Wedding Weekend

I'll get the sad news out of the way first, then talk about all the fun stuff.

Q-tip wasn't around Sunday or Monday and I was starting to get worried because she's always around the house, hoping to slip in the door. Last night she drags herself up the front steps and she's all beat up. Her face looked funny, the right eye mostly swollen shut, cut at the tear duct is pussy, she's not closing her mouth... She sniffed at some food and took a lick or two of water and later some milk but not much; all she seemed to want was loving and to curl up somewhere soft. This morning she demanded attention. Her right eye was now open but obviously badly infected and so was her mouth. (WOW is that some seriously bad morning breath, btw.) She didn't protest one bit when I put her in the car or when we got out at the vet's. On top of the infection she had lost weight, was very dehydrated, and her jaw was broken. (The later probably the primary cause of the former two.) After talking to the vet and considering her age (about 14), I had her put down this morning. If she'd just come home Sunday maybe she'd have been alright. She was such a sweet kitty and her lack of grooming meant she didn't make me itch much. I'll miss her but she had a good life.
OK, done with the sad stuff.

Saturday my nephew got married. OMG, they are all (my nieces and nephews) so grown-up! The bridal couple looked very happy and in love. I managed to not actually bite my tongue or massively roll my eyes when the preacher read and talked about 'man being the head of his family the way Christ is the head of the church...' (I think it should be an equal partnership, regardless of what Paul wrote nearly 2000 years ago.) It was a nice ceremony. The only thing I really would have changed about the reception was the location; the room was too small. The groom's cake was deliciously sinful. The bride seem very sweet with, maybe, a feisty side. (The only problem I see there is that her father's name is "Rob" and we don't need any more Roberts in our family*.) And while I would never wish a baby on a pair of newlyweds they have several months to get used to being married and get settled a bit before my grand-nephew is born. After the wedding, we met at my SIL's parent's place for dinner, my family and hers, which was, as usual, very nice. Lulu, also as usual, cooked a fine meal and Sally made some wonderful brownies served with strawberries and real whipped cream. I was actually chocolated out after that. Then my bros, SIL, niece, and 2 nephews went to Nana Funks (in Lakeview (?), on the recommendation of the bartender at my big brother's hotel). NF has, I believe, the smallest dance floors I've ever seen but we cut a rug and had a good time. I think my nephew's were a little embarrassed by us but they stayed at our table. I decided to sleep at my brother's because after riding back to their house (and my car) the thought of driving almost 1.5 hours home was not appealing.

Sunday was Pentecost and we sang some pretty music and the choir is off all of June. (Yay! no rehearsal tonight!) Later I took Honey to the river for a quick walk and swim. Apparently the river is much more fun than the pond in our yard. Monday was a holiday, too. Officially it is Jefferson Davis' birthday but I was celebrating National Go Barefoot Day, which is appropriate because I stepped on some of glass in my kitchen despite not having broken a glass in months, and may still have a sliver in there. Alternative celebrations for Monday are:

International Children's Day
Festival of Carna (either one works)
Discovery of the Magnetic North Pole
First recorded batch of Scotch Whiskey
the release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band
Birthday of Marilyn Monroe, Andy Griffith, and Morgan Freedman
Death of James Buchanan, and Helen Keller
(all from the June 1st Wikipedia entry)

So other than the glass and being worried about Q-Tip, it was a good weekend.



*We had 3 RTMs there (Jr., III, and IV/father, brother, nephew); I also have an uncle and several cousins named Robert. At a family reunion if you say "Bob" a quarter of the men turn around.

Public Service Message #69

Warning: This post may contain graphic descriptions of anatomy, sex, and "bad words." If you are easily offended don't read it.

A few weeks ago, I was hanging out with LS, her boyfriend, and some of their friends. One of the guys started talking about a friend of theirs (or at least known to several of the people there) whose recently-ex-girlfriend was "crazy." The primary examples given as proof was that when told to get off/up she would clamp down hard and stay put until the shooting match was over. It sounded to me like this couple were using the "pull-out" method of "birth control" (birth control is in qoutes because it is only birth control in the very loosest of definitions). I looked at LS with concern, she shook her head. I took this to mean that she didn't approve, either. (There then ensued a short round of comments on whether it was ok to just watch a girl spit or if you had to be sure she swallowed to be safe from fatherhood. I don't think I'd been in that crude of a conversation since high school.)

If you are considering useing the pull-out method as part of your no-baby plan, please read the following explanations as to why it DOES NOT WORK!

First of all, even if all goes as planned and 'coitus' is 'interuptus' there is no garuntee that one is safe from pregnacy. Pre-ejactulatory secretions (commonly referred to as "pre-cum") can contain sperm. Additionally, sperm deposited outside the vagina, perhaps on the labia, can make the journy up to the egg. (This is why "dry-humping" is not completely safe) Early withdrawal does almost nothing to protect from disease, as many disesase cuasing agents can be in the pre-ejaculatory secretions, as well.

Secondly, pulling out is hard to do. In my (admitadly limited) experience the last thing the guy or girl wants to do is pull out at the penultimate moment of sex. The instinct is to drive it home (forgive the image). (The more sperm deposited as far into the vagina as possible, raises the chances that one will make it to the egg.) It takes a lot of control on the part of the man to not only know when he is about to ejaculate but also be willing and able to pull out. It isn't easy on the woman either, she doesn't want him to pull out (her instincts are the same). Obviously, a more experienced man is more likely to sucessfully pull out before ejactulation than a younger, less experienced one, but see point #1. Unfortunately, young and less experienced men and women are more likely to believe this method will work and use it, instead of going to the drug store.

There are several proven, easy to use methods of birth control. Birth control pills are very reliable, as are condoms, and there are other methods that work well, too (diaphrams, sponges w/ spermicidal gel, and IUDs come to mind). Please, for the sake of your future, don't be stupid.

If you are going to have sex use condoms or birth control pills.

Better yet use both.

Birthday(s)

Mimi Smartypants was writing about her experience on the bus the other day. A young mother didn't know what day her child was born because "he was born real late at night..." (Yeah, I'd have snickered to myself, too. Come on, it's like the second or third most obvious (and often asked) piece of information about your child. Sex, age/birthdate. That's what everybody asks.

But it reminded me that I did have two birthdays. Sort of, really not just multiple birthday parties in the same year. This is really Mom's story (I don't have a clear memory of all of this and wasn't present for some) but she's not here just now. You will have to deal my imperfect memory of family stories.

I was born premature and the docs spent a weekend trying to stop labor. (Yes, she was in labor for ~72 hours.) When Mom's body decided that I was going to go, no matter what, it was pretty late on Monday. But I liked it in there (warm, snugly, private - what could I ask for?). So they had to do a C-section . Mom was out cold. First cut wasn't big enough, so they cut the other direction. (She bears a literal cross for/from me.) Mom starts hemorrhaging; I'm losing blood; my lungs collapse.They wheel me out and transfer me to another hospital with a NICU and patch Mom up. An exciting time was had by all.

(Now the part I'm not sure I remember correctly but it makes a good story) By the time anyone got around to writing up a birth certificate it was well into the next day and that was the date written down. Dad knew when I was born because he got to see my wheeled by (I opened my eyes and looked at him and he knew I was a "keeper") and that was before midnight. Later my parents went to the court and got my birth certificate corrected. Because, damn it, I'm a Monday's child fair of face not a Tuesday's child full of grace. (Right!;)

Make a long story short - there could be a legitimate reason for confusion involving birthdate. But no reason it should still linger nearly two years later. And no, my mother's never reminded me of the long hours she was in labor or the cross she bears or tried to use them to make me feel guilty.(:o) I can't believe you would think that;)