My daughter, complaining about her brother at the dinner table: “Dad! Dad!!! He just said the black beans smell like dead beetles and now I’m not hungry!”

Yeah, and neither am I, because I just remembered our most recent road trip.

My husband enjoys spending his time as a passenger trying to identify the dead things along the road. I do not enjoy this so much.

“Coyote. Or dog. Yeah, dog.”

“Rabbit.”

“Squirrel.”

“Raccoon. Or cat. Big cat. No, raccoon.”

me: “Please. You really need to stop.”

As for live things… between Redding, Calif., and Portland, Ore., on the drive north on I-5, I counted 17 herds of sheep and 10 hawks.

Post-a-vista No. 7: Our girl, RECOVERING STRAIGHT GIRL!!!

RSG, this is everyone. Everyone, this is the RSG! There! It’s done. Now we all know each other. (I highly recommend reading through her archives — so much “there” there. I love spying on people via their archives, don’t you?)

So, Post-a-vistas!!!

If the system makes you want to “tweak,” then maybe you need tweaking!!!

Time will tell!!!

In the meantime, RSG lives with her amazingly hott girlfriend (I’ve seen pictures so I know) and RSG’s three beautiful daughters in a suburb not so very far away from moi. She goes to a lot of soccer and softball games! She has people drop by specifically because they want to fix meals for her!!! She is politically savvy and also an English major! So let’s hear what SHE has to say!!!

1. Describe your family:

My family consists of my amazing partner in life, HG and my three daughter’s who are 9, almost 11, and 13.

2. Name one thing America is doing right for parents (I, personally, would find this question “challenging.” wm):

I think the Family Medical Leave Act of the early 90’s was a good start. I believe that Oregon has just expanded this to include some paid time off but I’m not certain of the particulars. I don’t know, that $400.00 Bush sent me in 2001 was nice . . . (please note heavy sarcasm here.) I was pleased with the recent law that requires employers to provide a spot for mothers to nurse or pump their milk for their babies (that is NOT a bathroom.)

3. Name one thing America is not doing right for parents:

Let me get my list.

First: Women need to have true and honest access to information about their birth options and should be able to exercise their birth options with support from their healthcare provider; women should be active participants in their birth experiences, this is the first act of parenting. Parents need paid time off for having babies, mother’s need to be supported to breastfeed at LEAST through the first year of their babies life and hopefully beyond. All children (and people) have a right to quality healthcare. Women need to have viable options in regards to working part-time/flex-time/work from home so that they can be there for their children. Parents should be able to send their children to college without mortgaging their homes or going into debt.

4. What’s one parenting issue that really “riles you up,” makes you ready to work for change:

The birth issue is probably my biggest issue. Women are so mis-treated during their birth experiences — most of the time they don’t even realize that they are being mis-treated. It’s abusive and wrong and women need to be given back their power to birth their children the way that they want to, not the way the medical establishment thinks that they should. It’s patronizing and archaic and depleting to a woman’s self-esteem. It’s her first lesson in advocating for her child, and our society strips this from her. (Hear, hear! wm)

5. Who’s gonna get your vote for President ’08 & why? (feel free to ignore this question):

I honestly have not decided. I’ve been torn from the beginning. The “girl power” thing is what keeps me from committing to Obama — but it hasn’t been enough for me to commit to Ms. Clinton.

6. Name one thing Post-a-Vistas could do to be a better place?:

Show more boob shots, definitely. (She promises to send a boob shot later. wm)

7. What’s your fave thing about parenting?:

I don’t really like anything about it; I don’t really like kids that much. Just kidding. I love snuggling with my girls and when they tell me how much they love me. I love teaching them things and seeing them experience different parts of life for the first time. Even my oldest at 13, learns things every single day, just like she did when she was three, only the lessons are way different.

8. Anything else you think we should know about you?:

I’m a pretty passionate person who gets heavily involved in whatever project is in front of me at the time. Right now I would say that my issue is equal rights and protections for all people because for the first time in my life I am being treated like a second class citizen based solely on who I love. This isn’t right and I’m not going to take it sitting down.

Thanks for playing, RSG!!! Keep coming back, it works!

Dateline: Eugene, Oregon:

The guys won. The girls won. Two 5A state basketball championship titles for Jefferson High School, out of North Portland. Congrats, players. You rule.

Also must give a shout-out to the Grant Generals, who won their title as well, in 6A. My dad would be so happy, Paul H. is happy, and I’m happy as hell, too, for all of the kids from my neighborhood and the next neighborhood over.

Reviewed today:

Two memoirs, and a baby book. Happy Saturday to you.

xxox

WM (more…)

Wait… she’s running for City Council, not President. I am endorsing Amanda Fritz, so you will please vote for her. She is rational, level-headed, and looking out for others. She is a sincere person. Sincerely. Thank you.

WM

“Mommy, what about me? What am I, the next-door neighbor?”

— one of my friend’s kids, giving her grief

Jefferson Boys’ Basketball: It’s fantastic. Gooooooooooooooooooo, Demos!

“I’m four and I’m not three anymore!”

Good, because three is just too young to have your own cellphone.

Big ol’ congrats to the Jefferson High School Lady Demos, who beat Hermiston this evening in an exciting come-from-behind victory to become the 5A OSAA State of Oregon Basketball Champions.

Excellent job, women. Way to go, Demos, way to go… Are you looking for photos? (Thanks, Steve.)

The guys are next.

Helpful!

On a completely unrelated note, are you wondering what my Top 10 Search Keywords are? Here you go:

mommy
wacky
sex
the
rockstar
cake
girl
to
a
chocolate

Looking for “to”? You’ve come to the right place.

wm