Current Events

So much non-baby-related stuff has happened since the last time I posted. It's hard to keep up with all the news. Since all is quiet on the baby front, I thought I'd offer up some not-so-deep thoughts on the recent events.

First up: the economy is imploding. I blame banks and overextended/greedy borrowers. I do not believe we should bail out those who made bad choices and now have bad debts. I have better things on which to spend my hard-earned dough. This has always been my position on these kinds of issues so in this case it's also pretty cut and dry in my opinion. Our portfolios have taken an enormous hit and will get smacked around some more without a bailout plan but I'm still opposed to it.

Next comes the specific failure of Washington Mutual. This is Pat's bank where we're holding some funds that will be used for our condo closing in November. Our fingers are crossed that the JPMorgan takeover goes smoothly and swiftly. I also found myself reading up on FDIC just in case.

Then comes the news that our condo closing has been pushed back a little to Thanksgiving due to construction delays. I haven't decided if that's a good or bad thing. Gives us some more time to not worry about moving but also keeps us cramped in the little condo for that much longer. The pros and cons of this cancel each other out so this one's not a big deal. If they push back again then I'll be voicing some major concerns.

John McCain and Sarah Palin are also keeping me occupied and entertained lately. They both seem like the nicest people in the world but unfortunately their recent antics have been embarrassing and amusing. Looking forward to watching both upcoming debates, especially the VP one where I think she'll get creamed. It's a train wreck and I can't help but watch.

Moving along... I am enjoying the first week of new fall tv. Grey's Anatomy was quite good last night. I'm looking forward to seeing more of that super-suave military surgeon guy. I hope he eventually accepts that job offer and becomes a regular at Seattle-Grace. I usually have trouble making it through two hour premieres but this one flew by. Pat and I have programmed our DVR to catch all our favorite shows since the baby will be arriving soon.

Not much I can say about Tom Brady's injury two Sundays ago. When I saw him hopping off the field, I thought for sure he'd be back later in the game but I was way off. I'm trying to cheer for Cassel but I'm just not feeling it. Will focus my sports energy on the Red Sox instead.

Work is going fine. I am busy on a big project but getting ready to hand it off to someone else. Also got a nice promotion and am happy about that too. It's going to be quite strange to be off for maternity leave. I haven't had that much time away from work since November 2000. I remember the exact month and day because I had just started a new job at Shoplink.com and was laid off after three days due to the company going bankrupt!

Oh and one more thing: I'm reading about a hurricane that may pass through New England this weekend and into next week??? Now that's crazy. The last hurricane I remember around these parts was like Gloria in '85 or something? This is not good timing!

All of these things are helping me stay distracted from the fact that I am due in less than two weeks! Stay tuned for the big news!

NASCAR at ESPN

Today was NASCAR at ESPN day. They brought in some cars, trucks, drivers, and the Sprint Cup trophy. Throw in some food and freebies and it was pretty fun!

A Little Bit Off

I painted my toes this afternoon. How did I do?

Entertained by Geraldo

It's a slow Friday at work and I'm watching Hurricane Ike coverage on my tv. All the other networks send out their young, strong guys to cover Ike's dangerous landing in Texas. Fox News sends... Geraldo. Who falls into the water and is now off the air. This took about two minutes to go from live tv to YouTube. Ok fine, back to work.

Emmy Fairy

So I'm sitting at work yesterday and one of our admins comes over with a big box. I immediately knew what it was, since it was the same size box as the Emmy I took home to visit for one night in May. She tells me it's for me. I said "Oh, no, I already got to take it home a few months ago, it was great, thanks". She says, "No, this is FOR YOU. It has your name on it. It's for you to keep". I almost fell out of my chair! They didn't tell me this in May but it turns out that anyone who was part of a winning project DOES get their OWN Emmy. How crazy is that! I walked by the mailroom later in the day and saw all the empty boxes, the Emmy Fairy must have delivered like 50 of them just to our building. Congrats to all ESPN winners! We have a very talented group.

So now we have a permanant trophy in our living room. It looks quite silly next to all of our non-fancy belongings.

Month Nine

Month 9 begins tomorrow! There's not much to say except WOW.

We are READY!

And well-RESTED!

And looking forward to meeting our little one soon.

Quaker Green Accolades

Thanks to West Hartford Forums, I read two nice articles today about Quaker Green, which is the condo complex we are moving into in November. Both articles had a lot of complimentary things to say about the complex, the builder and the general up-and-coming West Hartford area of Elmwood.

One is an older article from May in the New York Times.

The other is in... My Midwest Inflight Magazine! Why in the world are they talking about this in My Midwest Inflight Magazine? Must be a slow newsday in the midwest or in-flight or something.

I will miss my current condo tremendously but I am starting to get excited about moving to West Hartford!

Mustache Discussion

Chat now with the executive director of the American Mustache Institute!

I'm sure you have some burning questions but could never find the right person to ask!

Beach Day

Pat and I were at the beach today celebrating the last long weekend of the summer. Hammonasset Beach State Park was pretty good. The sand was rocky and not very soft but that was my only complaint. Good beach choice for when we don't feel like driving to Rhode Island or the Cape.

Quickie 4-picture slideshow (click Info On at the top for captions)