4.24.2008

So confused...

I love V, she's my personal fertility expert. Today, she sent me a vague email alluding to something called, "self-guided work" -- as something I should be doing right now in light of my situation. huh?

She's at work right now so I'm having a hard time getting a clear answer... but my head is spinning wondering what I'm supposed to be doing that I'm not. No wonder I'm having such a difficult time with all this!!

Time for patience.

Patience...

... is not my forte. I am all about immediate gratification. When I want something, I want it yesterday.

Today was the first day I was supposed to use an OPK (ovulation predictor kit) and the test read positive. Trying not to get too excited, I had to stare at the two pink lines for a while. I had never seen a positive ovulation reading before (over 6 months of testing). As per direction from my doctor, I went in for an exam. Turns out it was a false positive. Man, talk about disappointment. The good news is things are "happening" and they expect a true positive sometime this weekend... But now I have to wait again (sigh).

I am in big trouble cause if my patience is wearing thing NOW... Boy oh boy. Let's face it, the ovulation piece of the puzzle is a minor part of the ENTIRE process...

4.23.2008

$126 Million

... that is the amount of money the Giants are paying one pitcher (Barry Zito) over 7 years. Can someone please pay ME $126 Million for 7 years? jeez, I'd settle for 1 Million.

Here's the deal, the guy stinks. He hasn't won a single game yet all season and he is the first pitcher in Giants history since the 1920's to start with a 0-5 record. I would feel like a criminal if I were him for pulling off such a scam. Or maybe I should look at this from the other side and ask, "how could the Giants be so stupid to give him so much money?"

The reason he got the contract in the first place was due to his proven excellence pitching for the A's.

Listening to my boys on KNBR, I hear so many theories as to why he's in such a slump... if you can call it that (jeez, it's been over a year now since he's been with the Giants):

- Some folks are saying he's not comfortable as an "Ace" (yeah, the Giants still call him their Ace pitcher, hello!?!? anybody home?) -- he feels more comfortable under the radar (hello?!?! you're in the Major League, buddy!).

- Some say he's trying too hard. Oh my gosh, if that's the case, I'd hate to see him when he stops trying.

- There is speculation that he has lost his core strength due the fact that he no longer surfs (The Giants made him agree not to surf during the term of his contract as prevention against injury). Brian Murphy on KNBR joked that perhaps Zito needs to go out and surf and... ahem... get himself on the DL.. (of course he was joking!)

Etc, etc... People love to have an "explanation". I don't really care about explanations. In this world, it's about productivity and performance. Those who are productive and perform well succeed... right?

I know that they can't take the money back, but why the heck don't they let the younger pitchers have a chance to win his title?

The Giants are giving kids the messsage that hard work and performance means nothing. Get that big contract then rest on your laurels, young lads.

4.22.2008

Happiness is...


I have always loved Charles Schultz' notion of simple pleasures.

Happiness is... watching your beloved dog run through the meadow... in tall grass so all you see is the crown of her head and flopping ears emerge every second or so as she pops up to get a quick view.

I better go find the anti-tick spray!

4.21.2008

Not your girly girl


Today Pete and I were noticing how filthy dirty the bedding (where Lucy sleeps) has gotten. Pete noted that he'd given her a bath two times in the past few days.

This dog loves to be as dirty as possible. As soon as she possibly can after getting a bath, she'll go outside and roll around in the dirt.

I said to Pete, "you'd think she'd get a clue that she's just going to get more baths if he keeps getting dirty". Pete said, "she's probably saying the same thing about us."


Wiki

What a fun word. Makes me think about Hawaiian dances or something. I spent some time on various "Wiki"s this weekend... let's see, there's Wikipedia, Wikihow, Wiktionary and a bunch of others. The concept is each site is a giant online resource that can be edited by virtually anyone. So it's a continually evolving project.

Anyhoo, I wanted to do some research before showing up to the Seder, so I searched on "Passover" and "Seder". I found myself reading an article, "how to be a respectful Non-Jew at a Seder" -- perfect! It actually wasn't terribly useful given the article was geared for a more traditional Seder.

I found myself getting sucked in big time. You can read about one topic and they always give you links to other "similar" topics. Somehow, I found myself reading, "how to be liked" (!!!) and "how to be popular but not mean". Are you kidding me? If ONLY Wiki existed when I was in high school. Kids these days really have it easy.

I'm off to read about "how to pass time when bored." I'll keep you posted.

Monday Monday

No... I didn't win the lottery. C'mon now...You KNOW I would not be sitting here at my desk at 8:40am writing in my Blog if I HAD won. ; )

Anyways, it's Monday morning. Mondays are always the worst for me as the long week ahead seems so daunting and unsurmountable.

Luckily I tend to pack things in over the weekend... and as usual, it was a satisfying weekend full of fun, time with friends, chill out time with Pete & Lucy and as much outdoor activity as I could handle, given it was oh so COLD. I got used to the 85 degree weather we experienced the previous weekend and I'm quick to get spoiled.

Saturday night, Pete & I attended a Passover Seder. We felt very honored to be invited to a family event. I had never been to a Seder before, so I assumed it would be a very religious experience.

If you have never been to a Jewish Seder, it's a ritualistic ceremony commemorating the freedom of slaves in Egypt and the liberation of Israelites. There are rules regarding what is acceptable to eat and the event follows a procedure that is dictated in a book called the "Haggadeh". Certain foods are eaten in a special sequence symbolizing aspects of the historical event. For example, at one point, we ate matzo with "mortar" -- symbolizing the mortar the Jews had used to build pyramids. This mortar was a ground paste made from almonds, berries and other items. It was quite tasty... kind of reminded me oatmeal. Everyone participated in the ceremony, reading passages from the Haggadeh at designated times. The main purpose of the Seder is to ensure the younger generations retain the Jewish History and tradition. Considering everyone is an active participant, I am sure young children learn and retain the knowledge as they participate year by year.

I had no idea that this would be one of the most fun Holiday events I had experienced in a long time! Of course, I do believe the reason why it was such fun is our hostesses are very non-traditional Jews. They are also quite easy going with a great senses of humor. The family members all joked and laughed heartily during the entire 3 hour event. This was no somber event.

Oh, and the food was DELICOUS!