The Campfire Grill Doesn’t Want Me to Visit

Posted on by

UPDATE! Inger McCrae, half the equation of the Campfire Grill Smokin’ BBQ commented on this post mere hours after it went up, and gave us excellent directions, and even better BBQ! Full review coming tomorrow, but you should seriously go. It’s awesome.

Neil and I loves us some good, good BBQ.

I won’t go so far as to call it an obsession, but we are certainly avid connoisseurs and enjoy our smoked meat. A lot.

So when I found out about the Campfire Grill Smokin’ BBQ Joint in Squamish shortly before we were planning to head up to Whistler, hot on the heels of a terribly disappointing visit to a new BBQ place in town, we were pretty excited to stop in.

Too bad the folks at the Campfire Grill don’t seem interested in having us stop by.

I dutifully copied the URL of the place, along with their address, into my phone.

Once we made it to Squamish, having followed the directions on Google Maps, it became obvious that Google Maps has no idea where this place actually is.

We aren’t familiar with Squamish at all (only ever pausing there for coffee or gas), and it’s dark and pouring rain at this point, so I went to pull up the website.

FUCKING FLASH! MOTHERFUCKERS!

So of course it wouldn’t load on my phone.

I googled the restaurant again in one last-ditch effort to figure out how to get there, and came up with their phone number. Which I called. And got a message that they don’t answer the phone during business hours, but leave a message if I want a call back the next day.

So Google doesn’t know where the Campfire Grill Smokin’ BBQ Joint actually is.

And the proprietors seem to actively want to discourage people who don’t already know where they are, and might find them while on the road, from actually ever arriving.

According to the reviews on Urban Diner, people who are clearly a) in the know or b) better at finding things than I am seem to like it a lot.

Too bad I feel like I’ll never find out.

Made!

Posted on by

We have already covered the fact that I’m scared of crafts.

I suppose “scared” isn’t the right word – but I just don’t have the inclination (and therefore don’t make the time) to bother learning how to knit and crochet and sew. And never has it been more obvious that I am un-crafty when I’m exposed to all the adorable hats and booties and everything in-between that it feels every mother and grandmother the world over (except me) is making for their newest family members.

I’m not actually as bothered by my own lack of craftiness as I am by the fact that I feel my kid will somehow be missing out on a crucial component of childhood by not having anything lovingly handmade to adorn his person.

Thankfully I have some crafty friends who’ve already made sure the babe’s wee head will be covered with tiny knit hats. And I discovered I apparently have some skillz with the craftiness already baked into my genes.

A wonderful thing about handmade goods is they tend to be wonderful things to pass on. Which leads us to one of the loveliest moment of my baby shower this past weekend.

I’d had no idea my grandmothers had each had made lovely things for my parents to clothe and wrap me in to bring me home from the hospital. Nevermind the fact that my mom’s been holding on to these for the past 30 years. So imagine my surprise when on Sunday she passed them on to me!

My Nana (dad’s mom) made a beautiful baby blanket:

Blanket by Nana

Blanket by Nana

And my Oma (mom’s mom) made a sweater, cap, booties, mits and cape:

Outfit by Oma

Sweater & Hat by Oma

It’s almost enough to make me want to learn to knit or crochet myself… almost.

One Month

Posted on by

Today marks the beginning of the one-month countdown until I plan to go on Maternity leave from work.

This still terrifies me.

It’s plainly obvious that my career (along with life in general) from here on out will never be the same. What it will be like post-kid, nobody can say, and I, like anyone, have a healthy amount of anxiety about the unknown.

So I’ve been doing a lot of reading and reflecting about work, work-life balance and life as a working mom. And a number of pieces have really resonated with me.

From Seth Godin on “Why we work”:

1. For the money
2. To be challenged
3. For the pleasure/calling of doing the work
4. For the impact it makes on the world
5. For the reputation you build in the community
6. To solve interesting problems
7. To be part of a group and to experience the mission
8. To be appreciated

The Dutch Paradox on women working mostly part-time, and how they don’t seem to equate work with pleasure (from Slate):

“We look at the world of management—and it is a man’s world—and we think, oh I could do that if I wanted,” says Maaike van Lunberg, an editor at De Stentor newspaper. “But I’d rather enjoy my life.”

And from Penelope Trunk, on Working (or not) Moms:

So. Now I’m a stay-at-home mom. I’m working about 35 hours a week, but relative to how I had been working, this is part-time work. It’s scary to tell people I’m not working full time because all the good jobs will dry up. And it’s scary to tell people when I’m not home with my kids because I only get one chance in my life to do that. The labels are most scary because they tell you what you gave up. And the scariest thing about adult life is what we give up.

It’s also hard for me to remember that the way thing are going to be for the next few years is not the way they’ll be forever. Raising kids is hard, important work. Work I want to do. But I also find the work I already do to be challenging and rewarding, and I am reluctant to step away from that entirely. A whole year off seems both too long and not long enough at the same time.

What I would really like is to focus on being happy and fulfilled, in whatever form that takes, and not worry so much about how other people label it.

I’m still mostly uncomfortable about the whole thing, but found this article in the New York Times most closely mirrors my own thoughts about the feminism, the tradeoffs, the costs and the rewards.

And at the very least it’s a glimmer of hope that maybe that the time off will be a very good thing, for me, my family, my career and my peers.

This, I would argue, is why the workplace needs women. Not just because they are 50 percent of the talent pool, but for the very fact that they are more willing to leave than men. That, in turn, makes employers work harder to keep them…. Women started this conversation about life and work — a conversation that is slowly coming to include men. Sanity, balance and a new definition of success, it seems, just might be contagious. And instead of women being forced to act like men, men are being freed to act like women. Because women are willing to leave, men are more willing to leave, too…. Looked at that way, this is not the failure of a revolution, but the start of a new one. It is about a door opened but a crack by women that could usher in a new environment for us all.

Got Milk?

Posted on by

A lot of locals are (rightfully) all worked up this week over news that a dog-sledding operation in Whistler had one of their employees shoot 100 dogs, because business was too slow to need all the animals.

Out of the buzz from this story has come a dialogue about why we’re outraged by how these dogs were treated, but still okay with factory farming operations that mistreat orders of magnitude more animals each year in the name of dinner.

Arguments from many sides have come up, including one from people in agriculture who recognize that food animals can’t be killed in the traumatic manner these dogs were, because it would ruin the meat. Which is true. McDonald’s wouldn’t have spent millions working with Temple Grandin to re-engineer their supply-chain if it weren’t good for the bottom line.

A frightened cow, pig or chicken is one with adrenaline coursing through its blood, which makes the meat bitter. Which is unacceptable, especially considering how heavily engineered current food breeds are to mild (some say flavourless) meat.

In truth, these dogs were treated much more like the male offspring of dairy animals, than food animals.

A basic lesson in biology for those who think milk comes from jugs at the supermarket: In order to give a quantity of quality milk, dairy animals (much like their human equivalents) must give birth. And because we haven’t figured out how to breed 95% female offspring in any mammal, about 50% of those offspring are male.

The luckiest males come from hearty breeding stock and are kept around for a few years to mature and breed. The next luckiest are killed humanely at birth or turned into ethically-raised veal. Unlucky boys are kept in unsuitable veal pens and fattened up for a few months before being dispatched, and a huge amount are drowned or bludgeoned to death immediately after birth.

Penelope Trunk recently got herself a couple of free goat kids exactly because of this.

This is another unfortunate side-effect of purpose-breeding ruminants: dairy animals have terrible yield for meat, and meat animals don’t give the quality or quantity of milk to make them worth keeping for dairy use.

These dogs suffered the same fate as those dairy boys. They had become a financial liability (feeding, housing, heath) to a business when they weren’t able to generate revenue. In theory, I don’t actually have a problem with the dog cull. But I have a BIG problem with the apparent lack of effort taken to re-home these dogs (a much easier task with a husky than a holstein), and then the inhumane way they were killed.

Bottom line: when animals are also assets, things get messy. And when we start thinking of them as machines rather than mammals it’s all too easy to do the wrong thing. It’s also clear that being so far separated from the source of our food makes it much easier to turn a blind eye and allow the “wrong thing” to continue.

Any time we interact with animals, from a food or tourist perspective, we owe it to them to ensure their working conditions are at least as humane as we’d demand for any sentient creature: free from threat, disease, undue stress and danger.

And if you consume dairy, you are not saving any cute baby cows by taking an ethical stand against veal.

Bananarama

Posted on by

As I was making dinner with my brother & sister-in-law the other night, it occurred to me I haven’t shared anything foodie here in a little while. And this, my friends, is a good ‘un!

When we did our cooking classes in Thailand, one of the dishes we learned was a steamed banana cake. It is deceptively easy, completely delicious and will satisfy pretty much any food allergy/sensitivity out there: it’s vegan-friendly, dairy-free, nut-free and gluten-free. Unless you don’t do coconut. If that’s the case I can’t help you. But otherwise, read on!

Steamed Banana Pudding

The ingredient list is pretty short:

5 large bananas, mashed
1 c rice flour
1/4 c tapioca flour
1 1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c thick coconut milk
3 c unsweetened dessicated coconut, soaked in water for 10 minutes & drained

And the instructions couldn’t be simpler: reserve 1 c of the coconut, and mix everything together.

You can pour it into tiny bowls, ramekins, or banana-leaf boats if you’re feeling fancy. I generally pour it into a big casserole dish.

Top with the remaining coconut, and steam or bake at 360 F for 30 minutes.

If you don’t do bananas (I know one person who doesn’t like them, and another who’s allergic) I’ve also made this with canned peaches or super-ripe mango. Any fruit that will mash up and also taste good with coconut works here.

If you’re feeling hesitant because of the amount of sugar, you could probably cut it down to as little as 3/4 cup – this dish is super sweet – but don’t omit it entirely. It would probably also work with sugar substitutes, though they’re made of nasty chemicals, so I can’t recommend them. If you were considering using something like agave nectar rather than refined sugar, I’d try adding an extra tablespoon of each of the flours, to make sure it sets up properly.

This recipe makes 8 generous servings, and is excellent for breakfast the next day.

Enjoy!

Snappy

Posted on by

Remember that resolution I published about taking more photos? So far it seems to be happening.

I’m not hitting a picture a day as I’d originally planned, but the camera now lives out in the open, and I’m definitely taking more pictures of things this year so far than last. And they’re slowly making their way onto Flickr. I figure I’ll certainly average 365 pictures this year, especially once the days are a little longer and I’m outside a bit more.

So far I’m not super thrilled with most of the pictures I’m taking, but I’m trying not to let that discourage me. After all, part of doing this is to learn and get better! At this point the biggest thing I need to work on is slowing down and taking my time composing a shot and tweaking settings. Most of my photos are a little (or a lot) off on focus and lighting.

Not to say all my pictures are total crap. I’m actually pretty fond of this one:

7 - Jan 7, 2011 - Holiday Aloe

Follow along with the entire set here. Hopefully as the year goes on they’ll become much more technically and artistically appealing. In the meantime, any tips you have to share would be awesome!

Brown Note

Posted on by

Few things delight me as much as when an employee makes an effort to give a little extra when I’m dealing with a company. Something small and unexpected. Even if it’s company policy, these little extras are so rare. Which makes it even nicer when they happen.

We ordered some baby furniture online, and the company we ordered from uses UPS as their delivery service. It took a couple shipments for everything to arrive, and the delivery guy (it’s been the same guy the past few weeks) left a little something extra with today’s delivery:

IMGP8044

It’s just a UPS calendar. It’s actually kindof ugly. And we have calendars. But he wrote a little note – for BABY, Welcome to the world!

How sweet is that?

The dude noticed what we were getting (flat-packed in plain boxes for the most part) and reached out to do a little something nice.

How can you not love that?

I didn’t choose UPS for shipping – the decision was made for me in this case. But I’ll definitely look at them as an option next time I send a package.

(aside: which UPS marketing genius decided to abandon “what can brown do for you” to the bland “we <3 logistics”? If it’s working, leave it alone!)

It tastes awful, but it works

Posted on by

No, I don’t mean Buckley’s. I’m referring to the NetiPot.

My typical tactic whenever I have a cold is to drug myself into oblivion with as many pharmaceuticals as I can get my hands on. Unfortunately, any cold medication that works is on the list of “things that will cause you to have a retarded flipper baby” so this year I’m SOL on my usual MO.

After a couple days of experimenting with the “if I take my vitamins, and lots of fluids, it won’t be that bad, it’s just a cold” tactic, I came to the conclusion that wishing really hard does not mean I won’t rub my nose raw with kleenex, and that it won’t feel like my head is so stuffed it should just pop off my body.

So I can’t do my usual. And I can’t do nothing. Desperate times clearly call for desperate measures.

Enter: Nasal Irrigation.

It really is just as gross as it sounds. You mix up a saline solution in a vessel that looks a little like a teapot, except instead of a normal spout, it’s got something that looks a bit like a buttplug. For your face.

You stick the plug/spout into one nostril, tilt your head to the side over a sink, and the solution runs through your sinuses and out your other nostril (and into your throat if you’re not careful or are overly enthusiastic – be ready, and I advise you spit, don’t swallow). It also helps to relax so you don’t choke.

It’s completely disgusting, but it works. And the science even seems legit.

I can tell you that for me, it got my totally, painfully blocked sinuses unclogged and moving again. And it’s always easier to function when you don’t feel like your eyeballs are trying to give birth to your brain.

So yes. NetiPot. Disgusting, but worth it. Not unlike having kids (or so I’m told – I’ll confirm that one soon enough).

Common Thread

Posted on by

Side view of my spine, jaw and face.

My sister-in-law had an unfortunate accident over new year’s. Thankfully, she’s going to be fine, but it was a bit scary for a few days there.

As I was reflecting on the frailty of life and health (as we do when things like this happen to our loved ones) it occurred to me that I have no fewer than three people in my life who have broken their necks (while I was far, far away having nothing to do with the accidents, just to be clear).

According to their injuries, all of them should be dead or paralyzed, but they managed to land on the single-digit side of the statistics, and aren’t either.

This leads me to believe I am quite possibly incredibly bad luck, or incredibly good luck to have as a friend or family member.

Regardless – be careful out there!

Twenty Eleven

Posted on by

2010 was quite a pivotal year for our little family. In fact, it splits quite neatly down the middle into BC and AD – Before Conception and After Deathwatch.

The year started with our awesome trip to Thailand, a few frantic months when we thought we were going to move to England, trips to las Vegas & New Orleans and the excitement of a tidy little cash windfall when the company Neil works for was sold.

And then in July we found out I was knocked up, and everything changed far faster than we thought it would. Neil threw me an epic 30th birthday pig roast – during which I was sick as a dog from the onset of pregnancy nausea – and I remained sick as a dog until well into October. Despite the tail end of the suck, we still managed to head to Chicago, Vegas again and rip it up at my oldest little brother’s wedding.

Fall flew by as we caught up on all the life we’d been missing while I was feeling sub-human. We had our lamb slaughtered and started cooking again. Then suddenly the holidays were upon us, and now after a whirlwind Island adventure to spend time with friends, family and just ourselves, we find ourselves at home with 2011 upon us.

And oh what a year it will be!

The biggest event this year for us will definitely be the arrival of our first kid. Before the first quarter’s done, we’ll have a bouncing baby boy of our very own. We’ve been telling ourselves we’ll “worry about getting baby stuff set up after the holidays” so we now have that task ahead of us. It still doesn’t seem real, even when I’m being headbutted in the crotch from the inside out.

Other than that, there are a few resolutions I’d like to achieve in 2011:

Figure out / Survive the first 9 months of parenting. It’s not really a proper resolution, but I do want to remember (as always) to focus on the present, and really get comfortable in my new role as a mom. I already worry a lot about losing all the other parts of me, I don’t want to forget to also embrace the new part as well.

Take more photos. Now that I have the iPhone4 (because the 3G just felt useless from a camera perspective) I’ve been snapping a few more photos when out and about. And I remember the days when I used to take a lot more photos. It feels like it’s time to pull out the proper camera again, and start taking more photos on purpose. I’m aiming for a photo a day. I have no idea when they’ll all make it onto Flickr, but so far in the new year I’m 2 for 2 on photo days, and I’ll post them as I get the time and inclination.

Increase our net worth by 10%. This one is obviously a joint resolution for Neil and I. We’ve really enjoyed the past few years of financial goals, and now that we’ve got our various accounts all sorted out, we needed a little something to aim for to keep us on track. Staying on plan with our regular mortgage payments, various savings contributions and a modest return on our investments should see us easily hit the 10% mark at the end of 2011 over our net worth at the end of 2010.

Run 5K (again) by the end of the year. I had completed the Couch to 5K running program at the end of 2009, and then with winter and heading off on vacation in 2010, lost my running mojo. I’d planned to run the Sun Run 10k in April and that didn’t happen. I was just getting back into the swing of things with a new personal trainer and re-finding time for running when I ended up knocked on my ass for a number of months. Of course I’m more at the waddling stage than running for now, but having the goal to get back up to 5k by the end of 2011 will (hopefully) keep me on track to stay fit now, remain active after popping out a sprog, and start running again once I feel up to it in the late Spring or over the Summer.

I think, with such a big year ahead, four resolutions is plenty, thankyouverymuch. Normally I’m ready to run into the new year at a million miles an hour. This year seems a bit different. Lately I’m (uncharacteristically) much more content to just be. We’ll see how long that lasts, but the ride, and 2011, has been pretty good so far, so I’m inclined to just go with it.

Game On!

Posted on by

Because I was a very good girl this year, Santa left a PS3 under the tree for me!

We’ve been going around in circles since getting our TV as to what kind of peripherals to get for it. Until now we’ve been using my laptop for Netflix (which is okay, except it doesn’t output in particularly high resolution) and debating whether to get an Apple TV and a BluRay player (and maybe a Wii or an XBOX someday), or a PS3.

The ease of having one media player and one input, along with the additional ability to play games (even though from what I can tell, PS Move can’t even begin to compete with XBOX Kinect) won out.

After a day, I’m pretty damn pleased with the features of this console. We’ve setup Netflix, watched a BluRay disc and messed around a bit with the PS Network and some of the network sharing features.

But I have yet to get into the games. And this, gentle reader, is where I ask for your help (*cough*especiallyyouKimli!*cough*).

I am intimidated!

Let me sum up my lifetime gaming experience for you:

Atari: Pong, something with spaceships and shooting
Playing on my uncle’s original Nintendo: Tetris, Mario, Frogger, Duck Hunt and some track & field game on the Power Pad
Playing on my friend’s Super Nintendo: Zelda of some flavour
486 computer: Duke Nukem, Castle Wolfenstein
Sega Genesis: Sonic the Hedgehog, Echo the dolphin
Anything this decade: Rockband, Wii Sports
Fin.

I have occasionally touched a modern videogame controller, and am hopeless when faced with the number of buttons and the sensitivity of the controls. I am lost when it comes to the complicated storylines and goals of most modern games. I have (so far) no desire (probably tied to my total lack of ability on modern gaming consoles) to play virtual sports or careen around in a virtual F1 car or skulk about killing virtual zombies or nazis.

So I am looking for suggestions on games that’ll be a kind and gentle (read: stupidly easy and forgiving) to someone who is, for all intents and purposes, new to gaming. We don’t have the PS Move at this point, and I’d like to avoid buying a 2nd controller at least until the post-Christmas cash-stores have been replenished a bit.

I have so far figured out on my own that Little Big Planet is probably a good place to start. But what else do I need to know? Where else should I be looking?

Until then, I’ll be over here on the couch, with my PS3 remote sadly serving the single-purpose of being a glorified NetFlix surfing/video playback device.

Java Jive

Posted on by

It’s of course the time of year when retailers are going mad pimping their wares, and the fine folks at TASSIMO are no exception.

I’m no longer the prolific blogger I once was, but thanks to a give-two-get-one promo, I ended up with a TASSIMO of my very own, courtesy of the fine Miss Colleen Coplick.

So what do I think of the machine itself? I’ve got a bit of a love-hate thing going on with it.

Love

The ease. You really can’t beat sticking a pod into the top, putting a cup underneath and hitting “go.” The reservoir holds water for plenty of drinks (the water filter is a nice addition) so there’s no need to even add water before making a drink. When the brew’s done, toss the pod and go. I’m certain I will appreciate this both when Neil’s out of town on business, when I can’t be bothered to make a pot of coffee just for myself in our regular drip machine, and definitely when my hands and time are occupied with a squirming creature in a few months.

The variety of drinks available. The whole barcode-reading to optimally brew each drink is pretty swish. TASSIMO sent the brewer with a couple sets of drink pods – some Starbucks regular coffee and some NABOB cappucinos (a 2-step drink with an espresso pod and a milk pod). Since I’ve cut down on the caffeine lately I also picked up a pack of English Breakfast tea pods and some Maxwell House decaf. I’ve tried them all and they’re all quite good. Probably not good enough for an ultra coffee snob, but I pulled enough late-nights in university that I have an extremely high tolerance for extremely bad coffee (and dodgy leftover pizza). I’m also excited to eventually try the hot chocolate.

Making one-off drinks. If Neil wants a hit of the high-test stuff, he can easily make a cup of regular joe for himself, and do a cup of decaf for me. It’s now super easy to make either one or two cups of decaf or one or two cups of regular, depending on the preferences of the group. Of course, if you’re doing more than 3 or 4 cups, it’s still faster to just brew a pot the conventional way.

Hate

The waste. This kills me, and is the primary reason I will use the TASSIMO as the exception rather than the rule. Each pack of drink pods comes in a cardboard box. That box is wrapped in non-recyclable plastic. Each pod is made of non-recyclable plastic. Every time I make a drink (especially the cappuccino, which takes 2 pods) I think of the pods ending up floating here. If there were some magical way to create recyclable (good) compostable (better) or reuseable (best) pods I’d feel a whole lot better about it. (UPDATE: read the comments, turns out they are recyclable.)

The cost. Making drinks with the TASSIMO falls somewhere between buying them at a coffee shop and making them on your own. The TASSIMO plain coffee and tea work out to be about $0.75 each (depending on where you buy and if they’re on sale) while the specialty drinks (lattes and cappucinos) are about $1.30. If you’re really cost-conscious and only want single-cup servings, you’re far better off buying loose tea and ground coffee, and making a cup at a time with boiling water and a single-cup pour-over filter. If you think this will save you money by using it to reduce your fancy coffee shop budget, don’t forget you’re buying a not-inexpensive machine first. Spending a bunch of money to save money is rarely a good solution.

The chemicals. Of course I threw out the wrapping around the cappuccino package, but the ingredients for the “concentrated milk product” are far more than just milk. I’m certainly no stranger to chemical-laden franken-foods, but I do try to limit them. Since I’m not even that much of a cappuccino or latte afficionado, I’ll probably use these up, then not bother to replace them.

Overall the TASSIMO is a pretty cool piece of technology, with the single-serve coffee making and the barcode-reading drink customization. It’ll certainly get its fair share of use making single-cups of regular or decaf coffee, and was a pretty awesome treat of a thing I wouldn’t have ever bought myself.

What would make it the go-to coffee maker in my house? If TASSIMO changes the pods to be more environmentally friendly, and introduces a more natural milk product (concentrated UHT milk would be kindof awesome). Or, you know, if we discover the world actually is ending in 2012 and suddenly tossing out plastics and ingesting chemicals don’t matter so much anymore.

Two Thirds!

Posted on by

I’ve officially made it to the third trimester! We’re in the home stretch, which is alternately awesome and terrifying. In fewer than 100 days, we will have a tiny human (definitely of the boy variety, as an update to that last post) of our very own.

There’s a well-established saying that the 2nd trimester is the “honeymoon phase” of pregnancy, and I have to say that definitely applies to me. (And if you are finding this in the misery of the first trimester, I feel for you, I really do! Be kind to yourself, fight for the treatments you need to make it through the bleakness. It’s okay.)

After we finished with the “summer of death, 2010″ I’ve actually spent the past number of weeks feeling surprisingly good. I joked a lot that the best part about it has been forgetting much of the time that I’m pregnant. Not so forgetful that I’d be six cocktails in before going “oh shit! the fetus!” but that the whole “host to a parasite” thing was no longer interfering with my ability to lead a normal life.

And so, because it’s been a not-unpleasant ride for the past while, and in the spirit of not being a total Negative Nelly about this whole experience, I present to you, the 2nd trimester list of things that don’t totally suck about being pregnant:

• Obviously looking pregnant, as opposed to looking like I’ve had a long and sordid affair with a donut shop that didn’t end well. Which goes along with…

• Not caring about those “last 10 lbs” for the first time I can recall in my adult life. I’m trying to enjoy it, as I assume this laissez faire attitude about the current size of my ass will immediately revert to its previous state approximately 8 seconds after I see my lower half in a mirror the first time after giving birth.

• The ease of dressing myself. Nobody seems to expect much from pregnant women in the wardrobe department. Which makes it that much easier to feel sartorially confident. Also, the 2nd trimester is when maternity clothes are their most comfortable and flattering. In previous weeks and months, most maternity fashions still hung on me like so many circus tents (even though my pre-pregnancy clothes were laughably too small). Currently, they fit like a glove. I am expecting soon I will be stretching them to their limits and otherwise rolling in Neil’s sweatpants.

• The unending string of compliments. It seems the universally declared “thing that is appropriate to say to a pregnant woman” is “wow, you look fantastic!” And you know, I don’t care if you really think that or are just trying to say something that won’t get your head bitten off. I approve, and thank you.

• Finding out the sex of the fetus! It’s really no secret I hated and resented this little parasite for the early part of pregnancy. I looked forward to having a kid at the end of it all, but was decidedly unimpressed at the 9-month trial I’d be enduring while waiting for the kid to arrive. Everything was such crap that it became really important to me I get something out of it that was for nothing other than my own selfish desires. The gender screen was it. Now that I know there’s a wee boy-to-be in there, I feel like I’ve actually, finally, bonded with him in some small way and have gotten over the mental hurdle I needed to in order to start actually planning and being excited.

I have been assured by those who’ve gone before that I am in for another slow, downhill drag back into misery, culminating in the ordeal that is giving birth, but so far I’m mostly ignoring that part and continuing my independent research study (sample size: 1) on whether the intense sugar cravings are really a body’s way of trying to compensate for all the sugars it’s missing from lack of alcohol input.

Belly! 27w2d

Someone asked for a belly photo, and when I realized I didn’t have any, I snapped a quick one in the bathroom at work. You’re welcome!