Peeing Standing Up and other pleasures

While my favourite rant seems to be "why it sucks being a girl," I do think the tables have turned for the current generation.

Recently I got to rehash this subject on a gift of a 2 hr+ drive alone with just-turned-20 first child [Aside: who took my baby and left this adult in her place?].

I was dropping first-child off at Y-Camp so that she can spend the remainder of her summer (in lieu of getting a job at which she could make actual money—'cause what are parents for) doing, as cliché as it may sound, a job she loves.  Said job (for which first-child has somehow managed to write her own job description—something to do with the unforeseen benefit of being paid $200 a week for a 164 hr work week) being that of sailing instructor slash canoe-trip trail leader slash impart-er of wisdom to young teens, and especially to young girls.  The "imparting of wisdom" involves a good deal of tossing out of make-up and inappropriate clothing, confiscating of electronic equipment, and provision of general "stop whining and get over yourself " advice.  I should mention that this is a child who could pretty much live outdoors 24/7 and was seemingly raised by wolves (rather than by the geeky, citified people who are her parents).

Why can't we be friends?

It sucks being a girl.  Correction: in the generation to which I reluctantly belong, it sucks being a girl.

[This, I think, is not the case now.  I could be wrong, but by all accounts, nowadays it sucks being a guy, but that's another post.]

But. . .for my generation, it still sucks being a girl.

A few weeks ago I had this once again confirmed.  Charming husband and I were attending a funeral (for the parent of a college friend) that attracted lots of old friends from out of town.  The night, as these nights tend to do, drifted to a bar, at least for the usual suspects (meaning me and the guys—pretty much the story of my life—something to do with growing up always being the "new" girl, and being the only girl on the high-school math team, and not really ever being too sure how to be a girl, none of these situations ever materializing into what one would imagine would be a gift of an opportunity to sleep with nerdy sex-starved but eventually-to-be-cool Steve Jobs' type geeks due to the pretty much universal rule that EVERY teenage girl of my generation believed she was the most un-datable, awkward, ugly girl to ever grace the school hall [Note to parents: it is your job to ensure that girls of every generation continue to feel this way.] plus me being the only girl because all other couples we know, but charming husband and me, have young kids (hence the rest of the "it sucks being a girl" wives having to go home and tend to kids).

First Day 'o Summer

It is decidedly not summer in this here northern clime, but that is a-okay as I am on my usual roller coaster ride vacillating between reckless crazy enthusiasm on sunny days and being broodingly in my element on the dark days.


What the day promises (Sally Brompton you are damn sarcastic lately):
[Disclaimer:  I am no way and not into astrology but, 'cause I am a huge waster of time and read pretty much every thing I can get my hands on every day (and that Quaker Oat Bran Square box ain't yielding much anymore), I can't help but read the old horoscope—actually gotta read two, being on the cusp, plus one of those cusps is "those Gemini twins"—so, man, no wonder I'm messed up—and which likely, if I were a believer, explains the schizo (no PC apologies) personality.]

'Scope 1:  Steer clear of anything that might depress you today. (Yeah sure, why get out of bed and all. Wouldn't it work better if these things provided hints for the next day?)

'Scope 2:  The approaching eclipse suggests you will be tempted to take on someone who is, to be frank, out of your league. (Yeah right, that might mean encountering actual people and, btw, love that "to be frank" Sally, and, as above, why get out of bed.)

Neither prediction being quite as scary foreboding as the one for you unfortunate Taurus people: If you make changes today it's unlikely you will be able to change back again later. (You should definitely not get out of bed.)

And definitely my whole problem in life: “I might possibly be a murderer with multiple personalities but gee whiz, I just want to surf like the boys!”

from:
bbook.tumblr.com



Well obviously it's not a sunny day! Happy first day of summer.

So now that we're all feeling that post-AW twitting angst about privacy...

Sure most of us know it's not smart to make your password your spouse's/dog's/kid's first name nor your birth date, telephone number, or, duh, the word "password," but . . .  in the "be wary what you may one day be required/coerced to reveal" vein, it might also be a good idea to ensure that whatever you do choose as that all powerful "word" won't one day come back to haunt you (even if you are old now and only able to remember just the one word for all your accounts/devices).

Albeit this little tale-of-the-day is pre-RIM's BM-me crackberry and Apple's iPhone#? (for the record I'm still using my "free" sexy-slick little Samsung slider [yeah yeah, I know, but it's just 'cause I'm holding out 'til Apple releases the iSext7 and then I'm first in line]).  Plus, it, the story, takes places before we all had 24/7 wireless internet access (yes, Virginia, there was such a time).