These shoes rule. These shoes suck.

Cooper and I got back from Montreal Sunday night. We had a great time, and received royal treatment from our friends.
Travelling w/Cooper proved to be slightly less civilized, at times, than travelling with his older brothers, but he was well-behaved most of the time.

A Canadian Customs official lectured me about travelling alone with my son without a note of permission from his father. I've never run into this before, and was shocked! First of all, if I were going to kidnap one of my sons, it probably wouldn't be the three-year-old. I mean, he's still in diapers, and is susceptible to meltdowns. Secondly, I wouldn't hide out in Canada; way too cold.
After admonishing me for my carelessness, the woman asked me what I did for a living, and who paid for my trip. She asked where "the father" was, and if we could reach him. I told her she could call him if she wanted, and stood there wondering why nobody had alerted me to the need to bring a permission slip. I was also glad I didn't have any heroin in my pants. I wondered if I was going to be escorted to a room for questioning, but apparently, I just needed to stand there and be good & quiet while the woman asked me personal questions. Then she let me into her country.
It's good that people are on the look-out for illegal activity, but I think that if the concern over kidnappings, parental and otherwise, has reached this point, then perhaps governments should lay down a law and inform people about what legal documents they might need. Otherwise it feels a little like random harassment. Or at least it did to me, because of her tone.
On Wednesday, I went to this new chiropractor who was recommended to me. This is the second time I've seen her, and the last, because I've decided I can't stand her. She is one of those seemingly conceited-yet-insecure types, who asks all these questions about your life and then compares her life to your life, like it's a competition.
I had wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but now the jury is in, and she's way too annoying. This week, she asked me if I worked, and then went off on a tangent about how, being a mom is such hard work...but unlike her, I don't get paid and I can't leave my job at 5:00 and just be free! Gawd. I've heard all this before. It's like she's waiting for me to say, "Oh yeah, it really sucks -- but your life sounds so great!" so that she can feel better about herself. At first, I didn't say anything, because -- really, where do you begin? But then she announced, "It's really a thankless job!"
Eh?!
I said, "Uh, no, not really!" and went on to say that there are a lot of choices in life, and that there are pros and cons to every scenario, and that it always comes down to priorities. She doesn't have kids, and I don't even know (or care) if she wants kids, but I guess she'll have a huge learning curve if she ever becomes a mother, if she wants to be any good at it. Being smug and judgmental never benefits anyone.
Questions about your lifestyle never end. It's always something. I don't mind the questions so much as the feeling I get when they're asked by people who have their claws out and are ready to pounce on me.
One of the things I consistently tell my children is that they can do anything they want in life. They can be anything, and do anything they dream of. Or at least try. And whatever kind of life they build for themselves, I'll be really proud of them, because they're good people. They're smart, kind, funny, and unique -- these are the things that matter, and most importantly, that they're happy!
Last night, we went to see comedians Margaret Cho and Liam Sullivan, who were both hilarious. Margaret Cho is so cool & funny & sweet; she had a lot to say about women and men, sex, differences, and self-acceptance.
Liam Sullivan had everyone in the audience howling as he performed as "aunt Susan," the lesbian musician, and also as the awesome "teenager" Kelly, whom I adore. She sang her "Shoes" song, which is about more than shoes.
Poor Kelly is often surrounded by idiots...people slagging her. I can relate.

Before the show, "the father" of my children and I went out for tapas and sangria. We had a really nice time,

and I was happy with the choices I made.