My Son the Man

In doing some homework for my online English class, I stumbled across this poem which really caught my attention.  I've read it several times over again and can easily say that it's become one of my favorites.  I thought I'd share.

My Son the Man

Suddenly his shoulders get a lot wider,
the way Houdini would expand his body
while people were putting him in chains. It seems
no time since I would help him put on his sleeper
guide his calves into the shadowy interior,
zip him up and toss him up and
catch his weight. I cannot imagine him
no longer a child, and I know I must get ready,
get over my fear of men now my son
is going to be one. This was not
what I had in mind when he pressed up through me like a
sealed trunk through the ice of the Hudson,
snapped the padlock, unsnaked the chains,
appeared in my arms. Now he looks at me
the way Houdini studied a box
to learn the way out, then smiled and let himself be manacled.

Sharon Olds (b. 1942)

Gavyn the Sleep Eater

Less than a week ago, I stumbled out of bed at 4 am after realizing that almost every light in the house was on for some reason.  My immediate reaction was to look in Gavyn's room. His tv was on and toys were strewn about, and Gavyn was nowhere to be seen.  Next stop, his bathroom.  There was poo in his potty, lots of wet wipes in the toilet that I ended up having to plunge, and a pull-up on the ground.  Evidence was piling up and I was afraid of the outcome.  I walked out into the living room to find my three-year-old sleeping while sitting straight up on the couch butt naked (with a blanket over him), and a video game in his hand.  I couldn't help but laugh and hurried to get some clothes back on him and lay him down.  Luckily he knew to wipe his butt before he planted it on the couch.

A couple of days later, I was able to catch THIS on video:

I call it "sleep eating."

RIP 'Stang

Well, I'm glad that I followed James' initiative and we bought our VW Jetta when we did after the car accident.  I kept insisting that we use a rental car until the case was settled, and use that money for a down payment.  Instead, we had to borrow money from Gavyn's savings account in order to be able to buy another car.  It has been gratefully returned, thanks to income tax time, but I had shed a few tears over it to begin with.  The rental car wouldn't have done anything for us but ran up the bills we already have now.  The woman who had a stroke and hit James from behind, causing him to hit the person in front of him, and essentially turn the Mustang into a mangled raisin, is not being held liable for the accident.  By law (in most states), if the defendent has a "sudden medical emergency," they are not held liable.  To help you understand, people have actually gotten away with this from claiming that they were incapacitated because the passenger had made them laugh so hard that they blacked out.  Another instance would be that you sneezed.  By using this excuse, and being able to provide evidence, you can clear yourself of any liability.  James said something along the lines of, "What if my son would have been in the back seat?"  And they told him that in that type of circumstance, the woman still would have not been held liable, lacking even a smidge of compassion towards the situation.  Now, the woman who hit him didn't use such an insignificant excuse, but I wanted to point out how ridiculous our laws are.  She had a stroke, which caused her to become unconscious.  Her granddaughter was in the passenger seat, claiming to have been shaking her trying to wake her up.  According to her insurance company, she had a clear medical history and is not on any medication.  I understand that it may not be the woman's fault per-se that she had a stroke, but how does that make it ours?  When we talked to our lawyer, he explained that you can swerve off the road and hit and kill four pedestrians and not be held liable.  From laughing, sneezing, or having a stroke.  Thank god Gavyn wasn't in the car.  James was just running out to pick up some Taco Bell, which is about ten minutes from home, he asked if we wanted to go with him.  Now, not only have we lost the car that James had for four years, and had put over $5,000 dollars into in addition to the initial $6,000 price of the car...  But we've also incurred about $6,000 worth of medical expenses (luckily, 80% of which will be covered by our insurance company).  At least I'm walking away from this dreadful situation with my fiance who just had a few scratches and burns, and a learning experience to always have full coverage insurance even if your car is paid off.