FOUR GROCERY STORE DAY

I set out to do our weekly grocery shopping today around 1pm. After stops at three local grocery stores, I arrived home around 3pm. I just made my last stop at the local market to pick up a gallon of milk. Making today my first ever FOUR grocery store day.

Usually, I'm a two grocery store shopper. I get most of my pantry items, eggs, milk, personal hygiene products, and household cleaners at Target. You just cannot beat their prices (but it should be noted that the price of eggs went up by 40 cents this past week; still they have the best prices around). I then go to the nicer grocery store to get produce and other items that are not sold at Target (such as hummos). Today I made an extra trip to the organic market to purchase some bulk items to make homemade granola. That makes three grocery stores.

I had to go to the fourth store to get the milk (and laundry detergent that was on sale) because I purchased too much at Target (including a new bathmat and towels for our newly finished second bathroom) and the other stores. The thought of walking home with a backpack full of food and bathroom accessories and FOUR bags of groceries PLUS a gallon of milk was more than I could handle. My swollen ankles/feet just couldn't take it. So I opted to delay purchasing the milk until this evening. Having just arrived home with my milk, I realized it was my fourth grocery store stop of the day. Amazing what I will do (and the lengths I will walk) to get the products that I want at the cheapest prices.

My biggest complaint: At each of the stores, I used my own reusable grocery bags (and a backpack at Target). And not one of the store employees helped me pack my bags. It's like store employees are afraid of the reusable bag or maybe during their training they were not taught how to properly put food items into them. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? The will double and even triple bag a gallon of milk for the woman behind me, but they'll make me (the VERY pregnant lady) bag all of my groceries. It really ticks me off. I expect the same service as any other customers. Just because I say, "I brought my own bags," it does not mean I don't want any help bagging my groceries. In fact, I'd like some help; right now, I need the help. Next time, I think I'm going to just ask for it. Or I'm going to start complaining...

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Basement: our construction project is finished (minus a fresh coat of paint). I love the new bathroom and my functional laundry room is a dream come true.

What I did today: other than grocery stopping, I made a veggie lasagna and several pounds of granola. Does anyone know if granola can be frozen? I also was able to serve as a proxy for David in a Census survey on employment and volunteer activities (I love participating in surveys).

Tomorrow: off to school to meet with my comps study group. We're growing through one-third of a semester's worth of biostats in an hour.

ROCK STAR

David was a rock star this past weekend.

On Saturday, he and a co-worker catered their company picnic. This involved preparing and serving food for more than 60 people. The picnic menu included: pumpkin, almond, blue cheese empanadas; spinach, ricotta, pine nut empanadas; spinach, goat cheese, craisin, orange salad with lime-based dressing; pasta salad; grilled veggies for sandwiches; and blueberry/lemon and rasberry/vanilla fruit tarts. Oh... and he also made a fresh watermellon drink with sprite. It was a delicious meal and a successful catering venture for D.

On Sunday, he got up at 4am and was downtown before 5:30 in order to participate in the 3rd Annual Nations Triathlon. He and two of his chums have been training all summer for the race. All three of them did wonderfully and finished with smiles on their faces. It was a brutally hot day (77 degrees with a lot of humidity before the sun even came up), but that didn't stop D from swimming, biking and running his heart out. I'm so proud!

For the first time since we've been dating, I didn't participate in the race with David. The thought of participating in a three hour endurance event while 20 pounds heavier than normal and with a nearly full-sized infant in my belly makes me a little sick to my stomach; I can barely climb the stairs to the second floor these days. Since I wasn't participating, I was the dutiful race wife. I got up at 4am with David, drove him to the race, showed up at the staging area to take before pictures, and cheered at each of the transition areas. Unfortunately David didn't see me at all along the route. He was worried, after missing me at a point early in the bike, that I had gone into labor and a big surprise would be awaiting him after he finished. I didn't go into labor, but I did get some great pictures. Watching all the swimmers making their way north in the Potomac as the sun began to rise was beautiful. As much as I enjoyed watching/spectating, I wish I could have participated.

Pictured here is DC's Mayor, Adrian Fenty, welcoming the triathletes. The Mayor, who is a kick-butt runner and biker, participated in the triathlon. (Note: my swim time from the triathlon I did several years ago was about six minutes faster than the Mayor's swim time yesterday. Yeah me!)



And here is a picture of David's swim heat getting ready to take off. Unfortunately, I missed David jumping off the platform into the water. So I'm not sure where he is in the mix of green-capped men. Rest assured... he is there!



David has recovered nicely from the race. After a good night of sleep, he was feeling fine this morning. And he was actually talking yesterday about doing another triathlon. Right now we're considering doing an Olympic distance tri in Pittsburgh next July and then running the NYC marathon in November. Should be fun - and a great way to burn off all the weight I've gained during my pregnancy.

ELECTION DAY

I voted yesterday. By the end of this year, I will have participated in two primaries and one regular election - a lot from a girl living in a jurisdiction where her vote doesn't count for much. Yesterday was the DC primary; not to be confused with the Presidential primary, which was held in March. The "elections people" in DC (whoever they might be) thought it would be a good idea to schedule two primaries. That way they can spend more money, cause voters more headaches, and confuse all voters as to what is going to be on the ballot when.

As you can imagine voter turn-out was not particularly high yesterday with only local candidates and positions on the ballot. Only three of DCs eight wards had Council members up for elections and several other at-large Council seats were up for grabs.

The Council member representing the ward I live in was up for re-election. This was the main reason I went out to vote yesterday.

Voting in DC leaves much to be desired. Not only do we District residents not have a say/representative in Congress, but our one Electoral College vote doesn't really draw residents to the polls. Additionally, the District's voting process leaves much to be desired. Here are two of the unpleasantries I experienced while voting yesterday:

1. As I approached the site where I was to vote, I was pleasantly surprised that I passed into the "no campaigning beyond this point"-zone without being bombarded by various campaign staffers handing out fliers and begging for last minute votes. However, as I got closer to the voting location, a woman approached me and asked me to vote for her "friend" and gave me a packet of literature. Are you kidding me? It is illegal for you to campaign in the no-campaign zone. And this woman was camped out there - with her table, chair and desk of literature. Out of spite, I voted against this woman's friend. Respect the law, lady, and my boundaries.

2. Once inside, I went to the appropriate table to check-in. I was greeted by a woman who asked me to spell my last name. I spelled it twice and after I realized that she did not know that 'A' comes before 'E' in the alphabet, I told her my name was a few pages back in her book. After asking me to respell my name again, she finally found me. She confirmed my address, made me sign her book, and sent me to the next table. She NEVER checked my photo ID. Are you kidding me? As I was moving on to the next table, I realized she was talking on her cell phone through a blue-tooth device while she was checking me in. How rude!

My overall voting experience left little to be desired. The staff was grumpy and obviously had better things to do, like talking on their cell phones. All of this, and I didn't even have to wait in line. Just imagine what happens when you go and have to deal with the crowds.

With little incentive to vote in DC and the unpleasantries of the voting process, no wonder only 13 percent of registered Democrats and 17 percent of registered Republicans turned out to vote yesterday.

The big news, on the voting front, is that a four-term Republican Council member lost her re-election bid to an up-and-coming 33 year old. Unfortunately, as a registered Democrat, I didn't get to participate in this vote due to DC's closed primary rules.

DO NOT FORGET

There are a handful of things (and then some) about being pregnant I don't want to forget. Most are the annoyances and discomforts I put up with day-in and day-out. There are, however, a few pleasantries that should not be forgotten.

Things not to be forgotten:

1. Everyone wants to talk to you when you are pregnant. Specifically, they want to know: when you are due, if it is a boy or girl, and how you are doing. Since I'm not working or going to school regularly, I usually like the human contact.

2. People are shocked that I don't know if Baby Dawson is a boy or girl. It's as if I'm a neglectful parent or something. I'm looking forward to the SURPRISE.

3. People make/buy wonderful gifts for a new baby. Last night I received a homemade quilt for Baby Dawson. It is beautiful.

4. Some people do think that being pregnant is equivalent to being permanently ill or disabled. If I hear one more time that I shouldn't be carrying my backpack or I should sit while waiting for a train or bus I might scream.

5. My 98.6 degrees of body temperature + the baby's 98.6 = 197.2 degrees and this heat concentrates itself in my feet. Being hot ALL THE TIME sucks.

6. Having visible ankles is over-rated... swelling does occur, especially when it's 90 degrees outside. Ankles disappear, toes start to look like little sausages, rings no longer fit, and most shoes are too small.

7. Without my wedding ring on, people don't know if I'm married or not. On a recent meet-and-greet with a potential pediatrician, I was the only woman in the room without rings on or a husband present. I think a lot of people were curious about my situation, especially the pediatrician who asked if I had plenty of help for when the baby comes. When I told her that my husband wasn't with me because he was flying home from Taiwan a look of relief swept over her face.

8. I'm tired, but cannot sleep. I'm uncomfortable, hot, and annoyed nearly every night after 10pm. On most nights I'm annoyed by the neighborhood cat that is in heat or the sirens ringing throughout the city.

9. The baby has taken over my body. My breathing is short, my stomach is small, the heartburn is constant, and trips to the bathroom are increasing in number.

10. You can outgrow maternity clothes, especially pants.

11. You AND THE BABY can out-weigh your husband, especially while he's training hard-core for a triathlon.

12. The list of irrational fears about labor and delivery grows each day.

PENNY PINCHER

I tend to be a good saver of money. I find security (right or wrong) in knowing that I have money in the bank. Being a saver of money has been hard for me during the past year. My graduate stipend in about a third of what I was making while I was working, and if you consider the 12 percent of my salary my former employer was putting into my 403 account, I'm making considerably less these days. Wanting to live within my budget and still save some money, I am always looking for ways to save.

This past summer I have spent countless hours in different grocery stores trying to determine where we can get the cheapest food. For instance, eggs, nuts, bread, and veggie burgers are cheapest at Target. Salsa is cheapest at Safeway; soy "deli" meats are best bought at Whole Foods; and cereal is only cheap when bought on sale. I'm proud that I have figured out a way to save money on food (and still not have to drive out to the 'burbs).

This morning, however, I feel like my penny pinching could have gone a bit too far. I went to school this morning, but didn't need to be there until mid-morning. That being the case, I decided to metro to the end of the Green Line, take the bus to BWI airport, and then take the light rail into Baltimore. Yes, it sounds like a miserable commute, but if you time it well and have a good book on hand it isn't bad at all (and only 15 minutes longer than taking the Marc Train directly into Camden Yards). Additionally, this route provides me with a lot of flexibility in terms of when I leave home/school as the Marc trains only run back and forth during rush hour.

In order to get the 10am bus to BWI, I left my house around 9:20am (just to be sure I was on time). I got to the metro station by our house and realized that the higher/morning rush hour metro rates were still in effect. Wanting to save LESS THAN A DOLLAR I stood at the entrance to the station willing the arriving train to arrive just a few seconds late so the clock would change to 9:31am and I could get the discounted rate.

Unfortunately, the train wasn't running late. I had a choice to make... I could either wait eight more minutes and take the next train (probably missing the 10am bus) to save 85 cents, or I could spend the money and make my connections as planned and arrive to school on time. Surprisingly, this was a tough decision for me to make. I was really set on getting the cheaper rate and actually thought about screwing with my pre-planned schedule and possibly being late for a meeting.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!?

In the end, I forked over the money for the rush-hour rate and made it to school on time, as planned. And I believe this was the right decision.

But, seriously, how far am I willing to go to save a few dollars? Am I too reliant on money for security? too much of a penny pincher? completely out of my mind?

How far is too far when it comes to saving money?

MOUSE IN MY HOUSE

Well, it has been confirmed. There is a mouse in my house. I first spied the little bugger this morning. He was ducking under our refrigerator. Part of me wanted to believe that I was seeing things; another part of me knew there was a mouse. I saw him again an hour later as he crept across the floor in our living room. (Yes, it is GROSS.) Upon seeing him again, I went looking for our cat only to find him sound asleep under our bed upstairs. Chai is definitely not earning his keep around here! There has not been a mouse siting since and the cat knows something is up... he's spent considerable time sitting in front of the refrigerator. Hopefully he'll be successful in killing the mouse.

Tomorrow I will go out and buy some traps.

The good news is: (1) it is just a mouse (it could be a rat, which would be much worse), and (2) I suspect that he snuck into our house through the basement door this past weekend while David was working to finish our bathroom and laundry room construction. I don't think our house is infested or over-run with mice.

I'm sure there will be at least one more post about our mouse and how we caught him. So stay tuned...

'TIS THE SEASON...

... for football. Last Thursday David and I marked the beginning of football season by attending a Washington Redskins game.


Our outing to FedEx Field marked many firsts:

1. David's first in-person NFL game
2. My first non-Steelers in-person NFL game
3. Baby Dawson's first football game
4. My first pro-football game where there were cheerleaders.

We had great seats for the game and the weather (until the rain started to fall in the third quarter) was perfect. The Redskins lost (miserably). Attending a game in DC was much different than attending a game in Pittsburgh. Very few fans dressed in Redskins apparel (unlike in Pittsburgh where everyone knows to wear their black and gold). Additionally, the fans just lacked the energy and passion that is oh-so apparent in Pittsburgh.

Prior to the game, I thought long and hard about what I should wear. My choices: cute pregnancy cloths or my Steelers t-shirt. I opted for the cute pregnancy clothes (namely because my Steelers t-shirt looked a little too tight with my ever-expanding belly). Once I got to the game, however, I wish I had worn my Steelers' t-shirt!

During the game, I had my first (and hopefully last) opportunity to watch the Redskins' cheerleaders. In my opinion, they are not so much cheerleaders as they are scandalously dressed women who spend too much time on their hair and make-up and little to no time on their cheer/dance routines. I was appalled by the too short shorts and cleavage-showing tops these women wore. Not only that, but they were white (so you can only imagine what happened when the rain started to fall). They paid little attention to the game and never rallied the fans to cheer. When the music came over the loud speakers at the stadium, they did do some dances. But their routines were simple and boring (more of a showcase of their asses than a display of skills). And to top that off, they failed to point their toes when doing kicks.

I hate cheerleaders. Always have. (Don't get me started about the cheerleaders at my high school who actually won varsity letters for cheering.) Watching the Redskins cheerleaders perform last week only furthered my hatred. Baby Dawson, under no circumstances, will become a cheerleader.

As much as I hate cheerleaders, I love football, specifically Steelers football. And I LOVE the fact that the Steelers don't feel the need to have slutty cheerleaders performing each week on the sidelines. It's about the GAME, people.