Note to Readers

My resolve to keep my blog up to date is having varied results.

Until I get my act together, I'll continue to post mundane details of my life (and Doctor Who retweets) on twitter at @cozmicrain, and quick snippets of thought (and reblogs of cats in tights) on tumblr at Casual Bubbles.

Please come visit!

Monday, April 23, 2012

Because pregnancy heartburn is really interesting stuff

Ok, so I'm going to pretend for just a second that if you are reading this, you truly do care about my heartburn. Then I won't feel like my little rant is completely boring and irrelevant. Even if it is. And who knows? Maybe someday, some pregnant chick will come across this post and she will totally get it and it will no longer be so boring and irrelevant...maybe.

When I was pregnant with Jake, I had heartburn every night and took a Zantac (before you ask, yes my doc suggested it when Tums didn't work) and most of the time, it did the trick. As with most of my first pregnancy, my problems were manageable. This time? Not so much. In addition to the other problems I've written about that I may or may not have actually published (I'll check later), the heartburn is worse and my good ol' Zantac is not doing the trick. And the onset of my daily burn is creeping up earlier and earlier. I sighed but dealt with pre dinner heartburn that made me want nothing more than plain noodles for dinner (because I was still hungry, even with the heartburn). It sucked but I figured I could handle it.

And then this morning I woke up and waddled down the stairs for some breakfast and before I could even decide which cereal to eat, the heartburn hit.

Lovely.

Sidenote: please feel free to comment (she says to her imaginary readers) but do know that I have tried many of the home remedies for heartburn. Milk helps sometimes. Honey worked a whole once. And eating heartburn friendly foods like bananas, applesauce, and yogurt haven't made much of a difference. If you've got anything else, though, I'd probably give it a try!

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

The Tupac Hologram brings back college memories

Twitter seems to be my main source of outside world knowledge these days. I'm on Facebook much less than I used to be and I don't even see the news on TV anymore. I was never much for seeking out news on the computer, though I will admit, if I had my homepage set to Yahoo like my mother in law does, I would spend infinitely more time clicking on news stories. But back to Twitter. I saw a lot of tweets about  a Tupac hologram, including this one from Felicia Day:

I did a quick Google search before writing this post, just to see what the whole Tupac thing was all about and found an article on Gizmodo about how it was actually really expensive CGI. Whatever, the idea is still neat. And it brings me to the real reason I wanted to post about this.

Back in college, I was taking a Prose class and we had just finished reading Dubliners by James Joyce.  Our professor had us working in groups. Our assignment was to pretend we were going to make "The Dead"into a movie. We were each going to have the change to pitch our idea to him and the idea he liked best got a prize.

My group decided it would be clever to cast only dead actors in the film. We would use super awesome technology and bring some sorely missed greats back to the big screen. Not sure how clever we really were but we did win the prize (I think that time the prize was a copy of one of his books, signed by him after class).

Yeah, I realize, not the most exciting story in the world but I found it amusing that this kind of thing is actually happening now and that Felicia Day tweeted about making a new movie with a dead actor.

Sorry, guess this was a pretty boring post after all!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Once you've seen Doctor Who, things never look the same

I had just added Doctor Who to my Netflix Queue when The Bloggess posted this on her site. Now I understand it. I've worked my way through the 9th and 10th doctors and am only a few episodes away from being completely caught up on the 11th.

Now every time I read the word "odd," I think "Ood." For the first time in my life, I really want a pair of Converse sneakers. A sonic screwdriver seems like the handiest tool I could ever own. I'm seriously trying to think of a place to put something like this if I can get my husband to build it for me. And I see Daleks everywhere I go. When I see this toy crane out of the corner of my eye, for half a second I think I have a baby Dalek in the house. I think I might be a tad obsessed. Now off to watch another episode on my phone while lying in bed. Where are my headphones?








Tell Me Thursday March 22, 2012

New Mommy Confessions hosts the weekly Tell Me Thursday. Head on over and check it out for links to more people answering these questions and join on in yourself if you have a blog!

For this week... Jobs!

What was your first real job? (like, you paid taxes and everything) In high school I worked as a lifeguard and swimming teacher for the YMCA. It was a good time. I pretty much only taught the lower levels because I didn't have perfect technique of the strokes so working with the Shark level to perfect breaststroke and butterfly wasn't gonna happen. It's funny because I always feel the need to say that when I talk about that job because I feel like people are gonna thing I'm this amazing swimmer or something. I had the skills necessary to lifeguard a pool and teach kids the basic strokes. The smell of chlorine still brings back fond memories.

What was your favorite job? What job did you hate the most? My favorite job was either my first job or my time as a bookkeeper for a local lockshop in college. It was a small company and a nice family sort of atmosphere. Some of the tasks of the job weren't my favorite but I got to learn to cut keys and re-key locks and the atmosphere was fun and friendly. My least favorite had to be my stint in Accounts Payable. Actually, the tasks weren't that bad but the atmosphere was stifling. The manager watched over us and didn't like us talking to each other (very small office with three people in close quarters) while we worked. It was like a really strict school. I felt constantly beat down and a little like a prisoner. When I handed in my letter of resignation, I actually felt so nervous my heart wouldn't stop pounding and I thought I was going to be sick. The manager called me into her office at the end of the day and proceeded to tell me how disappointed she was and how I'd lied to her. In my letter I said I was going back into education (I was going back to substitute teaching while I looked for a permanent position) and said I'd told her I'd given up on that. Um, no. Never said that. Ok, stopping myself now. No need to delve back into those memories. Shudder. 

What is your dream job? Well, I went to school to be a teacher. Unfortunately, the market was saturated when I graduated. I could have gotten a job in Florida or Las Vegas but I was looking close to home. Sometimes I still feel a little bitter about the whole situation but other times I wonder if things worked out for the best and maybe I would have burnt out as a teacher. 

Are you currently working? Nope. I mean not officially. I stopped working about a month before my son was born and have stayed home with him since. I did briefly try my hand at selling Avon but I am so not a salesperson. I'd like to do something sometimes. Not working has really messed up my time management skills and my self discipline. I miss completing tasks (and no, housework does not give me the same sense of satisfaction). I think when the kids are in school, I might go back to something, even if just part time.

What job should everyone try at least once? I've never given this much thought but I think I'd have to agree with New Mommy Confessions about working in the service industry. If you've been there yourself, might think twice about the way you treat the people serving you.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Thursday ain't over yet

Wow, it's been a long day. Good, but long. Well good except for not getting my son to go to sleep until nearly 10 pm even with me lying with him. But although I'm tired, I'm trying hard not to miss any more Tell Me Thursdays if I can help it. So I've settled down with some soda bread and today's episode of General Hospital and off we go!


New Mommy Confessions hosts the weekly Tell Me Thursday. Head on over and check it out for links to more people answering these questions and join on in yourself if you have a blog!

Spring is around the corner (at least I hope it is) Any big outdoor plans for your house/garden?  Hopefully. We try to do a veggie garden every year. Some years are more successful than others, depending on the time we get around to investing. I generally try to do at least tomatoes, bell peppers, and lettuce. Last year I did a small strawberry plant and would like to do that again. And maybe this year I will actually do spices and keep up with caring for them. Last year they kinda went unwatered during a hot spell and all died. Oops.

What part of nice weather are you most looking forward to? I enjoy a small bit of winter because snow can be fun and a break from the heat is nice. Also, it makes me appreciate the warm weather when it comes back. The other day was warm enough to have a window or two open and it was wonderful. I'm not sure what it is about the breeze and the sounds coming in the window, but it makes me happy. Also? I'll be glad not to have to worry about getting Jake in and out of his coat in the car (his winter coat is too puffy for the carseat straps to get tight enough).

For the MilSpouse - What is one thing you wish civilians knew about the military? For civilians - What is one question you would ask someone associated with the military? Huh. I know I've been curious about things in the past but for the life of me, I can't really think of any questions right now. Great answer, right? Um, I guess I would say I've wondered how commitment works. I mean, I know some people join the military for a few years and others stay for a whole career. Are there set contract lengths, depending on the length of commitment you intend to give and how strictly are those enforced? Can you leave early if you decide you can't do it or do you have to stay the full length of time you signed up for? I'm sure this must vary during times of war. Also, I'm sure this is something I could easily find on Google if I tried!

Do you want kids? If you have children, do you want more or is your family complete? We have one boy and a second on the way. We always figured on 2-3 kids and I'm thinking 2 will be plenty, if for no other reason than this pregnancy has been miserable and I'd rather not repeat it.

Are you keeping up with politics these days? Not really. I see a lot on Twitter but I normally tend to wait until candidates are chosen and then I do my research and make my decisions. I tend to vote Democratic so I'll admit I don't pay as much attention to Republican primaries.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Tell Me Thursday March 1, 2012

New Mommy Confessions hosts the weekly Tell Me Thursday. Head on over and check it out for links to more people answering these questions and join on in yourself if you have a blog!


Did you get suckered into buying Girl Scout cookies this year? Which ones are your favorite? Yes. And I ate them all. And I might go track down some more. Mostly I like Thin Mints and Samoas. I can go through a box of Thin Mints in one sitting if I let myself. I'm kinda glad they only come around once a year.

In a totally bizarre twist of fate, you actually find yourself trapped on a dessert island. DESSERT ISLAND. (hardy har har) What treats and goodies do you gobble up first? I'm generally a huge chocoholic. Give me a chocolate fountain, a chocolate bar, or some chocolate mousse and I'm good. Lately, my cravings lean toward chocolate with berries or fruit. Chocolate and strawberry or raspberry? Mmm mmm good.

What is one thing you can cook well? (Or at least without burning down the house) Well, I'm making meatballs tonight for dinner. Does that count? I like trying new recipes but I'm usually too lazy or tired to make anything time intensive for dinner.

What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten? Hmm. Well I guess the most exotic thing I've had is sushi. Not that I would say that's very weird. I did, once, on a dare, make a beverage concoction that was really strange and I had a few sips of it. I think I was maybe in 6th grade. Prepare to be grossed out. It contained orange juice, ketchup, lemon juice, Hersheys syrup, Coke and I'm sure some other things I can't remember. Ugh. I shudder remembering it. It actually didn't taste as nasty as it sounds but I wouldn't drink a whole glass of it.  

Favorite alcoholic beverage? (Hey, alcohol is like a food. It has calories dammit, it counts) I like me a pina colada for sure. I like fruity stuff but sometimes I like some wine or some beer. I'm not a huge drinker but I have to admit that being pregnant and not being able to have any makes me REALLY want some. I've been drinking sparkling juice in wine glasses and pretending it's wine!

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Attempts at being concise

I'm sure I've mentioned before that I have a tendency to draw out stories with too much detail. I'm working on being more concise. I wrote a long ass blog about some of the things I'd have written about if I hadn't been hiding the last couple weeks. It was long. Very long. So in an attempt to be more concise, I hacked it down to a (hopefully) more digestible length. I hope nothing was lost in the process.

Let there be sugar!
Wee hooo! I passed my 1 hour glucose test this time! When I was pregnant with Jake, I failed the 1 hour and had to take the 3 hour. This time, when I made the appointment, they gave me better instructions (no sugar OR starchy foods beforehand, only protein). Also, my needlephobia might actually a little less but it didn't help that the nurse did something that left me still bruised over a week later.


Snow? What's that?
Fozzie the Snowbust, the crowning piece of art for any igloo
Northern Illinois has had a pretty mild winter. Temps have been higher and snow has been almost nonexistent. The little snow we've had didn't last long and wasn't good packing snow so I felt kinda bad for Jake since it was the first year he really showed an interest in playing in the snow. At the end of last week, we finally got some good packing snow. The sick, achey, pregnant mom stayed inside and watched out the window as Jake sledded across the street and made his first snowman. Daddy started piling up the snow and Jake was so impatient to finish and put on the carrot nose, that the snowman was a small one and looked more like a head with arms. Then he started throwing carrots in the snow and eventually gave his snow head carrot eyes as well. I named him Fozzie because he reminded me of Fozzie Bear, except without the hat and with with carrots for his eyes and nose.


Why I could never be an interior designer
Whole weekend's worth of progress
I love the idea of interior design but I suck at it. I suck at picking colors and imagining them on a large scale. I suck at deciding which colors go together, even with a color wheel. I suck at knowing what styles of furniture go together and which kinds of nonmatching woods you can pair together. This weekend my suckiness cost us time and money.

Super long story cut sorta short? We're painting the master bathroom and the tan I picked ended up looking way too yellow. Bryan and I both agreed it reminded us of hotel/medical office walls. We quickly (unheard of for me) picked something more brownish. To be safe, we only got a quart so we didn't waste most of a gallon again if it wasn't right. It was a much better color. After a weekend of priming and painting, we have only one small wall done. And the paint's not fully covering so it'll need a second coat. Oh yeah, and this week starts Bryan's busy season as a coach so we'll see when we can tackle the rest. I hate being pregnant and miserable and not able to do it myself!


DIY dog grooming

In an attempt to save some money, I bought some pet clippers (half the price of a professional grooming appointment) and gave Penny the full treatment...well, as much as she'd let me. The effort wasn't a total failure. She fought me when I tried to clip her face, legs and belly/chest area. Not bad for a first attempt and I'm sure we'll both get better at it with practice. Go, frugal me!