imagining you care

* I heard on an NPR report that thieves are not stealing car stereos anymore (opting instead for GPS units). It reminded me of the one time my car was broken into and the thieves took off with my discman. Obviously my car at the time did not have a cd player and I used the discman in the car with the adapter tape. I spent at least a year purchasing and returning different discmen trying to find one I liked as much as the one that was stolen. Man, I loved that discman.

* We went to our first "you're having a baby! here are your pain management options!" class a couple of weeks ago and of all the women there I had the second soonest due date and the second smallest baby bump. I have to admit that seeing my belly get bigger and bigger just delights me to no end and I'm thrilled to finally be obviously pregnant. Just in time, too, because we are getting to the home stretch here.

* Somebody and I were actually in tears we were laughing so hard reading Miss Nemesis last week. Don't skip the first few comments, because that is where our giggles turned to full-on laughter.

* The tragedy of my head/hair finally cleared up (I know you are just as happy about that as I am), but because pregnancy wanted to make sure I knew who was boss, that unpleasant symptom was replaced with elephant-like swelling in my ankles, calves, wrists, and hands. I have had to completely give up on wearing a watch and rings, and generally by the time I get home from work my ankles are swollen enough that my socks are almost cutting off circulation to my feet. Somebody has, up to this point, been very sympathetic to my obvious pain and spends time almost every night massaging down the swollen parts until they return to normal size. I don't think I even have to say how much I love this. He likes to keep things real by occasionally mentioning just how large my ankles and calves are ("wow. they are big today"). I usually respond by fake crying and moaning about how growing another human being is such hard work.

* After an initial rejection, Somebody received his letter this past week letting him know that he is now considered a Lawful Permanent Resident of the United States. Our application process this time around did not go smoothly (hence the initial rejection) and I have spent many hours over the past two months drowning in worry over the possibility that the government would continue to see our marriage as a sham and deport him. I have been continually surprised at the breadth and depth of proof that we must provide to show that we got married because we fell in love, and have often felt like we were being punished and disbelieved because of choices we made looking for what would be best for our future instead of making them based on what would best show that we share property and finances. We certainly have felt the support and love of many family and friends who we have called upon to write affidavits swearing our marriage was entered into in good faith, that we live together, and that my tattoo that one time was just henna. For now, though, we are just breathing a big sign of relief that this major stumbling block has been overcome.

* I saw a commercial on tv earlier this evening that kind of made me want to vomit. It was for a law firm and their basic message was along the lines of, “is your tax return money not enough to pay off your bills and get out of debt? If not, put that money to good use by filing for bankruptcy. When you file for bankruptcy all your debt goes away—payday loans, credit cards, you name it! Start the year off right. Start the year off debt free by using your tax return money to file for bankruptcy. And we are just the law firm to help you.” Doesn’t that kind of make you sick? That there are people out there who might actually think that this is good advice? And that there are educated professionals encouraging them towards this course of action?