As I've mentioned before, I've started a new blog about traveling with children. I'm super excited about putting this together and jotting down all of my experiences! You can find the blog over here. In a major change from this blog, the other one is supported by sales through my Amazon.com store. If you like what you read over there (or heck, even over here!), please click through my Amazon ad when you purchase something (or anything!). Primarily, I will be recommending products there were helpful for travel but even if that's not your cup of tea, using my referral link for any purchases you plan to make at Amazon will definitely help support this blogger. Thank you!
Showing posts with label me. Show all posts
Showing posts with label me. Show all posts
Sunday, April 07, 2013
Thursday, January 03, 2013
Happy new year!
Wishing you and yours a very happy New Year! I'm sorry I've been out of bloggy-world lately, but we've been traveling a lot and as a result, blogging had to take a backseat. It's next to impossible to blog on a tablet!
I'm planning on starting a new blog sometime in the near future to detail all of our travels. We've gone to some really cool places like Singapore, Indonesia, and Japan and it's been fun to experience new sights and cultures.
In the meantime, you'll see some slight changes on this blog. I realize it's gotten harder to blog as I've tried to move away from the personal stuff and also from fanfiction. I also felt politics is a zero-sum game, given how divided everyone is on every single issue. I didn't feel like engaging in virtual food-fights; who has time for that? Plus, I worked for a very staunch Republican for a while who has connections to various Republican presidents and I just wanted to keep my head low for the duration of my employment.
All of those concerns are now on the backburner, so I've decided to put a bit more personality back into the blog and also point out and blog about issues that I care about again. Hopefully that will give me more things to actually write about and motivate me to continue blogging. This blog has been around since 2001 and I'm not ready to retire it yet!
I'm planning on starting a new blog sometime in the near future to detail all of our travels. We've gone to some really cool places like Singapore, Indonesia, and Japan and it's been fun to experience new sights and cultures.
In the meantime, you'll see some slight changes on this blog. I realize it's gotten harder to blog as I've tried to move away from the personal stuff and also from fanfiction. I also felt politics is a zero-sum game, given how divided everyone is on every single issue. I didn't feel like engaging in virtual food-fights; who has time for that? Plus, I worked for a very staunch Republican for a while who has connections to various Republican presidents and I just wanted to keep my head low for the duration of my employment.
All of those concerns are now on the backburner, so I've decided to put a bit more personality back into the blog and also point out and blog about issues that I care about again. Hopefully that will give me more things to actually write about and motivate me to continue blogging. This blog has been around since 2001 and I'm not ready to retire it yet!
Thursday, September 06, 2012
Traveling with baby
Traveling with baby
Air travel with babies (kids) is never easy. When I used to travel for work, I would carry one small bag that fit into the overhead bin and call it a day. I had the TSA checkpoints down to a science, such as undoing my shoes and already getting my little toiletry baggies out before I even got to the conveyer belt for the x-ray machines. But baby has changed all of that. Now I'm that harried, haggard person standing there in line hoping that you all won't be mad at me as I rummage through the diaper bag to find all the food that I now need to declare, figure out what to do with my toddler who wants to toddle and not stay put, and then handle the stroller and the carseat expertly with one hand. Seriously, babies have a lot of gear and even traveling light, you can't avoid most of the stuff.
Here are some products I used on my most recent travels that made life a lot easier (note: I'm not sponsored by any of the products I'm mentioning and I don't get any commission etc if you click on the links, which lead to Amazon, btw).
* Enfamil Premium Infant Single-Serve Powder Packets: I usually pour pre-measured powder into bottles and then add water as needed, but one thing I found with travel is that with all the hectic running around, bottles aren't always dry when I need them to be. So now I use these pre-packaged packets where I can dump the powder into the bottle of water when needed and not worry about lugging around the giant tub of formula around. It also means that if a bottle is wet when I hit the road, no worries, since I'll be putting the powder in just before baby needs it.
Air travel with babies (kids) is never easy. When I used to travel for work, I would carry one small bag that fit into the overhead bin and call it a day. I had the TSA checkpoints down to a science, such as undoing my shoes and already getting my little toiletry baggies out before I even got to the conveyer belt for the x-ray machines. But baby has changed all of that. Now I'm that harried, haggard person standing there in line hoping that you all won't be mad at me as I rummage through the diaper bag to find all the food that I now need to declare, figure out what to do with my toddler who wants to toddle and not stay put, and then handle the stroller and the carseat expertly with one hand. Seriously, babies have a lot of gear and even traveling light, you can't avoid most of the stuff.
Here are some products I used on my most recent travels that made life a lot easier (note: I'm not sponsored by any of the products I'm mentioning and I don't get any commission etc if you click on the links, which lead to Amazon, btw).
* Enfamil Premium Infant Single-Serve Powder Packets: I usually pour pre-measured powder into bottles and then add water as needed, but one thing I found with travel is that with all the hectic running around, bottles aren't always dry when I need them to be. So now I use these pre-packaged packets where I can dump the powder into the bottle of water when needed and not worry about lugging around the giant tub of formula around. It also means that if a bottle is wet when I hit the road, no worries, since I'll be putting the powder in just before baby needs it.
I've really only used Enfamil so I have no idea if the competing brands like Gerber and Similac have such a product, but it's worth checking into. Also, these are pretty pricey compared to powder tubs (which are pricey to begin with!) but are worth it for the convenience.
There are also pre-made formulas out there in single servings, but I avoided them after hearing a horror story from one of the moms in my playgroup. Apparently, TSA needed to test the formula after they opened it, she had to dump it out and as a result, she had no food for the flight and had to go home. I do expect TSA to have to test powder (though on 6 flights so far -- 3 roundtrips), the most TSA has done is look at the tub of powder and wave a wand at it. However, even if they take a scoop of powder out for testing, the remaining is still good to use. So I'd avoid the pre-made formula, just to be safe.
* Medela Steam Bags: These bags are great for sterilization on the road. All you need is some water and a microwave and a lot of hotels now have microwaves in the room. I know sterilization isn't particularly necessary anymore but it's just something that I feel good about doing, especially when I know that the bottle cleaning might not be going as well as it might at home. And it's a decent value -- about $5 for 100 uses.
* Plum Organics Baby Food: I just used Plum Organics extensively (they were on sale at Babies R Us for a $1/pack -- usually run around $1.50 to $1.60 normal price), so hence my recommendation. There are other brands that come in a sack like this. The bottom line is that these are super easy to travel with since there is no worry about glass breaking and baby can easily suck the food out of the package so there's the added benefit of not needing to travel with silverware and dishes.
I packed enough food for the flight into a small generic cooler bag and purchased a bottle of water after passing through security. Incidentally, on one of my flights, I pre-filled the bottles with the appropriate amount of water and went through security and they let me through. I believe TSA allows you to bring as much food and water as required to feed the baby for the flight, but still be prepared to dump any water out or have TSA look/scan the food appropriately.
Once on the plane, I put the diaper bag up in the overhead bin and then put the cooler on the seat next to me. That way I had all of the food right there and I wouldn't have to bother my seatmate to get it. I also purchased a new toy for the flight but baby wasn't particularly interested in that or in any of my Kindle apps that I downloaded for her. She just wanted to pull magazines etc out of the seat pocket in front of us.
On my next trip, I plan to use the Travelmate and see how it works. Currently, I'm using a Graco Infant Carrier with the infant stroller frame (BTW, this stroller is awesome; I didn't know about it until after baby was born but it really is life-changing compared to the behemoth travel system stroller we purchased). We'll see how that goes!
Tuesday, July 03, 2012
Clarification
I realize my previous post might have sounded like I was anti-breast feeding, and I'm not. It's just that it's difficult, far more difficult than I expected, and it does feel like a marathon -- just one more mile to go, one more, if I can make it to that next marker. We've all been in that position and I wrote that post at a time when I was really mentally, physically and emotionally struggling with breastfeeding. I think we owe it to women to be truthful about the experience, that it's NOT for everyone, and it's not the end all and be all if you don't breastfeed. I think this last point is really what I wanted to get at.
There's such pressure and guilt put on mothers by society and other women regarding this topic that any deviation for whatever reason feels like a major failure. It's not a failure to say breastfeeding isn't for you. Feeding is such one piece of a complex algorithm on how one raises her (and his! fathers included!) child and there's no surefire way that everything you do is going to be exactly right on setting your child on the way to Bill Gates awesomeness. There are so many questions to answer along the way, so many decisions to be made. So as plaintive that post sounded, I needed to say what I said, and I'm calmer and more reassured about the decision I made. And that's all any parent can really do.
I realize my previous post might have sounded like I was anti-breast feeding, and I'm not. It's just that it's difficult, far more difficult than I expected, and it does feel like a marathon -- just one more mile to go, one more, if I can make it to that next marker. We've all been in that position and I wrote that post at a time when I was really mentally, physically and emotionally struggling with breastfeeding. I think we owe it to women to be truthful about the experience, that it's NOT for everyone, and it's not the end all and be all if you don't breastfeed. I think this last point is really what I wanted to get at.
There's such pressure and guilt put on mothers by society and other women regarding this topic that any deviation for whatever reason feels like a major failure. It's not a failure to say breastfeeding isn't for you. Feeding is such one piece of a complex algorithm on how one raises her (and his! fathers included!) child and there's no surefire way that everything you do is going to be exactly right on setting your child on the way to Bill Gates awesomeness. There are so many questions to answer along the way, so many decisions to be made. So as plaintive that post sounded, I needed to say what I said, and I'm calmer and more reassured about the decision I made. And that's all any parent can really do.
Friday, June 15, 2012
LotD
I've been hemming and hawing over this one for a while and have finally decided to post it*: The Case Against Breastfeeding. I've been of two minds because I do think there are some definite benefits to breastfeeding (I can't speak to the accuracy or completeness of Rosin's 'findings' in the article), but there are downsides to it that are rarely discussed. Instead, you get these lovely pamphlets and books with pictures of mothers staring beatifically at their children and all is well with the world. Just master the right hold, go skin to skin, and voila, life is good and wonderful and your child will grow up to be Bill Gates.
I'm still trying to gather my thoughts on the subject, because this is an intensely personal choice and I'm still trying to understand how I feel. What I will share is that I didn't have the beatific experience that everyone seems to emulate and that it took a lot of support from various parties to get me through the first 10 weeks. Around months 7 to 8, I felt that tug of, "Okay, I've reached my goal, let's get on with life. I want to wear a dress again." And then I felt immediately ashamed, as if my desire to wear a dress trumped the well-being of the child. I didn't necessarily feel closer to the baby because of the breastfeeding. I mostly felt a bit of panic, some frustration, some angst -- why isn't this working? Where is the milk they said would be coming in days? Why won't the baby latch? Isn't it instinctive? Didn't I follow all the rules?
The rules, mind you, came from a breastfeeding class and as a result, I had made up my mind prior to delivery that the baby would a) not have a pacifier and b) no bottles and c) no formula. Within 12 hours of birth, all three rules had been broken; the lactation consultant was confuzzled and told me she'd be back in the morning to try again, but not before she bottle-fed the baby a bit of formula. And she came back twice the next day and again, the baby wasn't interested in nature's best and instead, once again, there was formula in a bottle. On the third day, the day I left the hospital, another consultant came, and after an hour, told me, "You may need to just pump. Some babies take time to get it." Her tone of voice made pumping sound like a weekend in the Swiss Alps.
So we rented the hospital grade pump and retired the one I had bought -- a rather inexpensive double electric, bought on the premise that it would be used sparingly. Instead, I was hooked up to this loud, monstrous yellow box 6 to 8 times a day at 15 to 20 minutes a pop, sometimes as long as 45 minutes. And then there was the cleaning and sanitizing of all pump parts and bottles. It was enough to make anyone go crazy. When I couldn't pump enough milk, which happened more than I liked, we supplemented with formula. And I kept trying and trying to get the baby to latch. Week 10, I was about to give up and give in and lo and behold, the magical latch happened.
I made it to the six month mark, pretty happy that I was a) disengaged mostly from that pump, b) had less bottles to wash on a daily basis (and oh, the dishwasher basket saved my life for sure) and c) it was relatively to easy to feed the baby when the baby was hungry, regardless of where I was. But something changed after I hit the six month mark. Was it that I had reached the goal set by the AAP -- six months of exclusive breastfeeding?** Or may be it was the baby was getting wiggly and knocking my cover off in public. Or that it was getting hot in the summer and I was tired of wearing the same old t-shirts and skirts and wanted back into my pretty dresses. Maybe it was the baby always seemed hungry (at six months, the baby regressed to newborn sleeping habits) and I felt like a nursing zombie. Still, I made it through month six because then I thought it was cruel to wean a baby just like that. And the pediatrician assured me that the baby would lose interest as solids were introduced.
But not losing interest fast enough for me. And that's when I realized I had come to the end of my rope. I wanted off the nursing bandwagon quickly and as minimally traumatic to all parties. And yet, even though I had made it longer than most women, I still felt guilt. My heart and mind were no longer in the process and I found myself reaching for the bottle and formula often. Suddenly breastfeeding no longer seemed easy and I wanted my life back.
* I'm pretty sure I haven't posted this one yet as an LoTD, though it's been on my 'to do' list for quite a while. I find the article provocative in every way and it's never far from my mind in its dissonance from what society/culture dictates. If this is a rerun, I apologize. ** I always had to supplement with formula, but I would say at the 6 month mark, the baby was on 80% breast milk and 20% formula.
I've been hemming and hawing over this one for a while and have finally decided to post it*: The Case Against Breastfeeding. I've been of two minds because I do think there are some definite benefits to breastfeeding (I can't speak to the accuracy or completeness of Rosin's 'findings' in the article), but there are downsides to it that are rarely discussed. Instead, you get these lovely pamphlets and books with pictures of mothers staring beatifically at their children and all is well with the world. Just master the right hold, go skin to skin, and voila, life is good and wonderful and your child will grow up to be Bill Gates.
I'm still trying to gather my thoughts on the subject, because this is an intensely personal choice and I'm still trying to understand how I feel. What I will share is that I didn't have the beatific experience that everyone seems to emulate and that it took a lot of support from various parties to get me through the first 10 weeks. Around months 7 to 8, I felt that tug of, "Okay, I've reached my goal, let's get on with life. I want to wear a dress again." And then I felt immediately ashamed, as if my desire to wear a dress trumped the well-being of the child. I didn't necessarily feel closer to the baby because of the breastfeeding. I mostly felt a bit of panic, some frustration, some angst -- why isn't this working? Where is the milk they said would be coming in days? Why won't the baby latch? Isn't it instinctive? Didn't I follow all the rules?
The rules, mind you, came from a breastfeeding class and as a result, I had made up my mind prior to delivery that the baby would a) not have a pacifier and b) no bottles and c) no formula. Within 12 hours of birth, all three rules had been broken; the lactation consultant was confuzzled and told me she'd be back in the morning to try again, but not before she bottle-fed the baby a bit of formula. And she came back twice the next day and again, the baby wasn't interested in nature's best and instead, once again, there was formula in a bottle. On the third day, the day I left the hospital, another consultant came, and after an hour, told me, "You may need to just pump. Some babies take time to get it." Her tone of voice made pumping sound like a weekend in the Swiss Alps.
So we rented the hospital grade pump and retired the one I had bought -- a rather inexpensive double electric, bought on the premise that it would be used sparingly. Instead, I was hooked up to this loud, monstrous yellow box 6 to 8 times a day at 15 to 20 minutes a pop, sometimes as long as 45 minutes. And then there was the cleaning and sanitizing of all pump parts and bottles. It was enough to make anyone go crazy. When I couldn't pump enough milk, which happened more than I liked, we supplemented with formula. And I kept trying and trying to get the baby to latch. Week 10, I was about to give up and give in and lo and behold, the magical latch happened.
I made it to the six month mark, pretty happy that I was a) disengaged mostly from that pump, b) had less bottles to wash on a daily basis (and oh, the dishwasher basket saved my life for sure) and c) it was relatively to easy to feed the baby when the baby was hungry, regardless of where I was. But something changed after I hit the six month mark. Was it that I had reached the goal set by the AAP -- six months of exclusive breastfeeding?** Or may be it was the baby was getting wiggly and knocking my cover off in public. Or that it was getting hot in the summer and I was tired of wearing the same old t-shirts and skirts and wanted back into my pretty dresses. Maybe it was the baby always seemed hungry (at six months, the baby regressed to newborn sleeping habits) and I felt like a nursing zombie. Still, I made it through month six because then I thought it was cruel to wean a baby just like that. And the pediatrician assured me that the baby would lose interest as solids were introduced.
But not losing interest fast enough for me. And that's when I realized I had come to the end of my rope. I wanted off the nursing bandwagon quickly and as minimally traumatic to all parties. And yet, even though I had made it longer than most women, I still felt guilt. My heart and mind were no longer in the process and I found myself reaching for the bottle and formula often. Suddenly breastfeeding no longer seemed easy and I wanted my life back.
* I'm pretty sure I haven't posted this one yet as an LoTD, though it's been on my 'to do' list for quite a while. I find the article provocative in every way and it's never far from my mind in its dissonance from what society/culture dictates. If this is a rerun, I apologize. ** I always had to supplement with formula, but I would say at the 6 month mark, the baby was on 80% breast milk and 20% formula.
Thursday, February 02, 2012
Deep thoughts for today
Remember this post? It was something I took to heart and followed. I swore off most news sites, contenting myself only with what was on the "Today Show" and for those of you who watch that, you know any real news content ends after 7:20 am. In general, the less I know what goes on in the world, the less anxious I feel. After all, I'm a rehabilitated journalist -- I know that "what bleeds, leads"; it's been a good change now that I'm unaware of all the Very Very Bad Things (tm) that happen in Sweat Sock City.
This week, for personal reasons, we made the decision to keep the television off. J, of course, watches in the morning when he wakes up and starts work. Once I wake up, we turn it off. We have been television-free now for four days (if you don't count J watching the news from 6 am to 7 am). The end result is a surprisingly calm household and better sleep and we both finished 400+ page novels in a matter of days. And oh, all evening chores such as cooking dinner and doing the dishes (among other things) were done. We were actually discussing the other day how much we enjoyed not having the television on. Big change for this former fanfic writer, huh?
Remember this post? It was something I took to heart and followed. I swore off most news sites, contenting myself only with what was on the "Today Show" and for those of you who watch that, you know any real news content ends after 7:20 am. In general, the less I know what goes on in the world, the less anxious I feel. After all, I'm a rehabilitated journalist -- I know that "what bleeds, leads"; it's been a good change now that I'm unaware of all the Very Very Bad Things (tm) that happen in Sweat Sock City.
This week, for personal reasons, we made the decision to keep the television off. J, of course, watches in the morning when he wakes up and starts work. Once I wake up, we turn it off. We have been television-free now for four days (if you don't count J watching the news from 6 am to 7 am). The end result is a surprisingly calm household and better sleep and we both finished 400+ page novels in a matter of days. And oh, all evening chores such as cooking dinner and doing the dishes (among other things) were done. We were actually discussing the other day how much we enjoyed not having the television on. Big change for this former fanfic writer, huh?
Friday, July 08, 2011
Still movin'
The unpacking continues. The weird thing about moving is how quickly stuff multiplies. It's like what, this box here? What's in it? And you find receipts from 2007. I lived in my first apartment for six years and got comfortable. I stuffed things here and there, collected stuff, and just found places for it all without really thinking about the consequences. When I realized I would be moving in 2009, I did a couple of garage sales and a run to the Salvation Army. The garage sales and donations lulled me into a false sense of security; surely the move of 2011 would be a lot less stuff, right? RIGHT? Strangely, no.
At this point, we've collected eight boxes worth of stuff to donate to the Salvation Army (incidently, we donate to the Salvation Army because they are super close to our house, not for any other reason). We've also been deailng with some of the stuff that the sellers left behind like 30 years worth of paint in the garage (seriously, we had to take gallons of the stuff to the recycling center) and a refrigerator, the name brand of which had been discontinued back in the 70s. And for some odd reason, the sellers also left a lot of hangers for us -- like Old Navy and Wal-Mart hangers; into the donate box they go. It also took two weeks of trash pickup to work through the sellers' trash. As a result, we're just now getting through our own recycling and trash pick-up.
Today I'm working through the mess in the office. We get a lot of mail. Let me clarify -- a lot of needless mail. Purchase a house and suddenly everyone wants to sell you something. Don't they know we just bought a house and we're still in shock and don't want to buy anything from anyone? Especially when we're still muddling around in what looks like a box factory explosion? Then there is all the junk mail that you have no intention of doing anything with but have to shred it anyway because it's stuff like credit card applications. I should also mention that we brought a bunch of paper from our other places, so the new paper is just piling on top of the old. What we need, what we *really* need, is a filing cabinet, so we can dump all this stuff in there and fuggadabboutit. Seems to have worked just fine for us in the past.
The unpacking continues. The weird thing about moving is how quickly stuff multiplies. It's like what, this box here? What's in it? And you find receipts from 2007. I lived in my first apartment for six years and got comfortable. I stuffed things here and there, collected stuff, and just found places for it all without really thinking about the consequences. When I realized I would be moving in 2009, I did a couple of garage sales and a run to the Salvation Army. The garage sales and donations lulled me into a false sense of security; surely the move of 2011 would be a lot less stuff, right? RIGHT? Strangely, no.
At this point, we've collected eight boxes worth of stuff to donate to the Salvation Army (incidently, we donate to the Salvation Army because they are super close to our house, not for any other reason). We've also been deailng with some of the stuff that the sellers left behind like 30 years worth of paint in the garage (seriously, we had to take gallons of the stuff to the recycling center) and a refrigerator, the name brand of which had been discontinued back in the 70s. And for some odd reason, the sellers also left a lot of hangers for us -- like Old Navy and Wal-Mart hangers; into the donate box they go. It also took two weeks of trash pickup to work through the sellers' trash. As a result, we're just now getting through our own recycling and trash pick-up.
Today I'm working through the mess in the office. We get a lot of mail. Let me clarify -- a lot of needless mail. Purchase a house and suddenly everyone wants to sell you something. Don't they know we just bought a house and we're still in shock and don't want to buy anything from anyone? Especially when we're still muddling around in what looks like a box factory explosion? Then there is all the junk mail that you have no intention of doing anything with but have to shred it anyway because it's stuff like credit card applications. I should also mention that we brought a bunch of paper from our other places, so the new paper is just piling on top of the old. What we need, what we *really* need, is a filing cabinet, so we can dump all this stuff in there and fuggadabboutit. Seems to have worked just fine for us in the past.
Monday, June 27, 2011
'roid!
On a personal note, I wanted to share a little bit of a health issue I've had over the last few weeks. I'm not going to go into all of the gory details, but I did want to talk about this one thing because it is unusual and there wasn't a lot out there on the internet about it and for a while, I felt like I was the only one who had this problem. It's got a great name: degenerating fibroid. In other words, a fibroid that was dying.
A fibroid is basically a harmless mass; most women have them at some point in their lives. Mine made an appearance about 6 months ago. Surprise! My doctor said not to worry about it, it wasn't serious, and the biggest complication would be pain if the fibroid started to degenerate (i.e. start to shrink if it outgrew its blood supply), but she assured me that that was a rare occurrence. Well, surprise again!
About 3 weeks ago, the fibroid started to degenerate. I had an ultrasound done after having three days of stomach pain and it showed that my fibroid had shrunk from a whopping 11 cm to 9.2 cm. The pain initially started feeling like a pulled muscle and all of the ensuing fun that comes from a sore stomach like hurting when I laughed. The pain got steadily worse over the next few days, making it difficult to walk or bend or do much of anything. It basically felt like the world's worst side stitch along with a rhythmic stabbing motion. Hitting a speed bump in the car, for instance, was agonizing -- shooting pain up my side and through my insides. It was just really painful. My doctor offered prescription painkillers, but I decided to pass on those and just bear it.
I'm happy to report that for the last week or so, the fibroid has been quiet and the pain non-existent. This tells me that the fibroid has stopped shrinking (it hasn't disappeared; I can still feel it on my right side). Sitting still and resting was the best thing. I know pain medication would have made it easier but I didn't want to go that way for personal reasons. I think the message here is that yes, it does hurt when this happens but it does go away, it doesn't cause any other side effects or issues, and it's just a matter of getting through it. I should also add that I'm the world's biggest baby when it comes to pain so if I can do this, anyone can (or maybe it didn't hurt as bad as I thought it did!).
And oh, I'm not a doctor (obviously). So if you think this is happening to you, talk to your doctor to confirm that it is truly this relatively benign issue.
On a personal note, I wanted to share a little bit of a health issue I've had over the last few weeks. I'm not going to go into all of the gory details, but I did want to talk about this one thing because it is unusual and there wasn't a lot out there on the internet about it and for a while, I felt like I was the only one who had this problem. It's got a great name: degenerating fibroid. In other words, a fibroid that was dying.
A fibroid is basically a harmless mass; most women have them at some point in their lives. Mine made an appearance about 6 months ago. Surprise! My doctor said not to worry about it, it wasn't serious, and the biggest complication would be pain if the fibroid started to degenerate (i.e. start to shrink if it outgrew its blood supply), but she assured me that that was a rare occurrence. Well, surprise again!
About 3 weeks ago, the fibroid started to degenerate. I had an ultrasound done after having three days of stomach pain and it showed that my fibroid had shrunk from a whopping 11 cm to 9.2 cm. The pain initially started feeling like a pulled muscle and all of the ensuing fun that comes from a sore stomach like hurting when I laughed. The pain got steadily worse over the next few days, making it difficult to walk or bend or do much of anything. It basically felt like the world's worst side stitch along with a rhythmic stabbing motion. Hitting a speed bump in the car, for instance, was agonizing -- shooting pain up my side and through my insides. It was just really painful. My doctor offered prescription painkillers, but I decided to pass on those and just bear it.
I'm happy to report that for the last week or so, the fibroid has been quiet and the pain non-existent. This tells me that the fibroid has stopped shrinking (it hasn't disappeared; I can still feel it on my right side). Sitting still and resting was the best thing. I know pain medication would have made it easier but I didn't want to go that way for personal reasons. I think the message here is that yes, it does hurt when this happens but it does go away, it doesn't cause any other side effects or issues, and it's just a matter of getting through it. I should also add that I'm the world's biggest baby when it comes to pain so if I can do this, anyone can (or maybe it didn't hurt as bad as I thought it did!).
And oh, I'm not a doctor (obviously). So if you think this is happening to you, talk to your doctor to confirm that it is truly this relatively benign issue.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Ch-ch-changes
Have I mentioned I've given up politics? If I haven't, well, I have. It was not an epiphany that just hit me 'side the head recently, but something that happened back in April when I was hanging out for a week in the allegedly happiest place on earth. It's amazing what one week free of internet and mostly free of news will do to your mind. It clarifies, cleanses, and all that good stuff. And when you come back from the detox, you find out people are still mad about the same stuff, still yelling about the same stuff, and no one has moved the ball down the field. And I realized that I spent a lot of time not moving the ball down the field as well.
I'm not sure how swearing off politics is going to help with the problem I just crystallized in last sentence of the above paragraph. I just know that my life is happier without reading who is saying what to whom, who hates on whom, and why the other side is so freakin' crazy/awful/terrible/hates America. I've unsubscribed from most of the political feeds on my Facebook page, have stopped reading politically orientated op-eds, and now skip the Sunday television gab fests that are usually nothing less than polite food fights.
I think the real thing that gets me about politics and why it's so easy to walk away -- every action has an opposite and equal reaction. For example: cut taxes, you cut revenues. Cut the budget and someone somewhere out there is going to suffer (but it's okay as long as it's someone else, not me -- hands off my government-run Medicare thankyouverymuch). End EPA regulations and sure businesses will have more cash flow, but let's watch the asthma and cancer rates go up at the same time. I can play this game all day and I know you can too.
No one talks about how to get America's kids educated so we can compete in a global marketplace, no one talks about funding research and development so we can be the innovative brains of the world again; do we not realize that the rest of the world has caught up in certain places and we're not competitive anymore? Instead, we talk about stupid things like whether gay people should be allowed to get married (um, yes) or forcing sonograms on women who want abortions (and who's going to take care of the kid when it gets here, you? Certainly not Uncle Sam). We spend all this time quibbling about other people's lives, not realizing that other countries (namely BRIC) are stealing our thunder. And dang it, I want our thunder back.
I'll be back when the country decides that it wants to act like adults and really solve problems, not talk about how the other side isn't cooperating. Cooperation, if I remember correctly, doesn't involve ultimatums and usually takes two. I should also note that my blood pressure is nice and low now that I no longer follow politics. But boy, that means I know a heck of a lot more about Hollywood than any normal, sane person ought to.
Have I mentioned I've given up politics? If I haven't, well, I have. It was not an epiphany that just hit me 'side the head recently, but something that happened back in April when I was hanging out for a week in the allegedly happiest place on earth. It's amazing what one week free of internet and mostly free of news will do to your mind. It clarifies, cleanses, and all that good stuff. And when you come back from the detox, you find out people are still mad about the same stuff, still yelling about the same stuff, and no one has moved the ball down the field. And I realized that I spent a lot of time not moving the ball down the field as well.
I'm not sure how swearing off politics is going to help with the problem I just crystallized in last sentence of the above paragraph. I just know that my life is happier without reading who is saying what to whom, who hates on whom, and why the other side is so freakin' crazy/awful/terrible/hates America. I've unsubscribed from most of the political feeds on my Facebook page, have stopped reading politically orientated op-eds, and now skip the Sunday television gab fests that are usually nothing less than polite food fights.
I think the real thing that gets me about politics and why it's so easy to walk away -- every action has an opposite and equal reaction. For example: cut taxes, you cut revenues. Cut the budget and someone somewhere out there is going to suffer (but it's okay as long as it's someone else, not me -- hands off my government-run Medicare thankyouverymuch). End EPA regulations and sure businesses will have more cash flow, but let's watch the asthma and cancer rates go up at the same time. I can play this game all day and I know you can too.
No one talks about how to get America's kids educated so we can compete in a global marketplace, no one talks about funding research and development so we can be the innovative brains of the world again; do we not realize that the rest of the world has caught up in certain places and we're not competitive anymore? Instead, we talk about stupid things like whether gay people should be allowed to get married (um, yes) or forcing sonograms on women who want abortions (and who's going to take care of the kid when it gets here, you? Certainly not Uncle Sam). We spend all this time quibbling about other people's lives, not realizing that other countries (namely BRIC) are stealing our thunder. And dang it, I want our thunder back.
I'll be back when the country decides that it wants to act like adults and really solve problems, not talk about how the other side isn't cooperating. Cooperation, if I remember correctly, doesn't involve ultimatums and usually takes two. I should also note that my blood pressure is nice and low now that I no longer follow politics. But boy, that means I know a heck of a lot more about Hollywood than any normal, sane person ought to.
Sunday, June 05, 2011
Argh!
I just discovered our magnets don't stick to the stainless steel refrigerator in the kitchen! ACK! Another mark against stainless steel appliances (we don't care for them and would have chosen non-stainless steel, but the house came with them). Now I have to figure out what to do with all of my pictures and other things we would put on the refrigerator so we wouldn't forget about them. It seems odd that the OEMs of these appliances didn't seem to realize that most of us like to decorate our refrigators! Whoever heard of a pristine refrigerator? (Model homes don't count!). *le sigh* I hate that I won't be able to use my magnets anymore, magnets I've had for years, that have followed me from place to place. GE, are you listening????
I just discovered our magnets don't stick to the stainless steel refrigerator in the kitchen! ACK! Another mark against stainless steel appliances (we don't care for them and would have chosen non-stainless steel, but the house came with them). Now I have to figure out what to do with all of my pictures and other things we would put on the refrigerator so we wouldn't forget about them. It seems odd that the OEMs of these appliances didn't seem to realize that most of us like to decorate our refrigators! Whoever heard of a pristine refrigerator? (Model homes don't count!). *le sigh* I hate that I won't be able to use my magnets anymore, magnets I've had for years, that have followed me from place to place. GE, are you listening????
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Moving...bleech
The move is continuing through this Memorial Day weekend. We got delayed today due to the sudden realization we had run out of storage space. So off to IKEA we went, where we procured a very nice wardrobe closet (and only one widget missing from the kit!). It took 2 1/2 hours for J to build (I supervised; I'm very good at that) and so that took a chunk out of the day. Should also note that we still haven't emptied our apartment; we think we have maybe two hours of work left there for tomorrow.
We had originally planned to put the wardrobe in the closet-less guest room, but then changed direction. As a result, the dresser in the master bedroom is now hanging out in the dining room while waiting to be moved into the guest room. We also have started becoming ruthless with stuff, starting donation boxes and trash; if it's in good enough condition to donate, we will, but some clothes and linens are just so... gross that we tossed them immediately.
We think we're making progress because we have lots of empty boxes, yet the chaos around us seems to grow every day. I'm not sure if it's because we still have the apartment so stuff from there was arriving every day, making it harder to move through the stuff already in the house, or we're just incredibly disorganized, or we have lots and lots of crap. All of these things could be true. Hopefully tomorrow we'll rid ourselves of the apartment -- well, actually we have to since our lease expires on the 31st -- and really get a handle on tackling the mess that is our house. Still, home sweet home. It's nice to be here.
The move is continuing through this Memorial Day weekend. We got delayed today due to the sudden realization we had run out of storage space. So off to IKEA we went, where we procured a very nice wardrobe closet (and only one widget missing from the kit!). It took 2 1/2 hours for J to build (I supervised; I'm very good at that) and so that took a chunk out of the day. Should also note that we still haven't emptied our apartment; we think we have maybe two hours of work left there for tomorrow.
We had originally planned to put the wardrobe in the closet-less guest room, but then changed direction. As a result, the dresser in the master bedroom is now hanging out in the dining room while waiting to be moved into the guest room. We also have started becoming ruthless with stuff, starting donation boxes and trash; if it's in good enough condition to donate, we will, but some clothes and linens are just so... gross that we tossed them immediately.
We think we're making progress because we have lots of empty boxes, yet the chaos around us seems to grow every day. I'm not sure if it's because we still have the apartment so stuff from there was arriving every day, making it harder to move through the stuff already in the house, or we're just incredibly disorganized, or we have lots and lots of crap. All of these things could be true. Hopefully tomorrow we'll rid ourselves of the apartment -- well, actually we have to since our lease expires on the 31st -- and really get a handle on tackling the mess that is our house. Still, home sweet home. It's nice to be here.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Administrative note
And oh! I should mention -- because this has actually come up a couple times recently -- that if you ever sent me a story to be published on this site, I don't have a copy of it. Sorry. I deleted all stories from the website some time ago and kept copies for a while on my dearly departed computer, which only had a 20 GB harddrive; at some point, I decided I needed the hard drive space and I deleted anything that was no longer on my site. Add to that a couple of reformats on the drive and last summer's catastrophic hard drive failure, and I don't really have an archive of a lot of things (including some of my stuff anymore. So if you're looking for a copy, you may want to try the Way Back When machine. Sorry I can't be more helpful.
And oh! I should mention -- because this has actually come up a couple times recently -- that if you ever sent me a story to be published on this site, I don't have a copy of it. Sorry. I deleted all stories from the website some time ago and kept copies for a while on my dearly departed computer, which only had a 20 GB harddrive; at some point, I decided I needed the hard drive space and I deleted anything that was no longer on my site. Add to that a couple of reformats on the drive and last summer's catastrophic hard drive failure, and I don't really have an archive of a lot of things (including some of my stuff anymore. So if you're looking for a copy, you may want to try the Way Back When machine. Sorry I can't be more helpful.
Things that make you go hmmm...
The more I encounter them, the less I like the CAPTCHA method of telling "humans apart from computer." I understand why it's used and why it's needed, but this particular human is not very good at using them. Mostly it's because those graphics are so badly rendered that it's hard to read them correctly. The letters are pushed together, the lines are blurred or fuzzy, and it's like is that an I or a 1? I invariably get my first attempt at filling the box incorrect and have to do it again several times. A couple of times, the graphics have been so difficult to decipher that I have locked myself out of my own account. I can't be the only one who has this problem, right?
The more I encounter them, the less I like the CAPTCHA method of telling "humans apart from computer." I understand why it's used and why it's needed, but this particular human is not very good at using them. Mostly it's because those graphics are so badly rendered that it's hard to read them correctly. The letters are pushed together, the lines are blurred or fuzzy, and it's like is that an I or a 1? I invariably get my first attempt at filling the box incorrect and have to do it again several times. A couple of times, the graphics have been so difficult to decipher that I have locked myself out of my own account. I can't be the only one who has this problem, right?
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Moving...
So I have moved again. Moving is no fun, as we all know. In fact, it's amazing -- AMAZING -- just how much stuff one gathers when one stays in place. Part of me thinks it's a great idea to move every year just to keep from accumulating stuff, but then the other part of me remembers what a pain in the butt it was to deal with AT&T to get phone & internet set up at the new place and I'm thinking, "Okay, maybe we'll stay put for a while." Right now I'm a bit intimidated by the number of boxes still left to unpack (we started moving on Wednesday with professional movers for the heavy stuff). We're slowly working our way through it, 'slowly' being the operative word here. At least this computer is now back up and functioning. Hooray!
So I have moved again. Moving is no fun, as we all know. In fact, it's amazing -- AMAZING -- just how much stuff one gathers when one stays in place. Part of me thinks it's a great idea to move every year just to keep from accumulating stuff, but then the other part of me remembers what a pain in the butt it was to deal with AT&T to get phone & internet set up at the new place and I'm thinking, "Okay, maybe we'll stay put for a while." Right now I'm a bit intimidated by the number of boxes still left to unpack (we started moving on Wednesday with professional movers for the heavy stuff). We're slowly working our way through it, 'slowly' being the operative word here. At least this computer is now back up and functioning. Hooray!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
'tis the season
The Perfect Summer Dress. As a dress lover, I was greatly amused by this analysis, written by a man no less!
I just returned from a week-long vacation to the happiest place on Earth. It was GREAT to be without internet or television for that time. Amazingly, people are still shouting about the same things this week as they were last week when we left. I'm, however, still in my happy place, and have no desire to be pulled back into the real world just yet.
The Perfect Summer Dress. As a dress lover, I was greatly amused by this analysis, written by a man no less!
I just returned from a week-long vacation to the happiest place on Earth. It was GREAT to be without internet or television for that time. Amazingly, people are still shouting about the same things this week as they were last week when we left. I'm, however, still in my happy place, and have no desire to be pulled back into the real world just yet.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Couponing
As much as I enjoy saving money, I don't particularly care for or use coupons that often. I've found, for the most part, coupons don't apply for the food items I buy -- namely fresh veggies and some bulk goods -- and the store brands are generally just as good and are cheaper without the coupon. Every now and then, I make an attempt to coupon, like I did this morning. I took a pair of scissors to the weekly P&G saver and cut out about 30 coupons. I know I'm probably not going to buy any of the items for the coupons I cut, but it makes me feel like I'm making an effort. Especially since we now have a goal of saving at least 50 cents a week or $2/month to cover the cost of the Sunday Sweat Sock City Chronicle.
I have, however, started using Groupon on occasion. So far I've bought three of the Groupons, all to restaurants. The restaurants are all ones we like or want to try and most of them were purchased for 50% off, i.e. spend $20 to get $40. What we found however is that we overspent in order to collect the full value of the Groupon. So a dinner at a posh Mexican restaurant would have cost us about $35 before the Groupon (excluding my margarita), but because we had to spend $40 in order to get the $20 off, we got dessert (which we split). I should note in this particular instance the Groupon did not include alcohol.
Another Groupon we used, we went $10 over the value -- $10 for a $20 Groupon. Again, it was another deal where we were $5 short and we ended up ordering some sodas and an appetizer to make up the difference. Overspent and overate. We're concerned we might have the same issue with another Groupon we bought, another $10 for $20 deal; this is for a restaurant where typically we spend about $13 for our meal -- a noodle bowl, a sandwich, egg rolls, and two drinks (yes, it's super cheap). So now we'll have to find another $7 to claim the full value of the Groupon.
The best way, I think, to look at a Groupon is that it's a discount of a certain amount before the final bill. We haven't managed to get to the 50% savings advertised, but we would have saved if we didn't have to over order. As a result, we're being very stingy with our Groupon purchases. There are some that look like great deals, such as $50 to get $150 off a new mattress at Matress Firm, but they also lock you into that store and that purchase. It might be better off just waiting for the sale to come around.
I should also note some people are GREAT at couponing; I'm in owe of their skill. I think it makes a lot of sense IF you're going to buy those particular products anyway. In our case, it hasn't really paid off at all simply because we don't buy very many processed foods outside of whole wheat pasta and the occasional rice or couscous mix. We primarily buy store brands and buy the veggies and fruits that are on sale during the week. We also stock up when there's a big sale. When Dannon yogurt was $10 for 10 -- the usual price being anywhere from $2.06 to $2.75 -- we stocked up. We have A LOT of yogurt containers to recycle!
I'm going to keep attempting to try the couponing thing, give it a fair shake. So far though, our 50 cent/week subscription to the newspaper hasn't paid for itself at all as advertised. As each week ticks by, we have to save 50 cents more to recoup the "investment." On the upside, I like to read it, so maybe it's worth that much for the enjoyment.
As much as I enjoy saving money, I don't particularly care for or use coupons that often. I've found, for the most part, coupons don't apply for the food items I buy -- namely fresh veggies and some bulk goods -- and the store brands are generally just as good and are cheaper without the coupon. Every now and then, I make an attempt to coupon, like I did this morning. I took a pair of scissors to the weekly P&G saver and cut out about 30 coupons. I know I'm probably not going to buy any of the items for the coupons I cut, but it makes me feel like I'm making an effort. Especially since we now have a goal of saving at least 50 cents a week or $2/month to cover the cost of the Sunday Sweat Sock City Chronicle.
I have, however, started using Groupon on occasion. So far I've bought three of the Groupons, all to restaurants. The restaurants are all ones we like or want to try and most of them were purchased for 50% off, i.e. spend $20 to get $40. What we found however is that we overspent in order to collect the full value of the Groupon. So a dinner at a posh Mexican restaurant would have cost us about $35 before the Groupon (excluding my margarita), but because we had to spend $40 in order to get the $20 off, we got dessert (which we split). I should note in this particular instance the Groupon did not include alcohol.
Another Groupon we used, we went $10 over the value -- $10 for a $20 Groupon. Again, it was another deal where we were $5 short and we ended up ordering some sodas and an appetizer to make up the difference. Overspent and overate. We're concerned we might have the same issue with another Groupon we bought, another $10 for $20 deal; this is for a restaurant where typically we spend about $13 for our meal -- a noodle bowl, a sandwich, egg rolls, and two drinks (yes, it's super cheap). So now we'll have to find another $7 to claim the full value of the Groupon.
The best way, I think, to look at a Groupon is that it's a discount of a certain amount before the final bill. We haven't managed to get to the 50% savings advertised, but we would have saved if we didn't have to over order. As a result, we're being very stingy with our Groupon purchases. There are some that look like great deals, such as $50 to get $150 off a new mattress at Matress Firm, but they also lock you into that store and that purchase. It might be better off just waiting for the sale to come around.
I should also note some people are GREAT at couponing; I'm in owe of their skill. I think it makes a lot of sense IF you're going to buy those particular products anyway. In our case, it hasn't really paid off at all simply because we don't buy very many processed foods outside of whole wheat pasta and the occasional rice or couscous mix. We primarily buy store brands and buy the veggies and fruits that are on sale during the week. We also stock up when there's a big sale. When Dannon yogurt was $10 for 10 -- the usual price being anywhere from $2.06 to $2.75 -- we stocked up. We have A LOT of yogurt containers to recycle!
I'm going to keep attempting to try the couponing thing, give it a fair shake. So far though, our 50 cent/week subscription to the newspaper hasn't paid for itself at all as advertised. As each week ticks by, we have to save 50 cents more to recoup the "investment." On the upside, I like to read it, so maybe it's worth that much for the enjoyment.
Thursday, December 09, 2010
This is post 2,500
One of the things about traveling a lot, you gain a new found appreciation for your own bed. Also, I've noticed the "break in" time for a hotel bed has gone from 2 days to 0 for me. I've always been famous for being able to sleep anywhere at anytime, but hotels stymied me. I couldn't find a comfortable place in the bed for at least the first two nights (if I was there for that long) and by the time I got comfortable, it was time to pack up and leave.
What intrigues me is this idea that you can now BUY the hotel's bed and linens (and towels, furniture, bath amenities, etc). I swear, there are now catalogs in the rooms selling "the experience" of hotel living and believe you me, that while it's tempting, it's certainly not cheap. Both hotels I stayed in the last two weeks -- major luxury chains -- were charging upwards of $1200 for the mattress and box-spring set. That was before the $60+ price tag on the sheet set. No wonder the beds are so comfortable!
Amenities are also getting quite high class in hotels. You get Pantene and Neutrogena, but also weird stuff like barley shampoo and quinoa lotion. I had no idea. Some hotels provide toothpaste and mouthwash, others provide slippers to walk around in. A couple had robes available and at least one sold animal print pajamas. I've taken advantage of all except the animal print pajamas, of course. That was just... odd.
Hotels also have curiously overpriced breakfasts. If you're lucky, a cup of coffee will only set you back $5. That's including the tax, the 20% gratuity, and the service charge. A bagel with cream cheese at a recent hotel set me back $9. That was before the coffee, by the way. And then there's room service... The same meal in the restaurant versus room service has quite the delta in cost. There's something antisocial about room service, some might argue, but with a bed like they provide, so much more comfortable than ye olde staid dining room.
One of the things about traveling a lot, you gain a new found appreciation for your own bed. Also, I've noticed the "break in" time for a hotel bed has gone from 2 days to 0 for me. I've always been famous for being able to sleep anywhere at anytime, but hotels stymied me. I couldn't find a comfortable place in the bed for at least the first two nights (if I was there for that long) and by the time I got comfortable, it was time to pack up and leave.
What intrigues me is this idea that you can now BUY the hotel's bed and linens (and towels, furniture, bath amenities, etc). I swear, there are now catalogs in the rooms selling "the experience" of hotel living and believe you me, that while it's tempting, it's certainly not cheap. Both hotels I stayed in the last two weeks -- major luxury chains -- were charging upwards of $1200 for the mattress and box-spring set. That was before the $60+ price tag on the sheet set. No wonder the beds are so comfortable!
Amenities are also getting quite high class in hotels. You get Pantene and Neutrogena, but also weird stuff like barley shampoo and quinoa lotion. I had no idea. Some hotels provide toothpaste and mouthwash, others provide slippers to walk around in. A couple had robes available and at least one sold animal print pajamas. I've taken advantage of all except the animal print pajamas, of course. That was just... odd.
Hotels also have curiously overpriced breakfasts. If you're lucky, a cup of coffee will only set you back $5. That's including the tax, the 20% gratuity, and the service charge. A bagel with cream cheese at a recent hotel set me back $9. That was before the coffee, by the way. And then there's room service... The same meal in the restaurant versus room service has quite the delta in cost. There's something antisocial about room service, some might argue, but with a bed like they provide, so much more comfortable than ye olde staid dining room.
Friday, December 03, 2010
Post 2499
I know, I've been away a long time. I wish I had a good reason why, but none really. Just... lots of time in hotels and airplanes and all that good stuff. It doesn't leave a lot of time to just ruminate or catch up on things. On the upside, I'm getting upgraded to first class on airplanes more often now. I'll think of something better for the next post -- lucky 2500.
I know, I've been away a long time. I wish I had a good reason why, but none really. Just... lots of time in hotels and airplanes and all that good stuff. It doesn't leave a lot of time to just ruminate or catch up on things. On the upside, I'm getting upgraded to first class on airplanes more often now. I'll think of something better for the next post -- lucky 2500.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Beautiful nightmare
So it's been years since I worked in newspapers, but last night I dreamed I was working at a specialty trade paper -- electronics, a subject I know minimal about -- and that I was a one woman-show and it was my first day on the job. Deadline was approaching and an editor approached me and said I needed to come up with a cover story and layout. The dream then consisted of me running around frantically trying to figure out what story I could come up with 10 minutes and how I could use the layout to minimize word count. I don't know how the whole thing resolved. My dream did include me talking to my manager about some ideas, but whether any of them were accepted, I don't know.
I'd like to think I didn't miss the deadline as past performance implies I wouldn't have. But past performance also would indicate that I wouldn't have sat on my hands and been surprised by the task and deadline at hand. I should note that while working at newspapers was a blast and I learned a lot, it was long hours and a rather stressful environment come deadline. I'm grateful for the experience but certainly don't miss it.
So it's been years since I worked in newspapers, but last night I dreamed I was working at a specialty trade paper -- electronics, a subject I know minimal about -- and that I was a one woman-show and it was my first day on the job. Deadline was approaching and an editor approached me and said I needed to come up with a cover story and layout. The dream then consisted of me running around frantically trying to figure out what story I could come up with 10 minutes and how I could use the layout to minimize word count. I don't know how the whole thing resolved. My dream did include me talking to my manager about some ideas, but whether any of them were accepted, I don't know.
I'd like to think I didn't miss the deadline as past performance implies I wouldn't have. But past performance also would indicate that I wouldn't have sat on my hands and been surprised by the task and deadline at hand. I should note that while working at newspapers was a blast and I learned a lot, it was long hours and a rather stressful environment come deadline. I'm grateful for the experience but certainly don't miss it.
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