Spreading Like Mold
Mood:  irritated
Topic: family

We're still on the hunt for a house to rent. Of course, we don't want to live in a house with lots of water damage or mold. Unfortunately, a lot of the foreclosures my MIL has been looking at have that issue. Whatever disaster has struck these home owners, that leave them unable to keep up with their homes, is quite sad. Whether it's a matter of fire restoration or repairing water damage, I still believe most houses are worth the investment. I also wish my MIL was more willing to invest in a home with some of these issues, when the house has a good shell or foundation. I know that she would be able to find a good company out there to do the restoration. Some companies, like Water Restoration 911, will respond 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, so she can feel assured that Baba will live in a safe environment. We could be living in the new house by the time she finds the "perfect" one.

You know the saying about lemonade. I think it might apply to this situaiton.

 

Back Pain
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: health
R had a back spasm of sorts, so he's out of commision tonight and probably tomorrow too. Poor baby. Now I've got two of them to take care of.

Swollen Feet
Mood:  spacey
Topic: health
When I was pregnant, I dealt with a lot of swelling, especially in my feet and legs. Mainly it was because I was going to develop pre-eclampsia and dealing with blood pressure issues. I used TED support stockings to help, along with a lot of rest and drinking plenty of fluids. One of my coworkers that is pregnant now is 7 months along and already has what I have assessed (not being a nurse) as +1 pitting on her legs and ankles. She brushed it off, the way I did when I was pregnant with Elijah, which scares me. I hope she's checking in with her doctor and taking extra precautions.

Boiling
Mood:  surprised
Topic: health

Hurricane Dolly hasn't even made landfall yet (as of this post), but the weather is already hitting us landlocked Atlantans. My county has issued a water alert - boil it, don't drink it or brush your teeth with it. Doh. I guess we'll be hitting the Kroger with our morning breath and stinky butts tomorrow. Unless they lift the water restrictions by then.

Green Living
Mood:  chillin'
Topic: politics
I want to start using eco friendly products around the house, especially for Ishmael's sake. Of course, with house dogs and the bugs that invade whenever it rains, it's going to be hard to convince Rahim. It's hard enough to get him to recycle these days. We're limited on time, but I truly want to make time in our lives for that stuff. We have to drive our recycling to the local farmer's market, because we live in an apartment complex that doesn't recycle. But recycling makes my soul feel good, so I don't mind. Using green products, especially from independent and grassroots companies, will bring me a lot of peace.

Dark Knight
Mood:  amorous
Topic: family

R had an unexpected day off (but will be working all weekend), so we decided to go to the movies. With the baby. It was Baba's first trip to the movies, and he did great! I fed him partly right before we left home and then fed him his bottle during the 20-minute commericals before the previews. Since when did Americans roll over and accept so many commercials at the movies? I believe there was a time when movie-goers actually protested advertisers trying to insert commercials. Now, people just accept it as part of the show. Everything is sponsored these days.

We saw the new Batman movie, which we had been anticipating forever and a day. Christian Bale. Meowww. Move over Eric Bana and Clive Owen. He is Batman to me, a dark, heartbroken hero. Love it! Even his recent problems with my family endear him to me. I mean, have you heard about my childhood? Rough going. I still have nightmares.

Anyway, Baba did wonderful. He slept throughout the whole movie. Can you believe it? Like he knew we really wanted to see this movie. How did we manage this perfect, amazing baby? R's my hero today, too. He helped out a man who had fallen out of his wheelchair in the street. But that's another blog post all together.

Custom Baby
Mood:  cool
Topic: family

I've been looking through the photo albums lately and am considering ordering some custom t-shirts with Baba's picture on them. Wouldn't that be the cutest? I could wear one on Fridays at work or to exercise. Though, I'd hate to sweat through one. Baba is so cute and precious these days, you wanna just take a million pictures and show him off. At the post office today, several women remarked about how pretty he is. I made my usual joke, "We don't know where he came from," implying he didn't get his good looks from us. But she didn't see the joke. Instead, she took a clsoe look at him and said, "Well, his father must be black. And you're part Asian, aren't you? That's why he's so beautiful." I told her she was very perceptive and kind. Cool, eh?

 

Blue Lists
Mood:  hungry
Topic: politics
Looking at the city search a different way, here's a list of Top 10 Liberal Cities in the U.S. The statistics used to make the list: individual contributions to democratic/liberal parties, voting in the 2004 election, the number of gay households from the last U.S. Census, etc. There were three lists based on city size. For us, I think we would have to live in a city larger than 100,000 people anyway.

1. Boston, MA
2. Cambridge, MA
3. Berkeley, CA
4. Oakland, CA
5. San Francisco, CA
6. New Haven, CT
7. Providence, RI
8. New York, NY
9. Baltimore, MD
10. Seattle, WA

They also listed the most liberal cities in various states. Interestingly, Decatur is the most "liberal" in Georgia! Yay! (That's where we live now, in case you didn't know!)

Memory Walk
Mood:  bright
Topic: health

Something I want to integrate into my exercise plan is participating in charity runs. You get to meet new people and support worthwhile charities. One race I was reading about is the Alzheimer's Memory Walk. Here's what that organization has to say about their event:

"The Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk® is the nation's largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer care, support and research – and it calls on volunteers of all ages to become champions in the fight against Alzheimer's. There are walks in more than 600 communities. A typical Memory Walk is a 2-3 mile walk held on a weekend morning in the fall. By teaming up with the Alzheimer's Association, you can walk with a purpose – and move us closer to a world without Alzheimer's. Together, we can MOVE a nation."

Alzheimer's is such a horrible tragedy for any family. Every now and then, I worry about the amount of deodorant I apply - aluminum has been linked to Alzheimer's. I have such hopes for growing old and enjoying life, having grandkids and adventures in my retirement. Being healthy is so important, which is why even steps you take now are really important. I really am determined to lose weight and be healthy. I wish it would happen faster, but it will happen.

Green List
Mood:  energetic
Topic: politics
I found this list of Top 10 Green Cities in the U.S. Of course, the list is from 2005. I've left off the details, but you can go read about the article for yourself if you're interested.

1. Austin, TX (no chance, since it's still in the South)
2. Boulder, CO
3. Chicago, IL
4. Honolulu, Hawaii
5. Madison, WI
6. Minneapolis, MN
7. Oakland, CA (big chance)
8. Portland, OR
9. San Francisco, CA
10. Seattle, WA

Runenrs up: Boston,MA, Athens, GA, and Lawrence, Kansas.