Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Verbal vomit, my favorite!

So, I think I hate the new color of my little page here. But I wanted to dick around with the sidebar stuff, and the editor was so enticing and has some new features. So, you start screwing around and in a matter of minutes, it's hideous. Of course, about that time I realize I've got shit to do, so just leave it with a strange combo of off-putting colors and say, "eh, at least it's not making my brain hurt to look at." This is exactly how I go about doing anything vaguely artistic. I start out trying to do something neat, then get bored, and say screw it. I'm awesome.

You know, I try to keep as much of my money in Oakland as I can. I like to support my local shops as much as possible, or at least frequent chains in my neighborhood. I've all but stopped eating fast food, which is also good. But the other night, we were watching a little tv, and saw a commercial for a new sandwich at a fast food joint. It looked delightful, so we said fuck it, and got some. Now, here's where we run into problems. Oakland is chock full of the worst fast food employees ever. Three sandwiches, all the same. Two of them were missing the very ingredients that made it different from any other burger. Nice job. And in classic fashion this place that advertises by talking about their flame-broiled burgers? Yeah, these were definitely microwaved. And it seems like all the restaurants in my neighborhood, chain or not, are like this. The worst service with completely shitty food, and they'll give you an attitude about it. Really makes me feel good about keeping my money in the neighborhood. I know, I live in the ghetto, but do we have to keep perpetuating the crappiness? For reals, how hard is it to NOT SUCK at your McJob? Of course no one wants to be there, but at least try not to throw my food on the floor before handing it to me.

In other news, in addition to the 5+ murders in my neighborhood last week, a woman was shot while she slept in her bed. The bullet was intended for someone else, but managed to miss the target, go through her wall, and kill her. I know my neighborhood is getting worse, but I make it a point to minimize my trips outside the home after dark, I stay out of the known problem areas, and do my best not to piss anyone off. And now even all that isn't enough. People who aren't involved in anything shady are being killed in their beds. West Oakland is really getting awful. Just a little more fuel on the "Get the Hell out of Oakland" fire.
Which is a shame. Aside from the growing violent crime, I really like Oakland. I like the people, the weather is unbeatable, seriously, it's just crusty urban enough and isn't totally gentrified, yet.
(Tangent: You got to love my comments when another house full of hippy/punky people moved in next door. "Goddamn white people! Just ruining my neighborhood!" Yes, I am white, thanks for asking. Sometimes I don't even make sense to myself. And no, I don't count as adding to the gentrification. I'm married to a black man, and have a mixed kiddo. I'm practically an honorary member of the community. So says I!)

Warren's only 4 months old (almost) and I've already had problems with the racial check boxes. Some forms have allowed me to check as many boxes as apply to ethnic and racial heritage. But a lot still force you to choose one. Well, that's just not going to cut it. He's not more white than black, or vice versa. And the whole, "One drop, and you're black" shit is just racist as can be. So, I've just been checking both boxes, and forcing the form reader to make that choice.
How is it that most of our government forms haven't figured out the whole "interracial parents" thing? I didn't think it was 1952, but apparently, I'm wrong. I didn't think biracial kids were that uncommon anymore. Why is this still ok?

I'm annoyed. Can you tell?

I keep waiting for the crazy first time parent thing to start happening. Not that I want it to, but I'm really not feeling that obsessive "I'm doing this wrong aren't I" pressure. We don't have many toys for him, I don't really think most things we have are even necessary. I tend not to worry about most things. My general parenting attitude can be summed up in, "eh, fuck it." Is it going to start up eventually, or since I'm a crazy person to begin with, am I just exhibiting those tendencies via milk supply obsession?

Meanwhile, my 16-plus-pound almost-4-month-old is starting to pull his knees under him and start pumping his legs while on his tummy. It's so close to mobile, I'm ready to put him inside a box to keep him from crawling. I'm totally unprepared for a crawling kid, it's not even funny. Shoot, that'll mean I'll have to do some baby-proofing. And we all know I'm lazy! I was hoping to be out of our current home before he is capable of self-propulsion. Hell, half our old-school heating vents don't even screw into the wall! I'm going to lose Warren into the heating ducts, and then I'll have to send the cat in after him. That'll be some top-notch parenting. I can't wait.

Ok, this is day two of brain-vomiting all over the place here. Someday I'll show up with an actual narrative arc, I promise. Just not today.

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