Monday, March 30, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Flame Free Friday
1. I think Britney Spears has reached a new personal low with "if you
seek Amy". Not only is it just a stupid song, but she is 27 years
old. Time to stop swearing in code.
2. I haven't told Andrew that we are taking part in Earth Hour
tomorrow (oh, and add the Zakim to the list of things that are going
dark!)
3. I have started lying to people when they ask me if we have a name
picked out. I just tell them no - it's easier to say that than tell
them we aren't telling people the name.
4. I ate chicken patties and tater tots for dinner twice this week.
And I don't care!
So what about you?
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Earth Hour
read more here
Obviously turning off your lights for one hour isn't going to make a big difference - but it is making a statement. You can take one hour to do something good for the earth, say you are ready for USA to sign on with the Kyoto Protocol (spare me the sob stories about how China and India are getting special treatment and we aren't. boo hoo). This year 2,500 cities and towns in 82 countries have joined up. Even if your town hasn't signed up (and quite honestly, if you live in the US, it probably hasn't) you can do it yourself. Its just one hour of darkness. Light a candle and play cards in the candlelight. Play flashlight tag with the kids. If it isn't pitch dark at 8:30 where you live, go out for a walk at dusk. There are plenty of things you can do without the lights on.
Small history of Earth Hour - it started in 2007 in Syndey, and last year it spread around the world. Some of the bigger world landmarks that went dark were: the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square. This year the Great Pyramids of Giza will be dark, as well as some additional Coca Cola famous billboards.
So read more about Earth Hour, turn off your lights, unplug those appliances (and don't plug them back in when Earth Hour is over. I managed to reduce my electicity usage by 35% in a month by unplugging things - that saves money!) and do something good for the world.
Honestly, to me it isn't enough. These places should be dark a lot more than just one hour a year. But it's a start.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Is that a light I see?
certain I actually learned that in 10th grade. But there I was, taking notes like a trained monkey. I came to the conclusion that after 4 years they actually have run out of things to teach me. They are now going back to high school to find things to stretch out the semester. I'm a little afraid that next week we will go over the basics of supply and demand. Or worse, start having vocabulary quizzes.
There's some good news on the UMass front. Luckily I am graduating in a little over 2 months and this would not have effected me. But there was a $1500 proposed increase in fees at every Umass campus. UMass is famous for their "fees". They are triple what tuition is, and the fully admit those fees are just to make up the difference between what other colleges charge for tuition and what they charge for tuition. Since they are charging it anyway, why not just call it tuition? All they are doing by categorizing it under "fees" instead of "tuition" is screwing the students that are getting tuition covered by someone (work, loan, grant, etc) but not fees. And then they wanted to increase the fees by $1500. I would have been screwed if I had to pay an extra $4500 a year to UMass (I was there 3 semesters a year). I honestly do not know how I would have paid for it, but as I said - doesn't effect me. However I heard on NPR this morning that all 4 UMass campuses might be seeing some help via Deval Patrick via The Massive Stimulus Package. Patrick is proposing taking $162 million in federal stimulus money to allow
UMass officials to defray the fee increase down to as little as $380. While that's still a lot, it's much more manageable than $1500. In addition, the money will be used to prevent some
faculty layoffs and program cuts (not really sure what program cuts though).
For all the students not graduating in May, I hope this goes through. I also hope the money isn't just handed over to UMass officials, because god knows they have no idea how to efficientlyrun a school system and will probably just build another dorm at the Amherst campus. We'll see - Patrick is unveiling the plan at UMB this afternoon.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Keep on truckin'
One thing that has become virtually impossible is shaving my legs. Now I didn't let that bother me, since it's still winter and I wear nothing but pants, but spring is coming. Technically spring is arriving Friday, but calendars lie. So I decided it's time to start figuring out how I can shave like a normal person. Clearly my old method of doing a 5 minute hack job in the shower isn't going to work anymore. I thought I had come up with an ingenious idea - sit on the side of the tub and do it that way. If Jenn and I used to be able to shave standing up at the sink in our dorm room, surely I can now sit on the side of the tub and lean over.
HA.
Fat chance. And I do mean FAT chance (I know, I know, I know, I'm not fat, I'm pregnant. Well, spin it how you like, my stomach is the size of a small planet). I huffed and puffed and managed to shave my right leg from the knee down. By then my back hurt, my front hurt and I couldn't breathe. Time to go back to the drawing board.
14 more weeks.... 14 more weeks.
Monday, March 16, 2009
You are not above the law!
clearly marked that vehicles in my direction CANNOT turn left. The
multitude of No Left Turn clue all the motorists in to the traveling
restrictions. I was behind a school bus (further punishment for being
late) which had its LEFT blinker on! No one could pull up and take a
right because the bus was taking up the entire road. So we all had to
sit there, waiting for this bus to get a green light in order to
break the law. Why is it okay for a school bus to ignore the law? I
have accept that cops can do it, because who is going to pull them
over, but now school busses can too? Why have laws in the first place?
Sent from my iPhone
Sunday, March 15, 2009
sucked in
So I check out the site, find some maternity yoga pants... and a skirt.... and a tank top.... and I did find ONE pair of capris that actually were maternity (they are trying to pass off pants without any sort of panel as maternity. Yeah, my desire to wear "real waist" pants left me somewhere before Christmas, thank you very much! I'll have to go to Target to find some capris that are actually maternity!). But I found them at the Gap and not Old Navy, which means they were $20 more than they would have been at Old Navy. Normally I'm a Gap girl myself, as Old Navy stuff only tends to last a season or two and Gap will last longer, but right now I only need the clothes to last one season, and I am not paying $54 for a pair of capris! So I didn't end up getting them. And I did end up, with the sale price, paying $43 for my new clothes.
After all that, I saved..... $15. When if I hadn't bought anything I wouldn't have spent anything! Damn email marketing!!!
But I really did need the yoga pants! And I paid with my own "play" money, so I don't even need to hear the lecture from Andrew. HA!
Speaking of walking outside, yesterday hit about 50 degrees and Andrew and I walked Wollaston Beach. Well, Andrew walked and I wobbled. But it was quite enjoyable and the salty air did us both some good. I'm so excited that we can do that more and more often, the closer we get to Spring! (though your calendar might say spring will be here next week, here in New England we're still a solid month away from it).
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
It never gets easier
What is nearly impossible is splitting the holidays. It causes unhappiness with all sorts of people, feelings get hurt, people get insulted, parties are strained, and I'd bet too much alcohol gets consumed because of it! Andrew and I have been splitting the holidays for about 4 years. It has yet to become any easier for us. Every year something comes up that throws our schedule off and the whole cycle of unhappiness is started again. We don't host any of our own holidays for 2 reasons:
1. We live in 900 SF
2. Everyone in our family already has their own holiday schedule and I don't think anyone would come.
So every year, no matter what the holiday, one of us is missing out, annoyed that we are somewhere we don't want to be, and in general not in a very merrymaking mood. 2009 is no exception.
I will say (and this might make me a bad person - but I don't care), I will NEVER be in Keene, NH on July 4th ever again. I've made that one pretty clear. I'm willing to compromise on all other days, but to spend July 4th in Keene instead of Falmouth is asinine, and I won't do it. Nor will my daughter. Any other holiday I will share, but not that one. End. Of. Story.
Monday, March 09, 2009
Test
through correctly.
By the way, it has snowed more today than it did last Monday. Last
week was a snow day, today is not. Hmmm
Okay, let's see if this works!
This is not good
Sunday, March 08, 2009
change of pace
With the arrival of spring, my pregnancy is winding down. I still have 15 and a half weeks left until my due date (like that means anything!) but seeing as 24 and a half weeks are behind me, I'm sliding towards the finish. I can see the baby move from the outside now. That is freaky. To be honest, the fact that being pregnant means a living thing is growing inside of you has always freaked me out. And it still does - thinking about it makes me somewhat queasy. But when you can see something punching you from the inside... there's no denying it. I told Andrew yesterday that mammals are gross. This is no way to procreate - I think whatever supreme force created mammals was actually having a joke at our expense.
Spring also means that school is winding down. I have nothing good to say about school other than the fact that it is almost over. I'm trying not to let things get to me this semester because it is almost over, so I will just leave it at that. May 29 is going to be a happy day for me for more than one reason.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
varius and sundry items
#1 (I apologize, but you won't understand this if you aren't familiar with the interstate highway system around Boston) On Monday, a coworker of mine asked me how I get to work. I told her I get on 128. This confused her greatly, which confused me because she grew up in the town next to where I live now. How can she not get this? She asked me if I meant 95. No... I mean 128, before it merges with 95. You know, where I live. Also known as 93 (are the non Massholes confused yet?). I then explained in great detail how I take 138 to 128/93. She still didn't get it. She then decided that what I call 128 is actually 95 and went on her way. I just stood there, making my decaf coffee, wondering if we had just had the same conversation, because we reached two very different outcomes.
#2. I have to drive to Worcester for some pointless training tomorrow. I'm not happy about it. That's all I have to say about that. But I might have a cold cut sandwhich tomorrow and I'm insanely excited about that prospect.
#3. I'm 24 weeks pregnant. The fuck? Where did the past 24 weeks go? And you're telling me I only have 16 weeks left? eeerrr..... can we pause time for a second? Also, my baby furniture is in. Which would be fantastic, but I have no where to put it. The room that it is going in is still completely furnished. Anyone want to buy some fabulous white wicker furniture? We're putting it in on Craig's List this weekend, and I'll give anyone who mentions this blog 1% off the final price. BARGAIN! I have to sell it in a week though - other wise it's getting cut up and thrown away. On the same pregnancy topic - I'm huge. I don't look like a woman who is starting off her 6th month of pregnancy, I look like a woman who is 40 weeks pregnant with triplets. Or at least that's how I see myself. If I wasn't in my pajamas, I would take a picture and post it. Maybe next time. Maybe before I hit 30 weeks.
#4. I don't want to brag.... yes, I do, who am I kidding. And this is my blog, so I am going to. I got promoted last Friday, and it came with a pretty nice pay raise. (okay, so "pretty nice" is a relative term, but I am going to be taking home a bigger paycheck than before. And by "bigger" I do mean "marginally bigger"). So, to toot my own horn, YAY FOR MEGHAN!!!!
#5. I haven't had chocolate today. I think the last time that happened, I was not in the family way.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
lousy Smarch weather!
Apparently March is coming in like a lion, so I really hope it goes out like a lamb. I am so not feeling any more snow. Right now I'm only tolerating the storm because there is a small chance of cancelled classes tomorrow. Other than that small chance of a school free week, snow does nothing for me in March. I'm so done. so. done.
In other news, I have 16 weeks left in this pregnancy. Where does the time go?