Last vestiges of youth

First I said goodbye to my thrift store clothing (well, most of it), then I moved on from my Doc Marten's (replaced by Clark's, another English brand at least), I don't wear any rings except my wedding and engagement rings, I only wear two earrings - one in each ear - as opposed to the 8 I think I had at one time and today, sadly, I said goodbye to my bellybutton ring. I got my bellybutton pierced on the same day I took my last final exam my senior year of college. It was May 1996. It was my celebratory act, my mark that said "I'm a grown-up and can do what I want". It was also a way for me to reclaim the landscape of my belly that had been marred by a giant scar thanks to a sick fuck who thought it might be fun to rape and kill a girl. Now, 10 years later, I really am a grown-up, sort of. I'm married, I've got a kid on the way, I worry about our retirement fund and last night, when I couldn't sleep, I started thinking about life insurance. As my tummy gets bigger, the piercing was becoming less and less attractive and I have heard tales of some nasty stretching that can happen. Besides, if I end up needing a c-section they will just take it out anyway. So, 30 seconds and $5 later, my ring was out (I tried to do it myself and couldn't). My belly looks so forlorn. I'm mourning the passing of the chapter of my life that ring represents, but I'm also celebrating the reason for its removal.

In another funny pregnancy moment, I passed a homeless guys asking for change this morning. He was asking everyone who walked past and he asked me but then got a good look at me and said "Oh, sorry. You have a nice day." So funny.

My sentiments exactly

Karen forwarded this article to me about World Cup cheating. I'm not sure how long the link will stay active but it expresses much of my frustration with this year's competition.

Sweatin' with celebrities

Maggie Gyllenhaal was in my yoga class today.

World Cup melodrama

Athletes are supposed to be tough, right? Especially in a contact sport like, say, soccer, right? I am equal parts amused and frustrated with the high drama I am witnessing on the pitch during this World Cup. Players who fall down and clutch their shins, who get knocked over and then grasp and moan until the doctors come out, they get carried out on a stretcher and then 2 minutes later are back out on the field as if nothing happened. Now, I recognize that this is a strategy to allow their teammates to catch their breathe and a drink of water but I mean really. It's just so utterly ridiculous the way these tough, incredibly in shape, grown men behave like little girls - in fact, I know little girls who don't go down as easily. It's so pathetic and obvious that I think FIFA should crack down on the drama. If you get carried off on a stretcher, you don't come back. Nonsense, I tell you, nonsense.

Pregnancy has its privileges

I've reached the stage where people are really, really nice to me. I had heard that this would happen and it's fun to experience it, especially in a city like New York. People smile at me, say congratulations in passing, they guess the sex and the other day I was waiting at a crosswalk when I guy pointed at my belly and then gave me the thumbs-up. So funny. I think I got a pregancy discount on a pair of shoes recently. This store employee seemed really determined to go with me to the check-out counter so he took the shoes from me and told the cashier a price that was $10 less than what was written on the price tag! Yesterday I was walking down the sidewalk past a construction sight and the guy with the orange flag, whose job it is to stop pedestrians to make way for some massive vehicle to pull out, stopped the vehicle instead and let me pass. Had I been having one of my more emotional days such a simple act of kindness would have moved me to tears. So, I may be missing out on yummy soft cheeses, rides at Coney Island, summer cocktails and wine tastings, but I am being compensated with the kindness of strangers.

The World Cup in the World Capitol

Other than being in the country where the World Cup is being held, I think New York City is the place in the world to catch World Cup fever. Every nationality represented in the World Cup is represented in this city so you can hardly walk more than a few blocks without seeing people gathered around a TV set somewhere. I went into an ice cream parlor yesterday. Said parlor is owned by an Argentinian so at the back of the shop a handful of guys were gathered around the Univision watching Argentina play The Netherlands. I then walked a couple more blocks and the pizza place on the corner had its patio doors open so people were stopping on the sidewalk to lean in and watch the game. It's been like this since the World Cup started. Regardless of who is playing, Irish pubs, Italian gelaterias, Mexican restaurants, even a natural market in the East Village with no obvious country of origin, the TVs are on and people are stopping, watching, discussing, chatting, smiling, commisserating - it's great. There are also the jerseys and the flags - Brazil, England, Sweden, Uruguay - I even saw a woman the other day carrying around a Serbia-Montenegro flag.

The next important match for me is Sunday's England v. Ecuador. Basically, I route for the countries I have a real connection to (i.e., USA and England) and then if they get eliminated, I start going by general affection for the country and/or underdog status. Therefore, you won't find me routing for Brazil because they win too much.

An Inconvenient Truth

Last night we saw An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore's documentary about the global warming crisis. No matter what your political views are, get over them, see this movie and start fighting for change. People who say change it is too expensive are ignoring the fact that NOT to change will be 10x as expensive. The stronger hurricane seasons are causing massive amounts of damage and wreaking havoc on the insurance industry not to mention defaulted loans, lost wages, rebuilding costs, etc. Oil companies lost very expensive giant rigs due to these hurricanes. Flooding and droughts are also causing massive losses to homes, farms, forests and of course impacting our way of life. Little to no snowfall means glacier loss which translates to less glacier run-off which translates to a water shortage. We are lucky that right now, for humans, that means some brown lawns but it could get worse.

There are so many simple things we can do to reduce our footprint on the earth. In fact, this quiz can help you determine what your footprint is and offer ways to help you reduce it as can the other above link. Simple things like replacing your lightbulbs with more efficient fluorescents (we actually did this and the next month my electric bill went down almost $10), driving an efficient car, recycling and REUSING (why buy Tupperware when we throw away plastic margarine, yogurt, etc containers and wash sandwich bags rather than throwing them away after one use - I do this and it drives Rich batty but I don't care), limit your water use (if anyone out there still leaves the water running while brushing your teeth, shame on you) and VOTE for environmentally responsible politicians who will work to make bigger changes like reducing car emissions, increasing mileage standards for cars and protecting vulnerable ecosystems. That last thing can be a touchy issue I know but nature is smarter than we are and is actually set up to protect itself from itself i.e. the wetlands that used to protect areas like southern Louisiana that people decided to build canals through.

It's just so unbelievably obvious and I am flabbergasted that we have arrived at this point. We are not alone in this world so we can't get into our monster trucks and pretend it's not having an affect on the rest of the world.

Sermon over for now but please, please, please, do something. I am bringing a new life into this world and I would really, really like it if he got to enjoy it as much as I have.

In case you were curious...

...this is what I look like with straight(ish) hair. I had it blown out yesterday because the modeling agency wanted some pictures of me with straight hair to send out to Latina and Italian publications. I absolutely love it. Of course, by this morning it became clear that the curls would not go down without a fight so I'm not sure how much longer I will be able to enjoy this new look. Besides, I'll have to wash it eventually and then the familiar "Clare Hair" will be back. So, it's not the best picture in the world but you can see the hair and get the idea.

My kingdom for a stroller

Inglesina. Zooper. Peg Perego. Unless you have a child or have been stroller shopping recently, you have no idea what these words mean. You are blissfully unaware of the importance of infant car seat compatibility, cup holders, snack trays, storage baskets and the one-handed umbrella fold, preferably a standing fold, thank you very much. Welcome to my world. Rich says I am obsessed and he's right, I am. In this city, stroller shopping is like car shopping. I walk everywhere and when I'm not walking, I'm on the subway so that means that whatever stroller I choose needs to be light enough for me to carry up and down subway stairs...and on the occasional times I take a cab, I need a stroller I can easily fold up with one hand (assuming the other one will be occupied holding a baby) and throw into the trunk. I have learned that many people have multiple strollers but those people must have vast amounts of storage space for them all and that is a luxury I do not have, even if we get a 2-bedroom apartment. I have accepted that there is no magic bullet stroller - there is something to be changed in all of them. However, I am getting a little frustrated with the fact that each time I think I have settled on one, I discover complaints about them - either unexpected things (Peg Perego's tend to have things break and their customer service is terrible) or things I hadn't considered (the importance of a one-handed fold - which the Zooper model I thought I'd settled on lacks - and this from a fellow New Yorker with a 10-month old, not a random suburban mom who only takes the stroller in and out of the trunk for a trip to the mall). Then there is the cost. Wouldn't you know that the one I have my eye on now (test-drive pending) is the most expensive one so far. It's no Bugaboo, the uber-trendy stroller that taunts me and costs about $1000 once you've purchased all the necessary accessories, but it ain't cheap and therefore I want to be sure I REALLY like it and won't be off stroller shopping in another year. I want this stroller to last awhile, at least until we possibly have another child and have to start researching double strollers....Lord help me.

Quick update

I have been remiss about writing again. A lot has happened in the last month. I should just refer you to Karen's blog because most of it is relevant to this update as well. Mike and Jackie came through town the weekend after we saw them in Austin; KEXP came to town and I volunteered for them three of the five days they were here; our friends Jennifer and Darren from Seattle came for a visit; I went down to DC for Tara and Kendrick's baby shower; and Rich and I just got back from a week in England visiting family. I have also finally updated our online photo album so you can see pictures of most of these events. The link is over there on your right.

In baby news there isn't too much to report I am happy to say. Movement is now perceptible although not from the outside. It's still a sensation I am getting used to and I'll be excited the day Rich is able to feel it too. My hormones hijacked my emotions yesterday and poor Rich came home to find me in tears. I think the act of putting away all the clothes I can officially no longer wear was the catalyst. Sure, I will hopefully be able to wear them again one day but there is something very sad about putting away all those cute clothes - especially when summer is here and one sees so many adorable sundresses in the windows and all those flat tummies peaking out from low slung jeans and tank tops. It's part of the mourning process. Sure, having a baby is a remarkable thing, but I think it's healthy to mourn the passing of the life I have known for the last 31 years. The other thing that got me was reading the Baby Bargains book and just being a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information and wanting to do it right and do it sensibly.

It's all compounded by the fact that we still haven't heard anything about getting a bigger apartment and it's starting to stress me out. If NYU doesn't have a 2-bedroom faculty apartment available to us, then I want work with them on another plan of action because while I know people cram into small spaces all the time, if we don't have to I don't want to. We could have taken the Hopkins offer and had a nice big house in Baltimore but we came here under the auspices that we would be taken care of accordingly so forgive me if I sound like a diva but I would like to live in a grown-up apartment suitable for a young family and I don't have a problem asking for it.