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Dec. 17th, 2009
06:08 pm - It needs salt
I have been cooking a lot of recipes from my clean eating magazine and I am finding that it is lacking a lot of flavor. I need to add salt. Then it's pretty ok.
ah.
anyway I am not dead, tho I will pretend to be for a while.
Thanks and have a nice day.
12:06 pm - Scary GMO contamination
Okay, this is a bit scary:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/article
"Bayer has admitted it has been unable to control the spread of its genetically-engineered organisms despite 'the best practices [to stop contamination]'(1). $2 million US dollar verdict against Bayer confirms company's liability for an uncontrollable technology."
Why are we allowing companies to test GMO crops out in the open again? What's going to happen to all the organic farmers at the farmers market, that I like to shop at?
Dec. 16th, 2009
11:16 pm - Another OB visit and alll's well
Had another OB visit and also a childbirth class today. The OB said I was doing a decent job managing the gestational diabetes, and that I just needed to get more dinner readings in. So that was encouraging. It's very hard and I thought I was missing too many readings to do any good, but she said I was actually doing a decent job considering how hard it is and to just work harder on the dinner readings. So, yay! I gained 1/2 lb at this visit (the last one was two weeks ago) which with all the early weight loss puts me at about +2 lbs or so total. The baby's heartbeat was fine, his movements are fine, my blood pressure is fine, everything seems fine.
I had quite a bit of shortness of breath lately, and the doctors (almost my whole cadre - the OB, primary care, hematologist, and maternal fetal medicine specialist) checked me out and had a big phone conference and decided it was just normal pregnancy shortness of breath, and that the odds of it being a blood clot were so low as to not worry about it. So, I don't have to do further testing for that, yay! Apparently it is just 6 months of extreme motion-sensitive morning sickness and the resultant hiding in bed catching up to me. I've been walking 15 minutes or more most days, and the OB said to keep that up and just go slower and take it easy if I get short of breath.
I'm now looking for a birth Doula. I had no idea how expensive they are! Tom and I just think given how anxious I am, and how far away my own mother is, it is a good idea to have an extra support person around. It's too bad all my friends who've had babies have moved away!!! I think having someone experienced there will help me stay calm and focused, and maybe I can stave off the dreaded c-section! As much as that's possible. Watch me go and have a breech baby after all this. But even if I have to have a c-section, I don't want to be knocked unconscious because I'm raving like a panicky loon. I want to be awake when my baby is born and hold him and feed him as soon as possible afterwards. I think even then a Doula would help me stay calm. I've gotten some good recommendations, so now we just have to find the time to interview a few people for a good fit!
Also, I now have 99% of my holiday shopping done! I'm not doing very many Christmas cards this year, considering I'll probably be doing birth announcements in a month or two, so don't be disappointed if you don't get one from me - immediate family and grandmas only! And Amy, because she sent me the adorable picture of her kid. But that's it!
Childbirth class tonight was all about interventions, and I was so squeamish and obviously anxious the teacher came up and gave me a big hug afterwards. A doula definitely sounds like a good idea for me! We had infant CPR this week as well, at Isis Maternity, and the teacher was just hilarious. I'm glad I took the class. They also went over what to do if the kid is choking, and how to make your house safe (apparently latex balloons are the #1 baby choking hazard).
The only other thing going on in my life right now besides work is we are looking at selling our condo and buying a house. I have no idea what we'll be able to afford - we've started looking with a realtor in the suburbs, and have a big day planned for Sunday. Our seller realtor said that we should be able to sell the current condo at a high enough price to get our down payment back, which is nice. I hope it all works out!
Dec. 15th, 2009
Dec. 12th, 2009
06:11 pm - January Chicago-area SF&F reading groups
January 6, 2010
7PM Destination Wonder reads The January Dancer by Michael Flynn
DeKalb Public Library (309 Oak Street, DeKalb, Illinois 60115-3369) conference room on the lower level.
January 10, 2010
6:30PM Phandemonium reads Stardance by Spider & Jeanne Robinson
Borders (cafe) 1700 Maple Evanston, IL
January 11, 2010
6:30PM Chicago Nerd Social Clubs reads selection TBD
Noble Tree Cafe 2444 N. Clark Street Chicago, IL on the second floor
January 13, 2010
7PM Forest Park SF reads Flashforward by Robert J. Sawyer
Forest Park Public Library, 7555 Jackson Blvd, Forest Park, IL (708) 366-7171
January 14, 2010
7PM Think Galactic! reads The Daughters Of The North by Sarah Hall
Myopic Books 1564 N. Milwaukee Ave Chicago, IL 60622
January 16, 2010
2PM chicago-sf.org reads Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks
Oak Park Public Library, Book Discussion Room | 834 Lake Street Oak Park, IL 60301
January 27, 2010
7PM Homewood SF&F reads Redwall and Mossflower both by Brian Jacques
17917 Dixie Highway Homewood, IL 60430 (708) 798-0121
7PM Lisle SF&F reads Territory by Emma Bull
Lisle Library District (777 Front Street, Lisle, IL)
05:22 pm - Use of Weapons
Use of Weapons is the book I've wanted to discuss for the chicago-sf.org reading group since the beginning. In January, I'll finally get that chance as it won the voting. Woohoo!
Dec. 11th, 2009
02:57 pm - God: just how marginal?
Just how marginal is belief in God? In a survey of philosophy faculty members the numbers break down like this:
God: theism or atheism?
Accept or lean toward: atheism 678 / 931 (72.8%)
Accept or lean toward: theism 136 / 931 (14.6%)
Other 117 / 931 (12.5%)
You can play around with the data in a few different ways and pull out different response sets. It doesn't look like there are very many God-friendly ones.
11:24 am - Peter Watts needs your help
Peter Watts is in trouble with United States border authorities after questioning the basis of a border search of his vehicle. Details at BoingBoing. He's facing the danger of crippling legal bills and donations are being sought.
Dec. 10th, 2009
04:30 pm - Party 2009, Party 2010
Between rolling over our tips from the party @Windycon in 2009, and selling off our featured art item (the Shell Beach poster) we've got a Party 2010 kitty starting from $200. Not including the value of the room for the Best Overall Party award. We're in a good position. Presently jockeying for 2010 are: Real Genius, True Blood and TRON. All of these have constituencies and points to recommend them. I'm personally fond of TRON as an opportunity to get very ambitious with lighting and lighting design.
Dec. 9th, 2009
10:54 pm - Down the rabbit hole
I am a collector. I think. I collect stuff, but I like collecting people and ideas. I collect knowledge. This is what I do. So I find myself at times without focus, no plans for the future because there are so many directions to go. I like creating thing. I like making things by hand. I like the fact that I can do something. All my hobbies are singular and tactile. Singular, I can do them on my own. A lot of the time without electronics. Tactile because I am using my hands. Cooking, knitting, sewing (getting there), reading, writing, guitar, tennis (though I need a partner) and dancing, Mostly it's me doing something.
I think it started with The ritual of dinner. This is an amazing book, detailing how we eat. Where we eat and what we eat with. I have been slowly moving toward food histories and food studies. I like cooking. I like knowing where my foods are coming from. I like to be able to make things.
So right now I am reading "Slow Food Nation" and so far so good. Lots of new words to my vocabulary. New thoughts and furthering my education in ways I like. This is my post-grad work. Learning about food. Learning about where it comes from. It reminds me of when I took a history of Economics class in college. It's never fails to grab my attention then reading about man's history in terms of a single subject.
I am so behind. There is so much to read.
Dec. 4th, 2009
04:20 pm - No more barfasaurus!
Also, I forgot to mention, I haven't been sick now in three days! And over the whole Thanksgiving holiday, I was only really sick once, although I did have a questionable coughing episode. I think the days of being the barfasaurus might be close to an end!
01:47 pm - Crazy Thanksgiving Whirlwind and baby update
The end of Thanksgiving was quite a whirlwind! The vacation and holiday itself were great. At Turkeygiving dinner I got to see all my family on my dad's side, more or less, and had a good time talking with everyone. I'm so jealous of my cousin who already has chickens!!! *sigh* My family are good cooks, too!
And then the baby shower, of course, it was absolutely perfect!!! I was hoping to get some pictures up, but we've been swamped with baby-related events, so maybe tonight after I drop books off at the library. Cindy (my sister-in-law) and Lauren (my sister) hosted the shower at my Mom's house, and all three of them did a humongous amount of work. And it was well worth it! Everything turned out perfect! They chose colors based on how we're decorating the baby's room (with frogs, of course) so the table was all set in shades of green and yellow and white. Even the punch was green! And tasty, too. They had all kinds of little appetizer thingys - ham and cheese rolls, bruchetta, cupcakes, and of course I requested some veggies and dip so I wouldn't overdo it on the sugar! And all the people that came! I was very surprised and happy about that. Aunt Becky, Granny, and Nita were there, and Nita brought my cousin Marian. Tom's mom made it too, and Bob (Tom's brother) and Gina brought their adorable little Erin - it was so nice to see them again! Some of my old high school friends came as well - Amy had just got back from holiday, and Charlotte drove all the way down from Raleigh. And Mom had a couple of her friends there as well - Betty and Donna, who Amy actually knew! I think that's 15, if you count me and the hostesses. It was just delightful!
And we have so much baby stuff now... All kinds of funny, adorable clothes and soft blankets and froggy toys. Jason picked out a high chair that fits on a seat (he came with Cindy but he and Tom went to the movies - I didn't make them stay), it was called "Recline and Grow", and he wrote this hilarious card about how not to use the "baby recliner" - ie Tom and I shouldn't sit on it, and the TV tray would be great for movie nights. Oh, it cracked me up. And the hilarious things they put on baby clothes... we got a onesie that said "I TCP/IP, but mostly, IP", and another that said "Ask me about my compost pile", and a bib that said "Let's do lunch - it's on me!" Oh, the baby humor. And adorable little fuzzy bear hat and booties, and super-soft froggie blankets, and airplane-themed clothes, and Amy made us this wonderful baby carrier called a Mei Tai. Just all kinds of stuff. Amy and Charlotte stayed after the shower to help pack it all up - dad fortunately had an old suitcase he was getting rid of, and we got an extra-large duffel for the baby tub, so we managed to fit everything on the plane! Only had to check 4 bags, but it was still less than shipping stuff home! Fortunately, mom gave us a gift card for the stroller/car seat combo she wanted to give us - that was smart planning on her part! We used the other Babies R Us gift cards as well and got some of the other larger items on the list - a diaper changing pad to go on the dresser, with some covers, a man-friendly diaper bag with changing mat, a baby book tom really wanted, a couple of bottles for pumped breast milk, and some more warm clothes to go over all the onesies we got. Now to work on all the thank you cards!!!
As far as the baby status, that's been a bit up and down. Before Thanksgiving I got a diagnosis of gestational diabetes, which kind of freaked me out. But I've had the meeting with the diabetes nurse now, and I have a glucose monitor, and so far I've been doing a good job of controlling my blood sugar levels through diet and exercise. However, at the doctor's visit today she said I wasn't eating enough! I lost a pound over the past two weeks, probably in reaction to what the diabetes nurse told me. So I have been instructed to make sure I eat ALL the snacks on the diet plan and add in some more protein, since that wouldn't mess with my blood sugar levels. I think this is the first time in my life I've been told by a doctor to "eat more"!
The baby is growing well, which is a relief. No sign of a blood clot in the placenta! We had the monthly ultrasound before Thanksgiving. The doctor said he's going to be a BIG baby - 8.5 to 9 lbs! I was like, "is it the diabetes, have I already caused a problem", but he said no, that it wasn't diabetes style growth, this was all genetics. Primarily maternal genetics. Thanks mom! When I told mom, she said that she didn't have any problems with Jason, even though he was 9lbs. So, that's encouraging. I think our hips are built about the same.
Everything else seems to be fine with the baby - he's moving around a lot, his heart rate is fine... *happy* Less than 3 months to go!
05:45 am - on the hunt
currently I'm looking for nye plans (and presents, always presents).
Right now i have yet to discover any involving dancing (ie swing).