Thursday, July 26, 2012

Finding the Words...

Last Friday was my 29th Birthday (again).  No big deal, it was nice, I received some lovely gifts and phone calls; I felt loved and enjoyed my time with family.

Last Friday a very sick man killed many people in a movie theater in Colorado.

I've been trying for several days to work into words my thoughts and what I wanted to say about this horrible tragedy.  I've been struggling to avoid discussions of gun control and gun ownership because I don't think that's entirely it.  I have been saving a post titled The Seven Stages of Gun Violence by one of my favorite writers, Jim Wright, because I thought I knew what he'd say and I knew it would be good and I didn't want his words in my brain before I had my own there.

Last night I was enjoying dinner with friends from book club, and as we were waiting for Ms. Sallie to arrive discussion came around to this topic.  I finally got out that this man, this James Holmes, was so very sick, so clearly in need of mental health services and that I wished that this was a major talking point rather than gun control and this stuck with me as a starting point for what I wanted to say.

This morning I clicked over to Jim's blog and read his Seven Stages of Gun Violence and right there at the top he had a quote from another great blogger and news person:

It is easier for a crazy person to get an automatic weapon than healthcare in America.                                             - Shannyn Moore, Moore Up North


And that was it, those are the words I'm trying to say.  This man, this very clearly sick man, found it easier to acquire a very large number of very dangerous weapons than to get the mental healthcare necessary to help him see that this cache of weapons and whatever his plans to do with them wasn't a good idea. 

Now all my conservative friends (do I have any? is that crickets I hear?) are going to start with "Oh there goes that crazy liberal lefty Amanda starting in on Obamacare" and I'll just stop you right there and say no, that isn't it.  That's part of it, yes.  I do think that everyone should be able to get medical care if they need it, especially in a country with the resources that ours has.  But the brain is complicated mess of wiring and chemicals and we don't come close to understanding it but we should do a better job as a society of helping each other. 

I got to wondering, and maybe we'll someday learn, did James Holmes not have a single friend who thought that his obsession with weapons was a bit extreme?  Did no one think that some of the things he'd recently said weren't totally batshit?  Did not one person think to themselves, "gee, James is more than a little off lately, I think I'm going to just ask him if he needs anything or if he wants to talk, or if I can help him find the phone number to a mental health professional?"  I know that we're in this weird world of put it all out there on the internet but then don't talk to each other face to face, but I'd like to think that if the chemicals in my brain went totally off the rails that the person I drink coffee with every morning would say "Hey Amanda, something seems a little off.  Are you okay?  Can I call your husband?  Can I do something to help?"  Because having head to toe kevlar when you aren't in the military or police forces isn't normal.  Booby trapping your appartment with bombs isn't normal.  Weapons aside, a total obsession with any particular thing, but yes violence in particular, isn't normal.  If you became totally enthralled with unicorns, as awesome as unicorns are, and started filling your home with all things unicorn and talking all things unicorn, I think I'd ask you if you were okay and I'd maybe try to get someone who can help involved.  And if I live in a world where people turn their heads at that or DO think it's normal, then I think we're going to have a lot more incidents like the one that happened on July 20th.

In short, more medical and human intervention, less ability to obtain weapons of mass destruction.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Mommy Rules...There Should Be Some

If you've ever wondered how I feel on your average day hop on over and read The Mommy Rules by Shauna Glenn.  I could have written each of them, especially number 4, definitely number 4. 

Before clicking the link, finish drinking whatever you have there or it's going to come out of your nose.  I love my kids but,  jesus mary and agnes I'd just like them to leave me alone sometimes. 

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Meet Our New Friend Lizzie...

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We're lizard-sitting this week. We've done a lot of research and hope we don't do any damage while she's with us. I'm a little nervous about the cricket situation but I'm hoping I can get over it. 

Lizzie is a bearded dragon, that's her in her travel carrier up there with Zack.  She wasn't super impressed with the drive, but she did okay.  We unloaded her tank and all her goodies last night and then...she didn't move.  Not once was she in a different spot from where I placed her that evening until I checked on her this morning.  If we're playing statue, she's winning.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Settings Help...

I've seen a lot of hate over the past month for the new Blogger interface but I haven't been blogging so I just ignored it.  Now I'm writing again and my blog looks like crap and hell if I can fix it.  WTF Blogger?  Do any other wise Bloggers out there have a fix?  Oddly enough, the blog looks just fine on my iPad.  Are they jacking the settings to make it more user friendly to everyone else and leaving all the PC users back in the stone ages?

WAH!  Help!

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

One Step Forward Nineteen Back...

Last week one of my FB acquaintances was asking for info on taking prednisone and whether the side effects were worth it for a sinus infection and I was all "btdt no biggy" and everyone else was all "Noooooo prednisone = scary shit".  Then the very next day I went to the podiatrist because I have achilles tendonosis and achilles tendonitis (see also - my body hates me) and she put me on a prednisone taper for twelve days to reduce the inflammation.  I thought "oh hahaha I was just talking about this".

Then all this week I've been a crazy ball of anxiety who can't breath and can't sleep and can't function and finally today I said "hmmm, I just wonder if that's a side effect of the prednisone" and I hit up my bff Google and wouldn't you know that there are 1,001 articles about how prednisone will jack you up if you already have anxiety issues.  It figures.  I seriously cannot solve one problem without causing another.  Now I'm mid-taper and you can't just go off this stuff, you really do have to taper.  SO, even with my phone phobia I had to call my doctor and beg for more xanax which I just swore to him I didn't need anymore.

Let's file this under - Amanda Is Still As Crazy As Ever

Smooches,

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Dress Up...

If I don't start talking STAT it's going to be awkward next week when I blast you with pictures of Skyler as a flower girl/junior bridesmaid.  I can't wait.  My sweet girl is so excited to reprise the role she previously played for her Aunt Jessie in 2007.  Remember:





This weekend Sky has the honor of being in the wedding of one of her favorite people in the world, her second grade teacher Melissa.  The dress is fit, the shoes are bought, we're choosing hair styles, and getting nails done.  It's such a fun Mommy/Daugther time and the best part is that I'm not in the wedding in any way so I have no stress, I can totally concentrate on watching Skyler have a wonderful time.

This whole process wouldn't be complete without Skyler's expert opinion on weddings in general.  She's decided that for HER wedding she will wear a short dress something like this but with some colored layers underneath:



Then she has big plans for everyone to wear her favorite shoe, converse all-stars, except that last I heard they had to be all different colors and neon.


And finally, she intends to make her own duct tape wedding flowers:



You're going to want to stick around for awhile to see how that turns out.  In the meantime, I'm just looking forward to seeing my beach girl all dressed up.




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