Reminders...

Great Big Sea is relatively new to me. I hadn't heard of them prior to Fred (and actually, it's pretty amazing I hadn't considering I *like* folk stuff), but quickly fell in love with their style and music. One of my favorites, which (like Fred) reminds me of the SCA, is "Wave over Wave". It's a gentle, rolling song, sung almost as a lullaby. It's one that I always think of when I'm heading into or packing out of an event...

"Wave Over Wave"
Great Big Sea

Oh me name's Able Rodgers, a share man am I
On a three masted schooner from Twillingate Isle
I've been the world over north, south, east, and west
But the middle of nowhere wheres' I likes it best

[Chorus:]

Where its wave over wave, sea over bow
I'm as happy a man as the sea will allow
Theres no other life for a sailor like me
And to sail the salt sea boys, sail the sea
There's no other life but to sail the salt sea

Well I leave my wife lonely ten months of the year
For she built me a home and raised my children there
She never come out to bid farewell to me
Or ken why a sailor must sail the salt sea

[Chorus]

The work it is hard and the hours are long
But my spirit is willing, my back it is strong
And when the works over the whisky will pour
We'll dance with the girls upon some foreign shore

I've sailed the world over for decades or more
And oft times I wonder what I do it for
I dont know the answer its pleasure and pain
But with life to live over I'd do it again

[Chorus]

Currently Seeking...

The following DVD's and CD's... Because I love them so.

CD's
Steeleye Span "Below The Salt"
The Fifth Element Soundtrack
Peter Gabrial "Passion (The Last Temptation of Christ)"
Songcatcher Soundtrack
Sting "Brand New Day"
O Brother soundtrack


DVD's

Songcatcher
O Brother, Where Art Thou
The Cell


So, if you find them, please point them in my direction so I might catch a copy of them... :-)

~M

Nesting...

At least, that's what Fred calls it. I call it nervous energy. There's nothing to do at the moment, unless I want to sit all day in front of the computer. Since I do that at work already, I'm going to be re-organizing my kitchen today. Or, at least, I'm going to be clearing out my silverware drawer and actually putting in all the silverware that we got from Courtney's parents as a wedding gift. Yay!

I'm also going to clean out the fridge. *shudder*

Honestly, I don't want to do anything but crawl back into bed. I'm slightly depressed, and don't feel like doing much. With Fred's phone out of commission, I am currently reduced to sending the occasional text message over to either Alyee or Mishu, to be passed along to him. I don't want to over-do it, though, so am attempting to keep it to two txts per day unless it's an *actual* emergency.

I never thought I would miss someone as much as I do him... This totally sucks ass.

~M

Saying goodbye...

for the weekend. Fred's off for Sea Dogs. Alyee, Fae and Nephi dropped by to pack him up and take him down. They're coming back Monday, so either Fred will call in sick and ride back with them, or find a ride home Sunday afternoon. No one's really sure what's going to happen as far as that's concerned.

I miss him already. *sigh* He's been such the rock for me through all the odd hormonal issues that have happened since we got pregnant, that I'm never really sure what will happen when he leaves for the weekend. Bah.

So, if anyone wishes to hang out and take my brain off the fact that he's out of the area for the weekend, you're welcome to come by and keep me company. I'm working swing, so I'll be heading out the door by 1pm, and won't be back until around midnight - but I'll be here, nonetheless...

~M

I beg your pardon!?

Over at the granola-crunchy mother-advice site, there's been some speculation about whether to use Marijuana (or MJ, as they put it) while pregnant / in labor... Most of these oh-so-concerned parents seem to think that it's NOT ok to vaccinate your children, but it's fine to smoke weed while you're pregnant. WHAT. THE. FUCK.

Uh, I'm sorry, folks, but I guess I'm just old-fashioned about this type of thing... While (in the words of one poster) "it's not crack, so I don't understand the big deal", it's a substance that, so far, has not been studied long enough or well enough to unequivocably state that there will be no harm done to the child. Further, it's STILL an illegal substance. Further STILL - it's one thing to do it on your own, but that's YOUR choice for YOU. When you decide to smoke something that chemically alters your body, and you are pregnant, you are being completely selfish. The baby has NO say in whether IT wants to do that sort of thing. It's not like you can ask it and have it unhook the umbilical cord while you're high.

The thing that gets me is the over-all nonchalance about it. It's not a "big deal" because it's not crack. OK. Fine - it's still an illegal substance that chemically alters your brain and body - have you thought about what it's doing to the baby? Do you still HAVE brain cells left? There's a reason why, beyond the whole "Fetal alcohol syndrome" thing, I'm not drinking while I'm pregnant. It's because my child has no choice in the matter - and I'm not going to force something that could possibly be a toxin into my child's system without their knowledge or consent.

These are people who believe that vaccinations cause such things as ADHD / ADD, high-functioning Autism, as well as other mental and physical issues... Yet they're willing to risk their unborn child in order to have a toke?

Some of the posters said that their Midwives suggested it to help with morning sickness... If your morning sickness is honestly THAT bad, you should be in with a doctor. Period. Other people have said their midwifes suggested toking as they started "hard labor", to help with the pain and the contractions. Unless I'm mistaken, about 85% of those who CAN smoke MJ, end up doing so to relax... If it relaxes the contractions, doesn't that mean that the contractions are going to stop? Which is NOT what people want to have happen? And btw, the baby is STILL going to get the effects of the THC, which means they could be non-responsive once they ARE born... and if they're like me or Fred, who are allergic to it, you may have given them their first asthma attack. Congratulations! You, you and you - OUTTA THE GENE POOL!!! Quit breeding, dammit!

~M

**Update**

So, there've already been some responses regarding this on the granola-crunch group. One of the best happened to be the person who suggested that "obviously" since I was against a "natural" substance like MJ, I "must" be making sure that I didn't eat anything with ANY chemicals, pesticides, etc... blah, blah, blah. This person called me a troll for posting my own opinion on the original post, which was, to be precise, whether anyone had heard anything positive or negative regarding toking while going through labor. Another person suggested that the ONLY thing I was worried about was the legality of the situation, which again, was ignoring a lot of the rest of the post. Still another poster was adamant that they NOT see a doctor about severe morning sickness because they didn't want to be on anything "unnatural", and that my attitude was not going to win me any friends on the forum, since I was so against using "natural" substances.

Yeah - and this is where I point out that all of these posters are anti-vaccination, anti-doctor, and pro-natural people, who believe that each living entity, including their unborn child, have individual choices they should be able to make - except, of course, in smoking a chemical-altering substance, at which point apparently all bets are off, because at that point, it's something "natural", unlike aspirin (willowbark, anyone?) or drugs that would be made in a laboratory (that have had been proven effective without doing harm to the unborn child).

These are people who feel that it's important to allow their growing children to be given choices to make, to interact with them, to make them feel a part of the community that they are growing up in (insert warm - fuzzy feelings everywhere). I have no idea how they managed to get their unborn child to talk to them and let them know that it was two thumbs up and a pinkie toe to smoke pot. I'm pretty in tuned with my body, and I know what's going on most days, but I still haven't been able to make the little podling talk to me, more's the pity. It must be something in the brownies they eat...

Oh - in case you're interested, here are a few links that have some interesting information regarding marijuana and fetal development...

Safe Fetus.com

Effects of Marijuana

Environmental Causes of Birth Defects

The overall consensus? Experts advise pregnant women to avoid marijuana, because its dangers are still unknown. There have simply not been enough studies at this time to determine whether something that occurs "naturally" is going to be ok... I mean, let's get serious - mercury occurs naturally in the world, too, but you won't see me swilling it, either.

~M

The last day...

Of my 4-day vacation, that is. After working 10 days straight, I got a 4-day weekend - and during the actual weekend, no less!

As a sort of pseudo-honeymoon / treat, Fred and I took off to the coast, along with Vlad and Mishu. Saturday morning greeted us with overcast skies and a threatening of rain, and I just didn't care. I was going to be away from work, away from PDX, and away from anything that remotely looked like responsibility for 36 hours, and I was going to be damned glad, thank you.

We took off at around 8:30, and stopped off at Camp 18 for breakfast, about 1.5 hours away, nestled in the middle of nowhere on Highway 26. They serve some of the biggest breakfasts I've seen outside the Original Hotcake House, and the prices are actually a little better than over at OHH. I got the 2-egg waffle meal, which included a waffle an inch thick with loads of butter and real maple syrup, 2 eggs, 2 slices of bacon and 2 sausage links. Fred and Mish got the Camp 18 omlette, which was about 4 eggs, with about 2 cups of meat and cheese stuffed into them, and a side of home fries. Vlad got breakfast, too, but I can't remember for the life of me what it was - I was FAR too grubbing on the waffle. LOL.

Most amusing moment there: When the waitress came up and asked what we wanted to drink, there were 2 requests for coffee, I asked for a hot chocolate, and Mishu (being a smart-ass) asked for a shot of vodka. The gal just looked at her and said "really?". Mish, not really thinking, said "yeah", and away the gal sailed. It was then that reality hit, and Mishu looked at me and asked "Do they actually serve alcohol here?" "Yes," I said. "Well, shit," she said, looking sheepish. "I always knew that was going to come back and bite me in the ass."

So, Mishu started her day with a shot of vodka, and then had breakfast. Fred has a pic of her just before she shot it, with the breakfast menu in front of her. Bwa ha ha ha.

Afterwards, we headed back on the road and over to Seaside, where we split up for a bit. Vlad and Mishu headed over to the Arcade to play games and ride bumper cars. Fred and I went to the aquarium to get splashed by seals and wander through the little exibits they had.

The day continued on lazily, and we headed down to Newport, where we checked in at the hotel (3rd floor, no elevator, but a great view!) and rested for a couple of hours before deciding we should find a place to eat. There was discussion of Thai, but I pointed out that we could (honestly) get Thai anywhere. We were at the beach! Let's get seafood, dammit!

So, after consulting with the front desk, we ended up at the old pier, just across from the Wax museum at Port Dock One. Now, most people who know me know that I'm pretty picky about my seafood. Especially when we're in an area where, honestly speaking, you can walk out about a mile and catch your own... It should be fresh, flavorful, and cooked correctly, or you shouldn't be living in a sea town. Port Dock One was a HUGE surprise for everyone.

First of all, there weren't many people in there. The prices weren't outrageous ($10-$14 per person, average, unless you get a fairly spendy item), and the overall decor was nice, but not ornate. We got an order of calamari and an order of crab cakes. I avoided the calamari (sorry, folks, I'm allergic to 1 seafood, and intend to keep it that way), but I have to say the crab cakes were really quite good. Not a lot of filler, and the only thing I would have changed on it was the sauce - I like to have a choice in whether to have it on my crab cakes or not. In this case, it was a good sauce (garlic and mildly spicy red pepper sauce), but it was poured over each of the crab cakes. I would have liked to try them without the sauce first. Just me... The calamari, I was told by everyone, was quite tasty and sort of melted in your mouth - not chewy at all. Exactly as it should have been. Someone in the kitchen was paying attention during cephelopod-cooking 101!

Ron and I each got the captain's plate, which was a pile of clams, 2-3 scallops, 2 pieces of halibut, 3 prawns, butterflied, and a pile of fries. Mish got surf and turf, and Fred got the Port Dock One's platter, which was a razor clam, scallops, prawns, and salmon, veggies and fries. I have to say - I never had clams, not even in cooking school done by our chefs, that weren't chewy. These were NOT chewy at all - they were firm, the texture was great, and the flavor was wonderful. The sea scallops (the big 1"-ers) flaked and melted into your mouth, perfectly done. The halibut was also amazingly good, not oily or oddly flavored, but clean. And the prawns were fabulous. By the time Fred was working on the razor clam, I was FAR too full - but he said that it was a little on the chewy side, but it was to be expected because of how the clam is shaped. I'll take his word for it - I've cooked everything else but razor clam, so I have no clue.

The total cost was about $25 per person, including drinks, which honestly, was not bad at all for dinner at the coast. I completely recommend this place, and am going to go back as soon as I can to have more of their food. Nummy!!!

We went back to the hotel, waited around about an hour, then packed up all of the fire gear and headed to the beach so Fred could play. It was horribly windy out, and Fred ended up frying most of his eyebrows off, as well as having singes on his beard / mustache. He got a small audience, though, so played the crowd (of course, LOL), until it just got to a point where it was too silly to try and fight the wind. Lesson learned that evening: When dealing with 45-50 MPH winds, don't breathe fire directly WITH the wind. It curls up around your face and draws the fire right back...

Sunday found us at the continental breakfast at the motel kitchen. WAFFLES!!! Don't ask me why, but I've got this thing lately for waffles. I was thrilled. They had two waffle irons, and it was "make your own". Everything was pre-measured out, and they turned out great - at least for me and Fred. Mishu went down after us, and apparently they were having power issues, so had to shut down the irons. It almost - ALMOST - made me want one, but for the lack of storage and counter space in our kitchen.

Ron and Mishu decided to beach-comb while Fred and I headed to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. I adore the aquarium, and I don't get to go every year, like I want... But I was glad that I got to go this time. Their exhibit this year is "CLAWS" - a journey into all things crustaceon-ish under the sea. They even had the humungous Japanese sea crabs that have leg-spans of up to 6 feet! AMAZING. Fred and I were speculating that we could get two, one for me and him to share, and one for Speedboy. Tee hee! I'm sure that some of the other visitors weren't as amused, but if you can't handle knowing where your food comes from, you shouldn't be eating it.

Fred had never been into the underwater walkways where you go from the docks out to the open, shark-infested waters, so that was really cool. It was very crowded, and a few children were overly rowdy, so my claustraphobia started to strike. But I handled it well. We headed out and over to the gift shop area, where we found a poison dart frog and frog stickers for Mishu, a wind-up walking crab for Ron, a "totally shrimp" cookbook for me, and a tube of pirates for Fred. Fred also got a squishy octopus for free - he was going to buy one, but they were all out - so the nice lady at the counter gave him the one on her register.

We headed over to the "Pirate's Plunder" thrift shop afterwards, where Mishu and Ron got Fred and I gifts - Fred got an uber-cool shot-glass, and I got a "What's Your Poison" oven mit with skull-and-crossbones motif all over it. Totally sweet.

Arctic Circle was the last stop on our journey before we headed home. We had burgers and fries, because, while you can get those anywhere, the Arctic Circle in specific has closed in PDX forever, and we just don't have one anymore... And it makes me sad. *sigh*

We got home around 5-ish, and ended up having leftovers for dinner, glad that we were home, and glad that we had the chance to wend our way up and down the coast once more. I had a good time.

~M

The frost is forming in hell... I can see that now.

All kidding aside, I really *dislike* Rush Limbaugh. I find him bigoted, self-serving and altogether too "republican" for my tastes. He is anti-gay, anti-abortion, anti-semetic, anti-[insert whatever he can get away with here], and maintains a HUGE following because he is a charismatic speaker, not because he has (normally) anything good to say about anyone or anything.

HOWEVER - that being said, the following was a recent diatribe by him that I have to say I agree with wholeheartedly. I have always said that if those within our government hierarchy were forced to live on the lowest-paid wages and benefits that are available in the US, there would be drastic change in health coverage, retirement bennies, social security reform, welfare services, and compensation...

Here's his tack on things:

By Rush Limbaugh:

I think the vast differences in compensation between victims of the September 11 casualty and those who die serving our country in Uniform are profound. No one is really talking about it either, because you just don't criticize anything having to do with September 11. Well, I can't let the numbers pass by because it says something really disturbing about the entitlement mentality of this country. If you lost a family member in the September 11 attack, you're going to get an average of $1,185,000. The range is a minimum guarantee of $250,000, all the way up to $4.7 million.

If you are a surviving family member of an American soldier killed in action, the first check you get is a $6,000 direct death benefit, half of which is taxable.

Next, you get $1,750 for burial costs. If you are the surviving spouse, you get $833 a month until you remarry. And there's a payment of $211 per month for each child under 18. When the child hits 18, those payments come to a screeching halt.

Keep in mind that some of the people who are getting an average of $1.185 million up to $4.7 million are complaining that it's not enough. Their deaths were tragic, but for most, they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Soldiers put themselves in harms way FOR ALL OF US, and they and their families know the dangers.

We also learned over the weekend that some of the victims from the Oklahoma City bombing have started an organization asking for the same deal that the September 11 families are getting. In addition to that, some of the families of those bombed in the embassies are now asking for compensation as well.

You see where this is going, don't you? Folks, this is part and parcel of over 50 years of entitlement politics in this country. It's just really sad. Every time a pay raise comes up for the military, they usually receive next to nothing of a raise. Now the green machine is in combat in the Middle East while their families have to survive on food stamps and live in low-rent housing. Make sense?

However, our own US Congress voted themselves a raise. Many of you don't know that they only have to be in Congress one time to receive a pension that is more than $15,000 per month. And most are now equal to being millionaires plus. They do not receive Social Security on retirement because they didn't have to pay into the system. If some of the military people stay in for 20 years and get out as an E-7, they may receive a pension of $1,000 per month, and the very people who placed
them in harm's way receives a pension of $15,000 per month.

I would like to see our elected officials pick up a weapon and join ranks before they start cutting out benefits and lowering pay for our sons and daughters who are now fighting.

" When do we finally do something about this?" If this doesn't seem fair to you, it is time to forward this to as many people as you can.

The Clydesdale

With apologies to my dh, Fred... I had to write up this version of what he normally tells, because I couldn't share it verbally in the call center - my co-worker says that it was a GREAT version, even though Fred says that it doesn't translate well into writing...


See, this was a few years back - like about 12 or 13, when Fred was still living in Anaheim, CA. I don't know how familiar you are with the area down there, but he lived down on 1st, in an apartment building there.

Now, he lived with a guy whose nickname was Sarge. Sarge liked to "indulge" quite a bit with the green weed, and normally Fred found him at least half-baked all the time.

One day, Fred came home and, as usual, Sarge was sitting on the couch, giggling at nothing. Or possibly something. Fred couldn't be sure. He was, however, sure about one thing...

"Sarge," he said, "There's a horse in your living room."
"Yeah," Sarge said, "ain't it cool?"
"Uh - but Sarge," Fred responded, "there's a HORSE in you LIVING ROOM. How did it get here?"
"I don't know... I think it just followed me home."

Fred looked at him, then over at the horse who had left several large piles in the front room already, and was eyeballing the couch cushions hungerly. Then he looked out the window of the second-story apartment that they were standing in.

Then back over to Sarge and the horse, who was beginning to lean and look vaguely sick.

"He looks sick, Sarge. What happened?"
"Check it out, man... I got him high."
"WHAT??!! How the hell did you do that?"
"I hot-boxed a garbage bag and held it over his head."
"Oh jesus, Sarge! For how long?"
"Oh, only about 3 minutes. Not long."
"Sarge, you're stoned."
"I know... Ain't it cool?"
"No, Sarge. Your sense of timing is totally off. You probably held it over his head for a good half-hour!"
"No - I'm pretty sure it was only about 7 minutes."
"Oh god!"
He giggled again, and the horse relieved himself once more, having eaten about a half a cushion.
"Uh, Sarge, why does he have Budweiser livery?"
"I dunno... I think he may be part of the team."
"The TEAM!?"
"Yeah. He was with a bunch of other horses there."
"There?! Where was 'there'? Where did you get him?"
"Oh, he followed me home from the fairgrounds."
"I see..." Fred was a little perplexed, since the fairgrounds were over 10 miles away - and Sarge didn't have a car, leastwise a trailer to place the horse into... "Well, we have to take him back, dude. I mean, I don't know how, but we have to."
"OK - but we'll have to get him down the stairs, first."

Eventually they had to put a pillowcase on its eyes and tie it, because each time they tried to make it go down, it back-pedalled and rolled its eyes. The entire apartment complex gathered to watch as they shuffled the horse down the stairs and then slowly wended their way down the road.

The horse was walking sideways, like something out of a v-8 commercial. Occasionally it would weave to one side or the other. Sarge and Fred walked on either side of it, trying to make sure that over a half-ton of horseflesh didn't break a leg by falling into a ditch.

About half-way back to the fairgrounds, a cop pulled up behind the three of them and flashed its lights. Fred's heart simultaneously sank to his belly and threw itself into it's throat. His thoughts were as follows:

"oh-dear-god-we're-going-to-die-we-are-is-it-still-a-hanging-offense-to-steal-horses?-we-are-totally-going-to-go-to-jail-forever!"

Sarge was a bit calmer... "Just let me do the talking, man. I got it."

Fred thought to himself "Oh dear lord. We really ARE going to go to jail - or get shot."

The cop came up and eyeballed the two of them, and the horse, who leaned forward and nibbled at his shirt.

"Oh, officer! Thank god you're here!" Sarge said. "We found this horse stumbling on the side of the road, and he must have gotten hurt or something. We're trying to get him back to where he belongs!"

Fred looked at Sarge. 'Brilliant,' he thought, 'absolutely brilliant!'

The cop gave them a flashing-light escort to the fairgrounds, where Sarge turned the horse into the manager of the Budweiser team...

Who cut him a check for $5,000 for finding and returning the horse that he stole in the first place...

"Travelin' Soldier" - Dixie Chicks

Two days past eighteen
He was waiting for the bus in his army green
Sat down in a booth in a cafe there
Gave his order to a girl with a bow in her hair
He's a little shy so she gives him a smile
And he said would you mind sittin' down for a while
And talking to me,
I'm feeling a little low
She said I'm off in an hour and I know where we can go

So they went down and they sat on the pier
He said I bet you got a boyfriend but I don't care
I got no one to send a letter to
Would you mind if I sent one back here to you

Chorus:
I cried
Never gonna hold the hand of another guy
Too young for him they told her
Waitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier
Our love will never end
Waitin' for the soldier to come back again
Never more to be alone when the letter said
A soldier's coming home

So the letters came from an army camp
In California then Vietnam
And he told her of his heart
It might be love and all of the things he was so scared of
He said when it's getting kinda rough over here
I think of that day sittin' down at the pier
And I close my eyes and see your pretty smile
Don't worry but I won't be able to write for awhile

[Chorus]

One Friday night at a football game
The Lord's Prayer said and the Anthem sang
A man said folks would you bow your heads
For a list of local Vietnam dead
Crying all alone under the stands
Was a piccolo player in the marching band
And one name read and nobody really cared
But a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair

[Chorus x2]

Random song lyrics...

"Breathe (2 AM)" – Anna Nalick

2 AM and she calls me 'cause I'm still awake,
"Can you help me unravel my latest mistake?,
I don't love him. Winter just wasn't my season"
Yeah we walk through the doors, so accusing their eyes
Like they have any right at all to criticize,
Hypocrites. You're all here for the very same reason

'Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable
And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table
No one can find the rewind button, girl.
So cradle your head in your hands
And breathe... just breathe,
Oh breathe, just breathe

May he turn 21 on the base at Fort Bliss
"Just a day" he said down to the flask in his fist,
"Ain't been sober, since maybe October of last year."
Here in town you can tell he's been down for a while,
But, my God, it's so beautiful when the boy smiles,
Wanna hold him. Maybe I'll just sing about it.

Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable,
And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table.
No one can find the rewind button, boys,
So cradle your head in your hands,
And breathe... just breathe,
Oh breathe, just breathe

There's a light at each end of this tunnel,
You shout 'cause you're just as far in as you'll ever be out
And these mistakes you've made, you'll just make them again
If you only try turning around.

2 AM and I'm still awake, writing a song
If I get it all down on paper, it's no longer inside of me,
Threatening the life it belongs to
And I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd
Cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud
And I know that you'll use them, however you want to

But you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable,
And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table
No one can find the rewind button now
Sing it if you understand.
and breathe, just breathe
woah breathe, just breathe,
Oh breathe, just breathe,
Oh breathe, just breathe.

Constant Craving...

I have noticed some interesting cravings popping up of late. I want potatoes (cooked, please, and I don't necessarily care how - though McDeath's fries are a favorite), salt, rainier cherries, and occasionally, soft serve ice cream and molassas cookies...

I'm also craving sleep... Lots and lots of sleep. I've been walking, I've been eating properly, and I've been getting enough sleep... I just want to rest just a little *more*. The logical and biological reason for this is because I'm apparently working on plaecenta, and it's taking a lot out of me. Rationally, I know this is true, and I shouldn't be overly worried about it. I'm almost 12 weeks, which means I'm almost over the first trimester - and means I *should* be getting over the exhaustion soon... We'll see.

With all these cravings, I should be gaining some weight. I don't think I am, though. I took my pants out, as I mentioned earlier, but since then, I haven't gotten any bigger at all... I think I'm simply processing it all and the podling is getting most of it. Which is fine. I don't want to gain a lot of weight until the last trimester, honestly, anyway.

In completely unrelated news, we get to be (mostly) kid free as of the 17th. Speedboy will be heading down to his mom's in CA for a little over a month. While Fred and I both love him, we are both looking forward to shipping him off for a bit, too.

I'm so so so looking forward to heading to the beach later this month. OMG! It's been an age, and I really just need to decompress and relax. The 10-day work-week I'll have starting Wed will be worth it to have a weekend out there.

We're looking at another week before we can see the photos Mana took. I'm looking forward to seeing the final results. We have seen some from a few of our guests, and a set from Pixie's dad, NWRebel Photography proprietor, but I'm wanting to see what Mana will conjur up. She's done so many of my photo shoots before, and they've come up spectacular, so I'm excited to see them.

Other than that, nothing really is going on in my head - I'm fairly brain-dead at this point, and am running on autopilot. Blegh.

~M

Spiraling...

I think I'm heading into a depression state... I'm not sure, but I don't really want to eat (though I will say I perk up with Rainier Cherries), I don't want to sleep, I don't want to DO anything... I just want to sit and be left alone. *sigh*

I'm not sure what's going on, but I know it's gotta be hormonal. I was fine yesterday. I was actually really excited yesterday when I was speaking with one of the potential Doula's I met with. She's a great person who, it turns out, knows Fred from FireJam. I have one other Doula to meet, though if I don't hear back from her soon, I'm just going to go with Tia at Inner Serenity. She's a registered nurse as well as a Doula, and is very practical-minded when speaking about the whole process. She was very down-to-earth, and not what I was expecting at all - pleasantly so.

I've put together my schedule for the next 2.5 weeks so that I can have a 4-day weekend, two days of which will be at the beach with Fred, Vlad and Mish. I'm hoping that it will snap me out of whatever funk I seem to be dropping into, and things will be better. I haven't been to the beach in a few years, and I think I need to dabble my feet in the water and recharge. It's going to be the closest that Fred and I will be getting to for a "honeymoon". Separate rooms for us, so we don't keep anyone up (theoretically speaking) while we have wild, weasel sex. LOL.

I just don't like feeling this way at all... Kind of like I wanna cry, wanna curl up and disappear, and not deal with anything or anyone at all. Ugh. It's just all too dramatic, and I hate that. Save the dramatics for the silver screen.

~M

Name that movie...

There are lots and LOTS of movies out there that I've seen over the years... I thought it would be nifty to put down quotes from them and see how many people got them.

These are (mostly) more obscure quotes, too - so you have to *know* the movie to get it right. However, there are some of them that I just couldn't resist because they're some of my favorites.


"That be a damned shame, when somebody throws away a perfectly good white boy like that."


"Just one more question - will this be all together?"


"...I'd like to compliment you on your choice of footwear."


"I'm surrounded by assholes!"


"Somebody ought to sew his ass shut!"


"You can't have any, you're too young."


"You know what I want?! I want Ken Railings to come in here and say 'Pam shore's broken both her legs, and I wanna dance with you.'!"


"'ello, beastie..."


"That's not how the pigeons do it! You're s'posed to jump on her head and peck her!"


"You whine like a mule. You are still alive."


"This is a wild pig. THAT'S a wild bore."


"An owl hooting? It was singing you to sleep!"


"I must throw her a party, or else everyone will know how much I dislike her."


"Oh, I don't like a man with... too many muscles..."


"Home! Home is where you wear your hat!"


"...molesting the handicapped?"


"It's ok, little brother... There are more."


"Not live rounds! Oh! Poor Simon!"


"...Just because I belong to the hairy mole club?!"


"It's the car, right? Chicks dig the car."


"It's my brother's birthday, and he loves turkey..."


"It's a complete piece of... antiquated equipment, sir."


"I needed someone she wouldn't recognize. Someone exotic..."


"Welcome! Welcome to Gross Human Anatomy! Come in! Come in!"


"My father used to work for your father... Of course, the rates have gone up..."


"Jehovah! Jehovah!"


"You can't claim to be king just because some watery tart in a pond gets up and decides to hand you a sword!"


"On any other day, that might seem strange..."


"Is that normal?... Yeah, the twitching?... Can you make that stop?"


"Those are some chubby koi."

Good news, bad news...

Good news: Got the grocery shopping done for the next 2 weeks, and got 2 new outfits to wear to the beach (banking on the approval of the arranged trade I have in).

Bad news: Couldn't get anything done regarding my name change. Went to the DMV, and they no longer take the "pretty" certificate. You have to have the "offical" certificate issued by the county. Went to the county, and they don't have the paperwork showing that I'm married, so I couldn't get the certificate issued... I left them with the $7.75 to have it mailed to me once the paperwork is there... (hint, hint).

So, all in all, about 5 hours total on the bus travelling and/or waiting around, and an hour or two in the grocery store, and I got one out of 3 things done today. *sigh*

I'm exhausted.

~M

Isn't that Special...

The "special" people have invaded... I have had special people coming through my phone since I logged in today... For instance... The person who called in looking for someone:

Caller: Yeah, I'm looking for Joe Shmoe.
Me: Ok - are they a patient or an employee?
Caller: I don't know...
Me: Ok (looking through my database)...
Caller: I mean, they're in a room at the hospital...
Me: OK - so they're a patient?
Caller: I guess so...

There was the one who called in wanting to know if the ER was open, and if she could come in to be seen... Not kidding...

I've had a slew of them all day. Makes me happy today is my Friday. While tomorrow will be frought with it's own harrows (braving the DMV and the social security office, then to WinCo), I have a feeling I will do better... We'll see... Perhaps I will leave all sharp impliments at home just to make sure...

~M