Friends and Breastfeeding

Here's a cute pic of me at the Carnivale Fancy dress party at WisCon. My head looks weird because there's a mask on it, though you can't tell. Rebecca and Carla are with me, two friends I actually managed to make this weekend.

On the plane home from WisCon, who just happened to be sitting by me, but Sharyn November, senior editor for Peguin's YA scifi/fantasy line. Watch me twitch with anxiety. She noticed I was reading her latest anthology as we waited to board the plane, and then on it, she was sitting just behind me. As the plane landed and we waited for everyone to get off (we were waaaaay at the back), I got her to sign the book and chatted with her about past and future anthologies. Now, I didn't exactly secure an invitation to submit, but she did mention that she never gets enough science fiction and is looking for it for her next anthology. So in the next 30 days, I must finish the sci fi story I'm writing right now and send it to her. She's one of the top editors around, which means my chances are slim, but what the heck, it's a chance.
So, last time I wrote my dispatches from WisCon, I was just sending them as emails to Jen. In them, I wrote extensively about the heavy-breather girl I recognized from an English class I took and her Jesus-esque boyfriend. They were back this year. The entire weekend, he wore Ali Baba-style pants that allowed us all to see his lovely black brief underwear. And guess what? They've procreated. There was a kid, walking and talking, probably 2 or 3 years old. Which means she could have been pregnant last time I saw her, three years ago. OK.
So I'm sitting in the room where everyone gathers between panels. They have soda and cookies and cheese and tables for everyone to hang out and eat. I'm waiting for my bagel to toast. Heavy-breather English girl is lying on a couch nearby napping, until her child comes and sticks its hands down her shirt. I kind of laugh, because kids do things like that. Heavy-breather then proceeds to haul her shirt up, yank her bra down and pop out a boob. Snack time for junior.
Now. I am all about women breast-feeding in public. Most women are very discreet about it, covering up with a baby-blanket and kind of just tucking the kid under there. It's beautiful and healthy and brings joy to my heart to see it. But don't just flop it all out there, people. And how does the saying go? "If they're old enough to ask for it, they're too old to have it." This kid stood next to the couch, took a drink, then went back to playing with legos. Ugh ugh ugh.