C-O-N, Spiracy! (An "In Living Color" reference, for those who don't know! :-P). Nah, I don't actually think it's a conspiracy. But it's some sort of social commentary of not-so-big proportions. I'm talkin' about Live's Beautiful Baby Search. ("Live" is the abbreviated name of daytime talk show "Live with Regis & Kelly". I like Regis and I like Kelly and I even used to watch the show when Kathy Lee was still on!) They had this contest... It's like the 3rd annual or something now. And parents from around the country sent in their children's pix for a chance at something like three grand and for their child to be on the cover of "Parenting" magazine. Well... They said they received hundreds of thousands of entries and on Monday, they narrowed it down to ten semi-finalists. Of those ten, I think maybe four were minorities - I saw an Asian girl, a biracial girl, some other brown-skin ethnic baby, and there was a white-looking baby with an Hispanic surname.
America was to vote for their favorites, which reduced the finalist pool to five. My guess - and I guessed correctly - was that it would be all white babies in the top 5. I tell you, nearly all of 'em were blonde-hair, blue-eyed babies. I know that that's probably more representative of the population of this country - I mean, more white people than any other race... And I figure more white people watch the show than anything, along with a few other factors, but... that's kinda depressing. Ethnic people wanna see their own faces out there! I hope I don't have to remind people, we don't live an a utopic society! Especially not in this country! Far from it.
And if that wasn't the stinger of having all caucasian finalists... Those children were not even cute in person! I know, I know - it's about how well they take pictures and what not; being photogenic. But still. Thevy is cute in person AND in pictures. She should be on all the covers! lol.
Hehe. Anyway. I'm done venting. Have a nice day!
Friday, February 24, 2006
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Happy FART Heart Day!
We got our first major snow this weekend. I think it was about a foot of beautiful, white snow. It began snowing Saturday evening. I was awake 'til about 6 in the morning. Our power had gone out sometime around then or soon after. It didn't come back on 'til 7:30PM. Apparently, there were a lot of power outages in the region/area.
As for Valentine's... not celebrating. :)
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Fridays After Five
All this month, in honor of Black History Month, the National Aquarium is having a wonderful promotional rate for Friday evenings. On these nights, admission costs $7.50. That's well below the normal cost of, get this - $21.95! We never would have gone at regular price. That's a rip-off. Not like it's an amusement park! Oh, and the usual rate for children ages 3-11 is $14.95! Too, too much...
Anyway, Thevy most likely will never remember the trip. So, we're gonna hafta go again some day when she's older. I hated when my mom told me all the places I'd supposedly been - when I was a baby! She said I went to that very aquarium at its grand opening or something, when admission was 5 bucks. :-P I do recall have gone there sometime during my school days. Elementary school, maybe?
It was okay. Woulda been nicer with fewer people to get in your way. We met this Palestinian couple in there with their young children. When I overheard the wife speaking in Arabic, I made sure to find an opportunity to talk to them. I approached in English, asking about their youngest child, a 13-month-old. Then a few minutes later, I busted out a "Where are you from?" in Arabic. Hehe. That was fun. The wife said when she heard the Arabic, she thought that perhaps I was from Egypt. The southern part, of course! heh. Anyhoo...
Afterwards, when we left the aquarium, we headed over to Barnes & Noble for a drink before heading back home. The Strawberry & Creme wasn't too bad!
I've watched two movies over the past couple days. First, I finally saw "In Her Shoes", with Cameron Diaz. I liked the movie. Even Peter did, too. And he wasn't even the least bit interested in seeing it when I told him the title and who was in it. Good stuff. In the beginning of the movie, I started to hate Cameron Diaz. Well, I suppose I should say her character. I know I didn't like her when I saw her in "My Best Friend's Wedding". And I guess that was for her character. And I can't remember when I started to like her...
Then tonight I watched "Raising Helen". I been wanting to see that one since it was in the theaters. I liked that one, too. I like Kate Hudson. I judge movies, for myself, not to push on or recommend to others, necessarily, by a certain factor. If after watching I feel that I wouldn't mind owning the movie in my personal collection, then that means I enjoyed the film. Does that make sense?
Whatever. I'm hungry. It's almost 4:30 in the morning. I'm still awake. There's snow outside... I wonder how much of tomorrow - er, today, actually - I'll sleep. I would like to head to the store if it's not too yucky out.
Anyway, Thevy most likely will never remember the trip. So, we're gonna hafta go again some day when she's older. I hated when my mom told me all the places I'd supposedly been - when I was a baby! She said I went to that very aquarium at its grand opening or something, when admission was 5 bucks. :-P I do recall have gone there sometime during my school days. Elementary school, maybe?
It was okay. Woulda been nicer with fewer people to get in your way. We met this Palestinian couple in there with their young children. When I overheard the wife speaking in Arabic, I made sure to find an opportunity to talk to them. I approached in English, asking about their youngest child, a 13-month-old. Then a few minutes later, I busted out a "Where are you from?" in Arabic. Hehe. That was fun. The wife said when she heard the Arabic, she thought that perhaps I was from Egypt. The southern part, of course! heh. Anyhoo...
Afterwards, when we left the aquarium, we headed over to Barnes & Noble for a drink before heading back home. The Strawberry & Creme wasn't too bad!
I've watched two movies over the past couple days. First, I finally saw "In Her Shoes", with Cameron Diaz. I liked the movie. Even Peter did, too. And he wasn't even the least bit interested in seeing it when I told him the title and who was in it. Good stuff. In the beginning of the movie, I started to hate Cameron Diaz. Well, I suppose I should say her character. I know I didn't like her when I saw her in "My Best Friend's Wedding". And I guess that was for her character. And I can't remember when I started to like her...
Then tonight I watched "Raising Helen". I been wanting to see that one since it was in the theaters. I liked that one, too. I like Kate Hudson. I judge movies, for myself, not to push on or recommend to others, necessarily, by a certain factor. If after watching I feel that I wouldn't mind owning the movie in my personal collection, then that means I enjoyed the film. Does that make sense?
Whatever. I'm hungry. It's almost 4:30 in the morning. I'm still awake. There's snow outside... I wonder how much of tomorrow - er, today, actually - I'll sleep. I would like to head to the store if it's not too yucky out.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Meet the Coolest 9-Month-Old Around :)
Since I lost my last set of photos I wanted to share, I got several more replacement shots of Thevy riding her car with her cool Dora the Explorer shades (Grandma bought those). That blur on the left side of the first pic is family pet, Rocco. Yes, I still have a dog with a baby in the house. When I was still pregnant, I asked my OB if I should be concerned about having a dog. I wasn't for safety, but for health reasons. She assured me it was not necessary to get rid of my dog or anything. She advised me to continue to "love my pet." I had no intentions of getting rid of him. And some people claimed that the dog would be neglected and would get jealous. Okay, first of all, he was already neglected. :-P Second, I was sure he wouldn't get jealous over the baby. I made sure, even before the baby was born, to acknowledge him. Like with my pet mice (now there's only 1 left of the original 3), whenever I would handle them, I would make sure to also talk to him, show him the mice, to include him. And Rocco continues to love both the mouse and the baby. Thevy would love to be able to play with the dog. But I usually don't let them touch each other. Only maybe right before I bathe her, I might let her pet him. Then I rinse off her hands before I even stick her in the bath water. And as she gets older, I'm less of a germophobe. Hence, putting her on the carpet without some sort of barrier is more likely now than it would have been a couple months ago.
And now check out Baby Girl. Look at her go! She's rather agile in her crawling ability, given that she doesn't get to crawl all that much. She also has the desire to want to stand. I think she's trying to stand on her own now.
I can't wait 'til she starts walking! But the house isn't childproofed, so, that means we gotta keep an extra eye on her! And check out her hair! It's long enough to braid and I actually had her sitting still enough to do it! :)
And now check out Baby Girl. Look at her go! She's rather agile in her crawling ability, given that she doesn't get to crawl all that much. She also has the desire to want to stand. I think she's trying to stand on her own now.
I can't wait 'til she starts walking! But the house isn't childproofed, so, that means we gotta keep an extra eye on her! And check out her hair! It's long enough to braid and I actually had her sitting still enough to do it! :)
Monday, February 06, 2006
This Sucks
Yesterday, I was all set to upload some photos from my camera and maybe post a new blog with accompanying images. But something has gone awry! I had over two hundred images on the memory card. Half had already previously been transferred to the PC. The rest? They're gone! I don't know what happened, but it seems that the card somehow got corrupted. I'm trying to see what can be done about recovering the pictures. Luckily, it was *only* a hundred photos. That's a relatively small number, considering I have over 2,000 pics loaded on the comp. :-P And I have backed most of them up on disc in case the unexpected happens with the computer. But what sucks is that there were certain shots I took specifically so I could blog about 'em. :-/ Ah, well...
Friday, February 03, 2006
It's the Year of the Dog
Chúc m?ng n?m m?i (or Chuc mung nam moi, in case you can't view the diacritics properly)- "Happy New Year" to all the Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean people. =)
What is up with our unseasonably warm winter? Not that I'm complaining. It's nice not to be super-duper-freezing-cold. But you just gotta wonder - when will the cold hit us? And I guess I sort of want some snow. I mean, one of the beauties of winter is snowfall. I don't understand or I can't relate to people who seek warmer climates. I think one of the things I love about being on the East Coast is the four seasons. I enjoy experiencing the changes in weather. But I guess the downside to lotsa snow is if you gotta drive in it... Anyhoo...
I've watched a few movies lately. The last two I saw were "40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Wedding Crashers". I was entertained by both. Steve Carrel (the star of "40") is a funny guy. And then there's Rachel McAdams. She co-starred in "Wedding Crashers". I first saw her in "Mean Girls" and for some reason, I liked her. I'm not sure what it is about her, but I bet she's a really nice person, contrary to the character she plays in the latter film. She also stars in "The Notebook", which I also saw. I dunno... I didn't really care for that movie. Didn't it win some award or receive some sort of recognition? I liked the juvenile movie "Mean Girls" better. =P I'd she's also in "The Family Stone", which I've yet to see.
So on the first, Thevy had her 9-month wellness check-up. She's doing well. She's 29 and a half inches, which puts her in the 90th percentile somewhere (i.e. she's tall for her age). And she weighs 20 and three-quarters pounds. Her weight seems to be tapering off a bit, as she was only in the 80th percentile. Her previous check-ups, she was up there. She's still chubby, as mom and dad were chubby babies... But maybe she's on her way to becoming leaner. I've noticed she isn't eating as much as I try to feed her.
She's still on no kinda eating/sleeping schedule. The pediatrician says it's fine that she's not on a schedule, seeing as how it's not like I'm working or anything and I'm there for her. He also said that breastfed babies are harder to get on a schedule anyway. He also thinks it's good I'm still nursing her so that Baby can receive all the benefits there is from breast milk. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding strictly up until the baby is 6-months, at least. After that, "solids"/baby food can be introduced, and then continue on with at least formula. And they also recommend that the mother continue breastfeeding up to a year if possible.
I'm aimin' for a year. The pediatrician , Dr. H., also told me that I should breastfeed for as long as I want. There's a stigma in American society with breastfeeding. Breasts are viewed as mainly sexual objects, forgetting what their primary function is. I mean, we are "mammals". Anyway, it does seem great, though, that breastfeeding seems to be coming back in style. I'm not sure when the trend began - over the past decade or so?? It's great because it's proven that mother's milk really benefits the child's development. Plus, there are nutrients found in breast milk that have yet to be reproduced in formula.
So anyway, Dr. H. was telling me to breastfeed for as long as it takes, that some even breastfeed 'til the child is 2 or 3. Now, some might think that's "gross", but he finds nothing wrong with it. My mom and mother-in-law think I should go no longer than 1 year. I don't know how long I'll nurse Thevy. For as long as she wants and for as long as I'm comfortable with it.
Now, I must add that breastfeeding, as natural as it may seem, may pose problems to baby and mom! I, personally, experienced difficulty in the beginning with it. And I am not alone in this, and other women should know that they are not alone. Often times, the problem is the baby does not know how to properly latch on to the breast (as was the case with Thevy). There are even "lactation consultants" who are board certified and their job is to assist women who need to learn how to breastfeed their babies.
It can be a very emotional and sad experience for the mother, so all who are close to her ought to be very supportive. Many women give up. They shouldn't give up; they ought to seek assistance! But, sometimes, it's just not meant to be and the mother is unable to successfully breastfeed. And this is okay, too - as long as she tried to give her child what is considered the "best milk". But they also shouldn't feel bad because that is a common feeling triggered by the inability to nurse one's child.
Okay, I know a lotta people don't wanna read about all that... But my experience was Baby wasn't latching on properly, it was painfully sore for me, Baby wasn't getting all her nourishment, I was sad... I went to the breastfeeding class in the hospital when I was still there, but apparently, I didn't learn what I needed. When Baby went to the pediatrician a few days after she was born, I was told that her birth weight was down about 10%, which is the most they let a baby get (ya see, after a baby is born, they do lose some weight, but they eventually regain back up to their birth weight in the first couple of weeks). Thevy was dehydrated and I was feeling so bad. The pediatrician asked me to show her how I nursed Baby. And when she saw my nipples were raw - yes, pretty graphic, but deal with it, ey! =P - she suggested I see a lactation consultant. She herself had even gone to this particular place when she had nursing issues with her child/ren.
So... after I unsuccessfully nursed in front of the pediatrician, she went and got a bottle of Similac and Thevy downed that bottle! I felt so bad that "I" had been starving my child! But also relieved that she was getting some nutrition. I ended up pumping milk - b/c I was just too sore to nurse her and I wanted to heal - and supplementing with some formula since I wasn't producing enough milk, until I was finally able to see the lactation consultant. They're rather expensive to see, so best to try and get all the free help you can in the hospital... But it was necessary that I go and it helped out. I learned the proper techniques and positions to hold the baby and I was on my way to successfully nursing my baby. It took a few weeks, but I eventually got the hang of it and was comfortable with it.
Nursing in public is another thing. I was uneasy/awkward, but now I'm more comfortable. If I can, I'll go into a dressing room, out of the gaze of others. But if my options are limited, I try to be as discreet as possible, and I'll whip out that bad boy in front of others. Supposedly, if you do it right, people may not know you're nursing the baby right before their eyes. It's also kinda cool - you don't have to worry about packing any bottles or anything. Or if I were to forget to bring some food or drink, at least I have a back-up plan. =)
I talked to some of the other mothers I know who recently had babies and I'm glad to know I was not the only one to experience the trials of breastfeeding. It's more common than you think. Ever heard of La Leche League? That's a pretty well-known resource for all things breastfeeding...
I think I've spoken at lenght - at least for a personal blog - on this topic. But I wanted to mention it. Ladies, if you're considering breastfeeding in the future, do not get discouraged if you have trouble doing what would seem to be something so natural, so simple. It's nobody's fault. Seek help and don't give up so quickly! And to others - partners, mothers, etc. - be supportive! A woman is vulnerable at this time - she's gone through so much. Don't make her feel bad for not succeeding in nursing her child. Don't react, "Why don't you just give the baby a bottle?" Alright?
And that's my public service announcement for the month. =P
What is up with our unseasonably warm winter? Not that I'm complaining. It's nice not to be super-duper-freezing-cold. But you just gotta wonder - when will the cold hit us? And I guess I sort of want some snow. I mean, one of the beauties of winter is snowfall. I don't understand or I can't relate to people who seek warmer climates. I think one of the things I love about being on the East Coast is the four seasons. I enjoy experiencing the changes in weather. But I guess the downside to lotsa snow is if you gotta drive in it... Anyhoo...
I've watched a few movies lately. The last two I saw were "40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Wedding Crashers". I was entertained by both. Steve Carrel (the star of "40") is a funny guy. And then there's Rachel McAdams. She co-starred in "Wedding Crashers". I first saw her in "Mean Girls" and for some reason, I liked her. I'm not sure what it is about her, but I bet she's a really nice person, contrary to the character she plays in the latter film. She also stars in "The Notebook", which I also saw. I dunno... I didn't really care for that movie. Didn't it win some award or receive some sort of recognition? I liked the juvenile movie "Mean Girls" better. =P I'd she's also in "The Family Stone", which I've yet to see.
So on the first, Thevy had her 9-month wellness check-up. She's doing well. She's 29 and a half inches, which puts her in the 90th percentile somewhere (i.e. she's tall for her age). And she weighs 20 and three-quarters pounds. Her weight seems to be tapering off a bit, as she was only in the 80th percentile. Her previous check-ups, she was up there. She's still chubby, as mom and dad were chubby babies... But maybe she's on her way to becoming leaner. I've noticed she isn't eating as much as I try to feed her.
She's still on no kinda eating/sleeping schedule. The pediatrician says it's fine that she's not on a schedule, seeing as how it's not like I'm working or anything and I'm there for her. He also said that breastfed babies are harder to get on a schedule anyway. He also thinks it's good I'm still nursing her so that Baby can receive all the benefits there is from breast milk. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding strictly up until the baby is 6-months, at least. After that, "solids"/baby food can be introduced, and then continue on with at least formula. And they also recommend that the mother continue breastfeeding up to a year if possible.
I'm aimin' for a year. The pediatrician , Dr. H., also told me that I should breastfeed for as long as I want. There's a stigma in American society with breastfeeding. Breasts are viewed as mainly sexual objects, forgetting what their primary function is. I mean, we are "mammals". Anyway, it does seem great, though, that breastfeeding seems to be coming back in style. I'm not sure when the trend began - over the past decade or so?? It's great because it's proven that mother's milk really benefits the child's development. Plus, there are nutrients found in breast milk that have yet to be reproduced in formula.
So anyway, Dr. H. was telling me to breastfeed for as long as it takes, that some even breastfeed 'til the child is 2 or 3. Now, some might think that's "gross", but he finds nothing wrong with it. My mom and mother-in-law think I should go no longer than 1 year. I don't know how long I'll nurse Thevy. For as long as she wants and for as long as I'm comfortable with it.
Now, I must add that breastfeeding, as natural as it may seem, may pose problems to baby and mom! I, personally, experienced difficulty in the beginning with it. And I am not alone in this, and other women should know that they are not alone. Often times, the problem is the baby does not know how to properly latch on to the breast (as was the case with Thevy). There are even "lactation consultants" who are board certified and their job is to assist women who need to learn how to breastfeed their babies.
It can be a very emotional and sad experience for the mother, so all who are close to her ought to be very supportive. Many women give up. They shouldn't give up; they ought to seek assistance! But, sometimes, it's just not meant to be and the mother is unable to successfully breastfeed. And this is okay, too - as long as she tried to give her child what is considered the "best milk". But they also shouldn't feel bad because that is a common feeling triggered by the inability to nurse one's child.
Okay, I know a lotta people don't wanna read about all that... But my experience was Baby wasn't latching on properly, it was painfully sore for me, Baby wasn't getting all her nourishment, I was sad... I went to the breastfeeding class in the hospital when I was still there, but apparently, I didn't learn what I needed. When Baby went to the pediatrician a few days after she was born, I was told that her birth weight was down about 10%, which is the most they let a baby get (ya see, after a baby is born, they do lose some weight, but they eventually regain back up to their birth weight in the first couple of weeks). Thevy was dehydrated and I was feeling so bad. The pediatrician asked me to show her how I nursed Baby. And when she saw my nipples were raw - yes, pretty graphic, but deal with it, ey! =P - she suggested I see a lactation consultant. She herself had even gone to this particular place when she had nursing issues with her child/ren.
So... after I unsuccessfully nursed in front of the pediatrician, she went and got a bottle of Similac and Thevy downed that bottle! I felt so bad that "I" had been starving my child! But also relieved that she was getting some nutrition. I ended up pumping milk - b/c I was just too sore to nurse her and I wanted to heal - and supplementing with some formula since I wasn't producing enough milk, until I was finally able to see the lactation consultant. They're rather expensive to see, so best to try and get all the free help you can in the hospital... But it was necessary that I go and it helped out. I learned the proper techniques and positions to hold the baby and I was on my way to successfully nursing my baby. It took a few weeks, but I eventually got the hang of it and was comfortable with it.
Nursing in public is another thing. I was uneasy/awkward, but now I'm more comfortable. If I can, I'll go into a dressing room, out of the gaze of others. But if my options are limited, I try to be as discreet as possible, and I'll whip out that bad boy in front of others. Supposedly, if you do it right, people may not know you're nursing the baby right before their eyes. It's also kinda cool - you don't have to worry about packing any bottles or anything. Or if I were to forget to bring some food or drink, at least I have a back-up plan. =)
I talked to some of the other mothers I know who recently had babies and I'm glad to know I was not the only one to experience the trials of breastfeeding. It's more common than you think. Ever heard of La Leche League? That's a pretty well-known resource for all things breastfeeding...
I think I've spoken at lenght - at least for a personal blog - on this topic. But I wanted to mention it. Ladies, if you're considering breastfeeding in the future, do not get discouraged if you have trouble doing what would seem to be something so natural, so simple. It's nobody's fault. Seek help and don't give up so quickly! And to others - partners, mothers, etc. - be supportive! A woman is vulnerable at this time - she's gone through so much. Don't make her feel bad for not succeeding in nursing her child. Don't react, "Why don't you just give the baby a bottle?" Alright?
And that's my public service announcement for the month. =P
Thursday, January 26, 2006
So Annoying
Here I was sitting, watching "Martha Stewart Living" (is that what it's called? I don't watch it regularly) and a stupid "special" news report interrupts my show. Dum-dum is on TV right now responding to the victory of Hamas in the Palestinian elections, along with some other stuff. That dumbass was talking about he supports the democratic process and he likes the variety of ideas among people. But then he said that Hamas cannot be a partner in peace because they have in the past called for the destruction of the State of Israel. Whatever. America cannot be an honest broker, as they have claimed, in the Mideast peace process if they are so biased towards the Zionist state. Fuckerz. And Bush (in case you didn't realize I was talking about him :-P) also said that we are "living in historic times" and was supporting the domestic eavesdropping and was saying we need to keep America safe... If you wanna keep America safe, stop bein' such an ass and shittin' over the rest of the world!! He also said that we will continue to hunt out the enemy in Afghanistan and Iraq. My goodness - did we really have anything to fear in Iraq before we sent Americans over there and started droppin' bombs on Iraqi heads? I'm annoyed... The news is so depressing to me. Wish I could just escape...
Anyway, I had talked to my physician a week regarding my lab results. It showed that my "good" cholesterol falls within normal limits. However, my "bad" cholesterol is high, thus, I need to go on a diet. So, knowing all this, that very night I had french fries and cheesesteak. :-P Man, I was hunger and I don't eat very well. I actually hardly eat anything, period. That's not good, I know. But now I have to be conscious of what I eat. I never was one to do that. My doctor said red meats, cheese, butter... that kinda stuff is bad for cholesterol. She mentioned that almonds and walnuts and oatmeal were good for you. She said eating oatmeal can reduce your cholesterol 10%. And she instructed me to eat shellfish sparingly, to eat fish (I don't eat fish!), and to eat poultry. I coulda sworn she said to eat it with skin. But then I thought I read somewhere else that it should be without.
I mentioned in my last post that Thevy doesn't crawl. Well, I spoke too soon. Not long after I published the last post, lo and behold!, I saw that little girl transport herself. lol. She can crawl. It's just the lack of opportunity, I suppose, that I never saw her and she couldn't practice. It's funny cuz sometimes it seems she just wants to walk, lifting one knee up so that she's on her hands, one knee, and a foot. I haven't taken a picture of her crawling yet. That'll be my next task.
I believe I talked about in some previous post about how so many people have had b abies within the last year and how culturally diverse they were. Thevy's got many contemporaries of mixed backgrounds. There's Taiwanese/Mexican/White, Black and white, Vietnamese/Korean, Filipino/White, Black/Cambodian... One of my former co-workers just had a baby in November who's Persian/Palestinian. And I recently caught up with an old friend of mine who had a daughter about a month after me who's Filipina/White/Black/Thai. Whew. What a mouthful! :-P
Speaking of mouthfuls... Thevy's diet is gonnabe getting varied soon. Though she has no teeth, she's able to feed herself and I give her small bits of food sometimes for her to eat. Yesterday I gave her a little bit of mozarella cheese and chopped-up pieces of grapes. Gerber also has these little cereal-like snacks called Veggie Puffs and Fruit Puffs. They kinda melt in your mouth if you just suck on 'em. But if you just chew them, they're crunchy. They're shaped like a five- petal flower. It's funny when I give 'em to Thevy cuz sometimes they so rta stic k to her lips before she gets it totally in her mouth. The result is this: 
And I'm glad she doesn't use a bottle. She either gets "boob juice" from the source or juice and/or water in a sippy cup. Have you seen kids that are able to walk still usin' a bottle? Or a pacifier? Thevy doesn't use one of those either. And she doesn't suck her thumb or anything. So, so far I'm lucky. Hopefully, she doesn't develop any of those habits somehow later on. She can also drink out of a regular cup, but with assistance, of course. And she can suck on a straw, but she's not real efficient with that.
Oh, and we had bought a potty chair for her a few weeks ago. She has gone to the bathroom in it a few times. But we're not being real consistent with it right now. Supposedly, potty training doesn't typically begin 'til after age 2, I think. But my mom claims to have potty-trained me at 3 months. It's a Vietnamese thing, I suppose.
Ya see, in my mom's day, they didn't have the convenience of disposable diapers, so they had to do things differently. Whereas I leave Thevy in a wet diaper all through the night, my mom said she didn't do that with me. I'm not sure of how the process of potty-training an infant works --Bush finally got off my TV, but now Martha is already over. Just switched to Ellen. That woman is silly.--, but somehow she did it. I remember reading this one Vietnamese American guy's web page and he mentioned this very thing of potty-training a baby, when he took a trip to Vietnam. He wrote and my mom even said something about making the "sssss" sound to encourage them to go. I don't know if that even works, the sound effect, that is, cuz how can they even associate that sound with the act of peeing? Anyway, we'll see if I can't potty-train Thevy over the next several months.
Anyway, I had talked to my physician a week regarding my lab results. It showed that my "good" cholesterol falls within normal limits. However, my "bad" cholesterol is high, thus, I need to go on a diet. So, knowing all this, that very night I had french fries and cheesesteak. :-P Man, I was hunger and I don't eat very well. I actually hardly eat anything, period. That's not good, I know. But now I have to be conscious of what I eat. I never was one to do that. My doctor said red meats, cheese, butter... that kinda stuff is bad for cholesterol. She mentioned that almonds and walnuts and oatmeal were good for you. She said eating oatmeal can reduce your cholesterol 10%. And she instructed me to eat shellfish sparingly, to eat fish (I don't eat fish!), and to eat poultry. I coulda sworn she said to eat it with skin. But then I thought I read somewhere else that it should be without.
Speaking of mouthfuls... Thevy's diet is gonna
And I'm glad she doesn't use a bottle. She either gets "boob juice" from the source or juice and/or water in a sippy cup. Have you seen kids that are able to walk still usin' a bottle? Or a pacifier? Thevy doesn't use one of those either. And she doesn't suck her thumb or anything. So, so far I'm lucky. Hopefully, she doesn't develop any of those habits somehow later on. She can also drink out of a regular cup, but with assistance, of course. And she can suck on a straw, but she's not real efficient with that.
Oh, and we had bought a potty chair for her a few weeks ago. She has gone to the bathroom in it a few times. But we're not being real consistent with it right now. Supposedly, potty training doesn't typically begin 'til after age 2, I think. But my mom claims to have potty-trained me at 3 months. It's a Vietnamese thing, I suppose.
Ya see, in my mom's day, they didn't have the convenience of disposable diapers, so they had to do things differently. Whereas I leave Thevy in a wet diaper all through the night, my mom said she didn't do that with me. I'm not sure of how the process of potty-training an infant works --Bush finally got off my TV, but now Martha is already over. Just switched to Ellen. That woman is silly.--, but somehow she did it. I remember reading this one Vietnamese American guy's web page and he mentioned this very thing of potty-training a baby, when he took a trip to Vietnam. He wrote and my mom even said something about making the "sssss" sound to encourage them to go. I don't know if that even works, the sound effect, that is, cuz how can they even associate that sound with the act of peeing? Anyway, we'll see if I can't potty-train Thevy over the next several months.Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Crazy Weather
Last night/early morning, I went to let my dog out and when I opened the door, it didn't even seem cold out. I mean, the temperature usually drops in the evening, right? And then this morning it was all rainy. And now, though it may be a bit windy, it looks all nice and sunny out. But isn't there a winter storm on its way? Anyway, crazy weather. I'ma try and get out the house and take in some of this strange climate.
I've sorta been crocheting lately. I've always known the very basics of crochet from when I was younger, as my mom is an excellent crocheter. But I could never really make anything. So while I was pregnant, I began a project: a baby blanket. I purchased Complete Idiot's Guide to Knitting and Crocheting. It really helped out with learning the sheer basics of these two wonderful arts.
Well... the blanket project never reached fruition. I was no where near done in my last month of pregnancy. I figured I could still work on it after the baby was born. But that didn't happen. I turned that bad boy into a scarf! lol. I tried making a hat for Baby, but it was too small. And I even made a mitten (yes, "a" mitten).
It was too small, too, so I didn't bother making its pair. Thing is, though I've learned the crocheting techniques, I don't quite understand stuff dealing with gauge - which size needle to use with which size yarn, etc. and how that effects the size and look of your final product. I did end up making a new hat and mittens for Thevy. The hat's a bit snug, but it fits. And the mittens fit, too, but they don't stay on! :-P This photo is of the "failed" projects.
I don't have a picture of the new hat and mittens, but they turned out okay. :)
Thevy is approaching nine months of age. She still has no teeth and I am not looking forward to teething, which I heard can be pretty bad, with fevers and irritability. She's almost 22 pounds and I think she's gettin' close to being two-and-a-half-feet tall! :) I got her some clothes I bought from a lady who had lost her job and was trying to get some cash. I spent about 40 bucks for approximately 20 pieces. Not too bad. A few of the items were still brand new. The lady I got the clothes from has a two-year-old who weighs about 25 pounds. (Compare her weight with Thevy's, hehe). She was nice. A Chinese woman. Neither she nor her husband are citizens, which makes their situation difficult. Her husband is trained in mechanical engineering, but all the jobs are in government, which requires citizenship. And the woman said it takes about 5 years to become a citizen - once you apply. She's been here six years, but hasn't applied. She doesn't know yet whether they will ultimately stay or go back to China. She would like to stay here for the sake of her daughter. She finds the Chinese education system to be too rigorous (is that really a bad thing? Americans ARE kinda dumb, if you ask me! Sike. I'm just thinking of Americans like me. :-P). And she enjoys the access to different cultural venues around here. Anyway, I hope she and her husband can work everything out. The woman says that maybe after Thevy is one I can bring her over to play with her daughter.
So, yeah, Thevy is gettin' big. She doesn't crawl, but she's quite mobile. She's always reaching for and grabbing things you don't want her to have. Babies also have eagle eyes and so she sees things you don't notice. Examples: I sat her on the bed and put all these distractions in front of her (some toys). But what does she do? She reaches for a coil of hair on the bedspread, that I didn't even see cuz it blended in with the fabric. When I put her on a blanket on the floor with her toys, she moves toward the carpet and tries to pick up tiny pieces of paper or something. Again, she doesn't crawl. It's more like she creeps or slithers or whatever. I'm not sure if she doesn't crawl cuz I don't always put her on the floor to give her the opportunity to practice. But then, some babies skip the crawling step.
She has strong legs and can pull herself up to a stand. She's been doing that maybe a few weeks now. And I think she'll walk early. I, apparently, didn't take my first step until my first birthday. But babies are made differently these days. They reach milestones a lot sooner. I attribute this trend to whatever it is they put in our foods (hormones and what have you). Anyway, Thevy is startin' to get the concept of walking. Before when I used to stand her up and hold her hands, she would just stand there or bounce, or try to sit down. Now, she puts one foot in front of the other and goes. So, right now she can stand with support and cruise a bit. Cruising is when a baby gets around while standing and holding on to something. Like when in her crib (which is more of a playpen than a place to sleep!), Thevy will pull herself up and move around, side-to-side.
And she's got so much hair. She was born with about an inch of hair. She had a little bit of bangs. Now her hair goes maybe an inch under her eyes. I hate when people suggest I cut her hair, like give her bangs. Now why would I do that? I don't want her to have bangs. I want her hair to be all one length. Of course, I will eventually give her the occasional trim. But for now, I want her hair to get longer. It's long enough to put in a ponytail, but the hair doesn't all stay up. I often put a single ponytail on top of her head. My dad and sister don't like it. But screw them!! Everyone else finds it cute. :-P A few months ago my sister suggested I put a headband on Thevy. I'm like, no! That's for them bald babies that people put them on so you can tell they're girls! haha. She thought about it and was like, "True." You know those skinny pieces of cloth with an elastic band and a bow? But then my sis did send the headband that you see on Thevy in the previous entry. That one's much cooler than those headbands that look like garters. =P
Okay, this blog is long enough. I think I'll end with one finally picture(s). This is a collage of Thevy in her first month of life. I've heard that babies are ugly when they're born and just in the beginning in general. That they're wrinkly and have smooshed-up faces considering all they've been through (i.e. the trip down the birth canal). I dunno, but Thevy wasn't any of these things, in my opinion. See for yourself:
I've sorta been crocheting lately. I've always known the very basics of crochet from when I was younger, as my mom is an excellent crocheter. But I could never really make anything. So while I was pregnant, I began a project: a baby blanket. I purchased Complete Idiot's Guide to Knitting and Crocheting. It really helped out with learning the sheer basics of these two wonderful arts.
Well... the blanket project never reached fruition. I was no where near done in my last month of pregnancy. I figured I could still work on it after the baby was born. But that didn't happen. I turned that bad boy into a scarf! lol. I tried making a hat for Baby, but it was too small. And I even made a mitten (yes, "a" mitten).
It was too small, too, so I didn't bother making its pair. Thing is, though I've learned the crocheting techniques, I don't quite understand stuff dealing with gauge - which size needle to use with which size yarn, etc. and how that effects the size and look of your final product. I did end up making a new hat and mittens for Thevy. The hat's a bit snug, but it fits. And the mittens fit, too, but they don't stay on! :-P This photo is of the "failed" projects.I don't have a picture of the new hat and mittens, but they turned out okay. :)
Thevy is approaching nine months of age. She still has no teeth and I am not looking forward to teething, which I heard can be pretty bad, with fevers and irritability. She's almost 22 pounds and I think she's gettin' close to being two-and-a-half-feet tall! :) I got her some clothes I bought from a lady who had lost her job and was trying to get some cash. I spent about 40 bucks for approximately 20 pieces. Not too bad. A few of the items were still brand new. The lady I got the clothes from has a two-year-old who weighs about 25 pounds. (Compare her weight with Thevy's, hehe). She was nice. A Chinese woman. Neither she nor her husband are citizens, which makes their situation difficult. Her husband is trained in mechanical engineering, but all the jobs are in government, which requires citizenship. And the woman said it takes about 5 years to become a citizen - once you apply. She's been here six years, but hasn't applied. She doesn't know yet whether they will ultimately stay or go back to China. She would like to stay here for the sake of her daughter. She finds the Chinese education system to be too rigorous (is that really a bad thing? Americans ARE kinda dumb, if you ask me! Sike. I'm just thinking of Americans like me. :-P). And she enjoys the access to different cultural venues around here. Anyway, I hope she and her husband can work everything out. The woman says that maybe after Thevy is one I can bring her over to play with her daughter.
So, yeah, Thevy is gettin' big. She doesn't crawl, but she's quite mobile. She's always reaching for and grabbing things you don't want her to have. Babies also have eagle eyes and so she sees things you don't notice. Examples: I sat her on the bed and put all these distractions in front of her (some toys). But what does she do? She reaches for a coil of hair on the bedspread, that I didn't even see cuz it blended in with the fabric. When I put her on a blanket on the floor with her toys, she moves toward the carpet and tries to pick up tiny pieces of paper or something. Again, she doesn't crawl. It's more like she creeps or slithers or whatever. I'm not sure if she doesn't crawl cuz I don't always put her on the floor to give her the opportunity to practice. But then, some babies skip the crawling step.
She has strong legs and can pull herself up to a stand. She's been doing that maybe a few weeks now. And I think she'll walk early. I, apparently, didn't take my first step until my first birthday. But babies are made differently these days. They reach milestones a lot sooner. I attribute this trend to whatever it is they put in our foods (hormones and what have you). Anyway, Thevy is startin' to get the concept of walking. Before when I used to stand her up and hold her hands, she would just stand there or bounce, or try to sit down. Now, she puts one foot in front of the other and goes. So, right now she can stand with support and cruise a bit. Cruising is when a baby gets around while standing and holding on to something. Like when in her crib (which is more of a playpen than a place to sleep!), Thevy will pull herself up and move around, side-to-side.
And she's got so much hair. She was born with about an inch of hair. She had a little bit of bangs. Now her hair goes maybe an inch under her eyes. I hate when people suggest I cut her hair, like give her bangs. Now why would I do that? I don't want her to have bangs. I want her hair to be all one length. Of course, I will eventually give her the occasional trim. But for now, I want her hair to get longer. It's long enough to put in a ponytail, but the hair doesn't all stay up. I often put a single ponytail on top of her head. My dad and sister don't like it. But screw them!! Everyone else finds it cute. :-P A few months ago my sister suggested I put a headband on Thevy. I'm like, no! That's for them bald babies that people put them on so you can tell they're girls! haha. She thought about it and was like, "True." You know those skinny pieces of cloth with an elastic band and a bow? But then my sis did send the headband that you see on Thevy in the previous entry. That one's much cooler than those headbands that look like garters. =P
Okay, this blog is long enough. I think I'll end with one finally picture(s). This is a collage of Thevy in her first month of life. I've heard that babies are ugly when they're born and just in the beginning in general. That they're wrinkly and have smooshed-up faces considering all they've been through (i.e. the trip down the birth canal). I dunno, but Thevy wasn't any of these things, in my opinion. See for yourself:
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Baby's 1st Christmas
I wasn't particularly looking forward to Christmas, as some would think, seeing as how it was my child's first. Well, I lost the illusion of Christmas some time ago. It stopped being fun, I don't even remember when. But also, I guess it's since funds are kinda (not kinda - they ARE) low, I/we don't really have a lot to give Thevy - materially, at least. :-/ And also, I dunno if this is being realistic or a subconscious way of fooling myself into not feeling bad about it, but the rationale is that she's too young to even truly appreciate the commercialism of the holiday anyway!, which you can see from the following photos.
Ya see, when she pulled at the paper, she proceeded to put it in her mouth! lol. We couldn't get that girl interested in opening presents. She was much more into the wrapping paper, or the boxes the gifts came in, or just anything else! I swear, it seems just about every picture we have of her that morning is her tasting everything. hehe. And she was also still sleepy. I don't really have her on any specific schedule since I'm not currently working, not to mention, I've never been much for order anyhow... :-P So, Baby's been on a stay-up-late-sleep-in-all-morning pattern right along with me. So, we went back to sleep a little after that. So, I wonder if the fact that she was sleepy affected her not really seeming all that excited about getting to tear apart the wrapping paper. She's usually all for ripping up stuff, or trying to.
Anyhoo, I guess it'll be fun to show her the pictures when she's older. This last picture is funny; looks like she's waving, but she's not. :)
Ya see, when she pulled at the paper, she proceeded to put it in her mouth! lol. We couldn't get that girl interested in opening presents. She was much more into the wrapping paper, or the boxes the gifts came in, or just anything else! I swear, it seems just about every picture we have of her that morning is her tasting everything. hehe. And she was also still sleepy. I don't really have her on any specific schedule since I'm not currently working, not to mention, I've never been much for order anyhow... :-P So, Baby's been on a stay-up-late-sleep-in-all-morning pattern right along with me. So, we went back to sleep a little after that. So, I wonder if the fact that she was sleepy affected her not really seeming all that excited about getting to tear apart the wrapping paper. She's usually all for ripping up stuff, or trying to.
Anyhoo, I guess it'll be fun to show her the pictures when she's older. This last picture is funny; looks like she's waving, but she's not. :)
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Happy New Year
My New Year's wasn't that great. I woulda been content to just stay home and do nothing, which is what I've done for most New Year's for most of my life. Peter, Baby, and I went to some overpriced dinner. It was sponsored by some Cambodian association at a Chinese restaurant. I do not like Chinese food. It was annoying cuz first, Peter said we didn't have to pay for the $30 tickets cuz a friend was posta get 'em for us. In the end, we had to purchase our own tix, and in the end, they didn't cost thirty, but thirty-five dollars. I hardly ate anything. And when I had Peter bring me a virgin piña colada, that shiet was nasty! Do you know it tasted like coconut and vomit to me! :-(Peter also said all his friends would be there. I hardly met anybody. One person I did meet was hella annoying. He reminded me of this kid that used to work at the commissary that we laughed about. And this guy was drunk and definitely not someone I was pleased to meet. This fool even threw up a few times at the table. And then, he had the nerve to keep drinkin'!
Also, one of the things Peter told me was that there would be no smoking. Good, cuz I don't like cigarette smoke, and, we also had the baby with us. Then, after the disappointing dinner had already been served, the stupid drunk kid was all of a sudden smoking! Then this other idiot at the next table had a cig in his mouth and asked the drunk guy for a light. That's when I got up and told Peter I was outta there. We ended up leaving soon after. We were at this restaurant for a few hours. But I wish we hadn't gone.The music was really loud there, too. Actually, it was only super loud when the band played. I didn't like that. I don't want Thevy to become hard-of-hearing! I dunno what it takes for that to happen, but that would be tragic. Anyway, despite the loud percussions and what not, she still managed to take a nap. (see middle picture) :-P
After we left that place, we went to Peter's friend's house. This friend was having a little house party. They were watching the game when we got there. Though I didn't really have anyone to talk to 'cept this friendly Korean chick who liked babies, I felt better there. We rang in the new year there.
So, that was that. Hope everyone who celebrated had a better time than I did!
And about this last pic... Thevy seems to like Dr. Phil. I'm not sure if it's the bald head. Like, on the Disney channel, there's this yellow blob of clay with eyes and a mouth that talks. It's name is "Clay" and it's some short segment that comes on between shows or something. Whenever he comes on, Thevy laughs/smiles. Same thing with Dr. Phil. lol. Well, in this picture, the "Dr. Phil" show is on and I can't seem to get her attention. Funny thing is, during this moment, Dr. Phil isn't even on the screen, but a guest of the show - with hair - is talking. She was engrossed. :)Sunday, December 25, 2005
"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"
It's that time of year already. Can you believe it? Two thousand six is just around the corner!
As you can see, I took Thevy to get her picture taken with Santa Claus, although I have no intentions of teaching her about him since I'm not a big fan of lies, superstition, and bull crap. :-P I just thought it would be fun while she's too young to understand what an icon of materialism this mythical man has manifested into. (Aw, shucks! Check out my alliteration! :-P) I hope to teach her the true meaning, if anything.
The pictures were definitely not worth their price. A huge rip-off, that I was about to go back to the mall and demand a partial/full refund. Maybe I'll still inquire about it after the holidays. Well, it was possible to just take your own pix, and I did snap a single shot with my digital camera, albeit, from an angle. And I wish I woulda done something to try to make Thevy laugh. But anyway... if you wanna get the mall's pics, at least at this particular mall, the minimum you had to pay was something like $10.99 for a 5x7 (not to mention blasted sales tax). And then a photo CD was $5.99. I ended get the top picture as a 5x7 and the bottom one on disc. I figured, though she's not looking at the camera in the first pic, it looks sorta-kinda-but-not-really touching how she's sharing a moment with Santa. And then with the 2nd shot, I thought I could just print out my own images.
Well, as you can see from the first pic, although it is a scanned image and so, won't be as clear as an original, it is very close to the print I received from the mall. Notice the color is lacking considerably compared to the other shot - the foreground is a bit washed-out, the background is rather dark. And the 2nd photo, you may not really be able to see it, but the image quality itself kind of sucks. You'd figure, a JPEG placed on a CD should be of fairly superior quality and that I should be able to produce some pretty awesome prints, provided I have a good printer. Now, my printer is not the best, but it's decent. And when I printed this last picture, the pixels were not that great!! For the amount of money I spent, it was SO not worth it! My friend Robert e-mailed the CD image of his nephew and Santa and the image file was way bigger, at the image itself was way clearer. I've been gypped!
So, looks like I just fed the pockets of those fat-cat capitalists and allowed Santa's fat azz to eat. :-P So...
MERRY CHRISTMAS, y'all!!!
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
"Baby Measles"
Roseola infantum or just "roseola" (roh-zee-OH-la), is a viral disease. They say it's caused by a kind of herpes virus - but not the sexually transmitted kind. Supposedly, it's common in babies between six and 24 months of age. It starts off as a high fever that last a few days and ends in a body rash. Well, apparently, Thevy's got roseola. :-/ We took her out on Thursday (to the mall), then Friday, her head felt hot. But she didn't exhibit any other symptoms. On Saturday and Sunday when I took her temperature, it was over 101 degrees. During the fever stage, she seemed to have lost her appetite, pretty much refusing to eat. She'd turn her head sharply if you put a spoon in front of her. I just had to nurse her all the freakin' time to make sure she didn't starve. Then, though she still felt hot to the touch, she didn't seem as feverish. Today, I noticed some red on her face. Later, I saw bumps on her chest, stomach, and back. And then I saw splotchy red spots on the side of her neck. But there's nothing you can do about it. You have to let viruses run their course. But there's no discomfort in the rash. You only feel slightly embarrassed taking her out in public. :-P I love showing her off, but I didn't want people to think "Ew!" when they saw her. It wasn't too bad while I was out (it seems to get worse, then subside, on and off), but I bumped into the mother of a girl I went to high school with, this silly guy I went to high school with, and then a high school Spanish teacher. The good news is, Thevy will probably never get roseola again. Supposedly, her body will have built the immunity for it now.
And just a little non sequitur... I saw this pic on an MSN.com:
Nick Koudis/PhotoDisc Red/Getty Images
and it just tripped me out a bit. I was tickled. Make anyone else laugh? Or is it just me. :-)
And just a little non sequitur... I saw this pic on an MSN.com:
Nick Koudis/PhotoDisc Red/Getty Images
and it just tripped me out a bit. I was tickled. Make anyone else laugh? Or is it just me. :-)
Friday, December 16, 2005
Imagine That...
Remember that one summer back in 2000 I spent 6 weeks studying abroad in the Middle East? And subsequently, two weeks traveling here and there? And then there was my obsession with a Palestinian guy I talked non-stop about for quite some time? Well, I've come across some info about him on the 'net. Check this out! Just like when I knew him in Jerusalem, he was into acting and theater. He even took me to the theater he was a part of in Ramallah. Now he's in Hollywood doin' his thing in indy films and other small roles, like playing historical figures in Discovery channel dramatizations/reenactments.
I used to be hella pressed over that guy! Wait'll I tell Peter about this. Hehe. And I do believe Bashar (the Palestinian guy) is married to the director/writer of many of the films he's been working on. Funny where life takes you. I remember when I was with him, that is partially how I started becoming more aware and learning about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. I remember crossing the checkpoints from Jerusalem into the P.A. (what's considered the Palestinian Authority, or the territory that's "belongs" to Palestine, though I think ALL of that land belongs to Palestine). The way he had to show his ID card. Being an Arab male, he just had to go through daily harrassment. Heck, many people who couldn't readily be identified as a Jew had to deal with that crap. I know I did, too, on a certain level.
I also remember Bashar talking about how if he ever left Israel to go abroad, he would have difficulty going back. Even though he's a native Jerusalemite, apparently, Israel will try to prevent some Palestinians from returning. It's all in their plan to try to get a stronger, more complete grip on the land they stole.
Anyway, I just wanted to say, "Hey! I know that guy!", if you ever see him in a movie or show or something. :-P
I used to be hella pressed over that guy! Wait'll I tell Peter about this. Hehe. And I do believe Bashar (the Palestinian guy) is married to the director/writer of many of the films he's been working on. Funny where life takes you. I remember when I was with him, that is partially how I started becoming more aware and learning about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. I remember crossing the checkpoints from Jerusalem into the P.A. (what's considered the Palestinian Authority, or the territory that's "belongs" to Palestine, though I think ALL of that land belongs to Palestine). The way he had to show his ID card. Being an Arab male, he just had to go through daily harrassment. Heck, many people who couldn't readily be identified as a Jew had to deal with that crap. I know I did, too, on a certain level.
I also remember Bashar talking about how if he ever left Israel to go abroad, he would have difficulty going back. Even though he's a native Jerusalemite, apparently, Israel will try to prevent some Palestinians from returning. It's all in their plan to try to get a stronger, more complete grip on the land they stole.
Anyway, I just wanted to say, "Hey! I know that guy!", if you ever see him in a movie or show or something. :-P
Monday, December 12, 2005
Narnia
Peter and I went to the theater the other night to see "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe". I liked the movie. It was the first movie in the theater that I had seen in a looong time. I can't even recall the last film I saw.
Did anybody else see the movie? Or read the book when they were younger? I remember being exposed to C.S. Lewis' tales back in elementary school; perhaps in fourth grade. I don't know if I read all or some of the books. I need to go back and read them now so I can compare them with the movie.
Can any body recommend any good movies for me to see? New or old? But only good stuff. Every now and again we do Blockbuster and one of the films we rented was "25th Hour." I had first heard of the film from a colleague in grad school who liked it. Then I heard about it from another individual. When I saw it, I was kinda surprised to see that it was a Spike Lee production. But overall, I didn't really like it. It just wasn't a good film to me. And Ed Norton - what a sucky actor! I saw him in "Red Dragon" and maybe one other film, and I don't think the guy can act! I'm not sure if it's his voice that makes me feel that way. He has this annoying voice and I feel he should play roles where he's being bullied or something. He seems like he should be the guy who's picked on; the victim. Doesn't he just seem like an over-sized Haley Joel Osmet? Except that I like Haley Joel (though now that he's hit puberty, it's kinda weird. "Second-Hand Lions" was so-so, but I liked him much better in "Pay It Forward"!)
I also recently saw "Mr. and Mrs. Smith". While I found it entertaining enough, I just didn''t find Angelina Jolie to be that credible when it came to the action. I mean, with her firing those weapons and what not, I didn't believe that she was doing anything. Basically, if it came down to it, I don't feel like that she could handle shit. Do you know what I mean? But Jennifer Garner, on the other hand, she makes espionage look like so much fun! :-P
Anyway, I'm no Ebert. Lemme stop with the wannabe movie reviews!
Okay, so we want another dog. I want one for Rocco, Peter wants one for the baby. We're interested in getting a French Bulldog. The only problem is that they're hella expensive! Do you know that these dogs go for over one grand and up to and sometimes over two??? That is crazy ridiculous!! I think I might be willing to splurge a few hundred bucks for a pet pooch. But over a G? Yikes! That money could be better used to buy supplies and pay vet expenses for the dog! I'd consider a pound puppy, yet, there are several problems with that route. What are the chances that I would find such a breed there? Would the dog be male or female and how old would it be, which would affect its temperment? I think with Rocco, it might be better to get a female dog, and I would want one young enough who could get used to him and the baby. So many factors... So, if anybody's got any good leads on where I could get one of these dogs... Let me know! Or, if you wanna get me/us a nice Christmas present.... :-P
Did anybody else see the movie? Or read the book when they were younger? I remember being exposed to C.S. Lewis' tales back in elementary school; perhaps in fourth grade. I don't know if I read all or some of the books. I need to go back and read them now so I can compare them with the movie.
Can any body recommend any good movies for me to see? New or old? But only good stuff. Every now and again we do Blockbuster and one of the films we rented was "25th Hour." I had first heard of the film from a colleague in grad school who liked it. Then I heard about it from another individual. When I saw it, I was kinda surprised to see that it was a Spike Lee production. But overall, I didn't really like it. It just wasn't a good film to me. And Ed Norton - what a sucky actor! I saw him in "Red Dragon" and maybe one other film, and I don't think the guy can act! I'm not sure if it's his voice that makes me feel that way. He has this annoying voice and I feel he should play roles where he's being bullied or something. He seems like he should be the guy who's picked on; the victim. Doesn't he just seem like an over-sized Haley Joel Osmet? Except that I like Haley Joel (though now that he's hit puberty, it's kinda weird. "Second-Hand Lions" was so-so, but I liked him much better in "Pay It Forward"!)
I also recently saw "Mr. and Mrs. Smith". While I found it entertaining enough, I just didn''t find Angelina Jolie to be that credible when it came to the action. I mean, with her firing those weapons and what not, I didn't believe that she was doing anything. Basically, if it came down to it, I don't feel like that she could handle shit. Do you know what I mean? But Jennifer Garner, on the other hand, she makes espionage look like so much fun! :-P
Anyway, I'm no Ebert. Lemme stop with the wannabe movie reviews!
Okay, so we want another dog. I want one for Rocco, Peter wants one for the baby. We're interested in getting a French Bulldog. The only problem is that they're hella expensive! Do you know that these dogs go for over one grand and up to and sometimes over two??? That is crazy ridiculous!! I think I might be willing to splurge a few hundred bucks for a pet pooch. But over a G? Yikes! That money could be better used to buy supplies and pay vet expenses for the dog! I'd consider a pound puppy, yet, there are several problems with that route. What are the chances that I would find such a breed there? Would the dog be male or female and how old would it be, which would affect its temperment? I think with Rocco, it might be better to get a female dog, and I would want one young enough who could get used to him and the baby. So many factors... So, if anybody's got any good leads on where I could get one of these dogs... Let me know! Or, if you wanna get me/us a nice Christmas present.... :-P
Sunday, December 04, 2005
Ha
I thought it was funny when good ol' Ken called me a "crazy loon-ball liberal" in his blog. I mean, I might be considered a leftist regarding certain views.
But it's not like I'm for lowering the drinking and driving ages! :)
Besides, Ken, remember, I'm a conservative when it comes to certain issues! I'm for traditional family values and I'm pro-life. But I am by no means a far-right Christian fundamentalist like you, you Bible-totin' pervert! :-P (I'm glad you finally admitted it! hehe)
And I'm still anti-unjust-war! You know something I found quite appalling? When one of my friends whose brother is in the Army told me about his early experience in Iraq. Do you know that this fool (the brother) would kick down doors and shoot indiscriminately because he had the mind set of a bigot? He had the mentality that "they" were all the enemy. That kinda shit pisses me off cuz I know he's not the only one to think like that. :-(
Any way, in more disappointing news, I just read that the network ABC has cancelled my favorite show. "Alias" will be completing it's fifth season in May. *tear* Life's just not fair!
But it's not like I'm for lowering the drinking and driving ages! :)
Besides, Ken, remember, I'm a conservative when it comes to certain issues! I'm for traditional family values and I'm pro-life. But I am by no means a far-right Christian fundamentalist like you, you Bible-totin' pervert! :-P (I'm glad you finally admitted it! hehe)
And I'm still anti-unjust-war! You know something I found quite appalling? When one of my friends whose brother is in the Army told me about his early experience in Iraq. Do you know that this fool (the brother) would kick down doors and shoot indiscriminately because he had the mind set of a bigot? He had the mentality that "they" were all the enemy. That kinda shit pisses me off cuz I know he's not the only one to think like that. :-(
Any way, in more disappointing news, I just read that the network ABC has cancelled my favorite show. "Alias" will be completing it's fifth season in May. *tear* Life's just not fair!
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Where Does the Time Go??
Can you believe it? Baby Girl is already 7-months-old! I took her to the pediatrician today. Originally, it was only to get her follow-up, second flu shot (apparently, not only is she in a high-risk group, but she's gotta get the shot twice). But I was a tad concerned because she had a cold and I wanted to be sure that that's all it was and that it wasn't some other more serious illness. Luckily, the doctor said it's only a cold. She got her shot and she didn't even cry! That was good, because when your baby cries in pain, you wanna cry, too.I pointed out to the pediatrician how Thevy continues to be so happy-go-lucky. At her 6-month appointment, he had asked if she was exhibiting the typical stranger anxiety that many babies her age show. At the last appointment he said he she was the only baby who didn't cry when he held them. He agreed with the comment a friend's sister made, that she was "cuddly". Yes, that girl will go willingly to strangers. Only a couple of people have made her cry, and I think that may have been because she was tired. And when she's tired, she can get quite fussy.
So, Thevy's the pass-around baby. Last Sunday (the 20th), when I went to Ayanna's house for a mass birthday celebration, all these people I didn't know practically had a chance to hold and snuggle with her. And at Thanksgiving she was also quite a hit. People in the mall or passing by or whatever often stop and point (in a good way =P) or make some comment when they go by. It's a lovely feeling to see how your child can bring smiles to people's faces. :)
And I wish I was rich enough to allow Thevy to bring smiles to the faces of the staff of this school near my house. But gosh darnit!! I cannot afford to pay $1300 a month in tuition. :( I would really love to send her there, as they teach the kids sign language and Spanish, the child-teacher ratio is 3-to-1, and cleanliness is a priority. (They have an 18-step diaper change process, which includes washing their hands before and after the diaper change, as well as washing the child's hands, to prevent cross-contamination. They also make sure to clean the toys after one child has been gnawing/sucking on it by washing, rinsing, sanitizing, then air-drying it.) But alas, such a significant amount of money is a potential mortgage payment. :( Any donors willing to help? Thevy would LOVE a benefactor! :-P
Poor thing!
I startled her when I snapped
this photo in complete darkness.
Monday, November 28, 2005
Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!
How was everyone's Thanksgiving?? Mine was good. We made our annual trek up to Philadelphia for the day. It was me, my parents, Peter, and the baby. The pic to the left was taken on the ride up. Luckily, Thevy slept most the way up and back. Anyone know what it's like to have a crying child in a car seat while in motion and not be able to do anything about it? See, you could take them out of the seat to comfort them, but what happens in the undesirable event that you get into an accident? You just never know when something like that could happen...Also, as a parent and a driver, you become a little more aware of how devastating a crash could be. That doesn't mean I've all of a sudden become a much safer driver and now drive like a granny, which could also cause accidents, but I have a lot more things to take into consideration when I drive. Like, I've ALWAYS hated tail-gaters. And I hate them even much more so now with a baby in the car. And I especially hate it when it's a huge semi ridin' my tail! It makes me conjure up images of some crazy invention for a vehicle: to have the ability to press a button and have spikes eject from all sides of the vehicle. :-P
I have a "Baby On Board" sign on the car - not that it'll really do anything... I have to take into consideration abrupt accelerations and decelerations that I didn't have to consider when driving myself. I just have to try to be a more conservative driver with Baby in the car.
Speaking of Baby... she recently outgrew her infant car seat. It's crazy all the things you have to learn. Infant car seats are specifically for infants up to a certain weight and height. Thevy was a couple pounds away from the limit and already too tall for her seat. Her legs were dangling over the edge so I had to invest in a convertible car seat. A convertible car seat is one that can be positioned rear-facing and forward-facing. Since she's still under a year old, she's gotta be facing the back while in the car due to the anatomy of babies. Consider inertia and a baby's neck control.
Anyway, I'm on the phone with my sister who's called me while she's stopped over at some airport en route back to her duty station and we all know I can't multi-task. Later!
Monday, November 14, 2005
Wow...
This is, like, the first time in a long time that I've been able to access my blog. Usually, the sign-in page never loads no matter how many attempts. What do I owe this pleasure? Not sure, but I wonder if it has anything to do with the wireless router I now have hooked up to my cable modem. Anyhoo...
This is not gonna be a real blog because I am in the process of doing some research for a family member. I do wanna say that I located a girl from my kindergarten class a few days ago. Craziness! I remember she was the best colorer (is that a word?) and I was the best artist. Hehe. And I spoke to my kindergarten teacher the other day as well. Told her about me locating my former classmate and we chit-chatted about this and that... It's nice to be able to keep in touch with people. Speaking of which...
I hate people who fail to maintain "adequate" contact with you. For example, about a month ago I got a brand new cell - number and phone. My old phone broke, thanks to my stupid dog, and I hated my wireless carrier (screw you, Sprint!) and I switched over to something better (Yay, Verizon!). Well, once I was pretty sure I'd be keeping my new service and phone number, I sent out an e-mail to some people informing them of the matter. I made sure to mention that since my old phone was broken that many of my numbers in my cellular address book were unretrievable and for that reason to please give me their numbers again. Those "S. Hoes" didn't get back to me! Well, some did. But most didn't! Fockers. I take things personal, but is that wrong? I'll assume you don't want me to have your number, and even if I locate your numbers written elsewhere, I shall not contact you cuz you don't want me to have your number anyway. So, hmph! :-P Some people are sOoOooo RUDE!
I guess this one is a "real" blog. About my cell phone experience... I had Sprint PCS for 2-years. Yep. They got me with that 2-year contract. And my service would have ended some time this month had I not gotten pro-active. Ya see, Sprint, for me, at least, totally, totally sucked. I mean, the fact that my calls often got dropped was not cool. One friend of mine, who also had Sprint, which meant we could call each other free, would often choose to call me on my landline phone because she said whenever she called my cell it would sound like I was talking to her from a tunnel. Now, that just shouldn't be given we were talking on the same network. And then, my phone just would not hold a signal in my own house. I mean, my stupid phone would drain it's own battery cuz it was constantly searching for service while just sitting there on the kitchen table or wherever. What kinda mess is that?
So... the fact that I quit my job and became a stay-at-home mom meant: that's right - I was staying at home a lot. I'm talkin' 95% of my time is/was spent in the home. And since I was home all the time, I couldn't even use my own freakin' phone that I was wasting so much money on. One of the perks of having a cell is that you can call anywhere in this country at the same rate. I wanted to be able to use some of my "anytime minutes" for certain necessary calls. But I couldn't cuz I could never get a freakin' signal at home. And it didn't matter if I stood next to an open window or not. I would literally have to go outside to make a call. But that's not cool to have to go through all that trouble, especially when you also have to care for an infant. And to me, that's just simply not acceptable to have to spend your dough on inferior service!!
Well, I began to contact Sprint. I started by contacting them via their website, filling out an online form. There was a box to type in a number where you could be reached, so I typed in the house phone. But within the text of my comment, I provided them with my cell number so they could use it as a reference in case they wanted to access my account info or something. Well, those idiots called me back on my stupid cell phone even though I specifically told them in my message that I COULD NOT be reached on my cell phone because the stupid phone did not work inside my house, which is where I spent the majority of my time. So, the idiot who called left a message on my cell and sent me an e-mail. Oh, and let me digress for a moment...
At the risk of sounded bigoted, but I don't really care cuz I'm not particularly known for being politically correct all the time... I HATE for telephone representatives to have foreign accents. I really do! I mean, if I'm trying to get some help or service, I want easy and accurate communication. I do not like the feeling that what I have just said was not fully understood, nor do I enjoy having to say, "Hunh?" or "What?" or "Could you repeat that?" just because Mr. or Ms. Foreign Person doesn't know how to enunciate the proper English letters. If a company wants their customers to be happy and satisfied, they need to provide them with enjoyable experiences in every aspect. The same goes for those in the medical profession. I need to know what the hell my doctor is saying. You can't F with a person's health. Especially for the fact that some people are afraid to ask someone to repeat something for fear of sounding stupid or cuz they hate having someone repeat the same thing in their broken English over and over. Okay. Enough of that. Just had to get that off my chest. Back to Sprint...
There was a whole lotta back and forth correspondence, mostly through the e-mail because I didn't feel like calling and waiting in cue until someone could answer my call. One rep assured me my concern would be solved 100% to my satisfaction. It wasn't. So I continued to contact them. I had a main line and one additional phone line. My main line was scheduled to expire this month, and the second line, they told me, wasn't to expire until December '06. That was quite a shock for me. Because as far as I was concerned, my 2nd line would end right along with my main line. So I was upset to hear that.
There were times where I had to call them from my cell and stand outside. And this was when it was just starting to get crisp and cool outside. That would not have been cool for me, if I wanted to make a call using my cell phone and be able to watch my child, to have to go outside when we are approaching winter. I don't know how many people I spoke to and you can see that every rep has their varying levels of knowledge and experience. People would tell me slightly different things. Despite my rant about hating foreign telephone reps, don't get me wrong, all of the Sprint reps I dealt with were courteous to me. But courteous doesn't pay the bill. One of the things that I was told, since I wanted to lower my monthly bills if I was gonna have to be stuck in my contract(s) was that I could pay something like $5.95 a month for a vacation plan that would last 6 months and then revert to your original plan. I figured six bucks was better than paying $35/line. And then after six months, pay the $35 and then, "go on vacation" again. So, that was my temporary solution; to lower my payments if be released from my contract without paying that steep $150 cancellation fee. I figured it'd be cheaper to ride the contract out.
But then I went ahead and got me and my husband Verizon service because I really needed/wanted a cell phone and since we make most of our calls to each other, it made sense to be able to call each other for free than use up minutes, not to mention, when I did leave the house, I needed to be able to contact him (remember, my Sprint phone was broken). Well, the girl at the wireless counter told me that with the vacation plan, that's like suspending your account for six months. Which means, after 6 months, your plan goes back to having x amount of time left in the contract that it had before you went on vacation. For example, if I had about 13 months left in a contract and I decided to do the vacation plan, after six months, I thought I would have 7 months left in my contract. But no - after six months "vacation", I would still be at 13 months left. Ain't that a bitch? Had I not gone for new phones, I may never have found this out.
So I contacted stupid Sprint when I got home and the person I spoke to that time said that was true about the vacation crap. So much hassle! Then I was told a technician would be sent to my area to look into the coverage issue. I was told that if it was determined the service could not be improved, that my cancellation fee would be waived. This rep also said she was sure I would see improvement in my coverage, but that she wasn't sure when and to just wait. Crazy thing, though, when she sent me this message, I found out a few days later when I listened to the voicemail on the cell phone, a technician had left a message. His message was timestamped one day before the e-mail. He told me that technicians had already been to my area, that it was determined that the area was prone to poor signals, AND that there were no plans to improve service in the near future. This contradicted what the one lady told me in the e-mail.
Gosh. This story is too long. Lemme try to hurry up. Basically, the last call I made to Sprint, I talked to a nice woman named Melanie and she listened and looked into my record. She saw that there was no evidence that a contract had even been signed for that second line of mine and therefore, she basically helped me out by setting up the line to be cancelled. She also figured that since I only had one month left on the contract for the main line that it was no big deal to end my contract one-month early. My savior!
It was about time someone did something for me. She was thorough and I'm glad she answered my call! This took a few weeks, contacting Sprint and trying to get out of my contract, but thank goodness I was persistent! All that run-around for crappy service. My money had been going down the drain. There was little to no value for my money and I was a very unhappy camper. Those stupids would try to ask me if there was a lot of metal or if my house was made of brick, trying to give cause for the sucky service. I told them, did it really matter since even if I stood by the sliding glass door, I still couldn't hold a signal? And I was told some b.s. about the brick deflecting the signals, yada yada yada...
Now, I've been very negative about Sprint and maybe it's a little unfair since some people who subscribe have decent service. But it just was NOT the provider for me and Verizon has been better. I was so happy to discover that I could actually talk on my cell and not have the call be dropped immediately after initiating a conversation, or a greeting, for that matter.
Alright, so there you have it. My bittersweet victory. :-P
A couple blogs ago I mentioned a kid that was on "Big Brother 6" who I said went to my high school and bagged at the commissary with me... Well, if you went to my high school and have the 1995 yearbook, you can find him. And I believe his sister's also in the 1994 volume. Yeah, that f*ggot's name was spelled "Bo". And now he goes by "Beau". I remember him as being nice, though. Oh, and wouldn't you know it, I was looking through old notes from high school and I found one where I made direct reference to Bo. Anyhoo...
I'll end here cuz I was posta be doing some research. Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure. They're a few months old, but that's okay. I'll eventually bring you up-to-date. :)
Shirt says: "I'm having a bad hair day"
Just doin' some laundry! =)
This is not gonna be a real blog because I am in the process of doing some research for a family member. I do wanna say that I located a girl from my kindergarten class a few days ago. Craziness! I remember she was the best colorer (is that a word?) and I was the best artist. Hehe. And I spoke to my kindergarten teacher the other day as well. Told her about me locating my former classmate and we chit-chatted about this and that... It's nice to be able to keep in touch with people. Speaking of which...
I hate people who fail to maintain "adequate" contact with you. For example, about a month ago I got a brand new cell - number and phone. My old phone broke, thanks to my stupid dog, and I hated my wireless carrier (screw you, Sprint!) and I switched over to something better (Yay, Verizon!). Well, once I was pretty sure I'd be keeping my new service and phone number, I sent out an e-mail to some people informing them of the matter. I made sure to mention that since my old phone was broken that many of my numbers in my cellular address book were unretrievable and for that reason to please give me their numbers again. Those "S. Hoes" didn't get back to me! Well, some did. But most didn't! Fockers. I take things personal, but is that wrong? I'll assume you don't want me to have your number, and even if I locate your numbers written elsewhere, I shall not contact you cuz you don't want me to have your number anyway. So, hmph! :-P Some people are sOoOooo RUDE!
I guess this one is a "real" blog. About my cell phone experience... I had Sprint PCS for 2-years. Yep. They got me with that 2-year contract. And my service would have ended some time this month had I not gotten pro-active. Ya see, Sprint, for me, at least, totally, totally sucked. I mean, the fact that my calls often got dropped was not cool. One friend of mine, who also had Sprint, which meant we could call each other free, would often choose to call me on my landline phone because she said whenever she called my cell it would sound like I was talking to her from a tunnel. Now, that just shouldn't be given we were talking on the same network. And then, my phone just would not hold a signal in my own house. I mean, my stupid phone would drain it's own battery cuz it was constantly searching for service while just sitting there on the kitchen table or wherever. What kinda mess is that?
So... the fact that I quit my job and became a stay-at-home mom meant: that's right - I was staying at home a lot. I'm talkin' 95% of my time is/was spent in the home. And since I was home all the time, I couldn't even use my own freakin' phone that I was wasting so much money on. One of the perks of having a cell is that you can call anywhere in this country at the same rate. I wanted to be able to use some of my "anytime minutes" for certain necessary calls. But I couldn't cuz I could never get a freakin' signal at home. And it didn't matter if I stood next to an open window or not. I would literally have to go outside to make a call. But that's not cool to have to go through all that trouble, especially when you also have to care for an infant. And to me, that's just simply not acceptable to have to spend your dough on inferior service!!
Well, I began to contact Sprint. I started by contacting them via their website, filling out an online form. There was a box to type in a number where you could be reached, so I typed in the house phone. But within the text of my comment, I provided them with my cell number so they could use it as a reference in case they wanted to access my account info or something. Well, those idiots called me back on my stupid cell phone even though I specifically told them in my message that I COULD NOT be reached on my cell phone because the stupid phone did not work inside my house, which is where I spent the majority of my time. So, the idiot who called left a message on my cell and sent me an e-mail. Oh, and let me digress for a moment...
At the risk of sounded bigoted, but I don't really care cuz I'm not particularly known for being politically correct all the time... I HATE for telephone representatives to have foreign accents. I really do! I mean, if I'm trying to get some help or service, I want easy and accurate communication. I do not like the feeling that what I have just said was not fully understood, nor do I enjoy having to say, "Hunh?" or "What?" or "Could you repeat that?" just because Mr. or Ms. Foreign Person doesn't know how to enunciate the proper English letters. If a company wants their customers to be happy and satisfied, they need to provide them with enjoyable experiences in every aspect. The same goes for those in the medical profession. I need to know what the hell my doctor is saying. You can't F with a person's health. Especially for the fact that some people are afraid to ask someone to repeat something for fear of sounding stupid or cuz they hate having someone repeat the same thing in their broken English over and over. Okay. Enough of that. Just had to get that off my chest. Back to Sprint...
There was a whole lotta back and forth correspondence, mostly through the e-mail because I didn't feel like calling and waiting in cue until someone could answer my call. One rep assured me my concern would be solved 100% to my satisfaction. It wasn't. So I continued to contact them. I had a main line and one additional phone line. My main line was scheduled to expire this month, and the second line, they told me, wasn't to expire until December '06. That was quite a shock for me. Because as far as I was concerned, my 2nd line would end right along with my main line. So I was upset to hear that.
There were times where I had to call them from my cell and stand outside. And this was when it was just starting to get crisp and cool outside. That would not have been cool for me, if I wanted to make a call using my cell phone and be able to watch my child, to have to go outside when we are approaching winter. I don't know how many people I spoke to and you can see that every rep has their varying levels of knowledge and experience. People would tell me slightly different things. Despite my rant about hating foreign telephone reps, don't get me wrong, all of the Sprint reps I dealt with were courteous to me. But courteous doesn't pay the bill. One of the things that I was told, since I wanted to lower my monthly bills if I was gonna have to be stuck in my contract(s) was that I could pay something like $5.95 a month for a vacation plan that would last 6 months and then revert to your original plan. I figured six bucks was better than paying $35/line. And then after six months, pay the $35 and then, "go on vacation" again. So, that was my temporary solution; to lower my payments if be released from my contract without paying that steep $150 cancellation fee. I figured it'd be cheaper to ride the contract out.
But then I went ahead and got me and my husband Verizon service because I really needed/wanted a cell phone and since we make most of our calls to each other, it made sense to be able to call each other for free than use up minutes, not to mention, when I did leave the house, I needed to be able to contact him (remember, my Sprint phone was broken). Well, the girl at the wireless counter told me that with the vacation plan, that's like suspending your account for six months. Which means, after 6 months, your plan goes back to having x amount of time left in the contract that it had before you went on vacation. For example, if I had about 13 months left in a contract and I decided to do the vacation plan, after six months, I thought I would have 7 months left in my contract. But no - after six months "vacation", I would still be at 13 months left. Ain't that a bitch? Had I not gone for new phones, I may never have found this out.
So I contacted stupid Sprint when I got home and the person I spoke to that time said that was true about the vacation crap. So much hassle! Then I was told a technician would be sent to my area to look into the coverage issue. I was told that if it was determined the service could not be improved, that my cancellation fee would be waived. This rep also said she was sure I would see improvement in my coverage, but that she wasn't sure when and to just wait. Crazy thing, though, when she sent me this message, I found out a few days later when I listened to the voicemail on the cell phone, a technician had left a message. His message was timestamped one day before the e-mail. He told me that technicians had already been to my area, that it was determined that the area was prone to poor signals, AND that there were no plans to improve service in the near future. This contradicted what the one lady told me in the e-mail.
Gosh. This story is too long. Lemme try to hurry up. Basically, the last call I made to Sprint, I talked to a nice woman named Melanie and she listened and looked into my record. She saw that there was no evidence that a contract had even been signed for that second line of mine and therefore, she basically helped me out by setting up the line to be cancelled. She also figured that since I only had one month left on the contract for the main line that it was no big deal to end my contract one-month early. My savior!
It was about time someone did something for me. She was thorough and I'm glad she answered my call! This took a few weeks, contacting Sprint and trying to get out of my contract, but thank goodness I was persistent! All that run-around for crappy service. My money had been going down the drain. There was little to no value for my money and I was a very unhappy camper. Those stupids would try to ask me if there was a lot of metal or if my house was made of brick, trying to give cause for the sucky service. I told them, did it really matter since even if I stood by the sliding glass door, I still couldn't hold a signal? And I was told some b.s. about the brick deflecting the signals, yada yada yada...
Now, I've been very negative about Sprint and maybe it's a little unfair since some people who subscribe have decent service. But it just was NOT the provider for me and Verizon has been better. I was so happy to discover that I could actually talk on my cell and not have the call be dropped immediately after initiating a conversation, or a greeting, for that matter.
Alright, so there you have it. My bittersweet victory. :-P
A couple blogs ago I mentioned a kid that was on "Big Brother 6" who I said went to my high school and bagged at the commissary with me... Well, if you went to my high school and have the 1995 yearbook, you can find him. And I believe his sister's also in the 1994 volume. Yeah, that f*ggot's name was spelled "Bo". And now he goes by "Beau". I remember him as being nice, though. Oh, and wouldn't you know it, I was looking through old notes from high school and I found one where I made direct reference to Bo. Anyhoo...
I'll end here cuz I was posta be doing some research. Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure. They're a few months old, but that's okay. I'll eventually bring you up-to-date. :)
Shirt says: "I'm having a bad hair day"
Just doin' some laundry! =)
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Testing...
Good grief! I've had the hardest time getting onto blogger.com! It's still hard for me and I've been trying for over a month to update. For some reason, none of my web browsers wanna enter even the main page of the site. I bet if I logged on elsewhere, I'd have no troubles. Hmph! It's so frustrating not being able to blog the moment I have something to say. I'm not exactly ready to blog right at this time, so... More delays to come!
Sunday, July 31, 2005
This Country is SoOo F***** Up
About a month ago I heard on the news another example of the injustice that exists in this country. Here's an article that talks about it. Basically, Congress voted a pay raise for themselves for the beginning of next year. You know how much of a raise? $3,100. So, do you know how much that makes their annual salaries? $165,200. They cited the raise was in order to meet the raising cost of living. Now, what in the hell kinda mess is that? Are they saying they couldn't afford to live without that pay raise? There are people in and around the District who are makin' $30,000 and under. Don't you think THEY, if anybody, should get a pay raise in order to be able to afford to live? I seriously hate how hard life can be in this "great" nation. Richest country in the world and so many, as this Spanish lady who attended my shower was saying: in this country you "trabajas para vivir" and how in Spain you "vives para trabajar". That is, here, you work in order to live; there, you live to work.
On the AFL-CIO website I learned that the Federal minimum wage, which is $5.15/hour, hasn't changed since September 1997. They've tried to pass a bill in Congress to up the low wage, but "the Bush administration and Republican leaders repeatedly have blocked congressional attempts to raise the federal minimum wage. On March 7, 2005, a bill to boost the wage to $7.25 an hour over two years was defeated in the U.S. Senate." (See Minimum Wage)
Some other stats on the website regarding the working class are:
Hey, off topic, guess what I just heard on the news? Good ole Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld were once Boy Scouts. No kidding?
On the AFL-CIO website I learned that the Federal minimum wage, which is $5.15/hour, hasn't changed since September 1997. They've tried to pass a bill in Congress to up the low wage, but "the Bush administration and Republican leaders repeatedly have blocked congressional attempts to raise the federal minimum wage. On March 7, 2005, a bill to boost the wage to $7.25 an hour over two years was defeated in the U.S. Senate." (See Minimum Wage)
Some other stats on the website regarding the working class are:
- If the minimum wage had kept pace with inflation since 1968 when it was a $1.60 an hour, it would be $7.55 an hour in 2005.
- Since August 2001, worker productivity in the United States grew by 4.1 percent, while worker compensation grew only 1.5 percent—meaning workers received one-third of the benefits of increased efficiency. In the previous seven business cycles, workers gained about 75 percent of those benefits.
- A net 24,000 private-sector jobs have been lost since President George W. Bush took office.
- Workers who have job-based health care coverage are paying more, as employers are passing on health care cost increases.
Hey, off topic, guess what I just heard on the news? Good ole Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld were once Boy Scouts. No kidding?
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