The Architect has been off at the Idiots Camping Trip since yesterday morning so I’ve spent a lot of time relaxing and getting things done. Yesterday I went to the library to pick up some more books that I have on hold. Our library is always absolutely packed during the weekend, mostly with little kids running around and parents who don’t seem to care if their kids run around and scream.

It’s experiences like that that make me realize that I’m not quite ready to be a parent yet. I’ve had several friends have babies in the past year and it’s just reiterated that idea. I’m 24 so it’s pretty common for people to have kids around this age. All the sudden anything the friends talked about before has been replaced with talk of diapers and breast milk. Not things I really care about at this point and certainly not things I want to read about on Facebook.

I get that being a parent is a great experience and someday I hope to have that experience but I’m not ready yet. I agree that once you have children, they should be your priority. Family should always come first. I’m ready for that part but I just am not getting how once you have kids, that’s all you can talk about. Perhaps that’s part of the priority bit. I don’t get it. With the Facebook stuff, why do we have to know that you feel like a human pacifier? There are literally billions of people who have felt like a human pacifier. Why is yours a singular experience? I guess this goes with the excitement of being a new parent. Is the over-sharing a part of parenthood or is a product of all the social networking nonsense?

Going back to the library scenario, with the parents not monitoring their kiddos, it almost feels like that they feel because they have kids, they are somehow superior to those of us that don’t. This isn’t limited to the library but any other public space where parents let their kids run wild. I suppose that could be due to other reasons like the parents just not knowing what to do with their kids but I know that if I acted the way some of the kids now act, my parents would have taken a real issue with it. I dunno… this probably isn’t the best way to explain my issues but it’s what I’ve got.

I hope that eventually a switch flips and I stop being annoyed about all this stuff before I’m ready to have kids…

No matter where the Architect and I seem to go, odd things and people seem to happen upon us. On the way home from work, we stopped at the mall to look around. The Architect (who is fabulous with photography) has been thinking about getting a new SLR before we go on our honeymoon. So we went into the camera store to look at the model that he’s thinking about getting. This guy who looks like Dr. Emmett Brown from Back to the Future’s druggie brother “helped” us; helped being used very loosely. The Architect would ask him a question, there would be about a 10 second delay and then he would give a weird answer and look the opposite way of where we were standing. Very odd guy!

We stopped by one of our favorite pizza places on the way home. We got our pizza and I put some Parmesan cheese on my pizza. Then I go to put on some red pepper. The red pepper was in a regular shaker. I tipped the shaker over and the top came off and almost a full shaker of red pepper went all over my slice of pizza. My eyes got huge and then I started laughing and laughing and laughing. I have a really loud laugh and I caught the attention of the manager who was mortified about the loose shaker. He explained that some high schoolers kept coming in and unscrewing the shakers. I just thought it was funny!

Michelangelo was a turtle, named of course for the turtle of the ninja kind. We found him in the park out behind the house looking a little worse for wear. Lacey insisted we keep him and so we did. She’s a pretty soft hearted kid with a big spot for creatures of all kinds. We currently have three cats, two dogs, a guinea pig, a rabbit, and several lizards due to her big heart. I don’t mind that much; she takes good care of them and I knew that she would take good care of the turtle.

We still had the kids’ turtle shaped sandbox in the garage from when they were little. And thus, we had a turtle inside a turtle. We gathered rocks and branches and Lacey worked all day on setting up the turtle’s new home on the patio. We went to the pet store and got turtle food, a little fake pond and some sand to fill the bottom of the sand box with. She worked hard to get everything just right for the turtle’s new digs.

We’re sitting on the back porch one night when Lacey looks at me and says, “Mom, I think Mick needs a friend. He looks sad.”

Sure enough, the turtle did look a little depressed. The next day, Lacey and I walked back to the park and looked for another turtle to bring home. We looked everywhere. We looked by the creek. We looked in the tall grass. There was no turtle to be found.

“Mom, maybe we could look a little longer. Maybe in the forest?”

“Sure. Why not, kiddo?”

So we looked more. We had to have been out there for a good two hours at least when we finally spotted one. So we brought that one home and named him Donatello (Lacey loved those ninja turtles).

As she put him in the sand box next to Mick, she sighed contentedly.

“Everyone needs a friend. You know, Mom?”

“Indeed, Lace”

(55.   Something using a common cliché as a title. Mode of creation open ( 3 pts), 47.   Something in which a turtle is a symbolic centerpiece- mode of creation open- ( 3 pts))

Maisy did not want to go on a date with him. Not in the least. Her mother was able to convince her that he was fine and that it would just be good for her to get out a little more. Jim had invited her to go to the drive-in in Palmer, just about the only proper place to take a date in the entire county. One could only handle going to Holland’s Diner so many times. So the drive-in it was. That already made Maisy nervous. What if he tried to put his arm around her or worse, kiss her? Kissing Jim Bowman did not seem particularly pleasant. She would avoid it at all costs.

Mama insisted that Maisy buy a new sundress to go out in. She had determined that Maisy didn’t have any proper clothes to wear on a real date. And the sundress looked good on her; it really did. It was a shame to have to waste it on Jim.

At quarter past seven, Jim arrived. He looked okay. He was clean at least. He looked totally cock sure.  Mama handed Maisy the picnic basket she had packed for the drive in as they left. It was filled with ham sandwiches, jello salad, chips, and Mars bars. Maisy hoped that maybe if she just stuffed her face with all the food, maybe Jim wouldn’t try to talk to her too much and more importantly, would not ask her on a second date.

“So what movie are we seeing,” asked Maisy.

“I think Squid Island is still playing.”

“Oh.”

“I’ve heard it’s good,” said Jim, unrolling the window.

“Great,” thought Maisy as she remembered how much she hated scary movies.

“I brought some beer if you want to drink at the movies. It’s in the back. Coors.”

“Oh,” said Maisy, as she sat up straight and looked out the window.

“You look about as aloof as the Sphinx, Maisy Duchene! You know I’m not a bad guy, Maisy. I really like you. I wish you could at least pretend like you’re having a good time.”

“ I am. I’m sure the movie is going to be great. I love scary movies!”

No she didn’t; she really didn’t. They always made her sit on edge. She’d probably have to watch the entire thing through her fingers, something that unfortunately boys seemed to find incredibly endearing. She had heard horrible things about Squid Island. Why would anyone make a movie about killer squid any way? Better yet, why would anyone think that this was a good first date movie? She was sure that Jim figured that she would get scared and hold onto him tightly and that he’d be able to make his move then. Of course, all guys were that calculating when it came to wooing a girl. They were all the same. What if she did get closer to him? Wouldn’t he understand that she was just scared? Too many thoughts raced through her head. There was too much uncertainty in dating, that was for sure. The only thing Maisy Duchene knew for certain was that she had to pee.

(19.   Something set at a drive in, including the following words/ things: cock, squid, The Sphinx, Jello, mosquitos, Coors, Mars- Mode of creation   open-(5 pts), 52.   Something using this sentence: The only thing Maisy Duchene knew for certain was that she had to pee.  – mode of creation open ( 4 pts) )

We wait quietly

For some new beginning

A birth

A rebirth

Equally as beautiful

Totally diverging in meaning

Symbolism

Direction

We stand at the crossroads

High above anything else

Glancing at what lays before us

A birth

A rebirth

The power to reset anything

(48.   Something about birth. Literally or metaphorically. – mode of creation open- ( 3 pts) )

…. maybe you shouldn’t try to ride it.

You know, I think that there is a pretty good reason that orcas are also called killer whales. The name “killer whale” tells me that I probably would not want to hang around in their tank, just like I would not want to hang out with killer bees or killer ostriches.

Don’t get me wrong; I feel really bad for the trainer at Sea World but I think that some creatures (especially those with ominous names) humans should probably not try to train. Sure, you can train an animal but the bottom line is that they are still wild animals and still have the propensity to snap.

The killer whale that was involved in the accident yesterday at Sea World Orlando had killed before. One would think that would have warned people off of putting giant wild animals in fish tanks and making them do tricks for little fish.

A conversation I had about killer whales killing things with the Architect:

Meg: Did you hear about Sea World?

The Architect: No, what happened?

M: A killer whale killed its trainer

A: Oh wow, really? That’s crazy.

M: Not really. Have you ever seen what killer whales can do to seals? They can throw themselves on the beach and eat them!

A: Yeah, seals are like cocktail weenies for whales; very cute, cuddly cocktail weenies.

M: O_o

When you’re little, the day stretches out before you, infinite. There’s no work to be done. There’s no school to go to. Summer days stretch out even longer. Hot sun, humidity and heat combine. We had butterfly bushes next door to us. Every summer, they would bloom with their tiny delicate purple flowers. I could never tell if the flowers actually had a smell or if I smelled the heat, which here has a slightly sticky, sweet smell. I could spend hours watching the butterflies land on the bushes. Monarchs and moths together sipping the sweet nectar of the flowers, although when I was little, I thought the butterflies had the ability to actually eat flowers with very tiny butterfly teeth. Of course, I eventually learned that butterflies didn’t have teeth but at that point in time, I had to rely on only my own reasoning.

We move through life. It is a dynamic, ever changing process We dance through our different phases. We are caterpillars and then cocoons and then we eventually get to the point where we can finally spread our wings. Most of us do any way. We have our different colors. Maybe some of us really do eat tiny purple flowers with tinier little teeth instead of drinking nectar…

(35.   Learn about any particular insect- use what you learn to create something- mode of creation open ( 4 pts) , 38.   A memory/ hurt from your early elementary school years turned into art or fiction- mode of creation open- ( 4 pts) )

Be washed over with beauty

With spirituality

With strength

With faith

Find yourself amongst spires, lakes, and mountains

Stretch

You don’t need walls anymore

(16.   Something that explores the spirituality of your upbringing as it relates to your current beliefs as an adult.- Mode of creation open- ( 4 pts), 29.  Visit a place spiritually significant to you and create something in its honor- mode of creation open- ( 3 pts) )

She wore a striped green shirt tucked into faded, black jeans that were probably too tight to look good but then again, she never had cared for fashion that much. Her hair was so thick and so curly that it stuck out the side of her head like the arms of an octopus. No comb or brush could even begin to tame it. She led a solitary life and had never seen the purpose of dressing up or trying to do something with her hair. The strangers she passed wouldn’t care if she looked like an Easter lily. In fact, they probably wouldn’t look at her at all except to notice her ill-fitting jeans, which she didn’t care about.

It was a tradition to go to the bakery for breakfast on Saturdays. It got her out of the house and at least that way she could pretend like she had some sort of social agenda, something outside of Sarah. She liked being able to pretend Sarah wasn’t her only friend, simply because it made Sarah mad. Better yet, she could walk there and she needed the exercise. It wasn’t a long walk but it was something. It was nice to get out and feel the asphalt beneath her shoes as she shuffled along.

She brought a book with her. It was something to occupy a bit of time. She was reading a book called “Haley’s Comet.” Sarah called that sort of book, pornography. It probably wasn’t the most high brow reading but she didn’t care. She had a few moments alone to be exactly who she was with no pretension and there was no substitute for that

(46.   Something which incorporates the following words/ things: pornography, sink, Haley’s comet, Easter Lily, octopus, asphalt. – mode of creation open- ( 5 pts))

Every once in awhile, a legislator will take on a pet cause that just kind of makes you take a double take. Delegate Henry Heller of MD’s new pet cause would be one of those that made me just kind of say “Huh?” when I first heard about it. Apparently, Heller believes that it is imperative that Maryland ban the marriage of first cousins right away (as if the fair state of Maryland does not have bigger problems). No, no, Heller believes that this must be done right away so that Maryland may join “the enlightened world of other states such as West Virginia and Arkansas” (ooo, burn to you West Virginia and Arkansas; he just called you seemingly backwards.)

Yes, it’s been a big joke for many years that places like our next door neighbor, West Virginia ban first-cousin marriages while the oh-so enlightened state of Maryland does not. And West Virginia still gets made fun of for being the land where your immediate family also just happens to be your in-laws as well. State rivalry; you’ve gotta love it!

It is not that I’m for first-cousin marriages. I think you run a greater risk of birth defects if you do that but I think the bigger question that I have is whether first-cousin marriage in Maryland is such a big problem that we must now legislate against it. Aren’t there more important things to focus on like getting our state out of debt, creating jobs, and helping our education system?

I think a lot of times, our legislators latch on to these pet projects because they don’t have any real solutions to any of our greater problems and issues. This is the same reason that Congress tries to address things like the college football playoff system (which they did a few months ago) instead of our flailing economy and sucky (a very technical word, I know) job climate. I think that they think that at least they can say that they’re doing something and that they are trying to address things that we the people worry about and of course, they are only doing it for our good. I for one, know that I personally stay up all night worrying and stressing about first-cousins having babies together and whether or not the college football playoff system is fair or not.

Any thoughts on this? Is first-cousin marriage really a huge issue?