Birth Control, Abortion, and Minors

These topics were brought up last week in the Human Sexuality class I'm taking with my husband. We were doing an exercise on how conservative/liberal we are now compared to 4 years ago. The last two questions asked us how we felt about minors being able to obtain birth control or get an abortion without notifying their parents.

These are really two different issues, birth control and abortion. And there is absolutely a double standard when it comes to birth control. A boy can walk into a store and buy condoms and it's not an issue. A girl would need to see a doctor to receive birth control. I think it's important for a girl to be able to talk to her parents and see a doctor. Birth control, while wonderful and convenient, can have devastating effects on the human body if not used properly, especially if the effects are not noticed quickly. On the flip side, I think it's OK for boys to go buy condoms. I think that everyone needs to realize that boys are just as responsible as the girls are as far as using contraception. Girls need to understand that it's OK to ask a boy to use a condom. Boys need to be responsible and use condoms. Simple solution.

Abortions. Wow. That's a big one. I'm personally a little bit on the fence here. I grew up in a family where it would have been the end of the world if I had gone to my parents and told them I was pregnant. (I was never pregnant, I'm just saying.) At the same time, I think parents have a right to know. They need to be there for their daughter emotionally as well. An abortion is a big deal, no matter how sure you are that you want it.

I understand that most of us would not have felt comfortable talking to our parents about either birth control or an abortion. What I think is important to take from this is that we need to make sure OUR kids feel comfortable talking to us. It's our responsibility to form the future. Our relationship with our kids will be what we make it.

Interesting Quote

This comes from the "8 hours & a lunch" blog http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/2110536/25343974. "they say, whoever “they” are, that luck is preparation meeting opportunity." I like this quote. It just goes to show that everyone truly does make their own luck. We can't blame the cosmos for our situation, if we aren't prepared to take advantage of opportunities presented to us.

Routine

Well I've got a nice little routine going for my mornings now. The rest of the day generally goes straight to hell, but at least my morning is organized. I do the dishes at my house in the morning. Then, when I get to work (before everyone else, mind you) I wash everyone's dishes and make coffee. Why do I wash everyone's dishes, you ask? Because evidently they are incapable of washing them themselves. I also check the kitchen a couple of times throughout the day. There is usually bits of food in the sink, dirty dishes in or around the sink, and invariably something has exploded all over the inside of the microwave. Ugh. How do these people live in their houses? (I make the coffee because it smells good. I rarely drink it, but it smells divine.)

But I digress. I do a few work items, run a couple of reports, then check my e-mail, read the blogs I read, and go on with my day. What is a routine, after all? Dictionary.com says that it is, "a customary or regular course of procedure." I'm okay with that definition. But then it also says, "dull or uninteresting; commonplace." This I am not okay with.

So, the question is, how to have a customary procedure without being dull and uninteresting? I think it's about how you do what you do. Some things will always be routine. But if you view it as boring, then it's boring. If you view it as a good routine that's relaxing and gets you into the swing of things, then it's a good thing. I like my routines. I find the structure and organization of it quite relaxing and reassuring.

Spending the Mulah

Yep, I spent it. Not all of it. Not even most of it. A truly tiny fraction which clearly shows my responsibility. But I did spend some of it and it was . . . awesome!!! My husband and I had a really great weekend together. We went to the mall on Saturday on a quest for a messenger bag. I know you'd think this was easy to find, but it truly was not. I have no idea why. I had to try about five stores before I found one. Not before I found one I liked, just before I found any. But I did find one. Its a nice black and white one made by Dickies. Hopefully this means it will last a long time.

We made a stop at the comic book store too. I know, I know, we're nerds. We love it. :-) I got a really great comic book about the Marvel Universe civil war. It was quite touching.

Anyway, the point is that we had a really great weekend together. It was relaxing and productive. I feel fully refreshed and ready for the week ahead.

Dolla Dolla Bills Ya'll

Wooo hooo I got my hard-earned year-end bonus money today. Lucky, lucky me. I get to feel rich for about a whole day. I pretty much never have this much cash in my checking account. It probably gave the bank a heart attack. Ha!! But I'm really excited. I get to pay down a couple of bills. There's no great urgency involved. Altogether I think my husband and I have about $3000 of debt. Hardly a crying matter. But I don't like to owe anybody my money, so I'll probably try to pay down a little bit of that. And then I might buy a car. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the days of trying to share a car are coming to a close. Sweet, sweet liberty!!

Time

So in the very same week that I promise myself I'm going to post on here every day, I miss two days. How sad is that? One of my goals for this year (yes, goals, not resolutions) is that I would make time for things that are important to me. Easier said than done. I have a terrible habit of going home and watching TV. I watch a lot of TV. But that's really no excuse. Maybe I can combine my blog and the TV and blog about what I watch on TV. I just may do that.

My point is that it seems like things I used to really enjoy, such as reading, have really gone by the wayside. I think it's interesting that we use the term "make time." Really, we're not making time. If I could make time, I'd be rich. :-) It's more about spending less time doing other things. So in this case, I guess I really need to spend less time watching TV, and more time reading and blogging.

WoooHoooo I'm a Genius!!!

Fast Payday Loans

Who'd have thunked?