You know, the kind where Friday seems to take forever to arrive, and you're so mentally exhausted by the end of it that you start to hurt physically, too? I'm mentally drained. I guess that's the flip side of being a numbers person. Sometimes you look at numbers and thousands of columns of data and hundreds of pages of output and statistics that you just want to pitch everything off the top of a very tall building.
I still struggle with the fact that I sold my soul to the corporate world. I wonder, if I was in an industry that was more meaningful, like policy research, would I enjoy it more?
To add to the irritations of my week, I have a huge amount of mommy-guilt right now. I really wanted to take next Thursday off to spend Baby C's birthday with him, but at this point it doesn't look like it's going to happen. I try to remind myself that he's too young to really know what day it is, and he'll have so much fun at his birthday party that it won't matter, and it's not like he's going to remember it, anyway. Maybe I'm more disappointed for myself than I am for him. I'm sure he'll have a fine day at "school" with his friends.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Donnie D is a Closet Yankee Fan
That's good stuff! If I was a single girl I would follow him everywhere.
Really NKOTB?
One of the only halfway decent songs on the album and you go and make a super cheesy video starring the ugliest MOFO possible?
The video is two actors playing out the entire story that the song tells. The story telling is interspersed with random shots of the guys swaying jerkily along to the beat in the green-screen created fog. It looks like the vocals are mostly provided by Donnie and Jordan, so every time they cut to one of the others they're just looking goofily at the camera as though they're not sure what they're supposed to be doing. I guess they're supposed to be looking soulful? Mournful? Danny and Jon provide the occasional "yeah" to go along in the background, but they're mostly seen from the back as the fab five spend the video dancing in a circle with their backs to each other. Of course, the focus is mainly on Donnie D (understandable) and Jordan (not so much), with some Joey Joe to mix things up a bit. Jordan's whispers of "wake up wake up" and "get up get up" are a little creepy, as is the scene with Ugly MOFO sitting in his car staring at this girl's house.
I happened to see an interview with the kids about shooting the video, and I guess it's supposed to be a work of art or something.
Not so much.
The video is two actors playing out the entire story that the song tells. The story telling is interspersed with random shots of the guys swaying jerkily along to the beat in the green-screen created fog. It looks like the vocals are mostly provided by Donnie and Jordan, so every time they cut to one of the others they're just looking goofily at the camera as though they're not sure what they're supposed to be doing. I guess they're supposed to be looking soulful? Mournful? Danny and Jon provide the occasional "yeah" to go along in the background, but they're mostly seen from the back as the fab five spend the video dancing in a circle with their backs to each other. Of course, the focus is mainly on Donnie D (understandable) and Jordan (not so much), with some Joey Joe to mix things up a bit. Jordan's whispers of "wake up wake up" and "get up get up" are a little creepy, as is the scene with Ugly MOFO sitting in his car staring at this girl's house.
I happened to see an interview with the kids about shooting the video, and I guess it's supposed to be a work of art or something.
Not so much.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Breastfeeding is Offensive
Breastfeeding is Offensive
Posted using ShareThis
I'm always shocked to hear expressions of disgust when it comes to women breastfeeding in public places. This post by LilGirlLost on CafeMom does a great job at highlighting the hypocrisy of our society. I couldn't have said it better myself.
Posted using ShareThis
I'm always shocked to hear expressions of disgust when it comes to women breastfeeding in public places. This post by LilGirlLost on CafeMom does a great job at highlighting the hypocrisy of our society. I couldn't have said it better myself.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
We're "Those" Parents
Baby C uttered his first word last week! Well, I guess it's not a word, per se, but it's a verbal communication, nonetheless. He dropped a blueberry during dinner, looked down, and said "Uh oh." C and I looked at each other, not really sure whether it was an actual utterance or just some babbling. Those syllables aren't part of his normal babbling repertoire, but we decided we'd wait for replication. On Wednesday night he did it again! He doesn't say it when he's intentionally throwing his food (apparently the universal baby signal for a meal being over), only when he drops something he still wants, so he's actually using it in context.
Of course, the proud parents had to drag out the camera to catch it on film. What follows is a not-so-proud moment where we turn into babbling idiots trying to get Baby C to display his excellence for the world to see. Of course, it's much cuter when he does it unprovoked. (don't worry, it's short!)
Of course, the proud parents had to drag out the camera to catch it on film. What follows is a not-so-proud moment where we turn into babbling idiots trying to get Baby C to display his excellence for the world to see. Of course, it's much cuter when he does it unprovoked. (don't worry, it's short!)
Monday, July 20, 2009
Fake Blogs
I was Googling reviews on the book "Deceptively Delicious" and came across this nifty website full of fake celebrity blogs. If you need to kill some time, check it out.
My two favorites:
Deceptively Delicious, the book about nothing, by Gordon Ramsay
I Hate the Playoffs, by Alex Rodriguez
My two favorites:
Deceptively Delicious, the book about nothing, by Gordon Ramsay
I Hate the Playoffs, by Alex Rodriguez
Friday, July 17, 2009
Secondhand Shopping
I'm a big proponent of buying secondhand baby gear, toys, and clothes. I don't understand why people insist on buying everything brand spanking new, when it's ridiculously overpriced and will only be used for a short period of time. I regularly scour Craigslist and yard sales for clothes and toys. We've gotten some great deals - brand new (with tags!) baby clothes from Gap, Old Navy, The Children's Place, etc. for 50 cents each! I scored a Fisher Price Laugh N' Learn Chair for $10. A Leapfrog Learning Table for $15. I have no problem putting in 20 minutes of cleaning and sanitizing to pay less than 25% of retail value.
Charlie doesn't usually have a problem with it, until yesterday when I went to the neighbor's garage sale. I scored 3 pairs of like-new shoes for Baby C, including a very cute pair of Adidas sneakers, for $1 each. I also sorted out some pants for the fall, also at $1 each. All name brand, all in like-new condition. Now he feels weird about it, because it's the neighbors. I guess it just doesn't bother me that much. They have twin boys a few years older, so why not take advantage of cheap but quality clothes?
I felt completely vindicated when I came across this article on The Consumerist from last week's New York Times, talking about how parents of all income levels are going the secondhand route for their baby gear.
Not only does it save cash, but it might even have a small impact on the amount of waste ending up in landfills. Communities like Freepeats (mostly baby stuff), Craigslist, and Freecycle make it even easier to shrink your consumer footprint. You can always sell it to someone else when you're done :)
Charlie doesn't usually have a problem with it, until yesterday when I went to the neighbor's garage sale. I scored 3 pairs of like-new shoes for Baby C, including a very cute pair of Adidas sneakers, for $1 each. I also sorted out some pants for the fall, also at $1 each. All name brand, all in like-new condition. Now he feels weird about it, because it's the neighbors. I guess it just doesn't bother me that much. They have twin boys a few years older, so why not take advantage of cheap but quality clothes?
I felt completely vindicated when I came across this article on The Consumerist from last week's New York Times, talking about how parents of all income levels are going the secondhand route for their baby gear.
Not only does it save cash, but it might even have a small impact on the amount of waste ending up in landfills. Communities like Freepeats (mostly baby stuff), Craigslist, and Freecycle make it even easier to shrink your consumer footprint. You can always sell it to someone else when you're done :)
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Recipe Wednesday - Lilypad Pancakes
(From Whining and Dining)
Lilypad Pancakes
8 ounces (about 1.5 cups) of frozen peas, thawed
2 Tbsp water
1 egg (I doubled the recipe and used 1 egg plus 1/4 cup applesauce)
3 Tbsp flour (white or wheat)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp baking powder
Vegetable oil (or olive oil), as needed
Set aside 1/3 cup of peas.
Add the rest of the peas to a blender (I used a stick blender, and you can probably use a food processor, too) with water and egg; blend until smooth.
Pour mixture into a medium bowl and stir in the flour, salt, and baking powder and gradually mix with a fork or whisk. Stir in the reserved 1/3 cup of peas and let batter rest.
Place about 2 Tbsp oil in a saute pan and warm over medium heat until shimmering. Drop 1 Tbsp (or more, I made larger cakes for lunch portions) of batter into the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes until you see bubbles forming around the edges. Flip and cook the second side until lightly browned.
Optional: Serve with yogurt. (you can add a touch of curry powder to the yogurt for a little kick)
These were a big hit in our house. I decided to take a risk and double the recipe, since Baby C likes his peas so much to begin with. As I mentioned in my previous post, veggie consumption has gone way down lately, even when peas are involved. There was some initial hesitation when I handed him the fork, probably because they're green, and therefore must be veggies. I distracted him and shoved a piece in his mouth when he wasn't looking. It worked, and he chowed through the rest of it in less than a minute.
Lilypad Pancakes
8 ounces (about 1.5 cups) of frozen peas, thawed
2 Tbsp water
1 egg (I doubled the recipe and used 1 egg plus 1/4 cup applesauce)
3 Tbsp flour (white or wheat)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp baking powder
Vegetable oil (or olive oil), as needed
Set aside 1/3 cup of peas.
Add the rest of the peas to a blender (I used a stick blender, and you can probably use a food processor, too) with water and egg; blend until smooth.
Pour mixture into a medium bowl and stir in the flour, salt, and baking powder and gradually mix with a fork or whisk. Stir in the reserved 1/3 cup of peas and let batter rest.
Place about 2 Tbsp oil in a saute pan and warm over medium heat until shimmering. Drop 1 Tbsp (or more, I made larger cakes for lunch portions) of batter into the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes until you see bubbles forming around the edges. Flip and cook the second side until lightly browned.
Optional: Serve with yogurt. (you can add a touch of curry powder to the yogurt for a little kick)
These were a big hit in our house. I decided to take a risk and double the recipe, since Baby C likes his peas so much to begin with. As I mentioned in my previous post, veggie consumption has gone way down lately, even when peas are involved. There was some initial hesitation when I handed him the fork, probably because they're green, and therefore must be veggies. I distracted him and shoved a piece in his mouth when he wasn't looking. It worked, and he chowed through the rest of it in less than a minute.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
NKOTB Redux
The Fab Five visited Cincinnati 2 weeks ago and I was in attendance, along with a few of my interweb friends.
Because I'm a big dork I decorated a shirt for the occasion (I stopped short of saying "because we're big dorks," I wouldn't want to speak for anyone else, but if the shoe fits....).
We had lawn seats. It was really freaking hot that day, and it had rained the week before. The wet lawn soaked through the blankets everyone brought to sit on, making it look like everyone had wet their pants from excitement and anticipation. I had never heard of the opening act, Jesse McCartney. I thought it was a girl until I heard the voice. Jabbawokeez also performed before the kids took the stage. I think they're pretty neat to watch.
There was plenty of people watching to do, from the girls who wore things they didn't need to wear to this interesting undergarment sported by some poor guy who had been dragged along by his girlfriend. Do you think she made them just for the concert?
As if it's not bad enough that he's wearing undies that have his name on them, he's also sagging a pair of khaki pants. I can't believe he left the house looking like that, and I can't believe I just typed the word "sagging" in regard to pants. What, is this 1992?
The concert itself was enjoyable. Not as good as the show in Columbus, but fun nonetheless, mostly because of the company. There was no removal of shirts by any of the guys, and we were sad about that. They also played Popsicle, which freaking rocked. It was an old favorite of mine that lots of so-called NKOTB fans have never heard of.
The seats weren't as good, partly because there were no seats at all, and there was a crazy beeotch in front of me who kept inching backward on her blanket until she stepped on my toes. I asked her to step forward, and she got in my face because she was still on her blanket, blah blah blah. I could have gone Jersey on her ass, but I decided to just move to the other side of the group so I didn't get arrested. Other than that, a fun time was had by all!
Because I'm a big dork I decorated a shirt for the occasion (I stopped short of saying "because we're big dorks," I wouldn't want to speak for anyone else, but if the shoe fits....).
We had lawn seats. It was really freaking hot that day, and it had rained the week before. The wet lawn soaked through the blankets everyone brought to sit on, making it look like everyone had wet their pants from excitement and anticipation. I had never heard of the opening act, Jesse McCartney. I thought it was a girl until I heard the voice. Jabbawokeez also performed before the kids took the stage. I think they're pretty neat to watch.
There was plenty of people watching to do, from the girls who wore things they didn't need to wear to this interesting undergarment sported by some poor guy who had been dragged along by his girlfriend. Do you think she made them just for the concert?
As if it's not bad enough that he's wearing undies that have his name on them, he's also sagging a pair of khaki pants. I can't believe he left the house looking like that, and I can't believe I just typed the word "sagging" in regard to pants. What, is this 1992?
The concert itself was enjoyable. Not as good as the show in Columbus, but fun nonetheless, mostly because of the company. There was no removal of shirts by any of the guys, and we were sad about that. They also played Popsicle, which freaking rocked. It was an old favorite of mine that lots of so-called NKOTB fans have never heard of.
The seats weren't as good, partly because there were no seats at all, and there was a crazy beeotch in front of me who kept inching backward on her blanket until she stepped on my toes. I asked her to step forward, and she got in my face because she was still on her blanket, blah blah blah. I could have gone Jersey on her ass, but I decided to just move to the other side of the group so I didn't get arrested. Other than that, a fun time was had by all!
Monday, July 6, 2009
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