She's a mover and a shaker

We are narrowing down names, but girl bean has been redubbed "Beana" for the time being. Much bigger than a bean now (in fact, she is just about a pound and a half!) She is moving like crazy and kicking and making herself known many times a day now...it is heavenly! I simply love knowing she is in there and alive and well.

I know I am pissing off women everywhere who have had morning sickness or food aversions or horrible heartburn and anxiety and insomnia, but I find myself saying the following phrase often and repeatedly: There is nothing about being pregnant that I haven't completely loved.

During my ultrasound on Wednesday the technician paused and looked at me.
"How tall are you?"
"5-9" I said.
"How tall is her dad?"
"He's tall!" I answered. "6'5" or so."
She nodded and smiled. "This girl's legs are l-o-n-g long. She's measuring around the 28th or 29th week for legs." She snapped a cutie pie picture of her long-ass legs all tucked up, knees to forehead and ankles crossed and handed it to me. It's precious.
Later I told Jon who laughed and said, "That's my girl!"

What this brought crashing beautifully home to me in a way that tugs at that place in your throat that trembles when you know you're about to cry is that this little person, this perfect, wondrous being is something that is completely Jon and me. We made her. She is us. God I love that. I love that almost as much as I love that she is kicking me softly right now -- a deep and tender thump somewhere under my bellybutton, letting me know she's there.

Quote of the Day

"I do feel that when you're born into the world, you're given a ticket to the freak show, and when you're born in the United States, you're given a front-row seat." - George Carlin

Effin' Awesome Sweater

Nothing else to say...

Garfield Minus Garfield

This is brilliant. Genius.

From Garfield Minus Garfield

Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life? Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let’s laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness in a quiet American suburb.

Mahalo, Hawai'i

It's our last night here and, of course, it went too fast. Since I last posted, we've been snorkeling in a protected, crystal clear cove and swam with all manner of tropical fishes, where the waves gently pushed us too and fro in the warm water. I could have stayed in there all day. We returned today to snorkel in the same cove and I watched in awe as a humongous, ancient sea turtle swam just inches from my face.

Thursday, we drove around the north and east sides of the island, another all-day car ride, but so worth it as we saw gorgeous, tropical valleys, stunning waterfalls and ate delicious sandwiches in little hippie towns (where no one takes credit cards or has restrooms.) We ended in Hilo, as far from Kailua-Kona as we could be, just as everything was closing. We looked in vain for an ice cream parlor and drove down Banyan Drive where notable people have planted banyan trees when they visited Hilo (most of them in the 30's)...Nixon and Babe Ruth were amoung those we didn't see, but we did catch a glimpse of Cecil B. DeMille's tree.

Today I went to the spa and for dinner we ate steak and the most sumptuously sweet, fresh pineapple I have ever had. We and watched our final Hawaiian sunset from the balcony.

Volcanic Emissions

The drive to the volcano was long and slow. I got really car sick, so Jerry let me drive which freed up all his energy for complaining about what a waste of time going to look at some steaming LAY-vah hole is.

When we got there we learned that some roads were closed due to abnormally high sulfur-dioxide emissions but that if we rolled up the windows and turned the a/c on recycled air, that we could drive through those places. We had a picnic at the visitor's center and then drove off on the 11-mile loop around the crater. It was pretty spectacular to see from up top, much bigger than I imagined and there were steam vents everywhere. It looked prehistoric and smelled even worse.

We were turned back about 10 minutes along the route due to the roads now being closed. Apparently, the emissions had got worse. We looped back the other way to see what we could before heading home. At one of the lookouts, there was a sign warning children and pregnant ladies not to go any further, so I stayed in the car while the others held their noses and explored.
All of us got a little congested and my throat was a little sore. The fumes were very uncomfortable.

The final stop was the Thurston Lava Tube, which was a tunnel formed by a lava flow 550 years ago. It was about 15 feet in diameter and now surrounded by rain forest. It was the highlight for me. A 20 minute walk down to it and through was well worth it and the highlight of the trip for me.

Black sand, guava smoothie and breaching whales

Our day yesterday was a long one. We drove past the southern tip of the island to a black sand beach, supposed to be home to hundreds of green sea turtles, but the water was cold and the sand rough and not a turtle in sight.

On the way there, however we did stop at several cool places -- an ethnobotanical garden, comprised of native and early-introduced species of plants, a painted church whose interior walls were (somewhat crudely) decorated with biblical scenes to educate the natives about Christianity over 100 years ago, a sacred lava flat with 20 foot tall tikis and a fruit stand with the most amazing fresh fruit smoothies and macadamia nut brownies ever. By the time we got to the (somewhat disappointing) black sand beach, we had had such a cool and full day of sights and tropical fun that we were hardly even fazed.

Here are a few shots from yesterday. he first few are from our balcony in the condo. That's a humpback.

Rest assured, we are relaxing really hard

I'll let some photos speak for our second day:

We took the car to the north and discovered exotic fruits, new road signs and hung loose with kings.

Paradise is exactly like where you are....only much, much better.

Actually, Laurie Anderson's words aren't ringing true right now. If there is such thing as paradise, we are in it. It is about 74 right now (at 10:00 AM). We slept to the sounds of the waves crashing literally feet from our balcony.

We arrived last night around 5:30 at the condo after a trip to Costco. The surrounding areas are a little industrial and there are crusty, black lava flows leading all the way to the water.

The crusty shores and business parks give way to the trademark turquoise waters and crystal tide pools. Drove through a quick little touristy downtown of Kona and we arrived in our home for the next week. The deck looks out to the ocean as far the eye can see. Below us are sea turtles sunning themselves on the rocks and whales are breeching and crashing a few hundred yards out. Yep. Paradise.

It's a...

What kind of baby is it?

Thanks to a great idea (loaned to me by Dan, owner of Neptune Coffee on Greenwood Ave.) Jon and I have now in our possession a sealed little card which, on the inside, will reveal to us the sex of the bean. Sometime tonight, we will know if he or she is a she or a he and while I was not on board with the whole, "finding out before it's born" scenario, I am really excited now. We can nail down the perfect name and stop calling it "it."

We had our second ultrasound yesterday (pictures to come soon). We get to have a few more ultrasounds, thanks to my borderline high blood pressure and they want to measure the bean every 6 to 8 weeks and make sure s/he is growing at the right rate and getting enough blood etc. The technician said she was pretty sure she could tell what it was (adding the necessary disclaimer that they are rarely 100% sure), and she obliged us by not telling us what it is, but by writing it on a card and sealing it. This is the card we will open tonight, together after a celebratory dinner at Coupage, just Jon and I. Eeee!

Stay tuned.

In: Caucusing - Out: Voting

Sometimes I really feel like I am living under a rock. I have heard people say that "your democratic vote in the presidential primaries in Washington doesn't count" but until today, I had blinders on (or ear plugs or whatever it is that makes you tune things out that you don't understand.)

I went to the Washington State Democrats webpage and found out all about caucusing and primaries and our stupid, idiotic state that holds a primary election seemingly for the fun of it to the tune of 9 or 10 million dollars. Neat. When I try to find out why this stupidity is part of our system, all I find is weird cop out finger pointing -- "It's not us, it's them!"

The Washington State Legislature was the body who voted to hold a primary. The means that the Washington State Democratic Party, which chooses how delegates are decided, had no participation in the decision to hold the primary...

And on the Secretary of State's website, they basically say that the caucuses are unfair and everyone should be able to participate, so they will hold a fakey election so everyone at least feels like they are involved.

The…presidential nominating caucus system in Washington State is unnecessarily
restrictive of voter participation in that it discriminates against the elderly, the infirm,
women, the disabled, evening workers, and others who are unable to attend caucuses and therefore unable to fully participate in this most important quadrennial event that occurs in our democratic system of government.

The Legislature further emphasized that the presidential selection process must be more open and representative of the will of the people.

Jon and I are going to caucus this year and see what it's all about.

In totally unrelated news, we are going to see Riverdance tonight. It's a long story, don't ask. God help us. Help with what, you wonder? How about with staying awake or not laughing during the smackdown dance-offs.

First Photos

Last week Jon and I had the thrill of seeing the bean for the first time. S/he is about 85 millimeters long and moved around the whole time. We clearly saw the heart beating. Amazing.

We got this body shot. The head on the left and the back toward the camera. The little butt and feet tucked under on the right.

The next one shows a close up of the bean's skull. The top of the head is on the right. The eye sockets clearly visible, nose and open-looking mouth. The white line with a little bend in it at the bottom going from right to left is an arm bone!
Wow!

Matt Lauer is a Fucking Asshole Part II

This morning on the Today Show, Matt called Hillary Clinton a "tease." I didn't catch the whole exchange -- They showed Hillary Clinton and then Meredith commented that Hillary "didn't want to say something something" (the part I missed) -- cut back to Matt who looks incredulous. "Oooookay. What a tease." He says in the glib way only he can. I almost didn't post about it because I didn't hear the context, but then I thought, "What the fuck context could make that OK?" Nothing can make that OK. Oh she's a vixen alright. A cock-teasing, power pantsuit wearing, Democratic hopeful. Rrrrrowr!

2007 Movie List

Some people golf. Others have pets. We go to movies. Eighty-three of them, to be exact --in the theater in 2007. My aunt asked how we can both work full time and see so many movies. The answer is just that we make it a priority every weekend and throw some weeknight ones in for fun. This was really a banner year, though and we'll never see this many again in a year, I am pretty sure. Not unless someone starts paying us to go. The full list of what we saw can be found on the movie blog. My top ten of the year are in bold, but here they are for a quick look:

Le Scaphandre et le papillon (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)
Romance and Cigarettes
No Country for Old Men
I'm Not There
Across the Universe
L'Iceberg
Paris, je t'aime
Cha no aji (The Taste of Tea)
Tears of the Black Tiger
Pan's Labyrinth

With special, special mentions to: Control, Inland Empire and The Lives of Others.

Ce n'est pas une baby blog

I just finished reading this great blog by a lady in Arizona about her pregnancy. I haven't even poked around the rest of her site to see what else she does, but I can sense a kindred spirit. I couldn't stop clicking and reading as her 9-months unfolded. I was in awe of her experience, which she chronicled in really honest and fun detail, that I was inspired to start writing about this crazy situation of being pregnant. One of my favorite lines: "I'd rather go commando than wear granny panties." Amen, sistah!

Today -- 13 weeks! We are still weirdly giddy about it. We have come up with about 1 girl name and 3 boy names that we like. I think he's a boy.

Until today today, I was convinced I wasn't showing yet, but we went to the Newmans' for dinner and Amie was like, "Wow girl! You have popped!" E and A both came and felt the belly. Goosebumps! The kiddo is really high up and the only part you can tell is right under my boobs -- it's hard and tight and full-feeling.

It was funny timing to start showing as this morning, for the first time, I was uncomfortable laying on my stomach. Things are happening! It's freaky and awesome.

In 4 days we have a midwife appointment -- the heartbeat and my BP are the two things that sit on the forefront of our minds.

We went to Costco today and bought a new digital camera and four "luxury" pillows. It felt spontaneous and decadent. I tell myself it's all about the baby so it's OK.

I feel incredibly lucky to have had no sickness, no food aversions, no trouble getting pregnant...this is a strange and cool trip so far.

Baby Radar

Lo and behold, Keith Knight and his gal are knocked up too! I am looking forward to him writing about the father's perspective over the coming months.

Effin' Awesome Oprah

I love The Hater on the A.V. Club...Hating Oprah and her Favorite Things is like shooting fish in a barrel, but god! It's funny!

Last week, Oprah unveiled her annual list of her Favorite Things™, an assortment of gifts that are either ugly, useless, obscenely expensive, just plain dumb, or all four, that loyal Oprah-watchers can purchase from her website, or obtain simply by wishing hard enough (according to The Secret).

Of course, this list is no ordinary list. Its roots go very deep into the collective subconscious of both Oprah and her fans. In fact, much like Dark Side Of The Moon allegedly synchs up with The Wizard Of Oz, nearly everything on Oprah's Favorite Things™ list neatly matches up with the symptoms of clinical depression.

Some of my Favorite Things from this list:



Item: Ugg Boots knitted out of pure sadness



Item: Williams-Sonoma Cupcake Assortment -- Eating your feelings has never been so delicious!

Item: The most unattractive outfit in the world.

Link here

My blog reads like Mrs. Beach's 11th grade AP English

Cash Advance Loans

Food Photos

So many amazing homespun food blogs these days. I have fantastic reading material any time I need a new cookie recipe or want to learn about local wild mushrooms. The other thing about food blogs, though, is the photos. Sometimes amazing, well lit and appetizing and sometimes....not so much.

Here are some examples: Which one doesn't belong? On the left, a great picture from Glutten-Free Girl -- you can almost taste the zucchini and cheese all cold and salty and creamy. In the middle, Ellen's garlic spear soup. The creamy texture finds its way to your tongue without ever tasting it! And on the right, an all-too common picture from a food blog where what they are serving is a mystery and it doesn't look tasty at all.




For the takers of photo #3, help is on the way! How great that digital cameras are catching up with the trend of food blog writing. The Olympus Stylus Series, now available with a "cuisine mode" which, according to their website, "enables you to take pictures of food by increasing the saturation, sharpness and contrast settings to take sharp, vivid pictures of the subject." Here's to more attractive, appetizing food writing!