And on a lighter note ** They're showing Rocky Horror Picture Show in Arizona again. Not that I'll be hurrying over there, but it's a pleasure to see this movie has an opportunity to warp another generation of young minds like it did ours. *sigh* Memories.
Posted 3:05 PM by Kerry O.

I spoke too soon **
From MSNBC.com: Protesters against war with Iraq take to the streets
From CNN.com: Crowds gather for weekend of antiwar protests
Posted 2:43 PM by Kerry O.

Front page article ** Protests against war to attract thousands... Demonstrators will board trains, buses, cars and airplanes to participate in the follow-up to October rallies in Washington and San Francisco that organizers said attracted hundreds of thousands of people. This weekend's rally, which also will have a counterpart in San Francisco, is being coordinated by International A.N.S.W.E.R (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) and is supported by a long list of unions, advocacy groups and international peace organizations.
Posted 8:45 AM by Kerry O.

Go west, young men ** My mommy is about an hour and a half into her journey west this morning. She is driving to San Francisco for the protest tomorrow. My brother and Mason will be following by air tonight to join in too. Everyone rightly decided that, as much as I would love to, it's probably not in the best interests of my unborn child for me to walk in a massive protest when I'm 8 months pregnant. So, in case you hadn't noticed, my sidebar is becoming increasingly political. I can't march, but I can advertise. I don't expect you all to share my views, but this is my blog and I'm choosing to express them. Undoubtedly I will do so with increasing fervor long into the future, as long as needed. This weekend, instead of marching, I will be doing a lot of reflection, research and prayer. I was overjoyed to find a rather extensive justice section involving peaceful protest of war on my church denomination's website. It fills me with comfort that we're not alone in our fight against this hellish snowball effect.

Besides, how cool is it that my baby's going to have an anti-war-protesting grandma? And uncles?
Posted 7:36 AM by Kerry O.

Celebrity Juror ** You always hear about celebrities who are too important to condescend to appear in front of "normal" people in any "normal" situations. Well, Randy Johnson showed up for jury duty. What a kick-ass guy. He's probably really glad he wasn't picked!
Posted 1:29 PM by Kerry O.

Playing with guns ** I read Dawn's journal once in a while, and I'm always struck by her ability to reason. While perusing her journal, I found a link to her column, and an article about toy guns. This is a hot-button issue for me. I'm amazed by her ability to come to a solution for this. It made me think about the millions of conversations like this I will have with my daughter as she grows up and challenges all those pre-conceived notions I carry around with me everyday.
Posted 12:56 PM by Kerry O.

You're old, you're old, you smell like mold **

Happy birthday, Ember!

Posted 12:28 PM by Kerry O.

Fish heads, fish heads, roly poly fish heads ** The worst thing about taking fish oil pills is burping lightly (it's a pregnant thing, just trust me) 5 minutes later and tasting fish. Ew. It's 9:15 in the morning. I don't want to taste fish. Thankfully it doesn't last. I hope this baby appreciates what I'm going through for her.
Posted 9:20 AM by Kerry O.

Today ** It's weird how much my moods swing during this pregnancy. Yesterday I was super-efficient. I got things done I've been meaning to do for ages. Of course, I virtually fell asleep on the way home I was so exhausted last night, but that's another story. Today? Today I want to go shopping. Or to a movie. Or, really, go do anything other than sit here at work. I have no desire to do anything productive, though I have actually gotten a surprising amount done. It doesn't help that it's very quiet here today. That just makes me more lethargic. Weird.
Posted 10:05 AM by Kerry O.

Look! It's 'arry Potter! ** About time! The new Harry Potter book is coming in June. Yippeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!! Joe calls me a 10-year-old when I get excited about H.P. movies and books. I just can't help myself.
Posted 9:26 AM by Kerry O.

Sad ** I'm in my 31st week of pregnancy, and so was Pavarotti's girlfriend, who delivered prematurely and lost one of her twins. How sad. Just when I start to think I'm pretty much in the clear on these things. Yucky.
Posted 11:31 AM by Kerry O.

In like a lion ** Boy, this day started off with a bang! A co-worker decided to speak quite negatively about me to an internal client in the desk across from me without realizing I was here. This is the same co-worker I've had issues with in the past. In fact, this is the same co-worker everyone has had issues with in the past. Now, I've always tried to be the good team players. I admit it. I avoid conflict at all costs. I'm not the one at the boss's desk, whining every other day. But today? Today, I had to go to my boss for another unrelated issue, and I brought this particular incident up. She was very displeased. This made me happy. Now I'm silly-happy and feeling very productive. Human emotions are strange.
Posted 8:41 AM by Kerry O.

Artful ** I wanna go to this! Anyone wanna come with me? I haven't been to a good exhibition at the Phoenix Art Museum since the Monet exhibit was here. It's about time!
Posted 10:39 AM by Kerry O.

Wrong ** This morning, I've been reading posts on various boards from women due with their babies around the time I'm due. I've come across more than one woman "crying" into her computer this morning because her husband is being deployed to duty overseas, some for a year or more. I have been honest about my feelings about this upcoming war, and I'm even more sickened reading these women's stories. These men are going to miss the births of their sons and daughters, some of them first children, to control oil and settle a powerful family score. That is positively asinine.
Posted 8:18 AM by Kerry O.

Fate ** Well, the Mazda sold. It's amazing in so many ways. It was the first call Saturday morning, and as it turned out, it was the only call until midday Sunday. He came by, knew what he was looking for and was perfect for the car. I know that sounds silly, but remember, this car was a very important part of my life and I was sorry to see it go. But this guy will appreciate it and enjoy it, and that makes the parting much easier to bear. We got quite a bit for it - not what we were asking, but we didn't really expect that. It all went very smoothly, and by midday Saturday, it was a done-deal. We are officially a 2-car family again, as we should be.

It wasn't an overly productive weekend, besides selling the car. But sometimes you need those. I got a few things done around the house (like finished the flannel liners in the changing table baskets), and Joe pretty much worked all weekend on various projects. I have an unbelievable number of things I still need to do, and the nesting instinct is coming on for sure. I want to stay home and piddle around with things. I can't wait until I go on leave so I can attack my bedroom. It's driving me batty. This Wednesday, I am meeting with our HR person to start planning that. I cannot wait.
Posted 7:33 AM by Kerry O.