|
SubscriptionsSites I Read
|
|
|
|
| escher and i went to Atlanta to see Tori Amos last night. Good show as always. She started off with short platinum blonde hair and a short, strapless black dress - which somewhat inhibited her usual way of half-straddling her stool - and later changed to long red hair and a one-sleeved sparkly American flag pantsuit. Escher and i both have not really listened to American Doll Posse so there were several songs we didn't know, but she went back to Choirgirl Hotel (my favorite) for several songs - She's Your Cocaine, Raspberry Swirl, Northern Lad, Hotel - and also threw in Cornflake Girl, Precious Things, Sugar, and even a cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit. I recognized only one song from Beekeeper, and that was The Power of Orange Knickers. Once, the music and her vocals while backstage changing outfits hinted at Professional Widow but it never actually got played through. The encore was only one song (and one i didn't recognize). We half-expected to hear Waitress just because of all the merchandise for sale out front with the quote "I believe in peace, bitch" but she didn't play that.
the only damper on the evening was someone's perfume.  After we'd been in our seats for a while (we were early), a group of 3 girls came along and sat in front of us. At least one of them, if not all 3, was wearing way too much perfume and it was stinky perfume (imo) at that. Escher and i both could smell the perfume while they were still standing in the aisle showing their tickets to the usher. I had to breathe with my mouth open all night to try to avoid smelling it (and i could kind of taste it, even, you know?). I really wished the guilty girl's friends would have told her her perfume was too strong. Or i wish there were a polite way to tell someone they are invading your air. I come across many people who need to be told.
escher and i were talking on the way home and he told me that he'd found out something important about maternity leave - er, family leave, i guess, since he should get it too. Family leave, at least as provided by our employer, is supposed to be for 12 weeks. Nice, yes? He found out that if both parents work for the same employer, the leave time has to be split between them! So basically we both get screwed on our time off to adjust to life with a baby. Generously, he said that he would take a short time, like 2 weeks, so i could get the larger chunk of time to get used to breast-feeding and all. But i am angry. We are in the same hospital, yes, but different departments that have nothing to do with each other. There's no reason our both being off for 12 weeks will cause any more trouble for my department or his. And it's a very large hospital. It's not as if we both work in some tiny office doing the same job - that would kind of make sense, though it still wouldn't be nice for the parents. That's really not fair to couples who both work at this hospital - and there are lots of them. In fact i have a coworker who is 12 weeks pregnant and her husband works at the same hospital, different department. I need to make sure she knows this too.
| | |
| got to see Kenna live for the first time recently! He was only an opening act for She Wants Revenge (who we didn't stay to see - we've seen them before and we were tired), so it was a short set, but afterwards he went directly over to the merchandise table to greet people. He was very nice; he asked each person's name and shook hands and introduced himself (as if we weren't in line because we already knew who he was  ), and signed and dated anything you put in front of him. I got a poster and a CD booklet signed. We were fortunate that he had his own markers and that they were giving out free posters, 'cause i had not come prepared!  He also agreed to photos. Below: Kenna, me, esche. (Don't know what's up with that crazy-looking white-haired man in the back . . . )
 | | |
| This has been an exciting week.
Last Friday escher and i went to Athens to see the Killers in concert. It was again a good show, very enjoyable. Last time we saw them, close to Christmas, the stage was decorated with Christmas trees and such. This time there were pumpkins across the stage carved with "THE K I L L E R S", and i think some other trinkets like small skeletons (as at most shows it was very hard for me to see much).
Some friends of escher's who live in Athens were with us and one of them had a CD he wanted to get signed and a camera, so we hung around afterwards waiting for the band to come out to their bus. The guys have done this many times before at other shows but this was my first time ever seeing any band up close like that. It was pretty exciting. I was also struck by how young Brandon Flowers seemed off-stage. I mean, i know he is young and i know that with any performer what's on stage often isn't anything like the actual person off-stage, but this was my first time seeing it. He was like a little boy, almost bordering on shy even. And the bassist, poor fellow - he gave the distinct impression that he'd rather be doing anything else. Not in a snobbish way, just seemed extremely uncomfortable when surrounded by a handful of (calm and polite) fans asking for autographs and photos. He obliged everyone, and was nice enough, but i felt relieved for him when he finally escaped.
Tuesday we got me my first ever brand new car. I am still so excited about it! It feels weird though - it's so much larger than anything of my previous vehicles. Also, it's an SUV, something i never thought i'd buy. I've always been a bit smug in my own head towards SUV owners, as i drove around in my smaller car with nice gas mileage. But being about to buy a new car with a kid on the way, and no certainty that we won't have more in future, i figured i'd better get a bigger one than my usual preference. After some researching i test-drove a Honda CR-V and a Toyota Rav-4, those being the smallest SUVs that i liked, with good safety test results and relatively good gas mileage. Then we waited for the 2008s to come out, intending to get a 2007 for cheaper, but got a 2008 anyway. *new car dance*
Wednesday we had our second ultrasound! (The first was at 6 weeks.) I'm still holding out on finding out what gender the baby will be. We were happy to learn that so far everything looks great. The doctor said the baby is actually bigger than expected for his age (by a week). They told me the estimated weight is 11 ounces (312 grams?); my book says it should be about 7 ounces. Hopefully he/she won't make this too much of a habit - i blame that bit of baby-weight-gain on too much Triple Chocolate ice cream. But all the baby-parts were in their places so far, so we're pleased.
i was a bit disappointed with the whole thing, though - the woman doing the ultrasound was apparently in a hurry and when she finished her work and turned the screen to show us pictures, she kept moving the wand so fast that i felt i could barely focus and see what the image was (those things are hard to see anyway) before she'd moved to another view. Also, i was hoping that i could just watch the kid for a little while and see if i could see him/her move at the same time that i feel it. I started to open my mouth to ask her just to slow down for a minute, but then i remembered that i'd started bitching right off about how i'd had to wait 45 minutes with a full bladder (and gotten hungry too in the meantime), and i was told that she was running behind because they'd found a problem on someone's ultrasound; and i reminded myself that there were probably other women who were tired of waiting too. So i didn't.
We'd invited both grandmothers to this appointment, and i was especially looking forward to seeing escher's mother enjoy this little event. My mother already has 8 grandchildren, but escher is an only child and this is his parents' first grandchild. Afterwards, his mother pulled a handkerchief from her purse, saying, "I came prepared!" and dabbed tears from her eyes. She is so excited about this whole thing.
| | |
| I just heard that Avenue Q is touring, and i thought i might like to see it based on what i've heard, so i went to look up dates and cities. The good news was that i hadn't missed Atlanta yet; the bad news, that it's coming to Atlanta about 2 weeks after my little parasite is due to be born. So i guess i probably won't get to go. I see some dates in the Carolinas later that summer but i don't know if we're supposed to travel that far having a little one that age . . . .
Also we'd bought tickets to see the Cure in Atlanta this month, then recently the band announced that they're delaying shows until next spring. No definite date yet, but it's estimated next April or May. Again, we'll have the little one. But maybe he/she will be old enough then to stay with one of the grandmothers.
Weird dreams. (Well, they're often weird anyway.) Yesterday, for example, my dream-self found herself back in a high-school math class instead of at work. Colin Farrell was also involved in there somewhere (sadly, not in a fun way ).
| | |
| happy Stardust movie day! 
going to see it later, very excited!
also esche got a call today that he'd been granted a new position at work that he'd interviewed for. It includes a raise too. 
| | |
|
Lifetime
