Here Comes...

Badger countdown 5/28

Wednesday is my longest, most stressful day at work.  Thankfully aftercare worked out fine, with only the usual dramatics from LB.  Once I got home, LB and Skyped with B. and then LB went to bed.  Poor baby was so tired, she almost fell asleep on the bathroom floor and then on the changing pad.  She insisted on taking a Frances book and Harry the Dirty Dog to bed.

I was cleaning up when I realized that I needed to hustle it up because it's Wednesday on TLC.  Yeah, I watch.  Christian mega-families, tarted up little girls, white folks whose class shall not be named, if TLC puts it on, I will watch.  If you are a longtime T&T watch like I am, you've noticed the class commentary of the show.  Lots of shots of railroad tracks, modest home, and working class ephemera cut with shots of thousand dollar beauty dresses and extensive salon visits.  Add in the Duggars and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and you have a pretty clear class commentary.  For TLC, class is a series of good or bad choices.  Spent all your money on Cheetos, RedBull, and pageant dresses?  Well don't come crying to us when you need a new kidney!  I'd like to see a little info box pop up next to everyone who appears on a TLC show that explain whether they have insurance, how much they pay for it, and the total cost of their healthcare.  That would be useful information about what it means to be American at this moment.  But for now, I'm still watching (and eating microwaved hot dogs and spinach) and if that makes me part of the problem, I can live with that.

Tonight I'm not watching the DNC (although that was a great speech from Michelle last night), but if you want to go a little more highbrow, you should listen to this speech by Jim Foster in 1972.  It's the first gay rights speech given at a DNC

Missing You

Badger countdown 4/28

The air here is like warm pudding, and my office was like a meat locker.  Who really cares, except that I feel like the air is too thick to breathe.  LB had a great day at daycare and was happy showing off at PT, but then she didn't get her dinner until after 6:30 and totally freaked out (like on the plane to Oregon), she couldn't get herself together and wouldn't eat until I finally pulled out the Saltines.  She was very upset when PT left, and has been very interested in saying "bye bye," and asking where people are.  I guess that is a baby's way of trying to figure out where Mommy is and when she is coming back.  Once she ate some crackers and blueberries, she felt better and we were able to move on to bath and multiple rounds of Harry the Dirty Dog.

"I am yours / You are mine"

Thanks to the  American labor movement, we had another day off today.  We started early again, and by 7:30 I was wondering what we were going to do all day.  We did the usual, walking dogs, time at the park, and exciting dog walk in the pouring rain.  Two people offered me umbrellas and one person offered a blanket, and of those offers only one had a "come closer lady because I really want to call DFYS on your damp ass" vibe.  We also spent some time looking at picture of Mommy and talking about Mommy.

Note that LB is putting a toy shark in the shape sorter

"I like to see the sun rise/ See the love in my woman's eyes"

Badger countdown 2/28

We began at 5:45 a.m..  An early morning, but not a bad morning. 

 

I could try to pass this off as Montessori, but really it was just desperation.

Goodnight!

"With so much suffering today/Why do them any other way?"

Pigtails (please ignore the poor composition of this photo)

So says Frances the Badger regarding hard-boiled eggs.

We had such a Baltimore moment last night.  I heard a helicopter, and then someone in the helicopter speaking though the public address system, so like any red-blooded American, I stuck my head out the door to see if the Revolution had indeed begun.  I'm sure "Bomb Baltimore Back to the Stone Age" could only gain voters at the RNC, but I digress.  The helicopter was police and the person making the announcement was calling out two names and telling them to "CALL HOME IMMEDIATELY."  Do they do that in LA?  Somehow I can't imagine police in any other city getting into a helicopter to tell Jimmy "For God's sake, call your mother, she's worried sick."

Aerial policing is disturbing for many reasons that are above the pay grade of this blog, but here in Baltimore it also seems like a poor financial and logistical choice.  This city is small, with endless cover, narrow streets, and  a lush canopy of foliage.  I guess I should be thankful that the powers that be aren't deciding to blanket us with a layer of Agent Orange for better policing.  In any case, I hope Darell is safe tonight and has called home.  (No Amber Alert, and no local news coverage, so I'm thinking it wasn't anything too serious).

Today is day 1/28 until our little family is reunited in Providence.  I'm thinking of B. and hoping the days pass quickly.

A VOTE FOR Question 6 is a VOTE FOR Marriage Equality

I sat down to watch the Republican National Convention tonight, but it's just Antiques Roadshow reruns-disappointing but much better for my blood pressure.  I've been musing lately about how hard it must be to be a Log Cabin Republican right now, but at least they can still party.

In local news, Maryland has finalized the language for Question 6: "The Civil Marriage Protection Act."  The language of the Act reads:

"Establishes that Maryland’s civil marriage laws allow gay and lesbian couples to obtain a civil marriage license, provided they are not otherwise prohibited from marrying; protects clergy from having to perform any particular marriage ceremony in violation of their religious beliefs; affirms that each religious faith has exclusive control over its own theological doctrine regarding who may marry within that faith; and provides that religious organizations and certain related entities are not required to provide goods, services, or benefits to an individual related to the celebration or promotion of marriage in violation of their religious beliefs."

Rather than voting Yes or No on 6, Marylanders will be voting For or Against-tricky.  So far, public discussion has seemed muted.  I haven't seen any television ads or heard any radio ads.  I don't know if that silence is due to a lack of money, or if it's strategy.  It could be that money is harder to come by during a presidential election year, but you would think people would still have plenty of money to throw at a gay marriage vote.  Maybe the anti side is hoping people will vote without thinking too hard, and the pro side is trying to run a quiet grassroots campaign that won't rally the other side.  

Marylanders for Marriage Equality still seems to be running a smart, interesting campaign.  Check out this video to see a bunch of Marylanders supporting marriage.

"AIn't Nobody Feelin' No Pain"

In the midst of moving craziness, we're trying to have some family time and prepare for a month of on and off separation.  Some stuff has been moved to the new rental, which is lovely, but I'll miss the retro elements of our current place.  However, the new place has some very nice feature: a fenced backyard that doesn't involve climbing down a rickety flight of metal stairs, a big bedroom for LB, and a guest room and bathroom on the first floor (we are hoping to have lots of guests).

 This weekend has involved a lot of work, some homemade green enchiladas (I realized I had already packed the Cuisinart, which was a problem, but managed to an old-school applesauce mill to make the enchilada sauce.  Good to know I'll be able to make both applesauce and enchilada sauce during the Apocalypse.), and this morning we'll have pancakes and bacon.  I've been making LB listen to "Marakess Express" and "Luckenbach, Texas" on heavy rotation, I'm not quite sure why, but she seems to be into it.  B. and I realized too late that we probably should have gotten a babysitter so we could go out together this weekend, but I guess we'll wait another month.

Big Shoes

Hanging out in a box.

New Kitchen

New Bedroom

New Nursery 

Getting in some quality Baltimore stoop-sitting.