Thursday Thirteen #3

13 Things That Suck About Being Pregnant

1. Morning Sickness - Whoever named this had a sick sense of humor since it comes and goes all day.

2. Headaches - I'm not one to get headaches frequently under normal circumstances, but I seem to have 1 or 2 a day now.

3. No Medications - With all the annoying symptoms I have, I can't take much of anything to help them.

4. Pre-natal Vitamins - At this point the vitamin is bigger than the baby and they make me queasy. Not to mention what the extra iron does to me. Yuck.

5. Keeping Secrets - I know you're technically supposed to keep it a secret until 12 weeks, but there is no way in hell that I'll be able to do that. I had to tell my boss - between dr's appointments and morning sickness, there's no way someone wouldn't notice. My hubby's parents know already and I'm telling my mom this weekend.

6. Spotting - Ok, I know some spotting is normal, but there's nothing that freaks me out more than blood when I'm not supposed to have it.

7. Bloating - I know I'm only a few weeks along, but I seriously look like I could be 3 or 4 months pregnant. Nothing fits right. Even the tops of my underware are rolling down! And at this rate I'm going to need to buy new bras soon!

8. No Apple Martinis for 9 Months - Just when you think you could need a drink the most, no alcohol for the duration!

9. Food Restrictions - I love sushi, raw clams/oysters, and soft cheeses. Needless to say my diet will be changing radically over the next months. I can't even have cold cuts!

10. Peeing Every 15 Minutes - This is getting a bit frustrating to say the least. Especially this week since I'm filling in for the receptionist who is out on vacation. I'm teathered to the desk 8 hours a day and have to ask someone to fill in so I can go.

11. Exhaustion - Sometimes I get so tired, I can't even lift my arms. By 8:30 some nights I'm ready to be asleep. Unfortunatly, my husband is a bit of a night owl so I think he gets a bit lonely sometimes.

12. Trouble Sleeping - Even though I'm so tired I could fall asleep standing up, I can sleep all that well. By 5am I start waking up, trying to journey to the bathroom. Then its usually every half hour until morning sickness starts. Fun, huh?

13. Swiss Cheese Brain - My memory is shot to hell right now. I can remember much past this morning and that's if I'm lucky. I'm sure it will only get worse.

3X Thursday

1. Are you one of those people who is constantly busy with projects, social outings, etc or do you just like to lay low and stay home? Why/why not?

I like to go out, but not all the time. So many of the things that I like to do involve being at home - messing around with the computer, playing video games, reading, watching movies. Right now there seems to be something to do always though. Just when I could use the time to rest the most. Isn't that always the way?

2. Weather you're busy all the time or like to just chill, have you always been that way? How so/how not?

When I was in HS, I was always looking for someplace to go or something to do not to be in the house. Once I got to college though, I was content to be at home unless I was visiting a boyfriend or out on a date.

3. Is there something you'd like to change about how you spend your time? If so, what is it? If not, why not? How are things manageable for you?

I need to try and get more done now. We're trying to look for a house and have to deal with all the stuff involved with that. I've been so tired lately that I can't do much in the evening after work. Some nights I'm ready to fall asleep before 9.

Booking Through Thursday

What’s the most desperate thing you’ve read because it was the only available reading material?
I've actually resorted to reading shampoo bottles, medicine information inserts, and cleaning products when desperate.

If it was longer than a cereal box or an advertisement, did it turn out to be worth your while?
Not at all. I think I know how to use shampoo by now.

Ten On Tuesday

10 Favorite Bands of All Time

1. Queensryche
2. Def Leppard
3. Poison
4. Bon Jovi
5. Goo Goo Dolls
6. Matchbox Twenty
7. Heart
8. The Eagles
9. Whitesnake
10. Warrant

Tina's Tuesdays

What are some of your hobbies?
Video games, reading, writing, scuba diving (when I can) and yoga (when I'm not lazy)

Is there another hobby you wish you had?
I've tried to get into scrapbooking, but it hasn't worked yet. I just bought a ton of stuff and its just sitting there. Hopefully, I'll get into in one day when we're settled in a new home.

Are you a collector? If so, what do you collect? (ex: stamps, coins, postcards, etc.)
I've had about a million different collections over the years... stamps (my dad started that and I never really got into it), Enchantica figurines, Garbage Pail Kids (when I was in elementary school). Now I'm trying to limit it to passport stamps - much easier to keep around, and ticket stubs to Broadway shows and concerts.

Tuesday Twosome

What two things influenced the choice of your present job?
It was less stressful than the last job that I had (at the local airport) and it had regular office hours - these were the two biggest things. That and it was 2 miles from my house when I started (the company moved 20 minutes away since then).

What two things do you enjoy the most about your job?
Ummm, no stress is nice. Also, I can pretty much do everything without getting involved with anyone else. Nobody bugs me too much.

What two things do you dislike the most about your job?
Some of my co-workers can be challenging to get along with. They just can't seem to mind their business when things have nothing to do with them. Also, I mostly file so it gets pretty boring.

What two jobs/professions would you like to try out?
Travel agent and author.

What two jobs would/could you “never” do?

I don't think I could ever be a doctor or a vet. I've been around sick family members most of my life and its just too hard watching what people go through. As far as the animals go, I wouldn't be able to put one down - I would just be too miserable.

I know I haven't been around nearly as much lately. The past few weeks, I've been feeling a bit under the weather. Upset stomach, vomiting, being tired. Along with all the 'normal' symptoms that I'd be feeling around this time of the month. I thought it was just something I ate - I have terrible problems with my stomach so it is generally the safest conclusion. Well, in case you haven't guessed already, I was totally wrong.

I really don't understand how something about the size of a lima bean is causing me so much trouble. Its not like I'm the princess from the pea story. I'm just the princess that needs to pee. All the time. It should be an interesting ride....

Manic Monday

Are you strict about wearing your sunscreen in the summer?
Not really. Honestly, I'm rarely outdoors during the week so there isn't much point. If I'm going to the pool or the beach, I try to wear it, with varying degrees of failure.

Do you frequently wear sandals in the summer? Any favorites you'd like to share?
I pretty much always wear sandals or flip flops in the summer. Most of them are old and grungy looking so I wouldn't wish them on anyone else.

What are a few great books that you've taken along to the beach or on vacation in years past? If you aren't a big reader, what do you do to while away the lazy hours?
I love anything related to the Caribbean and travel so most of my favorites revolve around that. A Trip to the Beach, An Embarrassment of Mangoes, and A Pirate Turns 50 (Jimmy Buffett) are some of my all time favs for lazy reading.

How do you feel about swimsuit shopping? Love it, hate it, indifferent? What's your color of choice?
I'm a larger gal so I generally hate trying to find a bathing suit. I imagine now that I'm pregnant it will be that much harder. :sigh:

Monday Music Mambo

Hello mamboers! Today is Leon Day. The only musical Leon I know of is Leonard Cohen.

Name your favorite Leonard Cohen song.
To be honest, I had no idea who this was until I looked it up. The only song that I know by him is Everybody Knows. I've liked that one since I heard it in Pump Up the Volume.

And, to make the meme longer, name a few songs you've been loving a lot recently.
There are only a couple that come to mind: The Plain White Ts - Hey There Delilah, Nickelback - Rockstar, Pink - U + UR Hand

Dad's To-Be Say The Darndest Things....

My husband just told me, "You do realise that our baby is going to learn to play games before they can poop or speak English on the toilet." He quickly clarified that he ment pooping on the toilet. The baby can speak English anywhere. Thank God. I thought my husband was dooming our child to a lifetime of being a potty mouth.

To Be or Not To Be?

I'm standing in the 'family planning' section of the drugstore the other day trying to figure out which of the 1000 pregnancy tests that I wanted to trust with my sanity. Do I go with the one with the two lines, the plus sign, a digital readout? Brand name or generic? 1, 2 or 3 pack? I picked up the First Response 3 pack.

Yesterday morning, I get up and go and pee on the stupid stick and wait. Ok, the first line comes up immediately. The second one is sort of there, but not totally. What the hell does that mean? Either you're pregnant or you're not, right? Its not like I can be just a little pregnant...

I drag my husband out of bed. He groggily says he has no idea and we turn to the Internet. This is no help. Other than the millions of post on message boards from other women who have experience similar readings, I can't find an authoritative response I'm satisfied with.

I go off to work, fully expecting to be able to wait until at least after work to do something about it. By 10:00, I've failed miserably at putting this out of my mind and I go out to the store in search of a 'clearer' response.

Back in the aisle again, I know just what I'm looking for - the one with the damned digital readout that says pregnant or not pregnant. No half-truths there. It even tells you when its ready to tell you the result. I go back to the office and settle into the bathroom stall to try and pee on the stupid stick again - exponentially more difficult in public.

After a minute it proudly blinks the response: pregnant.

Saturday Special #3

1. What's the oddest thing you've ever returned?: I don't know how odd it is, but I've returned cat food.

2. Do you return things you don't like or just keep them?: It depends. If I bought it and its from someplace reasonably convient, I return or exchange it. If someone else gave it to me, it is more likely to just sit there collecting dust until I can regift it.

3. What's the largest item you've ever returned?: Probably a microwave or some other small appliance like that from my bridal shower.


4. Have you ever returned a dress/outfit you wore to a special occasion?: No, although I've been tempted when the beads start to fall off things after one wearing.

Friday's Feast #148

Appetizer
Fill in the blank: The best thing about where I live is _________________…
I think I just answered this recently for another meme so I'll try and answer a bit differently this time. I would say the ability to do just about anything or get whatever you want easily. Within an hour or so of here are: the Catskill Mountains (skiing, hiking, hunting), the Hudson Valley (farms, wineries, historical sites), the ocean (swimming, boating, fresh seafood, the beach), NYC (Broadway shows, fine dining, museums, shopping, art, and just about anything else you'd want). Westchester even has slot machines and horse racing at Yonkers Raceway and its own amusement park at Playland in Rye.


Soup
Create a new name for a deodorant (like “Flower Fresh” or “Shower Scent”).
I never understood why most deodorants now sound like the weather - Artic Chill, Ocean Breeze, Spring Mist. Who came up with unscented? It does smell like something, doesn't it. Ok, I'm getting off on a tangent here... I guess I'd go with something like Simply Pure. You could have a whole line - Simply Powder, Simply Floral, Simply Musk. It could work.


Salad
What was the last piece of software you installed onto your computer?
I'm sure it was a silly trial game from MSN or Big Fish, although I have no idea which one.


Main Course
If you were to receive a superlative award today beginning with the words ”Most likely to…”, what would the rest of the phrase say?
Most likely to retire to a tropical island. That sounds good to me.


Dessert
What two colors do you like to wear together?
I really like pink and brown together, but most of my stuff seems to be blue, black and grey.

Friday Fun

1. If, for one day, you could flip-flop lives with any celebrity, who would it be and why? Angelina Jolie. I'd could be beautiful and trying to save the world at the same time. What could be better?

2. If, for one day, you could flip-flop your significant other with someone else, who would it be and why? Uh... Brad Pitt, if I'm Angelina it only makes sense. If not, I'd pick Orlando Bloom. I don't think I need a reason other than him being sexy. Any of these looks would do nicely. Yum.

3. Is there anyone you would not want to flip-flop lives with for a day? Why? Paris Hilton, Lindsy Lohan , Brittany Spears or any other the other young stars today that can't seem to dress themselves to go out in public, eat or not drink so much that they pass out. The potential of ending up in jail is too great. Besides, I don't think I could stand being that dumb. A picture is worth a 1000 words.

4. What is one aspect of your life you would like to flip-flop? I'd like to flip-flop having to move to being done with moving. That would be nice.

Friday Fiver

1. When do you doubt yourself? When don't I? Most of the time I doubt that I remembered to do stupid things like turn of the heater or put the mail in the mailbox. Half the time I find myself going back to check on it, but the rest of the time I just say forget about it.

2. Who do you owe an apology? Most of my friends. I tend to go MIA for weeks at a time. I just don't feel like chatting sometimes, but at least you can usually get me through email.

3. When is the last time you felt embarrassed? Not really sure about that one.

4. What do you ignore? The phone. Stupid people. Comments I don't like from my mother.

5. Do you love yourself? I suppose. I have a hard time with that sometimes.

My Family Never Had Any Quarters In the 80's

If you are part of my generation (or a tad older), your family never could hold on to quarters in the 80's. My family was doubly cursed. First, we lived in an apartment building where doing the wash every week involved scavenging as many coins as humanly possible. Then came along arcade games. Now, every time we went anywhere there was one of these machines, I begged every last quarter I could off of my parents and anyone else who was unlucky enough to be with us. Pizza parlors, Beefsteak Charlies, the Ground Round, even the mall - none of these places was safe from quarter fiending obsession.

In those days, the greatest temple to video games that my young mind could imagine was Adventures at Cross County in Yonkers, NY. It was a tiny amusement park/restaurant/arcade. A trip here was always guaranteed to cost a small fortune. Alas, the rides quickly closed (the place was a death trap) and the restaurant dwindled down to a small coffee shop counter frequented by blue haired seniors waiting for the bus down to Atlantic City. But the arcade remained. It was the only thriving part of this place, sitting in a sea of asphalt parking lot. In junior HS, it still still sat like a glowing beacon, compelling me to spend my paltry allowance. I even had my first kiss here when I was 12 years old.

Adventures, in its glory days, is immortalized in the movie The Flamingo Kid which starred Matt Dillon (who was born in Westchester). Eventually it was demolished to make way for a multi-plex, but it will forever be etched in my mind, complete with the cacophonous melody of Donkey Kong, Dragon's Lair and Ms Pac Man.

If my trip down memory lane got you craving a dose of the 80's visit The Greatest Arcade Games of the 80's.

Thursday Thirteen #2

Here's the second edition of the Thusday Thirteen:

My Favorite Songs by My Favorite Band

Queensryche

1. Walk In The Shadows

2. I Dream In Infrared

3. Screaming in Digital

4. Gonna Get Close to You

5. Suite Sister Mary

6. I Don't Believe In Love

7. Eyes of a Stranger

8. Jet City Woman

9. Another Rainy Night

10. Is There Anybody Listening?

11. I Am I

12. Bridge

13. Scarborough Fair (B-side to single of Last Time in Paris from The Last Action Hero soundtrack)

For those of you that are interested, I listed them in no particular order, but by album just to make it easier for the pics to line up.

3x Thursday

1. Are you, or have you ever been in a managerial type position? Do you/did you like it? What about it did you like or not like? If not, would you ever *want* to be in that type of position? Why/why not? I've never been in management really. I was a 'key holder' when I worked at Godiva a few years ago. That's basically a shift supervisor (you assign people tasks, count the registers and have keys to the store). I liked what I was doing for the most part. I got out of doing what I didn't want to do as long as someone else was around. I just didn't like that I was basically doing what the Assistant Manager would do in the store (we didn't have one most of the time I was there), without any of the power or money. If there were problems with employees during a shift, I had to call the boss for his input. I had certain people that got away with murder because he never witnessed what they were doing with me.

2. If you've ever been in a managerial position, have you ever had to fire someone? What was that like? If not, have you ever been fired? What was that like? I was fired once and laid off from 2 other jobs. The lay-offs were from part time jobs so it wasn't that big of a deal. The time that I got fired was bad. I was with the company for 8 years and dealt with so much crap. They let me go for 'tardiness'. Mind you, this generally meant I was 5-10 minutes late after staying 1-2 hrs late most days (I was salaried so I didn't get overtime either). Basically it was just an excuse to get rid of me.

3. At the end of the day, we're all employees, but would you rather be the Boss or the Employee? Why? An employee - while I wouldn't mind being able to run my own business with my husband, I don't think I'd want the pressure of being the boss the rest of the time. A lower level supervisor would be great though.

Thursday Threesome

Crazy with the heat!

Onesome: Crazy-- things happen with the heat; is there anything strange happening yet where you live? I live right outside NYC. We don't need the heat to make things strange here.

Twosome: with the-- changing seasons,.how does your wardrobe change? No, we're not trolling for the pervs; let's stick with outerware... Honestly, during the work week, my wardrobe doesn't change all that much. My office is so cold that I need a heater under the desk some days so longer sleeved button downs and pants are the norm. On the weekends, you might catch me in shorts or a sleeveless top once in awhile. Oh and its the only time of year that you'll catch me in a dress that isn't for a formal occasion.

Threesome: heat!-- Okay, what is "heat" to you? When do you figure it's time so stay out of the sun and cool off? I start getting uncomfortable when it gets to be in the mid 80's in the apartment. We generally run the ac from June to Sept in the bedroom since we don't get much flowing air in the bedroom otherwise. I love getting out to the pool or beach whenever I get the chance, but I've become more sensible about my exposure now. I still like to get some color, but I bring an umbrella if we're going to the beach.

Booking Through Thursday

Do you cheat and peek ahead at the end of your books? Or do you resolutely read in sequence, as the author intended? I don't usually cheat. I might look ahead to chapter titles if I'm getting impatient, but I'd rather get to the end on my own. Unless its a collection of short stories - then any order goes for me. In non-fiction books it is a different story. I'll sometimes skip around if I'm looking for particular information - but that's not cheating to me.

And, if you don’t peek, do you ever feel tempted? I wouldn't say I'm never tempted. If a book slows down in the middle, I get more tempted. If I'm getting ready to give up on the book for good, I might skip ahead to see if it looks like things are going to get better.

8 Random Facts About Me

Apparently I've been tagged so I guess I should let you know a bit more about me. Thanks Amazing Gracie. I know I'm supposed to tag some people too, but I'm not sure yet if I'm going to do that. On the other hand, if you want to be tagged, just let me know and I'll be more than happy to oblige.

1. I love to travel - particularly anywhere a beach and the ocean are involved. One of my goals in life is try to visit all the islands of the Caribbean. My mom, hubby and I are going on a cruise on Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas this December, so I'll be able to check 3 more islands off my list. The ship goes to St Thomas (been there), St Maarten (been there too), Antigua, Barbados, and St Lucia.

2. I'm a bit of a foodie. We love to go to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY for dinner at least once or twice a year. They have a beautiful campus and 4 restaurants and a cafe to choose from. My favorite there is Escoffier, which is their french restaurant. The students basically run the restaurants as a way of getting real world experience so its fun to see all the fresh faced 20 year olds trying to get everything just perfect.

3. As a teenager, I was a bit of a metal-head. 80's - 90's hair bands are my passion (Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Warrant, Poison). I was a bit of a groupie for Poison back in HS. I probably would have gotten into a lot more trouble with that if I had a car to follow them to different shows in. My mother thought it was excessive to go to 2 shows on the same tour, let alone my desire to wander around the northeast chasing after them. The highlight of my life at the time was getting backstage (twice!) and getting front row tickets once. My best friend's arm is actually in the video for Ride the Wind. lol

4. I'm still trying to find my 'career' path. For my undergraduate degree I went for Political Science (started at Drexel University in PA and transferred back home to Manhattanville College in NY). I ended up getting minors in Computer Science and Business Administration since I discovered too late that it was a useless degree (unless you are going pre-law or want to move to DC or a state capital). Then I went to Pace University for my MBA in Management Information Systems. I have since figured out that I really have no real desire to work in that field either so it has turned out to be a huge waste of money for me. If someone would pay me to be a perpetual student, that would fit me nicely. I'd be happy to send my resume if anyone knows of such an opening.

5. I love to read. Anne Rice is my favorite author. I started reading her stuff in HS when I basically wanted to be a vampire. Or at least a witch. What can I say, I was a strange kid.

6. As a teenager, I wanted to be a model. I had the metabolism of a bullet train, weighed about 100lbs as a senior in HS, and had good cheek bones. This might give you the impression that I was well suited for modeling. Unfortunately, I stopped growing at 5'5 so I was terribly short for it. The only go-see I ever was put up for was for underwear and my mother didn't want me to go. Its probably just a well. I had nothing to fill out the tops with at that age anyway. Don't hate me though. I'm twice my age now and almost twice the size.

7. I'll take a cue from Gracie and tell you that I'm a liberal in most ways. I consider myself agnostic and I'm a registered Democrat. In high school I was the resident Democrat - everyone else claimed to be Republicans, although I think that most of them said it because their parents were. Whenever the teacher wanted the 'opposing' view point from what the rest of the class was saying, he just called on me. This started my love of debate. I can argue a point from morning until night without getting tired of it. The most frustrating thing for me is people that take a viewpoint for granted because someone (parents, church, etc) told them it should be that way and they never bothered to consider the issue for themselves. What good is having a brain if you aren't going to use it? Just don't get me started. :wink:

8. My biggest concern in life at the moment is where I'm going to live. My husband and I currently live in a co-op that is owned by my mother (she doesn't live there anymore). She has had it on the market for about a year now and finally found a buyer. Now we have to look for a new place and we're not exactly sure where to go. Renting a place is going to be close to double what we have been paying. I'd like to buy a small house, but in this area it is so expensive! A tiny 2 bedroom house is about $300,000 in the least expensive parts here. We're probably going to have to go to Putnam county which is about an hour from our jobs, but at least we may be able to afford something.