A Sad Realization

This time last year, my great aunt and Alan's Aunt Judy both took sick. My aunt, much older, passed within months of finding out she was ill. Aunt Judy was with us one year and, at the age of 56, died last Monday.

Supposedly, my aunt left me some money. She also used her final testament to show each of her family members who she thought of very much and who she didn’t think of at all.

Aunt Judy, as far as I know, didn’t leave her extended family anything. But she did leave friends and relatives with a sense of gratefulness of having known her, of loss for having to part with her so soon. Aunt Judy did leave me with her beautiful stash of yarn and I feel honored indeed.

So from one aunt I have some money and a feeling of betrayal, from the other a collection of yarn and a sense of being loved.

This has taught me something about dying well.

I’d rather pass on leaving my family and friends with the knowledge that without a doubt, with all my being, I loved them and thought well of them. Alan received nothing material as a result of his aunt’s passing but I don’t think he wonders for a second how much she loved and respected him. I’d rather be in his shoes any day.

Bored

I'm bored with my blog, and I think everyone else is too. I'm taking a break for a while. Thanks to my handful of faithful readers.

I attended my first protest on Saturday. A few months ago a mother breastfeeding her child at an Applebees in Lexington was told by a waitress and the manager to "cover up" or else she'd have to leave. You may read about the incident here.

So a bunch of us gathered outside the said Applebees to rally for our right to breastfeed in public. I was encouraged to see the diversity among the hundred or so people in attendance. We held up signs for the oncoming traffic to read (from "Its hip to nip" to "How did Mary feed Jesus on that Holy Night?" and "Don't eat at Applebees, eat at Mom's"). Many mothers nursed their children on the grass behind the sidewalk. The atmosphere was calm and friendly, even when we were flipped off by a young guy and screamed at that we were immodest by a twenty-something woman who was, ironically, scantily clad.

Our point was that breastfeeding is not indecent, breasts are not primarily sexual objects, and that the state has graciously and clearly given breastfeeding mom's a law that needs to be upheld.

A good first protest for me. (A thanks to my mother for nursing me, to Alan's mom for nursing him, to our fathers for supporting them, and to the family and friends who were comfortable enough with their bodies to breastfeed in front of us so we'd know it isn't weird. You are all an inspiration.)

A Point of Contention

Now I've tried my hardest to enjoy living in the Bluegrass. For the most part it has been a good experience; even all the quirky little things about the people here (like big, shirtless men mowing their lawns and the ever famous expletive "Aw sheeeit") are reasons to laugh, not get angry.

There is one point of contention, however, I take with the folks of the greater Lexington area, and that involves emergency vehicles needing to get where they are going.

To all you stubborn drivers in Jessamine and Fayette County: Get out of the f*cking way!

I have never ever ever seen people so resistant to move to the side of the road to allow ambulances and fire trucks to pass. Even people riding rush hour home on very crowded New York and New Jersey highways usually have the ethical fortitude to pull over or move when they see flashing lights.

It just happened yesterday when Alan and I were driving into Lexington. The looks on people's faces? Most of them seemed to be trying very hard to ignore the lumbering, flashing, screaming fire truck attempting to squeeze through the paltry space they'd made on the road while others just sat there in their cars, not moving. I was up on the curb trying to let it by for God's sake! What else could I do? If it was my house burning or my husband having a heart attack I'd want a rescue crew their as quickly as possible.

I know we are all selfish and many people don't give a rip about anyone but themselves, but this is appallingly misanthropic. And for only having one major complaint about where I'm living, this one is pretty bad.

Umm....

I sat down to write an entry. I know that just the other day something came up and I said "Oh yeah, I've got to post on my blog about that." Now, do I remember what that thing was? No. I really am convinced that my body is so busy building a baby it has no time to maintain my brain. And this isn't some flakey excuse for being lazy! I truly cannot find the information I need when I reach for it in my head.