Final Countdown

Just a few more days now. My c-section is scheduled for Wednesday morning at 7:30am. We both can hardly wait. I worry a few times a day because I've never been in the hospital and now I'm getting surgery. But for the most part, I am so eager for the physical relief of having this bowling ball removed, and so eager for the emotional relief of knowing that she is here safe and healthy--that nothing else really matters. Lindsey keeps reminding me that while all of this is new to us, it is routine for everyone else that will be involved (i.e. my doctor and nurses). Can't wait. Can't wait. Can't wait. We got a lot of calls from family and friends this weekend, all anxious too, about the big day. (Thanks everyone!)

We celebrated Christmas this weekend with my immediate family at our house. We usually go to my parent's in Cole Camp, but since I couldn't be that far away from the hospital in case I went into labor, we thought doing it here would be best. It turned out nicely. We bought my nephews screaming monkey slingshots. (What was I thinking? Those things are loud!) After two great games of Apples to Apples Junior, I showed Sam how to diaper the monkey up in the baby's room. He even wanted to put booties and socks on the monkey. A future baby sitter? Perhaps.

There was a great article, Handmade 2.0, on yesterday's nytimes.com website. It was about the DIY/crafter scene and specifically talked a lot about Etsy, where I purchased several holiday gifts this year. I did more online shopping this year than ever before and found the Etsy site inspiring.

My main computer is still down, which explains why my website has not been updated and why the 52nd City website has not been updated. I haven't even been able to post to the 52nd City blog. I think this should all be resolved in the next couple of weeks...but I doubt I will care too much. I'll be all cocooned in this house with my little lambchop.

More to come...

Overwhelmed

Um...I gotta vent. I'm having bit of a melt-down.

1.) Computer crashed last week. Found out today it will cost $1100 to recover the data. Um...that doesn't count the cost of getting a new computer. That's just to get the data. Last back-up was June. So that is every 52nd City file I have (web and all) for Sporty and Stupid. And all photos I've taken since June...just a lot of stuff. Very bummed...we are over a barrel.

2.) Found out on Friday's ultrasound, baby is butt-first breech. Found out today from doctor, "your baby is big and you have a small pelvis." All of this is leading to a probable c-section, which I wanted to avoid. Of course, I'll just be happy to get her here any way we can--but ugh! Surgery! And probably scheduled the week before Christmas. I'm not ready.

3.) Came home from birthing class tonight to find out that a.) I had left the water running in the sink the entire time we were gone (3 hours) and b.) the dishwasher had flooded all over the kitchen floor and is still filled with water...not draining. I have not been kidding about my brain turning to total jello during all of this. How could I have left the house with the water running? Then I can't even help clean it up because I'm so freakin' huge.

4.) Top all this off with the fact that I haven't even begun to write my blurbs or prepare for the Kick Ass Awards happening Monday and I haven't bundled any of the 52nd City issues for the Rock-n-Roll Craft show or Independent Art Market--due on Monday as well. Yeah...I'm about to lose it.

I have a lot to be happy about--elated about. But man...this shit is getting on my nerves. Overwhelmed is an understatement.

The Best of Soul Train

One of my favorite parts of the week is catching "The Best of Soul Train" on Saturday afternoons while eating lunch. I love that show. Everyone is having so much fun while effortlessly looking cooler than shit. Even if I could only see everyone from the knees down, it would still be worth it because the crazy ass shoes make my head spin. The hair and clothes of the dancers are remarkable. And the performers earn enough style points that I don't even think twice about the fact that they are lip-syncing. When you look that good, who cares?

• Wikipedia List of Soul Train Episodes
• Blog about The Best of Soultrain

Mittens

Finishing up my 7th month of pregnancy and feeling as dull as the inside of a mitten. My mental faculties are about shot. It takes me twice as long to get half as much done and I'm just not used to being slowed down like this (physically or mentally). Work has never been busier and with the way my boss is piling on the projects--it would seem he thinks I'm going to have this baby in the conference room across from my office and then be back at work the same afternoon.

The STUPID issue of 52nd City came out this week and it looks (and reads) good. I feel like there is more we could do to promote and distribute the magazine. We don't lack on ideas, but certainly on time. It really is tough to keep going, but we get such nice feedback from readers and contributors. I'm doing my best to hustle up some writers and artists for the Foreign Exchange issue, but have anxiety about the production of the next issue since I will be...well, I'm not sure how I'll be. How much I'll be able to help.

I sure wish I knew when this baby was coming.

Lessons Learned

Now that I'm pregnant, I get mail from my insurance company at least three times a week. The top of these correspondences always read THIS IS NOT A BILL in big capital letters--probably to prevent heart failure upon finding out a routine blood test is $150 and an ultrasound is $500-700. I even get letters telling me something to the effect that "we are currently processing your recent claim"--that is all. Um, great. Isn't that what you are supposed to be doing? Then two weeks later, "we are processing your recent claim but it is taking longer than we expected"--okay. Am I supposed to do anything? Because if not, quit sending me these idiotic updtes. The insurance company could probably insure an entire family for a year just by NOT sending me all this unnecessary (costly) mail. Just send me a bill when and if I owe you anything. I may start sending them back thank you notes. "Thank you for keeping me SO informed. It really brightens my day to know you are so concerned about me and my health insurance needs." Pfoof! Right.

Now to get even more Andy Rooney on everyone, why when I buy 3 things at Home Depot do I get a receipt that is 14-1/2 inches long. WTF? I've also learned never to bother asking anyone working at Home Depot or Lowe's who is under the age of 30 anything. They always look at me like I'm crazy when I ask what I consider to be normal hardware questions.

At Lowe's I asked, "Where is the flashing, that metal stuff used on roofs? I need some for a craft project." I was sent to the very last aisle of the store where roof shingles are. Um, no luck there. It was at least 5 aisles away, which is no easy trek in my condition. Going to buy wooden fence panel was equally taxing. The fence posts are on one side of the store, the panels are on the complete opposite. They couldn't have been farther apart. They make you pay for them separately. Then three clueless workers ranging from college age to my dad's age stood yapping about some chick the college dude banged the night before, while my dad, husband, and brother loaded the truck--and I (6 months pregnant) loaded a bag of potting soil and plants. That is SOME customer service.

However, 90 minutes later when we needed more Quickcrete, I was sent to Hanneke Hardware on the Hill. I parked right in front, went straight to the register, asked for the three bags, paid promptly and just drove to the back where Mr. Friendly loaded them straight to my car. I was probably only gone 15 minutes. It was delightful.

LESSONS LEARNED. Avoid big boxes at all costs. They are dark places.

Good things this weekend:

• We finally have privacy fence up. I no longer have to look at the dumpster out my back windows.
• We camped on Saturday night with a bunch of my family on some lake property my cousin and her husband own. Just our family, around a campfire, telling stories, making s'mores. I don't think I've ever seen so many stars. It was the clearest night--just beautiful.
• Got office and bathroom painted. Both turned out delightful.
• I made greens for the first time and they were dang good. Lindsey grew up on them in North Carolina and my grandma has talked about them plenty. But I've never made them. Some gal in the grocery store was picking some out, so I just asked her how she made them. She was most kind and helpful with her tips. It took longer than I thought and I have some perfecting to do (less water next time) but they were tasty to all who tried them. I sent some with my parents who were visiting my grandma. She said she was going to make cornbread to go with them and was excited to have them.

Life is quite good right now.

Scaling back

Having baby in December! Will probably be writing less and less. Trying to stay on top of work and 52nd City stuff is hard enough. Maintaining a website and a blog is impossible. Plus, I'm so tired of how my website looks and what it says. I may move to just a blog...but blogger doesn't really do the trick for me. We'll see. Too tired to think right now.

Whipped

I'm tired but I can't sleep. This time of year I always get a little depressed and end up staying up until the wee hours updating websites, making flyers, sending out emails, surfing the web--doing night-owl busy work so I don't have to think too hard. And even though I stay up until 1:30 a.m. I still have a post-it note crammed full of don't forgets.

Busy work. In the past month, we've repainted the front/parlor room THREE times. First too green. Then too blue. Then mamma bear got it just right--and made papa bear help paint the living room and dining room too. My worst fear happened. Worse than the freakin’ frown line that seems to be staging a hostile takeover of my forehead. I turned 40 and painted the house beige. “Cargo Pants” to be exact. A warm neutral. When did I turn into a warm neutral?

And I've been damned near obsessed with finding a kitchen table. I’d consider refinishing something found second-hand except that I also just finished a somewhat hellish staining project of the hutch I treated myself to for my 40th birthday. Stinky, sticky shelves were expertly and delicately propped along walls, atop plastic for over two weeks. Tomorrow the shelves get installed and dishes are gonna fly. I keep telling myself all of these upstairs projects need to be done so we can make room for the stuff still in boxes in the basement from our move.

I feel a little crazy. I'm whipped. I'm itchy. I'm about done waiting for spring. I'm going to start walking my way back to the light of day. I may just decide to sprint.

Tonight we went to a hockey game with my brother. I had a list of a dozen things I thought really needed to get done, but I thought, “No...they can wait.” The hockey game was fun. Really fun. And the world didn’t end because I relaxed. That frown line can go to hell.