You must go see An Inconvenient Truth. Seriously. Everyone should see this movie. Especially if you have kids or plan to have kids. I don’t want to ruin the ending for you or anything (just kidding), but in 50 years, the earth as we know it could be ruined. And these aren’t quacks running around evangelizing the end of the world. The global warming problem is very clearly laid out, based wholly in scientific fact, and it’s really freaking scary. But, there are things we can do to help. Little things even. You don’t have to go out and buy a hybrid car or install solar panels on your house. So, go see the movie. NOW.
Monthly Archives: May 2006
Random acts of laundry
There’s something you should know about me. This may come as a shock (or not), but I absolutely HATE doing laundry. Of all the household chores, laundry is at the bottom of my list, just above cleaning the toilet. In our next apartment, having a washer and dryer in our apartment is just about my #1 requirement. Having a room for this baby – yea, that would be nice and all. But, how will I be able to do all this baby laundry I hear about if I have to traipse to the basement to do it. Really, it’s my worst nightmare. Laundry once a week is enough of a struggle for me. Going to the laundry room multiple times a week… <shudder>
Yesterday I had to do laundry. It’s not like the old days when I "had" to do laundry, then could put it off 3 more days by wearing the less than desirable items in my closet. Now that I only have 3 pairs of pants that fit, when I "need" to do laundry, I NEED to do laundry or risk being arrested for public indecency.
So, I head to the basement and put the laundry in the washer. An hour later I go back down and move it to the dryer. Then I eat dinner. Then I go for a walk in the park. Then I eat some brownies and drink some milk. I’m in no hurry to get the clothes and start my least favorite part of the laundry dance – folding. But eventually, I make my way down to pick up the clean duds. And what do i find? Someone has taken out my clothes and not thrown them in a basket like normal, but they have actually FOLDED THEM and left them neatly stacked on the table for me.
Oh, there is a laundry god. PRAISE THEE!!!
PS – Ok, so I’m a little weirded out that one of my neighbors has now folded my underwear, but I think I can get over it.
PS Again – Of course, I haven’t actually put the clean clothes away in their drawers yet. That will take me another few days.
Par-tay at the Fairway
So Fresh Direct, in continuing its utter incompetence, only re-delivered 5 of my 15 ruined items last night. And, of course, they delivered this (which I SWEAR I don’t usually buy, but ordered on some weird pregnancy craving impulse):
But, the milk, eggs, ground beef, chicken – you know all the nutritious things – were nowhere to be seen. Looks like it’s time for me to venture to Brooklyn’s new grocery mecca which opened last weekend – Behold the Fairway. Maybe it’s because of the lack of selection I have right now in the grocery department, or maybe I’m just getting old, or maybe it’s pregnancy hormones (I know, I know – blame everything on the helpless little fetus) but I’m a wee bit excited to spend my afternoon tomorrow grocery shopping.
Beware the cranky pants
Tis me wearing the cranky pants this week. You know those weeks? The ones where everyone and everything annoy you?
For instance:
– What’s the obsession with American Idol? I tried to watch the finale last night and the two finalists are just horrible. And what’s with the song choices? I wouldn’t listen to those songs by the original artist, let alone these wannabes.
– Fresh Direct sucks. I’ve been ordering my groceries from Fresh Direct loyally for the last few years. I spend over $100 a week with them, which is more than I spend on just about anything besides my mortgage. Last night was my last delivery. I’m done with them. I had an order scheduled from 8pm – 10pm. When I got home from work at 7:45pm – there were my groceries sitting in my building’s lobby. The "doorman" (don’t get me started on him) couldn’t tell me exactly when they’d been dropped off, but told me the delivery person had another delivery in the building earlier and "didn’t want to come back later". So, there sit my groceries: milk, eggs, steak, chicken. All just sitting there for god knows how long rotting. Fresh Direct’s resolution: They will re-deliver the ruined items to me tonight, but only if I keep the rotting food for them to come pick up. Now why in the world do they want sour milk and warm steak? And do they really expect me to keep it in my apartment? The oh-so-helpful woman on the phone explained that I should unpack everything, refrigerate it, and then re-pack it so they can pick it up. And what do I get for my troubles? They’ll refund my $4.95 delivery fee. No apology. Now, that’s great customer service.
– The finale of my last most favoritest show is tonight. Once LOST is over, it’s time for bad summertime TV and re-runs.
– The salad that I’m eating doesn’t have enough dressing on it. I’m not a rabbit, people. I need the fatty dressing to disguise the lettuce!
Ok, enough ranting. It’s time to fix things. The cure for all things cranky: vacation!
i just booked a weekend in Montauk for our anniversary next month! Beach. Pool. Mini Golf. Margaritas. Sparkly Water.
YAY!
But does this mean I have to go shopping for a maternity bathing suit? EEEK!
Naming Babies With Google
We have a girl name picked out for this baby. (Of course, I won’t be telling you and we have the right to change our mind at any and all times.) Today, I did the final check – what does Google pull up for this name? Say, there’s a porn star with this name… Well, then it’s back to the drawing board. But what about an actress or singer? Probably ok if I’ve never heard of them before – What are the chances they’ll make it big?
Luckily, the name came back clean. One small-time author. A PTA secretary in the midwest. Nothing to make me reconsider.
But wait. I’m nerdier than that. Next, I check to see if the domain name is available for this name. It is. I won’t buy it now, but let’s say I do have a girl. She’ll probably be wanting her own domain in 5-6 years right? I’m sure they’ll be teaching web design in kindergarden by then. Oh, and maybe I should sign up for a gmail account in her name?
Napster is reborn
I know. Napster is like so 1999.
But, Napster is back. And seemingly legal to use. Now comes the cool part: You can sign up and listen to almost* any album or song they have for free. Not, just one time, but five times. Pretty cool.
* Some songs only have 30 second clips. Annoying. But most seem to have the full song.
My Social Streak
So, after weeks of self-imposed exile where I spent hours on my couch watching What Not to Wear, The Real Housewives of Orange County, and My Super Sweet Sixteen, this week I’ve fluttered like a social butterfly all over this island. Ok, so my escapades didn’t quite make Page Six, but tonight will mark my third night in a row going out. A whole new group of people to bore with my television know-how. Awesome.
Tonight I’m going to a reunion. Not a high school or college reunion, but a work reunion. I’ve never heard of such an event before, but it seems like a stellar idea. A bunch of us dot-com slaves will meet to reminisce about the days of 3am phone calls and crackberry pages to fix typos on the website and the ridiculously long work weeks that drove us to the edge of insanity. We’ll trade cards to show that we’re in a better place now.
But, in an interesting twist, this particular dot-com is still in business. It’s been 4 years since I left the fiery inferno and yet some of my co-workers are still there! I am not sure how to treat these people. Surely they cannot be human. Humans need air. Humans need love. This place sucked the air and love right out of you. I’m guessing they’ll be easy to spot – the folks hunched over the bar pouring back the shots. They deserve shots. Lots of them.
Day 101
I’m in the triple digits of my pregnancy. Break out the champagne! Oh wait, right, the sparkly juice stuff for me.
Hmm. How would I characterize the first 100 days? The words that come to mind immediately: worry, doubt, puke, sleepliness, fat. Yes, it would be fair to say I haven’t enjoyed pregnancy much so far. Last month, at my lowest point, I threw up twice, hobbled to the subway because pain in my tailbone was making it difficult to walk, then stood on the train for an hour to get to my 8:30am doctor appointment. There were three other women in the waiting room – 2 pregnant and 1 with a baby. The two other pregnant women stood over the baby cooing and asking questions to the mother. I sat and stared at a page in Good Housekeeping. I just didn’t have it in me to coo like I think I should have. I doubted that I would ever be a good mother – I just didn’t care about that baby the way the other women did. And I hated the fact that I’d lost control of my body. I gained 10 pounds that month. I was sick all the time. Basically, I was at my lowest and completely miserable.
Fast forward six weeks and I feel like the fog is lifting a bit. Yes, brushing my teeth still makes me puke, but I feel my energy returning a bit. I’m seeing friends. Going to yoga. Rejoining the world. My jiggly belly is hardening and starting to look like a preggo bump. Everyone at work knows now, so I don’t feel like I’ve got a secret burning inside me anymore. I’m starting to feel curious about the things that go with baby – I’ve set up a hospital tour and ventured to those scary baby websites to see what kind of gear we need. We started talking about baby names. And I feel genuine affection for this human growing inside me. (Excuse me for a moment, I’m very hormonal and writing this is making me cry… Must go close my office door.)
Ok, we’re alone again. So pour that sparkly apple juice and let’s toast to the next 180 days. May they be more like the last 20 and not at all like those first 80! Cheers to you, tadpole!
My First Mother’s Day
Recipe for a perfect mother’s day
1. Delicious brunch
2. Beautiful flowers
3. Long nap
4. Coffee Ice Cream
Perfecto! Yay husband! Now I have to start preparing for father’s day!
So, maybe it was all the recognition of my mom-ness yesterday, but suddenly I have baby stuff on the brain like never before. First off, I bought a baby names book yesterday and my mind is spinning with all the possibilities. What a huge decision this is! Second, I’m starting to get curious about all the baby gear. Like for instance, is there really a difference between an $879 stroller and a $109 stroller?
Minefields
I’m on a very dangerous and complicated mission today. My assignment: Get through the day without hearing or reading about what happened on LOST last night. The episode is waiting for me at home on a VHS tape (Yes, we’re sooooooo old school that we still use a VCR) to watch tonight. Would it be overkill to email all my co-workers and alert them to my precarious situation? Yes, probably. So, instead I’ll just close my office door, turn off the Internet, and take a nap. Wake me up at 6, please.
This and These 