"Blockade Billy" by Stephen King is not for kids. Period.

It's a short story paired with "Mortality". It's bound in a small hardback volume. It has a sort of Rockwell-esque illustration on the cover. It has foul language, sex, violence, and more of those sorts of things. It is not for kids. Don't judge a book by its cover, folks. But do read this book if you like Stephen King and are over 18. I enjoyed the stories. Well, as much as I could without freaking out that my 12 year old nephew was also going to read the book. Don't worry, I called his mother and put the brakes on that. I know. I sucked all of the fun out of life for the kid, but he can read it when he's older.

Nerves

I'm trying not to be nervous about my little surgery tomorrow morning, but it's hard not to be. I know that doctors these days are such experts at what they do and I'm supposed to be able to go home tomorrow afternoon. They said it should only take about a week to recover. It's just that they are still going to cut open my body to remove something and then sew me back up. It's a little unnerving. I'm cool, though. I'll be fine.

It's a strange turn of events that makes me a little grateful for the technology that we have in this day and age. It's a little bit of looking on the bright side of things as well. Last year, I had a miscarriage. I had another one last month and that's when they found the cyst. Since there wasn't a cyst on my ovary last year when they took the ultrasound pictures at the hospital, it's a probability that I've developed this thing in the last year. It's fairly large. The doctor made a circle shape with his index finger and thumb but didn't close the circle. That's larger than a golf ball, if you ask me. Because I can't feel this thing (no nerve endings on the ovaries, don't you know) it could have continued to grow and become problematic. But because I was pregnant they did early ultrasounds and found it. It doesn't look malignant on the ultrasounds and I'm sure they'll take a look at it to make sure, but it could have been and I wouldn't have known.

I'll try to post later tomorrow or Thursday to let you all know how it went. In the meantime, my husband may tweet about it: http://twitter.com/indeeart.

Serendipity and salutations.

Mother, oh Mother

Mother. That word is such a strange power. It is also very subjective.

I was thinking of different women that I've known; different mothers.

I knew a woman once who said she hitchhiked across Arizona with all of her small children in tow to escape an abusive husband. I admired her for her bravery.

One woman I knew gave up being around her kids to escape an abusive relationship also, but she wasn't able to take her children with her. She had to leave them with their dad and was given minimal supervision because he had better lawyers. She went on with life, but her joy was gone. I really feel sad for her.

Then there are women who think that their children owe them something for keeping them alive. They think that they should be the center of the universe and that no one is as important as they are. One woman I know in particular uses the fact that she gave birth as a tool to manipulate her children and gain attention. It saddens me and angers me at the same time.

Children are a gift. My child is my greatest gift. I would show appreciation for this gift by raising her right and caring for her until I can no longer do so. If you love something, cherish it and protect it. If you love someone, cherish them and protect them.

One thing at a time

It seems that we prize multitasking and being constantly busy in today's world. I find peace in doing certain things one at a time. Some things that I believe to be best left to single-taskedness are (I know I just made up a word, but it's the best word I could think of to describe what it needs to):
(in no particular order)

• putting on socks
• putting on underwear
• drinking hot tea
• showering/bathing
• shaving
  
• reading
• writing
• operating heavy machinery, including motor vehicles
• making all' Alfredo sauce.
  
• eating a good meal
• having a conversation
• walking the dog
• playing pretend with your kid(s)
• staring at clouds

I'm sure there's more that could be added, but that's what I've thought of.