I don’t remember how this started, but as I was gradually waking up this morning, I was thinking about restrictive dress codes dictated for women in various religions.

In Orthodox and Ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities, one of the reasons they dress the same is so God will recognize them apart from everyone else.  And one of the reasons the women wear wigs is that only their husbands should see their hair.

So this leads me to thinking about other, worse restrictions, like in the Middle East, where the women are completely covered up and their movement is restricted, because otherwise, they might meet men and fall in love and marry someone their fathers haven’t chosen for them.

This, I think, is more like breeding dogs, than the way human beings should be treated.

Then I ponder – so why is it OK to do this to the dogs?  Do they mind breeding with other dogs of their owners’ choosing, rather than picking for themselves?

Wondering this, I figure probably not, because dogs would breed with sofas if they could.

And if they could, well, leather furniture would be a lot cheaper.

But you’d have to buy an entire set at once to make sure they were from the same litter.

Unless they weren’t purebred, then you’d be taking your chances:

Forgive me, I’m not much of a cartoonist, but this had to be visual.

It’s awful.  It really is.  However, it’s extremely funny.

http://www.uploadit.org/gallery/12724

Read.  Discuss.

So, this morning I was trying to get a whole bunch of stuff done before driving 80-something miles to have lunch with my other best friend Janet.  First was Weight Watchers, with another 3.2 pounds off, for a total of 8.8, thankyouverymuch.  Then I tried to apply for a job as a substitute teacher, only to find that by the time all my paperwork goes through, I should have the qualifications and certification to be a regular teacher.  Hey, better to find out now. . . Next, I went to the pet supply store, started chatting with the cashier and found out that she lives around the corner from me, and we have daughters about the same age!  So, after all these random talking opportunities (I never waste opportunities to talk, you know. . .) I finally hit the road. 

I was going at a pretty good clip, as usual.  Yes, I speed, but I don’t drive recklessly or dangerously – and I always make sure that several other people are driving faster than I am.  I am very generous with my speeding tickets, letting other people have them instead all the time.  I need not have worried, though, since Janet taking an afternoon off usually involves tying up loose ends for a while after she was supposed to leave.  So I played solitaire on the phone and eavesdropped for about an hour, then we headed off to lunch.

We were supposed to go shopping for clothes after lunch.  Never happened.

First of all, this was one of those opportunities to talk that I never waste.  We don’t usually get them so we were working this one.  Then, our raucous laughter attracted the attention of another diner, who turned out to be not only vastly entertaining in his own right, but also a willing victim of yet another telling of the college antics of our little troika.  (I’d give you a link to the source of that reference, but I think it has long disappeared into cyberspace.  Whether it’s because it’s old, or because it’s regretted and deleted by the originator, we may never know.  And that’s a good thing.) So, anyway, we ended up having a four-hour lunch, and chatting by cell on the way home, too.  Not only does it bring home, in a personal way, that friendship doesn’t need to be defined by physical distance anymore, but it also brings that point home to my kids.  Since this comes right after a weekend with their friend who’s now an hour and a half away, soon to be even farther away after >her< move, it should have an impact.

Oh, hell, I’m not that altruistic.  I just had a good time.  Eff it.  It was all about me.  Heh.