My Backdoor

[gillsmarie]

Happy Birthday, sweetie!

[mayberedbird]

Had to share, because first Jill!! and second, so much awesome in one birthday wish!

[sarkastickunt]

My Saturday night doesn’t suck.

[mayberedbird]

This is coming home. <3

[msdeenyc]

7 train at 3:19am :)

Oh, and cute boy already texted me:)

[mayberedbird]

I love Ms Dee and cute boy was CUTE

[mayberedbird]

Good morning fuckers!

I have gotten about 2 hours sleep. Maybe 3 but that would be pushing it. But I’m at my dear friend’s apartment in NYC.

There will be a visit to The Museum of Modern Art to see my favorite painting of all paintings not done by Kris or Lo. Points if you know what painting I’m all excited to see.

There will be seeing a friend I have known since 4th grade.

There will be street meat, bagels, deli…there will be drunken karaoke with my awesome ladies.

There will be cheering on my friend as she runs a half-marathon tomorrow.

I’m home for the weekend! Miss Jay and the kids but I’m still going to be having a great time.

[mayberedbird]

good morning sunshine

The Doctor is missing another day of school. Looks like the not feeling well on Monday was a prelude to yesterday afternoon and last night. He was a human vomit machine. Poor Jay got to clean up the mess last night. I was at a legislative meeting about autism related bills going up before the state legislature and instead of texting me to come home like I told him he should if this happened he just cleaned it up and put the kid back to bed. I feel bad for them both.

Anyway he seems ok this morning and has been puke free since last night but he gets to stay home just to be safe.

How are you? what are you doing today or this weekend?

[mayberedbird]

P.S.

two weeks from friday I am going home to NYC for the weekend!!!!!!!!!

[mayberedbird]

Good morning sunshine

Going to school today. Monday was supposed to have been my first day back after spring break but The Doctor was sick. Today my Propaganda and War professor (who I really like) is at a conference so my first class of the day isn't until 1:15 (instead of 11). I have American Foreign Policy with my favorite professor at Mount Holyoke and then American Politics with a professor I am older than. What are you doing today?

[mayberedbird]

good morning sunshine

today I am reading about how congress (should) works, the presidency (for my American Politics class) and globalism and foreign policy (for my American Foreign Policy class). I will also spend some time on the treadmill and I am looking forward to my weekend in NYC in 2 weeks. 2 WEEKS!!!!!

What are you up to?

[mayberedbird]

Good Morning Sunshine!

The Doctor isn't feeling well, so we are having a huddle at home day hoping he will be better before Wednesday when I really have to go back to school (spring break is over and today was supposed to be first day back). I emailed in the papers that are due today and hopefully the professors will be ok with that. This is one of the hardest parts of taking care of him. He doesn't register pain and illness like other kids so I have to go by how he looks and answers to questions because he wont complain and doesn't normally say he is sick. So when he does say he isn't feeling so great I have to take it seriously.

[mayberedbird]

I hate getting spoiled. People should be more careful and less rude!!

downtostars replied to your photo:Good morning. Saw Divergent last night. I...

I just finished book one but then some asshole told me how book three ends and now I just want to reread book one and stay in that world.

[mayberedbird]

Good morning.

Saw Divergent last night. I thought it was really good. But having read the books and knowing how it turns out colored how I saw it. My friend who went with me is only on book 2 so doesn't know the end and so had a slightly different emotional take.

[mayberedbird]

Have you ever seen...

Normal Rockwell's WWII propaganda posters? I had the opportunity to see some of them in person last week. The art museum at my school (I found it so cool that my school has an art museum) has a large collection of art related to war and propaganda. They have a few original Rockwell posters. They are really large, the people in them are life size. They are just so amazing. The focus was on patriotism and family life not on the enemy the way some of the other propaganda posters were. 

There were a bunch of other posters on display for my class (Propaganda & War) and there was this frame with leaves in it. And on the leaves were pictures of victims from a massacre in Cambodia. The photographer used leaves for the printing of photos, it was incredibly sad and beautiful.

I feel overwhelmed by the level of smarts I don't feel like I have compared to the others in my classes, most of whom I am old enough to be the mother of but I am constantly impressed by my school...If you are ever in the area let me know and I would love to share my campus with you.

[mayberedbird]

Good morning!

[gillsmarie]

Given your pro-choice stance for women's health, I'm appalled by your self-proclaimed lack of respect for non-vaxers. How close minded, and ignorant of you! That's your choice, but again, this is 2014. Do some research, and maybe rethink your stance.

I’m not sure what my stance on abortion has anything to do with my opinion about vaccinations. But, I have done my research and I’ve determined that it’s about protecting the population at large. While some may view it as an individual choice, I see it as a public health issue. Measles and whooping cough are returning and from what I’ve read, there isn’t any credible evidence to link vaccinating to autism.

I don’t proclaim any expertise on this subject, so please feel free to enlighten me with your findings. If I’m ignorant, please educate.

[mayberedbird]

This really bugs me. Not Jill but the question and its tone. First off before I step onto my soapbox, Jill is not ignorant or close minded..now that that's settled...

Vaccinations and one's stance on abortion or women's health rights are not in anyway related.

When you choose not to vaccinate your kids you are not only putting them at risk but those around them. Diseases that were once distant memories are now making a comeback and the cause is parents not vaccinating. Unless your kid has a health issue that makes the vaccination a danger to them then vaccinate your kid. If my kid gets polio or whopping cough or some other preventable disease because  you didn't vaccinate you can bet your arse I will be in your face giving you hell.

I have an autistic kid. He didn't get it from the MMR. I am 100000% sure. How do I know? See my next point.

If you are concerned about over loading your little ones system speak up. Tell your doctor you want a more spread out schedule. They may not like it and may fight you but you are the parent and it isn't an unreasonable request. My middle had a reaction to the first set of shots at 6 weeks (sleeping for a long time and not eating well until over 24 hours later). So for the rest of the shots we did them more spread out instead of so many at once. No further reactions. So we did the same for The Doctor from the start. He never had a reaction and it also meant he was closer to three than 2 when he had his first MMR and by then he was already showing the symptoms that led to his diagnosis. But there is no real evidence for MMR and autism links.

If you refuse the optional shots that's not the same as the ones that you need to fill out all kinds of forms to opt out of. Be safe, you don't want your kid to get these diseases and I am sure you don't want your kid to get some other kid sick and maybe even cause a death.

[mayberedbird]

Good morning sunshine. I applied for this trip to DC through school. If I get it I will get to meet with Mount Holyoke alums working at the State Dept, Pentagon, White House, Congress, US Trade & Development, etc. I will go to 2 alum panels, and briefings at the World Bank and Pentagon, attend a VIP dinner and networking reception with alums in public service/government careers. It's all expenses paid, including lodging, meals, and round trip transportation. There are 24 spots, I really want one.

[mayberedbird]

Hi

Are you having a good weekend? What are you doing?

I'm reading about propaganda (for my propaganda and war class), the origins, uses both good and bad, evolution, how to recognize it when it is subtle. And I'll be reading Game Change for a bit, and Strong Women (an anthology edited by George R.R. Martin with a prequel to Game of Thrones in it that was pretty good). I'll probably start Fahrenheit 451 also for the propaganda class. Oh and maybe I will bake a little too. 

Next weekend I'll have an advance on my grant money so I can take Don to get some boy clothes and a backpack that isn't pink and get The Doctor new sneakers. He is really looking forward to getting clothes that will feel more comfortable.

Still trying to make sure I use "he" but keep slipping...still not sure how to talk to The Doctor about this.

[mayberedbird]

Hi. Remember me?

So it's been awhile. I've been peeking in on you all but haven't really sat down to post. I don't know why.

Anyway, I figured I can share this here because you all are so awesome and I know it'll be ok.

Donna..I'm going to have to change that..let's go with Don. Has been dealing with some stuff that means our family is dealing with some stuff. A few months ago Don told us that she knows she isn't a girl but that she doesn't feel like a boy. She wasn't sure what she was but was 100% sure she wasn't a girl. But because she didn't know where she belonged and our unwillingness to call her her "it" we stuck with the pronoun "she" but she asked for a haircut and had her hair buzzed off. We then saw the first smile that reached all the way to her eyes for the first time since all of the problems she had began. My heart ached for her because to deal with being bipolar and a life on meds to keep those awful cycles away isn't hard enough but now to be uncertain about gender added to it and I knew my baby was having a really hard time.

That is until about 3 weeks ago. As matter of fact as if saying it's raining we were asked to start referring to her as him. He said he is identifying as male.  Ok, this isn't a new topic. I have a very dear friend with a transgender child. There is a woman I know and think the world of who has undergone surgery to fix her body to match her true gender and I learned a lot following her journey. But I am having a hard time making my habitual way of speaking change. I have been saying she, her, daughter for 13 years. I am trying really hard to be aware but it slips out. And we are still trying to figure out how to explain the new words to use to The Doctor.

And then there is the practical issues. Clothes for example. All of the clothes he owns are girl clothes. Pinks and yoga pants and leggings. But until we get our grant money for the semester or tax refund we can't do anything about it and it makes me feel so bad for him. And then he wants something to hide his breasts, and I don't know where to begin. I think a phone call to my love Michele is going to be in order here. But for now I am getting this out in hopes of getting m it right and not hurting my child but doing right by him.

Jay is having a hard time getting his mind around his little girl now being his teenage son.

So there it is...