Dummy

I'm pretty sure I get taken for a dummy on a quasi-regular basis. Just this morning my husband questioned whether my brain was really hurting, when I claimed to have a terrible headache, as he is quite sure I lost it entirely quite a while ago. Mommy-brain? More like no brain. Blah.

But I'm a moderately educated kind of girl. Not smart enough to put my kids in daycare and go back to the world of designer suits, lattes and lunches, but smart enough. So it's obviously irritating when I'm treated like a dummy. (By someone other than my husband....that's just part of our marriage. I think we actually put it in our vows that we would tease each other relentlessly. And when I say "dummy" I say it like Joy on "My Name is Earl." See photo for inspiration.) But I digress.

We've been using the same plumbing company for all of our plumbing needs for about 5 years. Once our "guy" told me that toilets are only built to last 7-10 years and our 20 year toilet needed to be completely replaced....forget about just replacing the "hardware" as I'd requested. Um, No.

And then yesterday I was told to replace our very old (and blanket-wrapped) hot water heater for a measly $2,000. Sure! Whatever! Who needs to shop around or find out that this just might be a completely ridiculous bid. And you don't need to call your husband, he offered, we can just do it right now, while we're here fixing your leaking faucet. Thanks, you're so helpful, plumber dude.

So, I'm not a plumber, but I'm not a dummy. We'll find something that works better and possibly doesn't use up quite so much money.

And while we're on the subject, this whole thing is happening after some sales guy at the appliance store asked me if I had installed the oven racks in my brand-spankin' new, shiny, expensive, oven "correctly." They didn't fit. There was something wrong with the oven. It was replaced almost instantly once I called GE directly. But the sales guy asked if I had installed them correctly. Really? Oven racks? Yeah, I think I can figure it out.

Anyone treat you like a dummy lately?

I'm not that girl....

So, I can be a little dismissive and intolerant about ridiculous stuff. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of really great stuff to be intolerant of. Such as enormous environmental oil spills, ongoing wars, crimes against humanity. And then there's the next tier of issues like your run-of-the-mill misogyny, racism, ethnocentrism, religionism (I'm sure that's a word) and so on and so forth.

But I get real caught up in issues nowhere near as noble as these. Once, I judged stay-at-home moms. I thought, "You crazy, uneducated, unsociable creatures! Like it's so hard to get out and get your hair done! Go get a manicure! Why do you always wear the same clothes everyday! Ugh."

And here we are. My intolerance slipping out the window as I eat my words...or rather thoughts. I would have never actually said these things to a SAHM!! But I always thought them.

I got my hair done for the first time in over a year last weekend. We're getting ready for some family pictures in the next weeks and I'm thinking, "Well, I probably shouldn't wear my cargos and wife-beater in the photo...what do people wear when they go out now-a-days??"

I feel guilty having dinner with my friends a few times A YEAR!!!

I'm a wreck.

I'm a SAHM.

I even hate the acronym.

I am committed to change. My husband is going to hate it.....

Slightly Political

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, lived a young woman who used to work for a living. She got up every morning and drove downtown and went up to the Department of Political Science and worked on changing the world. It was awesome. She wore nice suits and got to brush her hair everyday and drank yummy coffee and had lunch meetings in fabulous restaurants, (what a dream!) She met with political leaders and state senators and representatives. She wrote TV scripts (and put nervous teens through make-up to prepare for the show, picture below). She went to board meetings, and spent time in-studio editing clips, and did massive amounts of research. She won an Emmy!!

(Which now collects dust as she blogs during nap time. Picture of that great night at top!! We chose to spend the evening in Kansas at our dear friend's wedding instead of the award ceremony, but they presented me with a candle during dinner until I got the real deal. Just as good if not better.)

She worked, worked, worked!! And she was so glad that she had so many amazing opportunities.

All of this hard work, which came to an end as funding ran out and the young woman decided to have beautiful kids with a handsome prince, was put forth into the world with the hope that changing the face of politics on a local level would make an impact on a national level. It was fantastic work.

And as of late this young woman, who left this life in the past and now just goes by Veronica (or V or Ronca), has felt an enormous sense of pride in the recent path of American politics. Enormous, heart-felt, cry-as-it's-happening pride.

I actually registered as a Democrat this year. I'd always been Independent and truly valued the chance to benefit from a two-party system (although a real multi-party system would be even better.) I value checks and balances and thoughtful discourse and justice for and by the people. But I had a hard time with old George W. Bush and he persuaded me to think that I had to pick a side. It wasn't his.

My work history, along with my rather liberal upbringing and personal ideology, makes me the kind of person who LOVES politics. But sometimes I get too passionate and my yelling at the TV makes Derrick laugh. So, I try to keep this under wraps, but I've realized I can't and I don't really want to. I don't make any assertions to alienate those with different views, but I can't stand the idea that conservative dogma is more American than a more balance, fair and compassionate view of real life. So, with this, I'll admit my biggest political annoyance of the week follows:

Someone I know joined a group that defends George W. Bush's presidency with the main focus being how he protected the USA from so many terrorist attacks over the past eight years. I know that complaining about this isn't profound or even slightly original, but so what, I just have to say "When does ANYONE get credit for ANYTHING that DIDN'T happen?" My husband rarely comes home from work to congratulate me on not burning the house down or sleeping with the plumber. Critics of former President Bill Clinton rarely admit that they are so very proud of all the women he didn't seduce while in office. I mean, that could be hundreds, thousands....millions!!! Good work, Mr. Clinton. We're all so proud of you.

Anyway, all this is a ridiculously long post to proclaim my pride in the new turn America might be able to take in the coming years. Here's to America. Here's to Honesty. And here's to Work. You're gonna have to work, work, work, work, work, President Obama. But I'm so excited that you have the opportunity.