Penny's Pride. And Joy.

I don't know why I didn't write about it last time while I was writing about PSR because it would have given Beeb's teacher's comments on her report card ("always had thoughtful comments to contribute to the class discussions") some perspective.

I left this comment on KOFA's blog yesterday, after he'd written about GLBT rights in reaction so something his mom had written on her own blog (and please don't go hatin' on his mom, she's sweet):

Beebie and I have been talking about gay marriage recently. I love openly discussing her opinions on different topics. She's quite adept at defending her beliefs! I have to say it was one of my prouder moments as a parent when she came home from PSR (Parish School of Religion, required by the Catholic church) informing me that they had discussed some pretty heavy topics that day, including homosexuality.

She said that her teacher told them that homosexuality is a sin, and Beeb shared her own opinion with the class, even though it differed greatly from what she was being taught. She told the class that we can't help who we love. That's how I've always explained it to my kids. It's simple, and it makes sense to them. Makes sense to me, too.

It's important to keep in mind that extending the same rights that you have to someone else doesn't diminish your own rights. I liked how you said that.

Maybe I'll take you to Pridefest next year with Beebie and me. I have a Lilith Fair shirt you can borrow.


I was proud of Beebie not even necessarily because of what she was defending, but because she had the ballz to tell a teacher and the class, "Hey, y'know, I don't know if I agree with that. I don't think that's right..." when it might not have been popular or socially acceptable to do so.

I get a lot of shit wrong, I admit. I don't give myself a perfect score as a parent. I write about most if not all of the mistakes I've made. Some of them are, in my opinion, relatively minor - like the tv shows, movies and music I expose them to. Or maybe we just haven't yet seen whatever long-term damage it's going to do, I'll concede that. Maybe she'll be a potty-mouthed, crack-smoking juvenile deliquent. And if she is, whatever. I'll handle it. At least we'll like the same music.

But I want, above all else, for my children to be independent thinkers. I want them to feel like the world welcomes their questions and opinions, and that their parents encourage them to defy the mainstream - when they want to. R and I try to, when they ask questions, give them factual and age-appropriate information to the best of our knowledge, as unbiased as possible. And when they ask what I personally believe, I explain my own opinion as well as the reasons why someone might believe something different, so that they can see more than one side to the issue and make up their own minds.

I had been a little vocal about my disdain for the requirement of PSR and the outrageous cost, and some of my other issues with the Catholic church in general (and don't even get me started on Patron Saints), and I feared that some of it had rubbed off on the kids, but they went to PSR and I encouraged them to be enthusiastic and openminded and respectful of their teachers. And they enjoyed it, and that's great. I'm glad they weren't subversive assholes or anything.

So I was proud. So proud, in fact, I went to Pride! I took about 8 billion pictures on my phone. Here are some of my favorites.

It says VAGINA on that girl's black panties.



I thought this guy was just adorable.



And what's sexier than a Speedo? I mean, really?



I love drag queens. Especially when they're prettier than me.


Unlike this one.


Nothing really to say here.


The funny part was that it actually WAS raining men.


The Arch Rival Roller Girls!!!


Now this, I found a bit stereotypical.



I went with my Roller Derby pal Mysty. I told Beeb where I'd been, when I got home. Remember when I took you to Indigo Girls, Beebie? It was kinda like that, only with a parade and a huge park full of people.

Beeb asked me if Mysty and I "acted like a couple". It was cool that she asked. We're not, and we didn't, if you were wondering the same thing.


Ok, enough Pride. On to JOY!

Pie had been telling me that the waistbands on his panties were bothering his skin. His big belly is hard to fit, and he wears his pants and panties down low under his belly, like a little old man. Even when he was little if we'd pull his pants up to where his natural waist would be, he's pull them back down. When he was a baby we used to put suspenders on him. It's horrible to say, but it really was funny.

Anyway, we needed to get Pie some bigger panties. Then of course, Beeb piped in that she wanted new panties too. And Tito didn't want to be left out, so he got Batman Underoos.

And recently I've had a craving for Skittles.

So we were going to go to Target. Then I remembered that I've also had a craving for beer, and Target doesn't sell beer, so R and I drove a little farther to WalMart.

Some days, kids, the planets align and the heavens open up and God and His angels smile down on us. Today, however, we stirred the compassionate soul of St. Arnold, the Patron Saint of Beer .

I would have been satisfied with the Bud Select. But hey, look - they have Smithwicks! At WalMart! No shit! Let's get some!
Here's the tag.



It said a 6-pack of Smithwicks Ale was $1.14. Cheaper than a 20-ounce Diet Coke, for fuck's sake. That couldn't be right, could it? No way!

R was all set to go to the mat with whatever cashier tried to give us a hard time. He was TOTALLY, uncharacteristically, fired up. Nobody was going to deny my man his score. So we scanned it. And sure enough, it SCANNED at $1.14. R was a little disappointed that he didn't get to fight somebody.

We completely cleaned them out. We got five 6-packs of Smitty for less than the price of one 6-pack. UNBEFUCKINLIEVABLE!
I almost felt guilty about it. Almost.

So R and I went into Bonnie and Clyde mode and drove to three more WalMarts. We didn't get home until almost 11pm. We came up empty, and the gas we used probably negated what we saved on the beer, but it was an adventure!

And besides, Bonnie and Clyde mode is arousing...
Partners in Crime.