What they say about babies is absolutely true, unless of course you have scheduled your induction or C-section - babies come when they are ready and that is how God and nature intended it. Since Thursday, I have had some early signs of labor and thought this past weekend (President's Day) was it. Alas, the long weekend is not over it but there are no signs today. Needless to say, everyone got excited and the office even started a pool. So far, no Baby. But that is okay. Sure, it was the LONGEST weekend in recorded history for my husband and my friends but, babies come when babies are ready.
My due date is still 4 days away anyway so we patiently wait. Don't get me wrong, I will be excited to see the baby and find out the gender and all that but I am in no rush- you can't rush a good thing that is for sure and if the baby is not coming, there is a reason for that - I think that this baby is not quite in the right position as I learned on last Friday. This baby is in the posterior position whereas my first was anterior. Posterior is quite painful to deliver, I have learned. It is when the baby's face faces out, thus the spine or back of the head of the baby rubs against the mom's spine during labor/delivery and causes back labor which is quite painful. OH JOY! Needless to say I am doing some exercises to try to alleviate this and hope the baby turns. I am hoping for the best because back pain can be quite trying for someone trying to have a natural birth. In the end, labor pain is temporary so that is a good way to look at things.
As we play the waiting game, and my husband keeps his cell phone handy at all junctures, I am both excited and nervous. I am not anxious to have the baby out early and am quite nervous about what is about to transpire but, remain optimistic and happy. Now, if I just did not have to pee every 10 minutes, life would be good!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Got friend?
I never thought I'd be writing a blog about how technology drains us but here goes.
Facebook has consumed the lives of many across the globe. It is amazing how addictive it is. I have well over 150 "Friends" on Facebook. What does this mean? Absolutely nothing! Adding someone on facebook as a friend does not mean much. In fact, there are times when I wonder what purpose Facebook serves. For example, I have added people I do not even remember much less care to remember - from elementary school to college, sometimes I think to myself, who is this person and why did I add them? Were we close? Probably not, otherwise I'd remember them.
Then, there are those I wanted to find for years and was excited that they either found me on facebook or I found them and we are back in touch. I got back in touch with many friends that had lost touch over the years all because of technology like facebook. So... there is that! Then, again, do I need to know what someone is doing at every minute of any given day? Nah - I was better off without it. For example, "Jane Doe is now boarding a plane" - so frigging what? And... Jane Doe is someone I went to middle school with- so, do I really care that she is boarding a plane right now? Nope. But that is the trade off with technology. While it provides great tools to reconnect with family and friends across the globe, it comes with the unfortunate result that sometimes I gotta see status updates I could care less about.
As I am about to expect my second child, I have decided to be even more obnoxious than these other people. Do I care that "John Doe is eating breakfast on a Sunday morning"? Nope. So, now John Doe is going to see how far apart my contractions are too... maybe as I deliver the placenta, I will put that on my status update. How is that for gross? I mean, seriously- was technology really meant to have people read about my every move? I do not think so and it is an unintended by-product of an otherwise useful technological tool.
If you have friends in real-life, great- go out, have fun with them, maybe grab a coffee and lunch with them. A friend on facebook? Keep in touch, send messages (writing on the wall is getting too overused and abused), and use the tools you have to stay in touch with those you want to be "Friends" with. The rest.... defriend them- it is not too late to save yourself and your sanity. Got friend? Well, let's see, out of 151 of them, I would say... about 50 of them are my friends.
Facebook has consumed the lives of many across the globe. It is amazing how addictive it is. I have well over 150 "Friends" on Facebook. What does this mean? Absolutely nothing! Adding someone on facebook as a friend does not mean much. In fact, there are times when I wonder what purpose Facebook serves. For example, I have added people I do not even remember much less care to remember - from elementary school to college, sometimes I think to myself, who is this person and why did I add them? Were we close? Probably not, otherwise I'd remember them.
Then, there are those I wanted to find for years and was excited that they either found me on facebook or I found them and we are back in touch. I got back in touch with many friends that had lost touch over the years all because of technology like facebook. So... there is that! Then, again, do I need to know what someone is doing at every minute of any given day? Nah - I was better off without it. For example, "Jane Doe is now boarding a plane" - so frigging what? And... Jane Doe is someone I went to middle school with- so, do I really care that she is boarding a plane right now? Nope. But that is the trade off with technology. While it provides great tools to reconnect with family and friends across the globe, it comes with the unfortunate result that sometimes I gotta see status updates I could care less about.
As I am about to expect my second child, I have decided to be even more obnoxious than these other people. Do I care that "John Doe is eating breakfast on a Sunday morning"? Nope. So, now John Doe is going to see how far apart my contractions are too... maybe as I deliver the placenta, I will put that on my status update. How is that for gross? I mean, seriously- was technology really meant to have people read about my every move? I do not think so and it is an unintended by-product of an otherwise useful technological tool.
If you have friends in real-life, great- go out, have fun with them, maybe grab a coffee and lunch with them. A friend on facebook? Keep in touch, send messages (writing on the wall is getting too overused and abused), and use the tools you have to stay in touch with those you want to be "Friends" with. The rest.... defriend them- it is not too late to save yourself and your sanity. Got friend? Well, let's see, out of 151 of them, I would say... about 50 of them are my friends.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
A few weeks of ... Rest!
The other night we had a scare as we approach our baby’s due date. I had some very strong Braxton-Hicks 3 to 4 minutes apart and felt them for an hour. It was scary. I was sure I was in labor but alas, it was false labor. Nonetheless, it was a scary thing- I was not feeling well at all, felt lethargic, felt like I was also coming down with general illness that was going around my office a few weeks ago, and to top it off, was having false labor. It at least opened my eyes to the realization that I needed more rest and this was confirmed by the midwife I saw the next morning. Needless to say, she said I needed more rest, more hydration, and needed to listen to my body. She was right.
Now came the dreaded part, talking to my boss about possibly working part-time, working from home, or doing some combination thereof. This conversation I dread because I always feel like a needy whiner when I ask for something especially since women have babies daily and I feel like I should be stronger and not so weak. It is, after all, a man’s world and you do not see many men asking for bed rest. Of course, when I see a real man (not that hokey “man” I saw on Oprah), give birth to something the size of a bowling ball from something which starts off as the size of a pea, then I will be impressed and be ashamed for asking for rest. Anyway, the moment came. I talked with my boss but fortunately, the big boss walked in at the divine moment and approved my request on the spot – he thought it was a no-brainer. Of course, he is a new boss and what a refreshing one at that. It was nice that he thought of me as a human being instead of a machine, a robot hired to do work. It was quite nice and since then, I am just trying to get some rest, and stay focused on the thought that there are still at least two or three more weeks to go. My due date is 3 weeks away but the longer the baby stays in, the better off the baby will be. I am prone to having small babies, and therefore, it is even more vital that this baby go as long as possible – 39 weeks or more is ideal.
This incident was eye opening and I am glad that I was able to react immediately and start doing what my body needs otherwise, it could carry some bad consequences. I look forward to the R&R and trying to stay healthy for the next few weeks – now, if someone just had a magic cure for this horrible upper respiratory infection, that would be great!
Now came the dreaded part, talking to my boss about possibly working part-time, working from home, or doing some combination thereof. This conversation I dread because I always feel like a needy whiner when I ask for something especially since women have babies daily and I feel like I should be stronger and not so weak. It is, after all, a man’s world and you do not see many men asking for bed rest. Of course, when I see a real man (not that hokey “man” I saw on Oprah), give birth to something the size of a bowling ball from something which starts off as the size of a pea, then I will be impressed and be ashamed for asking for rest. Anyway, the moment came. I talked with my boss but fortunately, the big boss walked in at the divine moment and approved my request on the spot – he thought it was a no-brainer. Of course, he is a new boss and what a refreshing one at that. It was nice that he thought of me as a human being instead of a machine, a robot hired to do work. It was quite nice and since then, I am just trying to get some rest, and stay focused on the thought that there are still at least two or three more weeks to go. My due date is 3 weeks away but the longer the baby stays in, the better off the baby will be. I am prone to having small babies, and therefore, it is even more vital that this baby go as long as possible – 39 weeks or more is ideal.
This incident was eye opening and I am glad that I was able to react immediately and start doing what my body needs otherwise, it could carry some bad consequences. I look forward to the R&R and trying to stay healthy for the next few weeks – now, if someone just had a magic cure for this horrible upper respiratory infection, that would be great!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Biggest Scam Ever- Home Buyers Warranties
I have wanted to write about this for sometime now - we bought our home in April 2006and our realtor thought he was doing us a favor by getting us a Home Buyer's Protection Warranty. He did not do us a favor. After further assessment and continued review of this Warranty even after coverage lapsed this past April, I have come to the conclusion that Home Buyer's Warranties are the biggest fraud/scam perpetrated on the American home owner since .... well, since sub prime mortgages. Anyway, here are some experiences and observations: When we were under warranty, our washer and dryers were not covered. Apparently, appliances are extra and our realtor did not fork over the extra money. Then, there were tons of loopholes so when we had to fix a faucet in our kitchen which was literally leaking buckets, that was not covered because it was a leak. What?! Aren't leaks a problem? Nope- not covered. We had to buy our own fixture and hire someone to put it in. After this incident, I was not sure I wanted to keep paying $60 a pop for someone to come out and tell me it was not covered so I woulkd not even bother.
Our garage doors may have been covered if they fell off or something but a garage door opener is not covered. So, other than like a mass failure of the entire home it was covered and even then, there are aggregate limits associated with what they will pay out - so they will not pay more than $XXX amount per item- not per event, but per item TOTAL. What that means is that say your furnace needs a repair and it costs $200, and then later despite said repair, it goes out, they will only pay $1300more to replace the furnace cause they already forked over the $200. This is amazing to me! Needless to say, I was not impressed with the home warranty and would not encourage others to get one. There are too many loopholes and conditions and even at a $100 per year, it is not worth it. I'd rather have the realtor pay me $100 so I can use it later when the house starts falling apart which it inevitably will. Home repairs are a pain in the ass as it is and then you gotta deal with red tape with a warranty company? Come on!
Obviously we did not renew the policy and now that we are facing some other major things like a new furnace, we were wondering if we made a mistake by not renewing and the answer is overwhelmingly - NO! I looked at the lapsed contract and realized that if we wanted to get the furnace replaced, we would need a company of their choosing to come out and tell us that it needed replacement. If, however, repairs could be made to keep the 19year old furnace going, repairs would be made and we would only get up to $1500 because that is the max under the contract for the furnace - so if it really did break down in the dead of winter, we'd be SOL. Yep! Thanks home warranty people for being there! To all home owners and buyers out there, beware and read the fine print. A home warranty does not assure you anything especially not peace of mind.
Our garage doors may have been covered if they fell off or something but a garage door opener is not covered. So, other than like a mass failure of the entire home it was covered and even then, there are aggregate limits associated with what they will pay out - so they will not pay more than $XXX amount per item- not per event, but per item TOTAL. What that means is that say your furnace needs a repair and it costs $200, and then later despite said repair, it goes out, they will only pay $1300more to replace the furnace cause they already forked over the $200. This is amazing to me! Needless to say, I was not impressed with the home warranty and would not encourage others to get one. There are too many loopholes and conditions and even at a $100 per year, it is not worth it. I'd rather have the realtor pay me $100 so I can use it later when the house starts falling apart which it inevitably will. Home repairs are a pain in the ass as it is and then you gotta deal with red tape with a warranty company? Come on!
Obviously we did not renew the policy and now that we are facing some other major things like a new furnace, we were wondering if we made a mistake by not renewing and the answer is overwhelmingly - NO! I looked at the lapsed contract and realized that if we wanted to get the furnace replaced, we would need a company of their choosing to come out and tell us that it needed replacement. If, however, repairs could be made to keep the 19year old furnace going, repairs would be made and we would only get up to $1500 because that is the max under the contract for the furnace - so if it really did break down in the dead of winter, we'd be SOL. Yep! Thanks home warranty people for being there! To all home owners and buyers out there, beware and read the fine print. A home warranty does not assure you anything especially not peace of mind.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Reunions
Lately, I am amazed at how many people I have come into contact with that, but for technology, I would not have. For example, on facebook, I have reconnected with people I went to Junior High School with, High school, college, and friends I have lost touch with over the years. It is strange to me when someone I cannot remember adds me as a friend. I may confirm but it is odd nonetheless. Technology, frankly, is bringing people together that perhaps it should not. And in other cases, it is amazing to reconnect with people I have missed in my life over the years too.
This past weekend, I attended a conference and ran into some familiar faces. Like facebook, I had to filter who I talked with. I did see one woman I remembered working with in 1999 at my first duty assignment but did not find it worth the time to even say Hi because frankly, she was an odd duck. But then I saw others that I was excited to see- people I had worked for and worked with back in the day, people I had attended training with, and friends I had partied with on the 3 month long trainings with the Air Force. Needless to say, it was nice to see them. I was happy that others that I did not want to run into were not there as well. It is always nice to dodge the uncomfortable moments.
While technology brings people together, I think it has the disadvantage of overloading us as well. I think it would be nice to keep in touch with only those people you want to stay in touch with and not have it forced upon you through the obligatory, "You've got mail - add me as your friend!" But at the same time, if I can get back in touch with just three friends that add value to my life, it is worth it. So, far, I can say the reunions have been valuable.
This past weekend, I attended a conference and ran into some familiar faces. Like facebook, I had to filter who I talked with. I did see one woman I remembered working with in 1999 at my first duty assignment but did not find it worth the time to even say Hi because frankly, she was an odd duck. But then I saw others that I was excited to see- people I had worked for and worked with back in the day, people I had attended training with, and friends I had partied with on the 3 month long trainings with the Air Force. Needless to say, it was nice to see them. I was happy that others that I did not want to run into were not there as well. It is always nice to dodge the uncomfortable moments.
While technology brings people together, I think it has the disadvantage of overloading us as well. I think it would be nice to keep in touch with only those people you want to stay in touch with and not have it forced upon you through the obligatory, "You've got mail - add me as your friend!" But at the same time, if I can get back in touch with just three friends that add value to my life, it is worth it. So, far, I can say the reunions have been valuable.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Where is Colorado again?
Today I had to call T-mobile customer care. I dread calling them but sometimes I just have to - for about a week or more now I have experienced difficulty with texts and checking my remote email on my phone. So I called the customer care lady. She was a customer service provider right here in America- I think out of Iowa. I know this because I had to ask after the conversation we had.
She asked me some troubleshooting questions and told me that T-zones was down and she would credit my account for the month. I was greatful but asked her about text messages and why they would not send. She said something about the entire network being down and that we could not send pages or picture messages either. She asked me where I was located. I told her Colorado. She responded, "yeah since the 19th we have had trouble because of the Inauguration and the east coast." I was thinking to myself - OKAY, whatever when she asked me the following question: "Colorado is on the east coast, right?" I was driving at the time but I remember precisely what I was doing at the exact moment she asked me that because I was so mortified by the question. I told her Colorado was in the west and borders New Mexico to the South, and Kansas to the east. I then had to ask her where she was mainly because I did not judge this woman in case she was working a call center in England, India or China or somewhere. Nope- good ole American gal.
This got me thinking- how is it that Americans do not know their own country? It is really appalling and confusing. I mean, you do not have to know the exact location of the State- after all, the U.S. is vast. But at least know that Colorado is NOT on the east "coast". My God! Granted, I do not know world geography very well, but I can name each state capital and give you locations of the States of my country. I then started wondering if I were talking with a call center operator in another country, would they know more about America than its own citizens? Needless to say, this was an eye opening call for me and I realized that future generations of Americans are geographically inept and clueless about the world around them and that we still had some work to do... til then, Where is Colorado again? I need to go home.
She asked me some troubleshooting questions and told me that T-zones was down and she would credit my account for the month. I was greatful but asked her about text messages and why they would not send. She said something about the entire network being down and that we could not send pages or picture messages either. She asked me where I was located. I told her Colorado. She responded, "yeah since the 19th we have had trouble because of the Inauguration and the east coast." I was thinking to myself - OKAY, whatever when she asked me the following question: "Colorado is on the east coast, right?" I was driving at the time but I remember precisely what I was doing at the exact moment she asked me that because I was so mortified by the question. I told her Colorado was in the west and borders New Mexico to the South, and Kansas to the east. I then had to ask her where she was mainly because I did not judge this woman in case she was working a call center in England, India or China or somewhere. Nope- good ole American gal.
This got me thinking- how is it that Americans do not know their own country? It is really appalling and confusing. I mean, you do not have to know the exact location of the State- after all, the U.S. is vast. But at least know that Colorado is NOT on the east "coast". My God! Granted, I do not know world geography very well, but I can name each state capital and give you locations of the States of my country. I then started wondering if I were talking with a call center operator in another country, would they know more about America than its own citizens? Needless to say, this was an eye opening call for me and I realized that future generations of Americans are geographically inept and clueless about the world around them and that we still had some work to do... til then, Where is Colorado again? I need to go home.
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