Fuck you, Planet Waves. :p

Last Week
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)
You currently seem to have ideas and the willingness to dare trying them in about equal measure. The question is why you would hesitate. My theory is that for you, 'in theory' is enough. And it may well be enough, but I propose that you remember that there is a difference between an idea and an experience. Most people would say that it's daring enough to play with the concept. But this is a little like studying maps without taking the trip; making the blue prints but not building the house.

This Week
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)
It's easy to see that you have the power to seize control of your environment and use it to the best of your advantage. This is because you have reached a point of knowledge that the base of operations is not a place, but rather a state which you carry around in your heart region. There is something that you have been meaning to say or do that you are worried is going to step on some toes; something that you, as a Libra, have a hard time doing. I would suggest you get comfortable with your own authority. You are a natural at establishing balance and harmony, no matter what you do. Take this opportunity to get a little practice in honoring the self before the other. Your sense of security will grow immensely from this exercise.

I am doing a poll to see which costume people like better. Please vote and be sure to include comments if you have them. :)

The Aviator:


or

The Surgeon:



Poll #1288744 Jack's Halloween Costume 2008
This poll is closed.
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

Which costume do you like better?

Any particular reason?

I have been awful about keeping up with this, even private posts. The truth is, having a newborn takes a lot of work! Even now I am typing while he sleeps in my lap. Not bad, but tough on the carpal tunnel. :)

Anyway, I added an Obama banner to the right and thought I should probably post an update while I was at it. I will be writing more in the future (promise!) but who knows when. :)

In the mean time, get prepared for Nov 4, check out my guest blog entry at chicksrockblog.com and have a happy October!

now i'm forcing you to watch my dog play with a sock. ignore my inane commentary and laughter. :)

i wrote this on my cellphone while riding to work in november.

strange things happen to a pregnant woman. some are lucky enough to avoid what i consider to be the worst: the psychological effects. the biggest, most easily named of these is depression. that sinking feeling that your life is over - things will never be the same, and you will never again feel 'normal,' whatever that is for you.

during the thick of my depression, i hated any positive reaction to my pregnancy. how dare someone congratulate me on my misery? my mom especially was excited and i became so annoyed. i realize now that her's was worst of all - not only was she happy about this situation, but she fucking wished it on me for years!

i started to feel she must be pretty selfish to want me to suffer so she can see a baby a few times each year. i should note that i don't get that excited feeling over babies, and it doesn't even pop up when i'm related to the baby. i don't get it and if i'm totally honest, i think it's mildly retarded. i know that sounds cruel since so many women do feel that way, but i'm trying to be honest here.

dont' get me wrong - i think babies are cute and i sound like an idiot when i talk to them, just like everyone else. it's just that there are millions of them and we don't need that many and we know how it works now, so it's not so miraculous as it once was. plus strollers are one of my pet peeves. how could anyone like those??

so back to the point. i knew in my mind that my mom wasn't wanting me to suffer all those years. i had to assume that either she had a better pregnancy or she just completely forgot what it's like. now that i've talked to my dad, it seems the latter is the case. he says she suffered from severe postpartum depression, but didn't remember that when he mentioned it to her. you'd never know it to hear it from her!

Long-time readers of this blog may remember reading at one time or another that I am not the best time manager. I do get many things done and usually get them done before catastrophe strikes, but it's not easy. Well, last week, I found a stay-at-home mom blog entry about a new task management software app called FruitfulTime TaskManager.

I have tried using MS Project to manage my tasks to no avail. When I've used it to organize work projects involving other people, I've had a lot of success. But as a general day-to-day task manager, it's not so great - for me, anyway. I have also tried using Outlook tasks, but find the flat list is not very helpful.

Imagine my surprise when I downloaded the FruitfulTime free 10-day trial! This software really helps you organize without overwhelming you with detail, which is exactly where I need help!

• First, you can tag primary tasks with customized tags. The software comes pre-loaded with work, personal, and leisure ... I prefer to tag by client project or more granular personal tags like "finances". Adding new tags is incredibly simple.


• Primary tasks you say? That's right - you can assign subtasks to each primary task. You know, each thing you have to get done on your to do list is actually part of a larger to do item. Suppose you have to make 5 updates to a webpage - your primary task is "update webpage", and the subtasks list the individual items to be updated. Of course, you can choose to do this at whatever level makes sense for you!


• FruitfulTime has multiple tabs associated with each task: Subtasks, Notes, References (for online links), Contacts, and Reminders. These are pretty self explanatory and help you to keep from busting out pen and paper every time you need to jot something down.


• Lastly, you can prioritize primary and subtasks, record Status (in progress, pending, etc), and assign a due date for each subtask and primary task. The only trick I've found with the due dates is that subtasks don't automatically roll up to the primary task, as they do in MS Project. Kind of a bummer, but as long as you remember, you can more actively control your due dates (MS Project's roll-up feature can turn into a nightmare when you are trying to manage different kinds of tasks in the same project file).

Alright ... time to get organized!

This one is just sad and depressing.

Dear Kelly,

Your generous support got us back to federal court, where we've scored another big victory for whales -- this time over the President of the United States!

Last night, a federal judge struck down a waiver issued by the White House that would have exempted the U.S. Navy from obeying a key environmental law during sonar training exercises that endanger whales.

In doing so, the court affirmed the bedrock principle that we do NOT live under an imperial presidency. Both the White House and the military must obey and uphold our environmental laws.

Here's a great segment about our victory from today's "Morning Edition" on National Public Radio:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18689650
( Read more... )

i have noticed that seeing the statue of liberty on my way to work each morning gives me a little lift. it's so cool ... we come out of the tunnel on the brooklyn side, where someone has spray painted "you go girl" in big red letters on one of the buildings. so that puts a smile on my face, then i turn around and see the brooklyn bridge, lower manhattan, and lady liberty. even when i'm feeling crappy it always makes some part of me smile, even if it isn't enough to reach my face.

Here's what I see each morning (I'll take my camera along one of these days!):


Here's what I see on the way home:


Here's what I think is really funny:

From YouTube:

"Why Obama?" ( Three brothers share their story. )

Lyrics and other info below video... 

Song & video, featuring a star cast, by Will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas. Inspired by Barack Obama's 'Yes We Can' speech.



( Lyrics and other info here )

Those of you who have been keeping track know that i am pregnant - 23 weeks pregnant, to be exact. You can imagine my dismay, then, when I woke up yesterday morning from the following dream: ( graphic, disturbing (to me), death )

Anti-heroic Kurt, the 20th Century’s Jonathan Swift



Moody Kurt died in April of this year [KJ NOTE: This was written in 2007]. Our dear friend knew he was lucky to have lived such a long life. Mr. Vonnegut got a stern dose of patriotism as a draftee serving in the battlefields of Europe during WWII. He was captured by the Germans and incarcerated at Dresden. While there, it was largely destroyed by bombing.( Read more... )

This is a long one, but oh so good ... as timely today as in 1967. Definitely worth a read.

Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence
Declaration of Independence from the War in Vietnam

Delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
April 1967
At Manhattan's Riverside Church

Over the past two years, as I have moved to break the betrayal of my own silences and to speak from the burnings of my own heart, as I have called for radical departures from the destruction of Vietnam, many persons have questioned me about the wisdom of my path. At the heart of their concerns this query has often loomed large and loud: Why are you speaking about the war, Dr. King? Why are you joining the voices of dissent? Peace and civil rights don't mix, they say. Aren't you hurting the cause of your people, they ask. And when I hear them, though I often understand the source of their concern, I am nevertheless greatly saddened, for such questions mean that the inquirers have not really known me, my commitment or my calling. Indeed, their questions suggest that they do not know the world in which they live.
( Read more... )

Thursday evening, I attended a fun event put on by TWM (The Women's Mosaic). At said event, I met a doula who, at the very least, will be putting me in touch with a prenatal doula. She may actually provide me with her own doula services in exchange for a website. In either case, she patiently listened as I listed my concerns with my doctor and my difficulty finding a good one in Brooklyn.

At one point during our conversation, I mentioned that as a Libra, I am always seeking balance. I can no longer remember the exact context within which I made the statement, but I found myself thinking the very same thing the next morning.( Read more... )

The Brazilian government has announced a huge rise in the rate of Amazon deforestation, months after celebrating its success in achieving a reduction.

read more | digg story

From the Sierra Club:

Green Cleaners: Sierra Club Launches New Partnership with Clorox
Has the cost of green products been keeping you from living a greener lifestyle? If so, we have good news. The Sierra Club has just announced a partnership with Clorox's newly-launched line of Green Works cleaners, a breakthrough line of natural cleaning products that are as effective as conventional cleaners but made from plant-based ingredients.

And the best part is that Green Works' natural, environmentally preferable cleaning products are affordable, priced between $2.99 and $3.39. They'll also be easy to find in 24,000 mainstream stores in the United States and Canada.
Learn more about the Green Works products and sign up for the Sierra Club's Green Life newsletter to receive daily emails on how to live la vida verde!

One thing I've realized about being pregnant ... is it puts you in a position to not only accept a lot of help from others, but sometimes to demand assistance. When I say help and assistance, I'm including actual favors and also ... I guess sympathy or leniency. In other words, I'm going to be a basket case tonight, I need you to help me by not getting angry or storming out or yelling at me. Cause those things will make it worse.

This may sound like I'm talking about Matt, and he certainly bears the brunt of my emotions and extra pregnancy needs. But I'm also talking about family and friends, and sometimes even strangers. All my life I have strived to be independent and self-sufficient. I prided myself on these qualities and saw anything less as weak - not in other people, mind you, but in myself.

So the hardest thing about pregnancy for me - *so far* - is accepting and asking for extra attention and assistance. I always thought it would be so hard to make sacrifices in my own life (ie, not drinking, smoking, etc), but those "sacrifices" are ... well I don't even notice them. It's as if I'm not making any sacrifices. Except to my ego, who has to deal with the fact that I'm clumsier, can't carry as much, need to walk more slowly (and I was hardly a speedwalker to begin with!), etc.

Plus I have to have opinions about things I don't care about like colors. I like colors. All of them (ok, most). I don't know, whatever you think is best. I'm certainly not ready to plan colors for a room that won't be done for 4 months. At least that's when I would do it. Actually, I would do it more like when the kid is 4 or 5 and old enough to tell me what colors he/she would prefer. In the meantime, the yellow from the previous kid is fine. But that upsets people because they want to get colors that will match.

It seems so demanding to tell people what to do and not to do. It makes me very uncomfortable and I feel pressured. Need to get over it, I suppose, but it seems funny to me that people can become exasperated with you when they want to do something that is nice and thoughtful but you didn't ask for ... I can hear Loli in my head telling me I'm overanalysing again. Haha.

Sigh.