A thought to ponder

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Written on Wednesday, January 31, 2007 by Jessica

What's the opposite of a cradle robber? A grave robber?

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ICE: In Case of Emergency

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Written on Tuesday, January 30, 2007 by Jessica

Received this in an email today. I thought this was such a great idea that I even went so far as to spam my blog friends. Only afterward did I think, "Doh! They already read my blog. I should've posted it there."

So sorry for spamming you, my blog friends. It won't happen again.

A recent (?) article from the Toronto Star, "the ICE idea", is catching on and it is a very simple, yet important method of contact for you or a loved one in case of an emergency. As cell phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is program the number of a contact person or persons and store the name as "ICE".

The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when they went to the scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but they didn't know which numbers to call. He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name to file "next of kin" under.

Following a disaster in London, The East Anglican Ambulance Service has launched a national "In case of Emergency (ICE)" campaign. The idea is that you store the word "ICE " in your mobile phone address book, and with it enter the number of the person you would want to be contacted "In Case of Emergency". In an emergency situation, Emergency Services personnel and hospital staff would then be able to quickly contact your next of kin, by simply dialing the number programmed under "ICE".

Please forward this to everybody in your address book. It won't take too many "forwa rds" before everybody will know about this. It really could save your life, or put a loved one's mind at rest. For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2, ICE3 etc.
My thoughts would be for more than one contact: ICE Wife, ICE Husband, ICE Son, ICE Daughter, ICE Brother, ICE Sister etc. At least the medic has some idea to whom he/she is speaking.

What about ICE Doctor? I ran this idea through GEMS Greenwich Emergency Medical Service and their response was: "ICE has been used and is highly supported by the hospital teams as well as ours. I like the idea of multiple contacts as you have done, and will pass it on" A great idea that will make a difference! Now go out and program your phones.
Remember, you should not use an ICE entry in your cell phone to replace emergency information that you should keep with your photo ID. This method simply provides hospital personnel with another way to contact your next of kin. You can read more about it here:

http://www.snopes.com/crime/prevent/icephone.asp

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101 Dumbest Moments in Business | Business 2.0

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Written on Monday, January 29, 2007 by Jessica

God, I hate Disney.

101 Dumbest Moments in Business | Business 2.0

Disney
Oh, bother!
Disney rejects the request of grieving British parents to put an image of Winnie the Pooh on their child's gravestone.

After outraged stonemason Aaron Clarke goes public, telling reporters he's been warned by Disney that carving the image of Pooh would amount to breach of copyright, Disney relents and agrees to let the parents use the bear.

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101 Dumbest Moments in Business

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Written on Monday, January 29, 2007 by Jessica

Gotta love it. 101 Dumbest Moments in Business. Coming in at #9:

101 Dumbest Moments in Business | Business 2.0: The good news: The president has finally managed to balance the federal budget...
...The bad news: For tax purposes, your 2006 adjusted gross income is $63,295,696,192.

A computer glitch in the tax rolls of Porter County, Ind., causes the valuation of a house in the city of Valparaiso to shoot up from $122,000 to $400 million - boosting its annual property taxes from $1,500 to $8 million. Though the county's IT director spots the mistake and alerts the auditor's office, the wrong number nonetheless ends up being used in budget calculations, resulting in a $900,000 shortfall for the city and a $200,000 gap for its schools.

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got teeth?

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Written on Wednesday, January 24, 2007 by Jessica

Yes, he has two teeth! Just popped through today. Of course, I defy anyone to get a look at them, let alone take a picture. I haven't even seen the teeth myself, but I can feel them.

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Baby, it's cold outside

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Written on Tuesday, January 23, 2007 by Jessica

 
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Anatomy of a bowl cut

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Written on Monday, January 22, 2007 by Jessica

Seth got his hair cut Saturday night. The poor boy needed it. I'm kinda wishing Baby's Daddy's family had their own Santi, but in his family it's tradition for dads to cut their boys' hair. In this case, this is the first time Baby's Daddy has ever cut anyone's hair...

The first two photos were taken a couple of days before the big night. That's when I reluctantly decided that the child needed to be able to see without hair hanging in his eyes.

All the other photos are of the big night.

 
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All in all, it didn't turn out too bad. Notice the antique barber chair in photo number 8. It's been in Baby's Daddy's family for years.

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Ready to take down the quarantine sign -- almost

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Written on Sunday, January 21, 2007 by Jessica

A couple of weekends ago I developed a nasty little stomach bug that promptly segued into a cold. Other than being tenacious, the cold hasn't been so bad. I'm nearly ready to take down the quarantine sign outside the front door.

I'm happy to report that, although Baby's Daddy came down with the nasty stomach bug, Baby has shown no signs of illness other than the barest hint of a runny nose. Yay, breastmilk!

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Four things about me

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Written on Friday, January 19, 2007 by Jessica

Four Jobs I Have Had in My Life
1. Potato farm. Grew up on a potato farm. Had to work on it. Every September was harvest, which I hated. The harvester is a noisy dirty machine. Dead potato vines would ball up and get caught in the chains. Grandpa referred to these vines as "beavers." The hired hands sniggered about this, but I was twelve, thirteen, fourteen years old and blissfully unaware of the connotation.
2. Worked a concession stand at Beaver Creek Resort. The name of this concession stand was -- not making it up -- the Beaver Hut. I was fifteen years old and still blissfully unaware of the connotation.
3. Taco Bell. Applied for the job b/c I had a crush on a guy working there. A few years later he came out of the closet, so I guess I never had much of a chance with him because he wasn't interested in beavers.
4. Math and English tutor in college. Our school mascot was a beaver. Home of the Fighting Beavers! Okay, I am making that one up.

Four Movies I Watch Over and Over
1. Pride and Prejudice
2. Star Wars
3. The Fifth Element
4. The Matrix

Four Places I Have Lived
I've only lived in Michigan. Here are four of the towns I've lived in.
1. Elmira
2. Walloon Lake
3. Conway
4. Sault Ste. Marie

Four TV Shows I Love to Watch
1. My Name Is Earl
2. Dancing with the Stars (hate to admit it)
3. Prime Minister's Questions
4. Absolutely Fabulous

Four Places I Have Been on Vacation
1. Cedar Point, Ohio
2. Florida
3. Washington, D.C.
4. Frankfort, Mich.

Four of My Favorite Foods
1. Custard long johns
2. Cake
3. Chocolate chip cookie dough
4. Ice cream
I bet you thought I was going to list something gross like beaver chops.

Four Places I Would Like to Be Right Now
1. Home with Baby and Baby's Daddy
2. Someplace I've never been before
3. Washington, D.C. -- one of my favorite places
4. Anywhere but here (yes, I'm at work)

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States I've visited

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Written on Friday, January 19, 2007 by Jessica

Following Ms. Momma's example, I didn't include any states I'd merely driven through. I haven't been very many places.

Go here to do your own state map:
http://www.world66.com/myworld66/visitedStates

UPDATE: There is disagreement as to whether it "counts" when you just drive thru a state. Jennifer and Baby's Daddy both think so, so I've included another map:

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Darcy porn

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Written on Tuesday, January 16, 2007 by Jessica

For Christmas, Tiffani bought me a Pride and Prejudice (P&P) sequel, Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife.

I've never paid much attention to any of the P&P sequels, but I did have certain preconceived notions about them (I guess you could say I'm prejudiced):

Preconceived notion #1: The author would attempt to imitate Austen's intricate style and stilted language, but would fail.

Preconceived notion #2: The book would be nothing more than Darcy porn.

I had no idea just how right I would be. Take, for example, the book's opening paragraph.

As plush a coach it was, recent rains tried even its heavy springs. Hence, the road to Derbyshire was betimes a bit jarring. Mr. Darcy, with all gentlemanly solicitousness, offered the new Mrs. Darcy a pillow upon which to sit to cushion the ride.
I thought to myself, This can't be. The author can't be implying that Elizabeth, the new Mrs. Darcy, is sore after losing her virginity. First of all, Austen would never ever allude to any such idea. And second, the text plainly says they are on the road to Derbyshire (the county in which Mr. Darcy lives). Given Mr. Darcy's wealth and stature, the newly married couple would have set off on a month-long honeymoon -- at least a month, probably longer! Elizabeth would certainly no longer need an extra pillow to cushion the ride. (I later gave this some thought, though, and wondered if the couple really would take a protracted honeymoon. After all, England was currently at war with France. Maybe it was too dangerous to sail to the Continent on pleasure bent.) And finally, even though Austen is known for intricate, stylized writing, this fluffy stuff doesn't sound a bit like her. Surely the author is at least trying to sound like Austen -- isn't she?

But the second paragraph says it all:
It [the pillow] was a plump, tasselled affair, not at all discreet. His making an issue of her sore nether-end was a mortification in and of itself. But, as Elizabeth harboured the conviction that she had adopted a peculiar gait as a result of her most recent (by reason of matrimony) pursuits, her much abused dignity forbade her to accept such a blatant admission of conjugal congress. Thus, the cushion was refused.
Good lord. Nether-end? And she's not just sore. She's walking funny! I'm horrified, yet highly amused.

I know what you're thinking. "Porn? Darcy porn? I'd hardly consider this pornographic." Oh, but let me take you to page 4:
As much as she endeavoured (and mightily did she endeavour), Elizabeth could not displace the image from her mind of her husband's body. Naked as God made him. And aroused.
Poor Jane. She must be trying to claw her way from the gave right now.

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Zero degrees this morning

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Written on Tuesday, January 16, 2007 by Jessica

Thank goodness we're finally getting some actual cold. Thus far, we've had very little snow, and the lakes haven't even frozen yet. (No ice on the lakes in January? Unheard of!) Rumor has it that desperate ice fishermen have been rigging their tip-ups to float and then using a boat to put them out on the water. Not exactly sure how that would work, but I don't ice fish, nor am I an angler in any sense, so I guess I don't really care.

But finally some cold, which is a relief. As many of you know, I hate bugs, and the cold weather now will help keep bugs in check this spring. I've never been so hung up on cold winters before, but I've never lived in such a buggy house before. Not to mention the fact that cold winters were always a given, so I didn't have to worry about warm winters begetting plagues of earwigs.

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Shameless plug...

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Written on Monday, January 15, 2007 by Jessica

...for my sister's new blog, Fudgie* in Juneau. A few weeks ago, she moved far away from us all to start a life in Alaska.

*The word "fudgie" is Northern Michigan slang for a tourist. People who come here for vacations often go to Mackinac Island and eat fudge.

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Thank you, Tiffani!

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Written on Friday, January 12, 2007 by Jessica

You may recall the wonderful service Tiffani provided recently by talking me out of spending $15 on a bib. She proceeded to go ahead and buy the bib for me Seth. Thanks, Tiffani!

 

Notice how the look on his face seems to be saying, "I'm so going to hate you for this when I'm a teenager."
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Photo of Daddy's Baby taken by Baby's Daddy

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Written on Friday, January 12, 2007 by Jessica

 

I must say, I really enjoy the surprise photos I find on the camera, the ones that Baby's Daddy takes.
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Beckham leaving Europe to play for L.A. Galaxy

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Written on Thursday, January 11, 2007 by Jessica

I don't usually blog about sports, but it blows me away that David Beckham is coming to the U.S. to play soccer.

This guy is in for quite a shock. For one thing, he's going to have to learn to call it "soccer" instead of "football." And no more huge arenas full of adoring soccer hooligans. No more dodging bananas thrown on the pitch to taunt black players.

His five-year contract with the Galaxy is reportedly worth £128 million (i.e., USD $248.7 million). Where did the Galaxy dig up a pile of cash like that? I mean, they're a soccer team.

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Work in progress

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Written on Wednesday, January 10, 2007 by Jessica

Blog design is getting there. I still have to line up some stuff, and color palettes are certainly not my forte. But it'll all work out!

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Funky design

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Written on Tuesday, January 09, 2007 by Jessica

I didn't give myself enough time to finish the edits, and I'm too exhausted to continue. So I guess I'm stuck with a weird looking blog for awhile. :)

Update: Okay, that's a little better. No more floating "rounders."

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Dreams

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Written on Friday, January 05, 2007 by Jessica

My dreams often relate to the bad things that could happen to Seth. I've mentioned before that I dropped him when he was nine days old. I spent the rest of my maternity leave dreaming that he was falling. I'd wake up lunging for him. When the house was infested with earwigs and crickets, I would dream that he was covered with bugs.

Back in early December we were practicing sitting up, but at one point he tipped over and I failed to catch him. He didn't get hurt, but the face plant into the carpet scared him. Almost every night since then, I've been dreaming that he's tipping over, and again I wake up lunging to catch him.

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Is he The Antisleep?

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Written on Friday, January 05, 2007 by Jessica

At 10:30 last night, I shattered the silence of the house. Don't ask me how the sound of my head hitting the pillow can shatter the silence, but it must have. How else would The Child be startled awake at just that moment? Waaaa!

Normally, he wakes twice a night to nurse. He couldn't be hungry yet, and sure enough, he wasn't. He was asleep again within moments of starting to nurse. After getting up with him a couple of more times before 1:00 AM, I began to give Ferberization serious consideration. But then the problem finally surfaced: BUUUUURRRRRRRP! After that, he slept like a grown-up. (Where did the phrase "slept like a baby" come from? Everyone knows that babies don't sleep...)

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Thank you, Tiffani

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Written on Tuesday, January 02, 2007 by Jessica

I forgot to extend my sincere thx to my sister-in-law, Tiffani, who helped me out last week. I was surfing when I happened to find this fantastic baby bib. Naturally, I wanted it immediately. Fortunately, Tiffani was online and available via Google chat. "I'm about to pay $15 for a bib. Please stop me," I wrote. (Yes, $9.99 for the bib; $5 for shipping.)

And stop me she did. Thank goodness.

Other cool bibs & shirts:
Boob Man
Lazy
More Lazy

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New Year's Resolutions

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Written on Tuesday, January 02, 2007 by Jessica

Resolutions I can keep:

1. I resolve to procrastinate whenever I can. Case in point. Today is January 2nd. I'm finally starting my resolutions now.
2. I resolve to think about going on a diet. I am unlikely to actually do so. (See resolution #1.)
3. I resolve to think about exercising. I am unlikely to actually do so. (Again, see resolution #1.)
4. Hug Seth every day.

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Famous first words

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Written on Tuesday, January 02, 2007 by Jessica

"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."
--Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina, trans. Constance Garnett

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