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[logans_girl2001]

I've been thinking about this post for a while so it is very long. And is actually several posts. I didn't want to spam your inboxes so each "post" is under a cut so you can choose where to start reading.

My Mother the bigot

So, back in April my parents and I traveled to see my daughter sing in one of her last choir concerts. It quickly became obvious that my mother was at a loss for what to occupy her time with without my eight year-old great-niece for her to keep entertained. I say this because at one point just as I was going to put in my headphones and watch some Netflix on my phone, she asked what I thought about the bathroom law.

Let me pause here to state that I do not talk politics with my parents because the older I get the more liberal I get and the older they get the more conservative they get.

I answered fairly truthfully by saying that transgendered people have been using the bathroom for their proper gender for years without an issue. She insists that is not true. She also insists that she'd know if a trans woman was in the women's bathroom. I insist that she can't tell the majority of the time. According to my mother all trans women are perverts who want to molest little girls and they all have prominent Adam's apples and walk like men. *shakes head* I would love to have her meet a trans woman who has not undergone surgery but never gets misgendered. But then I don't think that would change how she thinks.

*sigh* As I write this I keep thinking about that video of the cis woman who got forcibly removed from the women's room because she was wearing "gender neutral" clothes and didn't have her ID with her. This is what that fucking law is causing: cis women in fear of being arrested for going to the bathroom. And if a man wants to molest a woman/little girl he doesn't have to go into a women's bathroom to do it. Not to mention no molester is going to put on a dress just to gain access to the women's room; not when there are other ways (hidden cameras).

But through all this I've yet to hear people expressing concern for the men who will have women entering their bathroom. Men get raped too, ya know.

But my main concern with all this is for the trans women who now have to enter the men's room and risk getting beaten up for being "a sissy in a dress".

What the fuck is this country coming to?

Captain America: Civil War spoilers!

I know next to nothing about The Avengers beyond what I've read in meta posts and seen on TV and in the movies. Due to that I am firmly a MCU fan.

One of the things I like about Tumblr is that I can get to know fandoms I'm not in through other people's posts. And since I knew that Tumblr was going to implode the day after CACW opened I decided to go see it instead of trying to figure out how to blacklist all the different tags people might use.

I knew going in that the split was/is because of The Vigilante Registration Act (Whoops! Wrong universe! *cheeky grin*) The Sokovia Accords (which is the exact same thing as the thing in the other superhero universe). I must say that I see both sides.

First, Tony's: After the events in AoU The Avengers (and Tony in particular) need someone to tell them no. And it should be an international group so that not one country gets the bulk of their assistance.

Second, Steve's: What if the oversight committee says no? Steve has a really difficult time leaving innocents behind. As he said in one of the other movies: he hates bullies. And I'm beginning to think he equates terrorists (a term that didn't exist before he went into the ice) with bullies. And he's not wrong.

I spent the movie trying to decide which side I'd be on if I was a superhero.

On the one hand, Tony is a favorite of mine because of how sad his eyes are. Sure he has everything money can buy but (as they say) money can't buy happiness. I think he was starting to feel happy until he almost died in NY in the first Avengers movie. Now he's battling PTSD and has no one to help or support him. And because of that he tends to go beyond what is safe in his efforts to protect those he loves.

On the other hand, Steve is just an overgrown little boy who can still be stopped in his tracks just by the mention of his best friend's name. Steve still hasn't forgiven himself for Bucky becoming The Winter Soldier. It wasn't his fault but he still blames himself. And because of this he doesn't want anyone telling him he can't go help someone he thinks needs his help.

One of the funniest scenes is Sam and Bucky in the Bug. Sam is annoyed by Bucky so much that he's being petty in not moving his seat. But Bucky doesn't care; he just moves over. And their reaction to The Kiss. Hilarious. But The Kiss came totally out of left field for me. I didn't connect Sharon Carter to Steve's neighbor in Winter Soldier until she showed up at Peggy's funeral.

I don't understand why Steve kissed her. I mean, if they had ever had an almost kiss then I could see it but as far as I can remember they never did. And the way Steve kissed her... I was not feeling it at all. I even mumbled "ew, gross".

And the ending just about broke me.

Tony shows he can put aside his feelings for those he cares about when he went to Sam to ask where Steve is so he could go help. He shows up as a friend and then finds out that Bucky killed his parents and Steve knew and didn't tell him. You can see the exact moment when Tony loses what little bit of caring he had developed for Bucky while he was watching the security footage.

And the fight scene... The most painful one I've ever witnessed. Two to one doesn't seem fair but Tony held his own for a long time. The moment the almost killed me was when Buck had Tony pinned to the wall and was trying to tear out the ARC reactor. I was screaming in my head for him to stop. And then when Steve had Tony on the ground and was beating on him. I actually had to put my hand over my mouth so I could plead with him out loud to stop. I really thought he was going to kill Tony with his shield when he held it above his head so imagine my relief when he just finished destroying the ARC reactor.

But Tony's parting shot: "You don't deserve that shield. It doesn't belong to you. My father made that shield." And Steve doesn't even hesitate, just tosses it down and continues carrying Bucky out.

*ugly crying*

Hawaii Five-0 spoilers!

So last night was the "two hour" season finale (it was actually two separate episodes).

I'm getting tired of Kono being reduced to her story line with Adam. I cannot stand that story line. And it's all because we weren't shown them meeting and falling in love; just told that she was seeing someone and then *bam* there she is in a hotel having sex with Adam.

A friend has said that she didn't like the ease with which the team was able to escape the bad guys and I happen to agree. If gut shot Gabriel can make the jump then so could the bad guys.

Also, how did Abby get away? She had a gun pressed to her head and yet she comes roaring up on Chin's motorcycle in the nick of time to save Grover. How? C'mon, Show! Show us these things, don't tell us. There is only so much belief I can suspend in order to enjoy the show. That being said, I do like Abby. Although I had hoped they'd have Chin get with that nurse from the episode where he was put in Halawa.

I was not impressed with the first "hour" by any means. But the second... *mind blown*

I loved Steve playing the cocky pilot and how he "doesn't fly without [his] mechanic".

Both Alex and Scott were awesome in this episode. And yes, I'm aware that Alex spent most of it unconscious or off screen but he was still great. I saw shades of the bad boys he's played over the years in his portrayal of the pilot.

I was a bit surprised that Danny knows that he has the same blood type as Steve. But then again, I guess I shouldn't be due to how often Steve gets injured.

Loved Danny offering his liver for Steve. And Auntie Kono going to get Gracie. Although she did talk down to her a little. There was a moment in the car where her tone implied that Kono still thinks of Grace as the little girl she first met instead of the young adult she's quickly becoming (IIRC from the Halloween episode Grace is now fourteen).

But the ending of the season just left a bad taste in my mouth. Steve has all these "get well" gifts/flowers/cards/balloons and Danny has not one. Not even his team mates think he deserves some of the well wishes and thanks. Danny literally saved Steve's life twice in this episode and not one single person could be bothered to get him a balloon or card? Really? Danny saved the day and even went back out to catch the son of a bitch with four broken ribs. He showed that he is a vicious bastard when his ohana is threatened. He could have killed the smug asshole but he didn't because that's not who he is. Yes, he killed Reyes but that was because Reyes let him believe that Matt was still alive when he had probably been dead long before Reyes first contacted Danny.

NCIS spoilers!

I didn't find out that Michael Weatherly (Tony DiNozzo) was leaving until just a month or two ago because CBS has done nothing to promote it.

I'm really sad to see him leave, even if I don't like his characterization these last couple of seasons (but I feel like that has to do with Bishop whom I dislike almost as much as I hated Ziva).

Going into these last two episodes I was thinking his leaving would have something to do with his father because they've become closer this past year. But after this last week's episode I'm thinking it might have to do with Ziva.

After having him chasing leads off-screen for an entire episode (the only one that Michael hasn't been in IIRC) and having him in limited scenes in one of his last two, they end it with the cabin where Ziva is supposedly hiding getting blown up. They even went so far as to end the entire episode on a close up of his stricken face.

I absolutely hated the Tiva lean some episodes/seasons had during Cote's time on the show. The thing I hated the most about it was how she treated him like a very annoying puppy that she really wanted to kick to get it to leave her alone. She was allowed to sleep with whom ever she wanted but he wasn't allowed to so much as think of another woman without her getting all jealous girlfriend-y and possessive. In fact, she constantly harped on him for killing a man she was sleeping with; not seeming to care that he killed the man in self-defense and that the man was a spy who was planning to kill her.

I hated it so much that until I heard that Cote was leaving I was planning on not watching the show anymore. And I haven't seen her final episode all the way through because I fast forwarded through her scenes. I made a post at that time about what I disliked so much about that episode.

So if Tony's leaving is even remotely related to Ziva, I will not be watching next season and that's a shame because I really like this show. But I feel like the writers don't really care about Tony unless he's a part of Tiva and that's like not caring about a female character unless she's part of the main male character's story as his love interest.

I have the first season of NCIS on DVD and I think about how competent Tony was before Kate was killed and it just makes me sick that as soon as they introduced Ziva he seemed to have forgotten that he has been a police officer for a couple of decades and that Gibbs hired him for a reason: because he's damn good at his job.

Yay!

On May 6 I became a permanent employee of [the company I've been temping for since November]. I will soon have paid time off (ten vacation days, five sick, six holidays, one floating holiday (anniversary day)), medical insurance (health, vision, and dental) and 401k.

And if we're ever allowed to work OT or take our laptops home I can do that now.

Only thing I don't like about it we're only paid twice a month (5th and 20th).

Seriously?

Wednesday I stopped at a Walmart that is on my way home.

This Walmart is in a really nice area so it is surprising that they have security guards at the doors. Some of them ask to see your receipt as you exit, some don't. If you have an item not in a bag, they definitely ask.

Anyway, this particular evening, I'm using the self check-out and this woman is berating an employee who is being as polite as possible. The customer keeps asking for the last name of "Betty". He keeps saying he doesn't know it but if she calls and asks for "Betty" she'll get the correct person.

She doesn't believe him and says "I don't have time for this. I'll just contact my lawyer and sue."

Now while this is going on, I'm ringing up my purchase and thinking that if she's upset at having to show her receipt then she should shop somewhere else or just not leave her house.

Besides, I'm pretty sure that she's gonna have a difficult time finding a lawyer to take her case and if she just so happens to find one, the judge will most likely laugh her out of the courtroom.

Why are people such jerks?

I'm on vacation in Oklahoma City and when I went out this morning I saw something that was very dangerous.

I was stopped a red light. There was a motorcycle behind me with a pick-up behind that. I was minding my own business waiting for the light to turn when I heard the motorcycle driver yell something. When I looked in the rear-view mirror I could see the two red necks in the truck laughing and figured they had "bumped" the rear tire of the motorcycle. I could then hear the engine of the motorcycle revving so I figured they were still doing it, plus he was yelling "fuck you!" Then, as I watched, the passenger of the truck got out and tried to turn the motorcycle off! I was floored because he was still laughing like he thought it was the funniest thing ever.

When he got back in the truck the driver continued to "bump" the rear tire of the motorcycle. It was so bad I started plotting how best to get out of the guy's way so he could get away from the idiots in the truck.

When the light turned green, I went to the far right lane so that he could get out as quickly as possible. He then rode a wheelie all the way to where he was heading (a motorcycle shop just down the road. As I passed I saw him drive around behind the building, but not before the red necks saw and turned into the same shopping center.

I'm hoping nothing bad happened. When I told my dad about it he said they might be friends. I'm thinking they might have known each other (this did feel like something that's happened before) but I doubt they're friends. The motorcyclist was just too angry for it to have been friendly ribbing.

Why do people have to hate others so much?

Like I said above I'm in Oklahoma City this weekend. One of the reason I came was to see the National Monument at the site of the federal building bombing from 1995.

Waco and the bombing are permanently etched in my brain. Waco because I'm from Texas and it was so close to home. And was a major cluster fuck on behalf of the federal agencies involved.

The bombing because I had just left the ob/gyn's office where I heard my daughter's heartbeat for the first time. My ex and I were excited, talking about names, and headed to a premarital appointment.

I remember Oprah had several episodes about it, she had several of the survivors and victims' families on her show. One that sticks out in my mind is a woman who lost both her kids.

Her and her husband were divorced. Since both of their sons died, they planned to remarry and she had her tubes untied (she had had them tied just a couple years before) so she could have more children.

A quick Google search shows she has had two more children, a boy and a girl. She says she thinks of her two lost children every single day. As a mother I feel I can say that she will probably think of them every day for the rest of her life.

But the reason for the cut text for this part is the reason behind the bombing. The two men responsible were angry about Waco (and now you know why I mentioned Waco). I can't blame them their anger, but I can (and do) blame them for the one hundred sixty-eight lives (nineteen of those children with the youngest only three months) lost that April day in 1995.