Mom manuevered to mall on a Monday

Back to work already, and I don’t know where the weekend went. L. & I have a cold, which kept us fairly quiet and unproductive throughout the weekend. M. had a workday Saturday, and D. had to work all day Saturday. Other than a quick run to Target on Saturday night for some essentials, we stayed in the house for the most part. I didn't wear makeup and looked pretty crappy, which is a guarantee we will run into people I know (and I did). That never happens, of course, when I go out in public looking nice. We bought three new books for L. from T. Each of them was from a series that L. has been reading. She has already finished two of the three books, and has started on the third. She’s such a little reader and is getting faster, so we are struggling to keep up with her book appetite. That is a “problem” that I don’t mind having.

Sunday night brought a bit of a situation, with Allegrea calling to say she had gotten a stray kitten—black, so a high risk to leave her outside. We currently have no safe place for anymore cats, so we were forced to make the tough decision to take her to the Humane Society. Given her bad neighborhood, age, coloring, and lack of other options, it was the best we could do. It really sucks. I have been sick about it all day. They are full, so I know that her chances are not good. There are many kittens younger than her, and they will go first (if they go at all). We need money and space. We need fewer idiots who are not responsible for their animals. I’m so profoundly sad over this beautiful kitten, who will most likely never experience the love and attention that she so deserves. My heart just breaks for all of the animals in her position.


On a slightly more positive note, L. and I read a news item in my beloved feminist journal, Off Our Backs, about the Gulabi Gang--also called the Pink Posse. It's a group of poor women in India who don pink saris and kick much ass. They are protectors of those that nobody else protects--the very poor and women. They are inspiring, and L. talks about them all the time now. She wants to join the "gang" and fight with them when she gets bigger. I wish my sisters continued safety and courage in their inspirational battle!

After dinner tonight, M & L took the dogs out for a nice long walk, and I intended to get some chores done and the animals fed/medicated. Instead, D. decided to mercilessly hound me and guilt me into taking her to shop for clothes. I don't like clothes shopping. I don't like the mall. I had already washed my face and taken off my makeup for the night. I really tried to talk her out of it, but she was determined. I asked her specifically if it was me she needed or my money, because I would have been much happier just giving her some damn money and sending her. But no, she claimed that she really needed my opinion. Now I was confused by this, because we do not have the same taste in clothing at all. We agree on the cuteness of maybe 1 in 50 items. I pointed this out to her. Again, trying to encourage her to take the money and run. It is very frustrating to go shopping with someone who claims they want your input, but sneers at every. single. item. that I try to point out to her. Nooooo, she says, it won't be like that at all. So off we went to the mall on a Monday. And it was exactly like that.

Me: Ooh honey, this is cute.
Dej: No, that's too earthy.
Me: How about this one?
Dej: Too pink
Me: This one is nice.
Dej: I don't like that material. Find one that's in this material.

[etc., etc., etc.]
[screaming, badly behaved children]
[loud, obnoxious, zitty teenagers]

She did finally like one thing I pointed out. She even purchased it. With my money. I'm honored.