I am so incredibly appalled and disgusted as to feel sick. I'm just sitting on the front porch, reading and enjoying the nice weather when one of the kids across the street is escorted out to their porch and promptly spanked so loudly it f*cking ECHOED down the street. Keep in mind that this little one is at most three or four years old. And every time he cried, the guy yells at him to "take it like a man!". "Don't you dare cry--just swallow it! Keep it in!" From what I could gather from the yelling, his crime? Letting his brother hit him or insult him or somesuch without smacking him back. The guy tells him that if it happens again, he should hit the person in the mouth as hard as he can, whether it's a parent, sibling, or another kid or adult.

Few minutes later the parents come home and the guy (babysitter perhaps?) explains to them. :snort: The mom didn't seem too happy, but I've seen HER grabbing her kids by the arms to drag 'em along, smacking 'em on the ass when they don't obey, and EVERY SINGLE DAY I hear her cursing and screaming at 'em. They're babies!! How in God's name could anyone possibly justify this to themselves as good parenting??

I understand that children are not easy. Heck, I get frustrated with my furkids and they're ENORMOUSLY easier to deal with. I can even understand that in some VERY limited circumstances, spanking might POSSIBLY be an option of last resort. (I've never found situations that couldn't be handled better through some other means, but I can't bring myself to completely condemn it.)

ARGH!! I HATE that these people have moved in. Not technically child abuse, so it's not like I have any sort of legal recourse and heaven knows that no matter how much I wish there were a tactful way to broach the subject with them, I most sincerely doubt that I would accomplish anything other than alienating them. They're not going to change their behavior because some girl without kids of her who spends too much time sitting on her front porch thinks they're doing a poor job of parenting. I don't doubt that they love their kids, but I can't even begin to imagine what kind of lessons the kids are internalizing. :head in hands: I'm stuck, once more, in an untenable situation with even fewer options available to me to affect any sort of change, let alone a positive one. :growls: Don't care what they say, ignorance truly is bliss, at least when there's not a blessed thing you can do to affect the situation.

Just wrong. This is just so completely and totally wrong.

It's 5AM, I'm bored, can't sleep, and I'm STILL sick, so my resistance to the ever pervasive memes is largely non-existant. Thppbbt.

---

If you're on my friends list, I'd like to know 27 things about you. Just copy and hit reply and paste in the comments section with answers. Thanks! You'll be surprised how much you didn't know about your friends after this! Then copy the meme and see if anyone answers you.
(stolen from zoesfrogs

1. Do you have a tattoo?
2. How old are you?
3. Are you single or taken?
4. Fish?
5. Do you dream in color?
6. Ever seen a corpse?
7. Hipsters or Hillbillies?
8. How did we meet?
9. What's your philosophy on life and death?
10. If you could do anything with me, and have no one know, what would it be?
11. Do you trust the police?
12. Do you like musicals?
13. What is your fondest memory of me?
14. If you could change anything about yourself what would it be?
15. Would you cheat ?
16. What are you wearing?
17. Have you ever peed in a pool?
18. Would you hide evidence for me if I asked you to?
19. If I only had one day to live, what would we do together?
20. Which do you prefer - short or long hair?
21. What's your favorite day of the week?
22. What's your favorite color?
23. If you could bring back anyone that has passed, who would it be?
24. Tell me one interesting/odd fact about you?
25. What was your first impression of me?
26. Have you ever done drugs?
27. Will you post this so I can fill it out for you?

i think i might be FAR too amused by the show The Big Bang Theory...

This has been just a bit of a long day. Productive, but very, very long (at least in comparison with my normal schedule).

Realized this weekend my car battery died. No problem! If I can replace a car battery in the dark at 2AM, it's not as though jumping it is much of a difficulty. But alas, 'twas not to be so. See, there's one little thing I seem to have trouble remembering most of the time: my hood latch release no longer works. So after a grand total of two and a half hours sleep last night (much larger number if I count how long I actually lay there in bed staring at the ceiling and the dog nose an inch away from me on the pillow that was the source of extraordinarily loud and melodic snores), I spent a good two hours this morning alternating between car repair resources online and rushing back out to the car, full of hope and armed with screwdriver and coat hanger, only to find that absolutely none of the "sure-fire" techniques I so carefully studied were of any help whatsoever.

(And wow but that is one heck of a sentence... :grin: But in all fairness, I did warn you I'm overdue for a nap.)

Now ordinarily, a temporary lack of transportation causes me no real difficulties, but this was the Monday for my pdoc appointment. :shakes head: Poor mom actually had to skip lunch to head home, shove me out the door and take me across town to the doctor's. On the positive side, she finally had a chance to see the little library he's...perfecting? (Can't figure out which word is stubbornly glued to the end of my tongue.)

Really great work done to today, but then, the more anxious and wound up I am when I leave, the better the session. Shifting your paradigm is definitely NOT comfortable work, but it certainly provides interesting fodder for contemplation.

Afterward, head over to the hobby shop to pick up some supplies that were somehow overlooked during the last trip (and a number of items that I didn't know I needed till I found them :grin:). Found the most gorgeous tiny little lead crystal candle holders (though I don't know that I've seen any candles small enough and short enough to fit them) that are absolutely ideal for my burgeoning collection of air plants. :grin: Now I just need to find something suitable for my Venus fly trap.

The one portion of our shopping trip that tires me to even consider is the sheer number of little cross stitch/embroidery ornament "thingies" (yes, that is actually the technical term) that I get to create as part of the Christmas gifts mom gives to her staff and student workers every year. I have a feeling I'm going to be quite thoroughly sick of stitching little wreaths and gingerbread men by the time Christmas rolls around! Of course, I quite adore that I get to help. Thinking back, I believe Mom's had some sort of little project like this for me every year since I've moved back. :evil grin: I'm sure Ginny's hoping that this means I won't have time to knit her annual Christmas sweater, but she should surely know that I wouldn't let anything stand between me and a chance to torture Mom like that! (And for those of you tempted to call out PETA on me, I should note that despite her avowed aversion to putting clothing on dogs, Mom's become quite fond of the classic little sweaters I knit for Ginny each year, and heaven knows Ginny is very grateful indeed to have something to keep her toasty when she's forced to venture outside after the temperature drops below 65.)

But now I really am rambling... Since finally getting home, I've been sewing, putting the finishing touches on a commissioned chainmail bracelet to prepare it for photography, planting some dwarf juniper seeds (fingers crossed), and trying my hand at taking cuttings from my now rather large and intimidating Christmas cactus. So now back to spending some more time studying my Spanish or perhaps just giving in and reading a lovely bit of fluff until I'm weary enough for sleep.

:zen hugs: Dream well, friends...

(Oh, and the car hood still won't open, so I can't jumpstart it, so I must try to figure out how to adjust my budget to allow for it to be towed [towed, for heaven's sake!] to the Ford place just because a simple little metal hook is flat out refusing to cooperate. Les grr.)

1. Forensics Specialist (ooh! shocking! ;) )

2. Biomedical Engineer
3. Pharmacologist
4. Art / Music Therapist
5. Scientist
6. Environmental Consultant
7. Medical Illustrator
8. Television and Radio Reporter
9. Model Maker
10. Mediator


( rest of the list )

Well crap. Less than 30 minutes of watching and I'm utterly entranced by all the little characters on Meerkat Manor. And of course, the episode I see involves the pups going missing and I've got to wait nearly a whole week to find out if they've survived. Blast.

the good news? i've now lost a grand total of 45 lbs. huzzah!! (ok, so the last five pounds has been due to some not-so-fun intestinal side effects from a med change, but hey, still counts!)

the even better, truly exciting, thrill-inducing news? i graduate friday!!! :grin: well, the first graduation of two this year (TWO!! in one year!!!). as of saturday, i will be the proud possessor of an associate's degree in chemistry (and get to promptly start cramming for the last two classes i need for the bachelors :grin:).

more later, but i've got the world's sweetest pups curled up on the couch with me, waiting for me to get to bed (so i can get up early and go get fitted for my robe). :shiver: happiness. much happiness indeed.


ooh! and wilma? if i'm ever around when i actually have the chance to remember, i have a reiki-type question for you, if you don't mind. :zen hugs:

denton folk--whats this about the tomato burning?? i can't even remember what, if anything, i knew about it closing. :sigh:

brief update: did something to seriously injure my back 3 wks ago sunday, re-injured it this last weekend (:massive growl:). i now have much more sympathy for a friend who has to deal with RSD every day. at any rate, i haven't been at the computer but once or twice a week so am having a whole lot of fun sorting through all the lovely spam clogging my inbox. thppbbt.

huge congratulations and nuzzlehugs to those of you matriculating...oh so proud! :grin: and by the end of summer, i should have associate's degree in hand and be facing one last semester before my own graduation (and oh there will be much rejoicing!!).

"chihuahua" sitting for a couple of cats this next week, but they actually refused my help if i wouldn't accept payment. still seems wrong somehow to take money from friends for doing something i enjoy anyway, but let's me replenish my supply of chainmail rings and it's going to be very nice indeed to have a little extra to spend on my parents' b'day gifts.

as for the chainmail, i've got an interesting selection of neoprene and anodized aluminum heading my way that i'm GREATLY looking forward to playing with. got a good commission for a necklace with just enough detail work to keep it interesting and i'm starting to fiddle around with some simple bead and stone wire-wrapping (any advice kts??).

dogs are doing marvelously... we all had teeth cleaning a month or so ago, though they were the only ones who got to be drugged first. hmph. xio had a little nubbin removed and i've learned that absorbable stitches aren't, so i had the chance to play doctor. my cats are doing fairly well... grandparents still spoiling the boys rotten (i like to maintain the fiction that i'm still the majority "stock"holder). dulce's doing great with my dad and since emily decided to only keep brooke with her, koko has become dulce's new companion. the bad news is that as a somewhat overweight cat, he's developed a lovely case of diabetes and must now have insulin shots twice a day. :shakes head: think it's been more traumatic for his humans than for him!

worst news is that my dad's sick...has been since thanksgiving. our family doctor didn't have any luck treating it and ended up sending him to an internist in houston. the internist didn't know what to make of it and sent him to an infectious disease specialist (you can just imagine how reassuring that's been). despite weeks of various meds, no long-term improvement so now he's going to get to make the acquaintance of a neurologist. the good news is that CAT scans and MRIs have been normal, but it will be a great relief if they can figure this out, and quick.

i've got another set of bloodwork to do in order to provide confirmation of PCOS, but it's definite enough to establish the mood disorders as a symptom of the syndrome. switched one of my meds and seems to be going quite well and depending on how severe my insulin resistance is, might end up on another to help mitigate that.

ooh! and yesterday my neighbor rescued a baby bird from her dog (who was fortunately INCREDIBLY gentle with the wee thing) and in a matter of hours i had him up and flying again. :purr: much happiness.

and now i'm off again to give thanks for my heating pad, then slather myself down with bengay. (you know it's bad when the dogs don't even seem to notice the smell anymore...) hopefully i'll start improving enough soon to actually spend more than 10 min at a time on the computer, but in the meantime, 'tis probably best not to expect terribly quick replies to any emails or IMs.

dream well...

huh. i'll be durned if it isn't snowing, and rather heavily, in texas in APRIL. quite lovely, but it's gonna be a very frigid walk over to the (freestanding) garage where all of my winter coats and such are stored. but SNOW!! (and two posts in one day!! :grin:)

random anniversary for you... as of this weekend, i am proud to say i have had my tongue ring for five years (and still going strong!). only downside? have to remove it if i want to partake of a lollypop or texas-size jawbreaker.

(and no, have absolutely no idea as to how i ended up deciding to get a major piercing on easter. :sheepish grin: just special like that, i guess.)