The 2012 United States of America Presidential Election is Looming…

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in case you’ve been living a cave, I thought I’d mention that.

In any case, today I received, via email (21st Century FTW!), my absentee ballot and voting papers.

And that inspired this, which I am reprinting from my Facebook. Cuz I can…

I just feel the need to say this as it’s been brewing in my mind for awhile. The problem I have with all the political ‘memes’ on FB right now isn’t reading them. They are funny, informative, what have you.

The problem I have with all the political ‘memes’ on FB is that those of you posting them, which is a good number of people whom are very good friends of mine, in real life and online, and whom I love very much, are preaching to the choir and the balcony. Those that should read them and think about them and, maybe, get their mind changed, aren’t seeing them. And never will.So feel free to inundate my wall with them up to and including Election Day.But if you want to change someone’s mind? Go find them and talk to them. You know…in person.

Which I would be doing, if I lived in the US and/or knew any local voters who weren’t going to vote for Obama in two months.

And this is probably the first time ever I have felt strongly enough about an election to say that. I just wish I could do it. So, could one of you be me and go to a Republican meeting and make some noise?

Thanks.

Also, think about this:

“If you are part of a society that votes, then do so. There may be no candidates and measures you want to vote for… But there are certain to be ones you want to vote against. In case of doubt, vote against. By this rule you will rarely go wrong. If this is too blind for your taste, consult some well-meaning fool (there is always one around) and ask his advice. Then vote the other way. This enables you to be a good citizen (if such is your wish) without spending the enormous amount of time that truly intelligent exercise of the franchise requires.” – Robert Heinlein, speaking through Lazarus Long in Time Enough For Love

Working On My Style

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As I wrote about a few months ago, I’ve been updating my wardrobe and my ‘style’, trying to get away from just jeans and t-shirts all the time.

I’ve also been updating my accessories. I’ll never be a huge jewellery wearer again (says the girl who used to wear 8 rings, 9 earrings and 4 or 5 necklaces all the time), instead choosing to show my style with the things I carry. Not just my handbag, which my mother in law actually bought, but my purse, my bus ticket holder, my business card holder, my phone case and my favourite shopping bag.

The amazing thing about those last four things? They are all Cath Kidston.

If you don’t who Cath Kidston is, you can click the link or listen to my husband who walks out of her shop and says ‘It’s like the 1950s in there…’

And I like it. I like her fabric patterns. But mostly I really like the way her products are designed.

A perfect example is my new shopping bag. It’s not just the fabric that I love, but the fact that it is two bags in one. So if I just need a few things, it’s a handy small tote and when the shopping takes over, it opens out and slings over my shoulder.

Now, if you’ve heard me complain about the decorations in my house, which is wall to wall flowers, you’re probably wondering why I hate that but love these.

Well, my house is overkill. Every wall, every drape, every blanket that was left by the owners is flowers. Even the tiles in the bathroom and kitchen have flowers!

That’s too much.

My accessories, on the other hand, are accents.

And go perfectly to compliment my plain black hand bag and/or plain brown canvas work bag.

PS The shopping bag linked to above is my anniversary present from Simon. Our anniversary is this Tuesday, the 4th. 🙂

PPS Cath Kidston has no idea who I am, did not pay me to say I love her stuff and never will. 🙂

I Was *So* Aware I Have A Uterus…

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So yesterday was the fateful day that I had my Mirena Coil inserted.

I had been booked into my GP’s office to do it a month ago but there was a problem: I need a pap smear and Chlamydia swab first, which my GP didn’t realize when she referred me to the practice female health expert.

During those procedures, that doctor decided my cervix was too movable for her to be comfortable inserting the coil, so she referred me to the Family Planning Clinic at City Hospital, as they do it with a local anaesthetic, which the GP’s office doesn’t have.

And so I went yesterday. And I was really nervous. I have no idea why, as smears don’t bother me, but something about this was making me quake in my boots.

But the staff at City Hospital FPC were fantastic. So much so that I am probably going to write a letter of praise, even though, in my usual brain dead fashion, I’ve forgotten their names.

I told the nurse, as she was doing blood pressure, weight and height, how nervous I was and she told the doctor and they both were so gentle and understanding and careful and explained everything as they went. It took forever (or so it seemed) including the doctor having to find a different something or other because the one she had wasn’t working properly and the nurse held my hand and kept me chatting.

Once it was over and I was sent on my way I was, as it says in the title, so aware I had a uterus, which I said to my husband on the phone as I headed back to the bus.

But by bedtime the cramps had stopped and I was no longer aware I have uterus.

So that’s birth control for me for the next 5 years.

Making A Hard Decision…

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So for the past two weeks or so I’ve been sleeping really really badly. Nothing in particular is going on, just my weird brain chemistry that once in awhile sends me into early morning wake ups. As in 0400 and earlier.

Adding to that is the fact that Adam has been having some mild nightmares. They are so mild that, although he cries out in his sleep and disturbs me, he doesn’t even wake up. But once I’ve heard him, I’m on red alert until I am sure he’s back to sleep. Which means I am up for sometimes an hour, or more, as I resettle myself again.

There is also the weird thing that he seems to have these just as I am managing to drift back off after a ridiculously early awaking. And then I have to resettle me to get back to sleep. And then the alarm goes off…

So I made the decision today to turn off the baby monitor once I’m in bed.

I have agonized over this decision. Simon and I agreed, long before Adam was much more than a lump in my tummy, that we’d never leave a baby to cry. We agreed that it was mean and just not worth the agony. When a baby cries, it needs something. And sometimes that thing is just it’s mummy and/or daddy.

It’s been a tough 3 years of bad sleep for all because of this decision, but at this point Adam more or less goes to bed on time and falls asleep on his own, in his own bed. He has wobbles, he’s 3 after all, and sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night asking to sleep with me. And I do.

But for the most part he sleeps and sleeps well.

Except for his disturbed dreams. Which seem to pass quickly. And then he’s sound asleep and I’m wide awake.

So tonight the monitor goes off.

I’m still not exactly sure how I feel about it…

 

Quick add now that I’ve seen a comment…he can’t come get me. His door is gated as he can’t be trusted to come and get me and not just go downstairs on his own and do who knows what. Also, the doors in our house are really hard to open when closed and I can’t sleep with my door open. That’s why we’ve had the monitor so long!

After More or Less a Full Day in Bed

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I feel much better.

Well enough to make apple muffins with my son, even.

Some how we wound up with a ton of apples. So I found a recipe and we set to work.

Get Ready!

Adam, as always, was eager to help, grabbing his step stool and getting right to work. He, as always, is chief in charge of stirring, button pushing and scrambling eggs. He’s a pro at all of these things. Here you can see him getting ready for the next step. He’s already put the liners in the muffin tin.

Get Set!You many note the Cars 2 plaster on his head. That’s because he managed to fall twice in 3 days, landing on the same place on his forehead each time. It’s mostly just a long scratch, but there is also a lovely green bruise.

In any event, after he put the liners in the tin, he got ready to stir!

Baking!

He is a fantastic stirrer. Here he is mushing butter up before we added the rest of the wet ingredients.

At this point, we got too busy for Mummy to keep snapping, so you’ll just have to take my word that next we incorporated the dry ingredients and then he helped hold down the button on the mini-chopper to get the apples into nice small chunks.

Apple Muffins!

And here you can see the finished product!

I’m not 100% happy with the recipe. I think it needs more sugar and more apple and more cinnamon, so I will adapt in the future to make it better.

But Adam and Simon think they are quite good.

And, most importantly, Adam and I had fun.

I’m Not Doing Very Well…

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Adam has been having nightmares, which he seems to sleep through, but once I hear one I can’t resettle to sleep until I’m sure he’s moved through it so I wind up awake for at least 20 minutes, sometimes an hour.

We think something is going on at his daycare, although they say there isn’t. He’s only there for 5 more sessions and then it’s child minder and school so we’re just going to plow through.

Anyway, lack of sleep is making me sore and grumpy and not feeling like doing anything except sleep and eat. Really great for the eating plan, no?

So there you go. Now you know why no updates.

Hopefully I’ll get some sleep this weekend.

We’re Making A Garden

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We being Adam and I.

But I’m going to cover it over at the Designed To A Tee Blog.

Why? Because it’s design of a sort.

And because that blog needs some traffic! Maybe one of you millions  10s of people who read this one will go read that one and realize you need to hire the very best Online Media Specialist/Graphic Artist/All around good egg on the ‘net and we’ll revolutionize the web with our ideas.

Hey. It could happen.

And nothing to lose by trying!

Are You Kidding Me? Tesco’s Inability To Fix a Basic Problem

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I’ve mentioned many times that I order our groceries from Tesco. And I’ve been really impressed with their improved customer service compared to when I gave up on them 3 years ago.

Except for one issue.

Tesco have a system where, if you give them a mobile number, they text you. First with a ‘don’t forget you’ve booked us!’ text the day before your delivery and then with a ‘your groceries will arrive between x and y’ on the morning of your delivery. That second one narrows down the delivery time to one hour and is very handy.

I have not received that second email in, literally, months.

In fact, on reflection, I am 99% sure I haven’t had one since March, when I included a screen shot of a text message they sent me, when my groceries were late. If you read that blog entry, you’ll see that the text message was sent at 1107 and said my groceries would arrive at 1021, after they sent one saying 1121.

I am fairly sure their inability to send me such texts started then. Every week I Tweet to @UKTesco and complain. Every week they claim it will be fixed.

It hasn’t been.

They have also ‘escalated it’, fixed it ‘manually’ and so on. For weeks.

At this point I don’t even care about the stupid text message, as handy as it is.

I just want them to admit they can’t fix it and they have no idea why.

But I doubt they will.

Sunday Sunday….

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Posted as part of One Topic / Forty Opinions via The Belfast Bloggers Network.

Sunday. What can I say about Sunday?

It used to be so different, when we started living in City Centre. Nothing was open before 1p. Well, things were open, i.e. Primark, at 12:30, but you couldn’t actually buy anything until 1p. True fact.

Then the Tesco Express opened on Dublin Road. Just around the corner from our flat. And it was open at 7. Very handy when we had a small boy and had run out of milk. Or needed some croissants. Especially chocolate filled ones.

Because the opening laws are based on square feet, you see, and that was the right size. The law hasn’t changed.

And I was a bit sad, handy as it was. It had been, for years, that, unless you were going to church, highly unlikely in this Jewish/Atheist/Something house, you not only had no where to be but no where you could be.

You had no choice but to be lazy in bed. Or on the sofa. Cruising the ‘net, watching a movie, eating a huge breakfast, what have you. Until after lunch.

Now, living here in Finaghy, several stores are open on Sunday morning. And Simon likes to run and get the Sunday papers. Sometimes Adam can be convinced to join him.

But he really is my son.

He’d rather watch a movie on the sofa with Mummy and wait to turn on the kettle when Daddy gets back with the paper…and apple cake…