Year in Review

I used to do this survey every year for awhile but I think it's been a year or two. This morning while catching up on one of the many bloggers I stalk read, I noticed that she did the same survey and I thought: my brain can't come up with anything too original right now so why not?

1. What did you do in 2009 that you had never done before?

The obvious would be getting pregnant and giving birth to a beautiful daughter and everything that goes along with it. Also changing a poopy diaper. That's right, I had never changed a diaper before. I also totaled my car. As a fairly careful, if occasionally impatient but not doucheally (douchebagily?) impatient, I have only inflicted minor damage to my car before and usually while doing something really stupid (ie Backing down an alley in the pouring rain and running into a dumpster. Ahem.)

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I honestly don't think I made a specific resolution. Past experience with failing at every one I've made has kept me from doing them in recent years. This year, I am hesitant to make any because I worry that, you know, taking care of a new life and all will keep me from really committing to any one thing. I do, however, want to do better so I will make some:

• Read more. It has been several months at least since I last finished a book. I have two that I have started but have only gotten through the first few pages/chapters of (Up Till Now: The Autobiography by William Shatner and People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks, in case you're interested). And since I have a to be read stack that is out of control and a want to read list that is insanely long, I think I really need to work on this.
• On a related note: get a library card.
• Cook at home more.
• Related: eat more healthfully.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

You mean besides me? My childhood friend Rachel gave birth to her son Liam this past summer. And then a few people I knew from college but wasn't particularly close to.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

I had to think about this one for a minute but no. As far as I know, not anyone even remotely related to me which is amazing. If I have left someone out because I'm absent minded, let me know.

5. What countries did you visit?

Other than the one I live in? None, sadly. Before little bit came into the picture Brian and I had been talking about going to Ireland this fall. Obviously, that became completely out of the question. I get the feeling that we won't be doing any traveling outside the country for the next few years at least.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

This is going to sound depressing. I would like to have a better outlook on life. I'm going to share a story, and maybe it will embarrass the husband, but I think it's really sweet. We have an ornament on our tree that is this little circular mailbox that says "Letters to Santa." When I took it out this year, I noticed that there was paper in it and I had completely forgotten that Brian had written something and put in there. At first he didn't want me to read it, but I don't like secrets and I browbeat wheedled asked really him really nicely until he gave in. It said: I want Kirsten to be happier. Commence the groaning now. So, there you go.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched on your memory, and why?

I always hate this question because usually no specific date comes to mind. However, I do have two. March 12th, the day my pregnancy test was positive and November 8th, the day my daughter was born.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I feel like this question is asking me to list some huge award or promotion or something like that, but I'm afraid that I don't work and even if I did where I have worked has never awarded me with anything. Seriously. I was voted employee of the month at my CPK the month they decided that they weren't going to do plaques or give bonuses for that anymore; so, that doesn't count. And despite the fact that I have been told I deserved it, I never won the Mother Bread award at Bread Co. Instead, someone who it turned out was stealing was the one who won it. But I digress. Achievement wise I think figuring out what it is I want to do with my life, whether I succeed in it or not, has been my biggest accomplishment.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I think I feel like a failure the most when I haven't been the best wife, or best mother, that I possibly could be.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

When I went to the emergency room, they asked me if I had any illnesses and my response was, "Does being pregnant count?" Reason for trip to the emergency room: I fell down my front stairs and severely sprained the ligaments on the top of my foot.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Ummm. Most of the things I buy are trivial and although I did spend a lot on my new car, I can't really say that it was the best thing I bought. I'm going to have to say it was the SUPER SECRET SURPRISE PRESENT that I got for my friend just for fun. I like making people smile especially for a totally unexpected reason.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

My husband. Everyday (almost, he's not perfect after all) he amazes me with how supportive and loving he is. I don't think I tell him often enough how much I appreciate what he does for me.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

There are a few; but, in the spirit of a new year, I will not detail that behavior here.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Bills, bills and more bills.

15. What did you get really excited about?

I feel like a broken record: the birth of my daughter.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

Uhh...well, I can tell you what song my iTunes played the most. "Dark Blue" by Jack's Mannequin. I'm pretty musically challenged these days.

17. Compared to this time last year are you:

• happier or sadder? About the same
• thinner or fatter? Oddly, about the same since I lost about ten pounds before I got pregnant
• richer or poorer? Financially, definitely poorer. In everything else, I'd have to say richer.

18. What do you wished you'd done more of?

Read, knit, cook, bake. Spend more time friends and less time as a hermit.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Cry for no good reason.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

Pre-Christmas weekend, we traveled to scenic Toledo, Ohio for my mother-in-law's sixtieth birthday. There was much sleeping and eating and going to the art museum and dealing with a fussy schedule interrupted baby. Then I got sick. Then we opened many presents on Christmas morning while the baby slept through the entire thing. Then I got even sicker and we had lunchmeat sandwiches for dinner. But on Boxing Day we went to the Botanical Gardens and it was all better.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?

With a perfect baby daughter.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

I'm so over television right now. I watch reruns of NCIS and Bones and that makes me perfectly happy. Although I do enjoy Castle.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

I'm trying not to hate anyone, but I'd have to say I just hate the same people.

24. What was the best book you read?

I haven't done a whole lot of reading as I've said before, but I really enjoyed The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. Side note: Amazon finally has a release date for the third book. August 2010! Whoo!

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

I have terrible taste in music.

26. What did you want and get?

A new car, although not in the way it happened. A new job, which unfortunately turned out to suck almost as much as the old job.

27. What did you want and not get?

I want for nothing.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

Do you know, the last movie I saw in the theatres was Harry Potter? God I'm lame. I would have to say the new Star Trek was my favorite though.

29. What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?

I turned 27 this year and on my birthday I worked in the morning and then Brian took me to the Melting Pot. And then I envied all the people who could drink.

30. What is the one thing that would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Again, I want for nothing. I think I've had an amazingly good year despite some of the low moments.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

Whatever fit over my ever-expanding ass. Sweat pants and big t-shirts.

32. What kept you sane?

An amazing husband and amazing friends.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Barack Obama. But mostly because I just love listening to him speak.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

Definitely health care and all the stupid stupid people out there that don't realize that universal health care is not some communist plot to take down the American way of life.

35. Who did you miss?

Blake. I wish she didn't live in New Orleans.

36. Who was the best new person you met?

Meredith. And her crazy husband Frank who I swear is just like Brian.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009?

Money can't buy you love. No wait, that's a song. Nothing comes to mind right now, I'll get back to you.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year?

"I want my life to make more sense..." from Pavement Tune by The Frames.

Well, that's all folks. I'll see you next year.

Things and Stuff

Today I have accomplished the following things:

• Finished the Washington Post crossword (with minimal hints) at 3:30 am.
• Had biscuits and coffee.
• Took a shower.
• Also, straightened my hair, brushed my teeth, washed my face and put on makeup. How the hell did this happen?

Today I need to do the following:

• Fold laundry. Also put away the dirty laundry that has accumulated in random places around the house.
• Knit. Still have two half finished Christmas presents which need to get done.
• Clean the kitchen.
• Bake cookies with Desiree!
• Relax.

Now that I've bored you all with my to do list...

It has been awhile since I last posted and even longer since I posted something that didn't have anything to do with football. Life goes on. Baby eats and sleeps and poops. She has also developed a slight cold thanks to my inability to go one Christmas season without getting sick. Go me! It is possibly one of the most pathetic and adorable things ever. She snores in such a ridiculously cute way! Fortunately, it's nothing serious - trust me, I obsessively check her temperature and she has yet to get a fever - and although she sleeps a little more than usual, she's still eating plenty and doesn't seem too uncomfortable.

Now that I've bored you with baby gushing...

I am in love with the Botanical Gardens. Yes. Even in the dead of winter. I could spend hours taking pictures of every plant in the Linnean House. Easily my favorite part of the gardens (except for the rose garden, but everything is dead right now). It is generally very quiet - not a lot of people go in there - and it smells delicious. Every time we go, I think its all the tea trees that smell that way but as it turns out, it's actually the olive trees. Weird that I like the smell of olive trees when olives themselves make me want to gag. If it hadn't snowed last night - not that I'm complaining, I love the snow - I would totally be there this morning enjoying my free admission before noon. Anyhoodle, a couple of pictures to round out this mish mash of randomness:

Dying roses and snow covered garden

Whee! I like model trains Daddy!

NFL Picks, Week One Billion

Oops. Overslept (originally typed oversplet) this morning. Guess what though? We have the NFL network now. Aren't we cool? Instead of actually watching the game we can just watch the stats from the games. Awesome.

Thursday game: PIT vs CLE: I laugh at the actual outcome of this game but since I would never have picked the Browns, I have to claim I said Steelers

NO vs ATL: So Brian tells me that Atlanta is missing its quarterback and starting running back, but I would never have bet against the Saints anyway. Saints

GB vs CHI: I guess I'll go with Green Bay, or something. Packers

DEN vs IND: I like Denver's logo better, but I'm not sure they can win against the Colts. So there you go. Colts

BUF vs KC: This is just a game of crap. But I'm going with the Bills

DET vs BAL: Oh, God. Ravens

SEA vs HOU: Well, I guess I gotta pick the Lone Star State team, on account of me hating teal and all. Texans

MIA vs JAX: I have no smart-ass remarks for this one. Ugh. Dolphins

CIN vs MIN: Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Just to be contrary, I'm gonna pick the Bengals.

CAR vs NE: Elvis beats up on big cats. Probably also little cats. Maybe dogs? He was a lousy person (I'm only saying this because I now know that Sean reads this). Patriots.

NYJ vs TB: Even though their logo sucks donkey balls, I'm saying J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS

STL vs TEN: The Titans lost an important game last week, and are going to come out of the locker room very pissed off. Maybe they can use their flaming thumbtack logo to take down the lambs...I mean, Rams. Titans.

WAS vs OAK: Black and silver is better than maroon and gold. That's just terrible. Raiders.

SD vs DAL: The Chargers' logo is a stupid freaking lightning bolt. Not that Dallas's is any better - just some boring star. I guess I'll go with the Chargers.

PHI vs NYG: The Giants have lost something like six of the last seven games. Even though the Eagles win a color that is close to teal (Brian tells me it's "Pine," they're probably going to win against a team with a classic, throwback logo. Eagles.

ARI vs SF: Gold and red, as previously mentioned, is ugly. And let's face it, Kurt Warner is still sexy. Cardinals.

NFL Picks, Week Thirteen

In the interest of full disclosure: yes, I am doing my picks at 7 pm on a Sunday, however, I haven't turned on the television all day and so I only know the outcome of two of the games due mostly to facebook statuses. See if you can guess which two.

NYJ vs BUF: Okay, I also know who won this game because it was on Thursday but since I find the Bills color scheme to be an eyesore despite New York's lame logo, I would have picked the Jets

STL vs CHI: In terms of logos, St Louis wins hands down. But they suck. A lot. But Chicago is not all the great either. Conundrum. Bears

TB vs CAR: They both suck. As teams. Panthers

HOU vs JAX: I hate teal. Texans

DEN vs KC: Flaming horse head! Broncos

TEN vs IND: The Titans are not so good. Not bad. But not so good. The Colts are very good, apparently unhindered by their boring logo-ness. Colts

PHI vs ATL: Michael Vick returns to Atlanta. Big fricking deal. Falcons

NO vs WAS: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Saints

OAK vs PIT: Ben Roethlisberger is a hoosier. But at least he doesn't play for the Raiders. Steelers

DET vs CIN: I have asked Brian at least twice this week if Carson Palmer played for the Bengals. I think my brain has gone fuzzy from the baby. Both times I asked this because I couldn't remember if he was related to Jesse Palmer, who - if I remember correctly - was on the Bachelor before he crapped out of the NFL. Bengals

NE vs MIA: Dolphins. Teal. Ack. Patriots

SD vs CLE: Did you know that the Browns logo is an orange helmet. Shouldn't it be a Brown helmet? Chargers

DAL vs NYG: Texas pride! Cowboys

SF vs SEA: Pain. My eyes hurt from the horrible color. 49ers

MIN vs ARI: Two cranky old men duke it out. Vikings

BAL vs GB: I like purple. Packers (Fooled you!)

Patience

I have never had much patience. I bet you're wondering how I managed to survive almost five years in food service without it. Fortunately, I'm very good at pretending to have patience. I have spent years cultivating my ability to look like I'm not impatient while in my head I am secretly yelling, "Oh my GOD! Will you just make up your mind already!" Anyone who has ridden in the car with me can also attest to this since while driving I tend to be very verbal about what I think of the other drivers on the road. I was once trapped behind an old man going twenty miles per hour (I shit you not) on the interstate and I wanted to beat my head into the steering wheel.

I spent my entire pregnancy being impatient. I blame the back pain. Perhaps my impatience wore off on the little one since she decided to appear ten days early. Since then, however, I have had to force myself to be calm. You can't rush a newborn. She will eat for as long as she wants to and there is nothing I can to do to speed up the process. This can be especially frustrating when she awakens in the middle of the night and I would like nothing more than to go back to sleep. The second night in the hospital was the worst. Since I was breastfeeding, this can be a very long process - especially in the early days. We're talking five plus hours. From about nine pm to three am she was feeding off and on and every time I thought she was finished and went to put her back in her bassinet, she started screaming bloody murder. To make matters worse, I must have had the worse nurse on the face of the planet who didn't seem to give a crap that I was breastfeeding and I did not want to give my daughter formula or a pacifier. So, she was crying and I was crying and by the time she finally went to sleep, I looked like I had been punched in the face. My eyes were practically swollen shut.

Good news, though, after all of that everything seems so much easier. Sure there are times when I want to scream. She's crying and crying and I've done everything I can think of to make her feel better. Is she dry? Is she fed? Is she burped? What the hell else do I need to do? But then there are times when I have reached a completely zen like state and no matter what, I will do everything in my power to make my daughter happy.

The first of many lessons that she will teach me: Patience.

NFL Picks, Week Twelve

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

GB vs DET: I still don't understand why Detroit always has a Thanksgiving Day game, they never win. Packers

OAK vs DAL: I think Oakland might have won last week. Who cares? Cowboys

NYG vs DEN: Three games today? WTF? Broncos

TB vs ATL: Red versus red. Atlanta has better red. Falcons

MIA vs BUF: My hatred of all things teal is well documented and my feelings about dolphins playing on land, but the Bills have kind of let me down recently. Dolphins

WAS vs PHI: Eagles

SEA vs STL: I can't in good conscience pick the Seahawks, even if the Rams do suck big donkey balls. Rams

CAR vs NYJ: Jets

CLE vs CIN: HAHAHA! Bengals

IND vs HOU: Can the Colts keep their undefeated streak alive? My feelings say yes, despite the boring logo. Colts

KC vs SD: Chargers

JAC vs SF: Both of these teams colors hurt my eyes. 49ers

CHI vs MIN: Vikings

ARI vs TEN: Is Kurt Warner hurt? I could look it up because I have no faith in Matt Leinart's abilities. Oh well. Cardinals

PIT vs BAL: I like purple. Ravens

NE vs NO: If I only I knew if Bill Belichick was going to be wearing his awesome headband, that would make this decision so much easier. I still love me some sexy Drew Brees action. Saints

My Labor Story

...or the things you never learn from the movies.

I have been attempting to write a coherent and not boring post about the birth of my daughter since Thursday. Trouble is, I don't think anyone out there really wants to hear all the gory details of my labor and delivery. So, here are the highlights.

• Apparently, food poisoning can send you into labor. I ate a bad can of soup Thursday night, threw up and then started having frequent if somewhat irregular contractions.
• Pregnancy assessment is the devil. I was there Friday night with contractions about 4 minutes apart but got sent home because there hadn't been any change in my cervix since I had gotten there. And then on Saturday, when we went back and my contractions had gotten worse, they tried to send me home twice but I refused because I think I knew it was going to be that night.
• Also, how depressing is pregnancy assessment? It's a tiny room with a very uncomfortable bed that has extremely sketchy floral wallpaper.
• When they break your water, did you know that it feels like you peed yourself? And then during subsequent contractions it continues to feel like your peeing yourself?
• No matter how badly I didn't want to get an epidural (another random fact, they have to give you a catheter when you get an epidural because not only can you not feel your legs but you also have no concept of whether or not you need to pee), when I was screaming in pain because oh my god this whole breathing through a contraction shit is not working, I will break down.
• Fifteen minutes after they finished giving me the epidural - which they had to do twice because the anesthesiologist didn't place it quite right the first time - I was fully dilated and ready to push. What. The. Fuck? Didn't even have a time to give me a catheter. Yes! Those things freak me out.
• That whole you push for like twenty minutes and then your done is a complete lie. I pushed for approximately two and a half hours. It was probably made harder because I couldn't feel anything from the waist down except for some horrible pressure in my hips and the urge to poop myself.
• It was all worth it. At 2:24 am on November 8th, Lorelei Jane was brought into the world and she is perfect.

She is fifteen days old and I can still just lie there staring at her for hours. I didn't think it was possible for me to love someone as much as I love her.

NFL Picks, Week Eleven

This is the pick for the early game:
MIA at CAR: I don't like teal, but I also don't like bad teams. Dolphins.

Sunday picks coming later! EDIT: Sunday picks added 10 am CST.

IND vs BAL: As much as it pains me to pick the team with the boring logo, the records don't lie. Colts

WAS vs DAL: I will never ever pick Washington. Ever. Cowboys

CLE vs DET: There are no winners in this game. Lions

SF vs GB: Wow. Boring logos all around here. Gold pants for the win. 49ers

BUF vs JAX: We all know how I feel about teal but the Bills really let me down last week. Jaguars

PIT vs KC: This is hilarious. Steelers

SEA vs MIN: How I hate to continue picking Brett Favre to win. But purple is vastly superior to many shades of ugly green. Vikings

ATL vs NYG: I like red. Red is nice. Falcons

NO vs TB: I don't need to dignify this with a comment. Saints

ARI vs STL: I do love me some sexy Kurt Warner action. Cardinals

SD vs DEN: Lighting bolt versus flaming horse head. I think the choice is clear. Broncos

NYJ vs NE: I wonder how much of the commentary in this game is going to be them talking about whether or not Bill Belichick made a mistake last week. Patriots

CIN vs OAK: I will continue to pick the Bengals. For funsies. Also the Raiders suck. Bengals

PHI vs CHI: Have you ever noticed that both of these teams abbreviations are greek letters? Eagles

TEN vs HOU: Why is this the Monday night game? Texans

NFL Picks, Week Ten

CHI at SFO: Who in their right minds would pick the Bears? I'm not a big fan of golden pants, but a logo with two letters beats a logo with one letter. 49ers

More picks later this week.

EDIT:
Here are picks for the early games (picks posted at 12:00 PM CST)
ATL at CAR: I don't like teal. Falcons.
TB at MIA: Disregard my previous reasoning in this case: Tampa Bay sucks. Dolphins.
DET at MIN: Heh. Vikings.
JAX at NYJ: Re-establishing my hatred of teal, plus the Jags are not a very good team. Jets.
CIN at PIT: I'll just keep picking the Bengals, I guess. Bengals.
NO at STL: Oh, that's HILARIOUS. Saints.
BUF at TEN: Leaping bison, as a logo, are interesting, possibly even more interesting than the flaming thumbtack of the team from Nashville. Bills.
DEN at WAS: Uhm, Broncos.

Late game picks come later.

EDIT: Late game picks!
KC at OAK: Brian tells me both teams will be wearing their old AFL uniforms. The Raiders' uniforms are less hideous than the Chiefs' are, so I pick the silver and black. Raiders.
SEA at ARI: One team is good and wears classy colors, the other is bad and wears four shades of sea green. Coincidence? I think not. Cardinals.
DAL at GB: Tough call. I guess it's a bit of a toss-up, so Packers.
PHI at SD: Philadelphia is a better team. Eagles.
NE at IND: Apparently, this is a major rivalry or something. The Patriots have a better logo, so where's the competition? Patriots.
BAL at CLE: The Browns are just terrible. Ravens.

Pooped.

Long winded posts are probably coming soon; so, to my (two) dear readers: keep your eyes out for that. Right now I just want to share that I am completely pooped. Lorelei turned 4 days old this morning and it has been a busy and extremely rough four days. Newborns are hard. Anyhoodle. Here's a picture of the sweet baby.

I'm a mother!

In exchange for what I just did, I think I should get a perfect score this week. I know I won't, but I think I should.

Anyway, I'm listing the picks. And stuff. I have a beautiful baby daughter, who cares about football?

WAS at ATL: Falcons
ARI at CHI: Cardinals
BAL at CIN: Bengals
HOU at IND: Colts
MIA at NE: Patriots
GB at TB: Packers
KC at JAX: Jaguars
CAR at NO: Saints
DET at SEA: Seahawks, I guess.
SDG at NYG: Chargers
TEN at SFO: 49ers
DAL at PHI: Eagles
PIT at DEN: Broncos

At Least Buy Me a Drink First

The weird and, let's face it, annoying part of being pregnant is that suddenly a woman's body is public property. Everyone is always up in your business and strangers think it's totally okay to touch your stomach. Now, I don't mind too much when people touch me if I know them. Husband? He better like touching my stomach or he's gonna get punched. Friends? Naturally. Former co-workers? Sure, I guess. My baristas at Borders? Well, I'm pretty attached to them since they are the providers of caffeine; so, if they really wanted to. Random strangers in the mall? Absolutely not. Fortunately this only happened once and, at least, she only rubbed my arm and said how good I looked and didn't touch my stomach but still. Not. Okay.

Also. Random people need to stop asking me when I'm due. I get one of two responses when I tell them. "You look so small still." Oh really. Try carting around 30 extra pounds all of which is centered in one small part of the body on top of my pre-existing back problems and sciatica and then tell me I look small. The other, more surprising one is, "Are you sure there is only one in there?" Yeah. Way to make a pregnant woman feel good about herself. Fortunately, this only happens when I'm wearing my sweatpants which do nothing to hide my enormous belly unlike all my other pants which have this weird slimming effect. Hmmm. Maybe I should stop wearing sweatpants in public.

Yeah right.

And then there are the doctors. Warning: I'm about to talk about my OB appointments. If you are in any way squeamish about this or just don't want to know: stop reading right now.

I go to a group practice. This means that there are five or six doctors who I see on a rotating basis. As nice as it would be to only see one doctor and build some sort of relationship with them, it would be very unlikely that they would be the one to deliver baby. One person cannot be in Labor & Delivery 24 hours a day and I would at least like to know who the doctor is when I deliver. Up until last week, I had met all but one of them. And wouldn't you know it, I have entered the phase of them checking my cervix every time I'm there. Hoo boy. Is that fun or what? So, this was the first time I was meeting this doctor and after about five minutes its like, okay, now I'm going to check out your lady parts. Umm. Hi. Shouldn't you at least buy me a drink first? And apparently, when I'm in labor, there will be random nurses who will be doing the same thing. Seeing as I'm sharing the same body with another living being, can my lady bits at least be somewhat off limits? I guess that would make delivery somewhat more difficult.

Just two more weeks...

38 Weeks

Does anyone know what a beached whale sounds like? Well, that's how I feel and I need to know so I can make that noise whenever I try to roll over in bed. Almost there (I hope).

I hope...

...that my daughter is less needy than my cats. There are some days that I swear if I hear Josephine yowl one more frickin' time I'm going to throw her out the front door and not let her back in again.

On Sunday, we finally put up the door to the basement. It was long process mostly because the door was hung before there was carpeting down there and was therefore not the right size anymore. Now, we have a saw. With a super-special laser pointer leveler thingie (very technical term) but we didn't have a work table. Well, this weekend while I lay on the couch in pain, the husband went to Home Depot and procured one. And then we discovered there weren't enough hinges. So we stole one from the basement closet (also currently doorless) but then once the door was up it didn't fit in the top of the frame properly so it was back to Home Depot for some sand paper. I think it was finally hung around 7 Sunday night.

After feeding the cats that night, we decided we needed to test out the door. Our house doesn't have doors except for on the bathroom and between the main part of the basement and the laundry room; so, the cats are used to having pretty free reign. (Also, I tend to not close the bathroom door all the way unless there is someone over at the house with me so even if I'm say on the toilet or in the shower the cats can come in there with me.) At about 12:30 am I had to get up to go to the bathroom because of tiny pea-sized bladder being crushed by baby. After my return there was much yowling and batting at the door. Oh. My. God. It was among the most annoying things ever. I wanted to strangle cats. I was really enjoying not waking up to roll over and being prevented from doing so by a giant tub of furry lard. Oy. Last night was better we went all the way until 4:30 am before the cats became unbearable and at my 2 am bathroom trip there were no cats huddled next to the door. Here's hoping we can make it all night soon because until baby is older they are not allowed to be in the bedroom/nursery while we are sleeping.

P.S. I would never actually harm my cats but one day I did have to to leave the house because they would not fucking leave me alone.

What Keeps Me Up at Night

The questions I ask:

• What do giraffes look like when they hiccup?
• Do you think a giraffe burp will lose steam half way up the neck so all you hear is a tiny *brap*?
• How do elephants blow their nose? Do you think they stick their trunk in their mouth and then suck the snot out?
• If an elephant trumpets and snot comes out accidentally hitting his elephant buddy, do you think they get into a snot fight?

Yeah. I'm weird.

NFL Picks, Week Eight

Well, the Bengals are on a bye this week, and there are only 13 games to pick. I wish I felt better, but I haven't slept well lately, and I'm really ready to have this baby out of me and into the real world.

HOU at BUF: Bills.
CLE at CHI: Bears, I guess.
SEA at DAL: Seattle will be wearing their all-green uniforms. So, Cowboys.
STL at DET: God, this is just pathetic. The logos tell me it'll be the Rams.
SFO at IND: Colts.
MIA at NYJ: I don't like the colors that the Dolphins wear. Besides, they're acquatic mammals! Jets.
NYG at PHI: You know, I don't know. I gotta say, I don't like the green. Giants.
DEN at BAL: The logos are clear: Broncos.
JAX at TEN: God, they both suck. I'm gonna go with the Titans.
OAK at SDG: Chargers.
MIN at GB: Oh, God. Did you know that Brett Favre is playing in Green Bay as an opponent for the first time? Oh, you hadn't heard? HOW HAD YOU NOT HEARD? It's on every radio station and every sports program and every newspaper and every television series not even related to sports at all! I'm gonna go with the Vikings.
CAR at ARI: The clearly-better team is the Cardinals.
ATL at NO: How can I pick against a fleur-de-lis? Saints.

The Great Closet Debacle of 2009

I swear I didn't use to be this crazy emotional. Sure, I had some bad days where I would just completely lose my shit and just start crying. This, however, was just ridiculous. Let me explain: I decided that I wanted to reorganize the clothes closet. Notice that I don't call it the bedroom closet because it is actually in our office. 'Why is it in the office?' you may ask. Well, that's because we live in a weird old house and if we had the bedroom where it was supposed to be it would be right smack dab in the middle of the upstairs. And if you wanted to go from the living room to the bathroom or kitchen you would have to walk through the bedroom. Oh, and we have no doors. When I got pregnant, we moved the bedroom downstairs and the office upstairs so we could at least have a small amount of privacy and be close to where we wanted to put the nursery. Yes, the nursery is in the basement but don't worry, now that we have replaced the glass in the lights is actually quite bright. Additional aside, the idiot who lived in this house before us not only painted the basement light blue and bright orange (yes, you read that right: light blue and bright orange) but he also painted the backing of the glass in the light fixtures making the basement ridiculously dark.

Back to the closet. So, it's upstairs in the office. And I've had some crazy weird energy for about one hour everyday and I wanted to clean it out and make it look presentable so if the doors accidentally get left open (*cough*Brian can't close anything *cough*) I wouldn't be totally ashamed of people seeing it. Also, I knew there were a bunch of things that needed to be donated or sold since we don't wear them anymore. It started out fine but about half an hour in, after I'd pulled out all of Brian's clothes and then rehung his dress shirts I was trying to move the tie rack and it hit me in the head. Okay. Not terrible. I'm somewhat clumsy, I can deal with the occasional idiot move. But then, then, I couldn't get it reattached where I wanted it. Also, I had tried calling Brian three times (yes, I'm needy sometimes, I'm pregnant, leave me alone) and he had hit the ignore button every time because I wanted to ask him about some suits I had found in the back of the closet and whether or not he wanted to keep them. So, I left him a really angry message and then dissolved into tears. I am pathetic.

Another side note: I flipping hate this schedule. Brian has to be at work because the stinking scholarship dinner is next week and it's not that I want him to be home all the time, but he takes less vacation time than everyone else in that office and hello I'm giving birth in three weeks, I would occasionally like for him to be home to help me do all the stuff I want to do before then. Most of you don't know that the same dinner was the Thursday after our wedding so we had to wait a week before we could go on our honeymoon and he was working the whole time. Grumble grumble.

Well, I won't bore you all with the details of finally getting the closet put back together, but here are the results:

I know it still doesn't look all that great, but trust me this is a vast improvement. Also, please ignore the tubs you see in the living room, that's just my ceiling leaking all over the place.

NFL Picks, Week Seven

Still not feeling well (or not feeling well again). Short picks again this week, mostly.

GB at CLE: Some logo beats no logo. Packers.
SD at KC: Chargers
IND at STL: hahahahahahah. Colts
MIN at PIT: Purple is so much better. Plus, the Steelers are kind of sucking it up this year. Vikings.
NE at TB: Battle of the two-letter-abbreviation teams! Patriots.
SFO at HOU: Last week showed that the Texans' logo, a two-tone cow skull, is superior to the Bengals' logo of a stripey B. This week will show that it's better than the letters S and F inside an oval. Texans.
NYJ at OAK: Although the Raiders' logo is better, I can't ignore the fact that A) they suck, and B) their head coach may have tried to kill somebody during preseason. Jets
BUF at CAR: I like the Panthers' logo better than the Bills, even though they wear teal. There are entirely too many teams in the NFL that wear teal or some other form of hideous green. Oh well. Panthers.
CHI at CIN: I'm just gonna keep picking the Bengals, just for funzies. Bengals.
ATL at DAL: Falcons.
NO at MIA: Duh. Saints.
ARI at NYG: Hmmm. Probably the Giants.
PHI at WAS: Snort. Please tell me this isn't the Monday Night Football game. That's pathetic. Who would put Washington on Monday Night Football? Eagles.

Well, I guess I typed a little more than I thought I would. Weird.

NFL Picks, Week Six

Too tired to be witty or to check my record from last week so here's just a quick pick list

HOU vs CIN Bengals

DET vs GB Packers

STL vs JAC Jaguars

BAL vs MIN Vikings

For your viewing pleasure and just because its fun to make fun of him:

NYG vs NO Saints

CLE vs PIT Steelers

CAR vs TB Panthers

KC vs WAS Redskins

PHI vs OAK Eagles

ARI vs SEA Cardinals

TEN vs NE Patriots

BUF vs NYJ Jets

CHI vs ATL Falcons

DEN vs SD Broncos

The Good List

I've been a bit of a Debbie Downer lately and for that I do apologize to you, dear readers. So today, despite my heartburn, back pain and sleep deprivation, I'm going to focus on the good things. My list of happy

1. I'm 35 weeks today! That means that I only have about a month left until my due date. We went for my (hopefully) last ultrasound this morning. Everything looks great. She's growing exactly the way she should be and currently weighs a little more than 5 pounds. Also, they did a 3D Ultrasound for the first time. She looks like an actual baby and not just a blob!

2. Tiny baby clothes. So I admit to going a little crazy at Gymboree the other morning and then suffered from extreme guilt and buyer's remorse. However, I took back all but one thing and now I feel a lot better. Look at how cute this jacket is though:

3. The movie Stardust. I know I've mentioned it before, but right now this is my favorite movie. People always say that if a movie (or music, book, etc) puts you to sleep, you must not like it very much. I beg to differ. There is something very comforting about this movie. It's like a warm blanket of happy and, if I'm having trouble sleeping, all I have to do is turn it on and I'm asleep within five minutes. Now, if only I could figure out a way to set my DVD player to repeat so it would stay on all night and the menu music wouldn't wake me up.

4. I finished my first knitting project in about two years. Granted I haven't actually worked on anything in a very long time, but it's still nice to have something completed and I can say, "Look what I made! Aren't I cool?" In addition, I have plans for future projects. I'm going to make a matching hat to go with this scarf (eventually) and currently I'm working on a tiny purple baby scarf which will also have a matching hat. My friend Cecily lent me a book of Harry Potter themed projects for an easy hat pattern and I want to make Hermione's knitting bag too!

5. Del Monte Fruit Chillers. I could eat an entire box of these in one day, they are so delicious. Plus, it's made with real fruit so bonus nutritional value!

6. Grilled cheese sandwiches and alphabet soup. I feel like such a kid when I eat this, but it's so tasty! Unfortunately, I don't make very good grilled cheese sandwiches. I know what you are all thinking: How hard is it to make a grilled cheese? Not very hard, but my dear husband makes them much better than I do so I only get to eat them when he's home for lunch.

7. I got a random refund from my old student health insurance (seriously, the charges were from 2002). WTF? Awesome though!

8. Borders' Iced Hazelnut Toffee Mocha. Do I need to say more? Even substituting decaf espresso for the cold-brewed coffee, it is still one of the tastiest beverages on the face of the planet.

Well. That completes my list of happy. I leave you all with my weekly (sorta) picture. Here I am at 35 weeks.

Also note, that sweater is not a maternity sweater. It is one I bought from H&M about two years ago, but it is so long and big and schlumpy that it still fits over my eight month pregnant belly. Awesome.

Alien!

This is what it feels like is going on in my uterus right now:

Food!

Behold! Lamb with Mint Ragout. Brian added his to some spaghetti while I ate it straight up. Delicious!

NFL Picks, Week Five

It's that time of the week again friends! Last week I went an astounding 12-2, beating Brian by one game. Suck it!

CIN vs BAL: My heart wants the Bengals to win, especially because of crazy old Chad Ochocinco, but I know history is against them. And purple beats orange. Ravens

CLE vs BUF: After being trounced by the Dolphins last week and because the Browns almost beat Cincinnati, I have no faith in Buffalo anymore. Although it pains me because their logo sucks I have to go with Browns

WAS vs CAR: Sucky team versus suckier team. Hmmm. Panthers

PIT vs DET: Ha! Steelers

DAL vs KC: I will continue to believe Kansas City will lose because they don't have Dick Vermeil anymore. Dallas

OAK vs NYG: Ha! Giants.

see more Sports Pictures

TB vs PHI: Ha! Eagles

MIN vs STL: Ha! (Yes, I'm a broken record) Vikings

ATL vs SF: I like red. But it looks much better with black than with gold. Falcons

HOU vs ARI: Have I ever mentioned that I think Kurt Warner is a sexy bitch. Just kidding. Cardinals

NE vs DEN: So I tried to find the Hank Scorpio episode of The Simpsons where Homer is given ownership of the Denver Broncos, but I was unsuccessful in finding it on YouTube. Let's just say Patriots

JAC vs SEA: It's just a field of teal out there isn't it? Jaguars

IND vs TEN: Apparently the Titans really suck this year even though they were quite good last year. Colts

NYJ vs MIA: I laugh at the Jets because they lost to the Saints last week! However, the Dolphins are the Dolphins. Jets

Two Years

Two years ago today Brian and I finally made it legal after almost six years of dating. I remember waking up at my friends house and being picked up by my sister to get my hair done. I remember that it was 95 degrees outside. I remember thinking that I had brought this on myself because I had been hoping so much for a warm day so we could get married outside. I remember shaking while my dad and I sat in the carriage before the ceremony. I remember good friends and good times. I remember walking through the hotel lobby in my wedding dress and people giving us knowing looks. I remember soaking in the giant bathtub in an attempt to get all the hairspray and makeup off of me. I remember being so tired that we both fell asleep long before midnight. It was the best day of my life. In two years we...

1) Went to Antigua for our honeymoon where I managed to avoid getting a sunburn for four whole days

3) I started a two new jobs. Neither of them provided less stress than working for CPK but for awhile at least the schedule was better. (Until I was opening 5 days a week that is)

2) Went to Las Vegas for cousin Steve's graduation from culinary school. I smashed the viewfinder on my digital camera the first day. It turns out disposable cameras are not that bad.

4) Went to New York for Jeff and Helen's wedding

5) Had a six month string of really crappy things happening. Our basement flooded, our roof had to be replaced, our house got robbed, I got sciatica and an intestinal parasite and I got into a car accident and totaled my car.

6) I went back to school.

7) I got pregnant. This is what I looked like just a few months ago:

8) Went to Florida for Karen and Adam's wedding.

Happy two years to my silly husband!

Tired

I'm tired. Tired of being tired. Tired of feeling nauseous. Tired of not being able to sleep at night because no position is comfortable. Tired of this feeling of panic because I have no idea what I'm doing. Tired of feeling like I've made no progress in cleaning the house. Tired of not being ready. Tired of waiting for the stinking nursery furniture to get here. I'm tired of being pregnant and yet I'm so not ready for a baby.

Ack.

Confession

I like young adult novels. There, I said it. I'm a 27 year old woman who reads young adult. In my defense, however, there is a lot of really good stuff out there right now. (Of course there is also some really really bad stuff out there. *cough*Twilight*cough*. Which I do admit to reading because it's like crack. You know its bad for you but you just can't stop yourself).

My most recent find is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I also have a weakness for dystopian fiction (Aside: another great dystopian young adult series is Uglies by Scott Westerfeld) so I really couldn't help myself. I really suck a summarizing novels but, in essence, two teenagers from each of the 12 districts in this society are chosen to compete in a reality television death match. Only one is allowed to survive. It's is supremely fucked up but fantastic. I finished the whole thing in one day because I could not put it down. And then there is a sequel (Catching Fire, in case you were wondering) and although I highly recommend you read both you will be supremely frustrated when you finish the second book because the third one isn't out yet!

Another note: How to trick your husband/significant other into reading this book, don't tell him the narrator is a girl. That's right. I got Brian to read it and he liked it. Ha!

NFL Picks, Week Four

Last week I posted my best record yet of 12-4. Hooray for me.

DET vs CHI: So apparently Detroit won last week for the first time since 2007. Goody for them. That still doesn't make them a good team seeing as they lost to Washington. I'm gonna have to go with the orange C. Chicago

CIN vs CLE: Ha! Cincinnati

OAK vs HOU: Is Oakland good this year? I don't really know or care. The rules of the logo clearly state that the bull with a Texas flag should win. Houston

SEA vs IND: Hrm. I don't have much faith in the Seahawks. Plus, did you see the hideous lime green uniforms they were wearing last week? Indianaoplis

TEN vs JAX: How is it that the Titans have yet to win a game this season? Weren't they pretty good last year. Hmm...maybe this will be the week. Plus the Jacksonville logo is kinda ugly. Tennessee.

NYG vs KC: Ha! Giants.

BAL vs NE: If Bill Belichick wears his awesome headband and cut-off sweatshirt this game is an easy win for New England.

TB vs WAS: Oh Washington! You lost to the Detroit Lions last week and won against the Rams the week before entirely on field goals. Plus your logo sucks. Tampa Bay.

BUF vs MIA: Dolphins might not be able to run on land and we're still working on those hands instead of flippers for catching. But at least they are more graceful than Buffalos. Miami.

NYJ vs NO: For some reason all the analysts think the New York Jets are the gods' gift to football this year. But Drew Brees is probably the best quarterback in the NFL. And is damn sexy to boot. New Orleans.

DAL vs DEN: Denver has a better logo. Flaming horse mane anyone? And I'm so over hoping the Cowboys won't totally suck. Denver.

STL vs SF: As much as it pains me to pick the hideousness that is San Francisco's color scheme, I just can't imagine St Louis can win. San Francisco. And then there is this:

see more Sports Pictures

SD vs PIT: Come on Steelers. Pull yourselves together this week. For me. Pittsburgh.

GB vs MIN: Oh dear. If I have to listen to them talk about this game anymore I think I might scream. Yes, Brett Favre is competing against the Packers for the first time. Blah blah blah. I don't want to get into it so let's just say I like purple. Minnesota.

In other news, Brian just got back from Philly last night and already he is gone again. Sad Kirsten.

Kirsten, Budgeting Queen!

Ever since losing my job or, more accurately, after having to quit because of my ankle injury, I have become a housewife. Also, uber-cheap shopping queen! For the longest time, I avoided store brands, not because I thought they would be worse than name brand products but because I was not familiar with the store brands here (aka Schnuck's). At home in Washington, I knew what I was getting when I bought a store brand and had become pretty comfortable with it. The change came when I realized that every cent I could save would be a massive help financially and it all started with the store-brand waffles. Half the cost of Eggos and just as tasty! As an aside what is up with the 16 pack of waffles being three times as much as the ten pack? That does not make economical sense. Usually, when one buys a larger quantity package, the price per unit would go down. Weird. Anyway, now I go out of my way to see if there is a store brand of whatever item I'm buying and I check to see if it is in fact less than the name-brand. (I did crack and buy Quaker brand oatmeal because Shcnucks didn't have Strawberries 'n Cream except in the variety pack. Poopers.) Yep. I am super cheap!

Are you bored yet? Well, how about we talk about freezing things? I like to put stuff in the freezer. Pita bread, hamburger buns, leftover meat. Not cooked meat of course, just whatever I didn't need for a recipe but couldn't buy in a smaller quantity. Currently in there: cheese ravioli, one steak, turkey breast tenders, veggie burgers (homemade), pita and burger buns, waffles and fruit pops. Also frozen berries for my smoothies. Another good trick. Giant tub of Schnucks yogurt is really cheap, add a little bit of milk and frozen fruit of your choice and you get a delicious smoothie snack which costs way less than it would if you bought it out.

Now, if only I could make myself always want to cook because there are days when I would much rather just go out and have someone else make my dinner for me. Still have to work on that, but I'm getting there.

Grace and Toy / 33 Weeks

This is Grace with probably the cat's new favorite toy. We've actually had it for awhile, having bought it last year at the Lake. At least, I think that's where we got it from. This picture is a less psycho-looking version of what she looks like when she plays with it.

33 Weeks! Yes, I know I look pretty small still. It just annoys me when people point that out. I want to scream: "You try carrying this thing around!" Ugh. And this morning it was cold enough outside to wear a sweater. I love Fall.

The Rules of Logos are Simple and Finite...

...any Cosmo girl would know!

That's right, Elle Woods is the inspiration for the quote bragging about me getting a 10-6 record last week on my NFL picks - including the surprising upset loss by the Green Bay Packers to the perennial suckfest that is the Cincinnati Bengals. Are the Cincinnati Bengals? Be? Am?

Whatever. Grammar is hard. On to the picks!

WAS at DET: Eurgh. Both teams suck (the Redskins beat the Rams entirely on field goals last week!), but the Redskins' logo is slightly better. Redskins.
GB at STL: The Packer logo is spectacularly worse than the Rams' is, but even I know better than to bet on the Rams. Packers.

An aside: Jason LaRue is obviously white trash, but at least he doesn't have a mullet - his hair is the same length all the way around.

SFO at MIN: I just hate Brett Favre when he wins, but the logos don't lie. Vikings.
ATL at NE: You know what? I LIKE the Patriots' logo - it looks like a flying Elvis! Patriots.
TEN at NYJ: The Titan logo is, for all intents and purposes, a thumbtack that looks like it's on fire. Plus, I can't in good conscience pick the Jets, having been crippled by having their quarterback Chad Pennington as my fantasy football team starter for so long, even when he sucked (he's with the Dolphins now, and is apparently much better). Titans.
KC at PHI: It's the Chiefs. Even if Donovan McNabb doesn't play, it's the Chiefs. Eagles.
NYG at TB: Even though the Giants' logo is lame, it's a classy kind of lame. Plus, I like blue! Giants.
CLE at BAL: Hahahahahahahahahah! Ravens
JAX at HOU: Houston did win last week, and I picked them to win, like a crazy person. I'm picking them again, just for funzies. Plus, their logo is like the flag of Texas, and if you don't like the Texas flag, you're a terrorist! Texans.
NO at BUF: Hahahahahahahahahah! Saints.
CHI at SEA: Seattle's going to be wearing their hideous sea foam green uniforms. Green shirts, green pants, light-green piping. Ewwww. Plus, ask me sometime about high school and all the douchebags in their Seahawks windbreakers. They may have a better logo, but the terrible outfits cancel those out. Bears.
PIT at CIN: I like the leaping gay cat logo, and the fact that there's a player named "Ochocinco" (yes, "eight-five") on the roster. Bengals in a HUGE upset.
DEN at OAK: Stylized horse > pirate dude. Broncos.
MIA at SDG: The Chargers may be overrated, but again, Dolphins can't run on land, and don't even have hands - how can they catch a forward pass? Chargers.
IND at ARI: Kurt Warner is so sexy, in that old man who's not a total douchebag like Brett Favre kind of way. Cardinals.
CAR at DAL: The Panthers have a better logo, but they're so terrible, the logo can't help. Cowboys.




By the way, Brian is bragging about his 12-4 record last week in his picks league. But he's such a dork he joined a picks league, so what does he know?

Sleep Deprivation is Fun!

I have entered that wonderful time in pregnancy where sleeping has become extremely difficult. This is for two main reasons. 1) I have to pee all the freakin' time. I mean seriously, four times in one hour. That seems a bit excessive and yet there you go. 2) Whenever I lay down - and I do mean whenever, it could be 2 in the afternoon - baby girl decides that would be the best time to practice her jazzercise routine. Its like a disco in there. I would not be surprised to find that she has hung a miniature mirror ball in my uterus and is doing some sweet moves from Saturday Night Fever.

I was so tired from lack of sleep last Saturday that I was reduced to tears (yes, actual tears) because all I wanted was to take a nap. Just a couple of hours of uninterrupted sleep. That's all I was asking for. If you don't believe me, ask Brian. It was awful and no, I did not in fact get any sleep that day either.

Perhaps this is my body's way of preparing me for when she's born and doesn't sleep for more than a few hours at a time and my sleep schedule has to correspond with hers. I'm telling you though, I see a very cranky Kirsten for the foreseeable future.

Also, simply by walking one block from my car to the London Tea Room for Knitty Knerds last Friday, I have managed to reinjure my ankle. Its not as bad as when I first hurt it but there are times when I feel shooting pain up my leg. Fun.

Man, I'm such a whiner sometimes.

NFL Picks, Week Two

Last week, using my fantastical tactic of picking pro football game winners based almost entirely on their mascots, I compiled a record of 9-7. I'll keep track of my cumulative record throughout the season unless I get sick of this.

On to the picks!
CAR at ATL - This is a difficult choice - they have equally good logos. However, the Atlanta home uniform of black pants (slimming!) with black shirts and red trim is a far better choice, fashion-wise. Falcons.
MIN at DET - I hate Brett Favre. I hate him - I hate him! But the likelihood is that he'll win, because it's the Lions, and the Vikings do have a better logo than Detroit. Vikings
CIN at GB - I don't like the Packers, either, but I know they'll probably win, because it's the Bengals. But I do like the Bengals' leaping kitty logo! Bengals
ARI at JAX - I have faith in Kurt Warner, because he's old and still playing, but not as annoying as Brett Favre. Cardinals.
OAK at KAN - The Chiefs' logo is really hideous, and the Raiders made a show of it last week against the apparently-overrated Chargers. Plus, the Chiefs don't have Dick Vermiel anymore, who amused me because he always looked like he had to poop, but did win a Super Bowl with one team and took another to one 20 years before. So, Raiders to win.
NE at NYJ - Cut-off hoodies for the win. Patriots.
NO at PHI - The Saints have a better uniform. I don't like that green crap the Eagles wear - what is that, sea foam? It's just as bad as the Seahawks (more on this later). Saints.
HOU at TEN - Houston still has a better logo. I like the flag inside the longhorn skull. Brian tells me the Titans are a much better team, but I don't care. I know the Texans suck, but still pick them. Texans.
STL at WAS - I have a whole lot of "meh" for this game. I guess Rams.
SEA at SFO - I really hate the 49ers' uniforms. Gold pants? What is this, the 70s? Is this Studio 54? No, this is the NFL. Lucky for the Seahawks they'll be wearing their road whites! Seahawks.
TB at BUF - That frickin' buffalo is pretty ugly. You can't deny that. Buccaneers.
PIT at CHI - In this case, you have the choice of weird sparkly painty bits in a white circle versus a boring orange "C." OooOOoOOoOOOoooOOOo. Steelers.
CLE at DEN - It's the Browns. There's nothing exciting about them whatsoever, so I have to always pick against them. And the Browns will probably be terrible, so I have better-than-even odds of being right. Broncos.
BAL at SD - I hate the lightning bolt, so I have to go with the Ravens. Seriously, a lightning bolt? Even the name "Chargers" is kind of lame. What kind of team mascot is a charger? Is it, like, a horse? A supercharger from a car engine? A battery charger? Ravens.
NYG at DAL - Neither logo is a very good choice. But maybe people will keep kicking things into the giant screen, so the Cowboys have a home field advantage there. Cowboys.
IND at MIA - Nobody would pick Miami. Brian tells me they made the playoffs last year. I don't care - it's the dolphins. They may be the most intelligent creatures on earth, but they aren't supposed to be on land, and I'm relatively certain they can't kick a field goal. Colts.

Couldn't Have Said it Better Myself

Normally, I avoid editorials but this article on CNN caught my eye. In essence, it criticizes the self-centered, me-first world we live in. I wish I could have written this. As someone who has worked in various forms of food-service where we basically have to treat every customer as the most important person there and put up with them being anything from rude to downright cruel, I could not agree more. At what point did we decide it was okay to make another person cry (and yes, I have cried on more than one occasion at work) just because something didn't go our way? When did it become okay to look down on someone just because they have a job that you consider demeaning? If no one worked in food service or as a janitor or as a gardner, where would we be? Just because we don't make huge salaries does not make us any less of a person than you. In fact, I'm going to come out and say it, we are more important than you because we keep the world running and make your lives easier. There I said it.

/end rant

31 (Almost) Weeks

The lighting in my bathroom sucks, but that's the only place in the house with a mirror so...there you go.

Oh My Neighbors!

Sometimes I hate where I live. People here have no idea how to behave properly. For example, the kids like to play "kick ball" in the street and they have on more than one occasion come very close to hitting my car. While I realize that this is an urban neighborhood and there aren't a lot of front yards for the neighborhood youth to play in that does not make it okay to play in the middle of the street. Right next to my car!

That's not what I really wanted to complain about. Why is it that people think it is okay to sit in their car with the windows rolled down blasting their stereo late into the night? This has happened on more than one occasion and it was different cars every time; so, it was probably different people each time. Oi. And it is always when I have to get up early the next morning. If you must blast your music could you at least do it inside someone's home and not right outside my house? Thank you.

Also, yes that was me that called the cops.

NFL Picks, Week One

So. Brian used to do his picks on his blog every week and although he is not doing that anymore, I thought I'd keep the tradition alive. Only my picks will be based almost entirely on who has the better mascot/logo. It's got to be at least as accurate as any other way.

TEN vs PIT: Technically, this game happened yesterday. But since no one in their right mind would pick the Titans over the reigning Super Bowl champions, I'm counting this as a win for me. Pittsburgh

MIA vs ATL: This is a bit of a toss-up for me since neither the falcons nor the dolphins is a particularly exciting mascot. But since I think the Atlanta logo looks better, I'm going to pick them. Atlanta.

KC vs BAL: This one's easy. Ravens definitely better than the chiefs, mascot wise. Baltimore.

PHI vs CAR: On the one hand, I personally like the Carolina logo better. On the other hand, I think the Eagles might be a better team. On the other hand (yes I have three hands), the Eagles signed Michael Vick who is a bit of dog killing asshole. So, just for kicks I'm going to go with Carolina.

DEN vs CIN: The Bengals are a totally better mascot than the Broncos, unfortunately their logo is a bit lame. Hmm...plus they probably won't win cause they're just that bad. Then again, Brian might be upset with me if I didn't pick them to win so...Cincinnati.

MIN vs CLE: Here's another hard one. The Browns is a terrible name for a team. Then again the Vikings signed Brett Favre who I personally believe needs to just give up. I mean, dude, seriously, you're old and past your prime. Let it go. So I have to go with Cleveland.

NYJ vs HOU: Just to be contrary, even though I know the Texans will probably lose, I like their logo better. Houston

JAC vs IND: Again, the Jaguars logo is better, but I know they are a much worse team and have lost their last three (I think) games against the Colts. In this case though I'm going with Indianapolis.

DET vs NO: No contest here really. New Orleans.

DAL vs TB: There are too many teams, so from now on I'm just going to give my picks and forget the commentary. Tampa Bay

SF vs ARI: Arizona. Also, duh because they were in the Super Bowl last year and I can't remember the last time the 49ers were any good

WAS vs NYG: New York.

STL vs SEA: Hmm...my adopted home town team or my former "home town" (being the closest team to Vancouver)? Decisions, decisions. Seattle

CHI vs GB: Da bears.

BUF vs NE: New England. I mean seriously, who would pick Buffalo?

SD vs OAK: Another no brainer. San Diego.

That's all folks. We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog.

And the Results...

Brian Boitano's Coq-Au-Vin-Guine:

Do I Talk About Food Too Much?

I think maybe I do. Perhaps it is because of this thing I'm growing in my tummy that makes me hungry all the time. Anyway. Tonight Brian and I are going to tackle a recipe from What Would Brian Boitano Make? (if you haven't watched it, you are totally missing out on some excellent ridiculousness) Check out the recipe here

August Wrap-Up

It has been an interesting month. Bookended by visits to the hospital/emergency room and in the middle lots of working and not sleeping and feeling like poop. Yup.

Now, I am unemployed. And in all honesty, I don't think I'm going to go back to [redacted] after little one is born. There was too much drama and guilt tripping going on. I'm sorry that I'm pregnant and some days I'm not functional and that means you have to change your plans or miss your day off but it is your restaurant and it is not my fault that I was the only employee you had left and you hadn't even thought about hiring anyone else. Did you think I was going to just pop the baby out and come back to work the next day? And sorry I fell down my front stars and effed up my foot (for a full account of the incident, see the husband's blog) and you had to close early one night because you had tickets to the theatre. Shit happens. And trust me, it sucked way more for me than it did for you. /end rant

I suppose it hasn't been all bad. Little one seems to be growing normally despite only having two vessels in the umbilical cord (apparently, this is pretty common, who knew?) and I don't have gestational diabetes. Whoo. I upped my dosage hopefully for the last time and, at least for the last few days, have been feeling much better.

Brian and I have been cooking a bit more in the last couple weeks. The tomato soup was not a great success, but if you dipped grilled cheese in it, it was much better. We made jambalaya courtesy of a mix from the Soulard spice shop and some delicious Andouille from the Soulard meat market. Also there is a pound of ground lamb in the freezer just waiting to be made into a fake gyro. We made some delicious chili as well. Unfortunately, Brian left it sitting out overnight and I could not have seconds. Brian, of course, decided it was fine and has been eating the leftovers all week. No signs of sickness yet. Finally, and then I promise I'll be done talking about food, we made cheese ravioli last night with a spinach-artichoke sauce. Sinfully delicious. Plus the recipe made way too much sauce for the pasta, so the leftovers are going to be used as dip for our tortilla chips.

Yesterday, we went to the baseball game cause, you know, free Adam Wainwright bobbleheads. Had to trade in our tickets for handicap seats, but they turned out to be amazing! Right on the first base foul line (or whatever you call it, I don't know all the lingo) and on the first level. Pretty freaking sweet. Oh, and we won!

That's about it. Now, I'm limping around the house doing housework in ten minute bursts because that's about all the time my ankle can be stood on without pain.

A Bit Late: 27.5 Weeks

Why yes. That is my shower curtain in the background.

Sigh

...I want a real vacation again.

What? Huh?

I just discovered that my student loans have been deferred. Now, while this is technically good news since I was planning on calling them in October or November and telling them I wasn't going to be able to pay them for awhile - what with all the baby and not having a job and stuff - I hadn't done anything yet. So the letter they sent me in the mail - that being how I found out about this and then I confirmed it online - said that it was because I was enrolled part-time. And while this is technically true, I was not accepted into a degree program (that I know of because even though I have the application I haven't sent it in yet) and I'm not taking classes right now. So...yeah. Call me confused.

Also, does this mean I can quit working earlier than I thought? God I hope so. So flippin' tired.

Food Ambition

So. During the day, I watch a lot of Food Network. And I do mean a lot. About the only thing on daytime television (other than soap operas and court shows, which I would not watch if my life depended on it) is reruns of the Daily Show/Colbert Report and food network. And since I tend to watch the Daily Show when it first airs - unless I've already passed out from exhaustion - I watch such high quality television as Guy's Big Bite and Semi-Homemade Cooking. Although I have yet to see anything on either of those two shows that I would actually want to make, I did see something ridiculously delicious on Tyler's Ultimate the other day. Roasted Tomato Soup.

Let me just digress for a moment. During the first few months of my pregnancy, about the only food that did not make me actively nauseous was the creamy tomato soup from Bread Co. I ate it almost every day. Unfortunately, it is a "seasonal" item and it was discontinued for the summer. I don't know why; it was one of the most popular soups on the menu. So, my inside source at B. Co tells me that they are bringing it back soon but I just can't wait any longer. And I really have no desire to set foot in there ever again (despite the delicious new pastries which Desiree has been tempting me with all week).

Okay. Where was I? So this recipe was on his Ultimate Mac-n-cheese show and I just could not help myself. We're gonna make both of them this weekend. Brian and I went down to the farmer's market this morning - it is very strange to be there not on a Saturday, by the way - to get some supplies. We got the tomatoes and the onions and the garlic, but the whole reason why I wanted to go down there instead of to the grocery store was because they usually have herbs for about $1 a bunch. Unfortunately, the farm stand that has the herbs wasn't there today. Grr. Also the recipe seems a bit more complicated than we are used to making. Oh well, keeping my fingers crossed that we don't screw it up too badly. I want me some tomato soup!