January 17

Everybody has a story behind their "Innanets Name." I'm no exception to that. Amymay is something that Mr. Man used to call me back when we first met. And his birthday is January 17. Thus: amymay117. It started out as my email addy. Then as my username on the myspace... and so on.

Back in 2004 the 117 part took on a new meaning. My mom died on January 17. I remember standing in the hospital, saying my goodbyes, trying to wake up from a living nightmare... and thinking how inappropriate it was that Mom was dying on Marc's birthday. Thing is... we weren't even together at the time (and hadn't been since 2001), but he was always part of my consciousness. I kinda felt guilty, thinking about him when I should have been thinking about her.

When we got back together, January 17 rolled around for the first time, and that guilt fell away. See, I never really believed in coincidence, and I still don't. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that my mom chose this date to cross over. I'm saying that Mr. Man's birthday being on the same date helps me to remember to celebrate. Celebrate her life rather than mourn a loss. Celebrate his bornday. Celebrate the way that lives converge, even when it seems that they have taken seperate paths. Celebrate love, and family, and beginnings, and life.

So that's the story of my online name. It's kinda dramatical, but that's how I roll!
Anyway... Happy Birthday, boo!! And, Mom, I love and miss ya!

Using my 100th Post for the Power of Good!!!

Today is a Double Celebration!!

This is random and pressing details' 100th Post!

*cues confetti and party horns*

It has been a strange journey this last year and change! Ups and downs, lessons learned, pet peeves, foolishment, foolery, side-eyes, and ignance... remembrances, tributes, friendships, inspirations, pleas, public service announcements and advocacy... we've shared a little bit of it all together.  I am honored every time I log on and find that someone (and sometimes several someones) has had enough interest in what I have to say to not only take time to read, but to comment!!  Your comments are the special sauce on the Big Mac of my life! *No Ronald!*


To all of you, I say a most sincere and heart felt "Thank you!! Now get outta my bathtub!!"

But the Biggest, Awesomest and Most Supercalifragilisticexpialidociousest news of all is....

My girl Dwina got to bring lil' Man home from the hospital today!!!  

Thanks to all of the prayer, positive energy, love and support of any and all of you who kept them in your thoughts and prayers!!  Lil' Man is a bona fide miracle baby!  He's beautiful, and he is home in plenty of time for Mother's Day!!


Which is the coolest thing in the world, and made me break out in a Bro. Franklin dance!!


So in honor of this most excellent day and it's dual causes for celebration... but mostly b/c of Lil' Man, enjoy the following!!

The Store that Rhymes with "Paul Hart" Might be Hell's Lobby

So, yeah... you know what Super Mega-Lo-Mart retailer I'm talkin' about.  I don't trust those Ozark based corporate giants enough to use their proper name.  We'll just call it "the store."  And yes, I do believe it might be the Pier where the Ferryman for the River Styx docks to pick up his passengers.

On a normal day I loathe going into that store.  It's like a vortex of unintentional and largely unnecessary spending.  Even if you go in with a list and iron resolve, you almost always come out with at least one thing you neither needed nor wanted.... at least not consciously.  On a normal day, I go in for coffee, a loaf of bread, and toilet tissue and walk out with a picture frame, orange juice, and socks.  I'm sure there is a whole scientific explanation for that, involving magnetic fields and nuclear fission, but it gives me a headache to think about it.

Anyhoo.... Mephistopheles really laid out the welcome mat today.  The boy and I went in the store this afternoon to pick up a few groceries, shampoo, and other un-fun stuff.  Since I had the boy with me, I was counting on having one or two things in the cart I didn't intend to buy...  But I digress.

We're meandering through the store, not in any hurry because it was raining like crazy.  We came up on a clearance rack of boys' tee shirts, so I was looking for the kiddo's size.  That's when it happened.  In the boy's clothing department.

*sigh*

"Mama? What is this?  It feels greasy..."

I turn to see a puzzled, slightly disgusted,  look on the boy's face (think MC Serch, 3rd Bass-style Gas Face), and him holding, of all things, an unrolled, but (please Lawd, please...) unused condom.  A Magnum from the look of it....but that's neither here nor there.

"Put it down, baby.  Just put it down..."

"But what IS it???"

"Not now... Let's go wash your hands..."

"But Mama... what was it doing there? What is it?"

"Not now... go in the bathroom and wash your hands."

"Will you tell me later?"

"Yes... go wash your hands."

So he goes into the bathroom, and I find a sales associate at the back service counter.  I tell this 50-ish, very Pentecostal looking woman what my son found and where he found it.  She takes a deep breath and gives me a very put upon look.  At which point I'm seriously irritated.  Now mind you, she might have looked like a Pentecostal lady, but she works at the store, and she has an attitude that says she really doesn't want to be bothered, so she is clearly one of the devil's minions!  "What do you want me to do about it?"

What??

"Lady, I'm just telling you what and where it is, so someone can go dispose of it.  Please believe me when I say I'm showing restraint.  Coz I'm about a microsecond away from a full out tirade.  When I leave here, I have to explain this to a very bright and curious 7 year-old who isn't gonna fall for any bull.... and I'm not amused by that at all!!"

An eyeroll and a huff later... she's on her walkie talkie, presumably with the poor schlub who was to go on the Great Condom Seek and Destroy Mission.

So about 20 minutes and 1,000,000 questions later.... we're getting in the MommyVan.

"Mommy... what was that thing?"

This post is already a tome, so I won't go through the whole clumsy conversation.  Let's just say, answering one question gave rise to another, and another, and another...  The variety and complexity of the peripheral conversation solidified the headache that always starts when I go to that store.

And if I doubted it before, I'm absolutely certain of it now... that place truly is Hade's Lobby.