1.  I did, indeed, sleep like a dead thing despite the nightmares about, er, dead things.

2.  A busy week ahead of me, with lots to distract me from the fact that I’d rather be sleeping.

3.  We’ve scheduled showings of 5 more houses we’re online-interested in for next weekend.  Because, really, one cannot pack too much travel into the middle of one’s 8th month of pregnancy.  Seriously, it’s a good thing.  Nicely distracting, plus I’m terrifically encouraged that the Boy is getting so excited about the prospect of moving away from his beloved city.  This just might work…

4.  Had to buy milk & O.J. at a bodega (corner store) this morning, and the sales guy was pretty funny.  Didn’t have a ton of English, but I think he was complimenting my looks, (because bloated & pregnant?  HAWT!) and he was certainly trying to slip chocolate into my bag on the way out.  Now besides the fact that chocolate at 7am has never been at the top of my  Yes! list of foods, I’m on a strict no-chocolate regimen, and reject gifts of food by salesguys on general principle.  But it made me feel good, and that’s always a nice way to start the day.

5.  a/c is my friend.  It’s cool.  It dries the sweat on my forehead.  It’s cool.  It’s cool.

1.  2 months til my official due date.  I’m in my 8th month of pregnancy, no matter how you look at it.  Unless of course, you’re eyeballing me (& therefore guessing at my due date), in which case you’re probably convinced I’m going to pop tonight.

2.  Connecticut wasn’t exactly restful – really damned hot, bed’s too uncomfortable for words, and one of the 5 dogs in the house was nosing its way into the bedroom all during the night.  Got almost no sleep, and I’m more tired now than I was Saturday night after a full week of work, and I have a full week of work ahead of me.  But.  It was lovely to meet the Boy’s aunt.  She brought Thor all kinds of presents from Butler University (The Boy’s last name is Butler, and Thor’s will be, too) – teddy bears wearing “Butler!” sweatshirts.  A onesie with “Butler Baby” writ across the chest.  Way cute.  Beyond thoughtful. Adorable!

Plus, it was her dog who stood up on his hind legs to steal the last of the filet from the sideboard as we were all eating dessert.  Which makes Nellie look exceptionally good.

We laughed a lot and I really enjoyed meeting her and her husband and their two grandkids who were on the road trip with them.  It was a good, if exhausting, day.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

3.  Speaking of filet…

I was a vegetarian for almost 20 years.  For various reasons, when I moved to New York, I started eating meat again.  It’s still not something I go out of my way to eat, but when it’s put in front of me, I’ll eat it happily.  And, as long as I’m eating meat, I want my red meat RED.  We’re talking, still cold in the middle, still mooing, RED.  Which means I haven’t been eating much red meat during this pregnancy.  Even though it sounds really good, because well done beef or lamb?  Blech.  Why bother?

Well.  I’ve mentioned before that my MIL is a domestic goddess, among her other talents.  And so when she cooks a beef filet for 13 people, it’s going to be good – in part because she buys better cuts of meat than anyone I’ve ever met.  She was very disappointed last night because the gigantic hunk of filet she bought & prepared was so unevenly cut that it was hard to get it as uniformly rare as she likes it.  I, of course, was delighted since having a few well done pieces meant I could enjoy it without having to nuke my perfectly-cooked steak.  And this filet?  It was so tender, so deliciously perfect, even cooked til it was brown, that it was wonderful.  I didn’t even miss the sound effects.

Damn, I wish I had another piece of that steak.

4.  I get to sleep tonight in my own bed, and since last night was such a penitential experience, I have every reason to believe that I’ll sleep soundly tonight.  Like maybe even 4 or 5 hours in a row without waking up to pee.  Damn, it’s gonna be nice.

5.  This might be my last full week of work coming up.  I haven’t yet finalized my official “last day” but if I’m still feeling this chronically exhausted by the end of the Italy trip, I will probably try to not go back to work at all.  And right now?  God, that just sounds heavenly.

1. The Boy is still psyched about buying a house out-of-town.   Need I say how happy this makes me?  He is, in fact, going to take care of setting up viewing appointments for next weekend all over NH.  I think we’re really going to do this!

2.  Fridays are always slow at the library.  Don’t know why, but am well & truly grateful.

3.  My dog makes me smile.  She’s so excited for her morning walk these days, so excited for me to take her for a walk.  Dogs are pure happy, you know?

4.  I slept well, if intermittently, last night.  This is a good thing.

5.  The Boy has almost finished a new section of the book he’s been working on for a while.  This means I can read it soon.  Which always makes me happy.

1.  July is half over!  When did this happen?  Wow!  Italy soon!  Baby soon after that!  Wow!

2.  Yesterday did me good.  I think I must have picked up some kind of a 24 hour bug, because although I napped three times yesterday, I didn’t feel yucky the way I did on Tuesday.  And I slept like a log.

3.  The Boy is more excited about househunting than I am.  This is the same Boy who loves Brooklyn at least as much as he loves playing Civilization.  Or eating steak.  Or, well, anything else that isn’t a person.  I think we might head back to NH next weekend to have another look at the Farm, as well as a look at some other properties we’ve stumbled over online.  We spent our normal “Let’s watch some Friends dvds” time searching real estate sites last night.  And he just poked his head in to ask me to send him the listings of my ’5 favorite properties’.  Holy shit, internets – I think we might really end up doing this!

4.  It’s a coffee morning.  Yay, coffee!  And for the dog, it was a squirrel morning.  And a ‘snuggle in bed once the air conditioner was turned off at 6am’ morning.  A good morning, in other words.

5.  One of the old Italian ladies at the bakery where I go for my morning roll on roll-&-coffee mornings was teasing me about my poor planning, being so heavily pregnant during the hottest part of summer.  “That’s what happens when you’re having fun!”  she cackled.  And, for the first time, rather than biting my tongue to keep from saying something inappropriate about injections, donors, surgeries major & minor, I just laughed with her and said “Yeah, well, you know how it is.”  “Honey, do I ever!”  A most satisfying exchange.  Maybe, eventually, I’ll be able to let this infertility go.  Maybe not, but this morning gave me a bit of hope.

1.  Rain!  Glorious rain!  Not that it’s cooling down much, but at least the trees won’t be wilting today!

2.  OB appointment this morning, and the Boy is coming along to meet the man who’s going to hand him his son. Which should be sort of fun.

3.  Despite me being momentarily frightened last night – I couldn’t stop sweating all day, felt generally blechy – OMG, it’s Listeria! – I think I’m fine.  Just hot.  Because, well, it’s summer & the a/c doesn’t really cut the heat when it’s this humid.

4.  I may, actually, call in sick today after my appointment.  I could use another 3 or 4 hours of napping time to really feel up to par.  Despite my best intentions, I may not be working at all in August.  I.  Am.  So.  Tired.  Which is ok.  Thor is taking what he needs to grow strong enough to simultaneously punch my bladder and kick my ribs, and he can do that as much as he wants.  So grateful he’s growing so well despite my seeming inability to put on any weight this summer.

5.  I am oddly amused by the fact that the dog is not quite bright enough to know that if it’s raining hard enough for her to not want to go out back, it will also be raining hard enough that she will not want to go for a walk.  But no!  She gets all excited about her walk, just like she always does.  Then we go outside, the first raindrops proceed to hit her back, and she turns around and comes straight back into the house.  Silly little dog.

1.  So, we spent last night discussing all the ways we could remodel The Farm to make it more comfortable.  The Boy, apparently, spent all day dreaming about that gorgeous hillside.  Looks like that property is not yet out of the running!

2.  Day off today.  Day off begun with a long, lazy, lie-in and a phone call from one of our NH friends wanting to send us a link to “the perfect house” and also to tell me that she found me a perfect part-time job.  The house is, actually, semi-interesting, though I have to say I’m not particularly interested in a new job at the moment. Am very interested, though, in the fact that our friends are doing legwork on our behalf.  It’s nice to feel like they’d welcome us up there, invading their state with our New York ways!

3.  According to my friends at the ROP, the drama just continues to escalate.  I am feeling well and truly grateful for the dust plume that got me the hell away from her when it did.

4.  According to the ditzy manager at the new branch, the meeting I have to attend at the ROP next week is, in fact, a baby shower.  I’m grinning like a fool as I write this, even though I would have protested, if asked, that I don’t need a silly shower.  I’m just simply tickled and touched that my friends there want to do something so nice for me.  I have not, over the last two years, been at my best while on the job.  It’s good to know I didn’t alienate people too much – or that they understood & didn’t hold it against me.

5.  Another overcast day.  Hot & humid, but SO MUCH BETTER than the summer hell that was last week.

1.  The whirlwind trip north was, if not unalloyed fun, at least unalloyed interesting. Had a lovely visit with a friend from a big writing workshop I did in my youth.  Had a wonderful time with the friends who were here last week, hosting us in their house instead.  Had a great time going to check out The Farm.  The Boy didn’t explode with fury even once in the car over traffic delays – always a traveling hazard with him.  A good (if WAAAAYYY short) weekend.

2.  Slept poorly in NH, but divinely once I came home.  It’s almost worth a nearly sleepless night to sleep soundly for 8 hours….

3.  Only 67 days left, according to my widget.  This makes me __________!
a) Happy
b) Terrified
c) Eager
d) Impatient
e) All of the Above

Um, yeah.  Let’s make that answer an ‘E’.

4.  While standing outside the hotel, chatting with my writing friend, a hotel  employee came up, obviously interested in Nellie the Wonder whippet.  “Of course you can pet her – she LIVES to be pet” we assured him.  He proceeded to fall all over himself adoring her.  When he was done, he thanked us profusely, gave us his name to use if we needed anything.  We assured him we were fine, and he suggested we go use the gazebo.  “It’s ok, it’s still wet from the rain but we’re fine, thank you anyway.”  Well, then nothing would do but that he came out with an armload of towels and dried off the gazebo seats for us. “Thank you!  Thank you so much!”  Another few minutes went by with us sitting in the (now) dry gazebo, and out he comes again – this time with an armload of water bottles, a bowl from the restaurant and the explanation, “I could hardly bring the dog some water without bringing some for you all too – just be sure to tell anyone who asks that you bought it at the gift shop!”

All I can say is “Wow” -  Marriott Boston, your employees are amazing (if, perhaps, wasted outside the area of animal care – get thee to a veterinary school, young man!)  And Michael, wherever you are, I truly hope that you get lots of things in your life that make you as happy as playing with Nellie did.

5.  After last week’s nasty bouts with acid reflux, this week I seem to be fine whether I eat spicy Pakistani food, or mellow cheese & crackers.  Don’t know what triggers this stuff, but it’s nice to get another break for a while.

1.  You are reading the blog of a person who may not ever have to work another day at the Realm of Pain.  I’ve been semi-permanently transferred to another branch.  Not a great branch, but better than the ROP, you know?  Shoot, if I’d known that playing the “I’m pregnant and can’t be around dangerous things” card would work this well & quickly, I’d've been bitching about the construction issues a long time ago.  Best thing?  New branch has a “real” Mexican place nearby that sells homemade tortillas & rice/beans, so I’m going to be eating cheap & tasty for the next couple of weeks whilst enjoying my time away from the crazy Princess.

Woohooo!

2.  There are clouds today.  They may not last, and they made last night pretty miserable, but maybe they’ll hold the temp down today.

3.  Tomorrow I’m driving up to meet the Boy at one of his writing conventions – where I’ll get to see a friend whom I haven’t seen in a very long time, as well as friends we saw just last week.  Plus we get to look around the farm I want to buy, and get a better feel for whether or not it’s right for us.  (pleasepleasepleaseplease!)  All in all, a couple of days to be excited about!

4.  The dog has taken to really getting excited about taking walks with me in the morning.  Which was always our automatic routine, but what with the back pain & all, I’ve been slacking off on.  She’s taken to leaping out of bed when I do and immediately stationing herself by the front door – nevermind that I haven’t showered or eaten yet.  Now that I’m able to cautiously push the walking envelope a bit without descending into agony, it’s been fun indulging her a little bit by taking her for a walk every day without fail. This for the dog who refuses to step foot from the stoop if there is rain falling or not-yet-evaporated, snow, temperatures over 75* or under 72*.  I guess she likes our quiet time together almost as much as I do.

5.  Weekend.  Weekend with no work scheduled.  Whew.

1.  I got sent away from the Realm of Pain yesterday – just for yesterday & today, but I’ll still count it a blessing.  The branch is being renovated, and we’re working in the basement while the main floor is being redone.  The reason we were out of the branch entirely for so long this winter is because the age of the building means that behind all the walls, ceilings, and floors is a nice juicy layer of asbestos.  So yesterday, in the middle of other construction related irritations (alarms that couldn’t be shut down, an almighty pounding and shouting and vibrating upstairs) the fire alarm – the one with flashy lights & automatically calling the fire department – comes on, and all of a sudden the air is filled with – something.

Something that tasted chalky.  Like, say, gypsum.  Which means maybe a wall came down that they weren’t intending to come down?  Whatever.  When it was still hanging in the air after about 10 minutes, I called the health & safety rep. to complain & ask for an air filter or a mask or something.

She took my complaint seriously, and made the staffing person at Central find me a temporary post, stat.  So I got to wait for a bus in the middle of the day, but at least I wasn’t breathing in that crap all day.  My poor coworkers (whose non-pregnant, non-complaining lungs are, apparently, not as important as mine) had to stay, and for that I am sad.  But 2 days without the princess?

Life is good.

2.  Caprese salad for dinner last night.  Mmmm.  Cool.  Mmmmm.

3.  During one of the several times that the subway stopped yesterday, I was trapped on a crowded F train with no air conditioning.  Just as I was getting seriously woozy, a woman halfway down the car noticed, somehow, rousted another woman from her seat, and bulled her way through the crowd to grab me by the wrist, drag me over to the vacated seat and plunk me down in it.

Obviously a mother, herself.

She scolded me all the way to her next stop, about how I needed to kick lazy riders out of their seats.  “They’ll be happy to do it,” she insisted.  “Yeah, if you’re around,” I didn’t say.  “And only because otherwise they’d be afraid that you’d come after them.  Though she be but little, man was she ever fierce!  And I didn’t pass out on the subway.  Three cheers.

4.  Tomorrow’s Friday.  Which is one day closer to Sunday.  Which is when we get to tour the farm in NH where I want to live.

5.  Thor was mightily active yesterday – which is always a good day in my book.  Oh – there he goes again.  Somersault!

1.  This current heat wave is, at least, not a particularly humid one.  Which means this desert girl tolerates it a whole lot better.  Sorry to all you non-desert people, but I’m grateful, even though we’re looking at 103* today.

2.  My friends (and I) had our layoff notices rescinded yesterday.  There is general rejoicing amongst my friends at work, and I am very happy for them.  Selfishly, I’m bummed because I was going to collect unemployment instead of taking money from my husband (and for whatever reason, I’m more comfortable doing that.)  but I am truly and honestly grateful that my friends will not be in a bad situation this fall, out of a job in this crappy economy.

3.  Coffee shop is open again after their 4th o’July vacation.  Which is good, because the other places’ coffee?  Not so great.

4.  Having odd dreams that I haven’t decided if they’re comforting or disturbing.  Carrying on conversations that were finished years ago.  Visiting places I may never see again.  I always seem to sleep better when I have many dreams, so this might bode well for the next few nights’ sleep.

5.  Of course, having to go in and discuss maternity leave at Central does mean that it’s probably most of a day I won’t be spending at the Realm of Pain.  There’s a good thing right there…