I love this woman!

Ruth Bader Ginsberg rocks. J'adore. Keep it up, sister!

Bay-Bean Soups

No, it's not some sort of hearty, stick-to-your ribs meal. It's what Little Miss S wants to wear, every day, all day. Because when we put on our bay-bean soups, we go to da beach, and we make san' cas-T-les. And 'swim' (better known as sitting in the water).

The cutest thing about this past weekend at the beach was that Little Miss S has her own definite idea as to what constitutes a 'beach', and honestly, it corresponds more closely to the actual geological-type definition. You and I, we hear beach, we think waves, sand, sea, etc. She thinks "water meets land". To LMS, beaches are everywhere, including on our back patio, where the sprinkler water has pooled after they ran overnight.

Over the weekend, when we went to the actual beach, we went to a section where the beach is very wide, so much so that a series of three tidal pools now form. The surf line became the 'big beach', and the wading pools were each a separate beach. The farthest back, which was shallowest and had been in the sun a while was the "hot beach". Then there was the "baby beach", and lastly, the cold beach. I put my chair pretty much between the reed line and the surf line, between the middle two beaches, and watched her run back and forth. She tired of "cold beach" and went to "baby beach." Then when she wanted to go to "big beach", she had to hold my hand.

She thoroughly enjoyed having my parents all to herself, and not having to share them one whit with Miss M, or my cousins. And I think my parents enjoyed that some, too.

I love summer, the beach, and bay-bean soups. :)

No, White Men, I Can Make Up My Own Damn Mind

Insultingly paternalistic. And I'd especially like to thank the NY Times for giving this story coverage. Gee, what next, Aliens in the White House? Wait, that one *is* true.

Women don't need the White Man Establishment telling them what to do about abortion. Believe it or not, we can have one, and go on to be happy and healthy and good mommies. FotherMuckers. More later. Hmph!

My funny Neighborhood

I often lamented that Mr. Mac and I were somewhat stranded in a Republican stronghold when we were living in Tampa. It was an area where the County Commissioner race often had no Dem candidate, because there just wasn't a shot at winning. I absolutely vowed that when I was able to move, I'd look into the political demographic of the area to which I was moving, and choose neighbors who are a little more like me.

This is an affluent neighborhood - most of the families are dual income homes or retirees or possibly students. But we're hippie liberals, too! In combining the two zip codes that Druid Hills crosses, our neighbors have given $53,400 to Democratic Presidential candidates compared to $2,950 for Republicans. These figures are according to the AJC's report on the level of donation by local zip codes, and they look at donations for Q1 2007.

I love my neighborhood. It makes me happy to be in a place where people think like I do, even in the midst of bright red Georgia. :)

Some days I just get tired of being a woman

I had a job interview yesterday. It went extremely well, and I had a great feeling about everything. UNTIL.... it came out that I'm pregnant.

Seems that's cause for concern for them.

I'm so sick and tired of being asked illegal questions, and having illegal conclusions made, about my candidacy for a position simply because I am female and I suffer from a condition that only affects women. It's appalling, and it's also illegal, but almost impossible to prove.

Right now, they claim they still want to check up with my references, etc. But I'm just so afraid that I've missed out, and because of something that isn't allowed to be held against me. It's a competitive world, and I know that pretext can be found to justify their decision. But damn. It makes me mad.

You want I should eat MORE?

At the doctor visit this morning, there was much tsk-ing and frowning over my weight loss. See, since my first prenatal visit, I have lost 14 lbs (18 since I got pregnant). I've not had significant nausea. They are concerned that I'm not eating enough.

Folks, I'm eating 2,000 calories per day, which is what's recommended for a pregnant lady. I'm eating good, healthy foods, and following a very generic diet.

I heard the heartbeat, and I told them about the feelings I had last week, which she said was very likely to be the baby's first kicks that I feel. And she said that everything looks very healthy with the baby.

Okay - off to get me some bacon!

Butterfly Kicks

Day before yesterday, I was dragging. So I had me a diet coke (a rare treat these days). The caffeine knocked me back into gear. AND it apparently woke up Junior Buckshot in the womb. I felt the first fluttering kicks, thumping against my lowest abdominal wall. Last night, Mr. Mac and I sat outside and played with Little Miss S, and I felt it again. This time, I was able to grab his hand, and put it over the spot where I felt the thumping, and he could feel it too. Just over 15 weeks in, 25 to go. Whew!