Monthly Archives: December 2012

Why I Don’t Understand Anti-Vax People

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You know what? I will never have children, so this is not my problem, but I’m going to throw my two cents in anyway.

First, let’s talk about herd immunity. Because I think a LOT of you are living in ignorant bliss right now.

In America, a great deal of “the herd” is immune, right now. Do you anti-vax people not get that in ten or twenty years, the “immune” herd is going to be a LOT smaller? Your particular calf is going to be in danger, then. Oh, I’m sure, ONE kid, somewhere, had a bad reaction. And if it was YOUR kid, I get you’re upset and really fucking pissed about it.

HOWEVER:

I was part of the WHO’s “Smallpox Eradication Program” (not that I knew it). I was born in 1966. Yes, I have a lovely smallpox vax scar on my arm. See? smallpox

Oh, I’m scarred for life. Yes, I am. The horror. Bigger horror? Dying from smallpox.

Look, I’m an accountant, and I fully understand the math behind risk/reward. You want to know what? I’ll take Vaccinations over Major Illnesses That Can Kill Me any time. ANY TIME.

You feel free to choose differently. But if your kid gets sick and dies of some disease that could have been prevented by a shot that hurt for TWO SECONDS, don’t cry to me. I get that modern science is not the be-all and end-all of existence, but sometimes you have to look at the math, NOT the emotional toll.

I have no dog in this fight, but I encourage you to think long and hard about your choices for your children. LONG and HARD.

I’m part of The Herd. I’m 46.

The herd isn’t getting any younger. I’m just sayin’.

And if this itty bitty circular scar is the worst thing to happen to your kid, count yourself lucky. My mother cared enough to protect me from shit that could kill me. She was a pragmatist who understood risk/reward and would have taken her lot in life stoically had she not drawn an Ace. She knew what she was doing. She knew men with advanced degrees probably knew better than she did. And she wanted her kids to live, and not be sick and suffer. She’d seen what happened to kids with polio, so she knew. Vaccines are NOT the devil.

Science>GAWD. Get over it, people. Fact>fiction. Same story.

Tattoos and Visibility and All that Stuff…

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I have tattoos. I’m sure my mother would sell her soul to Satan to remove them, but I have them. And I like her soul right where it is. So there you go. Love you, mom! Sorry your daughter is such a godless heathen! (Yeah, this will never make her laugh. Oh well).

Right now I have five. Two are highly visible (the ankle tat I have is a shamrock, and the wrist tat, well, that I agonized over for two years before pulling the trigger. Because you have to think these things out, dontchaknow).

Even after two years of thinking, I kind of regretted the wrist tat. I remembered feeling the same way about the ankle tat when I got it (OMG IT’S VISIBLE PEOPLE WILL JUDGE ME) and then I quickly got over it. Because, yeah, they might judge me, but so what?

The wrist is taking longer. I suspect it’s because I’m not used to seeing it yet (it’s only been about 6 weeks and it’s long sleeve weather). The best part is it got “outed” at work and NO ONE EVEN NOTICED. We have a lot of visible ink around here, so I suspect everyone thought I’d always had it. Win!

Katat

I knew a wrist tat was going to be a challenge. People see it and want to know what it is. Mine is kind of random if you’re not a Stephen King Dark Tower fan. So, I’ve found myself explaining it. A lot. That’s okay, though – if I can sucker someone into reading the books I feel my work is done.

My reasons for the wrist tat are pretty simple, if you know the meaning of ka in the Dark Tower series. Ka is a wheel; ka is fate and karma and destiny all rolled into one. Ka IS, and ka will bring you around to where you are supposed to be. I put it where I could see it to remind me of that, and to remind me that fate and karma and all of that made me who I am, and will make me who I will be.

So, my new tat and I are growing together. I like it, a lot. I know it’s not PC and I know I will have to spend a lot of time explaining it, but that’s kind of a perk. Think how many people I can get to read the books. If I can do that, then it’s totally worth it.

And, as always, I never regret things I’ve done. I only regret things I SHOULD have done. So there. 😀

And, my mom will have kittens over this. I swear. And I ALSO know my sis will out me to her. Because that’s what sisters do. It’s probably for the best – mom will get mostly over it before I see her again. LOL!