Remembering back to my younger days.

At CMR girls were allowed to wear mini skirts but no one was allowed to wear shorts.
The boys found this unfair, so a bunch of them got together and wore mini skirts to school.
I’ll never forget those guys cruising around all day wearing skirts. Needless to say, pretty soon there was a policy change. I personally think it was because the teachers couldn’t stand the guys sitting, as guys do, without the leg crossing decorum girls are taught, when wearing skirts.

When walking down an empty hallway, have you ever had an almost uncontrollable urge to pull the fire alarm?

Auto mechanics was in a building not attached to the main school. I remember walking outside on the way to class on those beautiful spring days. It was so hard to go back inside. I had math as my next class, which made it even harder.

On rainy days we had inside Cross Country practice, which ment around the gym, up the stairs, around the square, up the stairs, around the square, down the stairs, around the square, down the stairs, around the gym...

As an art aide I would be in the halls during class time and sometimes I would lead teachers to believe I was skipping class, just because.

Odds and ends

Well, not much in the news lately to get me excited.
Spring has me excited.
I am thinking of starting an exercise program and quitting smoking. I am not in bad shape, but I could be better. Gotta keep up with the boy during hunting season. (He passed his Hunters Ed. final with 99%!)
The sisters child is due mid to end of April. It is kind of funny, she is older than I, and having her first, so she has been calling with all the wierd questions and concerns that arise. A new baby that is someone elses will be fun.
I have been relatively uninspired about everything lately. Started on a new header for this site, but I don't like the layout, and have not come up with the proper solution yet. It will most likely languish in Corel for a while and get deleted.
I need some motivation. For something.

WOW

Elective Caesareans on the rise. Having had two of them, not elective, I cannot imagine choosing to do it. With natural child birth recovery time is much shorter, you loose weight faster, you can laugh and cough without it hurting a week or so later.
I just don't get it.

Spring

It is coming!
Little plants sticking their first leaves up, birds flying around chirping happily, the days are getting longer.
Open water fishing is coming. I can feel it.
Our favorite perch lake is going to be good this year. Size is on the upswing of the cycle. When the days are long and hot we will spend hours in the boat, merrily catching piles of the little buggers.
But now is the time for night fishing ling, down at the secret spot on the river, (well one of them!) with a crackling fire, as the river flows sluggishly by, ocasionally yielding a fishy favor to those with the patience to sit beside it half the night. Trout are returned to their watery home. Sadly, we rarely fish on the upper stretches of the river during the day.
The youngest child is of an age to more comfortably participate in the fishing and camping experience. The freedom of the lakes and mountains beckon. The time is coming.

What is it with women and shoes? This is one of those feminine attributes I am not afflicted with. Most women of my aquaintence have piles of them. And rules about what to wear with which and when and why. Oh my.
I will Never own a pair of pink shoes.
My 4 year old daughter wants to go shoe shopping. Right Now. She owns pink shoes.
My 11 year old son steals my hiking boots and tennis shoes, cuz we wear the same size now. But he will not go shoe shopping. I do not even like to clothes shop for myself, but I end up shopping for the Other Half and the Boy, because they won't go. (Well, there are a few things I like to shop for, but we are not going to talk about them.)
Sporting goods stores, and bookstores are good.

Hmm...

I've been thinking about feminism, and what it means.
As defined in my handy dandy little desk dictionary;
"feminism" The policy, practice, or advocacy of political, economic and social equality for women.
Now I personally don't care too much about the political aspect. I figure there will most likely be a female President some day. I don't really care. Politicians are what they are. People will make a big deal out of it. However there are some issues there. I totally agree with J. Rankin's vote on war. (If you don't know what I'm talking about go do some research.) I will never vote for someone just because that someone is a woman. And I do not believe women should be on the front line in a war. Men want to protect us, and it would cause problems. Now my thing about the front line should not be taken to mean I do not think women could fight effectively. Some could. Probably a lower percentage than men.

Economic. I don't really know about this. Do female doctors and lawyers make less than male doctors and lawyers today? I know there are jobs that women physically cannot do as well as men. There are jobs where gender doesn't matter. I have been payed less than a man for doing the same job. Pissed me off. I quit. Didn't think it was fair. But I really do not see it as a big problem here and now.

Social equality. Huh. The roles of men and women have been defined and redefined so many times I don't even understand what social equality is. Is it someone holding the door for you? Taking your coat? Making small talk at a party?
Equality would mean I can open my own door. But I hold the door anytime I feel it is polite. I tought my son to, and will teach my daughter the same.

Do women hold up the banner of feminism while expecting men to adhere to old fashioned values? Paying the tab, holding doors, changing flat tires. I see it every day. "I can take care of myself, make as much money, be everything you are - Eeekkk, a mouse! Save me!"

Save me because you are a big strong man and I am a woman.

Maybe men and women are just different, and their roles are constantly changing. Maybe we need to stop labeling everything, calling it wrong because it is not the same, and realize nothing can ever be absolute.

Multi tasking

This was a favorite term of my ex-boss. You must learn to multi task! Of course, he would then give me lectures on how I needed to pick a project and stick to it. Hey, I can write up orders, answer the phone, monitor the worker bees, give a quote, order supplies, inventory the shop, and get a lecture on how to multi task- All at the same time! Now I am un-self-employeed-stay- at-home-mom-housekeeper-chef-laundrymat-taxi-nurse-etc. How to do it all. Multi task! Ha.

Electronic billboards

The Montana Transportation Comission is recomending allowing changeable message billboards.
What do you guys think?
Message could change every 6 seconds or so. No moving or flashing lights, and they cannot cause glare on the roadway. Think this would be better or worse than some of the electronic message boards that have been popping up? ( Longhorn Lounge, Heritage Banks, Town Pumps, etc.)
Do you think these types of message boards with their bright lights and quick changes are a hazard to motorists?

The moral and ethical standards in our country are breaking down. It is becoming commonplace to claim that things are someone elses fault. The lines of right and wrong become blurred, it becomes easy to refuse to take responsibility for your actions. Is this freedom? Who is right, me with my personal moral and religious view or you with yours? How do we determine which fundamental belief is justified. When is the concept of "fair" overruled by the concept of what is right, and can these two things ever peacefully coexist? We are all raised with a set of standards instilled in us by the people we respect, admire, or fear. As we grow we form our own opinions, bolstered by education, our perception of right and wrong, and the knowledge we gain in our world.
Moral and ethical guidelines. Religion. Education. Opinion. A Supreme Court Judge has the law and a personal interpretation of it governed by an informed opinion. And Power. I have the law and a personal interpretation of it governed by an informed opinion. (Possibly not as informed.)
But no Power, except over my blog, where I will throw out my Opinion, and you may try to sway it with yours. You may change my mind. Or not.

Avoiding procreation

O.K. I was trying really hard not to post about this, but it is driving me crazy.

Men's group seeks child support opt-out.

"They had sex. She got pregnant. She sued for child support. Now, he's suing back, claiming that men have a constitutional right to "Avoid Procreation."

Yes they do. It is called keeping it in your pants. 100% safe, she will not get preganant. No little problems that will follow you around calling you daddy.

It takes two to make a baby.

If you have sex it can happen.

Deal with it.

Hunters Safety

I have been attending spring hunters safety with the boy. I am the only parent who is sitting in on the class. Fish and Game signed up 244 kids. Our class had 29 signed up and 26 showed, not bad. All the instructors are volunteers. Ours is very blunt, not making it out to be all nice and pretty. I appreciate that. Touched on alot of subjects but the focus is on firearm safety. The kids got to handle guns last night, how to accept a gun and check if it is unloaded, etc.

...I was talking to my son on the way home from the first class and was explaining how I believe kids are being desensitized to the true power of guns. They get toy pistols to play with. They see people on TV and movies who get shot and it barely slows them down. The adults in their lives do not inforce the dangers of playing with guns. You can lock your guns up. You can tell your kid not to play with them. But if that kid gets hold of one, it might be played with. And someone may die. If that child is tought the realities and has seen the true power of a gun, has had the recoil knock him on his ass, has had his ears rung, has seen something fall over and die- that child will have much more respect than the one who has been told "don't play with guns." You play with toys. You do not play with guns. You respect guns. Always.

Anyway. We went over calibers, velocity, diffrent kinds of loads. He has shells taken apart, so they can see the bullet, powder and cartridge. Go over different actions, parts of the gun, what does what, how different actions chamber the round, shotgun vs rifle. Teaches them how to PROVE the gun when accepting it from another person. Has volunteers come up and go through it. Kid accepts gun from teacher. First thing he does is put his finger on the trigger. Teacher was waiting. "Every class kids do this. You are used to putting your finger on the trigger-Why? Because every kid has picked up a toy gun, and first thing you do-pull the trigger!"

Ha, see Mom is right!

I am enjoying the class. I havn't learned anything I didn't know, but it is great to see all those kids being opened up to a whole new experience. They are learning the right way.

The blame game

Ha! Geeguy has a post about kids being overweight.
Hey guess what?
Quit letting your kid sit in front of the Tv/video game eating McDonalds and potato chips! Send their little butts down to the park for a game of football, and go with them, you could probably use a little cardio workout too!
Oh, and if you spill hot coffee on your lap guess what- IT WILL BURN YOU!
And remember, Grizzly bears ARE PREDATORS-THEY WILL EAT YOU!
If you don't look where you are aiming-YOU MAY SHOOT SOMEONE!
If you smoke-YOU MIGHT DIE!
If you drink and drive-YOU COULD KILL SOMEONE!
I believe it is called common sense-but I may need to consult my lawyer on that.

Know what really irks me? No? Well I'll tell ya.
I own my house. Well, in another twenty some years, but we are considered homeowners. Pay the taxes every year. Shovel the walk. Mow the lawn-and the boulevard. Cuz if you don't the neighbors call the city about the weeds that grow over eight inches. (Had that happen to the neighbor-and yes the guy was over there with a tape measure!) No big deal. We like the place to look nice. However. We have this humongous elm tree on said boulevard, which is growing, as it has for years, and which we water, as is our responsibility, so it may continue to grow. Right up under the sidewalk, which is beginning to buckle and has a portion raised enough to be deemed by the city as a danger to pedestrians. And will cost US about $1300 dollars to fix. And we must use a contractor the city approves of. And pay for it out of our pocket. In addition to the taxes we pay for boulevard and tree maintenence. And we MAY NOT determine that the tree is damaging our property, and remove it, since both the tree and the sidewalk are city property. Even though it has also damaged the section of walk leading up to our front step, which we must also pay for, in addition to the sidewalk.

Now do not get me wrong, I like trees. I yell at kids I see abusing the little baby trees the city planted down the street to replace ones they had to cut down. But this tree is going to continue it's destructive ways. Say we replace the sidewalk. How long before more roots destroy that and the next homeowner has to replace it?

I am relatively pleased with our alley though. Everyone on the block payed a percentage of the cost to get it paved. Really cut down on dust and pothole problems. We do have some issues with the people down the street thinking they can blow through at 40 mph, but we have found ways to curtail that. And the city accepted responsibility for maintenance. It would have been nice if they had graded it correctly, since right now all the snowmelt is draining under our garage door to puddle in the garage. But nothing a good floor squeegee won't fix, and it does keep the floor clean.