It’s all here. Adventures in extreme knitting, the house of poop, and suburban permaculture. You may also find rants about politics, ecology, humanitarianism, responsible living, toe floss, and other topics not covered here. Expect profanity and irreverence. You have been warned.
I’ve been responding to comments via email, but I have noticed that most bloggers tend to respond in the comments. While this seems to be a little impersonal, it does add to a sense of narrative on the blog. Questions get answered, fish puns are made, and the dialogue may be interesting to more than just the participants.
What do you think? Is it better to keep these responses offline, or do you like to read comments?
Would you subscribe to comments if there was a feed?
Anna is going to be there to help me negotiate the minefield, and also be a support person for Mark if he needs it. Here’s a link to the Wikipedia page if you’d like more information about what a doula does.
I’ve just spoken to Sandra (sadly blogless, but a regular at SSK) who kindly talked me through the choices of care available, and explained some jargon – like the difference between team care and caseload care in a birthing unit. Sandra was very reassuring, and I now feel a lot less panicked about the whole situation. She validated my choices, and made me feel like I’m not crazy. I wish I had spoken to her much earlier!
I am thinking that Hornsby Hospital is looking good, but since they don’t accept bookings until 14 weeks, I have a while to make up my mind. Anna is coming over to meet us on sunday morning, and once we’ve sorted things out with her, hopefully she can help me make the right choices. And since she is neither a midwife nor an obstetrician, she has nothing invested in the outcomes that I choose.
I even managed to get some washing and some shopping done today. But now I am taking to my bed.
A new American ad promises to return all the “lucky” rabbits feet to their rightful owner.
Apparently their insurance is so good, you don’t need luck any more.
Click here. And then click on the image to view the ad.
Read the commentary if you’re interested – rather insightful.
Apparently, as soon as people know you are pregnant, you get offered all sorts of advice. Which I am sure would get annoying in the long term, but right now I am floundering, and need all the help I can get.
I have to choose where this baby will be born, and I have to choose very soon. Most of the checkups and tests are done through the obstetrician or the hospital where you will give birth. And since I am not really convinced of the value of an obstetrician in a low risk pregnancy, I think I am looking for either a midwife or a doula.
I don’t have a midwife, or a doula. Or an obstetrician, or a hospital, or even a GP that will do shared care. All I have is a due date, and a picture of a fuzzy grey blob.
I found a great midwife, but she is fully booked for my due date. She is posting me a list of other midwives that I will call as soon as I get it (hopefully tomorrow).
Unfortunately, I am still very much in the dark as to what would be best for me. I have always been a big believer in taking a pill if I had a headache, but this is a much bigger decision. I am very attracted to having the baby at home, with my husband and a midwife. But I also think that being near medical help is a good idea “just in case”. This rules out my local hospital (Ryde doesn’t have the advanced equipment necessary for all emergencies), so I’ll have to look at a larger hospital.
I think I’m having a low risk pregnancy, but apparently Ryde might reject me anyway, due to my BMI. I have private health care, but still haven’t checked what is covered and what is not.
So if I choose a birthing centre, can I take my own midwife? Or doula? Which is more appropriate/better?
I have seen a friend give birth in a birthing centre, and I’m not afraid, but I am concerned that the discontinuity of care is jarring. We went through three shift changes during her labour, and two of the three midwives had the bedside manner of a barracuda.
My other concerns are that if I don’t have a qualified advocate with me in the hospital, I’ll get pushed into having an episiotomy. I also hate the idea of being forced to lie down to deliver (squatting just seems to make so much more sense).
Sorry to ramble on, just feeling like I am negotiating a minefield.
And here is a picture of Custard. He is the Destroyer of Worlds. And Playstation controllers.
the Bedigo Woolen Mills website is now live!
I’m going to excercise the credit card a wee bit and let you know if it actually works or not.
Whoop de dooooo!
Edited to add – Just added a few old faves to the stash – hoping to get the knitting machine working in the next few weeks to crank out some baby stuff, and maybe even finish the black alpaca cardi I started over a year ago. The online orderin is simple, with a quick registration and efficient payment. Thank you Bendigo Woollen Mills, life is complete.
I wonder if they are going to me inundated with orders in the first few days of internetness?
That would explain the throwing up. And possibly the irritability and weeping. And the inability to cope with people that eat my beloved companion animals and insist on telling me how great they taste.
Edited to add: Due date is currently 23/11/07. Which is kind of spooky since our best man and woman are due on the 19th.
I’m still feeling under the weather, and generally sarcastic and pissed off with the world, but I think there is a lesson here for all of us. Don’t throw rocks at anyone with teeth bigger than your forearm.
It’s not a bargain. But it is a bin.
Mark bought all of our new bedroom furniture yesterday, but the TV cabinet we wanted for the bedroom was out of stock. They implied that it was never coming back into stock, but showed him one in the “Bargain Bin” section of the store. I am always suspicious of the bargain bin stuff, because it’s usually not marked down much, and the furniture is often beyond repair. So I was a little anxious when Mark told me he had bought the last one in the shop, pre assembled from the bargain bin. One of the doors needed a few screws tightened, and there was a slight mark on the front. And there was a small discount. Mark had to sign a delivery waiver – that the goods would be accepted in whatever condition, and there are no refunds.
The delivery came this morning, and the cabinet is badly damaged. One door was been ripped off the cabinet, with hinges still attached, and the particle board is so damaged that we won’t ever be able to get the door to stay on, unless we re machine the door to move the hinges. Which will probably cost as much as the damned cabinet. The other door is split through – eventually it’s going to fall off too.
The only solution I can see, is to either make a curtain to hide the TV (which will look pretty stupid when all of the rest of the furniture has sleek, clean lines), or buy new doors and new hinges, and hope that we can find enough undamaged wood to screw them into.
Or drop another $400 on another cabinet, that probably won’t match the rest of the furniture.
No pictures, too depressed.
Fishpond is an Aussie site, very similar to the Book Depository. I ordered a few books last week, and was notified today that they are in the post. The books haven’t arrived yet, but I’m impressed so far.
Aishwarya Rai is getting married! If you don’t know who she is, take a look. A gentle introduction to Bollywood films is her 2005 film, Bride & Predjudice – a Bollywood interpretation of Pride & Prejudice (Jane Austen). I challenge you not to fall in love with her a little bit. Quite possibly one of the most beautiful women in the world (in my opinion), and not a bad actress to boot. I wish her well.
So. My day.
If you’ve seen me lately, you’ll know that work isn’t a barrel of laughs. I am feeling more and more like I am swimming with sharks while some bastard is trying to stand on my head, while some other bastard is taking pot shots at me with a bb gun. I’m trying hard, but finding it hard to keep my eye on the shoreline.
Imagine how I felt when I got “the vibe” today. You know, the strong scent of a “Don’t Come Monday” in the air. The accounts person who never comes in on a friday is there. With school aged daughter in tow. Whispered conversations. Closed doors. Discussion of mysterious documents that need to be on letterhead. I have a nose for it, and I’ve never been wrong.
But I was wrong today. The DCM was real, but it wasn’t for me. They canned someone else. I can’t say I’m relieved.
And on Sunday, Coro Innominata has a concert. This means that I’ll be at the pub from around 1pm, but I’ll be leaving before 3pm to get to the concert.
THe lovely panel beater up the street will have to take the entire door trim off to get the needle out. Which will cost about $20, which I am prepared to pay in order to do the green thing, and boost the economy, etc.. But. It’s a work car, and I feel a bit strange about pulling someone else’s car apart to get a single knitting needle.
I’ve tried knitting with 4, but it isn’t fun, and I’m only here for the fun. So for now, I’ll knit with one of the 2.5’s and I’ll bet no-one will ever know the difference.
And maybe I’ll order another set of 2.25’s. So I can futureproof myself a little.
Disco Knitter 