Insane Animals

Just a few thoughts as I work on the remaining chapters.

* In the early 1990s when the Hawaii marriage case went through it changed the nature of the Gay Rights Movement towards marriage.  Prior to that the emphases were on workplace equality, housing non-discrimination, and some interesting moves in support of better health care access for everyone. 

* The change towards marriage has emphasized marriage as a relationship above others - things that ought not be tied up in marriage have become so entangled that the discourse now is about more about rights and less about the social recognition of relationships.  Don’t get me wrong, health insurance coverage is important - but how come it is linked to either: a) employment, b) a legal spouse, or c) poverty or old age (or both)?  Just thinking it is a bigger issue than allowing couples who want to marry to marry.

* No, I am not opposed to same-sex marriage - I am just being critical of how we are framing it.  I hear things like “equal to heterosexual couples” and “I want health insurance” and I think - yes, we should have those things.  Equality is good.  Health insurance is very good.  But why is marriage the means to get there?

* And then I think, we’ve gone so far down this road we have to continue, right?!  But how come marriage makes some people “better”?  Some of the perks we give out to legally married couples, especially at the federal level, just don’t make a lot of sense.  Can’t we solve those issues AND have marriage for couples who want it? 

 

Alright- tell me now how much I suck ;-)  heehee

But she actually REALLY liked Se.same Pla.ce in PA.  We stopped on our way to visit Ohio last week and then visited again on the way home.  It is only 5 hours from us and so was a good break point.  As she was (cough, cough) under 2 both times (;-)) it was free for her.  We would go back, in case you were wondering.  But the pictures are amusing and make it seem she did not enjoy herself as much as she did.  She continues to talk about BIG characters and insists she hugged them when all she would do is give high-fives to a few of her favorites (that would be Cookie, Elmo and Abby at present).

(she LOVED it when it was up in the air but cried when it was down low. She rode it twice even!)

 

(What a cool idea!!!)

From cali:

Use the first letter of your first name to answer each of the following. They have to be real places, names, things - nothing made up.  You can not use your own name for the boy/girl names.

1. What is your name?  C
2. A 4 letter word:  CAKE
3. A vehicle:  corvette
5. A boy’s name:  Charlie
6. A girl’s name:  Claire
7. Drink:  Cosmopolitan

8. An occupation: counselor
9. Something you wear: capris
10. A celebrity:  Cameron Diaz
11. Something found in a bathroom:  cabinet
12. Reason for being late: computer
13. Something you shout: Come here!

14. A body part: (LOL) - chest
15. Word to describe yourself:  competent

I’m not.  Instead I will finish analyzing the data I collected on marriage and if I have it in me begin to look at the data on family.

 

But it’s not because I don’t care.  It’s that my dissertation is FOR OUR FAMILIES!!!

swiped from Leah

1. What bill do you hate paying the most?
* Credit cards - from having paid mortgage and rent for 14 months.

2. Where was the last place you had a romantic dinner?
* Maxwells

3. Do you regret losing your virginity to who you lost it to?
* Nope.

4. Do you still talk to the person who broke your heart the most?
* Doesn’t really apply.

4. If you could go back and change one thing what would it be?
* I might have stayed where I was in graduate school before I came to where I am now - but admittedly, my dissertation would have been extremely different and I like it.

5. Name of your first grade teacher?
* Ms. Balano

6. What do you really want to be doing right now?
* Chilling with my girls. 

7. What did you want to be when you were growing up?
* A Solid Gold dancer.  They were just so cool.

8. How many colleges did you attend?
* I’m on number 4 at the moment and I make no promises.

9. Why did you choose the shirt that you have on right now?
* It’s clean and it fits.

10. What are your thoughts on gas prices?
* I drive an efficient car and they really suck but perhaps the high prices will bring about some changes in the way Americans drive. 

11. If you could move anywhere and take someone with you where would it be?
* I would take my family and probably go live at the beach.

12. First thought when the alarm went off this morning?
* HIT SNOOZE quickly before you are totally awake.

13. Last thought before going to sleep last night?
* Don’t forget to upload your lecture tomorrow.

14. Do you miss being a child?
* No.  It wasn’t all it is cracked up to be - hopefully my child won’t feel the same.

15. What errand/chore do you despise the most?
* I hate cleaning the bathroom. 

17. If you didn’t have to work, would you volunteer?
* No, but I’d probably get a million more degrees.

18. Get up early or sleep in?
* Sleep in whenever they let me. 

19. What is your favorite cartoon character?
* Smurfette - too bad she was such a girly girl though.

20. Favorite thing to do at night with a girl/guy?
* Cuddle up and sleep.

21. Have you found real love yet?
* I think I have.

22. When did you start feeling old?
* When I referenced something from the 80s and my students needed an explanation.

24. Your favorite lunch meal?
* Pretty much anything that is already made for me.

25. What do you get every time you go into Wal-Mart?
* A bunch of crap I didn’t really need in the first place. 

26. Beach or lake?
* Beach, lakes are gross.

27. Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual?
* Yes but I still have one. And by the way - I assume this refers to weddings as weddings are the ritual. 

28. Do you own property?
* Not much of it, but yes.

29. Favorite Guilty pleasure?
* Reality TV.

30. Favorite movie?
* I still really like A League of Their Own.

31. What’s your favorite drink?
* Strawberry margarita.

32. Cowboys or Indians?
* Must I choose? I side with those who lost their native lands. 

33. Cops or Robbers?
* Having been robbed before I choose cops.

34. Who from high school would you like to run into?
* Ryan, Abby, Brandi, and Brandy.

35. What radio station is your car tuned to?
* WBUR

36. Norm or Cliff?
* Being that I live around here I feel compelled to answer and I choose Norm. 

37. Grey’s or ‘The Office?
* Grey’s. It returns this evening! 

38. Worst relationship mistake that you wish you could take back?
* Not sure I’ve made any, though my wife may disagree.

39. Do you like the person that sits directly across from you at work?
* The wall is who sits across from me and I like it because it is nice and quiet and doesn’t move my stuff.

40. What famous person would you like to have dinner with?
* I dunno.  Maybe Ellen Degeneres, she’s funny.

41. Indoors or Outdoor?
* Outdoors but I don’t like bugs and want to be able to sit and work on my laptop so not up some mountain!

42. Have you ever crashed your vehicle?
* It’s been bumped a few times here and there. 

43. Have you ever used a fire extinguisher for its intended purpose?
* Yup.  ”Fire in the hole” - LOL.

44. Last book you read?
* Beyond Marriage

46. Strangest place you have ever brushed your teeth?
* In my car.

47. Somewhere in California you’ve never been and would like to go?
* San Francisco.

48. Do you go to church?
* Uhm, I drive past it sometimes and have been in one. 

49. At this point in your life would you rather start a new career or a new relationship?
* New career. 

50. How old are you?
* 33

We do the Easter thing in our home. 

 First you dye the eggs… then you devil and eat them….

 

And then you eat the chocolate…

I swear I am still around and sometimes even read or comment on blogs.  Mostly I am just trying to inch forward on my dissertation.  I have several chapters under review by one or more committee member and am sure will have more than a few revisions after they finish reading them.  
I know, I know - that’s not the updates you look for so much.
Hannah is also fabulous.  She is definitely a handful and is opinionated.  For the record, we wouldn’t want it any other way.  As Easter approaches she seems more and more like she’ll enjoy it.  At “school” they practiced playing with plastic eggs and opened them to find treasures such as a pretzel.  While I have issues with doing “Easter” activities at school I am also trying to lighten up.  I would be 100% or more cool with her learning about pieces of traditions from religions we do not participate in and so I am attempting to walk that line.  For the next month or so we have birthday parties nearly every weekend.  If I am being honest I will tell you that I never believed people when they said they were so busy.  No one in particular, you know, but just a general sense of “yeah, ok, sure you are busy… aren’t you all important…” when a few people I know IRL always had something or another going on and now I find myself having to decline an invite or two just because of Hannah’s social calendar. We have had some pottying success and are working on discipline.  She’s not being potty trained, more that she knows she has a potty and she has underpants and can wear them if she wants.  Before bath most nights she sits and has even used it.  Once the summer is here we will be doing some more active encouragement, but nothing more.  We are willing to accept that it might take some time for her to see the value in using the potty instead of a diaper.   Other than that it’s just business as usual around us. 

Thanks to Shelli I know NBC pulled the YouTube of Tina Fey backing Hillary.  But it was awesome.  Basic point, if you didn’t see it, yeah she’s a bitch and so am I and you want a bitch because bitches get things done.  I think I just broke some sort of personal record for using bitch in one sentence!! Also, I’ve uploaded some more pictures from when Quinn was in town and found these.  Monday night we all went out to eat and the girls played and giggled a little more before we said our goodbyes.   Here they were playing a toddler version of follow the leader and copying one another.  It’s good the mall is quiet on Monday nights :-) Getting back to work now! 

I’ve been bad at everything I am doing at the moment.  Blogging is among my worst offenses but here’s the rundown on the past few weeks.

 One day a few weeks ago B and H and the MIL went to the aquarium for the day.  B took off work, I had the day to myself (it gives me headaches - every time!) and worked.  They had a blast and H saw the baby penguins and lots and LOTS of fish.  Lunch in the North End was a treat and H was out like a light before they got home.  I successfully transferred her from carseat to crib once they arrived home and she slept like a rock for  a couple more hours. 

Upon waking H was her usual cheery self and wanted to play and nurse and told me about her day.  She was running around like a NUT and begging for lots of upside down time.  After some playing I got going on dinner and H was playing with B in and out of her tent.  She asked “up on mommy” and without much warning PUKED all over B.  (glad it wasn’t me!).   We, needless to say, kept her home the next day. 

By the time she was feeling better we were worried about catching something ourselves and laid low except for a few things.  She bounced right back and then a few days later started oozing snots.  Being bad parents we assumed it was the usual “kennel cough” from being in daycare and we knew we had company coming so we prepped and H played and was fine.  Except it turns out she wasn’t - she had double ear infections and went onto antibiotics for a 10 day run. 

Despite being sick she had a blast playing with Quinn and meeting Ruthie* for a playdate at our Children’s Museum.  After the playdate the moms and kids all headed to Flour for a fun and chaotic lunch with everyone.  We even tried to corral the cats kids for a group picture.  If I took all the shots we got on both my phone and our camera we could make a hilarious little flip through book of the kids as they were in various states of being “ready” for the camera.  There are no pictures of all four kids looking in the same direction and/or smiling but the series is funny.  Here’s a few of them:

My thoughts are that getting toddlers to sit together is like herding cats and/or nailing jello to the wall.  But it was a blast and I would totally try to do it again. 

We also went to the Museum of Science for toddler playtime, but by Monday it was clear H was sick so she went to the doctor while Quinn had playtime with her moms.  We did make it to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner that evening before they headed home.   The next time we know we’ll get to see them is in June when I head in that general direction for a conference.  But the girls have the potential to be a rather dynamic duo and played fabulously together.

On Sunday I fell ill.  I thought it was just a touch of what Hannah had but I wound up with chills and later Megan did too.  I am still getting over that.  I understand it hit Joan’s house too.  If it was from us and not the Children’s petrie dish Museum - my sincere apologies.  We had no idea H was so sick.

 As a result of our various ailments I am behind on grading papers and editing the (now) infamous chapter 3.  In fact, that’s what I am supposed to do NOW! 

* We met Isaac too but he was off being a big kid while the little ones roamed around the 0-3 space.