That's One I Haven't Seen Before

On our walk tonight in Riverside Park, I spied a RACCOON in a tree! That's right. A nocturnal animal known for foraging trash (guess that makes Manhattan his Gold Mine). Up in a pretty tall tree that no one I know could have climbed. It was dusk, an appropriate time for raccoon's to be out and about getting their breakfast, but still disconcerting considering we're in the middle of a huge city and it was out in the open. We stopped and stared, then went on about our business, like we normally do when we see anything strange in the city.

I wonder if it goes to visit it's 'Coon cousins in the country and tells them all his city stories?

Sex Ed., or Lack Thereof

Japruf wrote an interesting post yesterday (you might check it out before reading further, so you know what I'm talking about). It touched on a subject near and dear to my heart, the appalling lack of sex education to teens in school. I know this is a touchy subject, and we can go on and on about whether to preach Abstinence or Protection. But I think most of the women who read this blog (and hopefully some of the men, too) will agree that most of what we learn regarding how our bodies work, we most likely didn't learn in Health. How many of us sat in a classroom where the health class was taught by a man, and most often a coach? (I can only speak from the TX school system, so I hope those of you not educated in TX will chime in here.) It's like driver's ed....one of those classes the off-season coach gets to teach. That's not the point of this post, really, except to point out that most men don't really know how the female body actually works, so it's not really their fault that we don't learn it any sooner.

I guess my point is that whether you are on the Abstinence side or the Protection side, we can all agree that having all the information up front about pregnancy and STDs and the consequences of the choices you make is very important. I think it would help drive the point home that if you choose to mess around with sex and not protect yourself, you really are playing with fire. Granted, I think there is an age-appropriate time and place for learning this information, and I don't think my 7th grade health class would have been the best place. But, I think several of you out there would agree with me when I say that if I'd known in high school what I know now about the how wonderful and amazing 'machine' that is the female body works, and how finely tuned it has to be for everything to 'work' properly, I wouldn't have spent so much money on birth control over the past 10 years!

Another thing to point out is the fact that most of this information is a relatively recent discovery. I'd say within the last 100 years or so. Teen pregnancy is a sad but true reality, but the fact of the matter is that women have been having babies in their teens for centuries. 150 years ago, it was not uncommon for a woman to be married and have at least one baby before her 20th birthday. In fact, in certain societies, it was a social stigma to be un-wed after 20....you were deemed an old maid (the shame of it all!). Thank God we have moved past those times. But in light of the fact that kids are 'growing up' faster than ever, and have all of this information to learn and take in, we should keep up with the times and improve our methods and means of education.

Freakin' Weird

For a while now, Bubba and I have been finishing each other's sentences. Or he'll say something that I was JUST thinking and about to say. This is getting weird to me. Almost as if someone is invading my thoughts and I don't have one to myself anymore. Well, not really, but it's strange that we both have the same comment about things like...the girl walking down the street with HUGE tracks of land, or the fact that one of Bubba's Astros just made a big play in the outfield, or that we need milk from the store.

Guess that's what 5 years of marriage will do to you....make nothing you say to your spouse surprising anymore.

A Shift in Style

I walked in my office building today, and was followed by a woman who commented that she loved the dress I'm wearing. It is what you would call a 'shift' dress, not much shape, short, and very comfortable. (Not the most stylish these days, I realize that, but still. I like to wear them in the summer because they are just so damn cool....much more comfortable body-temperature wise than pants, and most men in my office would never comment on the seemingly-casual look because, after all, it is a dress.) Anyway, the amazing thing about the woman commenting about it is because it's most likely more than 5 years old, and I inherited it from my mom when she lost a lot of weight! It's still a little big on me, but in the hot and humid days of July in NYC, I don't really care that much. The woman also asked where I got it, and was shocked when I said "Gap, a few years ago." She said she thought it was a new style from Saks! Made me feel so stylish in my shift-dress.

Everlasting Gobstopper

I watched the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory last night on ABC Family. I had forgotten how much I enjoy that movie, even though I've seen it hundreds of times. My favorite part is when they first go in the 'candy' part of the factory, with the chocolate river, and Mr. Wonka sings 'Come with me, and you'll be in a world of pure imagination,' while sipping tea out of a daffodil then eating the cup when he's done. That song always makes me remember my childhood, and how much fun I had 'Playing Pretend.' I had a very active imagination, and sometimes I wonder what happened to it in adult-hood. Maybe when I have kids of my own I'll find it again.

~Sigh~

I'm at work today, on what SHOULD be a holiday, Monday, July 3rd. Not one of the 'big bosses' is at work today. Probably because they have more vacation than they know what to do with (I like to call these people Workaholics That Make The Rest Of Us Look Bad). It was so depressing to get on the [usually crowded] train today. Why do engineering firms INSIST on making their employees suffer? Not many other professionals are working today, why must we?

Bubba isn't even at work today, his firm gave him the day off because they've all been working so hard. Hmph. Guess we slackers over here at my firm haven't been. I'm sad that I don't get to hang around and do nothing with him today. Instead, I'm suffering here in boredom because I'm kind of at a cross-roads and my project manager isn't here to help enlighten me.

Oh well. In a sheer stroke of luck, I returned home from Texas to find out that we are going to have Summer Hours this summer for the first time ever! This is where you work 4 - 10 hour days and get a day off instead of 5 - 8 hour days. I've requested Friday off, so we'll see if I'm one of the lucky ones who doesn't have to take Monday (40% of each department has to be here either Monday or Friday). Either way, YAY FOR ME!!!