much anything else I feel like posting. I am very direct and to the point, and I am of an age where I really don't take crap from anyone. That being said, my husband will tell you that I love to jump around topic wise, so you just never know what I might come up with!

Although not all posts will be political, I feel that I must make this disclaimer:  I do not consider myself liberal or conservative, democrat or republican. I listen to all points and I make my own decisions. (If only everyone would do that.) I am pro-choice, a proponent of equal rights for all, and of the general opinion that people should worry more about themselves and less about what others are doing. If you are easily offended or you consider yourself Right Wing Tea Party  (cough cough crazy cough cough), this is probably not the place for you.

Now, because my three year old decided that this was her night to stay up until 10:30 pm, I am not going to get to write the post I wanted. I would love to sit here and tell you that I calmly rocked her to sleep, telling her how much I love her the entire time......nope, the whole episode was more akin to "Go the Fuck to Sleep"......and if you haven't read that, you should, it's hilarious.

So I will add a few more pics here to give you an idea of where I am coming from, and then I will be fresh and ready tomorrow for some actual blogging. (Here's hoping.)

Just food for thought. Good night!

Blunt