A Dip (or two) In the Shallow End of the Gene Pool

[femkes_follies]

Some days the biggest downside to going out in public in rubbing shoulders with "the public." Now, there's a sentiment Obama's got to agree with at this point. ;-) But I'll refrain from having too much fun at his expense. That would be a little bit like sandblasting a soup cracker.



Yesterday, for example, we stopped off for lunch, as we often do whilst running our marathon of errands in Grand Rapids. Now, both of us try awfully hard not to eavesdrop on conversations around us - it's rude for starters, and generally uninteresting to boot. But yesterday, the group of people behind us were to loud to ignore. I sort of knew we were in trouble when the waitress took their drink orders. The gentleman (using the term as loosely as possible) asked for a "Bud Lite or Miller Lite, whatever you have!" When informed that both were available, he lost himself in apparent bliss in this embarrassment of riches - and asked the waitress to choose for him. *face palm*

Now, I do not drink beer. I think it all tastes like something was sick in it. Darling, however, is an admitted beer snob. As are Alaina, her husband, and one of my favorite techs. This was a bit like asking the Somelier to choose for you between Boone's Farm and Riunite.

I giggled, but figured that there are always those of questionable tastes, wherever you go. Until, in the heat of what they would undoubtedly term a "debate," one of the ladies accompanying him proceeds to declaim vociferously that Global Warming is clearly becoming very dangerous - as evidenced by last week's earthquake in Illinois!!!

Eh? Um, check your math sweetie. Yeah, carry the two....

That fault has been there for aeons - the geologic kind. It knocks out a 5.*-pointer about every 5 or 6 years. Occasionally it will go one better. Oi. Who lets these people out in public?

All this being said, I will again admit to being an elitist snob. I prefer to spend my time rubbing shoulders with intelligent people. Like most of you on my f'list. How do I know you all are intelligent? Um, you can string two words together in a coherent fashion, for starters. You actually take the time to sit and WRITE (or at least type). Your writings involve ideas, punctuation, grammar, and capital letters where appropriate. And most communicate something, even just humor and whim. Even when I don't agree with something you say - heck, you've got an opinion, and probably enough background information on the topic to hold an intelligent discussion.

I will, however, spare you the related screed on Obama in particular, and liberals in general who are so convinced that they're so much smarter than the rest of us that they should do our thinking for us. That man is a scary-a** socialist. He might even get elected. But, in spite of the golden halo and shiny wings the Left keeps trying to staple on, he's more likely be the next Jimmy Carter than the next JFK.





A few other small notes. For those of you with score cards, this week, my BP was 108/70. Gold star, again! I also think that little miss decided to drop some this weekend. I no longer have feet crammed uncomfortable into my ribs - but I've also lost the ability to cross my legs and developed a lower back ache that I suspect will be with me for the duration.

Tuesday is hospital tour time. I'll try not to drive the poor woman nuts. But I'm going to back out on any trips up to see the NICU. Seen it. Up close. Not going there again by choice. Tom (my OB) has also come to recognize that I have an entirely different set of anxieties than the average woman. Labor? Bring it on. What will I need? All packed. My mind tends to circle around the propensity for disaster - A repeat case of HELLP syndrome, full blown eclampsia, placenta accreta, uterine rupture. He asked if I'd like to change my mind and go with a scheduled C-section. Um, no. For starters - the list there is just as scary - excess hemorrhage, damage to the placenta, since it's got an anterior attatchment, additional scar tissue or emergency hysterectomy - secondary to either the first surgery, or the gall bladder/liver surgery that followed.... What can I say? The problem here is that I'm overeducated, and underexperienced. So I have no basis for comparison or likelihood. And what little experience I DO have was uniformly bad. He's just going to have to put up with the neuroses.

On another (very distantly related) note, April is Autism Awareness month. Whilst I will still dig in my heels and deny that the Muffin fits the classical definition, I will attest that she has benefited extraordinarily from research on coping with and educating these kids. And that increased awareness does make my life somewhat easier and the general public more understanding. For that alone, I direct you to them if you're looking for a current cause celebre'. Just spare me the vegan/gluten free diets and suggestions for a heavy metal detox, KTHNX.

Comments

[ablackram.livejournal.com]

Glad you had some quality time with the honey and the muffin. Never fails you get some dingy who just has to think they are cute/intelligent/funny in a public place. Which is why we will NEVER be eating with Dane or Holly R again if I can so help it. An intelligent ass you don't need either. He's Mensa so whatever he thinks is gods truth (yes that's god with a lower case g as he thinks he is better than an allmighty being deserving the big G)

On the other hand, catch the last Dr Who on Sat? Not bad in my little world of Whovianism. :) I know, but not scared by Blink. Interesting yes, scary not as much.

Hung around with your sis for a while at CAV. Forgot my project in the car. Sigh. Was told I was teaching twice by the autocrat who if he tried harder probably couldn't screw up a well oiled event more than he did.

[femkederoas.livejournal.com]

On the other hand, catch the last Dr Who on Sat? Not bad in my little world of Whovianism. :) I know, but not scared by Blink.

I liked it. Much better than Torchwood, but then, that's a perennial sort of thing.

Good talking with you, and again, good luck on Tuesday!

[tashadandelion.livejournal.com]

I'm with you for the digging-in-the-heels against shoehorning our kids into a giant blanket 'diagnosis' that covers everything from socially awkward to near-catatonia. And, I too am grateful for all the awareness, research, and early-childhood intervention now available to help kids with developmental issues of all sorts. My own boy has been benefiting tremendously. I'll point out that my son gets great services free through a state program (and will again when we get to NJ, knock-on-wood). Does your daughter?

As for Obama, well, you probably already know we're on opposite ends opinion-wise there, but I'm okay with that if you are. :^) I too prefer to spend my time with smarty-pantsers if I have a choice.

[femkederoas.livejournal.com]

Within MI, it's more County by County. The state dictates a minimum level of services, but anything beyond that is up to the County. Lucky for me, this County puts a huge priority on special services. I think it's largely because of the demographics. First, there's a lot of money around. Second, there are a lot of older couples who've been through the whole fertility thing - which raises the rates of prematurity, and thereby special needs.

Anneliese gets her full eval next month. I'm guessing that the recommendation to put her in the ASD room at a nearby elementary school will remain unchanged. I don't think she's ready to be mainstreamed, by any means. But she's come far enough to manage partial inclusion during the day.



As for Obama, well, you probably already know we're on opposite ends opinion-wise there, but I'm okay with that if you are. :^) I too prefer to spend my time with smarty-pantsers if I have a choice.

*g* I try not to fall into the trap of assessing intelligence in other people based on whether or not they agree with me. Of course we can disagree. Part of it is natural cynicism. Part of it is Darling rubbing off on me. There's a lot of the down-at-the-heels aristocrat about him. Both of us have a knee-jerk reaction to social programs. He describes us as much like poverty-stricken Southern gentry - Too poor to paint and too proud to whitewash.

I do find it interesting from a psychological perspective that we both started out as moderate republicans. And life experience has led you strongly toward more Socially liberal things. And I get more Libertarian as time goes by. ;-) On particularly trying days, I end up just short of a practicing social Darwinist. I wonder why that is?

[turdoken.livejournal.com]

WOW. I'd just give good money for a moderate, centrist presidential candidate myself, but the special interests wouldn't so here we are! In my state its also patchwork of social services too, though its mostly determined by what counties the affluent suburbs are in more than urban/rural issues.

"Too poor to paint, too proud to sell" was what it was in Charleston. Is Darling a southerner? If not, my experience has been that Professional status and social graces determines potential membership in the gentry. But your skill in mixing compliment with derisive commentary is the true hallmark of gentle birth and upbringing nowadays. The more subtle, the more refined you are. My aunt always said it was "a certain distanced elitism mascarading as egalitarianism that passes as polite manners here".
OTOH, I've never found a place where intelligence wasn't appreciated, even if crippled with Mensa obtuseness! I hear the hieght of rudeness at one of those meetings is asking about the atendees mundane careers! Maybe thats an uban legend though?

[femkederoas.livejournal.com]

Politics is not about choosing the best candidate, but rather choosing between the unpalatable and the disastrous.

My husband is actually English aristocracy on one side (Barony in the North Riding of Yorkshire - right up until Culloden Field), and The great-grandson of the former head of Johns Hopkins hospital on the other. The English side became gentlemen farmers in IL. Well into the 1000's of acres. His uncles still farm it. But they were on the other side of the War - he still has the Union cavalry saber. Though time spent in the Deep South whilst in the Corps certainly rubbed off, as well.

My family is more firmly peasant stock. But the last two generations have been more prone to what my grandmother terms "overeducation." ;-)

I find egalitarians make the transition to aristocratic society just fine - so long as they get to be the aristocrats. *eg*

[turdoken.livejournal.com]

Yeah, my aunt that married far south was pretty much from farmers, tradesmen and merchants too. Her hubby, "The Colonel" (retired as a Full Bird) was Upcountry Carolina "gentry" if such was ever the case! He was quite a charmer and definitely a southern gentleman in all ways. Americans are mutts in generral and I apply the Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon to us all in most subjects!

[albreda.livejournal.com]

I'm 27 weeks pregnant, and just signed the forms saying we'd like to try for a VBAC. After the psychological mess that was my C-section with the girls, labor sounds great! I was more than a little disturbed to read that if we go for a VBAC, and I end up needing a C-section, that section will be riskier than if I hadn't tried for VBAC first. :(

Just FWIW, when I had my twin girls, they both had anterior placentas, and that was no problem at all, apparently. Good luck, however it goes!