At dinner my great-aunt somehow told a story about a friend's granddaughter who couldn't get pregnant, did IVF, and lo and behold had a 'surprise #2.' (No, she doesn't know about either my or my sister's infertile adventures as far as I know). Not a problem. She's older, she doesn't know her audience, she was just chatting.
But then my sister chimes in that she knows lots of people who get pregnant after IF treatments. Honestly.
And I bit my tongue at the dinner table.
But let me tell you I had some words for her on the drive home. Just plain, reasonable words. I.e. some people have serious diagnosis that make the chance of conception null (let's see: blocked tubes, blocked sperm ... um, what was that they said about me ... people who have been anovulatory for over 15 years shouldn't hold out hope for a miraculous little egg to suddenly appear ... something like that). Yes, many people are 'subfertile' and given years of patience they just might just strike it lucky - say 5%? That's not a lot according to the O.E.D. And most of those are using fertility treatments because of the ticking time bomb. People who are diagnosed as infertile at age 11 usually don't just, um, recover.
And what did she do? She said she definitely, personally knew plenty of people who had got pregnant after infertility (now, she has 2 good friends with babies so I'm not sure exactly who these people are. She also doesn't work in an office or someplace she would have a lot of casual acquaintances to gossip about. Beats me who these people are).
And I glowered and told her she was an idiot. So much for self-control and behaving like a doormat.
I also assured her that JD and I have already budgeted for future treatments. And that realistically we need to set aside something like $1000 per month in order to be able to go into it with the same attitude as before - i.e. we're doing this till the bitter end, no pause to save money, loans accepted. Because after all she had all of her treatments covered 100% by her husband's insurance and she has no idea why this idea that we should just relax and wait a few years is so completely and totally infuriating.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Just a little more venting
I am stressed. And it's making me feel sick. I guess I should not have agreed to this visit. Or to doing the packing when I have a ton of work to do. I feel like I've suddenly (really, this is not normally me - I'm quite good at making my needs known) turned into a soft, gooey doormat that other people can make demands on.
I've escaped to the library for 45 minutes, but I'm just too tired and anxious to get real work done, even though I have so, so much to do. Something tells me I'm going to be stuck lugging my laptop around on our honeymoon ...
My apartment is trashed. By both JD and my sister. She actually changed her feminine products in the living room while I was having breakfast. I did not barf. I'm not normally queasy about these things, but apparently I really am now.
I feel bad about not saying goodbye to our friends yesterday night because she wanted to go home. People I won't see again unless they happen to come visit us in NYC (which quite a few of them are planning to. It cracks me up that a number of JD's friends want to come up for a comic book convention in February and since they are super-easy going, I told them it wouldn't be a problem if they all come pile into the mini-apartment with us and a theoretical one-month-old. They are very excited to meet the baby, but they have the funniest theories about what she'll be doing come February 2009).
She's also making me feel guilty about silly, little things. There's a decent amount of food in our fridge. All opened so we can't donate it. She asked if we were really going to trash all of it ... but what am I supposed to do? We have a 17 hour drive and no cooler, followed by a train, a bus and 2 flights. I'm not planning to drag this stuff around with me. We've offered all of our local friends to come grab whatever they want, but, um, well, they have their own groceries. And I really would have planned meals to eat it all if it weren't for her visit (and thus visiting relatives, going out, running behind schedule yesterday night and having to grab quick food on the way out of the house, and, oh, the fact she doesn't want any meat meals? And honestly, I get to be a bit picky at this point - I'm supposed to be eating this magical diet that's high in protein, calcium, vegetables and fruits and all sorts of other wonderful foods - that means I can't just eat cereal for dinner to not waste food).
Oh, and since this is supposed to be an IF blog and not just my personal navel gazing, I thought I'd throw this in. I am not interested in pregnancy/parenting advice from my sister because she is clueless. She told me her friend had an all-natural childbirth with no fetal monitoring, etc. but I know we both read her birth story on her blog and she talked about the baby going into decels and being told she had to get him out immediately. It's just that my sister doesn't know what the lingo means or what's involved in a natural childbirth. Even a homebirth in 2008 involves a doppler and a little fetal monitoring, and that's a good thing.
Her dear friend had a baby 2 weeks ago (another one of those huge bellies at my wedding) and they are your classic over-zealous (in a good way), obsessive, idealistic first-time parents. I won't say more because they're a great couple and I think they're doing a great job, just in a different style than we might (ok, I'll give a little example. She refused all ultrasounds because she thinks they're bad - i.e. would never consider terminating and would love whatever her body produced. Fine, great. I had ultrasounds to make sure my fetus was viable, for my own sanity, and um, because, I have an acquaintance whose fetus' fatal birth defect was operated on and fixed in utero. She has a beautiful little girl now because she had an ultrasound, underwent a very painful and invasive surgery at a top hospital, and thus gave birth to a little girl with a weak but functioning heart who could survive until they could do more extensive surgery on her. Without that surgery her baby would never have even survived the birth process). Well, my sister was visiting this couple before she came here and seems to have a lot of advice for me. I'm so glad that they're both going to work full-time (after her 12 weeks of leave) and arrange their schedules so they don't need daycare. Good for them. JD works 60-70 hours a week and I have classes I have to teach at fixed times - it's just not an option for us. Not even something worth spending more than 60 seconds pondering. I have a career. I am not self-employed. JD has a very intense work schedule. We need daycare, and we will find the very best daycare we can afford (and probably as little as 15 hours a week the first 6 months) but I am not in any way going to feel guilty about that.
And she is also annoying me because when we were talking about the birthing process, she made some comment about how JD might not be up for it and she would come if necessary. Um, that would require her to come to NYC for say, a month, given that I could have a natural birth anytime between 37 weeks and 41? But she also told me she might not be able to get any vacation days between December and June (when I leave the country for 9 months) so she probably won't be able to meet her niece until she's a year old. I'm sorry, I'm not flying to CA for her convenience. She could take a red-eye and come for a weekend if she wanted to. But I am just not being guilted into flying out there (notice, this is the first time she's visited me in 5-6 years, I usually got out to see her at least every year).
Sorry about the extended whine. I am very, very impressed if you read this far. I guess I should have expected this to happen, but I just kept hoping for a more relaxing visit. And we haven't fought after all.
Can't wait to get out of here on Friday. And have 17 hours alone time with my husband (we're spending shabbos on the drive up at my parent's house but they're on vacation! A large, beautiful quiet house near a pool with nobody to see and nothing to do ...)
I've escaped to the library for 45 minutes, but I'm just too tired and anxious to get real work done, even though I have so, so much to do. Something tells me I'm going to be stuck lugging my laptop around on our honeymoon ...
My apartment is trashed. By both JD and my sister. She actually changed her feminine products in the living room while I was having breakfast. I did not barf. I'm not normally queasy about these things, but apparently I really am now.
I feel bad about not saying goodbye to our friends yesterday night because she wanted to go home. People I won't see again unless they happen to come visit us in NYC (which quite a few of them are planning to. It cracks me up that a number of JD's friends want to come up for a comic book convention in February and since they are super-easy going, I told them it wouldn't be a problem if they all come pile into the mini-apartment with us and a theoretical one-month-old. They are very excited to meet the baby, but they have the funniest theories about what she'll be doing come February 2009).
She's also making me feel guilty about silly, little things. There's a decent amount of food in our fridge. All opened so we can't donate it. She asked if we were really going to trash all of it ... but what am I supposed to do? We have a 17 hour drive and no cooler, followed by a train, a bus and 2 flights. I'm not planning to drag this stuff around with me. We've offered all of our local friends to come grab whatever they want, but, um, well, they have their own groceries. And I really would have planned meals to eat it all if it weren't for her visit (and thus visiting relatives, going out, running behind schedule yesterday night and having to grab quick food on the way out of the house, and, oh, the fact she doesn't want any meat meals? And honestly, I get to be a bit picky at this point - I'm supposed to be eating this magical diet that's high in protein, calcium, vegetables and fruits and all sorts of other wonderful foods - that means I can't just eat cereal for dinner to not waste food).
Oh, and since this is supposed to be an IF blog and not just my personal navel gazing, I thought I'd throw this in. I am not interested in pregnancy/parenting advice from my sister because she is clueless. She told me her friend had an all-natural childbirth with no fetal monitoring, etc. but I know we both read her birth story on her blog and she talked about the baby going into decels and being told she had to get him out immediately. It's just that my sister doesn't know what the lingo means or what's involved in a natural childbirth. Even a homebirth in 2008 involves a doppler and a little fetal monitoring, and that's a good thing.
Her dear friend had a baby 2 weeks ago (another one of those huge bellies at my wedding) and they are your classic over-zealous (in a good way), obsessive, idealistic first-time parents. I won't say more because they're a great couple and I think they're doing a great job, just in a different style than we might (ok, I'll give a little example. She refused all ultrasounds because she thinks they're bad - i.e. would never consider terminating and would love whatever her body produced. Fine, great. I had ultrasounds to make sure my fetus was viable, for my own sanity, and um, because, I have an acquaintance whose fetus' fatal birth defect was operated on and fixed in utero. She has a beautiful little girl now because she had an ultrasound, underwent a very painful and invasive surgery at a top hospital, and thus gave birth to a little girl with a weak but functioning heart who could survive until they could do more extensive surgery on her. Without that surgery her baby would never have even survived the birth process). Well, my sister was visiting this couple before she came here and seems to have a lot of advice for me. I'm so glad that they're both going to work full-time (after her 12 weeks of leave) and arrange their schedules so they don't need daycare. Good for them. JD works 60-70 hours a week and I have classes I have to teach at fixed times - it's just not an option for us. Not even something worth spending more than 60 seconds pondering. I have a career. I am not self-employed. JD has a very intense work schedule. We need daycare, and we will find the very best daycare we can afford (and probably as little as 15 hours a week the first 6 months) but I am not in any way going to feel guilty about that.
And she is also annoying me because when we were talking about the birthing process, she made some comment about how JD might not be up for it and she would come if necessary. Um, that would require her to come to NYC for say, a month, given that I could have a natural birth anytime between 37 weeks and 41? But she also told me she might not be able to get any vacation days between December and June (when I leave the country for 9 months) so she probably won't be able to meet her niece until she's a year old. I'm sorry, I'm not flying to CA for her convenience. She could take a red-eye and come for a weekend if she wanted to. But I am just not being guilted into flying out there (notice, this is the first time she's visited me in 5-6 years, I usually got out to see her at least every year).
Sorry about the extended whine. I am very, very impressed if you read this far. I guess I should have expected this to happen, but I just kept hoping for a more relaxing visit. And we haven't fought after all.
Can't wait to get out of here on Friday. And have 17 hours alone time with my husband (we're spending shabbos on the drive up at my parent's house but they're on vacation! A large, beautiful quiet house near a pool with nobody to see and nothing to do ...)
Little annoyances
In a moment of frustration earlier today I somehow bashed my finger. It hurts.
JD and I always go out on Tuesday night. All his friends showed up tonight. And yet, here I am at home with my sister because she was tired (and perhaps freaked out by going out downtown -she tried to wander off alone to take photos so I had to mention the serious shooting in our favorite bar last month. But people, that's real life - you don't give up on the downtown of a city because of a few random shootings. Remember, we live in NYC normally ...)
It's not me, it's definitely my breadmachine. It's broke. And I really don't have the time to deal with returning it now (or in the next 6 weeks, really). But it just never shuts the heat off so unless you are standing next to it and unplug it at just the right moment it burns everything. I thought the whole purpose of this machine was to throw the ingredients in and leave. And I was home tonight and could have turned it off but I didn't even think to look at the timer. So there goes tomorrow's breakfast.
I have finally found the smell that makes me sick to my stomach. And I really feel bad admitting this because it's not her fault. But, um, tampons in a loft apartment with little ventilation. So awkward. I'm sitting in bed now and it still smells overpowering (and yes, I took the trash out an hour ago and no, I don't own a trash can with a lid - I don't usually have this issue).
I'm stressed about work. JD is stressed about finishing his job this week. We have friends we want to say goodbye to. This really wasn't the best time for my sister to visit, but she also hasn't visited me since I was in college (ok, not that long ago, say about 5 years) so I didn't think it was reasonable/strategic to just tell her that this was a bad time. The movers come Friday morning, she flies out Friday afternoon, and I should have an hour or two to relax before JD and I leave town. He will probably be morose because he hates transitions and packing and moving (ok, not so much hates - doesn't relish like me) and I will be exhausted and sad about the little things I didn't get to do the final week like visit my favorite bookstore or walk 8 blocks to buy vegan chocolate chip cookies (I think the round-trip walk makes this a net benefit for my figure despite the cookies at the other end) because I had company. And so much for eating the contents of the fridge - we went out for a (cheap) dinner tonight because JD worked late and my sister didn't want to eat the meat meal we cooked yesterday night.
I know I'm whining, I'm probably just tired. And tomorrow we're off to visit some of my favorite relatives who just happen to live near the beach (ok, final whine. They also live 1.5 hours away and my sister doesn't want to drive 'our car.' I really don't want to get stuck driving at least 3 hours tomorrow. JD and I always split the drive and it's so much more reasonable that way). But this week will be over soon enough - let's just hope I have the energy left to move, finish up my schoolwork and start our fabulous honeymoon in better spirits than I am now.
JD and I always go out on Tuesday night. All his friends showed up tonight. And yet, here I am at home with my sister because she was tired (and perhaps freaked out by going out downtown -she tried to wander off alone to take photos so I had to mention the serious shooting in our favorite bar last month. But people, that's real life - you don't give up on the downtown of a city because of a few random shootings. Remember, we live in NYC normally ...)
It's not me, it's definitely my breadmachine. It's broke. And I really don't have the time to deal with returning it now (or in the next 6 weeks, really). But it just never shuts the heat off so unless you are standing next to it and unplug it at just the right moment it burns everything. I thought the whole purpose of this machine was to throw the ingredients in and leave. And I was home tonight and could have turned it off but I didn't even think to look at the timer. So there goes tomorrow's breakfast.
I have finally found the smell that makes me sick to my stomach. And I really feel bad admitting this because it's not her fault. But, um, tampons in a loft apartment with little ventilation. So awkward. I'm sitting in bed now and it still smells overpowering (and yes, I took the trash out an hour ago and no, I don't own a trash can with a lid - I don't usually have this issue).
I'm stressed about work. JD is stressed about finishing his job this week. We have friends we want to say goodbye to. This really wasn't the best time for my sister to visit, but she also hasn't visited me since I was in college (ok, not that long ago, say about 5 years) so I didn't think it was reasonable/strategic to just tell her that this was a bad time. The movers come Friday morning, she flies out Friday afternoon, and I should have an hour or two to relax before JD and I leave town. He will probably be morose because he hates transitions and packing and moving (ok, not so much hates - doesn't relish like me) and I will be exhausted and sad about the little things I didn't get to do the final week like visit my favorite bookstore or walk 8 blocks to buy vegan chocolate chip cookies (I think the round-trip walk makes this a net benefit for my figure despite the cookies at the other end) because I had company. And so much for eating the contents of the fridge - we went out for a (cheap) dinner tonight because JD worked late and my sister didn't want to eat the meat meal we cooked yesterday night.
I know I'm whining, I'm probably just tired. And tomorrow we're off to visit some of my favorite relatives who just happen to live near the beach (ok, final whine. They also live 1.5 hours away and my sister doesn't want to drive 'our car.' I really don't want to get stuck driving at least 3 hours tomorrow. JD and I always split the drive and it's so much more reasonable that way). But this week will be over soon enough - let's just hope I have the energy left to move, finish up my schoolwork and start our fabulous honeymoon in better spirits than I am now.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Drugs question
While cleaning out the apartment I found a bottle of Femara. 10 tablets, 2.5 mg each. Expires 3/3/09. It feels really audacious to get rid of them, but if all proceeds as per the status quo we won't be needing them this spring. I don't want to throw them away, but my RE here doesn't have a program to give them to people who can't pay.
I paid for them and a whole lot of follistim (still stored in a friend's fridge so I can't give it away yet) so that I could start my next cycle while I was still in Europe. I told my RE I wanted to squeeze in another 'natural' cycle before our scheduled July IVF and I wanted the BETA to be at least 2 days before the wedding. Sometimes the absurdity of our life makes me laugh. That, and the fact that JD asked exactly what these were for, since of course we were never in the same state when I started a cycle ...
Does anybody know how to gift these to someone who could use them? Is there an organization I can mail them to? If you have ideas, please e-mail me: lon.gdista.ncei.nfertility@gmail.com. (take out the extra dots)
I may not be posting much in the next week. My sister arrives at 7 am tomorrow morning, and the lack of furniture in the apartment means we'll probably be out every evening ...
I paid for them and a whole lot of follistim (still stored in a friend's fridge so I can't give it away yet) so that I could start my next cycle while I was still in Europe. I told my RE I wanted to squeeze in another 'natural' cycle before our scheduled July IVF and I wanted the BETA to be at least 2 days before the wedding. Sometimes the absurdity of our life makes me laugh. That, and the fact that JD asked exactly what these were for, since of course we were never in the same state when I started a cycle ...
Does anybody know how to gift these to someone who could use them? Is there an organization I can mail them to? If you have ideas, please e-mail me: lon.gdista.ncei.nfertility@gmail.com. (take out the extra dots)
I may not be posting much in the next week. My sister arrives at 7 am tomorrow morning, and the lack of furniture in the apartment means we'll probably be out every evening ...
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Up $300 and the apartment is looking a little sad
Before you read this, please hope over and wish Io happy birthday! I presume she's already out on the town tonight, but I'm sure she'd love to read your greetings tomorrow afternoon ...
Cr.ai.gs.lis.t success. Not to boast or anything, but in addition to packing, selling our stuff quickly is one of my skills. However, we'll be sleeping on an air mattress for the next 6 nights ...
JD asked whether we were really selling the bed 6 days before we leave town to make a little money, and I realized this is why I'm in charge of the little details. The problem is not so much the money (although an extra $300 for our trip is fabulous) as that we have plans every night this week and need to leave the apartment completely empty (there was no shower curtain when we moved in - so annoying) or pay the fine. There's also no dumpster outside our building, and much as I love the freecycle guys, I couldn't imagine dealing with them on our last day in town. So we're now living in an even more minimalist apartment so that we can have an even busier week and start our 17 hour drive* within 15 minutes of JD finishing his last day of work ... ah, the fun of living a haphazard life.
In other news, I finally have some baby consignment store/goodwill/thrift store experience after an afternoon of shopping. The goal was actually to find JD a tuxedo (please give me any advice you have on this), but no luck there. There were lots of tuxedos at the secondhand stores, but they were all way too big for JD. He doesn't like the ones at the big stores like M.en's W.ar.ehou.se and doesn't want to spend as much money as Bro.ok.s Br.oth.ers, but he'd be totally content with a thrift store find. We happen to need one soon for several black tie events this fall (can't imagine what I'll be wearing, but at least JD can look good). So I took the opportunity to 'scout out' the baby clothes ...
And they're a bargarin! And cute! And all of the girl's ones are pink, pink, pink. But I caved and bought about 14 items, all practical. The widest selection was the local hipster thrift store, but they were also the most expensive (.95-4.95). Sal.va.ti.on A.rm.y had the most upscale items, and very cheap (Bebe, Nord.st.rom sweaters for $2). The winner by far was Goodw.ill: apparently all of their clothes size 2T and under are always $1 an item. No matter what the item or where it's from. I picked up several G.AP and Ca.rt.er onesies (mostly in the boy's section, but I guess that's to be expected at this point) and 2 sweaters and 2 fleece one-piece outfits. It's cold where I'll be living in the winter and although I'm sure my mother and MIL are picking up stacks of onesies and cute dresses, I wanted to make sure that we had at least a few warm items to get us through until May. Total cost: $22.
Don't worry, I haven't given up my infertile insecurities. After I wash all of these items, they will be packed away, carted off by our movers at the end of the week and not seen again until mid-September, at which point I will either be a few weeks at most from the third trimester or JD will have to deal with the aftermath and unpack and dispose of them. See, a totally reasonable escape plan.
* Don't worry, the drive is split up into 7 hours, 4.5 hours, 5.5 hours. Much more reasonable than I would have planned myself.
Cr.ai.gs.lis.t success. Not to boast or anything, but in addition to packing, selling our stuff quickly is one of my skills. However, we'll be sleeping on an air mattress for the next 6 nights ...
JD asked whether we were really selling the bed 6 days before we leave town to make a little money, and I realized this is why I'm in charge of the little details. The problem is not so much the money (although an extra $300 for our trip is fabulous) as that we have plans every night this week and need to leave the apartment completely empty (there was no shower curtain when we moved in - so annoying) or pay the fine. There's also no dumpster outside our building, and much as I love the freecycle guys, I couldn't imagine dealing with them on our last day in town. So we're now living in an even more minimalist apartment so that we can have an even busier week and start our 17 hour drive* within 15 minutes of JD finishing his last day of work ... ah, the fun of living a haphazard life.
In other news, I finally have some baby consignment store/goodwill/thrift store experience after an afternoon of shopping. The goal was actually to find JD a tuxedo (please give me any advice you have on this), but no luck there. There were lots of tuxedos at the secondhand stores, but they were all way too big for JD. He doesn't like the ones at the big stores like M.en's W.ar.ehou.se and doesn't want to spend as much money as Bro.ok.s Br.oth.ers, but he'd be totally content with a thrift store find. We happen to need one soon for several black tie events this fall (can't imagine what I'll be wearing, but at least JD can look good). So I took the opportunity to 'scout out' the baby clothes ...
And they're a bargarin! And cute! And all of the girl's ones are pink, pink, pink. But I caved and bought about 14 items, all practical. The widest selection was the local hipster thrift store, but they were also the most expensive (.95-4.95). Sal.va.ti.on A.rm.y had the most upscale items, and very cheap (Bebe, Nord.st.rom sweaters for $2). The winner by far was Goodw.ill: apparently all of their clothes size 2T and under are always $1 an item. No matter what the item or where it's from. I picked up several G.AP and Ca.rt.er onesies (mostly in the boy's section, but I guess that's to be expected at this point) and 2 sweaters and 2 fleece one-piece outfits. It's cold where I'll be living in the winter and although I'm sure my mother and MIL are picking up stacks of onesies and cute dresses, I wanted to make sure that we had at least a few warm items to get us through until May. Total cost: $22.
Don't worry, I haven't given up my infertile insecurities. After I wash all of these items, they will be packed away, carted off by our movers at the end of the week and not seen again until mid-September, at which point I will either be a few weeks at most from the third trimester or JD will have to deal with the aftermath and unpack and dispose of them. See, a totally reasonable escape plan.
* Don't worry, the drive is split up into 7 hours, 4.5 hours, 5.5 hours. Much more reasonable than I would have planned myself.
Friday, August 1, 2008
7 more days
in City X. And for those of you who move a lot, you know that means it's ... weird food time! The goal is to eat everything left in the apartment and not buy any groceries in the next 7 days.
Up for dinner: matza ball soup, refried beans and a can of hearts of palm as a side. Maybe asparagus if we feel indulgent.
And it looks like the options may go downhill from tonight ... (did I mention my sister is coming to visit next week?)
AND, crai.g.s.li.st time! My personal goal is to make $300 from the sale of our furniture although JD thinks that is an unreachable goal. We don't have much to sell: a mattress, couch, coffee table, small bookshelf, 2 lamps and 2 bar stools. But, all of the profits are targeted exclusively for eating out during our honeymoon, so it's worth the effort.
Only problem is that I posted everything this morning and thus far the greatest interest has been in the mattress (yes, that mattress. JD was opposed to selling it at all, but I put a little disclaimer and priced it really, really cheaply, which is probably why so many people are interested. Plus, I'd feel bad if the Sal.va.t.ion Ar.my guys came to pick up our furniture and that's all we had to offer them). So we may have to move to the air mattress for our final week here. Honestly I'll be much sadder when we sell the couch and the lamps.
I do actually enjoy having the flexibility to live without groceries and furniture for a week. I just hope the wonderbaby (should she arrive safely and healthily) doesn't mind her parent's weird quirks.
Update, a little cr.a.igs.li.st rant (in other words, I miss NYC where people know exactly what they are getting when they shop for used furniture online - cheap stuff, slightly scuffed, not too much information):
1. If you are genuinely interested in an item and it is listed as being 'Downtown' don't e-mail me to ask how far your suburb is from downtown. I don't know. But google does.
2. If an item is explicitly listed as being previously purchased off crai.gs.li.st, don't ask me how old it is. I don't know.
3. Do not e-mail just to say you are interested. Either a. ask if it's still available b. propose a time to come pick it up. I don't care that you're 'interested,' I care that someone comes and hands me cash for something I can no longer use.
4. All of my posts say that you must pick up the item yourself. I mean it. I'm not going to either deliver furniture to you or help you get it off the building. Sorry, not something I'm supposed to be doing at the moment.
5. Don't e-mail me your phone number and ask me to call you. I pay for my cell phone minutes and I'm in the library all day anyway. E-mail works much better unless you want to write something like you don't have e-mail access at home (in which case I might just call).
Sorry, it's just so annoying to answer 20 e-mails but still have no clear idea if anyone is actually going to show up for this stuff. And freecycle is not any more efficient here.
Up for dinner: matza ball soup, refried beans and a can of hearts of palm as a side. Maybe asparagus if we feel indulgent.
And it looks like the options may go downhill from tonight ... (did I mention my sister is coming to visit next week?)
AND, crai.g.s.li.st time! My personal goal is to make $300 from the sale of our furniture although JD thinks that is an unreachable goal. We don't have much to sell: a mattress, couch, coffee table, small bookshelf, 2 lamps and 2 bar stools. But, all of the profits are targeted exclusively for eating out during our honeymoon, so it's worth the effort.
Only problem is that I posted everything this morning and thus far the greatest interest has been in the mattress (yes, that mattress. JD was opposed to selling it at all, but I put a little disclaimer and priced it really, really cheaply, which is probably why so many people are interested. Plus, I'd feel bad if the Sal.va.t.ion Ar.my guys came to pick up our furniture and that's all we had to offer them). So we may have to move to the air mattress for our final week here. Honestly I'll be much sadder when we sell the couch and the lamps.
I do actually enjoy having the flexibility to live without groceries and furniture for a week. I just hope the wonderbaby (should she arrive safely and healthily) doesn't mind her parent's weird quirks.
Update, a little cr.a.igs.li.st rant (in other words, I miss NYC where people know exactly what they are getting when they shop for used furniture online - cheap stuff, slightly scuffed, not too much information):
1. If you are genuinely interested in an item and it is listed as being 'Downtown' don't e-mail me to ask how far your suburb is from downtown. I don't know. But google does.
2. If an item is explicitly listed as being previously purchased off crai.gs.li.st, don't ask me how old it is. I don't know.
3. Do not e-mail just to say you are interested. Either a. ask if it's still available b. propose a time to come pick it up. I don't care that you're 'interested,' I care that someone comes and hands me cash for something I can no longer use.
4. All of my posts say that you must pick up the item yourself. I mean it. I'm not going to either deliver furniture to you or help you get it off the building. Sorry, not something I'm supposed to be doing at the moment.
5. Don't e-mail me your phone number and ask me to call you. I pay for my cell phone minutes and I'm in the library all day anyway. E-mail works much better unless you want to write something like you don't have e-mail access at home (in which case I might just call).
Sorry, it's just so annoying to answer 20 e-mails but still have no clear idea if anyone is actually going to show up for this stuff. And freecycle is not any more efficient here.
Shots
Outside our apartment building. No police cars in sight. [We're on the 6th floor so we're in no direct danger, but we also can't do anything for the poor guy out there except call the police].
There have been 2 attempted murders in the park next to our building while I've been in City X. One of them was between teenagers and apparently over an ipod or video game, something little. JD and I were supposed to meet up for lunch in the park that day, but I was too busy. He was there and heard the shots, I was at the ob/gyn's office.
This is the world that I'm bringing a small, helpless child into. Great.
There have been 2 attempted murders in the park next to our building while I've been in City X. One of them was between teenagers and apparently over an ipod or video game, something little. JD and I were supposed to meet up for lunch in the park that day, but I was too busy. He was there and heard the shots, I was at the ob/gyn's office.
This is the world that I'm bringing a small, helpless child into. Great.
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