Right Moon?

Baby Bumble Bee

Today I was going to give you the big news: whether we're gestating a Boy Bumble or a Girl Bumble. We've been unofficially waiting for this day to "get started" with the whole baby thing - registering for "stuff", organizing and decorating the nursery, calling the child By Name...

But today we learned that Baby Bumble is as stubborn a napper as Mummy, as evidenced by the fact that Baby Bumble insisted on sleeping face down through most of the anatomy ultrasound. The test clearly showed that Bumble is a "good size", has a strongly beating heart, and the most perfectly grapefruit-shaped cranium a parent could hope for. For the rest of The News, including whether to buy frilly dresses or mini-sports jerseys, we have to return in two weeks.

Strictly anecdotally: The doctor, when pressed to give an impression based on what little Bumble was sharing, said he would "guess" it's a Baby Girl. Hopefully we will Know after our next visit.

so soft

...no time to write this afternoon... soon, though, you'll be hearing from me.

project: color

the future's so bright

James (age 5): "When I grow up, I'm going to be Batman AND Spiderman. You CAN be two things, you know."
(45 minutes later, after stepping off the bus): "When I grow up, I'm going to be a bus driver and a policeman. But only if I get to drive a big police van. If not, I'll only be a bus driver."
(two hours later): "When I grow up I'm going to be a barber or a person who brushes the teeth of killer whales."

fish-head

fountain

There is something so soothing about a fountain. The way the water splashes and flows, contained within it's well-designed space. The sun bouncing off the water droplets flying through the air (more magical when the angle is just right and you spot a rainbow). The rushing sound, drowning out the harsh traffic nearby. I like to stop and breathe in the beauty every chance I get.

nine eleven x4

I will never forget. Beautiful blue sky pierced by smoke, terror, fear. So much misinformation feeding the horror (the tv predicting 40,000 dead). Fighter jets flying over our home (low, loud, and often). Memorials and "missing person" signs on every corner. Crying and crying and crying. A city banded together, our country rallying around us. Telling off the man who tried to sell me a postcard imprinted with a picture of the burning towers. Spontaneous shows of grief and affection without embarassment or shame. Indignation. Pain. Thinking the feeling of unity would change everyone for ever. Healing, still...

I will never forget the day my beloved city was attacked, the day I knew I would be a New Yorker forever.

Now, watching others in such despair, I will never forget that the burden is on us to help, to make the world better every day in whatever small way we can manage. I will never forget that it's not Somebody Else's problem, or pretend that the problem is "fixed" when the debris is cleared.

mr. softee

Well, do I?

I think my life is pretty well summed up by this little fact:

When you do an Ask Jeeves query for "Why do my legs itch so badly, do i have fleas?", RightMoon is the first link.

Oh, and to the person who came here seeking my wise input on that question: While it's probably fleas, you might have scabies instead (particularly if you're in college and have been sitting on a futon of questionable history). Good luck with that, and don't scratch - it'll leave permanent scars!

holy cow that hurts

Horribly dramatic sciatic PAIN radiating through my lower back, day two... The Internet says this is not unusual during pregnancy, then goes on to say disheartening things like "studies show such pain generally lasts less than six months..." (note to self: Don't become a person who relies on The Internet for medical diagnosis; within 20 minutes the search engine will convince you it's a fatal disorder.) I've tried/am trying heating pads, lying still, stretching, warm baths, complaining loudly, and [limited doses of] Tylenol, but if you have any other suggestions, can you please leave them in the comments below or email me? I'll be lying right here, making pathetic whiney whelping noises, waiting to hear from you.

Guess what I did today?

Relax...I was in the audience, not on the witness stand.

Follow-up FYI

Addendum to the Cleaning Out the Closet Challenge: the shelter listed below has specifically requested Plus Size Clothing. Since all my labels read well into the double-digits, and since I can acutely understand the humilitation of not being able to fit into anything you're offered, I'll be sending my stuff here. (Also, I have beloved friends and family in San Antonio, so I feel some connection with their recently expanded community...) Forwarded message copied below.

______________________________________________________

IMMEDIATE NEED FOR PLUS SIZED CLOTHING
Here is what's needed:

clothes for large women - A group that has been to the shelter observed that "the larger women were having to wear trash bags. There were no clothes for them."
blankets and pillows - Over and over we were asked for them. There just were not enough to go around.
shoes - most of the people had NO shoes
socks/underwear
Baby Things - formula, baby cribs, play pens, baby food, bottles , diapers
Hygiene - toothpaste, toothbrushes, hair brushes, rubber bands, combs, deodorant, ladies products!!

Please, if you have these items, send them to:
Helping Hands for Texas
c/o Alamo Premier Mortgage Group
10223 281 Freeway, Suite 200
San Antonio 78216

[on healthcare]

I read Malcolm Gladwell's article "The Moral-Hazard Myth", about our failed health-care system (more specifically, and relatable to me on a personal level, our obscene health-Insurance system), in The New Yorker a couple weeks ago, and I keep forgetting to direct you over there. It's really worth a read.*

* Unlike all the rest of the Internet Cool Kids, I'm not generally a fan of Malcolm Gladwell's work. I found Blink: the Power of Thinking Without Thinking to be obvious and over-simplified, and came away suspecting that he had used selective information rather than really telling the whole story (like the very concept he attempts to outline). With the article linked above, I'm much more impressed.

chillin' at the zoo

"Polar Bear in Summer", Central Park Zoo

green trim, blue sky

mission: overflow

I've been saying for weeks it's time to clean out the closet. I've so many clothes that never get worn, and I forsee a period of growth over the next few months...sometimes I think I should throw out everything but my favorite three items and start slowly from scratch, but then I worry about money, what-if's, and imaginary attachments. But it's time to let go.

So I've decided to tackle the project, with a personal mission to send at least 50% of my current excess to:

Salvation Army
1207 Cornwell Ave.
Shreveport, LA 71101
Attn: Hurricane Victims

Care to join in the challenge?

pause

So overwhelmed by the devastation in Katrina's wake. To write anything else feels petty. To complain or worry about my own small problems seems so very small, so selfish. Perspective is everything; I cannot judge those in the thick of it, I cannot understand the true scope of this tragedy, I can scarcely help them, but I will try. Ignorance is not bliss, it's self-serving and vain. I can only pray and hope and believe that the best in people will prevail.

Yes, Mr. Newscaster, it's unfortunate that gas prices are going to be crazy, it's even a bit of a hardship (although I've no pity for the proudly arrogant gas-guzzlers), but discomfort is no tragedy in light of this stark reality. We have our home, our family, and (even though it ain't perfect) our health. Right now that feels like Everything.