I don't know him.

Someone had a thirtieth birthday party last night. And someone decided to shave his beard MID-party.

Wow.

Also, I appreciate MJ's question about my video shoot - it went really well!! I hope I'm in the final version so I can post it here.

I'm gonna be famous!

I guess I feel less fired up now that I'm feeling the love from work! So how am I going to look camera-ready by next week?

X is producing a short video which will be shown by X at the end of February. The video will also be posted on the intranet. We are looking for approximately 75 people to be filmed—for about 5 minutes each—answering a few simple questions about what makes X unique and special. The filming will take place on X on January 20 and 21. You were recommended as someone who might be good for this video – which is meant to be very fun and upbeat.

Yes, I am this excited about a possible 30 second cameo in a video for a meeting and the inTRAnet.

Fired Up

I'm all fired up. I was boarding the shuttle tonight when a woman asked the driver if he went to **** House. For lack of a better term, the **** House is almost like a B&B for parents of kids receiving treatment at the hospital...think Ronald McDonald House but privately run by the hospital.

The shuttle driver said that he would drop the woman off nearby. Honestly at that point, I was in my own little fog of "end of 12 hour day" and kind of ignored the situation. A few blocks into the ride, he pulled over and told the woman to get out at the corner and directed her how to get there. It was only three blocks BUT it was 13 degrees and pitch black out. Plus she had never been there, was not familiar with Boston and was carrying two bags.

Let's not forget that if she needs to stay at the **** House, she is dealing with a very ill child.

So of course, I open my mouth (surprised?) and tell the driver to drive her all the way to the house...because none of us employees mind going TWO MINUTES out of our way on the way to the parking lot. Right??? Right???? But no one else on the shuttle bus even notices this conversation so no one chimes in to agree with me. Meanwhile, the driver hems and haws and turns the corner further away from the house...REALLY? I was furious. This is how we treat the parents of our sickest patients? We ignore their simple needs???

FIRED UP, I tell ya.

To be fair, maybe the other riders were all in their post-12 hour day fog too because a few seconds later, one of the men on the shuttle jumps into the argument and suggests that since the driver already turned the corner, he might as well drive us to the parking lot and then drop the woman directly off at the **** House.

He then leaned over to me and apologized because he didn't realize that it was a parent that I was arguing for (for whom I was arguing?). Then we had a lovely conversation about how the **** House is really nice (see photo).

Anyway, I'm still fired up. I was trying to do my good deed for the day and I just ended up feeling so annoyed that the driver and the other riders couldn't see that two minutes of our time would save a cold walk in the dark for a mother of a sick child. Grrrrrr.


Sidenote - this house used to be a frat house and was remodeled by the hospital last year while keeping the outside facade. Gorgeous!

Worth a thousand words

This blogpost is because I'm cleaning out the photos on my phone in anticipation of getting a new one (don't even START, Mike!).

About a 100 funny things strike me in this photo:
1. The fact that my grandmother really wanted a nice photo of the two of us.
2. That we agreed to do it.
3. We coordinated our outfits!
4. We were only 22 and 19.
5. That it looks like an engagement photo.
6. That we coerced KC to take the photos.
7. Oh yes, that there were many more outtakes before we agreed on this one (this was pre-digital cameras, by the way).
8. That we did the posing at KC's work building because it was decorated for Christmas.
9. That we are so obviously related...something that I usually can't see.
10. And yes, this picture is still displayed in my grandparents' living room - which is why I was able to take a picture of it with my phone.

Best Gift Ever

This is the Snoogle pillow. I also like to refer to it as "the best thing that has ever happened to me". Some might argue that marriage to an incredible man or the conception of our long-awaited child would be better than a pillow.

Those people would be wrong. This trumps marriage and child. Although one could also create a connection from the marriage to the pregnancy to the back aches and sleepless nights to the need for a Snoogle. So I guess it is all related.

Look how it cradles! It's fantastic! You can also flip it around if you want to wrap your arms around it - I prefer to lean my back into it.

More photos

Here's a picture of me tonight - totally sitting up straight and sort of sucking my stomach in (if that is possible anymore).And here's how I really feel:

Ahhh, I love relaxing! A photo from a month ago is here - same shirt. No surprise since I only have about 5 well-fitting shirts at this point. :)

Also, Mike is not home which is why I am parading around in front of the hallway mirror.

Sidenote: my grandmother just called. This may be only amusing to MJ since she had to take messages from her for four years. Things she told me:

1. I need to gain more weight.

2. I don't need a car seat until the baby can sit up on his/her own.

3. I can't go out shopping for a car seat tonight. I tried to explain online shopping for the 900th time but it didn't work.

Also, I think she thinks Mike is a traveling salesman since he travels for business. I tried to explain that conferences are a good thing for him but it didn't work. Please note the correlation between my explanations and the lack of comprehension.

Freecycle

Are you all excited for a post that is NOT about pregnancy?

Anyway, I just wanted to make sure that everyone knew about freecycle. It is the greatest use of the web! To sum it up, it's basically a free version of Craig's List. You list what you have or what you want and you hope that people in your area can help you out by either taking it off your hands or offering you their old items.

I've given away a 20-year-old sewing machine, my wedding dress and the disgusting sink/vanity from our bathroom (we replaced it immediately upon moving in). If just for the vanity, then I think it's worth it - could you imagine if we needed to haul that to the dump?

I've also given away a desk, some curtain rods and a broken microwave.

I haven't used it for GETTING things yet but I did see that one woman got a free snap-and-go stroller frame the other day so I'm considering it. Also, a friend of mine used it for some office furniture and she's really pleased.

However, I have NOT had any luck getting someone to pick up this stupid Select Comfort bed...don't fail me, freecycle!