So McCain chose … Sarah Palin as his running mate? This no computey. The main thrust of your argument against your opponent is his lack of experience, and you pick a woman with less than a year in office as your running mate? Whose previous experience was as mayor of a town of 3000? How does this make sense?
Comments Off on Jigga WHO?
Posted in current events, politics
Someone was just shot in the alley across the street; we heard the shots, then two men’s voices yelling, and just as we were thinking we should call 911 three squad cars roared up and started taping off the area. I mean, they were FAST. I guess that’s good … I mean, it’s definitely good that they came so fast, but could we please quit with the shootings on my block? Please?
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Posted in current events, trials and tribulations
I must say, I found this year’s Democratic Convention almost totally satisfactory – a rare response the last few election years. Hillary: knocked it out of the park. Bill: home run. Joe Biden: a good start. Obama: legendary. I know the GOP attack machine is just getting geared up, and there’s a long, vicious road to go, but I honestly think the Dems put up the strongest front they have in years. I mean, would YOU want to follow that closing image? A jam-packed arena stadium filled with screaming, inspired democratic voters? You know the GOP operatives are scrambling tonight … and that’s a result I quite enjoy.
Comments Off on It’s about damn time
Posted in current events, politics
1. Today, we were out running errands, and as we neared the cashier the Hatchling spotted a Lindor raspberry truffle and indicated that she must have it. I thought that would be OK, but I told her we had to wait until we paid for it for her to eat it. This, of course, was met incredulity. She was supposed to WAIT for a whole TWO MINUTES to eat her candy? What was I, INSANE? Anyway, she was starting to kick up a real fuss when we got to the check-out counter so I asked the nice man to ring up the truffle first, which he kindly did, and then handed it to the Hatchling, saying, “Here you go, honey.” Whereupon she immediately quieted down, and her eyes got huge, and she said, very dramatically, “Ohhhhh, BEAUTIFUL candy.”
2. Lately, whenever the Hatchling trips or stumbles or falls or whatever, she’ll ask in a very concerned voice, “Are you OK?!?!” then you have to say “I’m OK, are you OK?” and then she says “Yis.”
3. One of the Hatchling’s favorite words lately is “perfect,” which she pronounces “poofitt.” As in, “Oh, nummy cawwots! Poofitt!”
4. The other day, the Hatchling was sitting by me on the sofa in the middle of a two-year-old tantrum about god knows what. I was looking at her, waiting for her to be done, and right in the middle of her crying, with tears streaming down her cheeks, she looked back at me, reached out her index finger, and went “BEEEEEEP” on my nose.
Yesterday, Mr. Squab, the Hatchling and I went to the State Fair with some friends. I ate:
cheese curds
fresh lemonade
grilled corn on the cob
a cone of chocolate chip cookies
a caramel apple
… it was delicious.
The Hatchling also totally enjoyed herself, mostly just looking at the sights from the comfort of her stroller, but also going on:
Aquatic bumper cars
a Dinosaur-go-round
a Whale ride
She went all by herself – or at least, with no adults – and totally had a blast, as these photos show:
The weather was perfect, the kids were well-behaved, and we were in and out before the crowds got too crazy. It was great.
TODAY, on the other hand, I had an appointment at the diabetes clinic this morning, then had to haul the cat to the vet with two kids in tow (nephew is hanging with us this week), then get lunch, then clean up the chocolate milk the Hatchling spilled all over the place, then fend the cat off from my own food, then put the Hatchling down for a nap, then try to do something productive and totally fail, then take the kids to the park and around the block, all while feeling so tired I want to lay down and die, partly just because, and partly due to the fact that two of the medications I’m on have fatigue as a side effect.
Can I just go back to yesterday, please?
Comments Off on Contrasts abound
Posted in good times, outings and trips, trials and tribulations
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Posted in linkage, random tidbits
Today the Hatchling and I were driving home from a playdate. Just before getting into the car, the Hatchling had tripped and scraped her knees and hands a little, so she’d been crying. She quickly calmed down, though, and was sitting calmly in her seat when I heard her say “Thank you!” in the tone that means she’s handing me something she no longer wants. I figured she was done with her water bottle, so I reached my hand back to grab it, and she placed something in the palm of my hand. I pulled my hand back to find … a booger. From her nose. In the palm of my hand. “Thank you!” she said politely, and I found myself saying “You’re welcome!” right back. As I was trying to dig in my purse for a tissue without running off the road, she handed me another one. “Thank you!”
At least she has manners. I guess.
Comments Off on This isn’t exactly how I pictured motherhood
Posted in parenting highlights
Tagged Two years
Man, I hate days like today. Today’s badness actually started last night, when I realized that not only would I have to renege on my offer to watch J’s daughter this morning, but I’d have to ask J to watch the Hatchling so I could attend an orientation meeting for my new job (that they told me about 36 hours in advance, because, you know, why would you need more notice than that?). So I started off the day feeling like a schmuck, which is nice, and then I had to drag the Hatchling to an appointment with my OB so I could get a prescription for a different nausea medicine that will maybe work better than the current one. I don’t love taking the Hatchling with me to the doctor, but she was extremely well-behaved once she realized that we weren’t going to HER doctor, and no one was going to try and give her a shot. Only then they took my blood pressure, as they’re wont to do, and it was 218/96. No, you didn’t read that wrong. TWO HUNDRED EIGHTEEN. I just … I kind of didn’t even think your blood pressure could even GO that high. I had some high BP readings while I was pregnant with the Hatchling, which they monitored pretty carefully, but never THAT high, and as the pregnancy progressed my readings got back down into the normal range and it ended up not being a problem. 218/96, however, is a problem. So my Nurse Practitioner kind of freaked out, in her very low-key and supportive way, and retook the BP, and it was 178/110. WHICH IS NOT REALLY BETTER. And I just feel like: FUCK! You know? Why can’t my body just DO this? Why does pregnancy have to throw me for such a goddamn loop? I really, really, really hate this. It doesn’t help that I feel like this should have been preventable, and if I were just better about exercising or had lost some weight (yes, that demon is quick to rear its ugly head) then I wouldn’t have to be dealing with this. Which may or may not be true, but either way is water under the bridge and no help at all. And of course I spent the whole day stressing out about my BP, and trying to calm myself down from stressing out about it, because hello! stress just MAKES IT WORSE, and then I had a total breakdown when Mr. Squab got home, which he just LOVES, as you can imagine.
Yah. Good times. So tonight we went to the pharmacy to fill my new, expensive, oddly prohibited nausea scrip (the insurance co. only lets you get 12 pills at a time, for some unknown reason). And then we got me a home BP monitor, so I can keep track of it, and tomorrow I have to make an appointment with my internist so they can decide if I need to go on medication. (Since tonight’s reading was 206/120, I’m gonna guess that chances are good that I’ll be filling another scrip shortly.) ALL OF WHICH SUCKS.
I was really, really hoping that this time around would be easier. Guess that’s not how my fetuses (fetii?) roll. All I can say is, they better be the EASIEST TEENAGERS EVER, or we are going to have WORDS.
I’ve started a new blog that some of you might be interested in. It’s a vehicle for an abiding interest of mine, children’s literature, and it’s something I’d been thinking of doing for a while now. Basically it’s a recommendation site, where I can review and advocate for some of my favorite “must-read” children’s books, everything from board books and picture books to classic read-aloud works and “young adult” fiction. The site came about because I was often finding myself talking with other parents about my favorite books from childhood and discovering they’d never heard of them. Anyway, if you’re interested in children’s lit either for its own sake or for your kids, take a look at Books Your Kid Should Read and let me know what you think. Comments and suggestions are welcome!
Comments Off on A New Venture
Posted in announcements, blog blogging
What you could look at while I’m too stopped up to blog:
1. Ballotpedia should come in extremely handy this autumn.
2. The public school system, in case you were unaware, is totally FUBAR. I would love to see either of the presidential candidates address this in a meaningful way. But I ain’t holding my breath.
3. You know how diets don’t work? Weight loss surgery doesn’t, either.
4. This video kind of makes me feel better about the human race. (Watch through the awkwardness; it’s worth it.):
