Pregnancy, What is It Good For?

Pregnancy, what is it good for, I ask? You're bone-tired (yet can't sleep for more than two or three hours at a stretch), nauseous and/or puking day after day for weeks, crazy-thirsty, and even if you haven't gained much (or any) weight, nothing fits right because you've magically changed shape somehow.

This kid better be awesome.

Mercy, Justice, and the American Way

I live in Arizona. This should not be news to any of you. Arizona has grown increasingly conservative during my three years here. It's more of a libertarian kind of conservatism, than say "no liquor sales on Sunday" kind of conservatism. One of the hottest issues (as far as number of bills presented in the legislature) is illegal immigration. This is the result of geography, economics, and the Senate President Russell Pearce (R-Mesa) having made combating illegal immigration the sole issue of his entire legislative career. His latest proposal requires hospitals to check patients' immigration status and notify federal authorities if legal status cannot be proven. Hospitals could deny admittance based on status except in emergency situations. (In emergency situations, hospitals would check status after treatment.) The hospitals are opposed to the bill, citing concerns over public health and demands on already-strained staff. Basically, nurses have better things to do with their time than check passports and everyone loses if a person with TB doesn't seek treatment or children don't receive immunizations.

Throughout all the illegal immigration bills is the cry of justice. These people knowingly break the law, a law created for very good reasons. Countries have a right to secure borders, to know who is coming and going and what is being imported and exported. I'm not stupid, I know there are some very bad people regularly crossing the border and there are some very bad things coming (drugs) and going (guns). Private property is being trespassed on. There are many who immigrate legally, despite hardship. Surely, it is just and fair to punish those who knowingly break the law.

But should justice not be tempered with mercy? Judges take mitigating factors into account at sentencing. The whole theme of Les Miserables is that the blind pursuit of justice at all costs ultimately destroys the pursuer. The 1999 Nobel Peace Prize went to Doctors Without Borders, an international organization guided by the belief that all people deserve health care, regardless of race, religion, or political affiliation. Could it not be that in the particular case of hospitals, that it is not in the interest of society to pursue justice? That--perhaps--the moral high ground, the American way, if you will, is to let doctors do their jobs and to let ICE do theirs.

Unfortunately, I fear that Sen. Pearce and like-minded politicians are utterly blind to anything but the pursuit of justice. In their world of absolutes, they would burn down the city to catch a petty thief. Whether you destroy a society in the name of upholding its values or tearing them down, the result is still the same: a pile of rubble and ashes.

All right, I'll get off my soapbox now.

Leo, the Wunderkitten

Here's a couple of videos of Leo playing fetch. In the first one, he actually catches the dart in mid-air and looks pleased with himself. The second shows off his acrobatic talents. I really do think Leo thinks he's a dog. He plays fetch, gets into the garbage, tries to drink out of the toilet, likes to sleep on you, and tries to steal food off your plate. He is curious, adventurous, and especially fearless! We're going to have to buy a garbage can with a lid because he just won't leave it alone.

Anyway, enjoy the clips.

Leo

So, I see you've been holding your comments hostage until I post the long-promised pictures of the new cat, Leo, up. Fine. I give up, you win.

This is Leo. He is a oddly colored ginger tabby. His little stripes are more white than orange and his dark stripes are more red than orange. I should get a picture of him next to a normal ginger tabby so you can compare.

He was my Christmas present from Paul. We got him just after the holidays from the Humane Society. I thought he would be a good match for Piper since he came from a home with lots of cats and I felt sorry for him since he was supposed to be adopted with his brother, but his brother was missing. He had an kitty cold and ear mites, but a visit to the vet cleared both up. He hated his antibiotics, but I am a skilled cat wrangler.

Miss Piper hated the interloper with a passion, but she has slowly warmed up. They will now chase each other around the house and tolerate each other within six inches. Leo keeps trying to play wrestle with Piper, but she has not taken kindly to his advances so far.

Christmas Part II: Make Up Your Own Witty Title, I'm Tired

Here is the exciting conclusion to Christmas. After we returned from Disneyland, we went in search of a tree. I had looked before we left but Walmart and Target were sold out. (Who know that was even possible?) We prefer real trees anyway, but that wasn't working either. I had finally given up and resigned myself to a paper tree stuck to a wall, when we went to Trader Joe's for last-minute snacks. What were they selling? Miniature pine trees? Why, yes they were. I also remembered that this is what we did for a Christmas tree last year too. We decked it out in lights, but the ornaments I bought were apparently extra decorative because they didn't have any place to attach a ribbon! Christmas Eve, we ate delicious Turkey and Wild Rice Soup and snuggled up to watch many a Christmas special on TV. I don't know about you, but I love all the old stop animation specials. It's just not Christmas without Charlie Brown and his little tree. (Which can be purchased from retailers for $29.99, Linus' blanket is extra. Yes, my head exploded when I saw it too.) With visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads, we went to sleep.

And awoke to many presents! It was a nice blend of surprises and wished-for gifts. Paul got books, video games, and CDs; while I got clothes, jewelry, and the most beautiful cordless drill and bit set. It's so lovely, I'm a little hesitant to use it. (Just kidding, it's because the second bedroom is a mess. What is it about the holidays that makes houses extra messy?) I also got a second cat for Christmas, but he'll get his own post in a few days. Apparently, there have been requests for pictures. Here's a picture of Paul looking enthusiastic.

Christmas dinner was standard fare: pork steaks, vegetable tray, rolls, and holiday punch. We ate pretty late, but the sad truth of being a grown-up is that there is nothing inherently special about Christmas. Christmas only feels special if you do something to make it special. (This probably doesn't apply if you have kids. Though you're still the one doing all the decorating, gift-wrapping, and cooking. Oh, and the clean up. Man, what is the upside of being an adult again?)

Anyway, we had a very happy Christmas and hope all of you did too.

Christmas Part I: The First Part

For a few days before Christmas, we went to Disneyland with Paul's family. It was very bad weather, but it made the lines very short so it was okay. We only had to wait ten minutes for Indiana Jones! I'm pretty sure we spent more time walking into rides than we did waiting. Here's Paul and I outside of Small World. It's extra fun in at Christmas with all the lights!

At night we went to Medieval Times. It's a tournament of knights/medieval feast extravaganza. There were a surprising amount of horses involved. It was very cheesy but fun and the little kids in the audience really seemed to enjoy it. (I noticed a lot of birthdays in the 7 to 10 range.)

Day 2 was mostly California Adventure. Paul, Nick, and Dan rode the big rollercoaster three times in a row because the line was so short. I watched and rode the carousel. (There's never a line for that.) We also did Soaring over California, which was nice but also a little scary. (You're swooped up and forward into the screen. You're probably only five or ten feet off the ground, but it feels like more.)

Paul's family left and Day 3 was just Paul and me. This was a special gift and it was wonderful! It was so nice to have a day to do just the rides I wanted. Paul's family is good sports, but I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who wants to ride Winnie the Pooh. We did all of Fantasyland (except Alice and the Teacups which were closed due to inclement weather) and rode the Matterhorn and the carousel and lots of other fun rides.

Overall, if you can visit Disneyland when it's raining, you should! Especially when it's been raining for days and people have become soggy and discouraged. Just bring ponchos. And extra shoes. You're going to go through a lot of shoes.

Return of the Shaggy Dog

Many of you will know that Paul hates getting his hair cut. He hates that he has to give up some of his free time to a chore, and he especially hates that he has to pay money on top of that. So he puts it off as long as possible. And then he delays another 4-6 weeks until his hair looks like this:

You can't really tell from the photo, but his hair is so long that he has combed it sideways behind his ears. It was past his nose if he didn't slick it back. That was Paul's company Christmas party. I had been increasingly vocal about Paul's hair and threatened to cut it myself. He upped the ante by encouraging me to do it. So the rhetoric escalated until I did. And it looked awful in a way words cannot describe. Here's a picture of the best-looking part: the front.

There was nothing even, level, or aesthetically pleasing about it. It was so bad that even he conceded to go to Great Clips and get it fixed. I don't know how the girl did it, but she even managed to erase a nick which I thought was too deep to fix. Here's a picture after it was fixed:

That's not the best photo, since it's a bit blurry and it was raining, but you can see she had to take it very short. Still, I think important lessons--even perhaps life lessons--were learned all over the place.