Love Removal Machine

Ok. So today I went in for my weekly NST exams (stress test for the baby) and the substitute nurse hooked me up to the machine and walked away. About ten minutes later she came back and said very casually, "Oh, you are having contractions two minutes apart. Do you feel them?" I said I did not and she told me she was going to have a doctor check me after my test was done.
Now, I am ready to not be pregnant, but I just got home from a good friend's wedding and I was so hoping for a nap when I got home that I was hoping it was a false alarm.
I finished my test and waited and waited. Another nurse came in told me to take off my pants and a doctor would check me.
A doctor came in and asked the nurse who he needed to be seen and she said that I might be in labor, the woman next to me had little baby movement, and the one across from me was overdue. The doctor said in a not inside voice that he was almost done with his shift and decided to check the women with not much baby movement, because it was probably nothing. Awesome.
Then a midwife came in and asked who was having contractions and the nurse said, "the old patient," and the midwife went in with the women next to me. The woman said in kind of yelling voice, "It is not me!" Poor midwife kind of mumbled that she thought that the nurse pointed to her bed and shuffled into my curtained area.
She said hello and told me she had to check my cervix. I am learning that you need to check your modesty at the door when you are pregnant, but... Did she have to check me with the curtain open? Could the nurses have waited a minute before coming and asking her questions? And did the doctor who did not want to do anything have to have a goodbye conversation with the midwife while she was checking my cervix?

The final countdown...

It is only a matter of weeks, or even days before me and the husband step into parenthood. It is exciting and terrifying, but I think we are both ready.
Though I have not been a super fan of the "beauty" of pregnancy, I have to say some of it has been kind of amazing like the kicking (not in the bladder), and how great my hair looks.
We still don't know if it is a girl or a boy AND we still don't really have a boys name picked out. There is a list of names we like, but who knows what will happen when we finally meet the lil' one.

I have only been on maternity leave for a week and a half, but it seems like I haven't worked in forever. We are pretty busy too. I thought I would be able to sit around and read or do projects. Huh, who knew?
My prediction is that I will become a mom on July 19, but we shall see what happens...

Good Golly Miss Molly!

I just noticed that I have not posted anything since we got Versula. That's right, Versula is the name of our car. At least that is what I call it.
We are all about names these days. With the little one arriving July-ish, we are constantly talking about names. It seems fair that it is really difficult to name something that you have created from scratch.
I have never had that hard of a time with naming my animals though.

The last goodbye...

On Monday the Egg overheated and after consulting with the mechanic we decided to let it go.
My mom bought the car new in 1990 and in 2002 we took ownership, and for eight years the Egg took us where we needed to go. These last two years big price tag fixes started to happen and it started showing signs of aging. The thought of "this is the beginning of the end," crossed our minds more than once and this summer after a hefty fix, we decided that the next issue that took us into the thousands financially would be the end. Many of my friends drove the Egg and had the pleasure of sitting in the backseat. I know my friend, D in Knoxville, will always have fond memories of riding to Senior Taco crammed in the back and my friend I, in SF, having to ride in the front eating his knees, because he is over 6ft tall.
When B drove it into the car lot yesterday he had to have the heater blasting to prevent it from overheating. At the end the tires were bald, the CD player was broken, the passenger door mirror was hanging on by a thread, and that is not even mentioning all of the under-the-hood issues. We now have a new vehicle, but this post is to honor, The Egg.
1990-2010

She's Crafty...

On Friday night I participated in a Rock n' Roll craft show at DiPiazza's. It was a benefit for AMP( www.amporg.org). There Goes the Neighborhood is comprised of the tenants of my building. Together we sold our wares (feather clips, key broaches, politico pins, dog scarves, aprons, felt cards, reusable lunch bags, and more) and got to watch drag kings, bands, and performers strut their stuff on stage. For about 5 years I have talked about making stuff ETSY style and until the past couple of weeks all I had produced was talk. I worked pretty hard on my stuff and made a small chunk of change. My friends involved, J and R, were an inspiration to me and I was glad to be part of the event with them. R's husbando provided our logo, which I think is adorable. Will I keep up the crafting? Good question. I just got a job and I start school in two days. Oh, did I mention I am going to put together a Christmas show? I love it when my plate is full.

Bona Drag

I can not believe that summer is almost over! The weather has been so mild it seems like an extended spring and though I am unemployed, I have been keeping myself busy enough to not blog. When people say the economy is bad and there are no jobs it is absolutely true. Although I have stopped counting I would say I have applied for a hundred jobs. A few weeks ago, I applied for jobs I was totally not qualified for (Sales Exec. at a company that sells high end men's suits to Ross type stores) to jobs I was totally over qualified for (the list is so long, but I applied for a job at a gas station convenience store) and a dog walker. So! School starts in a few weeks and I am excited. Bring on due dates and lots of reading.

Master! Master! Master of puppets is pulling your strings...

Awwww yeah!
I have done graduated. It was a long and fantastic road, but I have a master's degree in musicology.
It could not have been possible without the support of my wonderful, fantastic, and super-duper husband. His patience and awesomeness was amazing! My pals in California, Tennessee, and New York provided me with insight as well as being a great ear when I needed it. I had the best adviser in the universe, which made the whole experience worth it. In the fall I start a second master's in library science and I am pumped. Me-pencil skirt, glasses, hair in a bun-you get the visual. This has been the greatest birthday gift for me, from me. I hope all of my friends and colleagues do well in their future endeavors. For now, I am having another drink!