GetSheila

Abstinence makes the heart grow hornier

Abstinence as a birth control method: thoughts?

Bristol Palin was on Oprah the other day discussing her commitment to abstinence. No I did not watch. Though Sarah Palin is lovely to look at, she was there to talk about her new gig at Fox News and, well, enough said. Add the lunacy of a discussion about young, horny girls using abstinence as their sole birth control method and I just had to say no.

So yesterday the morning shows jumped on the band wagon and interviewed various teenage mothers about how hard it is to have a child so young.

Young mothers. As in, girls who have already had sex.

Does “barn door” and “your escaped farm animal just pooped its diaper” mean anything to you?

So clearly its not a purity thing. (And thank god, because those chicks are nuts.)

The abstinence is solely for birth control reasons. Now I don’t know about you but I am having a hard time grasping the concept:

1. Sex makes babies;
2. These girls knew that before they had sex the first time;
3. They used no birth control method the first time;
4. They couldn’t resist having sex;
5. They got pregnant and opted to keep the baby;
6. They are now complaining about how hard it is to raise the baby they consciously and voluntarily chose to keep;
7. They have decided on abstinence as their sole birth control method from now on.

Is it just me, or is something missing here? How about a backup plan, like always have condoms on hand? Nix unwanted pregnancy and STD’s in one shot. Always having condoms doesn’t mean you’re planning to have sex. It means you have a brain and recognize you are a human being with wants and needs and perhaps not as much will power as you hope for.

I notice no one mentioned abstinence is also a great method against STD’s. Perhaps that topic is too delicate for daytime TV.

They also failed to mention abstinence in older women is called “a dry spell.” Mine has been going on for years.

Oprah has been getting a lot of flack for saying, “Good luck with that” to Bristol Palin. I saw the clip and she wasn’t being sarcastic but, damn, she should have been.

Seriously, to Bristol and all the women out there using abstinence as a birth control method: good luck with that but please carry condoms. You don’t take the kid out without backup diapers do you? BE PREPARED.

 

Technorati Tags: abstinence as birth control,bristol palin

Buyer’s Remorse

Though it’s a crazy-busy tax season already, I never sacrifice my monthly trip to Fresno to see my sis and have my nails done. One must maintain one’s grooming.

And shop.

I have been wanting a sectional sofa for the front living room for some time now but it’s been the hardest darn thing to find because I know exactly what I want. Which means, of course, it doesn’t exist. I think my needs are pretty simple:

• Seats 6;
• Contemporary design with clean lines (not poufy);
• At least 2 recliners (one on each end) but more would be lovely;
• Recliners must be “chaise” type, where the leg section it is all one piece when extended (no gap between your knees and ankles);
• Sections stand alone when pulled apart, with no ugly connecting hardware showing;
• Available in leather;
• Removable cushions for cleaning and rotating;
• Not more than $2,500 and preferably much cheaper.

Here are two in the general style I like, La-Z-Boy Daphne and Collins:

Clean. Contemporary. Perfect. Only neither comes come with “motion,” the fancy furniture industry term for recliners. Also, no leather.

After much searching at La-Z-Boy, the only sectional that had almost everything I wanted was the Griffin:

I could replace the chaise with a recliner so it wouldn’t take up so much space yet one could still recline on that end. It comes in leather. The recliners are chaise-style. The bottom cushions are removable.

The down side is the price is about $3,500, which is way more than I hoped for but that is not the real problem. The issue is I find this too poufy. I hate the seam in the middle of the back pillows.

So this past Saturday in Fresno, what do I buy? This one at J.C. Penney home store:

My apologies for the tininess and blurriness of the picture. The site was down when I went to grab it but you get the gist: Poof Central. What was I thinking! Well, I’ll tell you:

• It has 4 recliners, all in the chaise style;
• It comes in leather. I opted for a dark chocolate brown;
• Each of the pieces can stand alone;
• It has built in tables/cup holders so I won’t need a coffee table, which is problematic when you have recliners or foot stools;

In the past, all of that meant nothing because I found this furniture to be ugly, ugly, Capital-U Ugly. It’s too poufy. It has too many seams running every which way. The full arms on both ends of the sofa and loveseat sections chop up the visual lines and make it look bulky, as if the poufy, overstuffed design wasn’t enough.

And with the built-in tables and cup holders, all I need is a built-in toilet under the seat cushions and a mini-fridge in the console to complete my slothful, couch potato existence.

But then I sat in it. OH MY GOD. It is SO comfortable. Like rest your bones, weary traveler, comfortable.

And when mom and sis are over for holidays, everyone has a seat with an armrest, a recliner, and a place to put their drink and snack plate.

And since I don’t need a coffee table, the center area in front of the TV is open for exercising with the Wii without having to move furniture out of the way.

I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO.

I bought it solely for comfort and functionality, sacrificing style. I bought my Prius under similar circumstances, thinking it was the ugliest car ever, and now I think it’s adorable.

I have one more day to cancel my order and get my full deposit back. I need your help, Oh Wise Internet. $2,500 is a lot of money to spend on a giant piece of furniture I may hate to look at every time I pass by. If I am going to spend a bundle, maybe I should spend a bit more to get the customizable Griffin at La-Z-Boy since I no longer find it to be so poufy after all.

Help me, Oh Internet.

 

Technorati Tags: home improvement,sofa,sectional,new furniture

The Holiday – er, New Year – Letter

I finally finished my 2009 Christmas letter. Hooray! But dude, you say, the holidays are over. Presto! Change-o! It’s a New Year Letter!

To read the full letter (it’s 4 pages, with lots more pictures) and in bigger print (cuz this one is tiny) click on the image below. After it opens, you will be able to make it bigger or smaller using your browser controls.

Note that I originally designed the letter to be folded in thirds and mailed, hence the odd formatting on the last page. Instead, I emailed this letter to various friends and family but, if I missed you, here you go! Do please send me your email address if you did not receive it via email so I can update my contact list. My address can be found in the letter and on my blog.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

 

Technorati Tags: holiday letter 2009,new year 2010