Mr. Stinky enjoys it, I find it highly annoying and avoid it whenever I can. Sometimes it's hard when we sit in the car together and he's got the radio controls at his fingertips. Sometimes, when I'm really not in the mood I make him change the station.
I dislike talk radio because when I turn on the radio I want to listen to music. People talking happens everywhere, it's rare for more than one to share space and not have to discuss something, so I don't feel that I need to turn the dial to listen to strangers talking over the airwaves. I turn on the radio to get away from conversations and just let the music soothe my ears and mind.
What I hear on talk radio is a bunch of people talking and yelling over each other to convince someone else of their opinions and thoughts. But honestly, how often do you change your mind on a topic just because the next person wants you to? It doesn't matter whether it's people calling in to argue with the host or the hosts themselves spitting at each other, to me, angry people on the airwaves constitutes annoyance. Why would I tune in? Pish posh.
To illustrate how trite talk radio is to me, the following exchange is what I get everytime I am forced to listen to the program du jour. The words may be different but the sentiments are consistently about the same. Could be just me.
"Today we're discussing whether or not you agree with the new tax the city has voted to implement in order to pay off debt and refill the coffers. I'll start. To me, this is a pathetic ploy by the right-wing politicians to punish their constituents and fatten their wallets. It's a horrible idea that makes my head spin."
"Oh, all you left-winged conspiracists are always complaining about something or other. The city is bankrupt and we need them if we are to keep growing."
"Don't you patronize me!"
"Stop whining, you big baby."
"Oh shut up, you stupid dumbass."
"I don't like to shut up, I like 7-Up!"
"Pooface!"
"Poobrains!"
"I know you are but what am I?"
"I hate you!"
"I hate you too!"
"I hate you times infinity!"
"I hate you times inifinity plus 1!"
"There's no such thing, you uneducated and malformed humanoid!"
"Is too coz I just did. Stamped it, double stamped it, no reverse-ys!"
"I'm telling on you!"
"I'm telling on youuu!"
"Mooooooom!!"
OK, you get the point.
October 28, 2007
October 22, 2007
Cold Season
It's coming. I haven't got one but cold remedies are all over the news these days and last week I felt a minor dryness in my throat that went away quickly with lots of water and as much sleep as the Stinkerbug (aka Princess Pruneface) would allow. But on another site I visit, the author is suffering from a cold right now and it reminded me of a story from a long, long time ago...
I once had a bad cold during exam season in high school. The kind of cold where your nose is so badly congested that it feels like the snot has turned into one big solid plug. Blowing and sniffing were both ineffective as the log jam prevented any clearing of the nasal passages. I wrote an exam and halfway through my nose started dripping onto the paper. My horror turned into panic because in a quiet gymnasium an otherwise silent drip sounds like a Hollywood movie splat. I wonder who heard and who saw it fall. Since I couldn't sniff it back up my dammed up nose and blowing it with the scrap of tissue I had with me wasn't working either the only thing I could do, albeit in a humiliated fashion, was to shove the tissue up each nostril and let them soak up the excess drippage. But hey, when you're sick, feel like shit and have to write an exam, public image really falls by the wayside. As I recall, that exam was about 2 hours long. The tissue barely held back the flood waters.
I turned in my paper with snot splatters. I had tried to clean it up as much as I could but there was no hiding the evidence, you didn't need to be on CSI to see the evidence. A small part of me felt stupid but the rest of me only cared enough to go home and sleep the cold off. I remember hoping that no one who touched my paper would get sick because I oozed germs and boogers all over it.
I once had a bad cold during exam season in high school. The kind of cold where your nose is so badly congested that it feels like the snot has turned into one big solid plug. Blowing and sniffing were both ineffective as the log jam prevented any clearing of the nasal passages. I wrote an exam and halfway through my nose started dripping onto the paper. My horror turned into panic because in a quiet gymnasium an otherwise silent drip sounds like a Hollywood movie splat. I wonder who heard and who saw it fall. Since I couldn't sniff it back up my dammed up nose and blowing it with the scrap of tissue I had with me wasn't working either the only thing I could do, albeit in a humiliated fashion, was to shove the tissue up each nostril and let them soak up the excess drippage. But hey, when you're sick, feel like shit and have to write an exam, public image really falls by the wayside. As I recall, that exam was about 2 hours long. The tissue barely held back the flood waters.
I turned in my paper with snot splatters. I had tried to clean it up as much as I could but there was no hiding the evidence, you didn't need to be on CSI to see the evidence. A small part of me felt stupid but the rest of me only cared enough to go home and sleep the cold off. I remember hoping that no one who touched my paper would get sick because I oozed germs and boogers all over it.
October 14, 2007
First Trip
If you ever want to see a group of civilized women turn into a frenzied pool of sharks all you have to do is bring a baby into their midst.
Saturday was our first big trip out of the City. We had a family wedding to attend and were not looking forward to it at all since the drive was about 1.5 hour long and we would be staying overnight in a hotel. But with family gatherings so far and few between, we sucked it up and decided that the joys of seeing everyone would ultimately outweigh the stress of a screaming baby.
Surprisingly the Stinkerbug behaved very well. She slept in the car and when she fussed we stopped to feed her before continuing along our merry way. Upon arriving at our destination she was spirited away to be fawned over by cooing ladies and Mr. Stinky and I got to hang out sans baby. If you've never been swarmed, have a baby.
To watch the action play out is fairly amusing. The soap opera-ness of being passed around like a trophy, women being possessive and jealous became a great source of entertainment for Mr. Stinky and me. It's much like a wrestling match as people fought for elbow space and any bit of advantage to get her into their arms. All the while she remained calm and didn't fuss too much. Even as she slept, there were requests to hold her. I know, she's da bomb. We were so relieved things were going well.
The action at breakfast was pretty much the same. I fed her before we went down to eat and passed her off into willing arms. You should know I've learned how to gorge in record setting time... it has always been my reputation to be a painfully slow eater. Now I'm scraping my second plate clean before people have even unfolded their napkins. This is a survival tactic for when she starts fussing while I'm communing with my meal and/or there's no one around to help out... although I've also mastered the ambidextrous skill of eating with whatever hand's available. Anyway, as soon as we got to the dining area she was out of my arms. As relatives woke up and made their way down she changed hands like a hot potato, with everyone wanting to be the taker, never the giver.
The weekend and trip away from home turned out to be fantastic, even if we were tuckered out by the time we got home. The three of us passed out for the entire afternoon as soon as we got home. What a great weekend.
Saturday was our first big trip out of the City. We had a family wedding to attend and were not looking forward to it at all since the drive was about 1.5 hour long and we would be staying overnight in a hotel. But with family gatherings so far and few between, we sucked it up and decided that the joys of seeing everyone would ultimately outweigh the stress of a screaming baby.
Surprisingly the Stinkerbug behaved very well. She slept in the car and when she fussed we stopped to feed her before continuing along our merry way. Upon arriving at our destination she was spirited away to be fawned over by cooing ladies and Mr. Stinky and I got to hang out sans baby. If you've never been swarmed, have a baby.
To watch the action play out is fairly amusing. The soap opera-ness of being passed around like a trophy, women being possessive and jealous became a great source of entertainment for Mr. Stinky and me. It's much like a wrestling match as people fought for elbow space and any bit of advantage to get her into their arms. All the while she remained calm and didn't fuss too much. Even as she slept, there were requests to hold her. I know, she's da bomb. We were so relieved things were going well.
The action at breakfast was pretty much the same. I fed her before we went down to eat and passed her off into willing arms. You should know I've learned how to gorge in record setting time... it has always been my reputation to be a painfully slow eater. Now I'm scraping my second plate clean before people have even unfolded their napkins. This is a survival tactic for when she starts fussing while I'm communing with my meal and/or there's no one around to help out... although I've also mastered the ambidextrous skill of eating with whatever hand's available. Anyway, as soon as we got to the dining area she was out of my arms. As relatives woke up and made their way down she changed hands like a hot potato, with everyone wanting to be the taker, never the giver.
The weekend and trip away from home turned out to be fantastic, even if we were tuckered out by the time we got home. The three of us passed out for the entire afternoon as soon as we got home. What a great weekend.
October 12, 2007
Mall Madness
"Did you think we'd ever be sitting side by side on a mall bench breastfeeding our babies?"
Yesterday was mall day with my friend and also new mommy Oscar. It was to be a big day since I haven't gone out too much with Stinkerbug (aka Princess Pruneface) just because she's such a difficult baby. But hey, we figured in a mall we'd be among many mommies and babies and it's always loud. If one or both babies start screaming, who really cares, right?
The strategy is to learn how to juggle holding a fussy baby while pushing an empty stroller for as long as you can before plopping a calmer baby back down, hoping for the peace to prevail.
We had lunch and walked around. When it was time to nurse we visited the "family room" located in the mall washrooms for some privacy. It turned out to be a dingy corner in the washroom with two worn and stained chairs and a plexiglass enclosure in what could only be described as a windex-deprived jail for toddlers. We decided to head for an empty bench out in the mall.
As we sat there next to each other, boob juice flowing, babies a-drinking and chatted away it occurred to me how odd the situation was. Not in the sense that we were doing anything wrong, but this was a girl I had known since I was a kid. We weren't always friends and lost touch several times over the years, but never did I ever think we'd be together in a situation like now. How far we've come.
Despite all the unpleasant bits to our day; tired arms (both), projectile vomiting (mine), giant poopy diaper (hers), fussy and screaming (both) it was also very enjoyable to be able to spend time with a friend who is going through the exact same experiences... although her baby is several weeks older than Stinkerbug so she can actually pass along tips to help me out.
Yesterday was a fun day, even as we were leaving and had to strap two screaming babes into the back seat of her car. We couldn't help but giggle as they bawled and wailed away like they were singing some dissonant duet until the car ride calmed them down to a drowsy surrender. Thanks for the date, Oscar.
Yesterday was mall day with my friend and also new mommy Oscar. It was to be a big day since I haven't gone out too much with Stinkerbug (aka Princess Pruneface) just because she's such a difficult baby. But hey, we figured in a mall we'd be among many mommies and babies and it's always loud. If one or both babies start screaming, who really cares, right?
The strategy is to learn how to juggle holding a fussy baby while pushing an empty stroller for as long as you can before plopping a calmer baby back down, hoping for the peace to prevail.
We had lunch and walked around. When it was time to nurse we visited the "family room" located in the mall washrooms for some privacy. It turned out to be a dingy corner in the washroom with two worn and stained chairs and a plexiglass enclosure in what could only be described as a windex-deprived jail for toddlers. We decided to head for an empty bench out in the mall.
As we sat there next to each other, boob juice flowing, babies a-drinking and chatted away it occurred to me how odd the situation was. Not in the sense that we were doing anything wrong, but this was a girl I had known since I was a kid. We weren't always friends and lost touch several times over the years, but never did I ever think we'd be together in a situation like now. How far we've come.
Despite all the unpleasant bits to our day; tired arms (both), projectile vomiting (mine), giant poopy diaper (hers), fussy and screaming (both) it was also very enjoyable to be able to spend time with a friend who is going through the exact same experiences... although her baby is several weeks older than Stinkerbug so she can actually pass along tips to help me out.
Yesterday was a fun day, even as we were leaving and had to strap two screaming babes into the back seat of her car. We couldn't help but giggle as they bawled and wailed away like they were singing some dissonant duet until the car ride calmed them down to a drowsy surrender. Thanks for the date, Oscar.
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