Amusing & Timely...

Whitney of PopCandy fame just had an amusing posting about how long we, her loyal readers, keep movies out from Netflix. I find this timely because I had "The Da Vinci Code" for over a month before finally watching it two weeks ago. I don't know what my problem was - I ended up thinking it was a good enough movie. Perhaps I was discouraged by the fact that it was 2hrs and 40 minutes long. Before that, some time last year, I had "The Office: Season 1" for about a month too. Once again, I love the show, I don't know why it took so long to get through it.

Netflix and services like them are rather brilliant. We as the customer don't have to do anything to get the movies and they as the supplier sit and collect money from those of us who just can't seem to "get in the mood" to watch the movie we have on our coffee table. Sounds like everybody wins :):)

Too Good To Be True...

After a visit to the ladies room at work this morning it looks like we are back to the cheap, flimsy TP of old. For about a month we were in the lap of luxury. The paper was soft, bright white, and with a label of "Supreme", it was softer then the tissue I use at home. Some how our boss slipped a case of it under the radar of our cheap-ass owner, and for that short time we didn't have to worry about trying to "clean up" before the paper disintegrated in our hands. It was nice while it lasted.

Well let's see...

1) My baby to come, by June 17th, hopefully.

2) For my boyfriend to win a race this year.

3) For my customers at work to get their heads out of their asses and give me the information they know I need so I can process their projects.

4) Some more of those delicious cupcakes that I had at my baby shower. They would make a perfect "welcome baby gift" for me!!!

Now That's Better...

It's been about a week and a half since I got my car back from the dealership that was actually interested in helping me get the XM fixed. Of course three days after it was fixed XM themselves had a satellite problem that knocked the service out for 24 hours but at least it wasn't just me having the problem this time.

I am now able to enjoy all of my favorite programming virtually interruption free, instead of having interruptions every two seconds. Turns out all it needed was a new antenna, which is what we told the other dealership all along. They swore that wasn't the problem...I hope it was worth it for them to "stick to their guns" instead of making me a satisified customer. I'm sure they won't miss the lifetime of sales that are no longer coming their way either.

26 More Days Until My "Due Date"

It's funny how I check my blog every week to see how much time is "left" before this baby comes. It's not like I don't know how many more days or weeks it is but it puts it into sharper focus when I see those tickers at the bottom counting down. I'm happy to report that by the time I get home from work today (5/21). The room will be largely completed. It has been painted and the furniture will be moved in and the curtains will be hung. Now all that remains is to wash her clothes and bedding and find places for all of it in the room. It's really beginning to seem real now...we're having a baby. I'm trying not to panic!!!! :)

"Record Gas Prices Fail to Alter Driving Habits"

That's one of the headlines of the day on msn.com this morning. My question is how exactly am I supposed to alter my driving habits? My daily routine consists of me driving the 13 miles to my job in the morning and then driving the 13 miles back to my house in the evening. Occasionally at lunch I'll run a few errands near my office so that might add a couple extra miles to my "useage" in a week but for the most part it stays pretty static.

What people don't seem to realize is that it doesn't matter how much gas, we as a country, use or don't use. Because our "useage" has nothing to do with pricing. How much money oil companies want to make governs how much we're all going to pay for the stuff. It doesn't matter if it's summer, when they raise prices because it's the "summer driving season" or if it's winter when supply is low because more needs to be diverted to make heating oil for all of us selfish assholes in the North who want to heat our homes.

All we have to do is look at what happened after Hurricane Katrina. That storm comes through, levels most of the oil platforms in the Gulf and gas prices shoot up before the lack of supply was even able to be felt...those prices were high but they weren't this high so what's going on now? Smells like greed to me...plain and simple.

So no, I won't be altering my driving habits any time soon and I'm glad I'm "flush" enough to absorb the expense because Lord knows I'm not giving up my magazines and my Starbucks Blueberry Muffins to the man.

I've Been Told it's Easy, Because I Believe Whatever They Tell Me..

This past Saturday my mother and my ween threw a FABULOUS baby shower for me. It seems it was all very easy to orchestrate because I believe whatever people tell me. They even got my dear husband and his grandparents in on the act, and everyone played their parts well and carried it off right til the end.

I can't believe the TONS of wonderful presents BGH (Baby Girl Hercek) received. It's just a shame I didn't have more time to spend talking to everyone - gift unwrapping takes a lot of time. Though it seems that this "slow opener" did a better job at it this time around. With everything we received our little princess isn't going to know what to do with herself.

All Done...

Last night was our last childbirth/labor class. It seems funny that five weeks have passed relatively unnoticed and that in another five weeks our darling could feasibly be here - that is if she's a little on the impatient side. While I feel I received a lot of information during our classes I don't necessarily feel any more "prepared" for what's going to come next.

During one of the exercises last night the "dads" were supposed to write down the "mom's" birth plans and then run them by us. Well, it seems my well meaning husband really needs a more detailed list or discussion about "what I want". Granted the exercise was done in only a few minutes but it seems we need to get on the same page...just in case he needs to speak up at an important moment. I'm hoping our tour of the hospital's maternity ward this weekend will help me focus a bit more on what I'd like or what is available to me.

I guess there isn't really anything more that can be done that will make me any less apprehensive about the events of the next month and a half. I just have to take it as it comes and see how I do.

A Ray of Hope...

In October 2005 I bought a brand new, shiny 2006 Chevy Malibu to replace my previous Chevy Malibu. This new car came loaded with bells and whistles, including XM Satellite Radio, and I was jazzed. The service seemed okay at first but I would soon get a sinking feeling that there was something wrong with my radio. For roughly the last year, if not longer, I have been telling the dealership where I bought the car this...to no avail. No one wanted to ride with me to hear the products shortcomings, no one would entertain the notion that there was something wrong with the antenna...nothing. One of the service tech's even told us that the reason the satellite radio didn't work in my car but worked flawlessly in my mother's 2006 Chevy Equinox, was that her car was "taller" then mine which put it closer to the sky. Well, that was kind of the straw that broke the camels back.

Tuesday (4.24) I called another Chevy dealership and told them of my woes. They told me they would be happy to ride along in my car with me and I should just call back and set it up at my convenience. I called them on Wednesday (4/25) and set up my "ride along" for Thursday morning (4/26). The radio performed as poorly as I expected it to and the tech said he would talk to the service manager and they would get back to me. True to their word the service manager called me back today (4/27) and said they took a Malibu from their lot and drove the same drive the tech and I had taken and that radio performed flawlessly so my car definitely has a problem. He asked if I could bring it in on May 15th - that they would give me a loaner and hopefully be able to remedy the problem in a few short days. I was dumbfounded and rather giddy at the thought that I might be coming to the end of this long road of frustration. If they are able to make things work for me General Motors will be on the receiving end of a scathing email, phone call or letter or perhaps all three. Then I'll be sure to tell the dealership where I bought the car to stick it up their ass - and when my husband wants to buy his $40,000 pickup truck - that he won't be getting it from them.

I Am So Delicious...

You Are a Lemon Cake

Strong, sexy, and overpowering. You know who you are, and you're not afraid to show the world your fabulous self. You're confident, charming, and extremely popular.

What Kind of Cake Are You?

Not Long Now...

I had a doctor appointment on Friday afternoon (4/20) and it was such a shame I had to leave work early - the weather was BEAUTIFUL!!! The appointment went fine, my blood pressure was still down where it's supposed to be, but the doctor wanted me to go for an ultrasound because he felt the baby was measuring "big" for the week that I'm on (32nd). So I scheduled the appointment for yesterday evening.

Before I continue, allow me to share a dream I had. Several months ago I dreamt that I had already had my baby...I was at the hospital in a class type setting with many other mothers and nurses were bringing everyone's babies into the room. When I saw them bringing in the babies I realized I didn't know what mine looked like. Everyone else was handed small newborn size babies but when they got to me they handed me a baby that was the size of a two year old. I have no idea how I had the toddler baby or why mine was so much larger then everyone elses but it was. Then I woke up.

Anyway, my dear husband and I went to the appointment last night and at the end we were told our little bundle of joy is measuring 5 pounds which puts me at 34 weeks instead of the 32 where I am. I asked what it meant and the tech said it depended on the doctor. I believe I will likely get another ultrasound to check her again but I don't mind - because we now have two more pictures of our little girl and she's looking more and more like a human all the time. Just as long as she isn't the size of a toddler when she's born I'll be happy.

"Preparing For Birth"...

Last night was our first Labor & Delivery class. All 18 of us (nine couples) dutifully toted our pillows and blankets and settled in for what we hoped would be an informative evening. As a whole we are a very cohesive group...all white, all married (except for one couple, who are also the youngest couple) and most of us are in our late 20's or early 30's. It's possible I am the oldest mom-to-be at 34 but I don't know that to be true - I'm just speculating. The teacher is nice enough, appearing to be in her mid-30's she has three kids and has spent most of her time as an OB nurse. I didn't learn anything new last night except that pregnant women shouldn't lay on a concrete floor because my hips and pelvis were severely out of whack when we got home - I'm talking serious pain that took the entire overnight to subside.

The teacher did have a rubbery plastic baby that she passed around. It weighed almost three pounds, which is what our babies currently weigh. It was funny to watch everyone handle it - one guy took off his baseball hat and put it in it to see if it would fit and another guy pretended like he was going to drop it on the floor. She also had some large pictures of what a pregnant woman looks like on the inside, where all of her organs are and the like. I'd already seen those pictures online so that wasn't new to me. The teacher does have an empathy belly that all the Dad's can wear at some point. The male part of the young couple was the first to volunteer and he wore it well. Playing along with all the stuff the teacher made him do he was definitely a good sport and should proove to be an enjoyable part of the class.

Other then the act of actually going to the class, it should be okay. I just have to look at it that I am "preparing" for birth...though I'm still convinced she's going to come out in whatever way works for her, whether I'm breathing the right way or not.

Happy Monday...

I should have known today was going to be a good day when I woke up and could barely see the houses across the street through the heavy fog. You see, fog is just like rain or snow - people don't seem to be able to drive in it.

So I got to work without incident and then sitting in our morning production meeting I heard the words all pregnant women dread..."We have no water". I'm sorry what??? Where I work a statement like "we have no water" means... "we have no bathroom". I try not to panic. I already kind of had to pee by the time I got to work. Now I have to hold it "indefinitely". Well "indefinitely" turned out to be 10:30 when I gave in and went. The tank still had water so I was able to flush and the plumber has probably been here for over an hour now so I'm hoping that means we'll have water by later this afternoon. Sorry if this is all T.M.I. but it's what's new for today.

Did I Really Have Nothing to Say...

Is it possible that two weeks can pass without there really being anything of substance for me to say? Let's catch up shall we?

• I'm still pregnant - 28 weeks down...12 more to go. I had a realization over the weekend that I may just look fat to people who don't know I'm pregnant - that's kind of depressing.
• My 11 year old nephew came to my house one evening and while we were finishing dinner he was in the living room sitting on my coffee table watching TV. What possessed him to sit on the coffee table when there are two sofas and a comfy recliner to sit on. It made me realize our kid isn't going to be able to touch ANYTHING in our house. (Yeah I know...Good Luck with that)
• People drink Guiness beer with their breakfast on St. Patrick's Day - I saw it on the news, that was kind of gross.
• Warm weather makes people in my office talk about going on vacation. The owner of our company was just in Disney World - I like talking about going to Disney World - it makes me happy.
• My co-worker said I'm "nesting" because I cleaned a bunch of old crap out of my office last week. I thought I was being nice doing it - since she's going to have to be able to find things to help my customers for two to three months this summer. Plus I hadn't dusted my quote shelves since I moved into this office over a year ago - that was just disgusting.
• South Carolina wants to pass a law that would require women seeking an abortion to see an ultrasound of their "baby" then think about it for an hour before going through with the procedure. They were discussing this on Good Morning America - while showing an ultrasound photo of a fetus that was at least 20 weeks old. Having used fertility treatments to conceive I had ultrasounds from week five through week eleven. Would you like to see my pictures...of a black circle with a smaller lighter gray circle inside? Granted both areas got bigger as we went through the first trimester but it was still just a tadpole like blob - nothing that looked like a baby. If they want to pass this law I think they should at least be honest about what these women will see.
• My Mom comes and has lunch with me almost every Friday and last week she said my eight year old niece wants to come to my house for a visit before I have my baby. I don't know if she means a sleep over or just a come for the day type visit. I also don't know if she wants her younger brothers to come too or if she wants me all to herself. I used to spend a decent amount of time with her and the boys before I got married but over the last five years it's tapered off. Right now it's sporadic at best. Maybe she's worried that once I have my own baby I won't have time for her anymore and maybe for some strange child-like reason she likes having me around.
• Yesterday morning I had to go for my blood glucose test at the Quest near me. They open at 630am and, for those who don't know, I had to drink this nasty orange sugar water crap and then sit for an hour. By the time they took my blood at 855am they had gone through 44 people and there were at least another ten waiting. I can't ever figure out when to go so I don't have to wait forever. I'm hoping I don't have to go back.
• I was on the phone here at work when a purchasing agent called me to place an order. He had called this morning and left me a message, then I called him back and left him one. So he sat on hold until I was forced to hang up from my current phone call so I could talk to him. Then after speaking with him for 20 minutes he decided he really didn't know what his engineer wanted and that he'd have to get back to me on Thursday when the guy came back to the office. What a D.B.

Looks like I had some things to talk about after all...

Who do they think they're fooling...

I saw a commerical the other night for a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie coming out this spring...only now they are calling them "TMNT". Hello, do we remember the last group to try this? Their name was "New Kids on the Block" and they came back as "NKOTB" - trying to promote a hipper image. It didn't work for them and I'm wondering how it's going to go for the Turtles.

How did that song that the Munchkins sang go...

Oh wait I know..."ding dong the witch is dead the wicked witch blah, blah, blah". I know it's bad karma to be happy when bad things happen to other people but we had layoffs at our company on Friday and one of the biggest jerks in the world finally got the axe. That's right...no more getting baited into fights, no more frustrated customers, no more incoherent conversations...design guy is GONE!!!

The funny thing is, every one really disliked him and he did a really crappy job that was costing our company tons of money, but when we got word that he had been let go - people seemed sad about it. I don't get it. My co-worker began needling management two years ago to hire someone to replace her so she wouldn't have to deal with design guy anymore so they finally caved and it turned out the new girl was stupid. So there didn't seem to be an end to my co-workers misery in dealing with design guy until he got let go on Friday. So you'd think that my co-worker finally got the one thing she wanted more then anything else in the world and that she'd be happy....she isn't.

The same thing happened where my husband worked. His immediate boss was a ridiculous incompetent little man who made everyone's life a living hell. I think people probably cursed the day he was born. Finally after five years he was fired and instead of joy at never seeing the man again my husband felt bad - one of his female co-workers actually cried about it. Why would you waste tears over someone you HATED!!! I just don't get it.

Maybe I can be so callous because being laid off has never happened to me, but if on Friday my boss would have told me "We need to let you go" I think I just would have just said "Okay". What else could I have done? My life would go on and I would find something else to do. Maybe I don't feel the stress because I'm not the breadwinner in my family...but he's losing his job in two months and we're having a baby...but our lives aren't over. I have faith that he'll find something else to do.

I have a sweet deal here and that's no lie, but an end here is a beginning somewhere else. So for now I'm enjoying not dealing with design guy anymore and I'm helping out where I can. I know to be happy when a house falls on someone who deserved it... so I'm going to dance around and sing my little song. I would expect nothing less if it were me under that house next time - I'm sure there's someone out there who would think I deserved it.

I'm Not Sure Why, But I Think I Would Feel The Same Way....

The End Has Come...

Well, at 24 weeks pregnant I finally had to give up the ghost. The regular jeans were no longer all that comfortable so I'm on day number two of wearing actual maternity jeans. The pair I have on today are from my lovely friend Andrea who, after two daughters, will not be needing said pants anymore. I tried to buy my own maternity jeans this weekend but didn't have a lot of luck so I placed an order online this morning and hopefully by the end of the week I will have more pairs to choose from.

How Do You Keep From Being Baited Into A Fight At Work???

I hate that this happens to me every couple of months. There is this guy at my work, whom I deal with on a daily basis, who is a HUGE pain in the ass. Most days I can deal with his Adult ADD or his mental pychosis or whatever his problem is but on days like today it all boils over into a yelling, cursing, door slamming mess.

It started innocently enough...I have a customer who has a hot project...it needs to ship tomorrow (2/23) but due to a large number of custom screws it's not going to be ready until at least Monday (2/26). I had to go to design guy and ask if the customer in fact NEEDS all of these custom screws because it seems like a huge amount of overkill. He can't really answer this question because he just assumed the customer needed them...he never really asked him. So I figured I'd try to get the customer to answer the question. Then design guy, who has an issue with the guy who has to make the custom screws, basically calls that guy a liar (that it's going to take two days to make these screws). Maybe the screw maker guy is lying but I like him better so I stick up for him. I say "So if screw maker guy is lying to me and you're lying to me how am I supposed to get this job done". Well one thing design guy doesn't like is being called names so then he postured up to his full 5'6" tall and told me "he has too much work to do" and he "doesn't need this conversation". Well then the child in me rears it's ugly head so I curse a little, yell a little and slam my office door.

And now here I sit - trying not to stew about it - but I'm pissed - at myself - why do I keep letting design guy get to me? You think after nine years of working with the same people in the same place with the same dynamic I'd be over it, above it, beyond it...whatever...but obviously I'm not.

The Clock is Ticking...

I was checking out the baby time line thing at the bottom of my blog this morning and it said my baby will be born in approximately 16 weeks and five days. That really doesn't seem like a very long time. Hmmmm....

A Valentine's Treat...

My co-worker Frank was late coming to work today, due to our snow/sleet mix from last night. But when he arrived he brought with him treats for us girls in sales...a Russell Stover heart of chocolates and a pair of Gummy Handcuffs.

This is the same guy who bought my co-worker Heidi and I
K-Y Warming Liquid for Christmas one year.

Now all I need to make the day complete is a heart shaped pizza from Sophie's.

Cute Elephant Ass...

Sometimes it just seems like more fun to go over something then around it.

Being Jaded...

Every Monday morning I read the secrets on Post Secret to see what people have to say. Many times reading them makes me sad. There seem to be so many unhappy people out there. Even when I'm unhappy I know I'll be happy again because there are so many wonderful people in my life. I feel bad for the people who say they have no one. On Valentine's Day or any other day.

A Boy and His Guitar...

I was just reading an article by a brilliant mind at the NY Daily News and I learned I was supposed to be offended by Prince's "crude" guitar playing during his halftime performance. Allegedly his guitar, when played "strategically" behind the billowing sheet, looked like an enormous shadow penis. Awesome!!! I guess I was too distracted by his Prince screams or the Aunt Jemima head wrap to notice this 33 second assault on good taste.

If people with a media outlet to support them are going to complain after every Super Bowl they might as well do away with the half-time show all together. At this point I'd rather see the commentators discussing the first half then anymore shows by Paul McCartney or the old-ass Rolling Stones. It seems the networks are having too much of a problem walking the line where they want a spectacle, but just not too much of one.

Forget Osama...there's a greater threat now...

And it's the stupidity of people like Mayor Thomas Menino of Boston. He's vowing revenge against Turner Broadcasting because he went on television and made himself and his city leaders look like huge tools. In addition to everything else I have to worry about - I now have to worry that a glowing milkshake giving me the finger is actually a terror plot? That's almost as good as Joseph Biden thinking he could call Barack Obama a "clean" African-American and not hear anything about it.

The guy reporting the story on Good Morning America this morning had to hold back his laughter when he said that there weren't any problems with these devices in the nine other major metropolitan areas where they've been in place for the last two or three weeks. I'm not sure how these cities feel now - they either look heroic like they can recognize things as the non-terror threats they are or they look hapless because most never even realized they were in their cities to begin with. Ahhh, the double edged sword of lunacy.

Bring on the milkshake, the box of fries and the meatball...let them do what they will. In the event of another attack - my hope is that I am no where near stupid people like Mayor Menino because that would mean I would have to rely on those people to save my life. I'd rather take my chances in the wilderness...I've watched Red Dawn & Survivorman.

In Good Company...

Now that I'm pregnant, I'm very aware of who else is. Turns out my baby will share a summer birthday with...

• Tiger Wood's wife


• Jeff Gordon's wife


• Julia Roberts


• Jenna Elfman (Dharma of "Dharma & Greg fame) &


• Keri Russel (of "Felicity" fame)

It's Good to be an M & M...

On the Pop Candy blog there was a link to this groovy website that lets you dress up M & M's. You can choose eyes, eyebrows, mouths, arms, legs, hairstyles, accessories etc. This is me as an M & M. I'm wearing black cowboy boots but you can see them...

My Favorite Place, That I've Never Been...

I've always loved cereal. When I was a kid it was the occasional box of Cookie Crisp we were lucky enough to score, in a household marked largely by non-sugary standards like Cheerios and Rice Krispies. College was a dream come true for me, we had at least 20 varieties of cereal all lined up in a row just ripe for the picking. That's where I developed my affinity for Captian Crunch Peanut Butter Balls. My roommate and best friend always said that if she wrote a memoir it would be titled..."Sex & Cereal, The Life & Times of Andrea Berry". She even wrote an ode to Fruit Loops for our poetry class.

For several years now there has been a cereal cafe located approximately an hour from my house, in downtown Philadelphia. I've planned many visits there in my mind, but I have yet to actually make the trip. Now it seems they are opening a location in State College, PA sometime this month. Now my husband doesn't share my love of cereal but he did attend Penn State and fiercely loves them. We haven't been out to visit for a while so we might be able to combine both of our loves and I can finally score some of this cereal...that I will eat from a Chinese take out style container....I can even get candy on it if I want to....

Now I Can Mail His Face To Everyone...

Turns out my boyfriend has been imortalized on photo stamps. You can order them here.

I Think I'm In Mourning...

According to today's Issue of USA Today - it appears my boyfriend has a girlfriend...

"And, yes, Earnhardt does have a girlfriend, who lives nearby. At 32, Earnhardt knows it's time to think about starting a family, but he says he's not ready to take the leap."It would be nice to have a son," he said. "But it's not happening in the next nine months, I'll tell you that."I've got this girl I'm seeing. It's going great. We get to see each other pretty much whenever. But I ain't in no big rush. I enjoy being single. The fun thing about being single is you don't have to answer to anybody. If I want to go up there and race on the computer against my buddies four nights in a row and stay up until 7 in the morning, I can do that."Earnhardt isn't divulging details of his romance."I've had instances in the past when I should have kept things a little more under wraps," he said. "It's just no good (to talk). People find out who she is. Then they get online and tear her down and pick her apart."

Show Me To The "All You Can Eat" Seats...

I think the LA Dodgers are my new favorite baseball team. Just like Burger King & Taco Bell are my favorite fast food restaurants (from a marketing standpoint, not an eating one). When everyone is cutting portion sizes and trying to make American's thinner - Burger King and Taco Bell unabashedly offer enormous food for people who want it. Now the Dodgers are going to have a seating area where for $40 on gameday you can eat as many hot dogs, peanuts, popcorn and nachos that you want (within reason of course, as there are rules and time restrictions). If it's your thing to eat some of everything at a game it might pay you to sit in those seats. What would sell me - is having someone bring me the items - I just hate to get up and get it myself. I know some of the items at Dodger stadium will be that way - but some will also be self service, buffet style. I guess you can't have everything, but this is a good start.

Why Provide Episodes for Free, When You Can Make People Pay For Them???

So "Ugly Betty" episodes are now going to be available on I-Tunes for $1.99 each. I wonder how long it will be before they are no longer available for free viewing on abc.com. I better make sure I don't forget to tape them. (I know I should get Tivo or a DVR - I'm working on it)

Yum...Cowboys!!!

Well, it may be 41 days till the start of the NASCAR season, but the PBR kicked off their 2007 season in New York over the weekend. Unfortunately, my cowboy boyfriend, Justin McBride, didn't do all that well. He was bucked off his first two bulls and finally hung on in round three so he wouldn't come up with a big zero on the weekend. The thing I found most amusing was how much the comentators kept talking about how great it was to be in New York City and how great the fans were. The Garden looked as empty as the Sovereign Center did the night I was there in September. I don't know who they were trying to convince, the viewing audience or themselves. I'd just like them to come back to Reading, or somewhere else close by so I can see my cowboy boyfriend in person again. That was definitely a treat.

New Years Resolutions...

I thought I was off the hook this year. Normally I want to lose weight and exercise more but for at least the first six months of 2007 I can't do that...I'm growing another human being, thank you, so there will be no dieting for me. But after reading Whitney's and other readers resolutions on the Pop Candy blog I thought perhaps I should commit to something this year. So here goes...

At the top of the list has to be..."Having a healthy baby"

After that I suppose would be..."Reading The Huge Stack of Books That I Have"

Finally, "Finishing Some of the Scrapbooking Projects In My Head" before this kid arrives on the scene.

It's Cool to be George Lucas...

George Lucas was the Grand Marshall of this year's Rose Bowl Parade. How cool would it be to have these guys annoucing your arrival? I think it would be awesome.

Lucking Out...

I had my second pre-natal appointment on December 26th. This was the one I was worried about - I was certain all those cookies would be coming back to haunt me. Well, I must say that I was lucky. I actually LOST a pound and a half. The interesting thing about being four months pregnant - is that I'm the thinnest I've been in a really long time. Funny how that works.

In Praise of the Office Cookie Tin...

It's my first day back at work, after a brief stint on holiday, and while I was gone it doesn't appear that much happened. I had largely sorted through the few outstanding bits and pieces when it appeared...the variety cookie tin. Sent by a dear man who reps our products, yet whom I don't really know. All I have to say is these are some KICK ASS "cookie tin" cookies. In keeping with the theme of my last post - this cookie tin might be instrumental in pushing me over the edge of weight gain but I just can't help it - I think I'm growing a cookie monster.

On Becoming a Big, Fat Pig...

In one of my literature classes in college we had to do a project that involved selecting a book that had an "impact" on us. Then we basically had to tell the class why. I remember picking "Charlotte's Web" because, as I told the class, I identified with the main character - the loveable pig Wilbur.

It was a joke back then. But now that I'm pregnant I have this fear building inside me...that I'm going to gain a ton of weight and get in trouble with my doctor. Perhaps the fear of gaining weight actually stems from the knowledge that my diet has been crappy the last couple of weeks and soon I'm going to have to face the scale and possibly the music.

I know I'm supposed to eat all kinds of healthy things so the baby is healthy but what I really like is sweets, which I've always loved, but now it seems to be the easiest thing to reach for. I was riding pretty high, that I'd come this far without gaining a pound, but I fear the baby's calorie burn will soon no longer be able to keep up with the calories I'm putting in there, and soon they will be showing up at weigh in time. Perhaps that would be a good new years resolution...try not to become too big of a big fat pig!!

Whose Popular??? My Boyfriend, that's who!!!

For the fourth year in a row my boyfriend, Dale Earnhardt Jr, was voted Nascar's Most Popular Driver. Of the 2,835,277 total votes received, Junior came away with 1,172,195 of them. Good for him.

I'm a Fan of Underwear, but if I wasn't...

I saw these in my latest Cosmo magazine. I had no idea that so many people went without underwear, that it warrants a product like this. It's the "Commandos" underwear patch, which can be purchased at GoCommandos, for $16.00 per pack. They are offered in denim for your jeans or light pink for your lighter colored pants. Just stick this disposable patch into your pants to protect yourself and your clothes and off you go. Just think of how many happy guys there will be out there, now that there is an easier way for their women to go without underwear. Woo hoo!!!!

Here's a Good One...

For the last week or two, I've been having some crazy f*cked up dreams. I'm attributing it to the fact that I'm pregnant, but last nights dream was hysterical. In the dream my dear husband and I were trying out to be cheerleaders...why I have no idea. I was totally psyched because I was able to do a split, really well, and the coach was really happy about it. He kept telling everyone how great my split was. I woke up almost laughing at the whole thing. My dear husband wasn't sure what to think about it. Oh well, I guess it's just one of those things.

Victory thy name is Emmitt...

I must say that I was pleased with the outcome of last nights "Dancing With the Stars" finale. While Mario Lopez was more technically proficient - Emmitt, like Drew Lachey last year, was the "every man" who proved he had talent and really gave every dance his all. Obviously the fan favorite, I was really pulling for him and I'm glad he got to hoist that sparkly disco ball trophy high into the air last night.

Way to go Emmitt!!!

Just One Word..."Why"?

The guy on the country radio station was talking about this item this morning. Why on earth would someone spend $9.95 plus shipping to get this item for their dog or someone elses? And an even bigger question...what dog would actually hold this item in their mouth, like the dog shown in the picture? I never found wax lips to be all that fun when we had them as kids...so I really don't see the point of this at all.

Pigs In Tiger's Clothing...

I just thought this picture was so cute. The story goes that a mother tiger in California gave birth to a rare set of triplet babies that died due to complications. She recovered from the delivery but her health began to decline because she was very sad. Zoo workers thought if she could surrogate another mother's cubs she might do better. Unfortunately there were no other tiger cubs who needed a mommy. The only "orphans" that could be found quickly were these baby pigs. So they wrapped them in tiger skins and put them around the mother. They seemed to have gotten along just fine.

How Dare He...

In 1982 my parents bought us a Colecovision Gaming system, which seemed to have the best graphics of any other system at the time. One of our favorite games was "Smurf Rescue" that Emru Townsend of PC World has ranked 6th on his list of "Worst Video Games Ever" for many reasons. Regardless of what he said - it still holds a fond place in my heart.

Hmmmm....

It's reported that she also dated Baltimore Oriole Brady Anderson. Makes me wonder, you know?

Is It Wrong...

Is it wrong to be happy that this guy's hypocritical existance was finally busted wide open for his "followers" and the world to see? My question is this...if you know you have an issue with something in your life (that "something" being either homosexuality, drug addiction or both, since I'm still not sure which he's admitted to) why would you become the leader of the largest Evangelical Christian church in the US. Why wouldn't you just live your life and if one day you decide that you can no longer live without the drugs or the dicks, then you just divorce your poor wife and move on. At least then it's only her life and the lives of your five kids you've screwed up...not the lives of the 14,000 people who looked to you as a messenger of God. It's not a very Christian way of me to think I guess, but I just don't get it.

Sour Grapes or a Bad Joke...

The big debate seems to be...was Faith Hill really cheesed off that new-comer Carrie Underwood pulled the "Female Vocalist of the Year" award rug out from under her - or was it a joke like she claims. I don't know why she thought it would be seen as funny. I haven't been following Faith all that closely recently but has she done something spectacular this award year? I know she toured with her husband and she has an album which radio is currently playing songs from but Carrie Underwood has had a pretty rapid ascent to super stardom since winning 2005's American Idol competition. To me it looks like she was so dumbfounded she couldnt react any other way. Oh, well women are called catty bitches for a reason sometimes.

"Culture Club Declares War on Boy George"

How could I pass up commenting on a headline like that? Two founding members of the "Club" are furious with Boy George because he accepted a classic songwriting award at the Q Music Awards for "Karma Chameleon". The guys are saying that they should have been there with "Boy" to accept the award because they wrote the song collectively. It seems that these guys are mad because "Boy" always got more attention then them. I had no idea the "Club" was still open for business but it seems they are starting a British tour December 7th, sans George of course, because "the only person George loves is George."