Why I Don't Shop At Wal-mart
I've read or heard about many complaints against Wal-mart... Wal-mart has been accused of paying employees less than its competitors in order to offer lower prices, they promote more men than women, they import everything from foreign countries, they contribute to the downfall of the environment, and so on... People have boycotted the stores because of these issues, but these are not the reasons I avoid shopping there. People are still willing to work at Wal-mart, and as long as people are willing to work for less pay or unequal benefits, why would Wal-mart change?
The reasons I avoid Wal-mart are more personal. The long lines, the incompetent check-out clerks, and the caliber of person who shops there all deter me from going in. We received two Wal-mart gift cards for Christmas last year, and it took three trips in to spend them. Each time I was reminded of the reasons I do not shop there.
After waiting in line for what seemed like an eternity with screaming children all around, the check out person began scanning my items. He would scan something, and then instead of putting it in the bag, he would set it down on the counter in front of the scanner... I didn't think much of it, but when I got home and looked at my receipt, he had rung up some lotion twice. I made a second trip to the store in freezing rain and waited in line again at the customer service desk to get my $3.99 back. When I got back to my car, a shopping cart was against the hood of my car. I didn't see any damage, but I was annoyed.
Another trip to Wal-mart to spend more of the gift cards resulted in another long line with the most excruciatingly slow check-out person I've ever seen. We had many items, and she kept asking us if we wanted things in a bag. Finally, James said "Yes, we would like EVERYTHING in a bag."
There are many instances of rude shoppers with eight million kids who really annoy me. There was a woman who had lost her child and began screaming in the middle of the baby department, a man who had a crying baby who smacked the baby and told it to quit crying, a woman holding a toddler so close to me in the check-out that the kid was kicking me in the back, and there are so many people who lack enough basic social skills to simply say "excuse me" when they bump into you, butt in front of you, or nearly run you over with their cart. I'm sure not everyone who shops at Target is polite, but what is up with Wal-mart? Maybe the sheer brightness of the store drives everyone there crazy. I am a firm believer that fluorescent bulbs suck one's will to live. The Wal-mart near us is excessively bright.
When it comes to shopping, I'll pay the extra 30 cents to go to Target.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Memoirs of a New World
I've seen two movies recently... Memoirs of a Geisha and The New World. I liked them both. Though they are very different movies, they both had gorgeous scenery, beautiful lead actresses, and a bit of controversy regarding their casting.
I have heard that people are upset because the two main actresses in Memoirs, Ziyi Zhang and Michelle Yeoh, are Chinese actresses playing Japanese Geishas. The main actress in The New World, Q'orianka Kilcher (had to look that one up on IMDB) is actually part Quechuan (South American Indian) and part Swiss (on a side note, she is also the singer Jewel's cousin), and she is playing a North American Indian.
Perhaps my opinion doesn't count on this matter, being that I am not Japanese but a mix of various European nationalities, Cherokee, and half of my heritage is a mystery, but I don't see what the big deal is. Actors are just that... ACTORS... playing a part. To me, a Chinese actress playing a Japanese person is no different than Renee Zellweger playing Bridget Jones or Jude Law playing an American. It is always arguable that someone else could have played a part better, whether they are of the same nationality as the character or not. People should just enjoy the story and the artistic interpretation of the people involved, in my opinion.
I've seen two movies recently... Memoirs of a Geisha and The New World. I liked them both. Though they are very different movies, they both had gorgeous scenery, beautiful lead actresses, and a bit of controversy regarding their casting.
I have heard that people are upset because the two main actresses in Memoirs, Ziyi Zhang and Michelle Yeoh, are Chinese actresses playing Japanese Geishas. The main actress in The New World, Q'orianka Kilcher (had to look that one up on IMDB) is actually part Quechuan (South American Indian) and part Swiss (on a side note, she is also the singer Jewel's cousin), and she is playing a North American Indian.
Perhaps my opinion doesn't count on this matter, being that I am not Japanese but a mix of various European nationalities, Cherokee, and half of my heritage is a mystery, but I don't see what the big deal is. Actors are just that... ACTORS... playing a part. To me, a Chinese actress playing a Japanese person is no different than Renee Zellweger playing Bridget Jones or Jude Law playing an American. It is always arguable that someone else could have played a part better, whether they are of the same nationality as the character or not. People should just enjoy the story and the artistic interpretation of the people involved, in my opinion.
The Trials (and Errors) of Feeding a Toddler
Tess has decided that she does not want to eat baby food anymore. I guess it is about that time... time for her to transition to table food. She's been eating some of the more mushy foods here and there (mashed potatoes, yogurt), but now she is gung-ho about eating whatever mommy and daddy are eating. When I tried to give her some Gerber sweet potatoes this week, which she normally loves, she swatted the spoon from my hand and sweet potatoes flew everywhere.
Trying to find things that she can feed herself is challenging. She gobbled up some chicken and cheesy noodles that we had for dinner this week. That seemed to make her very happy. This morning, I made her a scrambled egg, and it wound up all over her, the chair, and the floor. She didn't eat a single bite. So, no more eggs for awhile. If you've ever tried to sweep up scrambled eggs with a broom, you know what a pain that is...
I've also tried giving her a bite of orange, which she promptly spit out. She did eat several bites of a goat cheese pizza and some pumpkin ice cream (my lunch) the other day. It's going to be a long road to establishing a menu for her.
Another developmental milestone: Tess took her first steps a few days ago (February 4). She is changing so fast!
Tess has decided that she does not want to eat baby food anymore. I guess it is about that time... time for her to transition to table food. She's been eating some of the more mushy foods here and there (mashed potatoes, yogurt), but now she is gung-ho about eating whatever mommy and daddy are eating. When I tried to give her some Gerber sweet potatoes this week, which she normally loves, she swatted the spoon from my hand and sweet potatoes flew everywhere.
Trying to find things that she can feed herself is challenging. She gobbled up some chicken and cheesy noodles that we had for dinner this week. That seemed to make her very happy. This morning, I made her a scrambled egg, and it wound up all over her, the chair, and the floor. She didn't eat a single bite. So, no more eggs for awhile. If you've ever tried to sweep up scrambled eggs with a broom, you know what a pain that is...
I've also tried giving her a bite of orange, which she promptly spit out. She did eat several bites of a goat cheese pizza and some pumpkin ice cream (my lunch) the other day. It's going to be a long road to establishing a menu for her.
Another developmental milestone: Tess took her first steps a few days ago (February 4). She is changing so fast!
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Happy Birthday, Tess!
Tess is one year old as of yesterday. Where does the time go? We went to see grandpa in the hospital (he had emergency heart surgery this week, which is a whole different story), and then Tess had a cupcake, which she didn't really like. She smeared it everywhere but didn't eat it. I guess she did not inherit mommy's sweet tooth, and believe me, that is a good thing!
Tess is one year old as of yesterday. Where does the time go? We went to see grandpa in the hospital (he had emergency heart surgery this week, which is a whole different story), and then Tess had a cupcake, which she didn't really like. She smeared it everywhere but didn't eat it. I guess she did not inherit mommy's sweet tooth, and believe me, that is a good thing!
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
My Raging Tumor
I was reading my friend Leslie's blog about corn detasseling today, and I was reminded of my very angry past. I used to get mad, and I'm not talking throw a couple of cuss words around mad... this was full-on RAGE. I tore up many things. I remember being angry about something and picking up a piece of cloth and tearing it to shreds. I trashed my music stand once. I don't even remember what I was mad about. My friends dreaded my moodiness. I would go from happiness to complete depression or anger in seconds.
As it turned out, it wasn't just raging teenage hormones. I had an adrenal tumor that played with my emotions constantly. The tumor also caused me to have high blood pressure, and I couldn't do anything to raise my heart rate without having a horrible episode in which my head pounded, my heart palpitated, my whole body became weak, and then I would throw up. That went on from fourth grade until I was a senior in high school (the tumor wasn't found until I was 18). I was a fourth grader taking high blood pressure medicine and putting nitroglycerin pills under my tongue whenever I felt an episode come on. Yeah, our small town doctor was a quack and a half. He discouraged my mom from taking me to "the big city" for tests... "They'll just tell you the same thing and charge you a lot of money" he said. Over the years, the symptoms got worse, so finally I went to a specialist.
The specialists ran numerous tests on my heart and could not find anything wrong. Finally, one of the doctors insinuated to my mom that it was all in my head. I was sitting right there when he said it. Asshole!
One last test was performed (by a female doctor I might add) and the amount of catecholamines in my urine was high. They did an MRI, and sure enough, there was a fist size tumor growing on my adrenal gland. I was scheduled for surgery right away.
I spent spring break of my senior year in the hospital. I wasn't worried about the surgery, but I had no idea what to expect. No one prepared me for what I would wake up to find... tubes hanging out everywhere. I had medical students come to visit me and perform exams because my condition was so rare at the time.
When I woke up from the surgery, I was being moved to the ICU. My blood pressure dropped to 50/20. I was completely miserable. My throat ached from the tube going through my nose down to my stomach, but they couldn't give me any water. My whole body felt like it had been hit by a truck. I couldn't see anything because I didn't have my contacts in and my glasses were packed away somewhere where no one could find them. I have no idea what the nurse taking care of me looked like. They had to give me blood. I remember lying there watching the blurry blood drip into my arm. It was the early 90's, so not much was known about AIDS then. As I lay there I thought "God, please don't let me get AIDS."
The misery wasn't over yet... the next day I was moved back to a regular room. The surgeon informed me that the tumor had grown into my kidney, so he also had to remove my left kidney and adrenal gland with the tumor. I took the news just fine. I think my parents were surprised. I was just glad the tumor was out. That night, the IV site in my hand wore out. I felt like my hand was on fire. It was almost unbearable. Since it was the middle of the night and the hospital had less staff, an inexperienced nurse tried to put a new IV in my hand. I watched her wriggle the needle around under my skin. She finally gave up and said they'd have to wait for a certain guy who was busy. Meanwhile, I thought my hand was going to burn up. I don't know how long I waited before he finally showed up and took care of it.
I don't remember exactly what day this happened, but suddenly I was freezing cold and couldn't stop shaking. I called the nurse, and she found that someone had mistakenly raised the level of one of my IV's (it was one of the other nurses).
One of the highlights of my stay in the hospital was when they pulled the tube out of my stomach. Gag! The staff at St. Vincent's also pumped me so full of fluids that I gained 10 pounds overnight. When I left the hospital, I had stretch marks on my legs from all the fluid gain, huge purple bruises on my arms and hands, not to mention a giant scar (about 15 inches long) on my abdomen.
That was a horrible experience, but thankfully the outcome is that I remain tumor free. My blood pressure has actually been on the low side for the last 14 years. I am glad my friends stuck through the rage and mood swings. Since the tumor was removed, I have been a very laid back person. People who didn't know me then would find it hard to believe that I had such rage.
Living with one kidney is no different than living with two. I'm not bitter about it, but I have to wonder if my kidney could have been saved if the idiot doctor had sent me for tests earlier.
I was reading my friend Leslie's blog about corn detasseling today, and I was reminded of my very angry past. I used to get mad, and I'm not talking throw a couple of cuss words around mad... this was full-on RAGE. I tore up many things. I remember being angry about something and picking up a piece of cloth and tearing it to shreds. I trashed my music stand once. I don't even remember what I was mad about. My friends dreaded my moodiness. I would go from happiness to complete depression or anger in seconds.
As it turned out, it wasn't just raging teenage hormones. I had an adrenal tumor that played with my emotions constantly. The tumor also caused me to have high blood pressure, and I couldn't do anything to raise my heart rate without having a horrible episode in which my head pounded, my heart palpitated, my whole body became weak, and then I would throw up. That went on from fourth grade until I was a senior in high school (the tumor wasn't found until I was 18). I was a fourth grader taking high blood pressure medicine and putting nitroglycerin pills under my tongue whenever I felt an episode come on. Yeah, our small town doctor was a quack and a half. He discouraged my mom from taking me to "the big city" for tests... "They'll just tell you the same thing and charge you a lot of money" he said. Over the years, the symptoms got worse, so finally I went to a specialist.
The specialists ran numerous tests on my heart and could not find anything wrong. Finally, one of the doctors insinuated to my mom that it was all in my head. I was sitting right there when he said it. Asshole!
One last test was performed (by a female doctor I might add) and the amount of catecholamines in my urine was high. They did an MRI, and sure enough, there was a fist size tumor growing on my adrenal gland. I was scheduled for surgery right away.
I spent spring break of my senior year in the hospital. I wasn't worried about the surgery, but I had no idea what to expect. No one prepared me for what I would wake up to find... tubes hanging out everywhere. I had medical students come to visit me and perform exams because my condition was so rare at the time.
When I woke up from the surgery, I was being moved to the ICU. My blood pressure dropped to 50/20. I was completely miserable. My throat ached from the tube going through my nose down to my stomach, but they couldn't give me any water. My whole body felt like it had been hit by a truck. I couldn't see anything because I didn't have my contacts in and my glasses were packed away somewhere where no one could find them. I have no idea what the nurse taking care of me looked like. They had to give me blood. I remember lying there watching the blurry blood drip into my arm. It was the early 90's, so not much was known about AIDS then. As I lay there I thought "God, please don't let me get AIDS."
The misery wasn't over yet... the next day I was moved back to a regular room. The surgeon informed me that the tumor had grown into my kidney, so he also had to remove my left kidney and adrenal gland with the tumor. I took the news just fine. I think my parents were surprised. I was just glad the tumor was out. That night, the IV site in my hand wore out. I felt like my hand was on fire. It was almost unbearable. Since it was the middle of the night and the hospital had less staff, an inexperienced nurse tried to put a new IV in my hand. I watched her wriggle the needle around under my skin. She finally gave up and said they'd have to wait for a certain guy who was busy. Meanwhile, I thought my hand was going to burn up. I don't know how long I waited before he finally showed up and took care of it.
I don't remember exactly what day this happened, but suddenly I was freezing cold and couldn't stop shaking. I called the nurse, and she found that someone had mistakenly raised the level of one of my IV's (it was one of the other nurses).
One of the highlights of my stay in the hospital was when they pulled the tube out of my stomach. Gag! The staff at St. Vincent's also pumped me so full of fluids that I gained 10 pounds overnight. When I left the hospital, I had stretch marks on my legs from all the fluid gain, huge purple bruises on my arms and hands, not to mention a giant scar (about 15 inches long) on my abdomen.
That was a horrible experience, but thankfully the outcome is that I remain tumor free. My blood pressure has actually been on the low side for the last 14 years. I am glad my friends stuck through the rage and mood swings. Since the tumor was removed, I have been a very laid back person. People who didn't know me then would find it hard to believe that I had such rage.
Living with one kidney is no different than living with two. I'm not bitter about it, but I have to wonder if my kidney could have been saved if the idiot doctor had sent me for tests earlier.
Monday, January 02, 2006
Happy New Year
James and I actually went to a party this year for New Year's Eve. It was lots of fun. We drank, we danced, we yelled at passing cars...
On New Year's Day we ate our traditional meal of Reuben sandwiches and cooked cabbage. It's tradition in my family to eat corned beef and cabbage on New Year's Day for prosperity in the new year. We laid around all day and watched movies.
I had a great 2005 because I had Tess and was able to work from home all year so that I could take care of her. I am not sure what 2006 has in store. I'll be returning to the office (part time in the office and part time at home), so we'll see how it goes. I don't have any resolutions because I think I would just be setting myself up for failure; however, I'm going to try to eat less sugar and save more money.
Happy 2006!
James and I actually went to a party this year for New Year's Eve. It was lots of fun. We drank, we danced, we yelled at passing cars...
On New Year's Day we ate our traditional meal of Reuben sandwiches and cooked cabbage. It's tradition in my family to eat corned beef and cabbage on New Year's Day for prosperity in the new year. We laid around all day and watched movies.
I had a great 2005 because I had Tess and was able to work from home all year so that I could take care of her. I am not sure what 2006 has in store. I'll be returning to the office (part time in the office and part time at home), so we'll see how it goes. I don't have any resolutions because I think I would just be setting myself up for failure; however, I'm going to try to eat less sugar and save more money.
Happy 2006!
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Baby Tess Update
My niece calls Tess "Baby Tess"... it's pretty cute. Tess won't be a baby much longer though. She is fast approaching toddlerhood. She is walking around the furniture. She will let go for a few seconds, but she has not taken those monumental first steps yet. Soon!
She has six teeth and more appear to be right below the surface. She's still nursing, which actually is going pretty good despite her teeth. I plan to start weaning her at one year because I will be going back to the office part time (and working from home part time), and I am ready to have my body back to myself. It has been a rewarding experience... one of the most important things I've ever done. I'm proud that I stuck with it.
Tess's first Christmas was fun, but she was quite fussy. I guess she did not like so many people disrupting her daily routine. We had a great time eating and opening gifts with family. Only 363 shopping days left until Christmas!
My niece calls Tess "Baby Tess"... it's pretty cute. Tess won't be a baby much longer though. She is fast approaching toddlerhood. She is walking around the furniture. She will let go for a few seconds, but she has not taken those monumental first steps yet. Soon!
She has six teeth and more appear to be right below the surface. She's still nursing, which actually is going pretty good despite her teeth. I plan to start weaning her at one year because I will be going back to the office part time (and working from home part time), and I am ready to have my body back to myself. It has been a rewarding experience... one of the most important things I've ever done. I'm proud that I stuck with it.
Tess's first Christmas was fun, but she was quite fussy. I guess she did not like so many people disrupting her daily routine. We had a great time eating and opening gifts with family. Only 363 shopping days left until Christmas!
Happy Whatever-It-Is-You-Celebrate
I'm writing this a little late because Christmas is already over... this season the Happy Holidays versus Merry Christmas stuff has gotten out of hand. Stores have made official policies stating that their employees should say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" so that no one gets offended. I hate political correctness. It is my general opinion that people are too uptight in this country. I am not even Christian and I do not get offended when people tell me "Merry Christmas". Hell, I even sent out some Christmas cards that said "Merry Christmas" in big, shiny letters. If someone wished me a Happy Kwanzaa or Happy Hanukkah I wouldn't care either. Honestly, it's not that big of a deal. There are more important things to be concerned about! Pretty soon, someone is going to get lynched for saying "bless you" after some uptight a-hole sneezes. The longer I live in the USA, the more I want to move to Canada.
I'm writing this a little late because Christmas is already over... this season the Happy Holidays versus Merry Christmas stuff has gotten out of hand. Stores have made official policies stating that their employees should say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" so that no one gets offended. I hate political correctness. It is my general opinion that people are too uptight in this country. I am not even Christian and I do not get offended when people tell me "Merry Christmas". Hell, I even sent out some Christmas cards that said "Merry Christmas" in big, shiny letters. If someone wished me a Happy Kwanzaa or Happy Hanukkah I wouldn't care either. Honestly, it's not that big of a deal. There are more important things to be concerned about! Pretty soon, someone is going to get lynched for saying "bless you" after some uptight a-hole sneezes. The longer I live in the USA, the more I want to move to Canada.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Not Enough Hours In The Day
Lately I've been so busy with work that I'm working at night and on weekends to keep up. During the day, it is sometimes hard to focus on programming because I am taking care of Tess, so that pushes my work to after she goes to bed. In turn, that takes away my "fun" time, which sucks because I haven't been able to see my friends very much and there are two new games out that I would very much like to be playing.
Christmas also throws a wrench into my schedule because I just don't have much time to prepare. I haven't made a single holiday treat yet, and Christmas is just 11 days away. The shopping needs finished, presents wrapped, cookies baked, and house cleaned, not to mention the rest of the food I will be preparing for all of our guests. Somewhere in there I also intend to take Tess to Olan Mills for pictures in her Christmas dress.
Don't get me wrong, I love taking care of my daughter, but my work has to get done so that the bills will be paid. I miss hanging out with friends, going out to lunch, and just basically doing what I want when I want.
Lately I've been so busy with work that I'm working at night and on weekends to keep up. During the day, it is sometimes hard to focus on programming because I am taking care of Tess, so that pushes my work to after she goes to bed. In turn, that takes away my "fun" time, which sucks because I haven't been able to see my friends very much and there are two new games out that I would very much like to be playing.
Christmas also throws a wrench into my schedule because I just don't have much time to prepare. I haven't made a single holiday treat yet, and Christmas is just 11 days away. The shopping needs finished, presents wrapped, cookies baked, and house cleaned, not to mention the rest of the food I will be preparing for all of our guests. Somewhere in there I also intend to take Tess to Olan Mills for pictures in her Christmas dress.
Don't get me wrong, I love taking care of my daughter, but my work has to get done so that the bills will be paid. I miss hanging out with friends, going out to lunch, and just basically doing what I want when I want.
Monday, December 05, 2005
A Day Late And A Dollar Short
I went out to get some stuff today, and nothing went right. The long anticipated sequel to Animal Crossing (a video game) was supposed to be on shelves today, so I went to Toys R Us to get it. After weaving my way through the zillions of people with carts of crap stacked up to the ceiling (what are people doing out on a Monday anyway?) I found out that they did not have the game. So, I looked for this toy that Tess likes (a LeapStart table), but they did not have that either. I looked all over the store because it appeared that they had Leap products in several different locations. I started feeling claustrophobic after getting trapped in an aisle by carts and mothers with multiple kids, so I ditched my empty cart and Tess and I hightailed it out of there, no merchandise in hand.
Then we went to Walgreens to get some bubble wrap. They wanted $7.99 for a roll of bubble wrap. What the [insert expletive]?! Why is it that during the year you come across bubble wrap in the house, you throw it away with the box when you receive a shipment, but when you need some, it is nowhere to be found? I can't believe it was that expensive when it probably costs 2 cents to make. As James told me, they must blow up each bubble individually for that price. I'm telling you, people, keep your bubble wrap. You might need it!
Our next stop was EB Games, where I reserved a copy of Animal Crossing. Since it has already shipped, the clerk said I am not guaranteed a copy tomorrow. I reserved one anyway, counting on the fact that they'll have plenty. I put Tess on the counter while I paid. When I picked her up and headed out the door, I realized that her diaper had leaked. Her pants were soaked, but I had no choice but to put her in her car seat anyway. Now I sit writing this while the car seat cover is in the washer. I am pretty sure she left a pee spot on the counter at EB. Oops. Well, that's what they get for telling me that a game was still packed and to come back later when the Harry Potter game came out recently. I ended up buying that game at Target since they couldn't take three minutes to dig the game out of the box for me.
To top off today's annoyances, I just found out that there was a pink Nintendo DS that was bundled with Nintendogs and sold exclusively at Target and Toys R Us. How did I miss it? I thought the bundled version was only available in teal. I really want a pink one. Of course, it is now sold out and is selling on eBay for over $200 a pop. I guess it is a message that I should not be so materialistic and appreciate the things I have... a healthy family, good friends, a roof over my head, plenty of food... I'm really feeling the holiday spirit today!
I went out to get some stuff today, and nothing went right. The long anticipated sequel to Animal Crossing (a video game) was supposed to be on shelves today, so I went to Toys R Us to get it. After weaving my way through the zillions of people with carts of crap stacked up to the ceiling (what are people doing out on a Monday anyway?) I found out that they did not have the game. So, I looked for this toy that Tess likes (a LeapStart table), but they did not have that either. I looked all over the store because it appeared that they had Leap products in several different locations. I started feeling claustrophobic after getting trapped in an aisle by carts and mothers with multiple kids, so I ditched my empty cart and Tess and I hightailed it out of there, no merchandise in hand.
Then we went to Walgreens to get some bubble wrap. They wanted $7.99 for a roll of bubble wrap. What the [insert expletive]?! Why is it that during the year you come across bubble wrap in the house, you throw it away with the box when you receive a shipment, but when you need some, it is nowhere to be found? I can't believe it was that expensive when it probably costs 2 cents to make. As James told me, they must blow up each bubble individually for that price. I'm telling you, people, keep your bubble wrap. You might need it!
Our next stop was EB Games, where I reserved a copy of Animal Crossing. Since it has already shipped, the clerk said I am not guaranteed a copy tomorrow. I reserved one anyway, counting on the fact that they'll have plenty. I put Tess on the counter while I paid. When I picked her up and headed out the door, I realized that her diaper had leaked. Her pants were soaked, but I had no choice but to put her in her car seat anyway. Now I sit writing this while the car seat cover is in the washer. I am pretty sure she left a pee spot on the counter at EB. Oops. Well, that's what they get for telling me that a game was still packed and to come back later when the Harry Potter game came out recently. I ended up buying that game at Target since they couldn't take three minutes to dig the game out of the box for me.
To top off today's annoyances, I just found out that there was a pink Nintendo DS that was bundled with Nintendogs and sold exclusively at Target and Toys R Us. How did I miss it? I thought the bundled version was only available in teal. I really want a pink one. Of course, it is now sold out and is selling on eBay for over $200 a pop. I guess it is a message that I should not be so materialistic and appreciate the things I have... a healthy family, good friends, a roof over my head, plenty of food... I'm really feeling the holiday spirit today!
Friday, December 02, 2005
Caffeinated Christmas Cheer
December got off to the right start thanks to Starbucks. I received an invitation from Starbucks to attend a preview of the Yuletide Celebration show at the Hilbert Circle Theater. It was a good show. I had seen it once before (also free) courtesy of my workplace. They had drinks and hors d'oeuvres before the show. Leslie and I loaded up on gingerbread lattes, peppermint cocoa, chocolate martinis, and coffee. I kept grabbing food every time a tray passed me by...breaded mushrooms, cheese and pear pastries, beef tenderloin...delicious! At one point, I had three drinks in my hands. Hey, we know how to work the free stuff! The chocolate martinis had little coffee beans floating in them. Starbucks also passed out little snow globes.
Everyone seemed to be at least partially inebriated when the show started. There was an exorbitant amount of cheering and guffawing at the show. Of course, who wouldn't be in a good mood after receiving free food and drinks. I am not a fan of Sandi Patty's music outside of the Yuletide Celebration, but she and her husband did an awesome opera number. It was one of the highlights of the show, and she wore a gorgeous pink gown during the number that Leslie and I just gushed over.
I am totally impressed! All that coffee I bought really paid off. Thank you, Starbucks!
December got off to the right start thanks to Starbucks. I received an invitation from Starbucks to attend a preview of the Yuletide Celebration show at the Hilbert Circle Theater. It was a good show. I had seen it once before (also free) courtesy of my workplace. They had drinks and hors d'oeuvres before the show. Leslie and I loaded up on gingerbread lattes, peppermint cocoa, chocolate martinis, and coffee. I kept grabbing food every time a tray passed me by...breaded mushrooms, cheese and pear pastries, beef tenderloin...delicious! At one point, I had three drinks in my hands. Hey, we know how to work the free stuff! The chocolate martinis had little coffee beans floating in them. Starbucks also passed out little snow globes.
Everyone seemed to be at least partially inebriated when the show started. There was an exorbitant amount of cheering and guffawing at the show. Of course, who wouldn't be in a good mood after receiving free food and drinks. I am not a fan of Sandi Patty's music outside of the Yuletide Celebration, but she and her husband did an awesome opera number. It was one of the highlights of the show, and she wore a gorgeous pink gown during the number that Leslie and I just gushed over.
I am totally impressed! All that coffee I bought really paid off. Thank you, Starbucks!
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
I was President of NASA
I have to write about something that occasionally creeps up from the depths of my brain and annoys the hell out of me. Everytime I think about this I get angry. It is one hour I wish I could go back and redo. It's going to be a bit long-winded, but I just want to get it off my chest and hopefully expel some of the anger I carry around about this.
In 1996-1997, I was in my fifth and final year at Ball State University. The previous year, I had attended a few meetings for the Native American Student Association. They were a very small group. After attending only a few meetings, they elected me as president for the following year. I was surprised and excited that I would be leading this group, even if it were a small one. We were one of four groups in the House of Multicultural Affairs. The other three were the Asian American group, Black Student Association, and Latino student group. They all had fairly high membership numbers, especially BSA.
Being president was a lot of work. Besides leading the meetings, I had to coordinate events, print flyers and post them, make phone calls, attend Ball State functions, and I even gave presentations to a couple of classes. I had help of course... from our secretary, treasurer, and vice president. The names of the active members were Tom, Beth, Scott, and Steve. The five of us were sometimes the only ones who showed up for meetings.
We worked very hard not only to set up events but to also reach out to American Indian students on campus and encourage them to get involved. We sent them notices of our meetings, and we advertised our major events to them. Still, no one came to our meetings.
We had Mary Brave Bird, author of Lakota Woman, come and speak (her book made me cry; her name on the book is actually Mary Crow Dog). We also had a clothes and food drive for the Lakota of Pine Ridge, South Dakota, who are among the poorest of people living on reservations. Our biggest event was a powwow, held in the spring. I was working two jobs and attending full time classes. When I look back, I don't know how I did it all.
When the end of the year rolled around, there was some discussion in the House of Multicultural Affairs about whether our group should call it quits for the following year or keep going. None of our members wanted the group to quit, except one as it turns out.
Just a few days before graduation, we had a guest speaker, and afterwards we gathered in the student center to take a vote on whether or not to keep going. This is where I'd like to start my "do over". There were many people there, including the HMA personnel, the founder of the Native American Student Association (which was originally called Students of Native American Cultures but we renamed it because too many people thought it was a group of people interested in the culture rather than actual American Indian students), and even our guest speaker hung around for the meeting.
A girl was there who had attended one or two of our meetings during the year. She was African American and claimed to have some Indian heritage. I never doubted people because you really can't tell by looking at someone. I cannot remember her name (I think I blocked it from memory). Before our vote there was some discussion. I had observed in the past that this girl had a particularly nasty temperament, and she demonstrated it here. She was really down on our group and the main thing I remember her saying was "Well, I just didn't see any Native American leadership in this group." To top it off, the vice-president of our group was sitting right next to her and said "I just didn't feel like my voice was heard." I could not believe he said that because I would always ask him... "Scott, what do you think?" and he would usually respond with "I don't care". He rarely spoke up, and I wanted to make sure he had the chance because he was one of the few "legitimate" students in the group (he is part of the Delaware Indians, and I still see him around once in awhile, though I have not talked to him. He even had a display in the Eiteljorg museum).
I was quite emotional that day for many reasons. I didn't want the group to quit, I didn't like being criticized when we had worked so hard, I was about to graduate and move to Indy with no job, and I was going through major relationship changes. So, I cried. In front of all those people I sat there and cried and didn't yell what I wanted to yell at those two. At the time, the American Indian heritage in my family was mostly based on speculation. In the meeting I muttered something about how I didn't really know if I was Indian or not. Oh, how I wish I could take that back! Now I know it's in my blood for sure (see previous post)!
I said "Let's just vote", and unfortunately the vote was to disband the group. I was not the only one who cried... Beth did too. All of the hard-working people in the group were upset. I hugged Steve, and some Indian woman whom I didn't know hugged me. She was very nice and said "I didn't know you weren't Indian.", and I said "That's just it... I don't know." That was comment number two I want to take back. I left the student center in tears and somewhat humiliated, and the whole event has bothered me since.
If I could go back, I would say to the girl "First of all, you only came to two meetings, so your opinion about this group's leadership is meaningless. Also, we tried to reach out to students through the year. They did not respond, but we tried. So I didn't grow up on a reservation, and my family may not practice any of the culture, but I have Cherokee ancestry. I was elected by the group, and I did my best. I didn't see YOU trying." And to Scott, I would say "I asked you if you had any input or opinion on things and most of the time you didn't. How can you say your voice was not heard? If you really wanted to say something, you should have spoken up."
I recently contacted the House of Multicultural Affairs out of curiosity, to see if they had reestablished a group. They have not done so yet, but the current organizer said they are looking into it.
Well, it was certainly a learning experience. I lost touch with all of the group members after that day. I wish I could talk to them again. It really sucked to end that way after working together all year.
I have to write about something that occasionally creeps up from the depths of my brain and annoys the hell out of me. Everytime I think about this I get angry. It is one hour I wish I could go back and redo. It's going to be a bit long-winded, but I just want to get it off my chest and hopefully expel some of the anger I carry around about this.
In 1996-1997, I was in my fifth and final year at Ball State University. The previous year, I had attended a few meetings for the Native American Student Association. They were a very small group. After attending only a few meetings, they elected me as president for the following year. I was surprised and excited that I would be leading this group, even if it were a small one. We were one of four groups in the House of Multicultural Affairs. The other three were the Asian American group, Black Student Association, and Latino student group. They all had fairly high membership numbers, especially BSA.
Being president was a lot of work. Besides leading the meetings, I had to coordinate events, print flyers and post them, make phone calls, attend Ball State functions, and I even gave presentations to a couple of classes. I had help of course... from our secretary, treasurer, and vice president. The names of the active members were Tom, Beth, Scott, and Steve. The five of us were sometimes the only ones who showed up for meetings.
We worked very hard not only to set up events but to also reach out to American Indian students on campus and encourage them to get involved. We sent them notices of our meetings, and we advertised our major events to them. Still, no one came to our meetings.
We had Mary Brave Bird, author of Lakota Woman, come and speak (her book made me cry; her name on the book is actually Mary Crow Dog). We also had a clothes and food drive for the Lakota of Pine Ridge, South Dakota, who are among the poorest of people living on reservations. Our biggest event was a powwow, held in the spring. I was working two jobs and attending full time classes. When I look back, I don't know how I did it all.
When the end of the year rolled around, there was some discussion in the House of Multicultural Affairs about whether our group should call it quits for the following year or keep going. None of our members wanted the group to quit, except one as it turns out.
Just a few days before graduation, we had a guest speaker, and afterwards we gathered in the student center to take a vote on whether or not to keep going. This is where I'd like to start my "do over". There were many people there, including the HMA personnel, the founder of the Native American Student Association (which was originally called Students of Native American Cultures but we renamed it because too many people thought it was a group of people interested in the culture rather than actual American Indian students), and even our guest speaker hung around for the meeting.
A girl was there who had attended one or two of our meetings during the year. She was African American and claimed to have some Indian heritage. I never doubted people because you really can't tell by looking at someone. I cannot remember her name (I think I blocked it from memory). Before our vote there was some discussion. I had observed in the past that this girl had a particularly nasty temperament, and she demonstrated it here. She was really down on our group and the main thing I remember her saying was "Well, I just didn't see any Native American leadership in this group." To top it off, the vice-president of our group was sitting right next to her and said "I just didn't feel like my voice was heard." I could not believe he said that because I would always ask him... "Scott, what do you think?" and he would usually respond with "I don't care". He rarely spoke up, and I wanted to make sure he had the chance because he was one of the few "legitimate" students in the group (he is part of the Delaware Indians, and I still see him around once in awhile, though I have not talked to him. He even had a display in the Eiteljorg museum).
I was quite emotional that day for many reasons. I didn't want the group to quit, I didn't like being criticized when we had worked so hard, I was about to graduate and move to Indy with no job, and I was going through major relationship changes. So, I cried. In front of all those people I sat there and cried and didn't yell what I wanted to yell at those two. At the time, the American Indian heritage in my family was mostly based on speculation. In the meeting I muttered something about how I didn't really know if I was Indian or not. Oh, how I wish I could take that back! Now I know it's in my blood for sure (see previous post)!
I said "Let's just vote", and unfortunately the vote was to disband the group. I was not the only one who cried... Beth did too. All of the hard-working people in the group were upset. I hugged Steve, and some Indian woman whom I didn't know hugged me. She was very nice and said "I didn't know you weren't Indian.", and I said "That's just it... I don't know." That was comment number two I want to take back. I left the student center in tears and somewhat humiliated, and the whole event has bothered me since.
If I could go back, I would say to the girl "First of all, you only came to two meetings, so your opinion about this group's leadership is meaningless. Also, we tried to reach out to students through the year. They did not respond, but we tried. So I didn't grow up on a reservation, and my family may not practice any of the culture, but I have Cherokee ancestry. I was elected by the group, and I did my best. I didn't see YOU trying." And to Scott, I would say "I asked you if you had any input or opinion on things and most of the time you didn't. How can you say your voice was not heard? If you really wanted to say something, you should have spoken up."
I recently contacted the House of Multicultural Affairs out of curiosity, to see if they had reestablished a group. They have not done so yet, but the current organizer said they are looking into it.
Well, it was certainly a learning experience. I lost touch with all of the group members after that day. I wish I could talk to them again. It really sucked to end that way after working together all year.
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Thankful It's Over
Thanksgiving was a lot of fun, but I'm glad the driving is over. We travelled over four hours... first to see my mom and step-dad and that side of the family and second to see my dad and step-mom and her three daughters (two of whom I had never met). We spent 3 hours in each location. Tomorrow I will cook turkey and all the trimmings for James's side of our family. It was great to see everyone... and Christmas is just around the corner, so we'll see most of them again soon!
Thanksgiving was a lot of fun, but I'm glad the driving is over. We travelled over four hours... first to see my mom and step-dad and that side of the family and second to see my dad and step-mom and her three daughters (two of whom I had never met). We spent 3 hours in each location. Tomorrow I will cook turkey and all the trimmings for James's side of our family. It was great to see everyone... and Christmas is just around the corner, so we'll see most of them again soon!
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Harry Potter!!
I took a half day off of work on Friday to go see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with my friends. It was awesome! They really condensed the book down, but they did a great job of it. It is a huge book and I wondered where they would cut corners. Goblet had everything you could want in a movie... drama, humor, action, and even romance. It is now my favorite HP movie so far, followed by Prisoner of Azkaban, Sorcerer's Stone, and Chamber of Secrets. Chamber is still excellent, but it's my least favorite. I am still trying to figure out why Harry heard the basilisk speaking Parseltongue from inside the water pipes all year, yet when he met him face to serpenty face, the basilisk didn't say a single thing.
I am playing the Goblet of Fire video game... can't get enough Harry Potter.
I took a half day off of work on Friday to go see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with my friends. It was awesome! They really condensed the book down, but they did a great job of it. It is a huge book and I wondered where they would cut corners. Goblet had everything you could want in a movie... drama, humor, action, and even romance. It is now my favorite HP movie so far, followed by Prisoner of Azkaban, Sorcerer's Stone, and Chamber of Secrets. Chamber is still excellent, but it's my least favorite. I am still trying to figure out why Harry heard the basilisk speaking Parseltongue from inside the water pipes all year, yet when he met him face to serpenty face, the basilisk didn't say a single thing.
I am playing the Goblet of Fire video game... can't get enough Harry Potter.
Sunday, November 06, 2005
November Already?
Halloween came and went in a flash. Tess was the cutest witch! Now Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and it's going to be a busy one. It all starts on Wednesday, when I will be preparing dishes to take with me the following day. On Thanksgiving day we will travel down towards Bloomington to my mom's (a 1 hour, 20 minute drive), where we will eat Thanksgiving lunch (and a lot of dessert). At 3pm, we will depart mom's and head to Rushville (a 2 hour drive) to see my dad. His wife's three daughters will be there, and I have never met two of them. We will have Thanksgiving dinner there (and more dessert). Then we will head back home to Indianapolis (1 more hour in the car) that night. But it doesn't end there...
The next day, I will get up at 6am to dress yet another turkey and put it in the oven. James's parents, two siblings and their kids, and grandma are coming over for Thanksgiving at our house. Let's see, that's a total of 14 people. I will make potatoes and gravy, oyster dressing, cranberry sauce, rolls, pumpkin pie, and probably some deviled eggs. Good thing I like to cook.
Ah, the holidays... so relaxing...
Halloween came and went in a flash. Tess was the cutest witch! Now Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and it's going to be a busy one. It all starts on Wednesday, when I will be preparing dishes to take with me the following day. On Thanksgiving day we will travel down towards Bloomington to my mom's (a 1 hour, 20 minute drive), where we will eat Thanksgiving lunch (and a lot of dessert). At 3pm, we will depart mom's and head to Rushville (a 2 hour drive) to see my dad. His wife's three daughters will be there, and I have never met two of them. We will have Thanksgiving dinner there (and more dessert). Then we will head back home to Indianapolis (1 more hour in the car) that night. But it doesn't end there...
The next day, I will get up at 6am to dress yet another turkey and put it in the oven. James's parents, two siblings and their kids, and grandma are coming over for Thanksgiving at our house. Let's see, that's a total of 14 people. I will make potatoes and gravy, oyster dressing, cranberry sauce, rolls, pumpkin pie, and probably some deviled eggs. Good thing I like to cook.
Ah, the holidays... so relaxing...
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Baby Talk
Tess is 9 months old today. She's been out of the womb for as long as she was in. She's getting such a personality now... perhaps a bit of an attitude. She's adding more sounds to her vocabulary. She's crawling and pulling herself up. It's amazing how fast babies develop. I never knew that babies laughed so much. Tess laughs hysterically at the puppets in her Baby Einstein videos and at her daddy's antics. When she's happy, she says "da da da", but when she's mad, she says "ma ma ma". What a daddy's girl.
Tess is 9 months old today. She's been out of the womb for as long as she was in. She's getting such a personality now... perhaps a bit of an attitude. She's adding more sounds to her vocabulary. She's crawling and pulling herself up. It's amazing how fast babies develop. I never knew that babies laughed so much. Tess laughs hysterically at the puppets in her Baby Einstein videos and at her daddy's antics. When she's happy, she says "da da da", but when she's mad, she says "ma ma ma". What a daddy's girl.
Thursday, October 27, 2005
A Piece of My Ancestry Confirmed
One of my aunts (on my mother's side) recently took a trip to the Smokey Mountains and visited Cherokee, North Carolina. She did some research and found out what my family has long suspected: We are indeed part Cherokee... Western Cherokee to be specific. My aunt found the names of both Indian women in our family. I think she must have been looking at census records. Very cool!
One of my aunts (on my mother's side) recently took a trip to the Smokey Mountains and visited Cherokee, North Carolina. She did some research and found out what my family has long suspected: We are indeed part Cherokee... Western Cherokee to be specific. My aunt found the names of both Indian women in our family. I think she must have been looking at census records. Very cool!
Sammy Terry
horseman either. Kids were all over the place. It was like Chuck E Cheese in the woods.
Somewhere around 20 years ago I met Sammy Terry when he came to the Rushville movie theatre. He introduced a cheesy vampire movie, and after it was over, he signed autographs. I still have the poster that he signed. My mom said she also watched him when she was a kid, so he must be getting up there in age. This time I got a picture, although it was with my cell phone. His trademark laugh is still cool.
 | I met local TV legend Sammy Terry for the second time in my life tonight. At Conner Prairie (a living history museum) they have a Halloween event each year called The Headless Horseman. Sammy was there telling scary stories. There were so many people (mostly kids) that you could barely hear him. There was no way we were getting on the hayride to see the headless |
Somewhere around 20 years ago I met Sammy Terry when he came to the Rushville movie theatre. He introduced a cheesy vampire movie, and after it was over, he signed autographs. I still have the poster that he signed. My mom said she also watched him when she was a kid, so he must be getting up there in age. This time I got a picture, although it was with my cell phone. His trademark laugh is still cool.
Monday, October 17, 2005
The Greatest Inventions In My Lifetime
Ok, they may not be the greatest, but they have certainly improved my life...
1. Pay at the pump gasoline. No more waiting behind some guy with a mullet buying cigarettes and lottery tickets. In fact, you don't even have to go in! Pay at the pump has added hours to my life.
2. Remote control television. I remember sitting directly in front of the television and turning the knob between our five stations... that was channel hopping. I don't watch much television, but when I do, it's really nice to flip channels or activate the Xbox or DVD player from the couch.
3. The microwave. Ah... who could ever forget boiling water on the stove, reheating leftovers in the oven, and making popcorn in those little foil skillets? Those were the good old days. Actually, I hate microwave popcorn, but I have to admit that the microwave does make cooking easier.
4. The Internet (and wireless access). Not only does my career revolve around it, but it's a big part of my personal life. I stay in touch with friends through the Internet, and I can keep James informed on the baby's activities throughout the day. Wireless lets me work right where the baby is playing.
5. Debit cards. I remember my parents writing checks for EVERYTHING. Now, when someone is writing a check at the grocery store, you can see everyone behind them rolling their eyes and sighing. The debit card is so much faster!
6. Cell phones. Of course, I cannot leave this one off the list. My dad came to pick me up from the airport once at about 1:00 AM in the dead of winter. The car decided to break down on the way home. We were stuck on the side of a deserted highway in the snow. A cell phone would have been real handy right about then. Luckily, a tow truck eventually passed by and stopped to see if we needed help. Another time, I had a tire blow out on I-69. I had to walk at least a mile in the dark, which included hobbling down a steep downgrade by an on-ramp, to get to a pay phone. I was alone, and I had two different creepy people stop to see if I needed help. Again, a cell phone would have been nice. Never leave home without it!
Ok, they may not be the greatest, but they have certainly improved my life...
1. Pay at the pump gasoline. No more waiting behind some guy with a mullet buying cigarettes and lottery tickets. In fact, you don't even have to go in! Pay at the pump has added hours to my life.
2. Remote control television. I remember sitting directly in front of the television and turning the knob between our five stations... that was channel hopping. I don't watch much television, but when I do, it's really nice to flip channels or activate the Xbox or DVD player from the couch.
3. The microwave. Ah... who could ever forget boiling water on the stove, reheating leftovers in the oven, and making popcorn in those little foil skillets? Those were the good old days. Actually, I hate microwave popcorn, but I have to admit that the microwave does make cooking easier.
4. The Internet (and wireless access). Not only does my career revolve around it, but it's a big part of my personal life. I stay in touch with friends through the Internet, and I can keep James informed on the baby's activities throughout the day. Wireless lets me work right where the baby is playing.
5. Debit cards. I remember my parents writing checks for EVERYTHING. Now, when someone is writing a check at the grocery store, you can see everyone behind them rolling their eyes and sighing. The debit card is so much faster!
6. Cell phones. Of course, I cannot leave this one off the list. My dad came to pick me up from the airport once at about 1:00 AM in the dead of winter. The car decided to break down on the way home. We were stuck on the side of a deserted highway in the snow. A cell phone would have been real handy right about then. Luckily, a tow truck eventually passed by and stopped to see if we needed help. Another time, I had a tire blow out on I-69. I had to walk at least a mile in the dark, which included hobbling down a steep downgrade by an on-ramp, to get to a pay phone. I was alone, and I had two different creepy people stop to see if I needed help. Again, a cell phone would have been nice. Never leave home without it!
Superbugs and Trash
We live in a disposable society. Everything is thrown away, only to end up rotting ever so slowly in a landfill somewhere. I've often wondered where those landfills are and how close people are allowed to live. Surely the smell is overwhelming. I've never seen a landfill in person. I have no idea where my trash goes once it's picked up by the trash truck. Given the amount of trash generated by Americans, one would think the landfills would be reaching our own backyards at this point.
I have seen several products lately that make me wonder "Why?" because they are just adding to the problem. One of them is a plastic crock pot liner. You cook your food in a plastic bag lining the crock pot, and when you're done, you throw the liner away. What a waste! It's not that hard to wash the crock pot when you're done. Plus, just think of all the plastic chemicals that could be seeping into your food while it simmers all day long. Bon Appetit!
Another wasteful product is the toilet wand that has a throw away scrubber. After you scrub the toilet, you release the scrubber and flush it down the toilet. Yet another piece of unnecessary garbage. The basis for this wonder product is germs. The advertisers try to scare us into buying products like this with the threat of germs, but little do people realize that there are probably fewer germs on the toilet brush than on their tooth brush. This brings me to my next topic.
Not only are we creating mountains of trash every day, we are also creating superbugs. Every cleaning product is anti-bacterial now. You can't even find liquid hand soap that is NOT anti-bacterial. We are killing the good bacteria while trying so hard to get rid of the bad bacteria. The result is that the bacteria are evolving into superbugs: bugs that have developed a resistance to antibiotics. This problem, like the disposable products, can be traced back to companies trying to make a profit. "You must get rid of those bacteria, now here is the product to do so!" There is one commercial in particular where a woman is washing down her kitchen with a raw chicken breast. "If you're not using x product, you might as well be doing this", the commercial says. I never had salmonella growing up, and my mom didn't have these products. Good old soap and water works just fine. I try not to be sucked in to these gimmicks, but some of them do make life easier. Now excuse me while I go Swiffer the floor.
We live in a disposable society. Everything is thrown away, only to end up rotting ever so slowly in a landfill somewhere. I've often wondered where those landfills are and how close people are allowed to live. Surely the smell is overwhelming. I've never seen a landfill in person. I have no idea where my trash goes once it's picked up by the trash truck. Given the amount of trash generated by Americans, one would think the landfills would be reaching our own backyards at this point.
I have seen several products lately that make me wonder "Why?" because they are just adding to the problem. One of them is a plastic crock pot liner. You cook your food in a plastic bag lining the crock pot, and when you're done, you throw the liner away. What a waste! It's not that hard to wash the crock pot when you're done. Plus, just think of all the plastic chemicals that could be seeping into your food while it simmers all day long. Bon Appetit!
Another wasteful product is the toilet wand that has a throw away scrubber. After you scrub the toilet, you release the scrubber and flush it down the toilet. Yet another piece of unnecessary garbage. The basis for this wonder product is germs. The advertisers try to scare us into buying products like this with the threat of germs, but little do people realize that there are probably fewer germs on the toilet brush than on their tooth brush. This brings me to my next topic.
Not only are we creating mountains of trash every day, we are also creating superbugs. Every cleaning product is anti-bacterial now. You can't even find liquid hand soap that is NOT anti-bacterial. We are killing the good bacteria while trying so hard to get rid of the bad bacteria. The result is that the bacteria are evolving into superbugs: bugs that have developed a resistance to antibiotics. This problem, like the disposable products, can be traced back to companies trying to make a profit. "You must get rid of those bacteria, now here is the product to do so!" There is one commercial in particular where a woman is washing down her kitchen with a raw chicken breast. "If you're not using x product, you might as well be doing this", the commercial says. I never had salmonella growing up, and my mom didn't have these products. Good old soap and water works just fine. I try not to be sucked in to these gimmicks, but some of them do make life easier. Now excuse me while I go Swiffer the floor.
Monday, October 03, 2005
You Say It's Your Birthday
I'm 32 today. I'd like to stay at this age and not grow any older. It's been an exciting year with the new addition to our family, Tess Elizabeth. She is 8 months old, and we can't imagine life without her now. Where does the time go?
The arrival of my birthday also means we're in my favorite season. It's getting darker earlier, and the air is taking on that cool, crisp quality that can only mean one thing... it's autumn! Time for pumpkin carving, hot apple cider, and Halloween. I'm going to be a witch this year, and so is Tess. We found the cutest little costume for her. I was excited to find a "scary" costume for a baby. Most of them are cutesy animals. Who wants to be a cow or a lion for Halloween? Not my baby!
Happy October!
I'm 32 today. I'd like to stay at this age and not grow any older. It's been an exciting year with the new addition to our family, Tess Elizabeth. She is 8 months old, and we can't imagine life without her now. Where does the time go?
The arrival of my birthday also means we're in my favorite season. It's getting darker earlier, and the air is taking on that cool, crisp quality that can only mean one thing... it's autumn! Time for pumpkin carving, hot apple cider, and Halloween. I'm going to be a witch this year, and so is Tess. We found the cutest little costume for her. I was excited to find a "scary" costume for a baby. Most of them are cutesy animals. Who wants to be a cow or a lion for Halloween? Not my baby!
Happy October!
Thursday, September 01, 2005
When the Levee Breaks
Like everyone else following the news about the devastating after-effects of Hurricane Katrina, I am very depressed about the situation. I have tried to imagine just how bad it is for the people living through it, especially in New Orleans; their houses full of toxic water, no drinking water or food, no power, and no sewage system. Not to mention the dead bodies that have yet to be collected.
This was the hurricane that New Orleans had been dreading. The local and national government officials knew that the levees could not handle that much water. Now, instead of spending the 60 million required to improve the levee system in New Orleans (which is a drop in the bucket compared to what they have spent on the war in Iraq), we have a multi-billion dollar disaster on our hands that is effecting everyone in the country. Thank you, government, for screwing up AGAIN.
I have visited New Orleans 5 times, and I have a site devoted to it. It was such a cool city. It will never be the same again and neither will the people who lived there.
Like everyone else following the news about the devastating after-effects of Hurricane Katrina, I am very depressed about the situation. I have tried to imagine just how bad it is for the people living through it, especially in New Orleans; their houses full of toxic water, no drinking water or food, no power, and no sewage system. Not to mention the dead bodies that have yet to be collected.
This was the hurricane that New Orleans had been dreading. The local and national government officials knew that the levees could not handle that much water. Now, instead of spending the 60 million required to improve the levee system in New Orleans (which is a drop in the bucket compared to what they have spent on the war in Iraq), we have a multi-billion dollar disaster on our hands that is effecting everyone in the country. Thank you, government, for screwing up AGAIN.
I have visited New Orleans 5 times, and I have a site devoted to it. It was such a cool city. It will never be the same again and neither will the people who lived there.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
The Hummingbirds and The Bees
I don't know how "the birds and the bees" became the synonym for the sex talk that most parents have with their kids at some point. Given the subject it's referring to, you'd think that birds and bees would actually get along, but they don't.
My mom gave me a hummingbird feeder, and I followed her instructions of mixing 1 part sugar with 4 parts water in a pan and bringing it to a boil on the stove. Well, not only am I feeding hummingbirds, but there seems to be a large bee population gathered at the feeder. When a hummingbird flies up to get a drink of sugar water, the bees actually chase it away! I've witnessed hummingbirds and bees fighting at the feeder. So much for birds and bees living in harmony.
I don't know how "the birds and the bees" became the synonym for the sex talk that most parents have with their kids at some point. Given the subject it's referring to, you'd think that birds and bees would actually get along, but they don't.
My mom gave me a hummingbird feeder, and I followed her instructions of mixing 1 part sugar with 4 parts water in a pan and bringing it to a boil on the stove. Well, not only am I feeding hummingbirds, but there seems to be a large bee population gathered at the feeder. When a hummingbird flies up to get a drink of sugar water, the bees actually chase it away! I've witnessed hummingbirds and bees fighting at the feeder. So much for birds and bees living in harmony.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Give me a Big Mac or give me death
I am tired of fast food restaurants making lame efforts to appeal to so-called “health-minded” individuals. When I walk into a McDonald’s, I expect to eat fried, fatty food. That’s why I go there! If I wanted something healthy, I would go somewhere else or I’d just stay home and cook.
The lawsuit I heard about several months ago really baffled me. Someone was suing McDonald’s for making them obese. Everyone knows that fast food is bad for you (see the documentary “Super Size Me” if you are unsure), so you can’t blame McDonald’s for making you fat. There is always a choice. No one is forcing you to stuff that Triple Quarter Pounder with cheese and Super Sized fries down your throat. Thankfully, that lawsuit was thrown out. If the obese person had won, it would have caused a barrage of frivolous lawsuits. I can just see it now…
Joe Blow vs. Dairy Queen: Seeking $500,000 in damages caused by repeated ice cream headaches.
Jane Smith vs. Krispy Kreme: Claims the three doughnuts she was allowed to purchase thwarted her Weight Watchers plan.
I’m sure you get the idea. It’s kind of like a person with lung cancer suing a tobacco company. The bottom line is, this is America. We have lots of choices. It is up to you to make the right ones. Otherwise, shut up and suffer the consequences.
I am tired of fast food restaurants making lame efforts to appeal to so-called “health-minded” individuals. When I walk into a McDonald’s, I expect to eat fried, fatty food. That’s why I go there! If I wanted something healthy, I would go somewhere else or I’d just stay home and cook.
The lawsuit I heard about several months ago really baffled me. Someone was suing McDonald’s for making them obese. Everyone knows that fast food is bad for you (see the documentary “Super Size Me” if you are unsure), so you can’t blame McDonald’s for making you fat. There is always a choice. No one is forcing you to stuff that Triple Quarter Pounder with cheese and Super Sized fries down your throat. Thankfully, that lawsuit was thrown out. If the obese person had won, it would have caused a barrage of frivolous lawsuits. I can just see it now…
Joe Blow vs. Dairy Queen: Seeking $500,000 in damages caused by repeated ice cream headaches.
Jane Smith vs. Krispy Kreme: Claims the three doughnuts she was allowed to purchase thwarted her Weight Watchers plan.
I’m sure you get the idea. It’s kind of like a person with lung cancer suing a tobacco company. The bottom line is, this is America. We have lots of choices. It is up to you to make the right ones. Otherwise, shut up and suffer the consequences.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Music Milling
I attended another concert last night: Glen Phillips. He is/was the singer for Toad the Wet Sprocket. It was an excellent show in a small venue called the Music Mill. Just Glen and his guitar, and he was great.
I like the Music Mill because it is non-smoking. I feel so old because things like that matter to me. I hate to come home stinking like an ashtray.
I waited around afterwards, but Glen did not come out to sign autographs. My friend Brandi and I saw Toad years ago, and we didn't wait to meet them. I've always wished we had stayed. We saw them at Bogarts in Cincinnati, and it was pretty easy to meet bands there. We met Live, Teenage Fanclub, Cheap Trick, and a few no-name acts at Bogarts. Maybe I will meet Glen next time, if he ever comes back around.
I attended another concert last night: Glen Phillips. He is/was the singer for Toad the Wet Sprocket. It was an excellent show in a small venue called the Music Mill. Just Glen and his guitar, and he was great.
I like the Music Mill because it is non-smoking. I feel so old because things like that matter to me. I hate to come home stinking like an ashtray.
I waited around afterwards, but Glen did not come out to sign autographs. My friend Brandi and I saw Toad years ago, and we didn't wait to meet them. I've always wished we had stayed. We saw them at Bogarts in Cincinnati, and it was pretty easy to meet bands there. We met Live, Teenage Fanclub, Cheap Trick, and a few no-name acts at Bogarts. Maybe I will meet Glen next time, if he ever comes back around.
Monday, July 25, 2005
Cellular Glow
Last night I went to see Duran Duran in concert. At most of the concerts I've attended (which is something like 80 or 90 concerts that I have ticket stubs for), people hold up lighters to create a sea of miniature, flickering flames stretching out in front of the band. Last night I noticed that instead of lighters, people were holding up their cell phones in hopes of catching a decent photo of the band (or rather, of Simon LeBon or John Taylor). It was a sea of cell phone screens from my balcony view. It just reminded me of how gadget crazy we have become.
On another note, the concert was good. They did every Duran Duran classic I can think of, except "Union of the Snake", which happens to be one of their greatest songs. Oh well. I was excited to hear "Ordinary World" and another song that I had completely forgotten about, "Come Undone". Simon was very energetic. He and John had the girls screaming throughout the show. During the show, I found myself wondering which of them was wearing a toupee or had used a hair regrowth product. I mean, what are the chances that out of five men, none of them are going bald?
Last night I went to see Duran Duran in concert. At most of the concerts I've attended (which is something like 80 or 90 concerts that I have ticket stubs for), people hold up lighters to create a sea of miniature, flickering flames stretching out in front of the band. Last night I noticed that instead of lighters, people were holding up their cell phones in hopes of catching a decent photo of the band (or rather, of Simon LeBon or John Taylor). It was a sea of cell phone screens from my balcony view. It just reminded me of how gadget crazy we have become.
On another note, the concert was good. They did every Duran Duran classic I can think of, except "Union of the Snake", which happens to be one of their greatest songs. Oh well. I was excited to hear "Ordinary World" and another song that I had completely forgotten about, "Come Undone". Simon was very energetic. He and John had the girls screaming throughout the show. During the show, I found myself wondering which of them was wearing a toupee or had used a hair regrowth product. I mean, what are the chances that out of five men, none of them are going bald?
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Baby News
Last night Tess slept through the night, but I did not give her any rice cereal. I guess the rice cereal really wasn't helping her sleep through the night after all. I think I will wait until she is six months old before starting back up on the cereal. I gave her a tiny taste of smashed banana last night and she seemed to like it. Her first reaction to anything going in her mouth is to stick her tongue out (the tongue-thrust reflex), so I don't think she's ready for solids just yet.
Last night Tess slept through the night, but I did not give her any rice cereal. I guess the rice cereal really wasn't helping her sleep through the night after all. I think I will wait until she is six months old before starting back up on the cereal. I gave her a tiny taste of smashed banana last night and she seemed to like it. Her first reaction to anything going in her mouth is to stick her tongue out (the tongue-thrust reflex), so I don't think she's ready for solids just yet.
Friday, July 08, 2005
My Love/Hate Relationship With eBay
I have a somewhat expensive hobby of collecting Barbies. I believe I have somewhere between 75 and 100 Barbies still in their boxes. They take up space that we really don't have (our 80's house has very small closets and no basement, so they sit in boxes and tubs in our spare bedroom), but that doesn't stop me from buying them.
When Mattel discontinued the old line of "Dolls of the World" and replaced it with the "Princess Dolls of the World" line, I didn't think I would buy them. I knew there would be an endless stream of these dolls, given the number of countries in the world. Well, by the time the third doll came out, Princess of the Incas -- did the Incas really have royalty? Anyway... I bought it. Since then, I have purchased every single princess Barbie. I missed the first two though, and I've been patiently waiting for the prices to come down on eBay. Each princess doll is $20 in the store, but the first two are currently selling from $50 and up on eBay. That's a little better than the original eBay going price, which was over $100.
I love eBay because I can find Barbies that I probably wouldn't normally be able to get, such as Peaches 'N Cream Barbie. She is from the early 80's. Mine was stolen by my babysitter the day after Christmas, and I never got it back, so I bought one on eBay. It helped to relieve the bitterness I had about that situation...
The thing I hate about eBay is that it floods the market with items that are supposed to be rare. Great for the buyer, bad for the seller. I have tried to sell a few Barbies on eBay, but all of my auctions failed. I refuse to sell an item for less than what I paid. I was shocked that the first two princess Barbies were going for so much. They will come down eventually. Then it will be another 20 years or more until they will be worth anything. Thanks to eBay, Barbies must obtain vintage status before you can get anything for them. That is, unless you can find that one rare opportunity where everyone missed out on the first item in a series and sell it.
I have a somewhat expensive hobby of collecting Barbies. I believe I have somewhere between 75 and 100 Barbies still in their boxes. They take up space that we really don't have (our 80's house has very small closets and no basement, so they sit in boxes and tubs in our spare bedroom), but that doesn't stop me from buying them.
When Mattel discontinued the old line of "Dolls of the World" and replaced it with the "Princess Dolls of the World" line, I didn't think I would buy them. I knew there would be an endless stream of these dolls, given the number of countries in the world. Well, by the time the third doll came out, Princess of the Incas -- did the Incas really have royalty? Anyway... I bought it. Since then, I have purchased every single princess Barbie. I missed the first two though, and I've been patiently waiting for the prices to come down on eBay. Each princess doll is $20 in the store, but the first two are currently selling from $50 and up on eBay. That's a little better than the original eBay going price, which was over $100.
I love eBay because I can find Barbies that I probably wouldn't normally be able to get, such as Peaches 'N Cream Barbie. She is from the early 80's. Mine was stolen by my babysitter the day after Christmas, and I never got it back, so I bought one on eBay. It helped to relieve the bitterness I had about that situation...
The thing I hate about eBay is that it floods the market with items that are supposed to be rare. Great for the buyer, bad for the seller. I have tried to sell a few Barbies on eBay, but all of my auctions failed. I refuse to sell an item for less than what I paid. I was shocked that the first two princess Barbies were going for so much. They will come down eventually. Then it will be another 20 years or more until they will be worth anything. Thanks to eBay, Barbies must obtain vintage status before you can get anything for them. That is, unless you can find that one rare opportunity where everyone missed out on the first item in a series and sell it.
Friday, July 01, 2005
Five Months Have Flown By
Tess is now five months old. I can't believe how fast the time goes. She has changed so much since being a sleepy newborn. She is extremely alert, focusing on objects and studying them... she's a miniature scientist. She recently discovered her feet, and she thinks it is great fun to hold onto them. She grabs a foot in each hand and giggles. Another of her favorite pastimes is blowing raspberries. I didn't know babies made so many cute noises until Tess came along. She still doesn't exhibit much interest in rolling over, but she does roll onto her side to look in her baby mirror or to grab a toy.
About two weeks ago, Tess started sleeping through the night (of course, mommy still woke up for the first few nights). We started her on a little rice cereal before bed. She still wakes up occasionally, so daddy will get her out of the crib and bring her to me. When that happens, she usually ends up staying with us until morning, but she spends most nights in her crib. Hurrah for rice cereal!
Tess is now five months old. I can't believe how fast the time goes. She has changed so much since being a sleepy newborn. She is extremely alert, focusing on objects and studying them... she's a miniature scientist. She recently discovered her feet, and she thinks it is great fun to hold onto them. She grabs a foot in each hand and giggles. Another of her favorite pastimes is blowing raspberries. I didn't know babies made so many cute noises until Tess came along. She still doesn't exhibit much interest in rolling over, but she does roll onto her side to look in her baby mirror or to grab a toy.
About two weeks ago, Tess started sleeping through the night (of course, mommy still woke up for the first few nights). We started her on a little rice cereal before bed. She still wakes up occasionally, so daddy will get her out of the crib and bring her to me. When that happens, she usually ends up staying with us until morning, but she spends most nights in her crib. Hurrah for rice cereal!
Monday, May 16, 2005
Feeling Porky
One interesting attribute left over from my pregnancy is that I cannot eat enough pork products. Before I was pregnant, I rarely ate pork. I had the occasional sausage or ham at holidays, and that was about it. During the first and second trimesters of the pregnancy, I found all kinds of meat repulsive. I ate a lot of beans during that time... then the third trimester hit. I had to have sausage, pork BBQ, ham, or anything else made from the heavenly hog. Tess is almost 4 months old, and it has not stopped! I used to eat a lot of chicken, but that doesn't sound good to me very often anymore. I'll take a pork BBQ sandwich and a sausage link on the side, please! We have fired up the grill a few times already this year, and we made butterflied pork chops in a Hawaiian marinade. Yum!
Hopefully this new pork addiction will not cause me to "pork out" anymore than the pregnancy already has...
One interesting attribute left over from my pregnancy is that I cannot eat enough pork products. Before I was pregnant, I rarely ate pork. I had the occasional sausage or ham at holidays, and that was about it. During the first and second trimesters of the pregnancy, I found all kinds of meat repulsive. I ate a lot of beans during that time... then the third trimester hit. I had to have sausage, pork BBQ, ham, or anything else made from the heavenly hog. Tess is almost 4 months old, and it has not stopped! I used to eat a lot of chicken, but that doesn't sound good to me very often anymore. I'll take a pork BBQ sandwich and a sausage link on the side, please! We have fired up the grill a few times already this year, and we made butterflied pork chops in a Hawaiian marinade. Yum!
Hopefully this new pork addiction will not cause me to "pork out" anymore than the pregnancy already has...
Monday, April 18, 2005
Monday, April 11, 2005
Sikh & Find
Friday we arrived in Kansas City for a Sikh wedding. Tess was really good on the plane. There was a ceremony Friday night where the bride and groom's family exchanged garlands. Lots of drums and dancing. It was pretty cool to see a bunch of men in turbans dancing. The food was good too. It was Indian cuisine. I loved the appetizers... little potato cakes, spicy chicken, and lamb "sausages". I don't know what any of it was called.
We went to the Sikh wedding Saturday... I was incorrect when I said it was Hindu before. We had to wear scarves on our heads and take our shoes off when we went into the temple, which was just a big room with a few decorations. Everyone sat on the floor. The ceremony was very long... it seemed really long to me because I was wearing a dress that is too small (none of my old dress clothes fit since Tess was born), and I could only sit in two positions without revealing too much. Tess slept through the whole thing. The music was pretty cool... there were guys playing drums and some kind of eastern-sounding keyboard. At the temple they gave us lunch. Everyone sat on the floor again, and the servers walked around dishing food out of buckets. I thought the highlight of this meal was the carrot pudding that we had for dessert. It was delicious.
Saturday night they had a reception at a really nice place in downtown KC. This was pretty similar to an American wedding reception, but they were playing Indian pop music, and it was so incredibly loud that we had to leave right after we ate. The music was scaring Tess. I couldn't believe how loud it was, and even the older Indian men didn't seem to mind. Maybe it was because their turbans covered their ears. The food was so good at all the meals... James and I loaded up and talked about where we could get more food like it in Indianapolis. We have a favorite Indian restaurant, Taj of India, but I am not sure if we know what to ask for.
On the plane back to Indianapolis, Tess cried at first, but once we took off, she fell asleep. When we got off the plane, someone came up to me and complimented the baby on being so good. During the whole weekend, Tess was the center of attention everywhere we went. Strangers were commenting on how pretty she is. I didn't realize how much people love babies!
Friday we arrived in Kansas City for a Sikh wedding. Tess was really good on the plane. There was a ceremony Friday night where the bride and groom's family exchanged garlands. Lots of drums and dancing. It was pretty cool to see a bunch of men in turbans dancing. The food was good too. It was Indian cuisine. I loved the appetizers... little potato cakes, spicy chicken, and lamb "sausages". I don't know what any of it was called.
We went to the Sikh wedding Saturday... I was incorrect when I said it was Hindu before. We had to wear scarves on our heads and take our shoes off when we went into the temple, which was just a big room with a few decorations. Everyone sat on the floor. The ceremony was very long... it seemed really long to me because I was wearing a dress that is too small (none of my old dress clothes fit since Tess was born), and I could only sit in two positions without revealing too much. Tess slept through the whole thing. The music was pretty cool... there were guys playing drums and some kind of eastern-sounding keyboard. At the temple they gave us lunch. Everyone sat on the floor again, and the servers walked around dishing food out of buckets. I thought the highlight of this meal was the carrot pudding that we had for dessert. It was delicious.
Saturday night they had a reception at a really nice place in downtown KC. This was pretty similar to an American wedding reception, but they were playing Indian pop music, and it was so incredibly loud that we had to leave right after we ate. The music was scaring Tess. I couldn't believe how loud it was, and even the older Indian men didn't seem to mind. Maybe it was because their turbans covered their ears. The food was so good at all the meals... James and I loaded up and talked about where we could get more food like it in Indianapolis. We have a favorite Indian restaurant, Taj of India, but I am not sure if we know what to ask for.
On the plane back to Indianapolis, Tess cried at first, but once we took off, she fell asleep. When we got off the plane, someone came up to me and complimented the baby on being so good. During the whole weekend, Tess was the center of attention everywhere we went. Strangers were commenting on how pretty she is. I didn't realize how much people love babies!
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
| A Rishi Retrospective | |
 | This time last year I was treating my cat, Rishi, for cancer. He was still active and seemed mostly normal for the first part of April. He was bird watching and chasing leaves in the yard. He could still eat soft food at that point. |
| I try to remember him as happy, healthy, and playful. I think about him every day. | |
Life Is Good
The grass is finally green, the daffodils and hyacinth are blooming, the temperatures are warm, and my daughter is healthy. I weighed her yesterday, and she is 14 lbs 11 oz. She is only 9 weeks old! I was worried that she might be getting TOO big. The Lactation Consultant told me to feed her whenever she wants, and it will all even out in the end. Apparently it's impossible to feed the baby too much breastmilk.
Tess is a very happy baby. She smiles a lot, and her dad and I can make her smile at the drop of a hat. I'm so glad she is a good baby. I don't know how I would get anything done during the day if she were fussy all the time. It's hard enough now because I don't want to miss a single smile or giggle.
The grass is finally green, the daffodils and hyacinth are blooming, the temperatures are warm, and my daughter is healthy. I weighed her yesterday, and she is 14 lbs 11 oz. She is only 9 weeks old! I was worried that she might be getting TOO big. The Lactation Consultant told me to feed her whenever she wants, and it will all even out in the end. Apparently it's impossible to feed the baby too much breastmilk.
Tess is a very happy baby. She smiles a lot, and her dad and I can make her smile at the drop of a hat. I'm so glad she is a good baby. I don't know how I would get anything done during the day if she were fussy all the time. It's hard enough now because I don't want to miss a single smile or giggle.
Daddy and Tess
As I mentioned before, we are taking Tess on a plane to Kansas City, MO this Friday. Hard to believe I am now one of those people with a baby that used to annoy me. At least my baby is well behaved and her diapers don't stink (yet).
Friday, April 01, 2005
Kosher Kitties
I always give my cat some soft food around holidays as a special treat. At Thanksgiving and Christmas I give her turkey Fancy Feast because we're having turkey. During the recent Easter holiday, we were having ham, and I realized that there are no pork flavored soft cat foods. They have every fish, chicken, and beef flavor under the sun, but no pork. I wonder why? Merlin is eager to eat ham when we have it, so I think that she would like it.
I always give my cat some soft food around holidays as a special treat. At Thanksgiving and Christmas I give her turkey Fancy Feast because we're having turkey. During the recent Easter holiday, we were having ham, and I realized that there are no pork flavored soft cat foods. They have every fish, chicken, and beef flavor under the sun, but no pork. I wonder why? Merlin is eager to eat ham when we have it, so I think that she would like it.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
March Madness
For me, March Madness has not been about basketball but my hectic schedule. We have had lots of visitors, and we have travelled to visit them too. I started working again. I'm working from home, which is interesting. I love being home with the baby, but it can be difficult to accomplish anything when she's awake. I have to put her in her swing a lot.
Tess is growing like crazy. She is changing a little every day. She recently started vocalizing more... not crying, but cooing, sighing, and even the occasional scream. She smiles all the time. It's adorable! I'm so glad we have a happy, laid-back baby. If only she would sleep in her bassinet, she would be the perfect angel. We have to put her in her swing to get her to sleep or she has to sleep right next to me in our bed. That's a habit I don't want to start. I'm going to try putting her on a sleep wedge in her crib. Perhaps she wants to be elevated a little.
Breastfeeding is still quite painful. I am not sure what the problem is. The lactation consultant said the "latch" looks fine. Tess and I have both been treated for yeast in case that was causing the pain, and I've tried Lansinoh and various other ointments. It's not so unbearable that I can't continue, but it would be nice if I could experience the pain-free nursing that other people talk about.
Easter is coming up, and we're hosting 20 or so people at our house for dinner. I decided to give Heavenly Ham a try instead of trying to cook my own. Are we crazy for hosting such a huge party with a newborn? Probably... but most of my mom's family has not met Tess yet, so this will give them the chance to see her.
We are flying to Kansas City for a Hindu wedding on April 8. We are probably crazy for taking a two month old baby on a plane too, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity to attend this event. I think it will be fun, and the Indian food is sure to be wonderful!
Busy, busy. Tess is going to grow up so fast. I can't believe that in about 8 or 9 months she'll be walking. Time does fly when you're having fun.
For me, March Madness has not been about basketball but my hectic schedule. We have had lots of visitors, and we have travelled to visit them too. I started working again. I'm working from home, which is interesting. I love being home with the baby, but it can be difficult to accomplish anything when she's awake. I have to put her in her swing a lot.
Tess is growing like crazy. She is changing a little every day. She recently started vocalizing more... not crying, but cooing, sighing, and even the occasional scream. She smiles all the time. It's adorable! I'm so glad we have a happy, laid-back baby. If only she would sleep in her bassinet, she would be the perfect angel. We have to put her in her swing to get her to sleep or she has to sleep right next to me in our bed. That's a habit I don't want to start. I'm going to try putting her on a sleep wedge in her crib. Perhaps she wants to be elevated a little.
Breastfeeding is still quite painful. I am not sure what the problem is. The lactation consultant said the "latch" looks fine. Tess and I have both been treated for yeast in case that was causing the pain, and I've tried Lansinoh and various other ointments. It's not so unbearable that I can't continue, but it would be nice if I could experience the pain-free nursing that other people talk about.
Easter is coming up, and we're hosting 20 or so people at our house for dinner. I decided to give Heavenly Ham a try instead of trying to cook my own. Are we crazy for hosting such a huge party with a newborn? Probably... but most of my mom's family has not met Tess yet, so this will give them the chance to see her.
We are flying to Kansas City for a Hindu wedding on April 8. We are probably crazy for taking a two month old baby on a plane too, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity to attend this event. I think it will be fun, and the Indian food is sure to be wonderful!
Busy, busy. Tess is going to grow up so fast. I can't believe that in about 8 or 9 months she'll be walking. Time does fly when you're having fun.
Friday, February 18, 2005
February - A Month of Pain and Joy
I've been busy... taking care of a newborn while recovering from surgery is tiring!
Tess made her grand entrance into the world on February 1, 2005. I was induced because my doctor thought she might be getting too big to deliver naturally. We arrived at the hospital at 6:30 AM. I was hooked up to Pitocin by 7:30. For the first few hours, I tolerated the contractions fine, but when they became 1 minute apart and extremely painful (Pitocin is known for that), I knew I would not have energy to push when the time came, and I asked for an epidural. The epidural took away the pain, but my blood pressure got very low, so they had to give me epinephrine and lower my pain medicine dose. By 4:00 PM, I was fully dilated, and the epidural had worn off. My doctor told me it was time to push.
I pushed for two hours, and it was the most painful experience of my life. The baby's head was very high up, and it was sideways, so the doctor tried to turn her head while I pushed. Excrutiating! They had me try the squatting position, but the baby's head refused to come down. They told me I was a good pusher, but I felt like a bit of a failure for not being able to push the baby out. She was just too big. At 6:00 PM, my doctor recommended a c-section. Tess was out at 6:35. By then I was so relieved that she was out that I didn't care about the c-section.
I was quite alert for the whole thing (and shivering from the epidural), and the nurses couldn't believe I could move my legs right after the surgery. It seemed like hours before James and I could finally hold our daughter. It seemed even longer before I could have something to drink. I've never been so thirsty in my whole life! I had a Gatorade at 6:30 AM, and I didn't have another drink until around 8:30 PM. I chugged everything James put in my hands. They told me to take it easy, but I never felt nauseated. Of course, it was all worth it to have Tess. We were overjoyed that she was finally out! What an adorable baby...
I recovered very quickly, but it was painful. In fact, almost 3 weeks later, I'm still in pain. Breastfeeding is painful until I get used to it. I've had a bout with the flu. It could be a secondary infection from the c-section, but it seemed like the flu to me. My whole body ached, and I had a fever of 102 for two days. It was extremely difficult to care for Tess when I could barely get myself off of the couch. My doctor put me on antibiotics just in case.
In between the pain, I also have incredibly happy times when the baby smiles or just sleeps peacefully. She is so cute! James and I couldn't be happier with her. She is not on a schedule, and we are tired, but we love her and we love being parents.
Tess Elizabeth
Born February 1, 2005 at 6:35 PM
Weight: 8 lbs 12 oz
Length: 21 inches
I've been busy... taking care of a newborn while recovering from surgery is tiring!
Tess made her grand entrance into the world on February 1, 2005. I was induced because my doctor thought she might be getting too big to deliver naturally. We arrived at the hospital at 6:30 AM. I was hooked up to Pitocin by 7:30. For the first few hours, I tolerated the contractions fine, but when they became 1 minute apart and extremely painful (Pitocin is known for that), I knew I would not have energy to push when the time came, and I asked for an epidural. The epidural took away the pain, but my blood pressure got very low, so they had to give me epinephrine and lower my pain medicine dose. By 4:00 PM, I was fully dilated, and the epidural had worn off. My doctor told me it was time to push.
I pushed for two hours, and it was the most painful experience of my life. The baby's head was very high up, and it was sideways, so the doctor tried to turn her head while I pushed. Excrutiating! They had me try the squatting position, but the baby's head refused to come down. They told me I was a good pusher, but I felt like a bit of a failure for not being able to push the baby out. She was just too big. At 6:00 PM, my doctor recommended a c-section. Tess was out at 6:35. By then I was so relieved that she was out that I didn't care about the c-section.
I was quite alert for the whole thing (and shivering from the epidural), and the nurses couldn't believe I could move my legs right after the surgery. It seemed like hours before James and I could finally hold our daughter. It seemed even longer before I could have something to drink. I've never been so thirsty in my whole life! I had a Gatorade at 6:30 AM, and I didn't have another drink until around 8:30 PM. I chugged everything James put in my hands. They told me to take it easy, but I never felt nauseated. Of course, it was all worth it to have Tess. We were overjoyed that she was finally out! What an adorable baby...
I recovered very quickly, but it was painful. In fact, almost 3 weeks later, I'm still in pain. Breastfeeding is painful until I get used to it. I've had a bout with the flu. It could be a secondary infection from the c-section, but it seemed like the flu to me. My whole body ached, and I had a fever of 102 for two days. It was extremely difficult to care for Tess when I could barely get myself off of the couch. My doctor put me on antibiotics just in case.
In between the pain, I also have incredibly happy times when the baby smiles or just sleeps peacefully. She is so cute! James and I couldn't be happier with her. She is not on a schedule, and we are tired, but we love her and we love being parents.
Tess Elizabeth
Born February 1, 2005 at 6:35 PM
Weight: 8 lbs 12 oz
Length: 21 inches
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
The Final Countdown...
Well, the full moon came and went, and I am still pregnant. I'm excited though, because the end is in sight. If the baby doesn't come out on her own before February 1, they are going to induce me. The doctor is afraid that the baby will be too big to pass through the birth canal if I go past my due date. Six days or less to be pregnant! Woo hoo! I've got to say, though, that this pregnancy has been pretty easy. I did not become terribly uncomfortable until these last couple of weeks. I cannot wait to meet my daughter!
Well, the full moon came and went, and I am still pregnant. I'm excited though, because the end is in sight. If the baby doesn't come out on her own before February 1, they are going to induce me. The doctor is afraid that the baby will be too big to pass through the birth canal if I go past my due date. Six days or less to be pregnant! Woo hoo! I've got to say, though, that this pregnancy has been pretty easy. I did not become terribly uncomfortable until these last couple of weeks. I cannot wait to meet my daughter!
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Full Term
The baby is full term (37 weeks) as of yesterday. She could decide to make her arrival any day now. I told her to feel free to come out now... mommy is ready. It's getting harder to function with this huge belly.
I have started dilating. The doctor felt the baby's head through the cervix and bag of waters yesterday. Fascinating that the baby is right there but may not come out for 3 more weeks.
The baby is full term (37 weeks) as of yesterday. She could decide to make her arrival any day now. I told her to feel free to come out now... mommy is ready. It's getting harder to function with this huge belly.
I have started dilating. The doctor felt the baby's head through the cervix and bag of waters yesterday. Fascinating that the baby is right there but may not come out for 3 more weeks.
Sunday, January 02, 2005
Friday, December 31, 2004
Another Year Passes By
2004 had one very sad event and one very happy event for me (and all sorts of things in between). April 30, I lost my beloved cat of 10 years to cancer. That was extremely sad and difficult to handle. I still miss Rishi. Just a month later, I found out I was pregnant (the happy event in case you're wondering). I'm so glad it happened when it did because it gave me something to focus on besides losing my cat.
Christmas was interesting this year. Due to the 8 inches of snow that we received and temperatures in the negatives, our family Christmas parties had to be postponed. James and I had a nice Christmas at home for a change. He completely shocked me with a diamond ring for Christmas. The set up was very clever... the first gift I opened was a deck of cards. The second gift was a couple of pairs of socks with diamond patterns on them. At that point, I was thinking "hmmm... that's odd" but remained grateful. The third gift was an electronic hand-held baseball game. I was really questioning what was going on at that point. The fourth gift was a Greatest Hits of Neil Diamond CD. I don't like Neil Diamond, so this was especially funny. The last gift was very heavy. It contained some books that I recognized from James' collection, but hidden in some newspaper was the little ring box. I never would have guessed! It's a beautiful ring with a half a carat diamond and a white gold band. Thankfully, he remembered that I prefer to wear silver. I gave him an X-box wireless controller, Morrowind game, two sweaters, a book light and a book, a Sherlock Holmes mug, a Jeep keychain, the Scene It boardgame, and some gloves. Santa was very good this year... our last Christmas as "dual income no children" people.
Here we are, about to start 2005. The baby will be here sometime in the next 4 weeks. I expect this year will be quite exciting with the new addition to our family. We are ready!
2004 had one very sad event and one very happy event for me (and all sorts of things in between). April 30, I lost my beloved cat of 10 years to cancer. That was extremely sad and difficult to handle. I still miss Rishi. Just a month later, I found out I was pregnant (the happy event in case you're wondering). I'm so glad it happened when it did because it gave me something to focus on besides losing my cat.
Christmas was interesting this year. Due to the 8 inches of snow that we received and temperatures in the negatives, our family Christmas parties had to be postponed. James and I had a nice Christmas at home for a change. He completely shocked me with a diamond ring for Christmas. The set up was very clever... the first gift I opened was a deck of cards. The second gift was a couple of pairs of socks with diamond patterns on them. At that point, I was thinking "hmmm... that's odd" but remained grateful. The third gift was an electronic hand-held baseball game. I was really questioning what was going on at that point. The fourth gift was a Greatest Hits of Neil Diamond CD. I don't like Neil Diamond, so this was especially funny. The last gift was very heavy. It contained some books that I recognized from James' collection, but hidden in some newspaper was the little ring box. I never would have guessed! It's a beautiful ring with a half a carat diamond and a white gold band. Thankfully, he remembered that I prefer to wear silver. I gave him an X-box wireless controller, Morrowind game, two sweaters, a book light and a book, a Sherlock Holmes mug, a Jeep keychain, the Scene It boardgame, and some gloves. Santa was very good this year... our last Christmas as "dual income no children" people.
Here we are, about to start 2005. The baby will be here sometime in the next 4 weeks. I expect this year will be quite exciting with the new addition to our family. We are ready!
Thursday, December 09, 2004
Santa Is Truly Magical
At a recent Christmas party, I overheard a woman talking to her daughters about Santa Claus. She said "Santa has to know every language, like French, Spanish, Asian, and European."
If Santa can speak Asian and European, he is truly magical. I wonder if he can also speak Klingon.
At a recent Christmas party, I overheard a woman talking to her daughters about Santa Claus. She said "Santa has to know every language, like French, Spanish, Asian, and European."
If Santa can speak Asian and European, he is truly magical. I wonder if he can also speak Klingon.
Putting Things In Perspective
Like most working people, I get stressed out about my job once in awhile (ok, a lot). I also get irritated with traffic, long lines in stores, slow waiters, and the fact that there is just not enough time in the day to get everything done. Then I feel the baby kick, and I am reminded that the most important thing is this little life growing inside me. That's really all that matters. Funny how the pregnancy hormones really do change your thoughts.
Like most working people, I get stressed out about my job once in awhile (ok, a lot). I also get irritated with traffic, long lines in stores, slow waiters, and the fact that there is just not enough time in the day to get everything done. Then I feel the baby kick, and I am reminded that the most important thing is this little life growing inside me. That's really all that matters. Funny how the pregnancy hormones really do change your thoughts.
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Instant Karma
John Lennon was shot 24 years ago today. I wonder what musical masterpieces we are missing out on because of his death. I also wonder what bands he would like if he were here now.
I bought a Double Fantasy album at Half Price Books once, and inside the cover I found several newspaper clippings from December 9, 1980. Being a huge John Lennon and Beatles fan, I was thrilled to have these (I was 7 years old when he died... hardly old enough to really understand). Yet another example of when karma worked in my favor.
John Lennon was shot 24 years ago today. I wonder what musical masterpieces we are missing out on because of his death. I also wonder what bands he would like if he were here now.
I bought a Double Fantasy album at Half Price Books once, and inside the cover I found several newspaper clippings from December 9, 1980. Being a huge John Lennon and Beatles fan, I was thrilled to have these (I was 7 years old when he died... hardly old enough to really understand). Yet another example of when karma worked in my favor.
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Chocolate Covered Christmas
Now that the holiday season is here, so are the chocolate covered cherries, candy canes, and gum drops. Yum! Everyone who knows me knows that I have an insatiable sweet tooth. Even though I'm pregnant this season, that probably won't stop me from indulging in every sweet morsel that crosses my path.
I was really excited yesterday when I found a Hershey's Cookies 'n' Mint candy bar at the drug store. This is by far the best candy bar that the USA has ever offered (every candy aficionado knows the UK has far superior candy bars). They stopped making it for a long time, and apparently it's back only for a limited time. James recently found a gigantic Cookies 'n' Mint bar at Bed, Bath, and Beyond of all places. I'm going to have to stock up.
As far as candy bars go, I also like Twix, especially the miniature ones. As I mentioned before, though, the UK turns out the best candy bars of all. Cadbury makes great chocolate. I like the Crunchie. They used to make one called Rum 'n' Butter. I think it was the best candy bar in the world, but of course, they stopped making it.
I'm going to enjoy this sugary season... and after Christmas, the Valentine candy will be out. Woo hoo!
Now that the holiday season is here, so are the chocolate covered cherries, candy canes, and gum drops. Yum! Everyone who knows me knows that I have an insatiable sweet tooth. Even though I'm pregnant this season, that probably won't stop me from indulging in every sweet morsel that crosses my path.
I was really excited yesterday when I found a Hershey's Cookies 'n' Mint candy bar at the drug store. This is by far the best candy bar that the USA has ever offered (every candy aficionado knows the UK has far superior candy bars). They stopped making it for a long time, and apparently it's back only for a limited time. James recently found a gigantic Cookies 'n' Mint bar at Bed, Bath, and Beyond of all places. I'm going to have to stock up.
As far as candy bars go, I also like Twix, especially the miniature ones. As I mentioned before, though, the UK turns out the best candy bars of all. Cadbury makes great chocolate. I like the Crunchie. They used to make one called Rum 'n' Butter. I think it was the best candy bar in the world, but of course, they stopped making it.
I'm going to enjoy this sugary season... and after Christmas, the Valentine candy will be out. Woo hoo!
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
The much anticipated new U2 album hit stores today. I bought the $30 box set, which includes the CD, a DVD, and a small hardcover book. I am quite disappointed that for $30 they could not include the CD jewel case. Instead, you get this cheap piece of cardboard which is too big to fit on a standard CD rack, and the CD will not stay in it. Oh well... my first impression is that the music is awesome!
U2 never disappoints. I even liked their most hated album, "Pop". I have loved them since I first heard "New Year's Day" and "Pride (In the Name of Love)". My mom had the 45 of Pride, and we used to listen to it all the time. I think I still have it.
The much anticipated new U2 album hit stores today. I bought the $30 box set, which includes the CD, a DVD, and a small hardcover book. I am quite disappointed that for $30 they could not include the CD jewel case. Instead, you get this cheap piece of cardboard which is too big to fit on a standard CD rack, and the CD will not stay in it. Oh well... my first impression is that the music is awesome!
U2 never disappoints. I even liked their most hated album, "Pop". I have loved them since I first heard "New Year's Day" and "Pride (In the Name of Love)". My mom had the 45 of Pride, and we used to listen to it all the time. I think I still have it.
Monday, November 15, 2004
Pet Peeves
Most people have a few things that irritate the heck out of them... here are a few of mine:
1. Spitting and littering. Nothing makes my day like driving behind someone who throws some trash or a lit cigarette butt out their car window. What do you think the ash tray is for? Even though my mom, dad, and sister smoke, I have to say that smokers must be the world's most inconsiderate people. Their butts end up everywhere. It's especially nice when someone decides to empty their ash tray in a parking lot. Goes great with the smashed, wet diaper in the next space.
Spitting is just gross. If you have so much saliva and phlegm that you need to spit it on the sidewalk, go to the doctor!
2. Dog crap in my yard. I realize that our grass may get a little on the tall side once in awhile, but that doesn't mean that you should leave your dog's business in it! Not many people in my neighborhood have dogs, so this isn't a huge problem, but it's still annoying when it happens.
3. Rude people. I have worked in Carmel, Indiana for over 6.5 years. It seems to be the place where the "high and mighty" live and congregate. The "Carmelites" are the rudest people I've ever encountered. They rarely say "Thank you" if you hold a door. They butt in front of you in stores without saying "Excuse me". They run you off the road with their compensatory, overly gigantic SUV's. Very annoying.
4. People giving me pregnancy/childbirth advice. If I ask for it that's one thing, but so many people just want to volunteer useless information. I especially dislike the frowns or groans I get when I tell people I am not going to have an epidural. It's not uncommon to forego it, so get over it! They act like I won't be able to handle the pain. Hello? Every pregnancy, childbirth experience, and baby is different, so who are you to tell me what I can handle? Perhaps I will end up getting one if the situation calls for it, but just for fun, how about a smidgeon of support?
Most people have a few things that irritate the heck out of them... here are a few of mine:
1. Spitting and littering. Nothing makes my day like driving behind someone who throws some trash or a lit cigarette butt out their car window. What do you think the ash tray is for? Even though my mom, dad, and sister smoke, I have to say that smokers must be the world's most inconsiderate people. Their butts end up everywhere. It's especially nice when someone decides to empty their ash tray in a parking lot. Goes great with the smashed, wet diaper in the next space.
Spitting is just gross. If you have so much saliva and phlegm that you need to spit it on the sidewalk, go to the doctor!
2. Dog crap in my yard. I realize that our grass may get a little on the tall side once in awhile, but that doesn't mean that you should leave your dog's business in it! Not many people in my neighborhood have dogs, so this isn't a huge problem, but it's still annoying when it happens.
3. Rude people. I have worked in Carmel, Indiana for over 6.5 years. It seems to be the place where the "high and mighty" live and congregate. The "Carmelites" are the rudest people I've ever encountered. They rarely say "Thank you" if you hold a door. They butt in front of you in stores without saying "Excuse me". They run you off the road with their compensatory, overly gigantic SUV's. Very annoying.
4. People giving me pregnancy/childbirth advice. If I ask for it that's one thing, but so many people just want to volunteer useless information. I especially dislike the frowns or groans I get when I tell people I am not going to have an epidural. It's not uncommon to forego it, so get over it! They act like I won't be able to handle the pain. Hello? Every pregnancy, childbirth experience, and baby is different, so who are you to tell me what I can handle? Perhaps I will end up getting one if the situation calls for it, but just for fun, how about a smidgeon of support?
Friday, November 12, 2004
The Greatest Rock Lyric Ever
Even though The Beatles are my favorite band (and U2 is a close second), my favorite rock lyric comes from none other than Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here":
How I wish... how I wish you were here...
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year.
Running over the same old ground. Have we found the same old fears?
Wish you were here.
I just love that passage... if you're familiar with the song, you probably sang the verse in your head as you read it.
Even though The Beatles are my favorite band (and U2 is a close second), my favorite rock lyric comes from none other than Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here":
How I wish... how I wish you were here...
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year.
Running over the same old ground. Have we found the same old fears?
Wish you were here.
I just love that passage... if you're familiar with the song, you probably sang the verse in your head as you read it.
I'm still kickin'... and baby is too
I've been so incredibly busy that I haven't had time to write. Time is marching on... there are less than 12 weeks left in the pregnancy. I can't believe it! I have decided to do the baby's room in Beatrix Potter/Peter Rabbit. I think the illustrations are cute, and they are detailed enough to give the baby something interesting to look at.
She is kicking harder and harder every day now. Each day I look in the mirror and can almost see my belly growing!
I've been so incredibly busy that I haven't had time to write. Time is marching on... there are less than 12 weeks left in the pregnancy. I can't believe it! I have decided to do the baby's room in Beatrix Potter/Peter Rabbit. I think the illustrations are cute, and they are detailed enough to give the baby something interesting to look at.
She is kicking harder and harder every day now. Each day I look in the mirror and can almost see my belly growing!
Monday, October 18, 2004
15 Weeks To Go
Week 24 has been the most uncomfortable of the pregnancy so far. Last Thursday I had pain in my side that became so bad I could not stand up straight. The doctor had me go in for tests, which all came back normal, so they attributed the pain to round ligament stretching. Four days later, I still have the pain. Fortunately, it's not as bad as it was, but I hope it goes away soon. It's hard to keep doing everyday things when you can't bend over, sit down, laugh, or talk without grabbing your side in agony.
Week 24 has been the most uncomfortable of the pregnancy so far. Last Thursday I had pain in my side that became so bad I could not stand up straight. The doctor had me go in for tests, which all came back normal, so they attributed the pain to round ligament stretching. Four days later, I still have the pain. Fortunately, it's not as bad as it was, but I hope it goes away soon. It's hard to keep doing everyday things when you can't bend over, sit down, laugh, or talk without grabbing your side in agony.
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Spiritual Side
Perhaps it's the changing of the seasons, but I'm feeling inspired to write about my spiritual beliefs. I typically don't share these with many people, but since very few people read my blog, I'm not sure how public they'll really be. This blog is really for me anyway. It has taken me a long time to formulate beliefs that make sense to me based on things I've read, my experiences, and learning from other people.
I did not grow up in a church environment. I went to church a handful of times with friends. Perhaps having no religious guidance lead me to alternative beliefs...or maybe I would have come to these conclusions eventually anyway. I am not sure. One thing I am sure of is that I've always felt a strong connection with nature, and I feel far more spiritual walking a forest than sitting in a church. I do love old, decorated cathedrals. Some are so beautiful that you cannot help but feel some sense of spiritualness in them.
Some of my beliefs are Buddhist. Some are derived from Native American beliefs. I can only classify myself as a Pagan. That word has a lot of negative connotations for people, but it simply means "non-Christian". It implies a deeply rooted respect of nature and the god and goddess who created it. Some people think that Pagans practice witchcraft, but that is not necessarily true. While a Wiccan person is classified as a Pagan, a Pagan is not always Wiccan. I am not Wiccan.
I believe in reincarnation. We can choose to return to Earth, and when we do, we can also choose certain challenges that we will face in our lives here. These challenges encourage the growth and progression of our soul. People that we gravitate to on Earth could have known us in previous lives or could be our best friends on the other side.
I also believe in karma. I treat people the same way I want to be treated. I do nice things because they will come back to me. I believe in helping those who are willing to help themselves.
I respect other cultures and religions; however, I do not appreciate other people shoving their religion in my face. I do not judge other people based on their religion, race, or sexual orientation, and I expect to be treated with the same respect and non-judgmental attitude.
I believe it is our duty as humans on Earth to treat animals with respect. Animals are very important to the whole interconnectedness of nature. I believe that they have spirits too. It is important to teach children to love and respect animals and the environment.
I do celebrate Christmas and other typical holidays. Christmas for me is celebrating family and togetherness. Even before Christianity, people decorated pine trees in the winter to show their respect for nature. I acknowledge seasonal events, such as solstices and equinoxes, not by performing rituals, but by thinking about my life and my place in the universe. Sometimes that may involve celebrating with food and drink. As the seasons change and we all become older, it's important to evaluate your existence and think about where you are going, if you are happy, and what you can do to improve your life on Earth. I also acknowledge full moons in the same kind of introspective way. I am fascinated by the moon and how it effects things on Earth. Nature is a delicate balance, and I am always in awe of how it works.
Finally, I believe there is not only a god, but also a goddess. They (or it - they could be one sexless entity) are the creators of all things. When we die, we return to the other side, our true home. I do not know where this place/dimension exists. Scientifically, I don't think anyone can figure that out or it would have been done by now. I also believe in ghosts, or spirits who become trapped here on Earth until they are willing to accept their fate and return home. People on the other side can communicate with us on a subconscious level, which includes our dreams. They can help guide us if we ask for their assistance. Before I became pregnant, I knew I wanted to get pregnant in May. At that time, I asked my family on the other side to send my daughter. I was ready. I became pregnant with a baby girl about one week later. Our subconscious is our link to the other side.
By writing this, I have only outlined what I believe. I have not explained how I came to these conclusions. That would probably result in a book. Sometime I might sit down and attempt to write it.
Perhaps it's the changing of the seasons, but I'm feeling inspired to write about my spiritual beliefs. I typically don't share these with many people, but since very few people read my blog, I'm not sure how public they'll really be. This blog is really for me anyway. It has taken me a long time to formulate beliefs that make sense to me based on things I've read, my experiences, and learning from other people.
I did not grow up in a church environment. I went to church a handful of times with friends. Perhaps having no religious guidance lead me to alternative beliefs...or maybe I would have come to these conclusions eventually anyway. I am not sure. One thing I am sure of is that I've always felt a strong connection with nature, and I feel far more spiritual walking a forest than sitting in a church. I do love old, decorated cathedrals. Some are so beautiful that you cannot help but feel some sense of spiritualness in them.
Some of my beliefs are Buddhist. Some are derived from Native American beliefs. I can only classify myself as a Pagan. That word has a lot of negative connotations for people, but it simply means "non-Christian". It implies a deeply rooted respect of nature and the god and goddess who created it. Some people think that Pagans practice witchcraft, but that is not necessarily true. While a Wiccan person is classified as a Pagan, a Pagan is not always Wiccan. I am not Wiccan.
I believe in reincarnation. We can choose to return to Earth, and when we do, we can also choose certain challenges that we will face in our lives here. These challenges encourage the growth and progression of our soul. People that we gravitate to on Earth could have known us in previous lives or could be our best friends on the other side.
I also believe in karma. I treat people the same way I want to be treated. I do nice things because they will come back to me. I believe in helping those who are willing to help themselves.
I respect other cultures and religions; however, I do not appreciate other people shoving their religion in my face. I do not judge other people based on their religion, race, or sexual orientation, and I expect to be treated with the same respect and non-judgmental attitude.
I believe it is our duty as humans on Earth to treat animals with respect. Animals are very important to the whole interconnectedness of nature. I believe that they have spirits too. It is important to teach children to love and respect animals and the environment.
I do celebrate Christmas and other typical holidays. Christmas for me is celebrating family and togetherness. Even before Christianity, people decorated pine trees in the winter to show their respect for nature. I acknowledge seasonal events, such as solstices and equinoxes, not by performing rituals, but by thinking about my life and my place in the universe. Sometimes that may involve celebrating with food and drink. As the seasons change and we all become older, it's important to evaluate your existence and think about where you are going, if you are happy, and what you can do to improve your life on Earth. I also acknowledge full moons in the same kind of introspective way. I am fascinated by the moon and how it effects things on Earth. Nature is a delicate balance, and I am always in awe of how it works.
Finally, I believe there is not only a god, but also a goddess. They (or it - they could be one sexless entity) are the creators of all things. When we die, we return to the other side, our true home. I do not know where this place/dimension exists. Scientifically, I don't think anyone can figure that out or it would have been done by now. I also believe in ghosts, or spirits who become trapped here on Earth until they are willing to accept their fate and return home. People on the other side can communicate with us on a subconscious level, which includes our dreams. They can help guide us if we ask for their assistance. Before I became pregnant, I knew I wanted to get pregnant in May. At that time, I asked my family on the other side to send my daughter. I was ready. I became pregnant with a baby girl about one week later. Our subconscious is our link to the other side.
By writing this, I have only outlined what I believe. I have not explained how I came to these conclusions. That would probably result in a book. Sometime I might sit down and attempt to write it.
Sunday, October 03, 2004
Another Year Older...
I turn 31 today. I bought myself some new things over the weekend, like a new purse and the new Tears for Fears album. I had been awaiting the release of the album for a long time, and it has been out since 9/14, but I just found out that it was released on Friday. I expected it to be good, but not this good... I LOVE IT! Tears for Fears has proven that they've still got it after all this time.
I turn 31 today. I bought myself some new things over the weekend, like a new purse and the new Tears for Fears album. I had been awaiting the release of the album for a long time, and it has been out since 9/14, but I just found out that it was released on Friday. I expected it to be good, but not this good... I LOVE IT! Tears for Fears has proven that they've still got it after all this time.
Saturday, September 25, 2004
Where did Magical Cat come from?
I used to sing songs to my cat, Rishi. One of my favorites was "Black Betty", but I changed it to "Black Buddy" (his nickname). Because of the mysticism surrounding black cats, I used to think of "Magical Mister Mistoffelees" from the musical Cats when I sang to him. So when I needed a Yahoo name, I thought of it at the spur of the moment.
I really miss Rishi.
I used to sing songs to my cat, Rishi. One of my favorites was "Black Betty", but I changed it to "Black Buddy" (his nickname). Because of the mysticism surrounding black cats, I used to think of "Magical Mister Mistoffelees" from the musical Cats when I sang to him. So when I needed a Yahoo name, I thought of it at the spur of the moment.
I really miss Rishi.
Thursday, September 23, 2004
Autumn Upon Us
I meant to post yesterday, on the Autumnal Equinox, but I didn't get around to it. Fall is my favorite season, and I'm so glad it's here! It never lasts long enough though. Soon the leaves will change and the holidays will be here. I already have some of my Halloween decorations out.
I'm feeling the baby move every day now (and every night). At this stage, the movements are cute because they're just little flutters. Reminds me how small she is even though I feel like my belly is HUGE.
I feel good most of the time, but I do have some trouble sleeping through the night. Perhaps it's my body preparing me to deal with a newborn. I've tried avoiding caffeine, switching sides of the bed with James, and taking sinus medication before bed, but nothing seems to help. I try not to complain too much... I've read about much worse pregnancy related symptoms that I am glad I do not have. Overall, I think being pregnant is fun.
I meant to post yesterday, on the Autumnal Equinox, but I didn't get around to it. Fall is my favorite season, and I'm so glad it's here! It never lasts long enough though. Soon the leaves will change and the holidays will be here. I already have some of my Halloween decorations out.
I'm feeling the baby move every day now (and every night). At this stage, the movements are cute because they're just little flutters. Reminds me how small she is even though I feel like my belly is HUGE.
I feel good most of the time, but I do have some trouble sleeping through the night. Perhaps it's my body preparing me to deal with a newborn. I've tried avoiding caffeine, switching sides of the bed with James, and taking sinus medication before bed, but nothing seems to help. I try not to complain too much... I've read about much worse pregnancy related symptoms that I am glad I do not have. Overall, I think being pregnant is fun.
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Monday, September 13, 2004
Ultrasound News
James and I had our first ultrasound on September 7. I was amazed by the clarity of the picture. We saw every angle of the baby, including her spine, feet, face, and the top of her head. Yep, I said "her". We are having a girl! We are really excited, and even though the VHS tape of the ultrasound is bit lesser in quality than the actual picture was, that hasn't stopped us from watching the tape several times. Too bad they can't burn it to a high definition DVD.
James and I had our first ultrasound on September 7. I was amazed by the clarity of the picture. We saw every angle of the baby, including her spine, feet, face, and the top of her head. Yep, I said "her". We are having a girl! We are really excited, and even though the VHS tape of the ultrasound is bit lesser in quality than the actual picture was, that hasn't stopped us from watching the tape several times. Too bad they can't burn it to a high definition DVD.
Native Imports
I want to ask people who have a Native American dream catcher hanging from their rearview mirror if they sleep in their cars a lot. It's supposed to hang above your bed and "catch" nightmares. It's pretty sad that the Native American culture is one of the most exploited. If you shop for a dream catcher, some Native American pottery, or a flute, turn the product over. You might see a "Made in China" sticker. Real authentic.
I want to ask people who have a Native American dream catcher hanging from their rearview mirror if they sleep in their cars a lot. It's supposed to hang above your bed and "catch" nightmares. It's pretty sad that the Native American culture is one of the most exploited. If you shop for a dream catcher, some Native American pottery, or a flute, turn the product over. You might see a "Made in China" sticker. Real authentic.
Thursday, September 02, 2004
Work Is Nuts
I have managed not to complain about my job on this blog so far. I think today I am finally feeling motivated to write something about it. I am a web developer/project manager at a company that I've been working at for over 6 years. They have been good to me... I started out in the helpdesk making peanuts, and worked my way up to the world of IT (and perhaps now making walnuts?). I was helpdesk supervisor, then trainer, then writing documents for web sites, then web developer. I learned ASP and SQL (with help from my boss). I am good at what I do. It does not only involve web developing... it's about knowing how to treat your "customers" (other employees), and understanding the business. My boss knows I always put in my 40 hours (at least), so it's no big deal if I'm late or need to leave early. He even said I can work from home after I have my baby. Those are the good things about my job.
Now, the complaints. Everyone has complaints about their job. No job is perfect, and there are some days where my level of frustration knows no bounds. I have to be on call every 4th week. I am on call this week, which happens to include Labor Day weekend. This is the third holiday in a row where I have been on call. I do not get paid for being on call. I do get a cell phone allowance each month in exchange. People call about minor issues. It's supposed to be for emergencies, such as a web site crashing or server outage. Instead I get things like "I can't get into my Email", "How do I get to such-and-such web site", and the inevitable "My PC isn't working right". I got the PC call one night at 3am. These are not emergencies, people! And why are you working at night? Get a life!
I also have to mention pay. I am a female, which automatically means I get less than my male counterparts. Why is that fair? I even have the word "manager" in my title, but that doesn't seem to matter. I have many male friends working in the same field as me. They all make more than I do. One of them makes a full 20k more... it's really frustrating. I wish the job market would pick up. I had three interviews for one web development job. It was more money for less work, and they seemed concerned that I would not be as "challenged" in the new job. THAT'S WHAT I WANTED! I really thought I had it in the bag, but they ended up hiring a man. HMPH! I really hope to someday break into the cashew pay level... that rich, delicious nut seemingly reserved for men and very few women. Until then I will continue at the walnut level... if I'm lucky, maybe next year I'll get pecans.
I have managed not to complain about my job on this blog so far. I think today I am finally feeling motivated to write something about it. I am a web developer/project manager at a company that I've been working at for over 6 years. They have been good to me... I started out in the helpdesk making peanuts, and worked my way up to the world of IT (and perhaps now making walnuts?). I was helpdesk supervisor, then trainer, then writing documents for web sites, then web developer. I learned ASP and SQL (with help from my boss). I am good at what I do. It does not only involve web developing... it's about knowing how to treat your "customers" (other employees), and understanding the business. My boss knows I always put in my 40 hours (at least), so it's no big deal if I'm late or need to leave early. He even said I can work from home after I have my baby. Those are the good things about my job.
Now, the complaints. Everyone has complaints about their job. No job is perfect, and there are some days where my level of frustration knows no bounds. I have to be on call every 4th week. I am on call this week, which happens to include Labor Day weekend. This is the third holiday in a row where I have been on call. I do not get paid for being on call. I do get a cell phone allowance each month in exchange. People call about minor issues. It's supposed to be for emergencies, such as a web site crashing or server outage. Instead I get things like "I can't get into my Email", "How do I get to such-and-such web site", and the inevitable "My PC isn't working right". I got the PC call one night at 3am. These are not emergencies, people! And why are you working at night? Get a life!
I also have to mention pay. I am a female, which automatically means I get less than my male counterparts. Why is that fair? I even have the word "manager" in my title, but that doesn't seem to matter. I have many male friends working in the same field as me. They all make more than I do. One of them makes a full 20k more... it's really frustrating. I wish the job market would pick up. I had three interviews for one web development job. It was more money for less work, and they seemed concerned that I would not be as "challenged" in the new job. THAT'S WHAT I WANTED! I really thought I had it in the bag, but they ended up hiring a man. HMPH! I really hope to someday break into the cashew pay level... that rich, delicious nut seemingly reserved for men and very few women. Until then I will continue at the walnut level... if I'm lucky, maybe next year I'll get pecans.
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Another Milestone
Today marks the beginning of my 5th month of pregnancy (18 weeks). In just two weeks, I'll be half way through. Time to start preparing the baby's room. We have to relocate our rabbit (and our vacuum cleaner, my Barbie collection, and other miscellaneous stuff), put in new carpet, and put up a blind. Fortunately, the room is already painted a light shade of lavender, so we don't have to paint the walls (was that foresight on my part?).
Today marks the beginning of my 5th month of pregnancy (18 weeks). In just two weeks, I'll be half way through. Time to start preparing the baby's room. We have to relocate our rabbit (and our vacuum cleaner, my Barbie collection, and other miscellaneous stuff), put in new carpet, and put up a blind. Fortunately, the room is already painted a light shade of lavender, so we don't have to paint the walls (was that foresight on my part?).
Thursday, August 26, 2004
First Movement
I felt the baby move for the first time today! As soon as I sat down at my desk this morning, I felt a fluttery muscle spasm feeling. I am almost certain it was the baby. Very exciting!
At my doctor appointment on Tuesday, the nurse clocked the heartbeat at 150 bpm. She had to try 3 times or so because the baby kept moving around. Must be an active one! I have an ultrasound scheduled for September 7. I can't wait...
I felt the baby move for the first time today! As soon as I sat down at my desk this morning, I felt a fluttery muscle spasm feeling. I am almost certain it was the baby. Very exciting!
At my doctor appointment on Tuesday, the nurse clocked the heartbeat at 150 bpm. She had to try 3 times or so because the baby kept moving around. Must be an active one! I have an ultrasound scheduled for September 7. I can't wait...
Friday, August 20, 2004
Ooooo, Witchy Woman
My best friend and my husband have always teased me about being from a family of witches. They don't mean it in a bad way, of course. It's just that my aunts and my mom like to grow herbs and things and make weird stuff. My mom has 5 sisters and 1 brother. Even my uncle has a garden. We always had black cats when I was growing up, which happen to be my favorite type of cat (I recently lost my beloved black kitty of 10 years, Rishi, to cancer). My mom would trim my sister's and my hair by the full moon. I have to admit, I do consult the Farmers' Almanac to find out which moon phases are good for planting flowers or doing other stuff. I also love to look at the full moon. I always acknowledge it and try to gaze upon it if it isn't too cloudy to see. I really think it's just a deep rooted respect for nature that my family has (I wouldn't want it any other way), but I can't seem to shake the witch thing.
When my friend Leslie and I were in Scotland, one of us picked up a book about witches. It seems a brother and sister by the name of Weir were burned at the stake for witchcraft in Scotland. Weir was my grandma's maiden name. This just added to Leslie and James' evidence.
On the 4th of July, James and I headed down to my mom's for a barbecue. My mom had a huge spider in a jar. There are many more things I could list here that have fueled this perception. Will I ever shake this witch image? Probably not. I admit to having Pagan beliefs, but I don't cast spells or make potions. It sounds like fun though.
My best friend and my husband have always teased me about being from a family of witches. They don't mean it in a bad way, of course. It's just that my aunts and my mom like to grow herbs and things and make weird stuff. My mom has 5 sisters and 1 brother. Even my uncle has a garden. We always had black cats when I was growing up, which happen to be my favorite type of cat (I recently lost my beloved black kitty of 10 years, Rishi, to cancer). My mom would trim my sister's and my hair by the full moon. I have to admit, I do consult the Farmers' Almanac to find out which moon phases are good for planting flowers or doing other stuff. I also love to look at the full moon. I always acknowledge it and try to gaze upon it if it isn't too cloudy to see. I really think it's just a deep rooted respect for nature that my family has (I wouldn't want it any other way), but I can't seem to shake the witch thing.
When my friend Leslie and I were in Scotland, one of us picked up a book about witches. It seems a brother and sister by the name of Weir were burned at the stake for witchcraft in Scotland. Weir was my grandma's maiden name. This just added to Leslie and James' evidence.
On the 4th of July, James and I headed down to my mom's for a barbecue. My mom had a huge spider in a jar. There are many more things I could list here that have fueled this perception. Will I ever shake this witch image? Probably not. I admit to having Pagan beliefs, but I don't cast spells or make potions. It sounds like fun though.
No News Is Good News
It's been awhile since I made an update here. I'm in the 16th week of the pregnancy. I should feel the baby move any day now. I feel pretty good right now. I have energy, and the stars and headaches that I experienced in the first trimester are becoming less frequent. We have not started shopping for the baby yet... in fact, we haven't done anything to prepare. We will probably start in the 5th month. That's right around the corner.
Buggy Stuff
Indiana was recently visited by a type of cicada that only comes out every 17 years. Some areas were absolutely covered in them and others only had a few, if any. We only saw one of them in our backyard. I was a little disappointed because I thought they were kind of cool. While cleaning the other day, I found just the wing of one of the cicadas on our stairway. Weird.
I had a spider friend that was living behind my bread box in the kitchen. I find bugs interesting. Like most people, I don't want them in my house, but this spider didn't bother me. He was about the size of nickel (including the legs). It wasn't one of the big hairy ones (it would have been promptly smashed if so). I let it go, thinking maybe it would eat any gnats or flies that came its way (not that we have a problem, mind you). He was there for a few weeks, coming out occasionally while I cooked or washed dishes. Then I saw him crawling in the sink. BIG mistake. I washed him down the drain. If he had stayed in his little space behind the bread box, I would have left him alone. Oh well.
It's been awhile since I made an update here. I'm in the 16th week of the pregnancy. I should feel the baby move any day now. I feel pretty good right now. I have energy, and the stars and headaches that I experienced in the first trimester are becoming less frequent. We have not started shopping for the baby yet... in fact, we haven't done anything to prepare. We will probably start in the 5th month. That's right around the corner.
Buggy Stuff
Indiana was recently visited by a type of cicada that only comes out every 17 years. Some areas were absolutely covered in them and others only had a few, if any. We only saw one of them in our backyard. I was a little disappointed because I thought they were kind of cool. While cleaning the other day, I found just the wing of one of the cicadas on our stairway. Weird.
I had a spider friend that was living behind my bread box in the kitchen. I find bugs interesting. Like most people, I don't want them in my house, but this spider didn't bother me. He was about the size of nickel (including the legs). It wasn't one of the big hairy ones (it would have been promptly smashed if so). I let it go, thinking maybe it would eat any gnats or flies that came its way (not that we have a problem, mind you). He was there for a few weeks, coming out occasionally while I cooked or washed dishes. Then I saw him crawling in the sink. BIG mistake. I washed him down the drain. If he had stayed in his little space behind the bread box, I would have left him alone. Oh well.
Monday, August 02, 2004
Fatness, Here I Come
I am now wearing maternity clothes. I went shopping over the weekend, and bought several shirts, a skirt, and 3 pairs of pants. At first my friend Leslie and I were appalled by the styles, but then we went to a store called Motherhood. They actually have hip maternity clothes... Well, as hip as they can be anyway. I start my 14th week of pregnancy tomorrow, and I could not stand another day in my regular clothes. They were so tight that my circulation was getting cut off. So here I sit in my maternity jeans. They are green and look rather militant. I like them.
I am now wearing maternity clothes. I went shopping over the weekend, and bought several shirts, a skirt, and 3 pairs of pants. At first my friend Leslie and I were appalled by the styles, but then we went to a store called Motherhood. They actually have hip maternity clothes... Well, as hip as they can be anyway. I start my 14th week of pregnancy tomorrow, and I could not stand another day in my regular clothes. They were so tight that my circulation was getting cut off. So here I sit in my maternity jeans. They are green and look rather militant. I like them.
Friday, July 23, 2004
You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry
I think that pregnancy hormones can best be described through a comparison to The Incredible Hulk. For the most part, I am even-keeled. I'm no David Banner, out helping people in need whilst I remain lonely and isolated, but I am fairly happy and laid back (though it doesn't stop me from complaining at work). Piss me off however, and you've got the Hulk on your hands. I've had a few episodes. One was in the car the other day, and one was at work today. I am a web developer, and I was tired of my program being blamed when the real cause of the issue was user error. I felt my face turning red (rather than green) and I wanted to throw something very forcefully. I guess it's the hormones that cause me to fly off of the handle about situations that I would normally handle gracefully. Laura smash!
I think that pregnancy hormones can best be described through a comparison to The Incredible Hulk. For the most part, I am even-keeled. I'm no David Banner, out helping people in need whilst I remain lonely and isolated, but I am fairly happy and laid back (though it doesn't stop me from complaining at work). Piss me off however, and you've got the Hulk on your hands. I've had a few episodes. One was in the car the other day, and one was at work today. I am a web developer, and I was tired of my program being blamed when the real cause of the issue was user error. I felt my face turning red (rather than green) and I wanted to throw something very forcefully. I guess it's the hormones that cause me to fly off of the handle about situations that I would normally handle gracefully. Laura smash!
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
Abandon Every Hope, Ye Who Enter Here
For those online quiz-takers out there, here is a fun one for you. Answer the questions and see which level of Dante's Inferno you fit into. I'm apparently headed for Level 2, which is the lustful level. Hmmm, and I thought for sure I'd be a glutton relaxing in Level 3.
For those online quiz-takers out there, here is a fun one for you. Answer the questions and see which level of Dante's Inferno you fit into. I'm apparently headed for Level 2, which is the lustful level. Hmmm, and I thought for sure I'd be a glutton relaxing in Level 3.
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
Rat's Ass
Where did the expression "I don't give a rat's ass" come from? In Medieval times, did people give a rat ass to someone they cared about as a sign of affection? Did a witch say it when her friend came over to borrow a rat's ass for her enchantment potion? It's just one of those weird expressions that people use all the time, but when you think about it, it doesn't make any sense.
Where did the expression "I don't give a rat's ass" come from? In Medieval times, did people give a rat ass to someone they cared about as a sign of affection? Did a witch say it when her friend came over to borrow a rat's ass for her enchantment potion? It's just one of those weird expressions that people use all the time, but when you think about it, it doesn't make any sense.
Home Improvement
I'm feeling the irresistible pull of home improvement again. It's that feeling you get when you just have to tackle a project. So I'm trying to decide what to do. There are many things in our house to work on... new carpet or hardwood floors downstairs, removing the master bedroom wallpaper, replacing the faulty screen door, covering the cement slab we call a patio with flagstone or a deck, painting the trim... the list goes on and on.
When we first moved into our house (coming up on 4 years ago), my husband, James, and I did not know what we were in for. Every room in the house had ugly, 80's style wallpaper. It's easy enough to walk through and say "yeah, I can re-do that" when you're looking for a house to buy, but we had to change almost every single room in the house. There was even wallpaper in the hallways. So we transformed the house, room by room. With my dad's help, we stripped the wallpaper, sanded the walls, and painted. We put up wallpaper in one room, which is our downstairs 1/2 bath. It is one of my favorite rooms that we have done. Only one room remains wallpapered in an 80's design, and that's our master bedroom. It's the least offensive pattern of the many lovely designs that graced our walls. I won't be able to paint it until I have my baby, but oh well, what's another 6 months of looking at it.
I often wish I had chronicled our projects and created a scrapbook with before and after pictures. I could have saved the wallpaper pieces to show just how stylish the house was before. Here, I will attempt to revisit each project.
Fall 2000
Wow! We are home owners! The first room we tackled is the guest bedroom. It had wide blue and brown striped wallpaper with a border that had birds flying. It looked like a grandfather's bedroom. My dad showed me a process of removing wallpaper using a round scoring tool that makes holes all over the paper and then using a pump up sprayer full of hot water and DIFF. You soak the walls and the paper peels off. It was a bit messy, but it worked. We patched the nail holes in the walls but failed to sand them down, so you can still see the patch marks through the paint. Oh well, we were first timers, so it's ok. We painted the room Finnish Blue. We replaced the red metal mini blinds with white cellular shades. We were impressed with our job, flaws and all.
Winter 2000
On to the next bedroom upstairs. It had been a girl's room and had pastel striped wallpaper with tiny hearts in every pastel color you can think of. Ugh. This wallpaper was perhaps the easiest to remove. I could almost peel it off without using any water or DIFF. I patched the nail holes and sanded them down. I painted the room a light lavender color and put up lace curtains. It looks rather Victorian. I love the room... it currently houses our rabbit, but it will be the baby's room.
Spring 2001
Ah, the downstairs bathroom. Perhaps the most beautiful wallpaper I've ever seen (gag). It had neon criss-crossed stripes with a neon heart border around the mirror. I am not joking. Besides being ugly, it was also extremely stubborn. I think it must have been put up with super glue. No matter how much I scraped and soaked it, it came off in tiny bits that stuck to the floor when I dropped them. In addition to tearing the wallpaper down, which was really fun when I got to the toilet and pedestal sink area, I also decided to take out the white ceramic towel bar and TP holder in favor of a more elegant look. My dad helped me knock these pieces out with a hammer and repair the gaping holes in the dry wall. Dad also helped me hang my replacement wallpaper. It's a scroll design in subtle sage green with a parchment like background. I found a mirror, trash can, and two corner shelves at Pier 1 that have a silver scroll design that matched the wallpaper perfectly. It took me over 2 years to finally hang up the TP holder, but the finished room is awesome.
Summer/Fall 2001
Who puts wallpaper in hallways? That was the question I kept asking myself as I dealt with the most awful of all wallpapers I have encountered. It was a color my dad called "dirty beige". I would say it was the "dusty rose" color so popular in the 80's and it had yellowed over the years. It was in our downstairs hallway, stairwell, and upstairs hallway. The residue this paper left behind was terrible. Most wallpaper glue comes off of the wall with a little dish soap and water, but not this glue. It was like tiny grains of sand super glued to the walls. We had to use sandpaper to sand the walls over and over to get rid of it. We spent hours sanding until the surfaces were smooth enough to paint. We painted them Antique White.
Spring/Summer 2002
Our kitchen and family room are basically one giant room that spans the width of the house. I couldn't wait to tackle these rooms. The wallpaper played tricks with your eyes. It had small greyish diamond shapes, and they would flash when you looked at them. It also had a country blue border in the kitchen and country blue shelves with ducks on them above a planning desk. Those shelves were gone as soon as we moved in, but the holes remained. We had to do a lot of patching in this room, especially when I decided to rip the planning desk out. It left a square of missing linoleum on the floor, so we covered that with a rug until the floor needs to be replaced again. I now have a nice bakers rack where the desk was. We had some difficulty picking out a color since the color would have to go well in the kitchen as well as the family room. We initially were set on purple, but when we brought the paint home and painted some on the wall, it looked like grape Bubble Yum meets Grimace. Back to Lowes. We ended up with Victorian Slate Green. As we painted we joked that it would look like military barracks, but we liked the finished product. It's a dark sage color. I found that red and tan accents go with it very well, so once we hung up some wrought iron candle sconces and art work with red and tan colors, it looked very cozy. Over the last few years, we have replaced each kitchen appliance, so we now have a black stove, refrigerator, and dishwasher. I plan on placing red and tan tile above the kitchen cabinets at some point.
Fall 2002
The entry way (foyer, whatever you want to call it), living room, and dining room are all connected to the stairwell and hallways that we had previously painted Antique White. Before we painted the hallways, you could see three different patterns when you stepped in the door, each of them distinctly different (and ugly). The entry way had a mint green pastel Southwestern print, while the living room and dining room had a pink and light blue flower design. And we musn't forget the dirty beige hallways. Here's the kicker, when we bought the house, one of the "selling points" was that it was professionally decorated. I beg to differ... you may be wondering why we bought the house. We were able to look past the wallpaper and see what it could be. It has an awesome floor to ceiling brick fireplace in the living room, which is a two story room. The house also had nice carpet and parquet flooring. We knew it could be a great house. Anyway...
We removed the wallpaper in the entry way, living room, and dining room. Wow, it looked better already. Since all of these walls were interconnected with the stairwell and hallways, we also painted these rooms Antique White. It really makes the brick fireplace stand out. At this point our downstairs was almost done.
Spring 2003
Only two rooms remain with 80's wallpaper: the master bedroom and bathroom. I decided to do the bathroom first. The wallpaper had a white background with yellow and orange flowers and green foliage. A mint green shower curtain had remained since we moved in. I didn't know what color to use, so I found a shower curtain that I liked and pulled a light blue color out of that. Normally I don't like light blue, but I had seen it in catalogs and thought it might give the bathroom a retro feel. It is 100% improved over what it was, but I'm considering changing it at some point. Our double vanity is quite dated and the bathtub is small, so we may re-do that bathroom again sometime. We'll see.
Summer 2003
One thing had bothered me since we painted our family room and kitchen. The paint lines where the Slate Green met the Antique White in our dining room and hallway doorways were rather sloppy. Yet again, I called upon my dad to help. He helped me pick out wood trim that matched our other trim in the house. He measured and cut the pieces for me. I had fun staining them. Then he hung them up for me. I covered the nails and coated the trim in polyurethane, and it matches our other trim very well. The doorways look finished now, and the dining room looks a little more elegant.
All of those projects took a lot of time and money, not to mention blood, sweat, and tears. Over the last year, we have not started any major projects. To quell our need for home improvement, we have focused on smaller scale projects. I created a flower bed by our patio. We replaced our generic light fixture above the dining room table with a chandelier, and we installed a dimmer switch for it. James installed motion sensing light switches in the garage and upstairs office (which, by the way, was one of the few rooms that didn't have wallpaper, along with the laundry room and guest bathroom). We also replaced our kitchen table.
Soon I will undertake a major project... I feel it coming. Hopefully I can convince James to help me pull up our downstairs carpet and replace it with parquet flooring that will match our hallway. Muwahaha!
I'm feeling the irresistible pull of home improvement again. It's that feeling you get when you just have to tackle a project. So I'm trying to decide what to do. There are many things in our house to work on... new carpet or hardwood floors downstairs, removing the master bedroom wallpaper, replacing the faulty screen door, covering the cement slab we call a patio with flagstone or a deck, painting the trim... the list goes on and on.
When we first moved into our house (coming up on 4 years ago), my husband, James, and I did not know what we were in for. Every room in the house had ugly, 80's style wallpaper. It's easy enough to walk through and say "yeah, I can re-do that" when you're looking for a house to buy, but we had to change almost every single room in the house. There was even wallpaper in the hallways. So we transformed the house, room by room. With my dad's help, we stripped the wallpaper, sanded the walls, and painted. We put up wallpaper in one room, which is our downstairs 1/2 bath. It is one of my favorite rooms that we have done. Only one room remains wallpapered in an 80's design, and that's our master bedroom. It's the least offensive pattern of the many lovely designs that graced our walls. I won't be able to paint it until I have my baby, but oh well, what's another 6 months of looking at it.
I often wish I had chronicled our projects and created a scrapbook with before and after pictures. I could have saved the wallpaper pieces to show just how stylish the house was before. Here, I will attempt to revisit each project.
Fall 2000
Wow! We are home owners! The first room we tackled is the guest bedroom. It had wide blue and brown striped wallpaper with a border that had birds flying. It looked like a grandfather's bedroom. My dad showed me a process of removing wallpaper using a round scoring tool that makes holes all over the paper and then using a pump up sprayer full of hot water and DIFF. You soak the walls and the paper peels off. It was a bit messy, but it worked. We patched the nail holes in the walls but failed to sand them down, so you can still see the patch marks through the paint. Oh well, we were first timers, so it's ok. We painted the room Finnish Blue. We replaced the red metal mini blinds with white cellular shades. We were impressed with our job, flaws and all.
Winter 2000
On to the next bedroom upstairs. It had been a girl's room and had pastel striped wallpaper with tiny hearts in every pastel color you can think of. Ugh. This wallpaper was perhaps the easiest to remove. I could almost peel it off without using any water or DIFF. I patched the nail holes and sanded them down. I painted the room a light lavender color and put up lace curtains. It looks rather Victorian. I love the room... it currently houses our rabbit, but it will be the baby's room.
Spring 2001
Ah, the downstairs bathroom. Perhaps the most beautiful wallpaper I've ever seen (gag). It had neon criss-crossed stripes with a neon heart border around the mirror. I am not joking. Besides being ugly, it was also extremely stubborn. I think it must have been put up with super glue. No matter how much I scraped and soaked it, it came off in tiny bits that stuck to the floor when I dropped them. In addition to tearing the wallpaper down, which was really fun when I got to the toilet and pedestal sink area, I also decided to take out the white ceramic towel bar and TP holder in favor of a more elegant look. My dad helped me knock these pieces out with a hammer and repair the gaping holes in the dry wall. Dad also helped me hang my replacement wallpaper. It's a scroll design in subtle sage green with a parchment like background. I found a mirror, trash can, and two corner shelves at Pier 1 that have a silver scroll design that matched the wallpaper perfectly. It took me over 2 years to finally hang up the TP holder, but the finished room is awesome.
Summer/Fall 2001
Who puts wallpaper in hallways? That was the question I kept asking myself as I dealt with the most awful of all wallpapers I have encountered. It was a color my dad called "dirty beige". I would say it was the "dusty rose" color so popular in the 80's and it had yellowed over the years. It was in our downstairs hallway, stairwell, and upstairs hallway. The residue this paper left behind was terrible. Most wallpaper glue comes off of the wall with a little dish soap and water, but not this glue. It was like tiny grains of sand super glued to the walls. We had to use sandpaper to sand the walls over and over to get rid of it. We spent hours sanding until the surfaces were smooth enough to paint. We painted them Antique White.
Spring/Summer 2002
Our kitchen and family room are basically one giant room that spans the width of the house. I couldn't wait to tackle these rooms. The wallpaper played tricks with your eyes. It had small greyish diamond shapes, and they would flash when you looked at them. It also had a country blue border in the kitchen and country blue shelves with ducks on them above a planning desk. Those shelves were gone as soon as we moved in, but the holes remained. We had to do a lot of patching in this room, especially when I decided to rip the planning desk out. It left a square of missing linoleum on the floor, so we covered that with a rug until the floor needs to be replaced again. I now have a nice bakers rack where the desk was. We had some difficulty picking out a color since the color would have to go well in the kitchen as well as the family room. We initially were set on purple, but when we brought the paint home and painted some on the wall, it looked like grape Bubble Yum meets Grimace. Back to Lowes. We ended up with Victorian Slate Green. As we painted we joked that it would look like military barracks, but we liked the finished product. It's a dark sage color. I found that red and tan accents go with it very well, so once we hung up some wrought iron candle sconces and art work with red and tan colors, it looked very cozy. Over the last few years, we have replaced each kitchen appliance, so we now have a black stove, refrigerator, and dishwasher. I plan on placing red and tan tile above the kitchen cabinets at some point.
Fall 2002
The entry way (foyer, whatever you want to call it), living room, and dining room are all connected to the stairwell and hallways that we had previously painted Antique White. Before we painted the hallways, you could see three different patterns when you stepped in the door, each of them distinctly different (and ugly). The entry way had a mint green pastel Southwestern print, while the living room and dining room had a pink and light blue flower design. And we musn't forget the dirty beige hallways. Here's the kicker, when we bought the house, one of the "selling points" was that it was professionally decorated. I beg to differ... you may be wondering why we bought the house. We were able to look past the wallpaper and see what it could be. It has an awesome floor to ceiling brick fireplace in the living room, which is a two story room. The house also had nice carpet and parquet flooring. We knew it could be a great house. Anyway...
We removed the wallpaper in the entry way, living room, and dining room. Wow, it looked better already. Since all of these walls were interconnected with the stairwell and hallways, we also painted these rooms Antique White. It really makes the brick fireplace stand out. At this point our downstairs was almost done.
Spring 2003
Only two rooms remain with 80's wallpaper: the master bedroom and bathroom. I decided to do the bathroom first. The wallpaper had a white background with yellow and orange flowers and green foliage. A mint green shower curtain had remained since we moved in. I didn't know what color to use, so I found a shower curtain that I liked and pulled a light blue color out of that. Normally I don't like light blue, but I had seen it in catalogs and thought it might give the bathroom a retro feel. It is 100% improved over what it was, but I'm considering changing it at some point. Our double vanity is quite dated and the bathtub is small, so we may re-do that bathroom again sometime. We'll see.
Summer 2003
One thing had bothered me since we painted our family room and kitchen. The paint lines where the Slate Green met the Antique White in our dining room and hallway doorways were rather sloppy. Yet again, I called upon my dad to help. He helped me pick out wood trim that matched our other trim in the house. He measured and cut the pieces for me. I had fun staining them. Then he hung them up for me. I covered the nails and coated the trim in polyurethane, and it matches our other trim very well. The doorways look finished now, and the dining room looks a little more elegant.
All of those projects took a lot of time and money, not to mention blood, sweat, and tears. Over the last year, we have not started any major projects. To quell our need for home improvement, we have focused on smaller scale projects. I created a flower bed by our patio. We replaced our generic light fixture above the dining room table with a chandelier, and we installed a dimmer switch for it. James installed motion sensing light switches in the garage and upstairs office (which, by the way, was one of the few rooms that didn't have wallpaper, along with the laundry room and guest bathroom). We also replaced our kitchen table.
Soon I will undertake a major project... I feel it coming. Hopefully I can convince James to help me pull up our downstairs carpet and replace it with parquet flooring that will match our hallway. Muwahaha!
Friday, July 09, 2004
Freud Would Be Proud
My husband suggested that I start a dream journal. I remember my dreams almost every night. I tend to have very vivid, sometimes psychotic dreams. Some of them are very gory... I remember one where a dog exploded. Before you label me as crazy, know that I definitely believe that dreams are a release of the subconscious mind, and that's not just my Psych degree talking. I internalize stress, and I think it comes out in very strange ways in my dreams. I think this Blog is the perfect place to log my dreams. Perhaps I will post some of the more memorable ones if things get boring, but they probably won't.
Last night I dreamed of a party. I think it was for my own child, but I never actually saw him/her. There were many people there, and I did not recognize many of them. I was cutting tiny little pieces of cake, but I still ran out. These two older women who I didn't recognize were standing there with empty plates looking very disappointed. So I went to Kroger (Why Kroger? I shop at Marsh.) to get another cake. All they had were Halloween cakes, even though it was August. The one I wanted to get was $32. It was a small chocolate cake covered in orange icing and sugar with a black Jack-O-Lantern face on the top.
I can usually pinpoint what is going on in my life and why it caused me to have a certain dream, but I have no idea where that came from.
My husband suggested that I start a dream journal. I remember my dreams almost every night. I tend to have very vivid, sometimes psychotic dreams. Some of them are very gory... I remember one where a dog exploded. Before you label me as crazy, know that I definitely believe that dreams are a release of the subconscious mind, and that's not just my Psych degree talking. I internalize stress, and I think it comes out in very strange ways in my dreams. I think this Blog is the perfect place to log my dreams. Perhaps I will post some of the more memorable ones if things get boring, but they probably won't.
Last night I dreamed of a party. I think it was for my own child, but I never actually saw him/her. There were many people there, and I did not recognize many of them. I was cutting tiny little pieces of cake, but I still ran out. These two older women who I didn't recognize were standing there with empty plates looking very disappointed. So I went to Kroger (Why Kroger? I shop at Marsh.) to get another cake. All they had were Halloween cakes, even though it was August. The one I wanted to get was $32. It was a small chocolate cake covered in orange icing and sugar with a black Jack-O-Lantern face on the top.
I can usually pinpoint what is going on in my life and why it caused me to have a certain dream, but I have no idea where that came from.
Thursday, July 08, 2004
Seeing Stars
I called my doctor yesterday because I had been getting headaches and seeing stars while just sitting at my desk. I can deal with headaches, but I thought seeing stars for no apparent reason might be a problem.
She told me that I am not eating enough. Holy cow, I already thought I was eating plenty. I am supposed to be eating every 2 hours. This scares me because I don't want to gain a bunch of weight just from being pregnant. I'm trying to keep it around 25 - 30 pounds. So, I'm eating fruit or breakfast bars in between meals. Even if I'm not hungry, I'm eating some fruit anyway. So far it seems to work.
I called my doctor yesterday because I had been getting headaches and seeing stars while just sitting at my desk. I can deal with headaches, but I thought seeing stars for no apparent reason might be a problem.
She told me that I am not eating enough. Holy cow, I already thought I was eating plenty. I am supposed to be eating every 2 hours. This scares me because I don't want to gain a bunch of weight just from being pregnant. I'm trying to keep it around 25 - 30 pounds. So, I'm eating fruit or breakfast bars in between meals. Even if I'm not hungry, I'm eating some fruit anyway. So far it seems to work.
Tuesday, July 06, 2004
Fashionable Age
I have ranted on this blog about clothing for women before, and I am about to do it again. Department stores are split into three sub-departments within the women's clothing realm: Juniors, Misses, and Plus Sizes (there is also a sub-sub-department for small people called Petites, but I'm going to leave it out for simplicity). In the Junior section, you find the very small, hip clothing for teenage girls. The Plus Size section houses clothing for the larger woman. The Misses section is for average sized women who have no fashion sense. Here you will find tapered jeans, pants with elastic waists, sweatshirts depicting birdhouses or ducks, wind suits, and school teacher type dresses. Ugh. So where is a picky 30 something woman supposed to find cool clothes that fit?
I used to find clothes at The Gap. They had straight leg and boot cut jeans and cool shirts. I am not sure if they have gone downhill or if I have "grown up" clothing wise because the last few times I went in The Gap, I was not impressed. It was full of bright, ugly halter tops and really short shorts. I personally will never wear a pair of capri pants. We used to call those floods. In The Gap, every pair of pants I picked up were floods. Not for me... so I ventured out to some other stores.
I discovered Eddie Bauer. I love this store. Before I went in, I assumed I would not like their clothes. I thought they were geared towards business people taking leisurely golf outings (you know, pleated khaki shorts and polo shirts). I was wrong... after trying on some jeans and pants, I was hooked. The pants are straight leg and not pleated. I bought my first pair of boot cut jeans at Eddie Bauer, and I love them. You will find a few polo shirts, but if you look past those, they also have some basic shirts that are stylish. They also have nice jackets. I like jean jackets and jackets that resemble army clothes, so this store works for me. I actually bought a pair of shorts in Eddie Bauer without trying them on, and they fit. WOW.
Soon I will have to start wearing maternity clothes. I am hoping I can find some good ones. I'm sure I'll have a post about that too.
I have ranted on this blog about clothing for women before, and I am about to do it again. Department stores are split into three sub-departments within the women's clothing realm: Juniors, Misses, and Plus Sizes (there is also a sub-sub-department for small people called Petites, but I'm going to leave it out for simplicity). In the Junior section, you find the very small, hip clothing for teenage girls. The Plus Size section houses clothing for the larger woman. The Misses section is for average sized women who have no fashion sense. Here you will find tapered jeans, pants with elastic waists, sweatshirts depicting birdhouses or ducks, wind suits, and school teacher type dresses. Ugh. So where is a picky 30 something woman supposed to find cool clothes that fit?
I used to find clothes at The Gap. They had straight leg and boot cut jeans and cool shirts. I am not sure if they have gone downhill or if I have "grown up" clothing wise because the last few times I went in The Gap, I was not impressed. It was full of bright, ugly halter tops and really short shorts. I personally will never wear a pair of capri pants. We used to call those floods. In The Gap, every pair of pants I picked up were floods. Not for me... so I ventured out to some other stores.
I discovered Eddie Bauer. I love this store. Before I went in, I assumed I would not like their clothes. I thought they were geared towards business people taking leisurely golf outings (you know, pleated khaki shorts and polo shirts). I was wrong... after trying on some jeans and pants, I was hooked. The pants are straight leg and not pleated. I bought my first pair of boot cut jeans at Eddie Bauer, and I love them. You will find a few polo shirts, but if you look past those, they also have some basic shirts that are stylish. They also have nice jackets. I like jean jackets and jackets that resemble army clothes, so this store works for me. I actually bought a pair of shorts in Eddie Bauer without trying them on, and they fit. WOW.
Soon I will have to start wearing maternity clothes. I am hoping I can find some good ones. I'm sure I'll have a post about that too.
I Miss You, Starbucks
Since finding out that I'm going to be a mom, I've cut WAY down on caffeine. Coffee happens to be the drink with the most caffeine in it, so I have reluctantly stopped going to Starbucks for my morning fix, and I have been drinking gallons of water in its place. I am limiting myself to one serving of a caffeinated beverage every day, and some days I don't have any. One cup of Starbucks' ultra-powerful coffee is probably the equivalent to a whole pot made at home. I bet they are missing me these days. I might have to stop there later for a decaf latte.
Since finding out that I'm going to be a mom, I've cut WAY down on caffeine. Coffee happens to be the drink with the most caffeine in it, so I have reluctantly stopped going to Starbucks for my morning fix, and I have been drinking gallons of water in its place. I am limiting myself to one serving of a caffeinated beverage every day, and some days I don't have any. One cup of Starbucks' ultra-powerful coffee is probably the equivalent to a whole pot made at home. I bet they are missing me these days. I might have to stop there later for a decaf latte.
Monday, June 28, 2004
Month 3 Begins...
I am about to start the 9th week of pregnancy. I had my first prenatal doctor appointment last Friday. They asked me lots of questions and took some blood for tests. I cannot believe they did not check me out physically. You would think they would want to make sure everything is ok. At least, I would like them to. I go back in 4 weeks.
I have 4 more weeks of nausea to look forward to. I have not actually been sick, but I have been very queasy. Fatigue has been a major issue. I'm tired most of the time. I've been sleeping 10 or more hours at a time. I'll be glad when this phase is over.
I am about to start the 9th week of pregnancy. I had my first prenatal doctor appointment last Friday. They asked me lots of questions and took some blood for tests. I cannot believe they did not check me out physically. You would think they would want to make sure everything is ok. At least, I would like them to. I go back in 4 weeks.
I have 4 more weeks of nausea to look forward to. I have not actually been sick, but I have been very queasy. Fatigue has been a major issue. I'm tired most of the time. I've been sleeping 10 or more hours at a time. I'll be glad when this phase is over.
Monday, June 21, 2004
My hubby and me like to climb up a tree...
Today is our first anniversary. It seems funny to celebrate being married for one year when we are actually in our eighth year of togetherness. We were married in my mom's backyard on the Summer Solstice. My mom lives on 5 acres of forest-like property, so it was a very nice setting. You can view some pictures from the wedding here.
Today is our first anniversary. It seems funny to celebrate being married for one year when we are actually in our eighth year of togetherness. We were married in my mom's backyard on the Summer Solstice. My mom lives on 5 acres of forest-like property, so it was a very nice setting. You can view some pictures from the wedding here.
Monday, June 14, 2004
People Who Make Me Want To Hurl
I have a LAUNCHcast station, and while rating some songs today, I noticed a picture on the banner... at first glance I really thought it was Dee Snider from Twisted Sister. Remember them? Scary make-up? Wild, frizzy hair? Once I realized it was Christina Aguilera, I had to laugh. She looks like a clown! I think it's really sad that teenage girls want to imitate her style. If I have a daughter, I hope the "clown whore from hell" look is OUT by the time she's old enough to wear make-up.
Yikes...
I have a LAUNCHcast station, and while rating some songs today, I noticed a picture on the banner... at first glance I really thought it was Dee Snider from Twisted Sister. Remember them? Scary make-up? Wild, frizzy hair? Once I realized it was Christina Aguilera, I had to laugh. She looks like a clown! I think it's really sad that teenage girls want to imitate her style. If I have a daughter, I hope the "clown whore from hell" look is OUT by the time she's old enough to wear make-up.
Yikes...
Monday, June 07, 2004
Eating For Two, Maybe Three
I found out on May 30 that I'm going to be a mom. It's very exciting! My husband and I actually planned it, and believe it or not, I got pregnant exactly when I wanted to. I want my child to be an Aquarius, so I knew I had to get pregnant in May. I can't believe it worked.
So far, I do not have morning sickness. I've been tired, and I have abdominal cramps, which I guess are due to the growing uterus. I also have this huge-mongous chest. I didn't think that would happen so soon.
I can't wait to find out if it's a boy or a girl. Twins run in my family, so it's quite possible that I'm eating for three.
I found out on May 30 that I'm going to be a mom. It's very exciting! My husband and I actually planned it, and believe it or not, I got pregnant exactly when I wanted to. I want my child to be an Aquarius, so I knew I had to get pregnant in May. I can't believe it worked.
So far, I do not have morning sickness. I've been tired, and I have abdominal cramps, which I guess are due to the growing uterus. I also have this huge-mongous chest. I didn't think that would happen so soon.
I can't wait to find out if it's a boy or a girl. Twins run in my family, so it's quite possible that I'm eating for three.
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