Stomaching It and Burning the Ships

 

Our pool and hot tub area with the kitchen windows overlooking the pool area. I spent a couple of hours out there today until the rain chased me back in. Not reacting quite as much to the pool chemicals. Happy because I missing swimming in the hot sunshine.

Last night was something a cluster-you-know-what. You know that stomach virus I have had for almost a month now? That comes and goes. Where I'm not hungry at all, yet if I fail to eat I start throwing up? Mostly it's just crazy dizziness making me stumble around like I'm the town wino and no appetite. 

I gave it to Jim. Didn't find out until during that complete and horrid shitshow of a debate last night. Jim started complaining towards the end of the debate he didn't feel so well. Shortly after he started upchucking madly, which started my queasy stomach trying to exit my mouth every single time I coughed from my asthma. So the shitshow spread from the television to us.

He staggered about miserably until around 11 pm, shunning my offers of Pepto or other meds. I was already in bed when he arrived in our bedroom suite. He moaned after worshiping at the porcelain throne again. He mentioned as he passed me, "Some lunatic named Ken tried to message me. I ain't dealing with that mess. You can tell him to take a flying leap at a doughnut, or put him on ignore. Too petty stupid."

Have I told you lately how much I love this man? Even while changing out barfed on towels and sweaty sheets? 

I went to take a peek and saw a pile of posturing pious messages from Ken, that Ken, husband of Lori Alexander. Instead of just simply hitting 'block' I decided to tell him how it is, that I am a writer for Patheos, ministries like his wife's are my beat. I'm merely quoting her own words and picking the theology apart. I pointed out the insanity of a few of his wife's crazier fans, death threats and all. He never bothered to answer back so around 4 am I blocked him.

What did he want? He wanted my husband to make me mind and stop covering his wife's words for No Longer Quivering. Mano a mano, I'm betting he was shocked to hear from me instead of the big old bad man putting the little woman in her 'place.'

Was up most of the night with Jim. He was sick every hour until around 4 am. I wasn't worried about Ken's thoughts, just the actual physical needs of Jim. I got up around 8am, making a quick run to the store for more ginger ale, soda crackers and assorted Gatorade. Then swimming for a few hours, while Jim rested. He's feebly creeping about tonight, finally able to keep toast and gingerale in his body.

Kind of funny because it's kind of an illustration of our relationship too. A few weeks ago when mine was the worst Jim hauled me back and forth to the clinic to get rehydrated, went out and got the crackers and ginger ale, did the dishes, cooking for himself. Now I not only did similar things I mowed the grass today in my swimsuit, put out the trash for the garbage men, cleaned the pool, all the stuff he usually does. There are no super hard and fast gender roles here, or one person taking on certain chores. 

Jim knows I am burning down the ships of toxic patriarchy, that it's my passion to dissect bad theology that nothing to do with Jesus, and has no problem with it. It's just others like Ken trying to silence me. Never will it work. Must have listened to "Burn the Ships" a million times today.

In the last two weeks I have waded emotionally through the raw ugly stinking sewage of patriarchy. I plan on continuing.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Missed Stompism

One anecdote I neglected to pass on that had Jim and I puzzling and laughing. Stompy, Jim and I were talking about her upcoming European trip when she mentioned she was going to be in Amsterdam a few days. I squeal and tell her had I know I would be loading her with money and a shopping list for the Van Gogh museum. I really, really, REALLY want that entire set of sweet Samsonite with his almond blossom painting on it. She turns to us and tells sue she's going to the Sex Museum instead. Oh holy crap!
Read more

Bottomless Betty and Blocking the Aunt Heap

Image
  The Chesapeake Bay Bridge last weekend. So where have I been? Back to Louisiana and then up to Maryland. I wanted to check on my mother in her assisted living. It didn't go well at all, even if I stayed ten days. One of my aunts in the Aunt Heap nicknamed my mother 'Bottomless Betty' after she suddenly developed the inability to wear bottoms at all, no pants, no panties, no skirts. It was most bizarre and had a sudden onset. Her dementia has gone haywire in the few months she's been in assisted living. I'm not entirely sure she knew who I was either. This was a shock, her mental status slid so fast it was scary. Did what I could, talked to the folks in the admin office seeking a way to help her. My mother's doctor had tried a drug to slow the dementia but all it did was cause my mother to hallucinate.   Got home on Tuesday night, taking that long airplane ride from Washington, DC to my home near Tamarindo, Costa Rica. Human Greek chorus and alarmist member of...
Read more

Strange Days and Orchids

Image
Water feature from the Orchid Garden near San Jose. Well, it's been a strange week or two. I've lost days to this silly ankle thing. Took off the boot at a week to start doing physical therapy movements, made it two days and now the boot is back on and I'm down to two pain pills. It's healing so slowly this time. Have to do a medical follow up this week. Several days ago we went to a party for a lady we know who is throwing in the towel and going home to the U.S.A. Katie was trying to do that thing that is impossible here on the Gold Coast -- live as a gringo without a steady monthly income. Even a social security pension will not cut it here. It's expensive, but likely not as expensive as life in the U.S.A. is getting lately. Read that there has been a 40% jump in the price of vegetables and fruits last month. Deporting the folks that do all the grunt work there was one very bad idea mixed with those insano tariffs. We have high tariffs here and it inhibits the amo...
Read more