ABC's! (and yeah, I got stood up)

This mama is proud. My daughter has recognized that letters are letters. Ah! Here's how I know she knows:

Last night we were doing the bed-time-story routine, and one of Evelyn's latest "things that she does" is point to pictures in the book and ask, "What's that?" even though she knows what it is. And she does this while I'm trying to read, so it can get annoying, but I put up with it. She's two. And cute. So she'll point to a flower and ask "What's that?" and I'll say. "A flower," but if she points to a tree and I say, "That's car," she says, "No, tree!" in a voice that's like gosh mom you're stupid that's a tree duh! 


Anyway, so we were doing that and for the first time yesterday she pointed at the block of words on the page and asked, "What's that?" and I said, "Those are words." And she paused for a moment and said, "ABC's?" And my stomach did a flippity-flop and I said, "Yes, Evelyn! ABC's!" and I gave her a big hug and told her she is sooooo smart.

And she's sleeping in for me today, so nice. Monday morning has never felt so easy. Especially after my Sunday afternoon. A model I was supposed to do a photo shoot with totally bailed on me. No phone call, no word. Just totally stood me up. I drove over 100 miles. To take zero photos. Wtf is wrong with people? My dear girl will know much, much better than to be so rude.

so there's a decapitated deer in my front yard.

Really, there is. It's almost on the property line, but it's definitely in our yard, next to our electric box, about seven to eight feet (I'd guess) from the road, down a slope. From here it looks like it's sleeping, except I can see a bit of blood by where it's head should be, or still is? I can't tell if it's head is all the way intact but that must be where it got hit because the rest of its body is untouched. It's belly is bloated though, poor thing. But I didn't come here to gross you out. I came to express a few things I find ridiculous about this situation:

1) Who  hits a deer and leaves it in someone's yard? I assume whoever hit it placed it in our yard, unless the deer staggered backwards and laid down to die peacefully. After having it's head slammed off. Hmmm...

2) Who hits a deer and leaves it in someone's yard and doesn't call it in? When I called the police department they said no one had called in about hitting a deer. But someone had heard something about someone moving a deer.....?

3) The officer on duty, who I spoke to on the phone, told me I'd probably have to move the deer into the road, since they usually don't take deer out of people's yards. Um, what? Why not? You expect me to 1) touch this bloody bloated thing and 2) drag it up a 7-8 foot slope? I don't think it's physically possible for me to do that. Have you seen my arms? They're thisbig.

4) Probably the most ridiculous thing of all is that when I updated my Facebook status to say that there was a decapitated deer in my front yard, the side bar that suggests interests and things that relate to your post brought up "decapitation" as an interest. And 911 "like" it. Whoa.

Happy Friday, by the way. If you're on Facebook, make sure to "like" my new photography page (see the side bar to the right here). It's way cooler than decapitation. But only like it if you really like it. No fake stuff.

Culture shock? pt. 3

We found out the recycling center in this town is not operating. BIG SAD FACE. I mean,

REALLY BIG SAD FACE.

But there can be happy faces for the great playgrounds I've seen.... and the flowering bushes in February.

Culture shock?

So I'm visiting my friend in Mississippi.... we are about 2 hours southeast of Jackson, I think, right outside of Hattiesburg. The windows are open, the weather is gorgeous (78 and partly cloudy) but..... there's no recycling service! There's about a thousand Baptist churches (which I expected), but no recycling. Big sad face for me. I've started a small stash of cardboard to bring home with me..... but to think about all that plastic and glass and aluminum.... wow. I'm not sure if most of Mississippi is like this. I'd hope not.

Not Everyone at Harvard is Smart

Have you heard yet, about some ignoramus who poured urine on and ruined 40 books on LGBT issues in Harvard's Lamont Library?

The ignorance here is two-fold:

1) Anyone who is anti-gay rights is ignorant
2) Anyone who ruins books is ignorant

I really hope the vandal is caught and sentenced to read all of the books, then write about what s/he has learned and how s/he will use this experience to improve the world's state of LGBT rights.

The Worst Bumper Sticker I Have Ever Seen. Ever.

And by worst I mean incredibly insulting, insensitive, and bigoted. Just a few hours ago, we were stopped behind a pick-up truck at a red light. The bumper sticker was at the top center of the tailgate, and it was partly covered in snow, so at first we couldn't make it out:

J: "What does that say?"

Me: "Something something something apologize for rap music."

J: "I'll apologize for something something . . . "

Me: "I'll apologize for country music?" (most rap and country are equally terrible. You know, the pop stuff).

J: "Oh man!"

Me: "What? What does it say?!" (I get really excited to read bumper stickers).

J: "It says, 'I'll apologize for slavery when you apologize for rap music.'"

No fucking lie. Around here, there's plenty of sexism and "conservative family values" (the fancy term for anti-gay rights), and all sorts of anti-progressiveness (the fancy term for religious fanaticism), but in the over 11 years that I've lived in Minnesota, I have never witnessed something so racist. And you know I keep an eye out for these things. Not that Minnesota is immune to racism or something, because I am sure it's more prominent than I would like to believe, but it is not very common to see out in the open like that. Gah. Terrible.