It smells real good in here....

We bought a bunch of tomatoes at the market yesterday and made some sauce. It's simmering on the stove right now and smells divine. We also got some hot peppers, a cantaloupe that absolutely melted in our mouths, and tons of miscellaneous vegetables that M pickled. But the beets were what really made my day. First of all, it's fun to talk to the farmer while you are picking out beets and hear about how much she loves them too. Then it's fun to scrub off all the dirt, and chop off the green parts to saute, and coat them in the tiniest bit of oil before popping them into a hot, hot oven. Then to hear them sizzle and squeal, until you can't stand it anymore and poke them with a fork to see if they're done and bright pink juice squirts everywhere!

Yum.

Health Care for All?

The health care debate is baffling to me. I've been following some conservative talk radio on the subject, which led me to the conclusion that most of the debate is carried on by greedy doctors, greedy insurance executives, and the paranoid elderly. However, I can't say much was cleared up by my visit to the President's website either. What exactly is in this bill?

The health of Americans sucks. That we can all agree on. Preventable diseases like obesity and diabetes plague us. Women are often not covered, even if they have insurance, for basic, necessary preventive care for things like pregnancy. We allow drug companies to advertise their medications on the television. Patients should not be "asking their doctors about what Mr. Jones' Magic Snake Oil can do for you!" That's absurd. Doctors should be well-versed in diseases and stay up to date on advances in treatment. Asking your doctor about a medication should not be confused as the only requirement to being an educated patient. As a young adult, I have witnessed my peers go without medical treatment, until the situation turned critical (and incidentally more expensive), because they did not have insurance. I personally have gone through the process of buying private health insurance. (It was expensive and filled with loopholes, and in the future I would probably just take my chances and go without, since any major medical crisis would have bankrupted us anyway.)

So, clearly there's a problem. I'm really excited about Health Care Reform. But I'm not sure this bill is going to make things better.

When I looked this morning to find some answers about this bill, I realized it will be a time-consuming process.

The one thing I am certain about is that insurance companies, as they operate now, do not have patients' best interests at heart. They want to make money, and without regulation, they will do that in any way possible. Corporations are not safer custodians of our health than the government.

Productivity

The grant I was working on for the past year is finishing up and I had my last day at the end of July. I am also pleased to report I got a 4.0 during the summer semester! Taking so many classes in such a short time was tough, but I think it paid off. I only have two left that are required for my degree and I'll be done. And remind me to take a few years OFF from school when I do finish up.

A lot of people are asking what my plans are, since our family will be expanding this fall. I have a part time graduate student assistant position for the upcoming school year. I will be training undergraduate students to be reading tutors, and providing support to them once they start tutoring. As part of the position, I also have to take 6 credits. Luckily I have one online class and one class that is sort of a master's level dissertation credit, so I will not have to be on campus for any of that. Part-time work in Graduate Student Land means 10 hours a week, and I can do a lot of that from home.

So while I technically have a couple of weeks off right now, I'm trying to get in the habit of being productive while working at home, and to get a head start on some of the fall projects, before I completely lose my common sense and intellect to the fog of pregnancy brain. (Yes, it's true! I am getting kind of forgetful. And also, I drop everything.)

I'm a big proponent of using a timer to keep myself on track. I used a timer all the time when I was teaching special education and it always seemed to help my students manage difficult tasks when they knew when a break was coming. So I set my watch for 30 minutes of work, and then take a 15 minute break. I know! The work to break ration seems a bit high! But oddly, I get a lot more done when I do it this way. And I also remember to eat on a regular basis, which seems to be super important in the third trimester. I am almost 30 weeks pregnant, which makes it seem like it should almost be over! I have so much to do before the baby comes. But I am pleased to have finally created a registry, something I've been putting off for say, oh, about seven months.

Last night I ran into a lady that I babysit for. She asked me if I was ready, and I told her no, but then she gave me the most reassuring advice I have heard so far...she said nobody is ever really ready, and everything will be fine anyway.

Chicago

A few weeks ago, we stole away to Chicago for a quick weekend visit with Thom and Colleen. We first met Thom at Pitt outside of Tower C a million years ago. Thom is an environmental crusader of sorts, using his powers as an attorney for good instead of evil. Take note, lawyers. Colleen is his lovely girlfriend, who also saves our planet for a living, and they are just two delightfully interesting and fun people.

Chicago was awesome. Although, I'm not sure I would feel the same in January. The weather was very pleasant, and our visit was very short, but eventful. We started off with a tour of a few sections of the Art Institute of Chicago. Here is some art that a Yinzer can really get behind. We also got a chance to hang out in Millenium Park, walk along the boat docks on Lake Michigan, and watch kids play in the many fountains that seem to be everywhere in that park.

And then we ate. Boy did we eat. We went to this very old-fashioned ice cream parlor in Colleen's neighborhood, and ordered a banana split. The fudge sauce came in a separate little pitcher, as you can see from this photo. I also want to point out that I did not eat this whole thing myself...we shared. We revisited the Chicago Diner, ate a real Chicago-style deep dish pizza, and had brunch at this place called Yolk, which was filled with baby-toting, hip young families, and had really, really good eggs.

So all that eating took up a lot of time. But there's more. We also went to the Bughouse Square Debates, and the annual book sale at the Newberry Library. This was really cool, because besides local activists who came out to have their say about everything from abortion rights to parking meters, there was also a reenactment of the Abraham Lincoln/Stephen Douglas campaign debates. Now, you may know that M was born on Abe Lincoln's birthday, and is known as Honest Abe by many a family member. But it was interesting to really listen to the content of the speeches, and sort of remove Abe Lincoln temporarily from his mythical pedestal. Listening to Lincoln and Douglas quote the founders of our nation reminded me that freedom can be a very loosely defined term.

After the Debates, we went to the Second City comedy club and I seriously laughed for about 2 hours straight. Very therapeutic for a pregnant lady. Chicago seemed to be pretty family friendly, and we look forward to our next visit, at which time we will likely have Puddin' in tow.

Happy Anniversary!

Six years ago, on an equally humid summer day, M and I walked down the very long aisle out of Sacred Heart Church, after being declared "Mr. and Mrs." for the first time.

Sprinted was more like it. I don't know if it was the length of the ceremony (Catholic, and very long), or the heat (M was in a wool tuxedo, I was wearing a many layered dress), or maybe we were thinking about the beer that was awaiting us in the reception hall, but we walked so fast down that aisle that our photographer barely got a picture of it!

I remember watching my grandmother dance, and eating delicious cake that was made by M's sister, and holding a glass of champagne for hours and hours without actually ever finishing it.

But really an anniversary doesn't celebrate the wedding day, so much as the time that passes in between, and the past six years have been a roller coaster of trials and trips and fun and sadness and unexpected turns and twists in the road.

I guess the thing that amazes me the most is how much we've done together in that time.

So, Happy Anniversary, M! I love you!

Sleepless in Pittsburgh

Well, not totally sleepless. But I did wake up very early this morning to the comforting sound of a steady rain. (Rain is a lot more comforting now that we have new gutters.) But I was famished, so I had to get up and eat breakfast, even though it was still dark outside. There's no more homework to do, and today is the last day of my current job. We're going to head to the beach for a few days, and do some much-needed relaxing. Graduate school hasn't been hard as much as it has been time-consuming, and I'm looking forward to taking few classes next year. I only have two left, and then I can officially declare myself a Reading Specialist.

Speaking of reading, as part of one of my courses, I've been tutoring a fourth grade student with Down Syndrome this summer, and it has been amazing. I don't have a lot of experience teaching kids with cognitive disabilities, and it is really, really hard to teach a kid phonics when they have difficulty speaking. But it's incredible what high expectations can do. Yesterday, she read a story we had written together to the rest of the kids in the program. Sure, it was only a few lines, and we never did get to short e or short u, so the word selection was a bit limited, but she did it! It was leaps and bounds from what she could do on the first day of class five weeks ago. Warm fuzzies all around.

Magee: Oddly Similar to the Hampton Inn

Or maybe not quite...there is no free hot breakfast buffet. But the decor, the ambiance, all resemble a corporate hotel chain.

M and I went on our tour of the hospital today, where we will be delivering Puddin', barring any exceptional circumstances, like not getting to the hospital on time and having a baby in the car. I go to a midwife practice that is based in the hospital, and we got to meet all of them tonight (there are 8 possible people who could be on call). I was greatly relieved to hear that they really do promote a natural approach to birth, and that unless I specifically request it, my labor need not resemble a bad episode of TLC's Birth Day. That is, I will be free to walk around, sit in a jacuzzi, and drink when I am thirsty. There won't be a crowd of doctors and nurses yelling "push!" - which was seriously my worst nightmare since we found out I was pregnant. I wish we did not have cable then, because I watched a lot of Discovery Channel and they really make labor and birth look truly awful. Then I watched The Business of Being Born, which is odd because Ricki Lake is suddenly this rather crunchy natural birth activist...I mean, who saw that coming?? However, this film shows some home births where, although it certainly doesn't look like a picnic, the laboring women are not strapped down in stirrups under bright lights.

I was born at Magee, and I actually do have a few memories of the old part of the hospital when I was really young, like maybe four or five, because my mom taught breastfeeding classes there, and I remember going to pick her up.

So now, we have a onesie, a baby carrier, and have completed the hospital tour. Check those off the baby preparation list. I think I am at that stage of pregnancy where you have gotten so used to it that you just assume you will be pregnant forever, and it's not so uncomfortable to wish you were not. But time is ticking away, and I am now in my third trimester. That means you can tell I am definitely pregnant and not just fat, and that sometime in the month of October, the baby should be fully done and ready to come out.

I think there is still a lot to get done, but I am going to put it out of my head until I finish my much-needed vacation next week.

Ok, now it's hot...

I just checked the weather, and it's 82 degrees with 44% humidity. That sort of depressed me because I was definitely feeling hotter than that. I wanted to be all helpful to M by weeding the front garden so he can lay some mushroom manure down with my dad. But I can only pick up, like, 4 weeds before I have to seek shelter from the sun. Unfortunately I can barely keep my eyes open past sunset, so it's not really an option to wait until later. Now, I don't want you to think I am one of those complain-y pregnant ladies. But really, all I can think about is being hot and tired. And on the off-chance that somebody who rides the 67A in the morning would read this, it would be ok for you to give me your seat. Because I still have morning sickness. And on a side note, I think that morning sickness is supposed to subside in the first trimester, when you can still comfortably lean over the toilet seat. Luckily I go to yoga twice a week, so I am surprisingly nimble, otherwise the bathroom could be a lot messier.

Summer is just flying by. Because I took 3 classes, plus with working, I have not had too much time to bum around town and enjoy my favorite season. However, the building I spend all day in is air-conditioned to Arctic temperatures, so I guess that's a blessing. But I have only 2 days left of classes and I am done for the semester! I can't tell you how happy I will be to have a few weeks off. And really, I am cutting down to part-time this fall, so I will have a much more relaxed schedule. Here's to hoping that next semester provides better intellectual stimulation than this one. We had a very odd discussion on "diversity" today in one of my classes in which people shared insights on the following topics:

1. Jehovah's Witnesses
2. Kwanzaa
3. Taking Mandarin Chinese as an elective language

What's a teacher to do when teaching Reading in the Content Areas (title of class) and faced with such issues of diversity (or whatever)?

First of all, I have to say that a very nice lady named Pearl stops by our house pretty much every Sunday on behalf of the Jehovah's Witnesses...almost as good as the Welcome Wagon lady. Here's the thing, Pearl, along with many other religious people (like Jews) either participates or abstains from customs as a matter of choice, and because it sets them apart from the rest of the us. So, if a little kid in your class doesn't participate in the Halloween parade, you don't have to feel that bad. He's doing it so he will be saved. Don't make a thing of it.

Second, most African-Americans I know do not celebrate Kwanzaa, perhaps because the guy who invented it in the sixties did so as an alternative to Christmas because "Jesus was psychotic". (Ok, so I wasn't expecting that quote to come up when I googled "how many african americans celebrate Kwanzaa", but it is in Wikipedia, so it must be true.) Anyway, I think it's safe to say that most African Americans celebrate Christmas.

Third, my teacher told us today that Mandarin Chinese was now "the most popular language to be offered in schools as an elective language, even more than Spanish." Now, I am not knocking the value of learning to speak Chinese. It's a global market after all. However, this seemed rather absurd to me, so I looked it up, and quickly verified that Spanish and French continue to be, by far, the most popular languages taught. You can read more about foreign language education in Center for Applied Linguistics report here.

Anyway, my point is that it has been a rough semester of listening to this lady present unbelievable (and usually un-cited) "facts". She's a nice enough lady, but seriously, this is graduate school...I expected more. Plus there are a bunch of inexperienced soon to be teachers in the class, about to be unleashed whose minds have been cluttered up by this nonsense. I mean seriously, knowing what Kwanzaa is Will Not help you connect with your black students. Or your poor students. Or your poor AND black students.

But at least it's air-conditioned...

Ashtabula, OH

Two years ago (Egad! Has it been that long?), we met Caveman of Ohio in Pearisburg, VA while taking a break in town from the Appalachian Trail. We saw him periodically over the next couple of months, but ended up hiking with him pretty much every day, towards the end. Since that time, he's been to Pittsburgh a number of times. We had heard lots of stories about his hometown, but had never been there. So, we made the drive up to Ashtabula last weekend. If you've met Caveman when he's been in Pittsburgh, you probably know him as Michael, however, I just can't seem to break the habit of calling him by his trail name. (I can assure you the name is no reflection on his personal hygiene or manners, which are very good.)

Highlights from the trip include the longest covered bridge in the world, which towers above the Ashtabula River. The interesting thing about this bridge, other than its length, which is impressive, is the fact that it was built very recently, and made to withstand the weight and height of large trucks. You can learn more about the bridges of Ashtabula County if you go to the Covered Bridge Festival.

We also made a stop at Geneva on the Lake, where we spent an embarrassing amount of money trying to win a giant stuffed monkey. We never did earn enough tickets, but I used my well developed bargaining skills to talk the arcade manager into giving it to us anyway. We also ate a ton of food, including the best donuts ever at the Madsen donut shop.

And of course, there's the lake. It was unseasonably cool, plus the amount of industry to either side of the beach made us not want to go swimming. Nonetheless, there are some very nice beach parks in Ashtabula! We immediately wanted to move there, for the slower pace, lack of traffic, and pretty views of the lake. Until I remembered that the lake makes lake-effect snow, which puts Pittsburgh winters to shame, and is probably not something I want to deal with.

But the best part of the trip was getting to meet Caveman's mom. I love meeting people's families and seeing all the little mannerisms and customs they share. Caveman and his mom fed us so much food, we had to take a day off eating when we got back home. And I think there is definitely a family resemblance between them.

There was so much to do in Ashtabula that we had to save some for the next trip...Underground Railroad Museum and Nature Museum are on the list. Plus, we'll definitely be going back for more donuts.

Summer Updates

Well, we are about halfway through the summer softball league session and the Sons of Pitches had a great showing last night, scoring our most ever runs (9). Other exciting stats include a double play and the fact that we actually made it through the full 7 innings with no mercy rule. Alas, we did not win, but it was exciting enough that our Number 1 fan (see post below) climbed the 20 foot fence. I really feel a Chuck-E-Cheese trip coming on. Games are Thursday nights in Polish Hill; this is a great (and free) spectator event, so join us next week at 6:15.

We also have tomatoes! I got a tomato bush for my birthday and it is producing little cherry tomatoes like crazy. Thanks DC & company! Next year we hope to have a larger vegetable garden, but we have to get our soil in order first.

I am really lucky to be enjoying a not-too-hot summer. Whenever I tell people we are expecting an October baby, someone inevitably says, "Ohh, you'll be pregnant in the summer" with a pitying tone. However, it has not even been hot enough to prompt an installation of a window air conditioner. Not that I am immune from all pregnancy discomforts...I still have morning sickness for pete's sake! And my tail bone hurts when I sit in a chair, which is an unfortunate occupational hazard these days. And it's getting hard to lean over the kitchen sink to do dishes. I have to pee every 10 minutes. And my concentration is disintegrating...I think I finally know what all my little students with ADD feel like! But it occurred to me last night that thru-hiking the AT was really good preparation for pregnancy. As amazing as it was, I got really used to discomfort. And like reaching Katahdin, I know I have something really awesome to look forward to at the end.