The Romanticization of Work

Lately it seems I've been hearing a lot of feminists talk about how women who don't continue to work full-time after having children are leeches on society and pawns of the patriarchy. I've heard it on NPR and read it in a few places. This disturbs me for two big reasons:

1. Women at work can be just as stuck as women at home. Dear Important Lawyer Woman who argued on NPR that "There's a lot of great work going on in the world": You are perhaps lucky that you've never been stuck in a dysfunctional workplace where your intellect is under-employed. Perhaps you come from wealth and have never needed to keep a job for the pay. I would argue that at least 75% of jobs suck, and suck the life out of the employee. Maybe the woman working 3 shifts at Wal-Mart would disagree with you. We can be just as exploited in the workforce as at home.

2. Why are we devaluing the important work of child-rearing (which someone still has to do, it just gets hired out), cooking, and making a home?

Yes, it's a Big Problem if staying home barefoot and pregnant is the only option, or the Expected Option, or if women expect a "free ride". But for some women there is choice, and freedom to choose a mix, or even staying home altogether. I know at least one working mom who hates having her tiny child in the care of others more often than in her own care. It's not an easy decision for anyone, in either direction.

Plus and Minus

Today, I am irritated. Here are some of the irritations:

1. I am so tired that I overslept two buzzing, dinging alarm clocks and a screaming, hungry cat for 45 minutes.
2. I proceeded to make myself a cup of oolong. This was foolhardy, for it seems to contain less caffeine than my other teas, and did nothing to wake me.
3. At work, I then drank three cups of black tea.
   
4. At lunch, I made a special drive to a favorite cafe, to which I had a gift certificate. I ordered a turkey wrap and more tea. I drove the 12 minutes back to work. Ensconced at my desk, I opened my wrap, which contained no fucking turkey. My wrap actually contained lettuce on both ends. I had a whole fucking head of romaine in there. I became convinced it was a Weight Watchers conspiracy.
5. The cool independent record store next to the cafe is going out of business.
6. Still exhausted, I drank my strong darjeeling tea while endlessly chewing my lettuce sandwich. At 3 PM, feeling like crap, I realized that I had not drunk any water whatsoever all day. I began hydrating.
7. On a post about being irritated, Blogger is turning all my dignified, indignant numbered lists into flowers. Which actually, is pretty funny and Zen of Blogger, come to think of it.
   

Here are the things that did not go so badly:

1. I got a double Bowie CD at the closing music store for 20% off. Space Oddity is an amazing song, now and forever.
2. When I called to complain, the cafe promised me a free sandwich and took down my name. I'm going to order a goddamn corned beef with bacon and turkey. Don't mess with me when I want meat. I don't eat that much of it, so it better be in the wrap when I order it.
   (Excuse me...ranting.)
   
3. It was sunny.
4. I didn't have all that much work.
   

Why?

They've started a Weight Watchers at Work program at my workplace. For some reason, this is annoying the crap out of me. I can't quite figure out why.

It's partly that I fear it may create food police, it's partly the ludicrous amount of company-wide promotion, and it's partly the note on a bag of chips left in the communal food area: "Cleaning out because I'm starting Weight Watchers! :)" But it's more than those reasons--there's some gestalt at play. I can't pin it down.

I mean, it's really nice that the company responded to an employee request and started this. But it's bugging me. Maybe after it actually starts my fears will subside and it will annoy me less. Incidentally, no one else seems annoyed by it.

Meanwhile: Thriller, still an incredible album 25 years later. I'm groovin' to Billie Jean as I type. The kid is not my son.

UPDATE: AH! This abstract explains much of WW resistance. Viva la resistance!

Don't Like

Blog Friends, let's take a moment of listing Things We Don't Like That We "Should". Together, we can purge our Shoulds. I'll go first:

• green tea
• whole wheat pasta
• Lord of the Rings (at least the movies)
  
• God
• puppies

There, I feel better already. Well, OK, I do like some puppies, but I got on a roll there.

GRE Diagnostic

Oh man. The Kaplan CD diagnostic test says I am at 95th percentile verbal (yay) and...10th percentile quantitative. That's really bad.

But here's the thing: If you don't remember the basic geometry or algebra rules, you can't apply them. I read a lot, and you know, talk, so my vocabulary remains sharp. I hope that once I review the darn math, it will come back.

Mmmmm, Harvest Bread

It's more of a golden-brown in person, not so red nor so yellow.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH

My favorite character just died. I'm a wreck.