You are SO not African

Is pretty much the reaction I got from the ex when he saw my newly, inch cut ears. The ex tends to get a little preachy with certain all things, so he went into some form of a tirade where he went onto explain to me (sometimes I swear he thinks I'm a 4 year old retarded kid) how some tribes in Africa stretch their lips and use big, wooden plates...and how some Aztec and Mayan tribes do the same, but that's ok, because Aztec and Mayan is part of my ancestry and blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. I usually tend to zone out and think about other things when he talks. For instance, I was thinking about what color I wanted to paint my finger nails and how I did such a good job on my toes. Its not that I don't think he has anything valid to say, its just that he manages to bore the socks off of me. One reason we are now divorced.

I love my ears. I think it adds to my eccentricity, as weird as that sounds. Most people, my family and friends included, just think I'm crazy. Maybe. But what's my life worth if I don't do what I want. I can't just pick up and move out of town becaue I'm basically shackled to my so called life here in Hellzona, but I CAN modify my body any way I choose. My kids don't mind it. Although the princess did express her distaste at the thought of me getting MORE tattoos, she doesn't mind my stretched ears. And that's fine. My kids don't have to adorn their bodies like I do when they grow up, that's their perogative. Often lately, I've been asked why I do "this" to my body. And when I explain my reasoning I'm asked what I would do when my kids want to get tattoos and piercings when they grow up. Pshaw. They ask in a tone of voice which suggests I would encourage such a thing. As if I'm going to take them to one of my artist friends and have him permanently ink my child. As if.

People are so retarded when it comes to things that aren't "socially acceptable". This topic was also brought up in Rock star mommy's blahg when asked why she would choose to give her son a mohawk and *gasp* temporarily color it blue when he is so young he can't choose for himself. Why? Why, I ask, must people be so naive? If it's not something they would do themselves, well then, its just wrong. Stupid is NOT as stupid does.

While Rock star mommy is dealing with creepy readers on a less extreme topic, I'm dealing with my mom on a "she can't look at me when we speak to each other" situation. I'd been hiding my ears from her by covering them with my hair. Not because I think its wrong, but because I knew she'd freak and I didn't want to hear it. When mi herana came by the other morning, she, of course, noticed within seconds of seeing me that something was different. "Your ears look bigger. Did you stretch them again?!" I showed her my ears and she expressed her shock and amazement. Mi madre mosied on by and overheard Nila saying that I was crazy. She immediately looked at me, then looked back at my sister, "What'd she do now?! Did she do something? What'd she do to herself now?!" I sighed, tucked my hair behind my ears and showed her. Needless to say, she was not happy about it. My mother is the queen of off-handed comments. Yesterday morning as I left to take the kiddos to school, she told me I was destroying my body. "Well mom, I believe that the beer I drink, cigs I smoke and pills I take are what's essentially destroying my body and NOT the stretching of my ears." If only I was quick witted enough at 7:30 in the morning to have actually said that. If only. Another dramatic comment made was for me to cover my ears while I was talking to her. That's new. She took my face tattoo in stride and thought it looked cute. But holes in my ears bigger...well now, that's just crazy. I think SHE needs to take a few drinks. A couple of pills. Repeat.