I'm coooold ** Well, not really. It's mid-70's here. But that's a line from my favorite radio commercial right now. It's the Toyota one, and I don't know if anyone else has heard it, but I love it. It's totally me and Joe, even Joe agrees. It goes something like this (apologies since I can't remember exactly):
Man: Hello?
Woman: It's me. The car won't start.
Man: Where are you?
Woman: In the car. In the parking lot. (quietly:) At the mall.
Man: Oh, of course. Why won't it start? Is it in park, honey?
Woman: I checked that, honey, and I did the battery thing too.
Man: And nothing happened?
Woman: (angry:) No, nothing happened! I hate this car! It never works. (whining:) And I'm cold.
Man: Oh, calm down. You're always cold.
Woman: Okay, you know what? I'm going to go buy a sweater.
Man: No!

You'd have to hear it. It's funny.
Posted 11:47 AM by Kerry O.

If you're happy and you know it ** To the tune of that classic, I share with you the following, shamelessly stolen from Mar:

If you cannot find Osama, bomb Iraq.
If the markets are a drama, bomb Iraq.
If the terrorists are frisky,
Pakistan is looking shifty,
North Korea is too risky,
Bomb Iraq.

If we have no allies with us, bomb Iraq.
If we think someone has dissed us, bomb Iraq.
So to hell with the inspections,
Let's look tough for the elections,
Close your mind and take directions,
Bomb Iraq.

It's "pre-emptive non-aggression", bomb Iraq.
Let's prevent this mass destruction, bomb Iraq.
They've got weapons we can't see,
And that's good enough for me
'Cos it's all the proof I need
Bomb Iraq.

If you never were elected, bomb Iraq.
If your mood is quite dejected, bomb Iraq.
If you think Saddam's gone mad,
With the weapons that he had,
(And he tried to kill your dad),
Bomb Iraq.

If your corporate fraud is growin', bomb Iraq.
If your ties to it are showin', bomb Iraq.
If your politics are sleazy,
And hiding that ain't easy,
And your manhood's getting queasy,
Bomb Iraq.

Fall in line and follow orders, bomb Iraq.
For our might knows not our borders, bomb Iraq.
Disagree? We'll call it treason,
Let's make war not love this season,
Even if we have no reason,
Bomb Iraq.
Posted 10:20 AM by Kerry O.

Princess? ** I'm not sure how Princess-like she is. She bit Joe yesterday, quite badly. You see, she's normally very friendly and relatively mild. When most people play with her, she knows not to bite. She might playfully snap at you, but she's as shocked as you are if she actually makes contact. But that all goes right out the window once a day: When the mailman comes. Before I had a dog, I thought this was just one of those stories people told; I didn't realize how true the stories were! My dog HATES the mailman. That's putting it mildly. His visit and the clank of the mailbox (we have one of those mailboxes on the wall by our front door - it's not out by the street) set her into a panicked, prehistoric frenzy for about 15 minutes each day. Even if she's in her crate! Well, I guess yesterday, she was doing her normal panic, and Joe tried to pick her up, to calm her down. She was barking furiously so he put his hand near her mouth to attempt to shut it. She bit him very very hard. And didn't even react when he dropped her and ran bleeding to the bathroom.

This is the only time she's ever like this at all, and it worries me. I plan to teach Ceili that when Princess (or any dog) is mad, stay calm and stay away. But beyond that, how can I teach Princess not to do this? Any ideas?
Posted 8:13 AM by Kerry O.

Inevitable Disclaimer ** Jen's comment makes me think about a problem I knew would come. I know that not everyone agrees with me on many of my views, especially those about which I've been so particularly vocal lately. I know that people may vehemently disagree with me, some offended so much they might even get angry with me. If they don't know me, it might anger them to the point they think I'm an idiot and they'll never visit my journal again. To everyone except the latter folk, who I just chalk up as shallow, I owe you a reserved apology and explanation.

Yes, everyone is fond of the "This is my blog, so bugger off" excuse. And it is true, in a way. But I also don't want to piss people off. I'm a realist, and I know that one-topic blogs get very old, very fast. There is something going on in my heart, though, and in my head that I just can't ignore. And it's spilling onto these "pages." That is, after all, why I keep this journal. It IS my journal, not just a blog. I don't keep a paper journal anymore, and I was never that good at it anyway. In just the 1.5 years I've been keeping this, I already like to go back and read what I wrote before, what I felt then. I've revisited my post-9/11 posts many times.

But the one thing I have always cherished is a variety of opinions. You see, it's a two-fold discussion. On one hand, I want people to also honor a variety of opinions, thus ensuring respect for my opinions in others, whether they agree with them or not. But on the other, more important hand, I'm a debater. It's in every fiber of my being. I play Devil's Advocate like it's going out of style (actually, it HAS gone out of style, but that's an issue for another day). I firmly, completely, resolutely believe in my heart that I cannot have a firm opinion about something until I begin to understand the counter-argument(s). THAT's why I like debating. I like to hear the best arguments people can make against my point of view. I like to understand people and what makes them tick. Not so I can bash them, not so I can try to change their minds, just so I can understand them. That's why, if someone tells me I'm wrong, I ask them to explain why, and I may argue with them and challenge them to argue with me back. Especially when it's an argument I've heard before. Because I get a chance to think about it again and wrestle with other sides of those same arguments. And I'm not adverse to changing my mind. That happens when I am confronted with very compelling arguments sometimes. I may not change my mind completely, but I might reconsider things I thought I knew. See how this makes your own opinions stronger?

Not everyone shares this view either, and not everyone is willing to discuss things the way I do. I know that too. As long as I continue to have respect for varying opinions, I will continue to be able to fully develop my own. I don't like someone better when they agree with me. I like someone better when s/he is her/his own person.

This isn't directed specifically at Jen, who I love dearly, it's directed at anyone who reads it and reads anything else in my blog. It's okay to tell me you think I'm wrong and why. Just like you might not agree with me, I might not agree with you. And that's okay. At least as far as I'm concerned. :-)
Posted 12:59 PM by Kerry O.

Why? Just tell me why! ** Why do we want togo about this alone?! I realize our President is an idiot, but he's surrounded by intelligent people. I've long believed Colin Powell would make an excellent President. So why oh why are they so stupidly blind to what is happening? How can they think that doing this alone (okay, with Britain, but that's still essentially alone) is a good idea? Without any real basis? It's not like their poised on our doorstep ready to start a war with us! This is stupid! At least with the Gulf War, which I also opposed, we had an excuse we could point at: They'd invaded Kuwait. Okay, fine. But this time? We want to point to their weapons. First, if we attacked every country with weapons of mass destruction, we would be very very busy, and very thinned out. Not to mention we'd have to attack ourself as the biggest enemy first! Second, if that's our excuse, then wait! The U.N. has jumped on the bandwagon with that excuse, and they will offer us full support... IF we wait and IF it turns out to be a valid excuse.

But no. Our haste to rush to war proves that it has nothing to do with U.N. resolutions, fear of terrorist attacks (which will only multiply after we start this stupid war), desire to protect or help another endangered country or group of people, or threatened national security. It has to do with oil. And a grudge. As much as I am grateful for the devotion of the men and women of our armed forces (remember: My own step-brother, with whom I have had a very close relationship over the years, is a warrant officer stationed in a bad place right now, just a breath from the coming action), I am sickened that they need to be there at all and I want them all to come home. I don't want to read any more stories about pregnant wives kissing their husbands goodbye for who knows how long. And I don't EVER want to turn on the TV news again and see the words "Target: Iraq" plastered on my screen.
Posted 8:30 AM by Kerry O.

Take my wife... please! ** My co-worker, the one who causes me endless grief? Turns out she's posted for a promotion position in another part of the company. Many people have posted for this position, including at least 3 from my own team, so she probably won't get it. But I'm trying to figure out how I can call the hiring manager and convince them that they reeeeeaaaalllly want to hire her. Now. Take her away.
Posted 8:09 AM by Kerry O.

AWESOME! ** I just bought the They Might Be Giant's children's album, No! Thank you to Shana for showing me the way! I had no idea!
Posted 9:56 AM by Kerry O.

Top 3 reasons to make brownies for co-workers **
3. Sucking up to the chocolate-loving boss
2. Makes the house smell yummy for days
1. One word: Leftovers! You know, the ones that just didn't fit in the container you're bringing in, so you just have to leave 1/2 of them at home!
Posted 9:51 AM by Kerry O.

Rumble down south ** My thoughts and prayers are going out to the folks in Mexico, who are dealing with the aftermath of a big earthquake.
Posted 8:51 AM by Kerry O.

Pick-me-up ** I've decided to get a makeover. Well, not a complete one, but I'm going to go pay an exhorbitant amount of money to have my hair completely re-done, and then I'll probably treat myself to a pedicure. I've just decided it's time. If you're not shocked, then you probably don't know me IRL. I have had the same hairstyle, basically, for about 10 years. When I was 16, I cut my hair off to a just-above-shoulder-length bob. Since then I have done nothing but grow it out straight, longer and longer until the last several years, when it has been butt-length, basically. I cut a few inches off every few months, but that's it. I'm going to keep much of the length, but I'm going for some kinda spiky layers and warm highlights. That's the goal, anyway. Now I just have to get the nerve to actually go and do it. The pedicure's easy. And reasonable. I can't reach my toes very well anymore. :-/
Posted 7:57 AM by Kerry O.

Warped from birth ** That's my brother, with his strong opinions and all. Something must have happened to both of us growing up. Must've been all that 60's folk music. Surely it involved our former-pseudo-hippie mom. Whatever it was, it seems to have had some sort of weird impact on both of us. I wonder if I will pass this on to my children. Most likely, as Joe cheerfully pointed out that we'll always remember when this war started (as it surely will very soon) because it was right about the time when we delivered Ceili. Great. What a landmark in time to share with the birth of our first child.
Posted 1:06 PM by Kerry O.

Whew ** That was a long - and BUSY - weekend! Now I will subject you to a recap, since some kinda interesting things happened. Well, interesting to me. :-) Saturday I spoke to my mom a couple of times during the march in San Francisco. Sounds like it was quite an exciting time! She won't be home until Thursday, but I assured her that we had seen coverage on all the major news stations, and she was happy to hear that. Later, we went to Babies R Us to re-assess our registry. That was a very good idea, since some of the stuff has changed, and we know more what we do and don't want than we did before. I think it's in pretty good shape for the showers now. Saturday night, we had dinner with Tom and Talmar, who is working on being a gourmet chef in her spare time. Filet mignon... Mmmmm... My favorite! It was delicious, and we had fun playing games until far too late (I was almost falling asleep). It was worth it though, since I won. Heh.

Sunday we spent most of the day shopping for living room furniture. We'd made the decision to use a big chunk of the money we got for the car on L.R. furniture. Now, you have to understand. We bought a couple of pieces, and were given a few, but we've never bought a couch. We had an old one from my mom, then inherited another, slightly newer but just as ugly one from someone else. We chucked the first and have been living on the second with a slipcover for a while. Well, it's the only comfortable seating in there, which means we both share it most of the time. Plus, it's old and ugly. It really is about time we grew up and bought some nice furniture. Well, after LOTS of driving around and shopping, we returned to the first place we'd gone and started the debating. We finally decided to buy the whole darned set - couch, loveseat, big comfy chair w/ottoman, 2 end tables and coffee table. We are picky picky picky about these things, so the fact that we bought the whole shabang tells you we really liked all of the pieces a lot. Now we just need to figure out how to make it all work in our living area. We have some ideas, but we won't have the furniture for a week or two, so we'll have to see then. I can't wait to see it all done! And it should be in time for the shower, we hope! It should look really nice by then.

Sunday night we had a get-together at Joe's boss's house, and played Dominos for hours and hours. Who knew we could have that much fun playing Dominos? And a cool side-note: It was a "dry" party. Joe's boss has had some issues with alcohol, and as a symbol of respect and solidarity, all the guys brought sodas and Snapple. There were 2 of us pregnant women, and everyone felt comfortable without alcohol. We were just as loud, rambunctious, and swore probably even worse than usual! Honestly, we had a really good time, and I was happy to hear the guys saying they didn't miss the alcohol one bit. Hopefully it means some of them will consider cutting back. Joe doesn't drink much, but some of the other guys drink a lot and it's bothered me for a long time.

Yesterday was a much-deserved day off! We ran more errands, though. No rest for the weary, right?! We are looking for a breakfast nook now, since Joe's having way too much fun getting the house ready. I think he's nesting - do guys get to do that? Our small dining table is in the dining/great room, which is carpeted. Our kitchen is quite large, with a long narrow space where a table could be put. But the table in the dining room really wouldn't work in there, and we want something in there. First, it's just more reasonable to eat in there a lot of times, and second, I don't want to feed a baby in a high chair on carpet. Neither does Joe. So we need something on tile. Worst-case scenario, we'll bring back in the iron and tile table/chairs from Pier One that are on the front walk. But they're kinda small. We were unsuccessful finding a nook, though. We found a couple, but they were all pretty pricey. So, it's back to the drawing board. We got lots done, but when we were at our last stop it started raining a LOT, and we decided to quit while we were ahead. I got home and thought I was going to die, I was so exhausted. I'm to that point where I have so much to do, and I want to do it all, but eventually my body just says "Stop!" and I have to listen. I managed to stay awake until 9:00 last night, but that took serious effort. Joe was feeling pretty ill (like food-poisoning ill) when we were going to bed. He finally came to bed feeling better. Well, I woke up at about 1:00 in the morning, sick as a dog. We figure it was the lunch we had at a great place (so I won't mention it by name - it must have been a fluke), and my slower metabolism with pregnancy delayed its passage. So that interrupted my sleep for about an hour. Fortunately, I felt fine when I woke up this morning.

Unpleasant development of the weekend: It looks like Roti-Joes went out of business. That sucks big-time. We drove by and it has "For Lease" signs in the window and the big sign is gone. Damn it. We really liked that place, and we never did get to take Tom and Talmar there. Well, we can at least thank them for introducing us to Arizona Gunslinger hot sauce, which we'll never make a steak without again.

Hope you all had peaceful, safe weekends. Exactly one month from today is my last day at work. Ahhhh, freedom...
Posted 8:40 AM by Kerry O.