Scooter Girl goes global

Where to begin...

Belated Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving, Merrry Christmas and Happy New Year! I missed a lot of holidays, folks. I didn't miss out on much of anything else, though. Life is and has been frenetic and wonderful. My new, "handicap" accessible home is almost finished (details, it's always the details), visited the Philippines and Singapore (more on that later)...ack, I'll just talk about it as the memory strikes me.

First off, let me tell you about international travelling. I thought I had it all knocked out flying domestic. Uh uh. International means just that - people from another country. I was flying on the airline of my people. I'm going to skip to check in at LAX. I purchased upgraded tickets because I mistakenly thought customer service was better. Nope. They had "thoughtfully" separated my parents and I on the plane. In fact, they put my mother on the upper deck and my dad two rows ahead of me. I explained that I needed both my parents nearby so that if I had to use the restroom (a no brainer given that it was a frickin' 15 hour flight), someone was going to have to help me and I didn't think the flight attendant's credo included wiping my ass...okay, I didn't say it quite so graphically but yeah, that was the point I made. My mother, in a bid to help, said, "Would it make a difference if she showed you her leg?" What? Like the ticket agent was going to turn that freak show down? Okay, picture this...LAX International. 6pm. 250+ people waiting impatiently to check in...and there I am, pulling up my pant leg for all to see. I have to say, without any exaggeration, you could hear several people gasp or inhale, a few, "oh my god" and the agent, with his close-up, saying, "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR LEG?!" I let mom and dad explain while I pulled down my pant leg and silently rolled away, very conscious of the eyes upon me. Sigh. We were assigned seats together, though. Payment for the show.

So, time to board the plane. We're giving our tickets to the agent and he says, "You can't take your walker on board the plane" I shot out of my mouth, "Um, excuse me sir, I can't walk without it and how am I suppose to get to the bathroom?" His reply? "It's against airline policy" Oh, I see. I'm gonna have to pee and take a dump in my pants. How lovely for everyone around me. Or better yet, I'll call the attendant and ask for a really large bowl to do my business in. I can already see it. My dad starts spewing, "I want to talk to the supervisor! You guys are a bunch of idiots!! Who's running this goddamn airline?" I'm so frustrated I tell my folks to let it go till we get to the plane. We get down there and poof! I have no way to board because they wouldn't let me take my walker! And then I get this airline idiot tell me I "should have made arrangements for an aisle (Barbie) chair" because now I have to sit and wait until they get one. Oh my. I thought my dad's head was going to spin around and pop off!! I just sat there and closed my eyes until Mike and Ike, as I calls 'em, rolled up with the Barbie chair. You know, I'm no lightweight but I certainly didn't need a pair of weightlifters to get me on board. What I got, however, was Mike - older than my father and maybe 105 pounds - wet. Then there was Ike, a younger version in his 50's weighing in at about 140. These two clowns strapped me in and when they tilted my chair backwards, I almost hit the ground. I could see their arms shaking and hear my Dad yelling, "Don't drop her! Be careful!" I needed at least one strong person on my team and I had been assigned two members of the "Under 70 and 150 pounds" club. These two bozos could barely get me over the step and down the aisle. All the way to my seat I heard my father muttering about the "lousy, stinkin' airline" and all its faults. I saw the people staring. It was all I could do not to cry. Nice way to start my trip, huh? But give me a glass of wine and a hot, steamy towel before takeoff and I'm fine. My adventure had begun in true Scooter Girl style.

Tarnished

I know, I know, it's been awhile. I've been working on several posts but I needed to do this post first.

Ladies, what is it about the bad boys that keeps us interested? I'm not talking about the commit a crime, have a drug habit, run with the mob, bad boy, either. I'm talking about the kind of boy we know we shouldn't be with but we choose him anyway. There's something about this kind of boy that makes him more interesting, more spark-e-ly than other guys.

I have so many girlfriends that can point to at least one guy in their past where they will say, "What the hell was I thinking?" We think we can change the guy, that our love will show him how to be a better person; that by example, he too can learn to be more open with his emotions. I call bull-shit. It is a hard-learned, time tested lesson with the same result: the guy isn't going to change unless HE wants to - nothing that the woman does or says makes a difference. Usually, the man never changes, just moves on to the next woman that thinks she's going to be the one that "makes a difference".

If we are smart enough to realize that he is never going to be the "forever" we need, we break up. But, as it often happens, we start having second thoughts. The fun times overshadow the reasons we left the guy. We start thinking that maybe this time will be different, that we'll "work it out". Ugh. Ladies, raise your hand if you've said that one before. Riiiight.

Case in point. I have a girlfriend who scheduled minor surgery. Nothing life threatening. Scheduled it several weeks in advance so that her boyfriend could be with her. She should have checked with him first because he was "too busy at work" to be there for her. Wow. I want his abilities to see into the future! My girlfriend had to ask someone else to take her to the doctor's office and stay with her for a few days until she was well. Oh, did I mention that she LIVED with her boyfriend? But he was still, "too tired" to help out. I asked why she would put up with this selfish and thoughtless man. Her response? He, "wasn't always like that". Can you hear me retching, ladies? The best part? Their lease is up so they've decided to move...but closer to his office so that his commute isn't so bad. SHE now has to drive 45 minutes to get to her job downtown. How's that for a big crystal ball look into their future?

I'm not saying I haven't made the same mistakes. Hey, I raised my hand. So when you see someone close to you making excuses for the human "ucktard that is her significant other, you want to bitch slap the girl. I recently told someone that the true character of a person comes out in times of crisis. Some people run scared, others get angry and can't deal, most people are able to stand up and handle the situation. But in a crisis, if your man uses excuses as to why he can't be there for you, doesn't spend every moment he can with you, and allows others to take care of you when you know he should be doing so, there is something wrong. And yet, many women will excuse that behavior, even knowing just how horribly her man let her down. It is as if you were both standing at a crumbling cliff and he took a step back, watched you fall...and you, even free falling to the ground, shout out to him, "It's okay, only one of us should hurt".

Honestly, ladies, why oh why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we continue to put ourselves in the backseat? Why do we think it's okay to accept this type of inconsiderate, selfish behavior instead of saying, "NO! I deserve better. I deserve someone who will love and support me through the good and the bad, not just the convenient. This man can bring me only flashes of happiness instead of a strong, steady glow. He cannot love me the way I should be loved. I quit him." Okay, maybe not so dramatic but you get the idea. Yea, it's hard but why shouldn't we demand the best for ourselves? We get angry at store clerks when we feel we're being ripped off, we yell at the inconsiderate guy that cuts us off in traffic, we write angry emails when we feel our basic rights have been trampled...and yet, when the man who professes to love us refuses to walk across the street to buy dog food for your dog, you roll over meekly.

Sorry that I sound as if I'm lecturing. I don't often do this but sometimes the spirit moves me. Love doesn't conquer all - sometimes we have to do battle ourselves. Love, however, is the ultimate prize.