Welcome Blobby!

Chance is preggers. That makes just about all the women in my life pregnant, 'cept me of course. I've named him/her Blobby, which is quite fun to say after anything.

Jonathan: "We need to buy water filters next time."
Me: "...for Blobby!"

Try it. You'll be amused.

It's so exciting to be an auntie for the fiftieth million time in a row (actually, 12th time; great auntie to three, soon to be four. This is what having a crazybigfamily is like.). I need to get knitting. I wanted to make it my thing where I knit all the babies blankets, but so far, only AJ has one, and as first-time projects, it's not that beautiful—a bit crooked. Oh well, he doesn't know the difference. So that makes two babies I behind knitting for. My nieces are now a year and half and I still haven't started. Now I have this kid and my niece's kid. Something tells me that those aren't the only kids waiting in the wings to be born.

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Watched Cloverfield on Amanda's fabulous 52in. flatscreen. Sweet. But I just about peed my pants. I hid most of the time behind a pillow. If you like alien movies, watch it. If you like dooms day movies, watch it. If you don't like any of those things, do not watch it.

Watched The Jane Austen Book Club. I was sorely disappointed. I think I need to read all the Austen books to possibly appreciate the parallel themes of the books and the movie. All the women are all at a cross road in their lives (all the cliche ones: divorce, cheating, new love, old love, parental issues, gay love—okay that one isn't cliche and about the only story line I actually appreciated.). If there's nothing else on, watch it. Otherwise, watch something else.

Watched The Lives of Others. This foreign film was wonderful. I don't get all the historical political significance (history isn't my strong suit), but you don't need to understand too much about East Berlin in the 80s to get what's going on. It's a touching story about a man in Intelligence for the Stasi who fabricates his reports after learning the writer he's spying on is a pretty harmless but loveable creature, and that the only reason he's being told to spy on him is because the Minister wants to sleep with the writer's girlfriend.

When you're worn out

I hate to just leave posts complaining, but man, I'm tired. Between Vegas, work, more work, and being sick, I feel, well, sick. I'm so ready to just spend a weekend sleeping and watching movies; basically, I want to do nothing that involves moving my butt off the couch.

I'll be starting Barefoot soon (once I have time to buy the book). Check out the virtual book club I'm a part of.

Vegas, work, sick, and an MRI

So, I'm back. Can't say that I ever want to go to Vegas again. I was working the entire time. Working hard. Even when I was out at night eating dinner with Sharp executives and riding home in provided limos all by my lonesome. It was hard work. I started feeling sick Thursday night. My throat was on fire. In the mirror I could see little red pustules on the back of my throat. Where'd you come from? Go away. Don't you know I can't be sick right now and having you hanging out on the back of my throat? Probably didn't help that I didn't drink near enough fluids. I can't help it. I'm not naturally thirsty. Plus, the water in Vegas tasted like crap.

So while I ignored my Urban Times work to work on work work in Vegas, it was a pretty solid trip (read: boring). I came home with a inch-thick stack of business cards, some more industry perspective, put faces with names, and met some other writers and editors with competitor publications. Only in a room full of journalist can you debate the merits of Chicago style vs. AP style. I'm sure Sharp was amused.

Once I got home, I rushed to wrap up Urban Times. Tried to get a little extra sleep to get rid of the sick and the little guys hanging out on the back of my throat. I also went to a wedding, which was fun, but the last thing you want to do when you're sleep-deprived, needing to work, and just plan cranky from traveling is go to a wedding. I'm learning these things. Next time, I will not plan back (work work) to back (freelance) to back (wedding) events in a row. It's no wonder I'm sick.

The icing on the cake: Getting up at the crack of dawn this morning to drive to KC to go get my yearly MRI. I've finally figured out what sound MRI machines make (they're very loud; if you ever get one, just be prepared for "loud noises."): MRIs are like a compilation of jack hammers, hammers, loud humming...basically any noise you'd hear on a construction site, but 20 times more repetitive and loud. Thankfully, I only had to get an MRI of the brain this time, not of both the brain and the spine. It was only a mere 45 minutes instead of an hour. I could be exaggerating, but not having a watch, that's how long it feels.

Viva Las Vegas

I'm heading to Las Vegas today and I won't be back until Friday (unless I get abducted), and then I have a wedding to attend and work to do, so until then, just keep track of me here. It's nothing exciting, but as long as I post something daily, I haven't been abducted and I'm really vive à Las Vegas.

When she shops

Went shopping today for clothes, something I rarely ever do. Actually, make that spending money is something I rarely ever do unless absolutely necessary. I've even become known as tight wad at work, I think, because of my frugal ways. (Hey, I buy Starbucks from time to time; that's not frugal!) But I needed some presentable clothes for work because I'll be in Vegas next week hobnobbing with all the biggest AV companies in the world at InfoComm. Can't really wear jeans and a T-shirt. So a hundred or so bucks later, I've got a few new shirts to wear there. I also picked up a cute dress for a wedding I'll be attending next week. But, ugh, spending money on clothes made me feel sick to my stomach. In my head I was thinking: That's money that could go in savings or help pay down debt. Not sure where my penny-pincher ways came from, but we have almost finished paying off our credit card debt. We'll still have school and car loans, but those things are hard to get by without, so I'm comfortable with having those. Our next big purchases: house, new car (Jonathan's car is two wheels in the graveyard), and you know, a baby...eventually; what's the going price for those suckers now days? I wonder if I can get one on sale. I'm all about coupons and discounts.

She's gonna be mine

iPhone 3G will be coming to a Jessaca near this blog. Thanks Bush stimulus package! Best thing: She comes in white, so she can match Nana Banana and MacDaddy. It almost makes me wish I'd bought Black Beauty in white. Almost. And she's only a fraction of the cost. Jonathan was so excited, he's even saying: I'm a Mac. I've taught him well. Go forth and spread the Mac love baby!

Sex & the City, the movie

Went to see Sex & the City this afternoon with my dear friends Lucy and Amanda. The movie delivered, even if it was all very predictable—down to the part where Charlotte craps her pants. It was fun to watch the movie with other Sex watchers, instead of Jonathan, who would have moaned and complained the entire time. This movie definitely tied everything up, where as you felt things were left a little undone in the TV series, probably for the very reason of leaving the conclusion open to a movie spinoff. All in all, very good.

Afterward, we went to the Sushi House for lunch where I decided I'd be a little adventurous, especially because I wasn't feeling like sushi—amazing, I know. So I decided to try a buckwheat soba noodle bowl. Yeah, too adventurous. Not only was it hard to eat (it's basically spaghetti-like noodles in broth with meat; I chose beef), I didn't like the buckwheat noodles. Oh well. I least I can say that I tried it, and if I come across any recipes that call for buckwheat soba noodles, I can just move on without inflicting any test pain on Jonathan. So far, I've only had one incidence of test kitchen gone bad: turkey burgers stuffed with zucchini, squash, and carrots. Turkey burgers, good. Zucchini, squash, and carrots, good. Paired, bad idea.

A Koi catching I go

Today, Jonathan and I embarked on quite an adventure. His co-worker was throwing her 50th birthday party, complete with catching her 14 Koi fish from her 5.5-feet pond. The mission: to catch each of her Koi fish, then weigh, measure, and photograph them so they can be included in part of study that is too complicated for me to understand.

Well, I dressed to impressed—the way you want to be when you're meeting people for the first time. I really shouldn't have bothered. I even ironed my shirt!

Once enough guests had gathered at her house, we all convened around one of her two ponds—some of us in it (the ones ironically consuming beer and wine. One of the ladies even brought her wine glass into the pond.).

Koi fish are very smart and clever. Netting these guys was a lot of work. By the time it was all said and done, we'd probably casted the net a dozen times, usually coming up empty handed because these guys know how to allude. My poor knees were very sore from kneeling on stone pavers at the side of the pond. My pristine outfit, well, it was very dirty by the time we caught the second-to-the-last fish. I'm sure everyone was wondering what I was doing wearing an outfit like that to a party like this. My ass and legs were covered in algae and dirt. Did I mention my sore knees? We weren't able to catch the very last fish, Tobey, who was renamed Mr. Hideypants by one of the kids.

It was crazy and fun. We cheered each and every time we were able to bring up a net that wasn't empty. The event is on for next year. Note to self: Wear swimsuit and crappy T-shirt and shorts; bring change of clothes; invest in kneepads. I think I need this T-shirt for Koi catching next year.

New book to read

Last night Chance called me asking for book recommendations. She was on her weekly KateDate; this time at Borders. I take book recommendations from other people because I'm never good at picking out books on my own. In fact, it overwhelms me. Get me a book, and I'll read it. I don't trust my judgement when it comes to picking out books.

Chance called back later to gauge my interest in starting a virtual book club with her and Kate. So they picked out Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand as our first pick. We'll be starting up another blog shortly that will detail our reads. Look for it soon. Until then, I'm off to buy a book!

Juicy

I love receiving and sending mail (well, that doesn't include bills). A handmade note from the heart is irreplaceable. No, an email isn't the same. And these stamps, well, I'd be happy just to receive an envelope with nothing inside for these beauties. How can the Post Office bring back snail mail? With a great stamp! I think I may just have to order these.

Bad weather gets you thinking

We're currently under a tornado watch. Although this is a familiar sight in Kansas, it's still a bit nerve-wracking—especially when your weather radio is going off every 15 minutes.

It does make you think. If you were about to be hit by tornado, what would you try to save? Here's my list:

1. Jonathan
2. MacDaddy
3. Marriage license and birth certificates; actually, now that I think about it, we need to put these in a safety deposit box
4. My purse (with credit cards, checks, ID, and cell phone)
5. Medication
6. Camera
7. Wedding pictures
8. KU blanket (Mom got it for me; I'm like a child with a blankie)

When there's no words, there's always music

It's Monday once again. It's the day I hate most. Throughout the week, I go from no energy to motivated—just in time for weekend to come and begin the cycle all over again. So I leave you with some music. It's Ray LaMontagne's "Be Here Now." Good music for a blue monday.

Oh, and happiest birthday sis!