Driving Restricitons in China

I just read this, and initially it made me giggle. It seems so drastic to restrict driving in this manner. (Cars with even numbered plates can drive on one day and odd numbered on the next.) However I guess I shouldn't be shocked, this is from the country who've implemented, successfully a system that only allows one child per family....

I did not go and get dead,

Hello.
I think I have a totally excusable reason for my lack of posting, but it's not that! We've finally moved and we have none of those complicated internet thingys. We get it tomorrow, there will be rejoicing!
So until then I am in a deli, hijacking Adam's super-dee-duper laptop to read my emails and such. (I love my laptop, but it's harder to type on than this one)

I have some blog entries that I need to get up and running, they've all been written and edited, in my head. Stay tuned! They will mostly involve Trixie. Does that make me a mommy blogger? Is that a good or bad thing? Should I care, should I be labelled? I refuse to be labelled! (heh, I was watching some "My So Called Life" yesterday. )

While I have time a wee Trixie related snippet.
Today Adam and I are taking our sweet baby to get her passport so we can take her home and get her a REAL passport, (suck it jparks!, hee hee.) and as we were leaving home at an early hour to come here to first check our email we were congratulating ourselves for being organized and leaving the house in good time. However when we got to the deli we realized that we forgotten the documents for the passport. Apparently we aren't as organized as we thought. I will take credit for the properly packed diaper bag though, thank you very much. (If we've left the house 10 times with Trixie, the bag has been properly packed 4 times. Parenthood, it's great.)

Well Adam should be here to pick me up shortly, after having gone home to get the stuff for the passport.

more later.

36 Weeks and lovely Internet people!

Yesterday I was 36 weeks pregnant. It's rather exciting because I'm one week away from the baby being considered full term, a place I never thought I'd get to. So surreal.
Along with being 36 weeks I am tired. Tie, to the -erd. Yesterday it was toss up between sleep and eating, eventually eating won out because it's hard to sleep when one's hungry. I blame the sleepyness and hunger to the baby gaining an ounce a day! That's a lot!

So with being pregnant comes gifts I've learned and I've been spoiled by people that I didn't expect to spoil me. Lovely Internet people! Lisa at Random Outlaw sent me a lilac moby which was perfect because I had also ordered a chocolate one so that Adam wouldn't have to wear a girly colour, and now we each can have one! YAY! Thanks Lisa! I love it! Regan gave me many many outfits for the baby, all for 6 months and later, which shows how genius she really is. And cute! It's nice to know that I will have a totally stylish baby in spite of my lack of style. Thanks Regan! I will take many pictures of the baby being cute and well dressed!
It makes me feel so loved to have people I've met online give me gifts! What a lovely place the Internet is! Also on the message board I frequent we've done 2nd and 3rd trimester swaps so I've gotten gifts from other women who are in my due date club, which is so fun! Such nice people!

New Year Round Up

I would have titled it Year End Round Up, but today's the first, so I'm late.
Remember last year when I did the meme where you posted the first line from each month? Let's do it again!

A Year in Review

Well, Blogger has been having some issues with our blog, and then we went on vacation.
In case you've been wondering why Dea and I have disappeared for the last few days, we've been moving into a new place.
So today mother nature lets me know that I'm not pregnant. For those playing along, that's bad news in Chez Berkan.
I've returned from the Great White North, which is really more brownish than white right now.
Today I went to an injections class.
I haven't made it a secret that Adam and I really want to have a baby.
No really it's still Canada Day.
Chachi seems to have eaten something not so good for his little tummy again.
My glasses are in the other room, and well it's hot and I'm pregnant.
We had an ultrasound today to check up on the Murp and make sure that her heart is okay, as there was a small chance that she would have inherited Adam's funky heart issue that nearly killed him as a baby.
To please the masses.
As of last weekend all of the baby's grandparents know that we are planning a home birth.

New Years Eve.

Looks like tonight will be a nice and quiet night for Adam and I. We don't have many plans for tonight, a movie and something bubbly, champagne for Adam and apple cider for me.

As I was checking my blogs out today I see that many people made a resolutions list, or a non-resolution list. I generally don't make one because I never keep them, and then I feel like crap when I realized I suck. So I try not to make them, but still nagging in the back of my head is the ever resolution to lose weight. However this year I get to not make that resolution, even quietly because I am pregnant, and I shouldn't lose weight right now. Not even right after I have the baby, I have a buffer.

It's the best non-resolution ever....

Sometimes Facebook creeps me out.

I like Facebook for the ability for me to keep in touch with all of my friends at home in a really easy manner. I like it because I've been able to reconnect with some old friends from high school. Sometimes it's fun to run across your ex's profile and see that's he's not aged so well, then you can gloat a little. And sometimes I get really creeped out when skeletons from childhood friends past emerge and leave me messages, all shocked that I'm married and grown up.
I send back nice messages that, YAY California is wonderful, I have an amazing husband, yadda yadda. But what I really want to say is "Dude I'm 30, so my being married isn't that weird! And also there's a reason I don't have my maiden name on there!" But I don't instead I end up friending them, and they languish on my friend list, and we never converse again.
Sometimes Facebook is so weird.
But it's a great place to put Chachi pictures! AND SCRABBLE! I haven't mentioned the scrabble. I loves the scrabble so!

Recipes

Did you all know that Rachel Ray's EVOO has been added to the Websters Dictionary this year? I don't know what I think about it, after all EVOO is an acronym, not a word, although in colloquialism it has become a word. Anyhow that is neither here nor there.
I've updated my recipe blog, with 3 new ones. I especially love the chicken one, perhaps I will make it tonight, although I only have marinated artichokes.

This post is without title.

Do you know that feeling when you are so hungry that you're nauseaus? But the thought of food makes you want to rip your toenails off with chopsticks?
Okay just checking.

So I've had to add the word thingy on my comments. I've been getting spammers trying to sell you all viagra. So just to be sure, I don't want to sell you viagra. I'm sure if you need it you can find it, but I'm not selling it.

Now to find me some sturdy chopsticks....

Oh, Fun Project!

Karen over at chookooloonks had a really fabulous idea to start a journal written by various bloggers. The premise is that each blogger would each complete a page in whatever manner they want, be it art, prose or macaroni art as Karen wittily suggested. After the blogger was done then he or she would mail it to the next recipient who would do their thing then forward it on. Finally when it reached everyone who was interested, it would be sent back to Karen, who is going to dismantle it, frame the individual pages and sell them, donating the revenue to charity.
I think it's such an amazing idea. I already have a plan of what I'm going to do. I'll keep it mostly a secret, but there's going to be a Deadra original poem and lots of colour! Since I'm 22nd on the list, I expect it will take some time to get to me, but that also means I'll get to see the 21 pieces before me.
So when I get it I'll tell you all about it.
Oh and did I mention how excited I am to do this? And what a great idea it is? I really love that it will benefit a charity and in a way unite a lot of strangers.

Creepy Website.

I came across this website that tells you what sexual offenders are in your area. I don't know if they have a Canadian version of this. But in any case it's a little bit fascinating and a lot creepy.
(my zip is 94086)

What I Had For Lunch.

I have my new blog all up and running. I'll get a link to it on this page soon.

Mish Mash, vol ?

On Decluttering.
I was on a message board a couple weeks ago and saw that there was a thread where people were posting their goals on how many things they were going to throw away and declutter their lives. I thought it was a great idea, but unsure if I could just throw away stuff. But, ya know? I can! This weekend I threw away another 5 pair of shoes. I know shocking, 5 pairs! I was a little aghast but I hadn't worn them in over a year and they were takin' of space and we were paying people to move them, seemed ridiculous to me. So they're gone, although I had to get Adam to actually carry them to the garbage. Baby steps, right? I also garbaged some other random stuff, which takes my number up to 14. Which made me wonder, what would be a good goal for me? 100? 250? 500? 1000? Before we moved I culled my wardrobe, reducing it by two thirds, but I won't count that, since it's done.

On Trolls.
So you know that I have anonymous commenters. Mostly I'm fine with them, but I don't like them being rude, or lecturing me. Arg. So if you love me, tell me.

On Spring.
Spring has sprung! It's been springing for a while, but it's wasn't quite there, and now it's all sproinged! I'm spleased! I find it a little amusing that I'm getting excited over spring, uh, springing, since there was no snow, no cold to shake. However the fresh cut grass smell, and the blooming flowers, and even the ozone smell of rain, I love it all! I've always said that I love spring and fall best and here I am in the land of spring and fall!

On Ceramics.
I don't have any new photos, but I have a bunch of new pieces. Right now I am making a fist of rock for my brother, although he doesn't know it. I'm also making tiles for my table, rather than use mosaic tiles to create a design, instead I'm making puzzle piece tiles, and giving them an interesting finish. I can't wait until it's done and I can show you.

On Chachi.
Regan wrote how her chihuahua is a surly teenager, and it made me think of Chachi. Adam and I joke that he's a teenager with the quirks of one. To elaborate, he'll sleep all day given the chance. He would love nothing more than for me to lay in bed all day so he could too. When I get up in the mornings he gives me the look disgust and makes his way over to the couch in the sun. He's developed a selective listening habit, which is highly annoying. I have proven to be more stubborn than a five pound chihuahua, which I think is a feat on it's own. He'll do anything for food, be it puppy treats or human food. Hoever he only has a taste for high end treats though, won't eat the cheaper ones, but he will play with them. For some reason he figures he's the enforcer and when I chide the cat for something he runs over and nips at him. Why Bonsai doesn't lay the smack down on him is beyond me.

On My New Blog.
It's call What I Had For Lunch. I find often when I am talking to Gay (my stepmom) I relay recipes that I have recently made. I figure this will be a good way for me to keep track of everything I make and how I did. I like to take a recipe and alter it to make it more my taste, and I always forget what I did, or lose the post-it I wrote it on and stuck to my cupboard door. Also the number of times I've asked Gay for her chocolate pudding recipe is shameful.... It's so good though, it's English style, so it's cakey, not all gooshy like American pudding. De-vine!

On Bosu
Oh I heart a Bosu more than ever now. So much so that I might have to buy one. I still use them a lot when I work out, but now I'm using it while I work with weight, which really adds to the workout. Julie's started having me to pushups on them. It's freaky hard, but I can do it! I was explaining to my friend Lauren, who I started my journey into climbing with, about the rush I get when I work out with a bosu. I love the feeling of accomplishment I get when I can do something on it. Although I love to strength train, I never has the same feeling of accomplishment, but when I do it with the bosu, I do. It's great.

So I think that mostly covers what's going on in my life.

Politics.

Today in my blog world I read some stuff that made my insides sizzle in a not happy way. I wanted to talk about the issues here, but alas, I couldn't word it right and so, instead I will link you to the articles.

On HPV Vaccines for men.


On Fox News and how they are idiots.

For the record I think that the HPV vaccine should be made available to men also, especially since it is in Australia and the EU. I don't know where I stand on vaccines in general, but I think that they should be made available to everyone, regardless of their sexuality. Also I think that we should all buy stock in Merck, the vaccine, Gardisil is $360 per patient. It's one of the most expensive vaccines ever.

About Barack Obama, I can't believe that Fox won't apologize. And I am happy that Obama stood his ground and defended himself. I commented on that entry that only middle aged, upper middle class white men can be a president and anyone who isn't that get to be smeared. Sigh....

Now something cute to make everyone happy. Here's a picture of Adam and Chachi after Chachi's surgery. He wasn't a very happy puppy and wanted nothing more than being cuddled. Which is normal, but he prefers his cuddles from me, and since I couldn't cuddle him while I cooked he was more than happy to cuddle with Adam as opposed to sitting at my heels.

You're Welcome, Today Show.

Remember when I posted this? Well as I was watching TV tonight I see an ad for The Today Show showing the same clip I posted a few days ago, and promising to give snowy weather driving tips! Clearly they ripped off my idea. They should thank me.
Also, Today Show people? I accept roses and pretty flowers as thanks also.
I mean, I'm just sayin'.

Year End Meme.

I was at Indego Girl's site and she did a meme where she posted the first line of the first post of each month. (On a side note, it was so interesting to follow the link that she had to the blog where she got the idea, then their link so on and so forth.)
I don't have a full 12 months since I started this in Feburary.

A Year in Review....

Hi Friends, Family and anyone else who has stumbled onto this site.
So there have been some "winter" storms here.
So today at the gym I was all proud of myself.
I am fully legal now licensed to drive here.
My cousin and I both lived and taught in Korea in different cities.
My friend Monica had her baby!
So sorry to have neglected you all....
I've been neglecting my blog for a while.
I didn't know what to call this post.
Last night was CRAZY!
I wonder if there will be a wee void in the blogging world today.

So in retrospect, I moved, and became a legal citizen of California. I often make light of the climate here, esp when it's "cold". Many friends had many babies. I neglect my readers, but they know I love them. And I had fun this year. So here's to another!