Monday 14 May 2007

Random thoughts

We all went to a cocktail party Saturday night. My daughter gave me instructions beforehand: no getting drunk and bouncing off walls on the walk home, no dancing, no embarrassing her in any way.

I listened quietly, then proceeded to get drunk, dance like there's no tomorrow, and do my general best to embarrass her. When her little friend thought it would be funny to video my friends and me on her phone, I videoed her. When I caught the bartender mixing an alcoholic cocktail for my daughter, I promptly told him she was 12 and wasn't allowed alcohol (no matter how sloshed I was). I don't think my daughter will be telling me what to do or not to do anymore.

Still, I do feel a tad embarrassed for her. My mother never behaved this way. She doesn't drink, for a start. My parents' social life, when they were married, didn't tend to include us kids so we didn't see how they behaved when they let their hair down (if indeed they ever did). I wish I were more uptight, but I just can't be.


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A friend in America recently sent me an email exhorting people to boycott Exxon and Mobil till the price of gas in America goes down to $1.80/gallon. It is now edging towards $4. I replied that I couldn't possibly support such a stupid idea. Here in the UK the price of gas is more than double that in America. Yes, it's a much smaller country and distances aren't so vast. But Americans have gotten fat and lazy, and I don't think boycotting the big oil companies is the answer. How about getting rid of the SUVs? How about walking two blocks instead of driving. How about getting a bike? How about leaning on your congressmen and women to support mass transit iniatives? My friend agreed in principle but still supports the guy behind the email.
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Still in America, something I read recently finally cleared up the mystery of why junk food is so cheap. Blame it on the Farm Act, which gives subsidies to farmers who grow wheat, corn, and all those other staples that become the processed crap we eat. Farmers who grow vegetables don't get much, if anything, at all. Hasn't the government figured out that there's a link between obesity and processed foods? Nope, they're still looking for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

4 comments:

mindthegap said...

When I was a child my parents took me everywhere and I saw them bouncing off the walls at parties, staggering home tooted, the whole lot. And even though they could be so embarassing at times, I am so glad they did all that as it showed you can still have a life and take your child along with you. I don't think I have suffered as a result!

wakeupandsmellthecoffee said...

Thanks for your reassurance. Maybe if my parents had done the same, I would feel more confident that I'm not harming my daughter in some way.

lady macleod said...

naughty, naughty you wicked girl, and political insights as well.

I'm still smiling...

darth sardonic said...

hear hear!! usually when friends send me some annoying-assed email about "buying american" or "boycotting the big oil companies" and anything related to having prayers in school and how picked on the "christians" are in america, i tend to write some scathing, "leftist, hippie, bunny-hugging, bleeding-heart liberal" rant and forward it with the offending email to all my friends, sometimes including the person who sent me the original. my mom doesn't forward me ANYthing anymore lol.