I have another baby

Wow. We did it. He's here. For some strange reason the arrival of my second son reminded me of a French poster I saw some time ago. The translation of the poster was: "From the vine to your table" and it was speaking about wine if I remember correctly. My twist on this: "From my tummy to my arms." Don't worry, not planning on any funny stuff around here.

My birth story...or a reasonable facsimile:

I should really start this on Thursday. That was my last scheduled day to work. I didn't have my car after the brake fiasco on Wednesday. I got a ride to work with my friend Jeff and a ride home with one of the supervisors in my department. Jeff and another guy in my department were riding home together and live in the same city as the guy who was repairing my brakes. He told me that if I needed a ride to get my car to let them know, that they would be leaving at 4:30. I rode with them to pick up my car. While I was gone, my sister came to pick up Enzo for the weekend. After I got home, Julian came out and helped me put the infant seat back in the car. I came in, did a bit of cleaning, a lot of lounging, and headed to bed. Before I went to bed, I set the alarm for 5:45 so I could get up and have a quick breakfast since it would be the last thing I could eat before my surgery. Julian told me not to wake him up at 6 but to wait until at least 8.

I didn't sleep very well Thursday night. I was nervous/excited/missing Enzo. I was already awake when the alarm sounded. I got up and headed to the bathroom. In the process of getting up I realised that my bed was wet and that I was wet.

Audioblog

Assorted crap

I really want to go do this...

but unfortunately we can't afford to. Not in our current financial state.

The 4D Ultrasound thing looks so cool. One of the ladies I work with had a baby in January and she did this last year and it was so neat to see the images.

Here's the website for Babyviews, if you want to take a look.

I think I'm just itching to know the gender of this kiddo, since at my "official" ultrasound at my doctor visit, he/she was being a little shy.

How in the world did I volunteer for something I didn't know about?

First, a bit of background: I check my work email from home when I'm off. Just in case something comes up that I need to know about before I get back to the office.

The details: My shift ends at 3:30 pm. At that time, I leave work and either go home for a bit and then pick up the kid or head straight to daycare. Either way, I was not aware of the following series of events until the next day when I checked my email. An email was sent Tuesday afternoon at 3:49 pm that 8 volunteers were needed to work on the 4th of July. 4 to work 8-5 and 4 to work 10-7. At 3:52 I got an email that said all the 8-5 shifts were filled, but there was no one signed up yet for 10-7. At 3:55 I got an email from my direct supervisor that he tried to sign me up for 8-5 but they were already filled so I'm down for 10-7. At 3:58, I received an email from the other supervisor who sent the initial email stating that all the shifts were filled. And then finally at 4:17 our manager sends an email thanking the volunteers and saying how great we are. And I had no idea that all this went on until about 11:00 am on Wednesday.

I sent an email at that point to my supervisor who apparently volunteered me to work and I got an out-of-office reply that he's out on vacation until Monday. Great. And I'm afraid to say anything to the other supervisors because I don't want to get my supervisor in trouble for volunteering me without my knowledge or consent. But I really don't want to work that day, much less have to work until 7 pm and then be back at work the next morning at 6:55 am. But if I get a reduced shift based on doctor's orders, then this may all be moot.

How cool is this?

I am a laundry-phobe. I didn't learn how to deal with laundry until I was almost a senior in high school and had to learn because I spent 6 weeks of my summer away from home in a dorm for Arkansas Governor' s School. I have spent much of my time since then wishing that I had never had to learn.

If I could afford it, I would either send all my laundry to the cleaners (and I mean ALL of it, underwear, sheets, you name it) or hire a maid to come in and deal with it all. But since I'm not rolling in the dough at the moment, this is a helpful little page to guide you through the art of folding fitted sheets. It's from Target Australia.

Behold the wonder!

Side note: I really need to get a life. How am I excited about a step-by-step guide to folding sheets?

The email always comes at the wrong time

So I was freaking out last night about my abdominal pain. And as I mentioned, worried about calling my doctor over something that would probably turn out to be nothing.

I consulted my What to Expect When You're Expecting book and decided to go ahead and call, but really didn't have a good explanation of what I was feeling.

I checked my email today and there waiting for me was my weekly email that I get from BabyCenter: "My Pregnancy this Week - 27 weeks." And inside was an article about abdominal pain during pregnancy and the possible causes.

Occasional abdominal discomfort is a common pregnancy complaint, and while it can sometimes be harmless, it can also be a sign of a serious problem. (Severe or persistent abdominal pain is never normal.) Below we'll describe the most common causes of abdominal pain and discomfort during pregnancy, but don't try to diagnose yourself. If you experience abdominal pain or cramping along with spotting, bleeding, fever, chills, vaginal discharge, faintness, discomfort while urinating, nausea and vomiting, or if the pain doesn't subside after several minutes of rest, call your practitioner.

And then we have the specifics on round ligament pain:

Round ligament pain is generally a brief, sharp, stabbing pain or a longer-lasting, dull ache that you may feel on one or both sides of your lower abdomen or deep in your groin, usually starting in your second trimester. It happens when the ligaments that support your uterus in your pelvis stretch and thicken to accommodate and support its growing size. You may feel a short jabbing sensation if you suddenly change position, such as when you're getting up from a bed or chair or when you cough, roll over in bed, or get out of the bathtub. Or you may feel a dull ache after a particularly active day, if you've been walking a lot or doing some other physical activity. Call your caregiver if this discomfort continues even after you've rested.

Why couldn't I have had this yesterday when I was so worried?

General crap

Nothing much new to report today. Julian's still looking for a job. I'm still prone to spontaneous outbursts of tears.

I called a local attorney to go in for a free consultation about the bankruptcy issue...3 times. Every time I called, I got put on perma-hold. That doesn't bode well, so I'm going to look elsewhere for legal assistance. I got the name and number of the attorney that one of my coworkers used last year when she filed. I haven't called yet. I know that this is really what I need to do, but somehow I'm prolonging it. This may sound strange, but it just seems so...final. Like I'm just giving up, but I know that's not the case. This is really the best solution for us as a family now. I don't have a whole lot of debt, but given the current conditions we're in, I can't afford all the bills I have.

I have so much on my mind right now. It's crazy.

My big worries are the upcoming baby and money. Secondary is that my relationship with Julian is really strained right now. Third is dissatisfaction with my job.

I'm so worried about the baby. I need to start getting things ready, but I really can't. The baby will be sharing Enzo's room and I'm not sure where everything will fit, and how that's going to work once the baby is actually here. I'm also worried about the birth. I guess it's not so much worry as nervousness. I've been through it before now, so it's not fear of the unknown like it was in the first pregnancy. I realise that no two births are exactly the same, and at least this time I know going in that I'm having a c-section. I'm worried about Enzo, and where he'll be and who he'll stay with during my surgery and recovery. My sister has volunteered to keep him, but she's in the middle of building a new house. She has already sold her current house and has to be out by this weekend. The new house isn't finished yet, so in the meantime she's living in a trailer (RV) in the backyard of her mother-in-law. That wouldn't be the most ideal space for Enzo to spend a few nights. My other concern is after we get home. I'm going to need all the help I can get. I remember with Enzo being unable to lift anything heavier than him until I got my staples removed a week later. And also being unable to drive. This is the scenario I have in my head: Julian's working full-time by the time baby 2 arrives. And I'm spending all my days at home with a newborn and a toddler. Unable to lift the toddler, and he gets upset because I can't carry him but I can carry the baby. And I can't take him to daycare because I can't drive and neither can Julian. I'm getting frustrated just thinking about it. I guess we'll see how things go. I might be able to get my mom or sister to come over some during the day to help out if Julian's at work.

I really need to stop worrying so much. That's what Julian keeps telling me. Not to worry about the things I'm powerless to change. Perhaps it's time to heed his advice.

My first trip to labour and delivery

My insurance changed from when Enzo was born, and along with the carrier, the hospitals I can visit and be covered has changed as well. What this means is that the new baby will be born in a different hospital than Enzo, as well as in a different city. And I made my first trip to the new hospital last night.

We went out for dinner and when I got home, I started having a lot of cramping, lower abdominal pain, and back pain. It went on for about 30 minutes before I broke down and called my doctor. He told me to head to the hospital. We left the house around 11 pm, got to the hospital and into labour and delivery around 11:20. I spent the next approximately 2 hours lying in a bed hooked up to fetal monitors and having my urine tested. Everything is fine, my cervix is still closed, no contractions. I was told to make sure that I'm getting enough rest and enough fluids and sent on my way with a couple of painkillers. We got back home around 2 this morning.

I'm glad that we're all well, because when the pain began, I was very frightened that something was horribly wrong.

Another Doctor Visit

Today was another prenatal checkup. Everything is fine...as usual.

The heartbeat is good. My urine samples are good. My weight gain is normal.

I go back in 3 weeks for my glucose tolerance test to check for gestational diabetes..

Company Picnic

Here's a photo of Enzo that was taken at my company picnic this past Sunday.

Terrified

We're at the point now where there's less than 3 months until baby #2. And I am scared out of my wits about the whole affair.

Part of what I'm worried about is the actual delivery. I remember when I had Enzo and couldn't lift anything heavier than him for a week after my c-section. I'm planning on another c-section this time, but the difference is that I now have a toddler who loves to be held by his mommy. This could be interesting for a while.

The other thing I'm worried about is the monetary side. We still have Enzo's crib, bassinette, clothes, and toys. We'll need a new mattress for the crib and other odds and ends. At this point, I don't see how we'll be able to afford all this. Plus the fact that when I go back to work, daycare will be more than twice what it is now. I just can't stomach $800 a month for daycare. I may have to quit or find a different daycare provider that's not so expensive.

I'm also wishing now that Julian had a driver's license. It's nice to have someone else in the family who can drive.

I think every bad scenario imaginable is running through my head lately, especially when I'm trying to go to sleep. I would just like an uneventful pregnancy, one where my husband is employed full-time throughout and I'm not freaking out about money. With Enzo, he had just received his work authorisation in the US when I was about 3 months pregnant. And this time, at about the same point into the pregnancy, he loses his job. Bleh.

It's the money more than anything that worries me now. The other things I can get around. I'm sitting here now with a little more than $100 to my name for the next two weeks and have a phone bill to pay, rent to pay, daycare to pay, and I need gas for the car. What's killing us now is the garnishment of my wages. We've survived okay on just my salary. We did it for years. I didn't really fight the garnishment when I first learned of it, because at that time, Julian was still employed and his salary would have more than covered the amount of the garnishment. So he loses his job on a Monday back in April and then at the end of that week I get the letter from my employer that the garnishment will start with my next paycheck. What timing!

I've been thinking about filing bankruptcy for a while, but didn't consider myself to be in a bad enough financial position to do it. At this point, it looks like a pretty good option. My credit is already screwed up, so it's not as if I'm going to ruin my credit by filing. I got a letter from a local attorney to come in for a free consultation, and I think I'm going to go. I'd rather file bankruptcy and get this weight off me than get evicted for not being able to pay my rent.

I love this kid

Conversation between me and Enzo today:

Enzo: I wanna go to the pool.
Mom: We need to have lunch first.
Enzo: I'm not hungry.
Enzo at this point takes off his clothes, grabs his elephant floaty toy and proceeds to unlock the front door.
Mom: Stop that now. Hey! You're naked.
Enzo: I'm not hungry!

What being naked has to do with being hungry, I'm still unsure.

This is an audioblog

Last Friday

Daycare was closed since it was Good Friday and I took the day off as well to stay home with Enzo. The weather was beautiful so we went on an expedition around the neighbourhood.

We found dandelions.



We found mobile graffiti.



More on the sights of our neighbourhood to come...

Audiopost

I can't seem to win

My rash is going away. Score one for Carrie. However, for the last 3 days, I haven't been feeling well.I'm not sure if it's just allergies because of everything blooming around here or if I'm actually sick. Either way, there's not a whole lot I can do. I have saline nose drops and I can take Benadryl sparingly. I felt a little warm yesterday, but my temperature was only 99F. No actual fever, just a little higher than usual. I hate to go to the doctor and pay the money only to be told that there's nothing that can be done.This brings me to one of my pet peeves: people who go to the doctor and practically demand antibiotics. My mother is one of these people. She thinks that if she goes to the doctor for some type of illness, she needs antibiotics. She even did that with me when I was younger. There are some things that antibiotics will not help. I've tried to explain this to her, that if the doctor prescribes antibiotics because she wants him/her to, the doctor is doing her no favours and is contributing to the trend of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Blah.I've been thinking about what I want to do with the rest of my life, career-wise. If I remain in my current field, telecommunication, I would like to either get a supervisory position or an analyst position. But what I really want to do is go back to school -- med school in particular. I entered college 10 years ago with the intent of becoming a MD. Things got a little off track, and I've been telling myself that I would continue my education once Enzo started school. But that's 2 years off, and now I have another little one on the way and am moving to a country where even if I wanted to attend school, my fluency in the language (at least at the moment) would not allow it. I'm sure everything will work out in the end.

My Day Off

I'm at home today with Enzo. I didn't take him to school today, so we've been hanging out together. I played the Pirates! game earlier and I've also been working on completing the proofreading of Julian's book. Enzo has been watching PBS and playing, sometimes with me and sometimes by himself. We're going to go eat with Julian in a few minutes. We may go see the "Big Eagle" as well.I heard on the radio earlier that we have a chance of snow tonight. I think it's supposed to be a mix of rain and snow/wintry precipitation. There's a winter storm watch in the northern part of the state. I wonder if there'll be a run on the grocery stores as is the norm when there's any chance of snow in the forecast. I guess we'll see.I finally found a way to get my Audioscrobbler "Now Playing" information to display over in my sidebar. Only problem is that Audioscrobbler's submissions are so backed up that the music I'm listening to now isn't being immediately processed and I appear as if I'm offline. I guess it'll catch up eventually. I've been listening to Astor Piazzolla and a Cerati/Melero CD -- Colores Santos.

Not digging myself right now

This pregnancy thing sucks. I don't really mean that. I'm excited about having Baby 2 on the way, but what it's doing to my body is driving me crazy.First is the fatigue. It's not every day, just most days. I would probably take a nap every day if I could find a nice quiet place at work. I'm going to bed between 9 and 10 on most nights, which is earlier than I went to bed as a kid. Ugh. The nights I don't go to bed at that time is only because I've fallen asleep on the futon while watching TV.Second, the mood swings. I cry over commercials on TV. Yesterday I was telling Julian that I wanted to have lunch with him and it made me cry. There's also the anger, frustration, depression...and that's just from the last 10 minutes. I don't even know what to expect from me at the moment.Third would be my strange relationship with food. I'm having cravings. I wanted KFC a week ago. Yesterday it was potato cakes from Arby's. Today was pasta with mozzarella cheese on it, no sauce. Tomorrow -- who knows? I'm also somewhat nauseous and my hunger level can go from starving to non-existent in less than 5 minutes. This drives Julian crazy. I'm talking about how I want x food, but then a few minutes later when he asks me if I want to go eat at the restaurant where I can get that, I'm not hungry anymore.Last is my incredible expanding abdomen. I'm not that far along, but my pants are already getting tight. The oh-so-cute pants I got with my Christmas money now have an unsightly bulge along the zipper mid-abdomen. And what kills me is that since Christmas, I've gained maybe 2 pounds. I remember reading somewhere that on secondary pregnancies, you'll start to show earlier because of your uterus being "stretched" or something. I imagine that's what's happening to me. Fun. I guess it's a good thing I kept my maternity clothes. I know that I at least have a few pairs of black pants I can salvage and start wearing if the need arises.Other than these things, life goes on as usual around here. Enzo is growing so fast. He sings, he "reads", he counts to 20 and says his ABCs. It seems like just yesterday that I was coming home from the hospital with a tiny little bundle who didn't do much more than eat, sleep and poop. He still does those things...and much more.I think I'm going to lie down on the futon for a bit.

O'Reilly Network: Stewart Butterfield on Flickr

This is a pretty neat article/interview. I'm a member of the Flickr group that they talk about, squared circle. Some of my photos are in the poster. I'm addicted to squared circle.

Little Rock: Lessons in civil rights history - Feb 7, 2005

Hmmm...I had forgotten about Central as a tourist destination. Maybe it's the fact that some of my friends went to school there. I wrote a paper for a US History class about the Central High desegregation. I was in the main library for days with the microfilm machine.

Jacket update

Still no sign of the jacket. I found out today who they think may have taken it home, and I hate to say it, but I'm afraid we may never see it again.So, if we don't see you again...jacket, you've served us well. May you rest in peace.

River wins!

River Plate 3Colon 2

Feeling better today

It's been over 24 hours since my last trip to the bathroom due to vomiting or diarrhea. Woo-hoo! Enzo has also been diarrhea-free today. Who knows what happened yesterday? Julian was fine through it all and still is.Enzo and I had a relaxing day at home today. We played, watched PBS, and went out for a bit this afternoon before we had to pick up Julian from work.Here's Enzo with the tractor outside the Museum of Discovery. He's wearing his beloved sweater that his grandma in Argentina made for him.Did I mention that the weather today was beautiful? In the mid-70s this afternoon. Nice enough for the kiddo to wear shorts and for me to dig out some capris.Tomorrow is my first prenatal checkup. I'm a little anxious. It seems like I've been waiting forever for this to come. I've been trying my best to eat well, have been taking my OTC prenatal vitamins, and am quitting smoking (I'm down to about 2 cigarettes a day on average from around a pack a day). I just have this nagging worry in the back of my mind that since everything went so well with the first that there's got to be something that goes wrong this time. I really really hope that's not the case. I guess this is normal worrying that will be soothed somewhat after my appointment tomorrow.

Some yummy restaurants in Little Rock

I picked up a visitor's guide to Little Rock and found some web sites for restaurants that I like.So here are a couple:Bene Vita -- an Italian restaurant in my neighbourhoodCajun's Wharf -- the times I've been here have been mainly for the bar, but the food is good too.

Countdown

Waiting for Baby 2

My 43 (or 8) Things

Check them out here.

CNN.com - Recovered digital photos show tsunami wave

This is a little freaky. I can't imagine what it would have been like to see all that water coming toward me and being powerless to do anything.It's also sad that they had no warning, literally didn't know what hit them.

Jacket, where are you?

Still no sign of the lost jacket. Still no sign of any kind of compensation from the daycare either. How frustrating!I've reached the point that every day when I pick him up, I'm wondering what item of clothing has been lost. The other day when I picked him up he wasn't wearing his shoes. The girl who was in the room with him said she thought they might be in his bag. Thought...might be...not good things to say when talking about the shoes of a toddler. I did find them, thankfully enough. I was going to be one pissed off person if in the course of a month our daycare had lost both my son's jacket and shoes.Do other daycares lose personal items, or is it just mine?

Someone in Houston must like it in LR

I found several articles in the travel section of the Houston Chronicle about Little Rock, the place I call home (at least for the moment).

Here's one about some area attractions and fun facts.

There are also some articles about the downtown/River Market area. This will always be a special place for me. The first apartment that Julian and I shared was walking distance from the River Market. That made our place the meeting point for all the weekend (and weeknight) drinking escapades.

A Two Carseat Family



It's amazing what can happen in 4 years. I've gone from driving a car that only had 2 seats to a car with 2 carseats in the back.

Carrie and Dad

Carrie and Dad Originally uploaded by lacarita.

Just thought I'd share this one with you guys. It's me with my dad way back when. I'm sitting at his steel guitar. He built and played steel guitars.

Banished Words List from Lake Superior State University

Can you believe 'blog" is one of the banished words for 2005? Whoever submitted that cannot be a blogger.

Berlusconi hurt in tripod attack

Throwing a tripod at the PM? What will they think of next...

What an inauspicious start to the new year

Last night and today have both been pretty dull. We all stayed home last night. I made dinner for us, put Enzo to bed, and fell asleep on the floor next to his bed. Julian woke me at about 10 minutes before midnight and I came out to the living room, where he was sitting on the futon watching the appendices of the Return of the King. I poured a couple of glasses of champagne, and joined him on the futon. Midnight (and thus the new year) came and went with no celebration.Today, I haven't even left our house. I've been doing some heavy-duty cleaning. I took the Christmas tree down today and vacuumed the floor, then rearranged the furniture. The corner where the tree has been for the last 5 weeks or so looks so bare now.I don't know why, but I feel kind of depressed today. I think the weather may be partially to blame. It's been overcast and warm the last couple of days, and has been raining for most of the day. Not a heavy rain, but just a light, misty rain. I had to turn the heat off and turn the air conditioning back on. I think the other factor contributing to my depressed state is that my holiday is almost over. I only have tonight and tomorrow and then it's back to the grind.Is it sad that I'm so unhappy with my current position that I dread going to work so much that it almost makes me physically ill? This past week has been wonderful -- a breath of fresh air for me. I guess that's what a vacation is supposed to be for, but it shouldn't make it that much harder to go back. I've been checking my work email from home occasionally this week, and that hasn't helped matters. My group received an email from our manager stating that cell phones were not to be used while we are on the clock, were not to be visible on our desks, and were to be turned off. This is after a meeting a couple of weeks ago where the VP over our group said that he fought for us to be able to have our cell phones on since it is our emergency contact, working in a call center environment. It's all the contradiction that bothers me. One person says this, but it's overridden by another person, and another person says something else entirely different. What's okay today may not be okay tomorrrow, but then it may go back to being okay in a week. There's another issue that comes to mind. There's something we were told we could do, then told we couldn't do, so we asked a supervisor for clarification. That supervisor went to HR and inquired for us and sent an email saying that it was okay. I kept the email, just to cover my behind. Then this same issue that HR said was fine for us to do in May...is no longer fine. At least according to our veep. And apparently now if we do this, it could be grounds for termination. Nice. So in the course of a year...okay, not okay, okay, not okay, and if you do it again, I'll sack you. And it's not really that big of a deal, in my opinion. So I won't do it. Blah.It was so nice to have a week not at work, not thinking about work, and therefore not stressing about work.I'm sure the anticipation of going back will be worse than what it actually will be. At least I hope so.

A survey!

All about me!
Last Cigarette:	a few minutes ago
Last Alcoholic Drink:	champagne early this morning
Last Car Ride:	yesterday coming back from the Clinton library store
Last Kiss:	earlier this afternoon; my son
Last Good Cry:	in May, reflecting on the anniversary of my father's death
Last Library Book:	the Dean and Deluca cookbook
Last book bought:	Santa Evita by Tomás Eloy Martínez
Last Book Read:	reading The Hobbit by Tolkien
Last Movie Seen in Theatres:	Laws of Attraction
Last Movie Rented:	?? it's been months
Last Cuss Word Uttered:	fuck
Last Beverage Drank:	Diet Vanilla Pepsi
Last Food Consumed:	pretzel
Last Crush:	uh, my husband I guess
Last Phone Call:	calling my husband on the way home yesterday to help me carry in some things
Last TV Show Watched:	all I've watched this week has been Enzo's movies that he got for Christmas
Last Time Showered:	Thursday afternoon; but I'm going to shower tonight before bed
Last Shoes Worn:	urban camo Chucks with pink laces :)
Last CD Played:	Ravel: Bolero; Rapsodie espagnole; La Valse
Last Item Bought:	a postcard and gift from Clinton store for my Argentine in-laws
Last Download:	I don't know, probably upgrading to Firefox 1.0
Last Annoyance:	realising that my holiday is over in a day
Last Disappointment:	not getting what I wanted for Christmas
Last Soda Drank:	Diet Vanilla Pepsi
Last Thing Written:	blog post
Last Key Used:	"t"
Last Words Spoken:	Enzo! Calm down!
Last Sleep:	from 3:00 until around 8:30 this morning
Last Ice Cream Eaten:	home-made banana ice cream from the summer
Last Chair Sat In:	my desk chair
Last Webpage Visited:	Clarín.com
CREATE YOUR OWN! - or - GET PAID TO TAKE SURVEYS!

Choose The Blue

It's interesting to see how many companies' PACs or employees support the republican party. One thing the site suggests is patronizing companies whose political contributions are more in line with your support. I checked on this for myself, and all the local grocery stores are "red." Still investigating...

Project Gutenberg

Over 13.000 free ebooks! What a great resource.

Daily Kos :: Managers and Shelf Stockers

I found this diary at daily KOS very interesting. Talks about outsourcing and its effect on the American economy. Be sure to read the comments as well...enlightening.

The Masked Ketchup Bandit Revealed!

It's moments like this that you treasure as a parent:He secreted away a packet of ketchup and smeared it all over himself. Imagine my shock when he walked around the corner, covered in a red substance, and calmly asked to wash his hands.

Dr. Seuss cartoons still relevant today?

I found some political cartoons drawn by Dr. Seuss during WWII. Looking through some of these, it's amazing how relevant many of them still are.

An Argentine Feast!

Tonight I made milanesas a la napolitana for us, complete with Argentine wine. I would show you a photo, but they're all gone! Verrry yummy for my tummy.I made the milanesas as usual, put ham on top, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese. The addition of the ham was a pleasant change. It's something we saw at on a web page for an Argentine restaurant in Kentucky called Palermo Viejo.It's back to the grind tomorrow. Wow. A week on holiday goes by so much faster than a week at work, it seems.

Great Meme Stickers

This is kind of scary

I was looking at the U.S. Department of State website, and they have a "Plan your Trip" section.In it are several documents, one of these being Security Guidelines for American Families Living Abroad. I read through this and it's a pretty thorough document. I especially liked the discussion of different types of door locks under the "Perimeter Security" chapter. My only complaint is that it makes it seem like anywhere that's not the US is automatically some kind of war zone.I agree, it's good to be prudent and aware of your surroundings, wherever you may be, but this is a bit of overkill. Of course, maybe I'm not exactly their target audience, since it mentions that if you have a chauffeured car, that you should occasionally ride up front with the driver. Heh. I'm not expecting a car with a driver any time soon.

A few more pictures from the cemetary

I took this one because the stone/monument on the left intrigued me. The top of the column has broken off and is hanging there, perched precariously on the base.Here's another old tombstone, this one for John Cooper from Scotland. He died in August 1840. I like the design on this one as well as the colour.This angel looks like she's seen better days.More assorted monuments:

Argentine passports

Since we're planning to travel, I've been trying to get some of the basics in order. Number one item on the list: passports for everyone. Julian's is expired. Mine is expired. Enzo's never had one.To renew Julian's we'll have to make a trip to the Argentine consulate in Houston. I also discovered that I could get an Argentine passport since I'm the spouse of an Argentine citizen. Here's where I found all the information on Argentine passports and what's required.Does anyone know if I'd be able to just get an Argentine passport and not have to get a new US passport? If I plan to come back to the US will I need to enter with a US passport?This is getting more complicated than I initially thought it would be.

Graffiti in LR

What's up with this? It's on the stage in Riverfront Park. I'm curious why someone took it upon themselves to paint "Memphis" here.And by the way, this is a fun place to skateboard. Not that I've ever done it, or condone it or anything like that...wink, wink.

Nibbler!

I love Futurama!

Photo from the Christmas Banquet

Almost a month ago, Julian and I went to a banquet for his company. We were told we'd get a free photo. It came today, and as promised, here it is:

Mysterious...

You have a mysterious kiss. Your partner neverknows what you're going to come up with next;this creates great excitement and arousal neverknowing what to expect. And it's sure to endin a kiss as great as your mystery. What kind of kiss are you? brought to you by Quizilla

What a yucky week

This past week was my first week back at work and it was appropriately dreary. I don't think we had one day without at least some rain.All this rain is making things flood-prone. The river is higher than usual. I've been monitoring the status of the river daily. I have a regular vantage point on the river, and the trees, vegetation, and other markers that are normally well out of the water are currently submerged. I'd say the river is at least 2 feet higher than usual. I doubt we're anywhere near flood stage at this point, since the water hasn't even made it to the bottom of the levee.Work was...well, work. No better or worse overall than it was when I left. I guess that's a good thing.I've applied for a couple more jobs within my company. We'll see what happens this time around. Maybe a new year will mean a new job, and I can regain my sanity.I slept in my bed all night last night for the first time all week. Hopefully this is the start of a new trend. I don't mind lying down by Enzo while he goes to sleep, but falling asleep there every night sucks.I have two more Saturdays off before our schedule change goes into effect. I'm going to try to make the most of them. I should have some photos tomorrow for you.

Blue Bench

Blue Bench Originally uploaded by lacarita.

This is one of my favourite photos I took while on vacation. I just got around to uploading it today.

The Clinton Library, pre-dawn

I love the library at night. It's beautiful.

Heh...it says butt

I get cigarette offers and premiums in the mail, and this came yesterday. It's a litter pouch designed to be carried so one doesn't throw cigarette butts on the ground. This process seems more tedious than just finding an ashtray or other appropriate receptacle.I'm affectionately calling it the "Butt Bag."

I can't believe this was even introduced

I was sitting here reading this and the more I read, the more pissed off I became.For anyone who doesn't want to follow the link, what I'm speaking of is HB1677, introduced by Delegate John A Cosgrove of Virginia.Summary as introduced:Report of fetal death by mother; penalty. Provides that when a fetal death occurs without medical attendance, it shall be the woman's responsibility to report the death to the proper law-enforcement agency within 12 hours of the delivery. Violation of this section shall be punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor.Admittedly, it's not my state, but if this passes in Virginia, who's to say that other states won't follow suit.As someone who's experienced a miscarriage before, I really find this intrusive. Based on the way this reads, any woman in any stage of pregnancy must report the loss of said pregnancy within 12 hours if the loss occurs without medical attendance. So if I lived in Virginia, would I call the police office each month when I begin menstruating just to be safe, because it could be a loss of pregnancy? I would hate to be charged with a misdemeanor crime for something I didn't know I did wrong. And when I call the police to file a report, will the person taking all the pertinent personal information be sensitive to the situation, or be a jackass?As I stated before, I can't believe that this is even out there. It really needs to be cleaned up before it goes any further. In its current state, Virginia will have every woman who's past menarche and sexually active either calling the police monthly or in jail.How idiotic. And this guy is an elected representative. Who does he represent? Certainly not me.Edit(9/1/05): check the comments for additional new information.

Sitemeter's dead

The service I've been using to track visitors to my blog has been down all day long. No one seems to know what happened. I was logged in earlier this morning and it died mid-session for me. I can't even get to their home page, www.sitemeter.com.If anyone has any info, I'd love to know what happened.

Grocery shopping

I've been taking care of my shopping on Saturdays for the last few months, so I'd have Sunday free to do what I choose. Since next Saturday will be my last non-working Saturday in the foreseeable future, I'm either going to have to go to the store later in the day or on a different day.I've been grocery shopping at Wal Mart lately, since it's a little cheaper and I have the bonus of being able to consolidate the groceries and Wal Mart items into one purchase/one trip. That's great when shopping with a toddler.The store I go to is only a couple of months old, and looks nothing like most other Wal Marts that I've seen.Inside, the parts that would normally be tiled with the standard commercial tile is a brownish-burgundy tinted poured concrete floor. The parts that would normally be carpeted are finished with what appears to be a Pergo-esque substance. Looks like wood.

Manresa

Manresa Originally uploaded by lacarita.

I was looking through some of Julian's photos that he brought with him when I found this one. It's from Manresa in Spain. He was there in 1998.

Buenos Aires

Puerto Madero Originally uploaded by lacarita.

Another of Julian's photos I found, this time from Buenos Aires. This is at least 5 years old. I'm not sure exactly when it was taken.

Some suggestions...

I offer some suggestions to make your next call to an 800 number more enjoyable for everyone involved:

• The person answering the phone doesn't want to know how long you were on hold before they answered. Chances are, they already know, since they can see how many calls are holding. And if you lie, they'll know. So don't try to make them feel bad that you've been on hold for 45 minutes so you'll get what you want when that person knows that there have been no calls waiting for the last 30 minutes and that you got right through.
• Have any pertinent information handy. Account number, phone number, case number, whatever it is.
• If you're upset about something, behave as calmly and as rationally as possible. Would you want to listen to someone yelling profanities?
• Get the name of the person you're speaking with, and their department and extension number or representative id if possible. This may come in handy down the line, especially if you're making changes to something on an account or requesting information. Sometimes things aren't done as promised, or aren't done...period. It may or may not be intentional, but the more information you have about the person who was supposed to do it, the easier it will be to fix.
• Don't complain about hold music to the person who answers the phone. They're powerless to change it. And as someone who's listened to a lot of hold music at several different companies, I can tell you this: it all sucks, some more than others.
• Finally, keep in mind that the voice on the other end of the line belongs to a human, someone not unlike yourself. Treat them as you'd like to be treated and things are more likely to turn out the way you'd like.

Parenting advice

Buy washable crayons.

Ick

I'm at home today, since I'm not feeling well. I decided to make use of my time here and look at travel information.One of the things I was counting on to cut down on the cost of my travel to Argentina was the fact that I had a large pool of frequent flyer miles. I was planning to use them for at least one of our tickets. I logged in online to look at my account today, and all but 500 of my miles are gone. Expired. Dammit. So there goes that idea. There's no way that I can accumulate enough miles in the next 12 or so months to equal what I had. To get a free ticket from here to Buenos Aires, I'd need at least 40,000 miles. I had more than that. Now I have a paltry 500. I can buy miles, but only 25,000 per calendar year, and 25,000 miles costs $625. So I'm stuck.I have an aunt and uncle who used to work in the airline industry and could get reduced or free airfare. They're both retired, so I don't know if they can still take advantage of that, especially with the state of the industry. I guess it's worth a shot to ask. It would be better than paying close to $5000 for 3 tickets.I suppose it's better that I realised my miles are gone now, instead of in a few months when I actually went to purchase the tickets. At least I have some time to explore my alternatives. Any ideas?

ID chips in new US Passports -- a good idea?

I just read on CNN that beginning this year, new US passports will have a identification chip inside the cover. This chip will contain all the information that a paper passport contains, as well as a digitized photo and a face template for facial recognition software.The fact that this information will be unencrypted has the ACLU alarmed. Apparently anyone with a reader within 30 feet of a passport holder could gain access to all the information on their passport. Some of the reasons for concern are identity theft, possible targeting of Americans abroad by terrorists, government tracking and monitoring, and marketing. If a retail shop put readers in their doorways, they could get the information on each person carrying one of these ID chip-enabled passports. The government could scan members at meetings to find out who's present. Scary.At CNN, they suggest wrapping the passport in aluminum foil to prevent unauthorised reading of the card, creating a Faraday Cage. Nice.

Am I nuts?

Goth Girl Superhero

Goth Girl Superhero Originally uploaded by Special.

Just wanted to share one of my favourite photos from Flickr.I cannot take credit for photographing this one, unfortunately. It's a great shot.If you've never been to Flickr, you should try it out. It's a great way to share photos and meet people!

A smaller, cheaper iPod

Apple has announced the iPod Shuffle, which will be flash memory-based instead of using a hard drive. There will be 2 versions, 512 MB (120 songs) for $99 and 1 GB (240 songs) for $149.

Interesting.

And you can plug it directly into a USB port on your computer to transfer your music.

What a wonderful day!

I'm only kidding, of course. Today was a bad day in the financial life of Carrie. Of course, I didn't know this until I got off work.On my way to the daycare, I got a call from a rep at a collection agency. He was calling about an account that I had made payment arrangements on and the check for the final payment was not honoured by my bank. I explained to him that I would call him back when I got home, that I was in the car. He acted like I was just trying to get him off the phone, which I'm sure a lot of people do to collections reps, but I really wasn't in a position to discuss my account. So I told him that I would be home in about 30 minutes, and I would call him, and if he hadn't heard from me in 30 minutes, that he would call me back.So I pick up Enzo and go home. I get home and my husband asks me to go to our bedroom, where he retrieves some papers and says "This came for you a few minutes ago." I look at it and it's a summons, that a lawsuit has been filed against me in civil court. It's a balance from a credit card, that got referred to a collection agency, and now apparently to a lawyer. I remember the letters from the collection agency a few months ago, that if I didn't make arrangements by x date, it would be referred to an attorney. I tried to contact them, but to no avail. The way their phone system is set up, it doesn't refer you to the first available operator. You have to enter an extension. So I entered the extension from my letter, and it would ring and ring and ring, until I got forwarded back to the main message asking for the extension I was trying to reach. No voicemail. I tried on different days, different times of the day, but the same thing happened each time. I even tried after the supposed "cut-off" date, and the same thing happened. You would think that if they wanted to collect the money that badly, they would make it easier for consumers to reach someone. But that's beside the point. So the last correspondence I received on this was back in September, from the collection agency. I've actually been carrying this notice around in my purse for all these months, so I could try to call from work from time to time. Then today I received the summons. Should the attorney's office not have contacted me prior to filing a lawsuit? I tried to call the attorney's office at the number listed on the summons and left a voicemail.I am so frustrated at this point. I know that I owe the money, I've had some financial difficulties because of my husband being unemployed for almost a year, and all my other creditors have been understanding and easy to work with. This one agency is impossible to deal with, I can't talk to anyone there, and now I'm being sued. Great. Just fucking great.I've considered bankruptcy, but I really don't have that much debt at this point, except my student loans, and my student loans wouldn't be covered anyway. I've got just about everyone paid off. My advice for college students: when you're at school, and they set up the booths to apply for credit cards...don't. When I was 18, I had more credit cards than my mother. And now, 10 years later, I'm still paying the price.

Weather

The weather has been really strange the last couple of days; our highs have made it into the low 70s F. We're now in a severe thunderstorm watch until 23:00, and have a lake wind advisory until 04:00 tomorrow. It's currently about 69°F, and the low today is supposed to be about 50°F. Tomorrow's high is supposed to be about 50°F, and the low 30°F.This is tornado weather. It was all everyone was talking about during the day when I was out for my break. I'm going to hope for the best, but I have my flashlights gathered up in case we lose power.I really don't like the weather here because it changes too much. I'd just like to decide on a season and stick with it for at least a week.

43 Things

My list of some things I want to do. It's kind of lame, but what can I say?

I ranted until Audioblogger cut me off...

Listen if you dare.

Road Trip!

Hot Springs

If you listened to my previous post, then you know that I went to Hot Springs today. Hot Springs is about 55 miles to the southwest of Little Rock, a very easy day trip.I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to see and photograph, but since I had Enzo with me, things didn't turn out exactly as I had planned. I got pictures of quite a bit, but I'll have to make another trip to get the rest, maybe on a Tuesday off when Enzo's at daycare.So, with no further adieu, the photos...

Photo of Hot Springs (and beyond) taken from the summit of West Mountain.

The Park Hotel on Fountain Street.Formerly a luxury hotel, its current owners are in the process of restoring it. The metal doors and windows are original. I'm not sure exactly when it was built, I'm guessing the 1910s, since that seems to be the general era when the neighbouring buildings were constructed.

Mule Trolley MuralOn the side of a building on Central Avenue, across the street from the bathhouses.I took this photo primarily at the request of Enzo, who liked the "horsies."

I wasn't expecting this

But I'm expecting...I'm apparently about 5 weeks pregnant, with an expected due date around 14 September. Wow.

The smell of KFC

is like a siren song to me when I'm pregnant. I normally don't eat at KFC, but for some reason the cocktail of hormones coursing through my body makes it like haute cuisine. To summarize, on Friday afternoon, I stopped to put gas in the car. It happens that the gas station is next to a KFC and the wind was blowing just right, so the scent of KFC wafted over to where I was standing. It reminded me of those cartoons, where the scent of something is visible and has a finger beckoning one to follow it to its source.So that put the idea in my head. I've been obsessed with it since then, and I finally fulfilled my desire today. It's not so much the chicken itself as the side dishes. I ate my cole slaw, my mashed potatoes, my biscuit, and Julian's coleslaw as well. I know that all that stuff comes out of a big tub somewhere and is probably horrible for you. But it was good while it lasted, and my KFC craving is out of the way.

I may be posting a little less frequently

in the next few days. I have a task, and that's to complete proofreading my husband's book, so we can find some representation for the behemoth and hopefully get it published.We had a talk last night and he wants to try to get the book published in the first half of this year so that we could use any money from that to aid in our move, either for moving expenses, or expenses after we arrive.Julian also mentioned that he's going to email friends and family at home to get a network of people on the lookout for an apartment and jobs for us. I think at some point, after we get there, we might have his parents move in with us if they are amenable. I know he wants to do whatever he can to help them out after all they've done for us from afar. They've been more supportive of us than my family has, and they're on another continent.I'm a little apprehensive about the move now that I've found out there's another family member on the way. I still want to move, and so does Julian, but now if we stay on schedule for the move, we'll have another person to buy a plane ticket for and also get a passport for. He mentioned moving before I have baby 2. In order for that to happen, I'll have to super-fast-forward my plans, but I suppose it's do-able.I'll keep you posted. I'm going to try to get as much proofreading done tonight and tomorrow on my new day off. It will be an Enzo-free day, so it should be fairly productive.

Did CNN get something wrong?

I was reading a story about the events surrounding the inauguration of Dubya and I saw this sentence:

First twins Jenna and Laura Bush are expected to attend.

I thought Laura was Dubya's wife. Aren't their daughters Jenna and Barbara? I guess no one's perfect, but just thought it was funny that such an easily-researched fact would be posted wrong.

Mail call!

Today is my new day off, and I got mail today! Woo-hoo! I got my new book that I ordered ages ago, at least it seems that way -- it was at the end of my vacation.It's Santa Evita.I also got the second lingerie item that was on backorder at Victoria's Secret from before Christmas. I don't know how much good it's going to do me now. I really like it, and I'll probably keep it for later. I suppose I could wear it now, before my belly gets too big.I'm back to my book editing now. I'm almost halfway done already! Hopefully I can finish this week.

Does money talk?

Tomorrow is Not One Damn Dime Day. The premise is not to spend any money for 24 hours in a boycott of sorts to speak out about our displeasure in Bush and the way he's handled the situation in Iraq. From their website:

On "Not One Damn Dime Day" those who oppose what is happening in our name in Iraq can speak up with a 24-hour national boycott of all forms of consumer spending.

During "Not One Damn Dime Day" please don't spend money, and don't use your credit card. Not one damn dime for gasoline. Not one damn dime for necessities or for impulse purchases. Nor toll/cab/bus or train ride money exchanges. Not one damn dime for anything for 24 hours.

Will anyone take notice if enough people participate?

Something all Americans should be concerned about: Social Security

I don't even know where to begin on this topic. First of all, Social Security is not as bad off as the current administration would like us as Americans to believe. Using the word "crisis" is really unfounded. It's like what happened with the Saddam Hussein/Iraq issue, saying that we knew that he had WMDs and that if we didn't get in there and neutralise him, he'd be coming after us.If the administration succeeds in selling the "crisis" of Social Security, the people who will pay won't be the politicians, but us average Joes as we approach retirement. There are so many people who depend on Social Security for all or part of their income after retirement. Privatisation is not the answer. It ties the retirement funds of an individual to the stock market, which is basically what Social Security was set up to avoid. It was created in response to the stock market crash of 1929, which triggered the Great Depression to provide for members of society who were unable to work because of age or disability. What if the market is on a downswing when your retirement comes and you end up with less money than what you started out with? The stock market can be a great source of income for those who choose to invest in that manner. Social Security needs to remain a government-supported system.I've had personal experience with Social Security. It does what it intends: my step-father has been getting a Social Security check for years because of a disability, my mother recently started getting her Social Security check and still working part-time, and finally, I received a monthly check from the time my father died until I graduated from high school. I know that was welcome money in our household at a difficult time and it made things a little easier on my mother so she wasn't worried about making ends meet.And my final thought: what if there's another stock market crash? Do we really want to subject our retirement money to that possibility?My father was alive during the Great Depression, and my mother was born shortly afterward. I know that this had a profound impact on their lives, to this very day. My mother doesn't want to throw anything away. She washes butter tubs and Ziploc bags to reuse them. I think we need to keep the memory of those times alive so we don't end up there again.Here's a link for anyone interested: There is No Crisis

Johnny Carson is dead at age 79

From what I've gathered, he died sometime this morning. I'm not sure of the exact time or place, or even cause. There will be no memorial service.This was a bit of a shock for me. I grew up with Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon. I knew I had hit the big time when I was able to stay up late enough to watch the Tonight Show. I loved hearing Ed say, "Heeeeeere's Johnny!" and Johnny emerging from behind the multi-coloured curtain to give his monologue. I'm sure I didn't fully appreciate a lot of what was said at the time, but I was so excited just to be awake.Thank you, Johnny for giving me a reason to want to stay up late at night. You'll be missed.

A boring day off

Is there anything good happening in Iraq?

I know this is a week old now, but these images still disturb me, as I would imagine they do most people.I have to warn you, before you click the link, they're graphic. They were taken by a photographer in Tal Afar of a car that was approaching a US patrol that did not stop when it was requested to. The soldiers opened fire on the car, killing both passengers in the front, apparently a mother and father. Their children were in the car with them, in the back. One child was injured in the incident as well. The photo that really stuck with me was the one of the young girl with her hands covered in her family's blood.Que triste...

Lots accomplished today

I made my first pre-natal appointment today. I go in at 3:00 on 16 February. If this goes like last time, I should have an ultrasound of a blob to share at that point. And according to my husband, I'm now "officially" pregnant. I guess making the appointment is the delineation.His parents have been made aware of our planned move and the pregnancy, and are excited, but concerned. They're going to be on the lookout for apartments in BA for us, although they'll be out of the country for 5 months. They're going to Chile to house-sit for a while. Julian is also enlisting the help of his friends back home in looking for apartments and job leads.I told my mom about the possibility of us moving to Argentina, but didn't really give a time frame. Her only comment was whether we'd be better off there or here. I haven't told her that we're pregnant again, because I can't imagine that she'll be thrilled. When I told her about Enzo, rather than saying how excited she was or congratulating me, she was really indifferent and asked if we'd be able to afford a child. Thanks for the encouragement, mom.It seems that the plans are in motion now. And Julian's plan is to be in Argentina before I give birth in September. Wow. That's just a few months away. I'm excited, a little nervous, but most of all, ready for a new start with my newly-enlarged family in Buenos Aires!

See what I found today!

I was on my second trip down the main aisle at Wal Mart, to exchange "Incredibles" Pop-Tarts for "Monsters Inc." Pop-Tarts when I saw these.Ketchup chips! I immediately thought of comments Katrina had made about how we were missing out on these in the US. So I grabbed a bag and threw it in the cart. It was less than $1. I haven't opened them yet, but I'll keep you updated.

The tattooed guy sings the ABC song

Enzo knows his ABCs now. Mostly.I like the 'LMNOP' part.Here he is with his Elmo tattoo and some audio of him singing. Enjoy!

Bye-Bye Birdie

I talked to my mom today on my break and she told me that her cockatiel, Rodney, died last night. How sad. Rodney came to live with my mom when I was still in elementary school to the best of my knowledge. She had him for more than 15 years. She said that she cried as she took his cage down. She's allergic to pet dander, so we never had an indoor dog or cat. Outdoor pets didn't fare too well, either. Our yard was not entirely fenced, and my mom felt bad about chaining an animal up. We lived on a pretty busy street, so the lives of most animals we had did not end well. So we turned to small animals. At one point, she had 3 cockatiels and I had a guinea pig.I don't know if she'll get another bird to replace him. I'm sure her house sounds empty without him. He would whistle at you as you walked by, and he loved the theme song to the Andy Griffith show. Farewell, Rodney. May the gods watch over your bird soul.

This hasn't really been my week.

Can I rewind and start again? The run-down:Sunday -- I was lying in bed and had removed my glasses and put them on my bedside table. Enzo came in and picked them up, said he wanted me to put them on, and as I was reaching for them, he pulled on the side and broke the metal part that holds the part that goes over your ear (I'm sure there's a name for it, but I don't know it and I'm feeling too lazy to look.) It's embedded in the plastic beside the left lens and it attached the main glasses part to the hinge. There's no way that it can be fixed. I'm going to need to get new frames. Only problem is that my vision insurance only pays for new frames once every 2 years. Other than that, you pay retail cost minus 20%. Glasses for me get expensive, because I wear bifocals and I prefer the no-line lenses. The current pair would have cost almost $400 if I had paid retail for them, but with the insurance, it was only $125, and that was mostly because of the extra charge for the no-line bifocals. So at the moment, I have my glasses rigged up with some scotch tape. The ultimate nerd. I think the only thing that would make it more perfect would be if they had broken in the middle.Wednesday -- this was a spectacular morning. First, I almost had a wreck. Last night was our first below-freezing night, and of course it had rained all day long yesterday. The result: ice patches this morning. Arkansans do not know how to drive in wintry conditions. I had dropped Julian and Enzo off already, and was heading to work myself. I was on a 4 lane street with a middle turn lane. I'm in the left lane of the 2 lanes in my direction, and beside me is a white SUV. I see that there is ice on the road ahead, covering both lanes of traffic, so I slow down, knowing that all of my wheels are going to lose traction and I'll slide a bit. Does the SUV take the same precaution? No. I don't know if the driver didn't see it, or just had the SUV-driver mentality that 4 wheel drive will take care of anything. So the SUV loses control and skids in front of me, across my lane, the turn lane, and both lanes of oncoming traffic and ends up in some grass on the other side of the road. Luckily for them, there was no traffic coming at that time, or it could have been really bad. From my perspective, I suddenly had a SUV directly in front of me, that had I not applied my brakes, I would have hit in the driver's side door. Applying brakes while on ice is not a good thing. I then lost control of my vehicle and skidded in the other direction, across the lane where the SUV came from, jumped the curb and sidewalk, and ended up in a parking lot about a foot from a large metal signpost. My heart was racing, and I was shaking. I got out to make sure that there wasn't any damage to my car and then got back in and sat there for a few minutes to steady my nerves. I was going to be late for work because of this idiot, so I reached for my cell phone to call and let them know what was going on. I couldn't find my phone. I panicked, and then remembered that I had left it on the counter in the kitchen last night. I don't live very far from where I work, so I stopped at home first to pick up my cell phone. When I retrieved it from the counter, the first thing I noticed was that the display on the outside of the phone wasn't working. I thought that my battery had probably died during the night, so I attempted to turn it on. It buzzed, giving me the signal that it was powering off. Still nothing on the screen. I flip the phone open and notice that the inside screen has water visible inside it. I turn the phone to the side and water literally ran out of the inside of the phone. Damn. My phone was still technically usable at this point. It would come on and I was able to make calls. I just couldn't verify the numbers I was dialing, since I had no display. By lunch, it wouldn't even stay powered on. So I spent 45 minutes of my hour-long lunch in the cell phone store replacing my phone. The one good thing: I did get a nicer phone, and the guy in the store was able to replace the battery so that he could transfer my phone book info to the new phone. I have two days left in the work week for things to get better. I'm trying to be optimistic. Surely things couldn't be much worse than this.

Check the time stamp on this...

because I've been awake for a while. I fell asleep last night sometime between 20:00 and 21:00. I was asleep before my son was. Ugh. I've been feeling a little icky the last couple of days, my nose is all stuffy, I have the cough back, etc. I think I got it from Julian. He stayed home from work on Monday and Tuesday. Enzo is fine at the moment.I guess that was my body's way of telling me that 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night just wasn't cutting it. I feel well-rested now and ready for work today. Speaking of work, well maybe I shouldn't speak about work now. I think I'll leave that for another post later. I could probably write for hours on the state of my workplace now. I'll just sum it up quickly: I'm not happy with my job now.I hope you guys all have a good day! The weekend is almost here. Yeah!

Here is a photo of Julian's mother at the home of one of her friends.

We saw Santa!

This is Enzo with Santa Claus at the mall this morning.

grrr...

I hate things that say "assembly required." I've been working on putting a Spongebob Squarepants bed together for over an hour! I have all the pieces required, and the requisite vague instructions with diagrams that make no sense. I even enlisted Julian's aid for a bit. The problem is that not all the pieces fit together as promised. So, I have a mostly-assembled bed here. I have the frame assembled, headboard and footboard, and one of the side rails. I'm missing the other side rail, and the middle support legs.It's now time for me to go shower and otherwise prepare myself for the evening, so I guess I'm going to have a half-assembled toddler bed in my living room tonight.

Lamp Post

Lamp Post Originally uploaded by lacarita.

I took this as we were leaving the banquet tonight. It's outside one of the hotels in downtown Little Rock. I liked the Christmas decorations on it.