Off to the Emerald City


I'm leaving on a red eye to Seattle tomorrow morning for Bumbershoot. It's for work, which means I'll be really busy, but I hope I get to catch New Pornographers, CocoRosie, and p:ano while I'm there. I really want to see People Talking and Singing. But it's $30 bucks this year. I know it's a benefit, but I need to save my pennies for my upcoming baby leave. Too bad I can't drink this time while I'm in town because I would have liked to gotten a chi-chi at the Cha-Cha or a nice pint of fresh brewed something-something from McMenamin's. Seattle food has never really impressed me, well except for Cafe Flora and the grilled cheeses at Beecher's, but I do love the local watering holes. Sigh. Anyone want to be pregnant for me for a weekend? If only it were that easy.

30 weeks


Here's me at 30 weeks and everyone else in the same boat on the flickr stroll. In the womb, fetal Neon is opening and closing his eyes, demanding more and more cheese and kicking like a riverdancer. Outside of the womb, I think I'm getting a tiny stretchmark, my back hurts and braxton-hicks contractions are totally bugging.

It will be interersting to see how I hold up this weekend while I'm working in Seattle at Bumbershoot. I'm going to need the Crocs for sure.

What?! Mark S. Allen got arrested? From the Bee:
Fly away: Rough weekend for Channel 31 Good Day Sacramento star Mark S. Allen. The TV personality was stopped by Sacramento County sheriff's deputies while driving through Sacramento Intergalactic Airport. Deputies called the Highway Patrol to test Allen's sobriety, and he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Allen can be wild and crazy on TV, but he behaved himself in custody, CHP Officer Lizz Dutton said. No comment from Mark. …

Tsk! Tsk! But how was his hair?

The boring saga of baby stuff


We need a crib for the baby's room. This one we found at Goore's (most expensively outrageous baby store ever) is still pricey for what it is and the style is only tolerable. Everything cool looking there is over $1000 bucks and while they have tons of floor models, they have barely anything in stock. Their ordering time is 6-8 weeks. That just won't cut it since baby will be here in about 8 weeks! Eff Goore's. So we've begun trolling craigslist and Once Upon a Child stores looking for a plain, white crib. We also need a glider chair, but every one we've seen so far is fugly. Pfft. I whine, I whine.

Ad dork


What the? Holy crap. I'm totally into branding commercials like this. It's like, "BMW taught me something and now I feel so cultured! I need a new car..."

More video of Theo Jansen's kinetic sculptures can be found here.

I couldn't resist


I almost forgot this thing existed. I think it was a cereal prize. Poor Leon must have gotten teased so bad.

So today I ate at La Bonne Soup Cafe for the first time. They had a couple of vegetarian things, a tomato-mozarella sandwich, a fresh fig & goat cheese sandwich and a cream of tomato soup. I'm on a goat cheese kick right now so I ordered the fig & goat cheese deal. Now, the guy makes the sandwich and he reaches for the mayo and I'm like "no sauce, no mayo!" But he's already putting it on saying "trust me, you'll like it this way." CH and I excanged horrified looks. Then he reached for the creme fraiche and put on glob after glob. Uggh, I hate that stuff! Oh well, I shrugged it off and started to psych myself up for the worst sandwich of my life. But you know what? It wasn't as bad as I was expecting. In fact I ate aout 95% of it. I just had to pretend that the creme was really part of the goat cheese taste. I don't know if I'd totally eat there again. The mayo-sauce seems to be included on every sandwich and I'm too anti-mayo to appreciate that.

So many things to do this weekend. I am going to try to do most of it, but mang, my back is hurting so very bad. Plus, whenever I have something to do every single day of the weekend, I end up feeling robbed by Sunday night. Like, where the hell did my relaxation go? Maybe I'm just an old sorehead.

29 weeks


Here's me at the 29th week and the flickr stroll through other 29 weekers.

What's happening in the womb this week? Lots of growing. Baby Neon has to pack on about 5 more pounds between now and November 7th. What's up with everything outside the womb? The usual aches & pains: back and pelvis. Early this morning I got the most crippling leg cramp of the year. At least my skin looks great. Thanks baby.

Figs!


I got figs & goat cheese today at TJ's. Can't wait to make this again.

Slice up some crusty bread and toss in olive oil, salt & pepper. Bake on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 6-8 minutes. Flip them and put them back in the oven, checking on them every 2-3 minutes until they start to get crispy, but not stone hard. Meanwhile, cut up some fresh, ripe figs, set out your goat cheese so that it starts to come to room temperature. By the time your bread is done in the oven, the cheese should be soft enough to spread easily. Spackle each bread slice with a little fig and cheese and you have a tastebud party.

Sars, this is all I have today. I'm mega busy at work lately. So much to do including a trip to Seattle next weekend (lots of work, and very little fun).

Uh, TiVo?


Um, okay. We know Gene Simmons is Jewish, but does it really need to go in the title of his show? Just kidding. My TiVo abbreviated the title of Gene Simmons Family Jewels into Gene Simmons Family Jew. I don't know if that's very PC. That word and it's usage is sort of a grey area that I'd rather not tread on, but I found humor in technology's unintentional edit.

Everything is fine


I had an OB appointment on Friday and everything is going just swimmingly. Baby is growing exactly as he should and is on track to be about 7lbs at birth, which is pretty normal. I'm a tiny person, so I'm relieved to hear that I'm probably not having a 10 pounder. Phew. So everything's fine except my aching back. Yesterday I had a really tough time with the pain. Every other step or so would generate this sharp lower back pain that would make my knees go weak. I iced it, I heated it, I iced it again. It was better this morning, but still kind of hurts.

We went to register at Babies R Us. It's overwhelming to walk through that giant store and try to wrap your head around all the things you need, think you need or are just not sure of. Wipe warmer? Essential, I guess. Nasal aspirator, essential. 40 different types of blankets, burp cloths, lap pads...all essential. Infant sized turntables and microphones? Doesn't really exist. Tonight we're going to finish the Target registry, too. Note to self: do not take on the task of extreme registering on an empty stomach.

I meant to do so much more this weekend. I never did see Snakes on a Plane and I totally missed the Bananas show (which would have been baby's first Bananas show), because I got too tired on Saturday night. We had Alice & Beardsly over for a mellow dinner in the back yard and a couple of episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm season 5 on DVD. This season is another slow-builder like last season's. We've seen about 5 of the episodes so far and it's starting to pick up speed finally.

Now I'm hungry for second breakfast. Need to go forage for food....

Are you my KNITTA?


How emm-effing cute is this effing hat? I want to make it for my kid, but my knitting skills are barely beginner-level. I have made two scarfs and that's it. I could give always it a try. Looks like I'm on my way to dressing baby Neon in tons of embarrasing clothes. Apologies in advance, son.

Toot, toot!


Leon returned from his trade show bearing many exciting promotional items from various computer companies. Right now, I'm enjoying my pen/pencil/PDA stylus combo and USB phone charger. Now every time I need to make notes at work, or charge my cell phone through my computer, I can do so functionally AND spread the word about HP storage solutions. We get our share of promotional items at our office, too. There seem to be a lot of foam stress releivers around here. Bananas, feet, footballs. There's a really good one in someone's office, a stadium seat cushion that reads "Stamp Out Prostate Cancer!" Personally, I feel that approach to prostate cancer is a little too violent.

Weekend plans: Tonight Snakes on a Plane opens! Leon really wants to see this, so we're going. Tomorrow there's a garage sale I might peruse. Sunday I need to go buy some fruit at the farmer's market before the apricots & nectarines are out of season again.

No bad dogs


Heylove needed a good run and some interaction so I took her to the dog park yesterday after work. She did not do well at all! Most times she's mobbed as soon as she walks in by curious dogs. She'll crouch down and go submissive until they get bored with her and leave. Some dogs don't leave though and either try to roll her or bark at her until she stands up and runs for cover under the nearest set of human legs. This is pretty much what happened yesterday. There was one dog there that is usually really rough with her. This dog, we'll call Dottie. Dottie typically barks at and mouths Heylove's ears until her owner calls her off. She was doing this yesterday when Heylove decided she had enough and barked a high-pitched vocalization back at Dottie and threw her paws up at her. Dottie ran. I think Dottie only really wanted to instigate a game of chase, but Heylove only wanted to do it on her own terms. So Heylove's reaction naturally drew some attention from some of the other dogs. A huge, young black lab came over (we'll call her Sofie) and started pawing Heylove, who curled up into a little black bean and went submissive. The owner came over and asked if Sofie was being too rough. I said she was so the owner grabbed the lab's harness. Then Heylove got up and lunged paws up and barked at Sofie! She really went at it though and I had a lot of trouble grabbing her to stop. Finally I grabbed her by her harness and walked her out of the dog park. We were there less than 5 minutes! I couldn't control Heylove's behavior and really couldn't be sure if it was truly agressive or not, so we just left. I decided to think about it on the drive home and gave her the silent treatment just in case I decided she was being naughty. She got a bath, but no treats.

Sigh. Now that she's getting a little older, I'm seeing her personality change a little. Our little dog that only barked on command, will sometimes alarm-bark when she hears noises or sees strange objects outside. I'm still not sure about the behavior she displayed at the dog park yesterday, but I hope it's not fear aggression.

28 weeks


Finally, I'm in the home stretch at the start of the 3rd trimester! Do I feel ready? No, and from what other parents tell me, I'll never really be ready. I keep having these anxiety dreams that I am totally forgetting to take care of my baby. Yesterday I went and bought a baby manual at the bookstore. Hopefully this will help stave off those dreams. Physically, my back is still killing me. My pelvis feels like it's going to break apart and I can still only eat tiny hobbit meals. Last night I had two dinners. First dinner was 5 fake chicken wings, a couple of asparagus spears and like 3 bites of left over paella from Aioli. I got hungry a couple of hours later, so I sat down with an apricot, goat cheese and crackers. I could be having it a lot worse than I do. Here's the flickr stroll through other ladies at 28 weeks. All I'm going to say is that if baby continues to make my belly swell and not my ankles, upper arms, butt or love handles, we're totally exchanging high fives soon as I squeeze him out.

Miss you dude


Leon's at a trade show in SF geeking out this week and I'm all by my lonesome. Well, I have Heylove, but she misses him already, too. That mopey dog wouldn't even get out of bed this morning. I might be a total wuss and ask my mom to stay over. Oh no, too late! I'm a wuss for other reasons.

Saturday night before Leon left, we had Aioli. We'd never been there in the summer time so I reserved us a spot on the patio. It was sweet out there, though Leon had complaints about the air conditioner being so loud, but I thought it was fine. We had a chunky gazpacho to start, which was very fresh and had a little bite to it. Then we had my favorite tapa there, the portabello al jerez: the most tender portabello mushrooms simmered in garlic-sherry sauce. It's served by itself, but it would have made a really good polenta or mashed potato topping. We also ordered the vegetarian paella. They put so many colorful veggies in it, you just want to stare at it until you remember that it's what you came there to eat. For dessert we had chocolate mousse with berries. Delish!

On Sunday, I made my first pizza with our new pizza stone. It worked so well, I am totally stoked to use it again. The cornmeal crust from TJs came out wonderfully crispy and held up to all the toppings I loaded it with (olives, mushrooms, asparagus tips, cherry tomato halves). This crust is seriously the best deal in town. You can get a ball of premade dough for about a dollar. Add toppings from whatever you have in the kitchen and you have a super cheap pizza dinner. Eventhough you can probably make your own dough for cheaper, I'm willing to pay a buck for the convenience of the premade one.

Food now


Lately, baby has been squishing my guts up into my upper chest cavity, totally compromising my stomach space. So instead of eating hearty meals, I have to eat tons of small ones throughout the day, like a hobbit. Today for work (not allowed to blog about it), it's someone's last week so we're going out for sushi. Hooray for veggie sushi and it's tiny little pieces, perfect for hobbit-sans to nibble on now and snack on later. I sure wish Taka's was open already.


Listening to DJ Quik "Live at the house of Blues" today, solidified my opinion that live rap records should never be made. Too much audience participation. And man, Quik's hair looks terrible!

27 Weeks, or I Don't Think You're Ready For This Belly


Yes, I'm still pregnant. Though, sometimes it seems little Neon is trying to kick his way out early. Here's a medical mystery: I weighed myself before I went to bed last night and when I woke up this morning, I was two pounds lighter. How on earth did that happen?

I almost forgot the 27 week flickr stroll!

Misses Brisket


She does the cutest thing with her paws sometimes.

26 Weeks


Here's me in Disneyland last week when I was 26 weeks along. And here are some other ladies at 26 weeks in this flickr stroll.

You still can't mock the Crocs. They saved my poor feet and back while we walked around the park for about 14 hours. No joke.



I was able to enjoy a few rides despite my current state. Including Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion and It's a Small World.



But mostly I was hanging out with these guys. Yes, she was really wearing that.



Have you heard of Club 33? It's a private club inside Disneyland that only VIPs can get into. It's also the only place alcohol is served on the premises.



Over the next couple of days, we got away from the family and did stuff on our own. We went to Newport Beach.



We ate at El Taco. The food wasn't as good as the sign.



We visited Amy in LA.



And Julian was there, too.



Me and baby enjoyed a minty "nojito." No rum!



We ate at Canter's Deli and convinced the gentiles that it's a traditional Jewish custom to stack creamers precariously high as you wait for dinner to be served.



Then we went to the mall to walk off dinner. There, we had some fun with hats.




And then we went home.

Mum


Pictures from our LA trip coming soon. I'm busy. Like, really, really busy.

Sitter found!


Yay! We found a sitter for Heylove. Who wouldn't want to watch this crazy little ribs? Uhh, I guess a lot of people. Even the vet told us not to bring her. "We recommend you take her to a boarding facility. We just don't take dogs out for potty or excercise at all." We almost had to take her to the Wag Hotel. We just have to remember to leave very detailed instructions in the Heylove manual for our dear brother in law.

1. Keep her away from bright lights
2. Don't get any water on her
3. Never, ever feed her after midnight

You know, like how you treat other gremlins.

I woke up this morning at 4:30 stressing about work. Now I feel so tired.
I sure could use this tiny vacation I have coming up. I'm taking Thursday and Friday off to go with Leon to visit family and Amy P., M.D. in the LA and the OC. It's the pregnant tour '06.