Psychotomy

From a NYT article (What’s Wrong with Cinderella?)

Easier, that is, unless you want to buy your daughter something that isn’t pink. Girls’ obsession with that color may seem like something they’re born with, like the ability to breathe or talk on the phone for hours on end. But according to Jo Paoletti, an associate professor of American studies at the University of Maryland, it ain’t so. When colors were first introduced to the nursery in the early part of the 20th century, pink was considered the more masculine hue, a pastel version of red. Blue, with its intimations of the Virgin Mary, constancy and faithfulness, was thought to be dainty. Why or when that switched is not clear, but as late as the 1930s a significant percentage of adults in one national survey held to that split. Perhaps that’s why so many early Disney heroines — Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Wendy, Alice-in-Wonderland — are swathed in varying shades of azure. (Purple, incidentally, may be the next color to swap teams: once the realm of kings and N.F.L. players, it is fast becoming the bolder girl’s version of pink.)

see, that’s what i’m talking about.  pink is a girls color because they say so.  but it isn’t.  ok, i didn’t know it used to be a boy’s color, but jeez there’s a lotta pink.  and blue?  bah.  whateva!  hell, i’m colorblind, i got all kindsa free excuses when i buy things “inappropriately colored” but seriously.  is wearing a blue dress gonna make the girl into a bride of satan?  pink onesies are gonna turn my hulking brute of a linebacker into a gay homosexual?  pfft.  (OK, so i’m more likely to do the whole “not under my roof!” thing if he wants to play american football than if he wants to date guys, that’s not my point here)

and later in the article it talks about princess peach (there was some bootcamp princess peach game) … and it made me wonder …

WTF is she “princess peach”?  her dress is pink!  there’s nothing PEACH !  at all!!!  I just don’t get that.  i mean, come on, would it be THAT hard to make it a peach dress?  (or is this the part where everyone tells me she DOES wear a peach dress?)

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on the salvation army thing, kiir decided not to bother with the furniture that was questionable upstairs.  so i took it apart and hauled it to the dump thursday.  we decided on what we needed for the bathroom, so saturday morning i tore it up and got the old vanity & sink out.  took it up to the dump.  guy at the entrance (it’s free to residents, so they check IDs) asked if i had jus the sink in the back, i told him there was more in the trunk.  he starts going on about building waste and mumbling something that sounded like iwas supposed to use the commercial dump entrance and pay by the pound or some crap.  i ignored him and dumped the stuff like i have been.  let’s recap:  last saturday, two sinks and related crappage.  wednesday: cabinet. thursday: furniture and a couple more cheap shitty cabinets.  saturday: sink and a handful of rotting plyboard.  and we only had issues  ONCE?

after that, switched up cars (i ruin mine with trips to the dump not hers; need hers for picking stuff up at home depot, though, b/c it needs to be in one piece, yadig?) and got the new vanity and sink (“these are all the 18″ depth sinks.  all we have is white” “uh, ok” ), get it home, work at hurting myself some more by hauling the 36×18 vanity into the house.  cardboard is ripping off all over the place, so it’s hard to pick it up :o  get it in, take it out of the box and … the drawer front is broken in half.  take the DRAWER back, b/c it’s a big fucking heavy cabinet!  go home, get the rest of the big fucking heavy cabinet, return it, buy the new one, take IT home, and it’s OK.

picked up a plane (actually a dremel and planing attachment) and started trying to trim down the door frame.  trim some more.  take off the gaurd b/c it’s getting in the way of what i need to plane.  plane some more.  bit snaps off (goes flying but luckily did NOT take my eye with it or anything).  use the crowbar to get the cabinet in since it ALMOST fits.  get the sink top and .. . yeah, right.  need more clearance.  ended up ripping off the moulding … the moulding i’d just spent 1.5hrs and a 20$ bit planing down.  got a new bit and a hand-held scraper (new bit for later; scraper to try to trim the little bit i still needed).  another few hours and ~2-3″ of sawdust/shavings and i can get past the doorframe finally.  then i had to cut a big hole in the fucking drywall.

JESUS!  got it in, though.  there’s a hole in the wall and the doorframe needs all kindsa fixin’.  but the sink’s in.  hooked up to the water.  but not the drain.  EVERY OTHER SINK has been 2-4″ gap between the drain out and the wall pipe.  this one?  no, this one’s b eing different.  it’s 1″ too LONG (and 1″ over, but that could have been handled).  I need to figure out what part to put there, now, or what needs changing up, or SOMETHING.  *sigh*

spent on and off the last couple days trying to work on the living room.  but it gets tiring and annoying.  and i have to do something with all these boxes i’m filling (4 with dvd’s, and i fear the bookshelves and the MASSIVE boxes they’re gonna take :/)

little over a week to clear the living room (and hall and kitchen and fix the bathroom and … *sigh*)

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my grandmother and aunt made some clothes (crochet) for the baby.  i’m kinda disturbed by the “diaper cover” (they’re not shorts, it’s closer to a pair of crocheted underwear … it goes over the diaper to hide it or something; i doubt that’ll see much use b/c it just disturbing), and kiir didn’t like some of the stuff.  blankets, hat, cardigan, booties.  i think it was the color or something.

but when my mom brought it down, since grammy was there for xmas (and THAT hasn’t happened for YEARS), before she gave me the bag she says “you can look at it now, since your grandmother’s here, but you cna’t have it until the baby shower” … b/c i was going to try to steal it or something?  jeesh, kid’s still 4mo out, i don’t think i need to be swiping handmade baby clothes, yaknow?

it was nice overall, assuming you ignored the proto-arguments (my grandmother is turning into her mother: argumentative, always right, and opinionated; so, like me, but without the deep sarcasm ; and even i try to hold my tongue around holiday and family, really i do!).  got a bunch of things we’d asked my parents for; gave my grandmother her gift from last year, since we didn’t really see her at all in the intervening year :/  drove her home after dinner.  35mi from my parents to her house.  45 from there to our house :o  so that answers her question of “who’s closer” (which was kinda silly, since whoever took her home had to go SOMEWHERE after ;o)

been reading on a log of blogs with kids about the holidays and how hard it is having to go back and forth between families.  or, the luckier ones where it’s a switchoff year by year.  i’ve always liked our arrangement, and reading everyone elses horror stories …

we spend tday with my inlaws (at their lakehouse these days, oi) and xmas with my folks.  neither family is really religious (jewish and christian gone jew, vs hindu and christian; and then our hindu & jewish), but since my mom has always done xmas (there’s no christ in our xmas!) and her family is more hannukah-y, it makes sense.  i don’t see that really changing, even with a kid, so it’s really nice.  at t-day, my sister-in-law’s in-law’s insisted that she was supposed to spend t-day with them this year since last year was with her parents.  and by “her parents” we apparently ignore “and us and our relatives” since both families were together last year :o  i think it’s b/c t-day dinner was at my inlaws (even though we went to her inlaws the next night), so it counted as “her family”‘s turn …

yeah, ok, whatever.  our way is so much more convenient.  and if someone starts kvetching, i’ll just stay at MY place with the baby, and they can damned well come to me! :)  actually, thats kindof what my parents did with most of hte holidays.  as someone had a child, they’re house became the place for the holiday.  well , that might have been helped by my dad’s family not celebrating any of hte same holidays, being on a different continent, or the fact that we didn’t really go that often to visit that we needed to worry about “balance” …

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was trying to move the old flat-screen (not panel) 32″ tv downstairs last night.  figured it was only a couple years old, worth keeping.  but it’s really heavy.  not out of the realm of my ability to move, but really heavy.  and then it’s really bulky.  and some moron decided NOT to design hand-hold places into it.

after a bunch of effort and a few tries, i decided i couldn’t move the thing more than a few feet.  and then i had to get it back up to get it onto the old stand again.  jesus that was hard.  we decided to let salvation army have the damned thing.  assuming they’ll take it.  if they don’t, i’m at a loss :o  it can sit in the corner or something.

the white cabinet we were giving them, when i tried to put it together it slipped and cracked.  so i took it to the dump, instead, this morning.  the two entertainment centers are good to go.  the armoir that was in K’s room, the base seems to be disintegrating, so they may not take it.  i’ll have to disassemble it tonight if they don’t.  the nightstand and one of the kitchen mini cabinets are good, but they may not take the other cabinet b/c the back’s coming off.  just needs a couple tacks, but i didn’t notice it last night and didn’t feel like fixing it when we were going to bed and kiir pointed it out.  if they don’t take it, i’ll rip it apart into the trunk like the armoir and the white box.

and this weekend?  i get to do the third bathroom, YAAAY!  just in time for xmas!  YAAAY!  then i get to clean the whole freakin’ first floor Y– aw hell, BOOO!!! :o

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i decided around t-day to start going to krav again.  last week i didn’t, b/c we needed to neaten/tidy/dare-i-say clean up before her mom came on thursday.  not a lot of time to work with.  monday this week was the followup ultrasound (and yes, baby DOES have a heart!  not just a heartbeat!  you’re telling me we can see through her stomach, count the ribs & vertebrate and all that shit, but you can’t measure the fucking heart?  b/c baby’s turned around?  i really don’t quite get that)

wednesday i threw my bag in the car (spaced on tuesday oops) and figured “OK, i’ll hit krav on my way home.” i stayed at the  office a bit late b/c the class was 6:30, which means catching the 5:15 and i get to krav ~6:15, time to change and stretch.  as i’m getting on the train home, i realize i forgot my sneakers.  now, when i worked at nasa, i wore sneakers every fucking day.  except summer when it was sandals.  but my new job?  i’ve got actual dress shoes.  well, not DRESS SHOES but dressier shoes? fuck, they’re not good for krav, that’s the point i’m making here.  so i picked up K and missed wednesday.  b/c i’d left late so i’d be right about right, so i didn’t have time to get my shoes before session :o

thursday (yesterday) i threw the sneakers in the car on top of my gym bag.  made it through class, thursday session is at 5:30.  so i take the 4:15 (which turns out to be express, so i hit the station at 4:45.  i could’ve been at krav at 5:00, jeesh) and go to krav.  sit in the parking lot for a bit trying to talk myself out of it.  and trying to talk myself into it.  b/c i’m out of shape, overweight, lazy, and uncoordinated.  I can lose my balance just standing, and this is gonna be a hell of a lot more stressful, i garauntee that shit.

but, fuck, i’m paying for it anyway.  i need the workout (see overweight and out of shape, hello?).  so i drag myself in, change,stretch, and it starts up.  frankly, i was about dead after the 15 minutes of jumping jacks, pushups, jumping, situps, and whatever else there was.  i kinda lost track

then 15 minutes practicing palm strikes (did OK with them, arms got tired and i was still out of breath, but my form wasn’t too bad and strength’ll come as i get used to it).  then 15 on roundhouse kicks.  having shit for balance, i pick shoes that grip.  b/c one of us should be doing something to keep me vertical, and if I can’t use my actual feet for gripping, the shoes do it.  did you know you’re supposed to pivot on a foot during roundhouse kicks? (amongst other moves i’m sure) … oops :o  other than the fat that I’m gonna rip my knee apart unless i learn to pivot, my form was good and solid.  partner and instructor both said so.  yay me!  i can do form 90% and function!  then we were doing jumping squats or something, break into kicks, back to jumps.  my thighs were dead, i cold barely stand.  jumping was beyond me, and landing would have involved just collapsing :o

last 15 was choke break; not very natural at it yet, but tolerable.  when we did 3-1 groups, i was the only one who didn’t always turn the same direction to break the choke :o  managed to survive through the whole class (gasp gasp pant pant barely; near the end i was trying to decide if my head was gonna explode or if i was gonna puke!  shitty day for the office to have been out of water and me drinking sodas :/) and picked up K before dragging myself home

kiir had a blast listening to me (and watching me) try to drag myself up or down the stairs!  witch.  then this morning the temp was ~25 and 20mph winds … six blocks from the station … hurting like hell (so i’m slower than say yesterday) and it’s fucking freezing.

fuck, i kinda miss my old job.  “yeah, i’m going to stay in bed and sleep.  screw you people.  and i’m getting paid for it, so suck it.”  kinda more fun than “ugh, gotta go in.  ACK! COLD!  ACK ACK ACK!!!!!” yaknow?

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so, i’ve spent the last week or so cleaning up some of my online areas.

• 1500 or so messages pulled and trashed from my inbox
• 800 from my old secondary box
• 500 or so from various storage boxes
• close to 2000 messages from my old work folder (well, OK, so i tossed the whole folder and subs all at once)
• ~500 messages from my PM inbox on our guild forums …

it’s possible I need to keep a better handle on these things, yaknow?

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OK, I’ve been paying 200$/mo since april.  I’ve been twice.  she’s been 0 i think.  and since august she’s been pregnant (not SUPPOSED to go), but we’ve been paying still b/c she has to take in a letter saying she’s pregnant so they’ll suspend her membership until next year.  which she hasn’t done.

i keep putting it off with, initially, “we should go together” like the theory on the gym too.  then it was my back hurting.  or my ankle.  or my head.  actually, mid-summer there was always a storm running up thursday so i had a killer headache before thursday night class.  but the ankle i could brace i think.  and my back always hurts.  once i start going, it’ll hurt like the dickens for acouple sessions, but then it’ll loosen up.  i know this.  it does it at the gym.  but i keep using the excuse anyway.

so, new plan:  I’m going to try to go to either M or W 6:30 level 1 and Saturday 9:30.  And maybe the Tuesday 7:30 “Krav Kore” fitness training.  which is 3-4 times a week at session, and I KNOW that ain’t happening

So, REALLY:  Saturday 9:30 is the most likely.  Kore I think would be a good thing if I’m only hitting Krav once a week (they added a level3 session, taking away the late TTh level1 session which I think I was more likely to make).  So I might try either Kore tuesday or Krav on Wednesday 6:30.  twice a week seems like I might be able to do it.  and should be enough to help me LOSE SOME FREAKIN WEIGHT by getting real exercise.  Maybe by next summer I’ll be able to run with K again, instead of wanting to put him in camp every day so i can be a lazy-assed bum when i get home from work :/

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flew down wednesday afternoon, flew back up friday morning.  stayed up until like 2 or 3am on saturday.  i am so freaking tired today.  may end up going to bed right after picking kiir up!!

friday night i put away all the bedroom laundry.  saturday i moved the queen bed around and downstairs so they could deliver the king.  folded the laundry that was downstairs on the laundry bed and put it in baskets to take upstairs (but never got around to putting it away, oh well).  b-day party at a friends place, then i encountered a problem

kiir and k are both out this weekend (she’s with her folks, he’s at camp for the trip, and so i could clean) so i have this BRAND NEW NEVER BEEN USED king sized bed.  all by myself.  I found, friday, that I apparently have trouble sleeping alone these days. someone should be there.  i know I don’t have a problem when k’s at overnight, or when kiirs in atlanta.  but apparently i get all twitchy and unhappy when the bed is empty save for me.  so after the party, i decided to sit and watch an ep off a netflix disc before bed (so i could get some water down, and to relax).  i ended up watching 4 eps.  whole disc.  went up ~2:30am b/c i was tired and out of things to procrastinate with.  quite annoying, b/c the bed really DID feel funny.

sunday i took her car in, got some groceries, then played on the computer most of hte d ay.  punted on dinner and ordered a pizza, and apparently i’m up 2lbs again this week.  freakin’ hell.  220.4 is the lowest i’ve made in like 6 months, now.  it’s getting STUPID, i can’t seem to lose more than that 2-2.5 lbs from 222.8.  i’m consistent, of late, though.  within that 2lb range.

*sigh*

gave up regular soda a few years back.  two montsh ago, with the new job, i switched to water instead of diet at the office, so i drink maybe 2-3 cans a day on the weekends of diet now.  maybe a touch more occasionally, but frequently not even that much.  need to quit drinking as much beer (usually maybe a six-pack-ish in a week, but a lot of that is still out to dinner or gatherings, so might be ok).  other things to help me be healthier maybe, and more exercise.  some exercise.  whatever.  i just don’t feel like taking K for long walks when i get home (which lack I know pisses him off, too)

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so, friday wsa the ultrasound.  1pm appt.  got there early, except apparently ultrasound is inpatient :o  we went to the outpatient building.  asked if we were in the right place for “prenatal ultrasound”.  got sent from info to registration to something to the ultrasound area.  the desk was cleverly labelled “breast cancer” :o

apparently by “prenatal ultrasound” they completely ignored what i was saying and sent us to some other ultrasound cancer screening desk.  some discussion there, and we got the long damned directions for getting to the REAL prenatal ultrasound.  cleverly hidden with all the other pregnancy stuff :o

ended up ~5 min late, which I thought was damned impressive considering how hard it was to get there (mind, we were ~20 minutes early to begin with).  they finally took us back ~2pm.  apparently we missed our opportunity to go in in a timely manner :o  ultrasound stuff, baby’s not turning over can’t measure the heart, so walk around the room, we’ll be  back in a minute to see if baby’s moved.  2:30.  phone rings, it’s mom.

she swears she “didn’t know” when the appointment was (i know kiir told her a couple times).  But lets look at it.  it’s ~1hr procedure,  a 1pm appt, give 15-20 minutes of slippage for they’re late and we get out and stuff.  1 +1.5 is 2:30.  yeah, sure , no idea.  right :o

found the gender out.  apparently we’re having a boy.  so now we’re fishing through names again (we’d been saying desmond for a couple months, but now we figured we’d look more).  down to desmond or gareth, i think, at this point.  sebastian, alistair, damien, and griffith were on the short list we wrote friday evening

then made soups and a friend’s engagement party saturday.  running k down on sunday and cleaning around the kitchen both days.  weheee

and next weekend was supposed to be the big back room, but since mom’s coming the following week, i figure i’ll finish the halls and guest room.  clothes and stuff needs awaying

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bleah. my hdd is full on the laptop. something about downloading a shitload of itunes tv episodes which are like half a gig a pop :o

i ordered a network drive last week from lacie (500G of drive i can hook onto the wireless local and use for apple storage). i asked for overnight, since it was thursday. then it wasnt gonna ship for like a week, so i changed to regular shipping

no drive ship notice yet, but i’ve got ~200M on the drive, left, now …

ouch.

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