#ok made myself relevant in the chat at 1:30 am

[cinnabeat]

incredibly unrelated but i kind of want to replay outer wilds...which is a wild if achievable thing to say when ive been meaning to finish melody of memory

[futelco]

2018 Operator Log Excerpts

Seven operators logged over 83 calls in 2018, and as usual, they ranged from boring to exciting and amusing to annoying. Here is a sample of logged calls, with some sensitive and many less interesting examples removed.

2018-01-08 15:36

Caller wanted to make a call. I told them to hang up and dial 1.

2018-01-22 9:41

Caller asked for the number of a specific Social Service attorney, which I provided.

2018-01-25 12:22

Caller asked to make a call, I told them to hang up and dial 1.

2018-02-23 9:25

"I want to call, um, my father's house." "Do you know the number?" "Yes, it's ......." "OK, hang up, dial 1, and call it."

2018-03-04 17:09

Caller refused to speak, pressed various buttons. I heard some voice mail recordings. Then I thought caller hung up, but no. I mentioned that they could make a call by hanging up and dialing 1. The line went dead.

2018-03-07 17:09

Caller identified themselves as an operator with a voicemail password but no account number, seeking a way to retrieve the associated account number. We decided that the unknown account should be abandoned. Caller was frustrated at the speed with which Futel computers read the password and account number. The call turned away from telephony and towards our complex relationship with permanence.

2018-03-08 16:30

Caller wanted to know "the meaning" of the Futel phone, and of the Fred Flintstones couch (sic) and loudspeaker next to it. I was able to describe the phone & summarize some Futel services. Deeper meaning was elusive. I encouraged caller to explore the menu system & call back with easier questions. Caller was very grateful, said Futel made caller's day.

2018-03-11 17:06

Caller had many questions re: this phone & Futel in general: who runs it, who am I, who are the other operators, are any of them women, how long has this phone been here, et cetera. I directed caller to the website & shared what trivia I knew. Caller lives nearby, expressed interest both in hosting a phone and in becoming a Futel operator. Caller is very happy to discover Futel. We agreed it is a lovely day today.

2018-03-13 15:44

I answered & heard only touch tones. At first I thought caller did not hear me. But I eventually realized caller answered each of my spoken questions with about as much touch tone pressing as I had used speech, and then waited for me to speak again. I got the impression caller did not actually need assistance. I encouraged them to call back when they did.

2018-03-13 21:35

Caller told me that they finally found the phone and asked for a suggestion on what to try. I told them to call Sissyphus Gardens.

2018-03-14 00:38

Caller asked for the time. Upon receiving the time and date, caller thanked Futel for our service.

2018-03-26 16:20

Caller (a young person who gave the name of Taylor) wanted to know my name, what kind of phone this was, why it was there. Taylor thought phone was "cool", but described the main menu voice as "creepy". I encouraged Taylor to play around with the menu system, but I refused to give my name. Perhaps that was also creepy, but overall I felt we established a rapport and parted on good terms.

2018-04-06 17:18

Caller asked if I remembered Taylor. When I said no, caller said, “ok. bye.” and hung up.

2018-04-07 13:56

Caller said they wanted to make a call but decided to call the operator instead. We talked about Futel in general and she asked me how one would be "hired" by futel. I informed them that we do not hire people but we would love volunteers. Sent them to futel.net for more info.

2018-04-18 20:22

Caller asked for advice. Advised caller to stay the course, keep chin up, exercise and eat vegetables.

2018-04-21 12:55

Caller said they "wanted to know what all these messages were about". I asked what messages they were referring to, they said nevermind and hung up.

2018-05-08 20:44

Caller said hello, then I heard industrial music and maybe birds chirping? No response when I asked if they needed an operator, so I listened until they hung up.

2018-05-23 09:05

Caller needed the phone number for People Ready in Hillsboro. Googled it.

2018-05-31 20:39

Caller wanted the phone number of an individual, which I told them I was unable to look up. Well what can you look up? Well what do you want to find? Caller was able to provide a type of business and an incorrect prefix of the number, allowing me to find the correct number in a popular search engine.

2018-05-31 20:50

Caller was looking for an individual. Searching turned up a web page. I gave them the phone number listed on that page.

2018-05-31 21:20

Provided the number for Multnomah County Pretrial Services.

2018-05-31 21:25

Searched for a phone number for an individual.

2018-06-01 7:59

Caller wanted the number for Multnomah County pretrial supervision, but decided that I was taking to long to find it and hung up.

2018-06-01 15:39

Caller needed number for DHS, wanted to be transferred. Informed them that it was not possible for me to transfer them and gave them the number. They called back 1 minute later asking for it again because they forgot it.

2018-06-05 09:55

Caller wanted to place a collect call. I informed them that all calls to the US and Canada are free. Caller was thankful and hung up to make a call.

2018-06-06 18:42

Caller wanted to know if Futel was an “art project or a non-profit or what?” I told the caller that we are a non-profit that does telecom services and operates free telephones and puts art on them. The caller told me that they knew we had a website, and that they would look at it.

2018-06-09 10:54

Caller requested the local number for Ride to Care. Was able to provide that number.

2018-06-09 14:19

Caller requested the local number for Tango Personals.

2018-06-11 23:03

Caller requested the time. It was 11:03pm PST.

2018-06-18 18:28

A child's voice very quietly in the background: "Did it go off?" Then Ipanema.

2018-06-18 18:28

A young caller asked an inappropriate question in a very bad attempt at a prank call. I informed the caller that Futel should only be used for good-natured pranks and hung up.

2018-06-18 18:34

A child asked "Is this Pizza Hut?" I said yes and demanded a CC number, address and Social Security number. They hung up.

2018-06-18 18:38

Same kid, different story. This time it was "I have projectile diarrhea. Can you help with that?". No.

2018-06-20 22:17

Caller told me they had been using the phone for a while and asked if I wanted to talk to their friend. I declined. Caller asked who they should call, I told them to call their mother.

2018-06-25 20:42

Heard keypad buttons being pushed, then a child said hello and hung up when I responded.

2018-07-15 12:45

Caller wanted the number for Rodeo Chat.

2018-07-17 16:54

Caller wanted the incoming number to use for voicemail. Caller also asked what the other menu options did, I told them to try them out.

2018-07-18 7:42

Two individual's passed the phone between them and each asked what Futel was, provided a short explanation

2018-08-06 13:30

Caller asked to be connected to Sissyphus Gardens, I told them to use the directory.

2018-08-06 13:40

Caller asked for the number of the phone, I supplied it. Caller said they had a question about setting up voicemail, said something unintelligible, and hung up.

2018-08-08 13:20

Caller wanted me to know they take limos, not cabs. They called back and requested some new releases from Hershey candies. I couldn't understand the requests.

2018-08-08 13:40

Caller rambled semi-intelligibly about an air force base and sexual predators, asked if I was still there, and talked some more. They ended with some kind of question, I replied I wanted to do what I could, they thanked me and hung up.

2018-08-09 13:20

Caller was confused as to why they got me and not Pizza Hut. Caller hung up.

2018-08-17 19:05

Caller asked for the number of an airline, but hung up before I could provide it. I called back, told caller they had hung up on me, heard their response, and hung up.

2018-08-21 13:52

Caller was having trouble dialing 211. I gave caller the full number for Oregon 211, 866-698-6155. Caller thanked me and hung up to dial.

2018-08-24 18:45

Caller told me they were glad that the phone was working.

2018-08-28 7:20

Caller wanted phone number for PeopleReady on Kelly avenue. Provided it.

2018-08-28 21:15

After I introduced myself as an operator several times, caller asked me what town I was operating in. I replied that it was not relevant and hung up.

2018-08-29 4:37

Caller wanted the number for a hospital business center, which I provided.

2018-08-30 11:24

Caller asked for an alternate 211 number, claiming that the menu option and dialing 211 from the dialtone didn't work. I gave them 866-698-6155.

2018-09-01 13:51

Caller asked for the nearest other Futel phone, I directed them to Taylor St.

2018-09-01 20:38

Caller asked for the location of the Ainsworth phone.

2018-09-05 8:43

"They say the cat's abandoned, is this the [mumble] hotline?"

2018-09-05 15:23

Caller asked if I could look up a number, I said I could try. After some negotiation they said they wanted an insulation business in Washington. I replied that I could search for that on the web. Caller was incredulous that I didn't have a listing, and asked me what happened to the yellow pages. I replied that I did not know. After a long and boring conversation about the regional nature of Futel, caller thanked me for my time and hung up.

2018-09-08 13:20

Caller asked if this was Burger King, no the Coca-Cola company, and hung up when I replied that this was the Futel operator.

2018-09-12 14:40

Caller asked for the number of the Department of Human Services food stamp office.

2018-10-08 11:17

Caller asked for the number of a refillable credit card used for benefits, which I supplied.

2018-10-08 17:06

Caller asked for the number of a bakery in Manzanita, which I supplied.

2018-10-09 18:36

Caller asked how to place a call, I instructed them.

2018-10-11 14:35

Child was playing with the phone.

2018-10-13 18:01

Caller sought the number for Wilsonville Womens’ Prison. I provided the number.

2018-10-15 15:00

Caller said they "wanted to make a prank call". I acknowledged. Caller said a weak joke, I made a snarky reply and hung up.

2018-11-01 11:04

Caller was seeking the Portland district attorney’s office. I provided the number.

2018-11-01 11:30 Mathew

Caller who had previously called seeking the district attorney’s office was now seeking a personal injury lawyer in a Portland suburb, but unsure of the spelling of their name. With search engine assistance I was able to identify the lawyer’s name and number.

2018-11-01 11:51

Caller wanted to thank Futel for our service, and had successfully reached their lawyer.

2018-11-01 16:16

Caller asked for the number to Ride to Care. I supplied it and informed them that it was also in the directory.

2018-11-18 11:54

Caller informed me that the Ypsi phone was fixed and had a new handset.

2018-11-22 20:00

"I was wondering what this line was for." "You called the operator, do you need an operator?" "It depends on what this is for." "If you think of a reason, call back, maybe an operator can help you."

2018-11-26 18:10

Callers had questions about what Futel was about and why. I explained aspects of Futel’s ambitions for telephonic domination to several parties including impressionable youth.

2018-11-29 10:09

Caller talked about the Israeli army and hung up mid-sentence.

2018-12-03 09:39

Caller wanted to know who I was, I told them I was the operator. They didn't believe me at first. They said they were having all kinds of problems with the phone, were trying to dial an 800 number. I told them hang up & dial 1 for outside line, etc.

2018-12-12 12:05

Caller complained that their cellphone has been bolted to the ground.

2018-12-12 20:00

Caller asked for a residential number, which I was unable to provide.

2018-12-13 17:02

Caller asked for the number for Washington County Probation and Parole, which I provided.

2018-12-23 09:29

Caller was seeking a nearby microwave to re-heat lunch. I informed caller that as a Portland resident I didn’t have access to that information. Caller was understanding and wished me a merry Christmas.

2018-12-23 11:41

Caller asked how to call Lance. I told them to hang up, enter 3 for the directory, and listen for his listing. Caller thanked me and hung up, after which I remembered that his listing was now "the Druid of Sissyphus Gardens".

2018-12-30 13:56

After I introduced myself, the caller said, "Hello, operator, my name is Chase, and I'm looking to speak with... you!" I waited for them to continue fulfilling their desire, but they hung up after 30 seconds. I called back, but the line was busy.

[battlewhiskers]

★☆★Guild Wars 2 Asks!★☆★

REMAKING THIS FROM THE PAST Bold answers are updated! (Keep the original text, if you want)

Stole this from @toomanycharr :3€ 2016 :F

1. When did you start playing? December, 2015.

2. What was your first characters race/class (profession)? Charr, Warrior.. But he died by felling off a cliff in Ascalon.

I’m sorry, but he was too ugly to play with

3. How many characters do you have? Nathia Rawsphere (Me, Engineer), Ragnar Nordvik (Charr, Warrior), Amelia Nouctune (Charr, Theif), Samantha Nouctune (Charr, Mesmes), Elizabeth Stonehawk (Charr, Guardian) and Karl Eckerberg (Fleshbag/Human, Hunter) I have about 18 now?? Didnt count copies from EU to NA server. Also Elizabeth and Ragnar are gone :x

4. Whats your favourite race? FOR THE TAMINI.

Ok, Centaurs are still great but Skritts are babys ❤ ❤ But Orges are cool too !!

5. Whats your least favourite race? Kraits.

Ugh all the bleeding and PULLS. Im so sick of spiders immobilizing and pulls from PoF. But I dont hate all spiders, tiny ones are good

6. What do you prefer PvE or PVP? PvE.. but I have hate-love to PvP

What about WvW ? 8)

7. Have you spent IRL money on the gem shop? LODSAEMONEH

I HAVE SINNED, STILL DO.

8. Whats your favourite zone? None really, but I want to die in Caledon Forest.

I’ve gotten a better relation with Sylvari, its not that terrible anymore. But I still dont know which is my favorite zone

9. Whats your favourite city? Lion’s Arch

Still is! But Crystal Desert is also nice :3

10. Whats your favourite PVP map? Battle of Khylo and Temple of the Silent Storm

Give me Alpine or Desert Borderlands thx

11. Whats a piece of gear you always transmute because you love the look of it so much? All of it, trying to keep the same look..

Fashion is still VERY important!!

12. How many achievement points do you have? 1799

EU: 9551 NA: 1171

13. Is it okay to ask to RP with you? Sure!! I’d love to.. even if I’m not the best at it

Tbh I only had 1 RP between this posts, I did watch one recently tho!

14. Is your guild open to new members? Probably, my main guild is Corrupted Freaks

Corr was eaten up by Divined Knights of Baltazar (Looooool now with PoF) I left them shortly after.

CRC (Charr Roleplaying Community) is open for more members :3c

15. Have you ever been really angry at the game? why? Story mode.

Ugh WvW and Aetherblade JP

16. Do you enjoy jumping puzzles? Depends how much I plan to fall down.

Hurt me plenty

17. Whats your best guild wars experience? Running Ascalonian Catacombs with my warband, It were a hell but we had so much fun! … Also running fractals first time with Reesa were nice :3€

Taking time, and watching every cut-scene of the first/core story, I get to emotional and it feels just amazing

18. Do you have a favourite character from the lore? Elders? Only old I know and like is Almorra Soulkeeper :3€

Canach u spicy cactus also Marjory is wonderful

19. Is there a class you like the idea of but the gameplay doesn’t match up for you? I.. don’t know.

I just CANT play guardian now matter what i do >>

20. How far have you made it in SAB (Super Adventure Box) if you had the chance to play it? 3rd level, with a lot of help from Reesa, Swift and Toni

I dont remember, 2 world maybe?

21. Favourite weapon skin? I like the Pact Shotgun which I’m using right now.

Mists weapons and glittering!!

22. Do you have a legendary? Which one or ones? None :C

I have three pre-cursors: Dawn, Rodgort’s Flame and Storm! Also completed Bolt

23. Whats your favourite legendary? .. I don’t know any :D

I cant picckkkk

24. Is there a race you hate with a passion? Asuras..You angry little people. Sorry, not sorry.

I am sorry to every Asura I know and dont know, Quaggans you are the worst

25. What class do you hate to face in PVP? Theifs

Mesmers and Daredevils in WvW, Im so sick of everyone just run away so fast they get 75% health. >>

26. Are there any players you look up to? Reesa and Swift ♥

I dont look up to anyone any more because I grew some muscles myself lol

27. First memorable friend you made through guild wars? Though question.. but I think it were Swift

28. Do you play with sound on or off? On!

29. Do you stream GW2? If so where can I watch you? Nope, not planning to either.

30. Are you obsessed with in game fashion? …*cough*

❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

31. Do you have a favourite dye? Black Cherry is pretty but Wine and Midnight Purple ♥

So many i cant pick

32. Whats the best glider skin in your opinion? Not sure

Ironclad and Crystalline

33. Have you ever had to block someone? pvp-bank and a douchebag that thought it was OK to disrespect my gender identity instead of just leaving it be and shut up.

I can forgive but never forget

34. Weirdest map chat experience? None

Things I reblog from shitgw2playerssay :F

35. Do you have 100% map completion on any of your characters? Having 53% at most >~<

100% on my mesmer~

36. What type of player are you? Hardcore, Casual, Semi-hardcore, Barely online. Obsessed, you can find me from 5 am to 11 pm on weekends, from 5 pm to 10pm on other days. (GMT +1)

Still online every day, if you dont find me on EU check in NA ~

37. What are the top three tips you would give someone just starting to play? !! Save !! !! ALL !! !! Crafting material !!

SALVAGE EVERYTHING.

38. Best memory in guild wars? Finishing “My story”

Pride March omg so colourful and love  ❤

39. Do you stick to one character mostly or are you an altoholic? 90% playing as Nathia.

Uh, trying to stick with one character but i can switch :3

40. What bothers you the most about the game if anything? How far away the Charr helmet/masks can be from their face.

Still relevant ;p

[martinlawless]

National Masters Circuit Race Championships 2019

E1234 (44-49 year old category), Hillingdon, London Sunday 14 July 2019

The Masters National Circuit Champs popped up in my calendar only recently. It was a welcome aiming point for mid-summer. I’d never done it before. Indeed, I had never raced on road at a national event before. Only grass track racing before. So this was all new.

It was nearby in Hillingdon this year – so no excuses, really. I’d spoken to Steve who had raced it last year at Rockingham and he said it wouldn’t be the hardest race in the world: just the usual fast start and middle bit. Easing back before the sprint. I found this insight encouraging. I’d set my aim as simply to finish and say I’d taken part. I was also keen to feel the national standard of racing. All summer (and a lot of winter) I’d been racing Masters series crits down at Lee Valley. I begun to wonder what the standard was nationally. Certainly it felt hard in the South East. How would it be different elsewhere? So, this race offered an opportunity to find out.

My category had the biggest field. 44-49 year olds. I had scanned the start list beforehand and it was full of talent, as to be expected. This resolved my ambitions to simply finish. The good guys I know from the local region would be finding it hard. So I should be doing well just to keep up.

In the build-up, I had decided to keep my legs fresh. So, following an earlier mid-week Masters crit on the Wednesday, I’d done nothing but a nice Friday evening tempo, under-threshold ride around my area beforehand. That would be it til Sunday.

It’s not a nice drive to Hillingdon. It’s pretty grim. Fortunately, the traffic was good and I arrive to a warm afternoon in good time. I get the chance to park on the green behind the HQ and chat with the others whilst watching Jenny race and brilliantly bag Bronze in her race. Well deserved.

As I go through my prep routine, I am encouraged by many other riders who seem nervous. You can sort of tell it in their faces. I was expected to be intimidated, but instead I feel confident and relaxed. Most seem to take their tension out on the rollers, but I can’t be bothered and would much rather tootle around on the circuit. As soon as Jenny’s race is over, I lean into the commissaire’s booth and ask if it’s OK to spin around the track. He gives me a thumbs up and so I’m off to warm up for real a good half hour before our start. The circuit looks damp, but it’s simply the colour of the tarmac. Hillingdon is pretty worn in areas but generally OK. We’d be going around clockwise, which I prefer here. The wind was light-ish and hard to pin down in direction. It was slightly overcast, but when it cleared, the July sun was baking. I had to zip my top down a fraction.

A bit more fettling and hydration is required to fill the time and then I’m all set. A good prep, with the only omission being to forget to remove my watch which I like to do now as the vibrations hurt my wrists a bit. My bike is feeling its age at 10 years old. These Cervelos are untouchable – made when they were still independent. And the Mavic Carbone SL wheels are bombproof. But the old SRAM Red groupset I fear is simply worn out. The springs and tensions are fading. The bike clicks a bit despite new cabling and all sorts of fettling. I need to think about a new bike – or new second-hand bike.

I’d be carrying one gel I’d plan on taking half way around on the 75 minutes race. And a bag of High-5 sweets that I quite like that I’d plan on taking to help concentration a bit near the end.

We line up and there’s a good bit of banter in the bunch as the commissaire reads his safety script. We’re off and I clip in OK. Pretty essential when the road rises straight away here. In the first 30 seconds I can tell I’m in good company, the group is sensible and good at making obvious indications of their movement, mostly. I’m happy. There are many old-dogs here. And the unspoken accord and bond in the movement of the bunch is quite pro-like at times. Hillingdon is a smooth loop where you can manage the top twisty bit quite effortlessly if you are all in a groove. Which we were, often. Rhythmically, we’d swoop around, I’d punch through the short climb, tuck in on the drop and echelon the ascent to start the loop again.

Of course, there are attacks from the start. Some solo, some with a few riders. But it’s pretty clear to me that none will stick. At our smooth and high speed, it would take a miracle or a lot of team work (where no team was here in numbers) to make a break stick. I reckoned the chances of a break here were greater than 50-1. But that didn’t stop people trying.

I mostly lolled around the top 20-30 riders, halfway, mixing it up with riders who I knew. Safely tucked in and being sensible. Steve was burning matches up front, in part to help his teammate Chris for a sprint at the end. I was all fine, and enjoying it. I gave the team cheering me on a nod and thumbs-up. At one point, the line split and I found myself on the front of the bunch. Rather than pull back to be taken over, I thought what the heck and gave it beans to bridge to quite a sizeable break. I enjoyed this proper full-gas moment. It wasn’t worth anything and I didn’t react at all when the break fizzled as quickly as it had begun and we all regrouped.

I was pleased with my intelligence in energy conservation. Alas, some other riders were more wasteful. They over-cooked some big efforts and then struggled to recover. We lost a few riders off the back this way. Heroic attempts I suppose to win. But they won’t get their full race and a chance in the sprint.

I take my half-way gel. I am aware I’m drinking plenty and have to be careful not to empty my bottle too soon. It’s hot – for me. I see Chris by the side of the road at one point. He’s clearly punctured and out. What a shame. I see Jess and know he’ll do well. He works the bunch magnificently and I struggle to keep his wheel. Steve, as ever, is super aggressive on the front. And the other folk I know from the Lee Valley summer series give me a good barometer of the effort being applied. I see we creep past 27.2mph average. But, I’m not phased. This effort is, by and large, steady.

The lap boards go up and the pace eases a little. Frustratingly for me, but I know this was always likely to happen. Two laps to go, and as we climb to the final lap, on reflection, my golden opportunity appears. I’m wide right and sheltered by the wind. I can climb through the ranks to the top 10 or so. I should have punched on and gone to the tip. A big gamble with a full lap left. But, instead, the right side gets swamped. I’m almost on to the grass verge. But stay on just. All the left-side riders get a massive advantage. We loop around and string out and from here, any change in position will be very hard to earn.

We stay more or less as we are in a thin line and turn for the 300 metres sprint for the line. I’m already out of the top 15 here. I give it some welly and we at the back remain statically positioned. I’m so boxed in at one point I have to stop pedalling. But it’s moot anyway. I put in a sprint that will equal my fastest Hillingdon sprint. But I should really have smashed that record: if only I’d have had a clean run. I need to position super early and find depth in crits. My short sprint is a joke.

We’re all over the line, safe and well. I’m 23rd. It’s good to catch up with Dave and Jenny. I tell Dave he’s about to race the fastest crit of his career, next in his category race. Which he indeed does. What I didn’t expect was his race to be a lot less dynamic and more a straightforward wattage TT pointed arrow bunch burn. Ouch. But that’s what you get for being 5 years younger I guess.

The afternoon weather turns out rather nicely. I take in some of Dave’s race and then grab a massive blueberry muffin and can of Limonata from the boys in the HQ café. I see the results and note the fella riding for the Kingdom of Brunei wins. I wonder if he flew in especially. One of the Welsh boys came second. I see Jess got into the top 10 – and other names I know spread across the results. It was a high standard race and I did OK. I could have maybe scraped a top 15 and a point another time. Really hard to do though. I’d love to do a Masters road race in among all these crits. And I should work harder to find a Regional A road race that suits me. But for now, the summer is coming in fast and will bring a lull in opportunities and a welcome bit of time off the bike. It’s a fine balance of enthusiasm, motivation, fatigue, family life, work life and hard to pin down sense of relevance. In it all too there’s a good group camaraderie with Masters racers, battling against modern life.

Strava link:

[808randolph-blog]

#808Randolph The Mom Whose Second Pregnancy Revolves Around Her Toddler: In our new series Pregnancy Diaries, we ask expecting women to jot down every pregnancy-related detail of their lives for a week. (Special thanks to New York mag and Refinery29 for the inspo.) Work-related conundrums, struggles with IVF, and a whole lot of nausea, ahead. For our eighth entry, we have a 33-year-old part-time publicist from Connecticut who's 25 weeks along. She and her husband of almost eight years have a “spirited” two-and-a-half-year-old girl, and don't know the sex of baby number two.  How long did it take you to conceive?  It took just a couple of months to conceive baby #2. My cycle has tended to fluctuate month-to-month since having my daughter, so it was a bit of a challenge to track accurately. We've been incredibly fortunate and have not experienced any fertility issues to-date. Any other details relevant to your pregnancy? Our daughter was born three weeks and one day early, and I gave birth less than three hours after my water broke. This is known as precipitous labor, and it's not the most normal scenario for someone's first baby. Oh, and my husband was traveling on business at the time! Luckily my parents live nearby, and my mom was able to meet me at the hospital. I had accumulated all of the “stuff” I needed for the baby, but I was not ready to give birth or bring a baby home. Needless to say, the big theme of this pregnancy is PREPARATION. I hope to have everything ready for baby #2 at least four weeks before my due date so that we're not caught off guard this time. Of course, this is easier said than done when most of my days are spent catering to the needs and whims of a two-and-a-half-year-old. I'll refer to the new baby here as “the baby” or “it.” We don't know the gender! We also kept our daughter's gender a surprise. I'm very Type A and typically need to know every detail about everything, but this is one area of life where I truly feel that ignorance is bliss. MORE: A Glimpse Into What Pregnancy After a Miscarriage Is Like DAY 1 7 a.m. – Rise and shine! My daughter (we'll call her S) usually wakes up around 6:30am, but she's content to hang out in her crib for a little while and I use that extra time to wake myself up. In an ideal world, I would get up before her and eat breakfast, but she *knows* if I'm up and my plans for early morning productivity are always thwarted. We head downstairs and make a smoothie to share—almond milk, strawberries, raspberries, chia seeds, and cacao powder–and I fix myself a bowl of Kashi Blueberry Clusters and a cup of coffee. Decaf. The horror. I quit caffeine when I was pregnant with S and it has made me feel really sick ever since. 10:30 a.m. – Our weekly playgroup was rescheduled to an earlier time today, so we skip Mommy & Me gymnastics class and head to playgroup. (Chase S around a large gym, or sit on the floor while she plays with friends? I'll take the latter!) 12 p.m. – It's a ridiculously beautiful day, and S does not want to get in the car to go home after playgroup. I promise her we can go for a walk right after we eat lunch at home. I make her a PB&J sandwich and slice up an apple, and suddenly I feel like my blood sugar has plummeted and like I might pass out. S is desperate to go outside and can't understand that I need to quickly eat some food and sit down for a little while. I inhale a PB&J, two clementines, and several glasses of water and start to feel better. 1 p.m. – Ok, let's take that walk! We live within walking distance of town, so S gets into her favorite pink push car and off we go. I'm pretty sure I'm going to die after walking up the hill from my house to the main road. It's a perfect day for a treat, and I decide that our destination will be the gelato shop. 2 p.m. – Nap time for S! I use nap time to tackle dishes from the morning and early afternoon, catch up on work emails and take care of any work items that have popped up and need my attention. 7:30 p.m. – I keep S up late because my husband hasn't seen her all week. He works in finance in NYC and has an hour-long train ride to and from work every day. He puts S to bed before jumping in the car to drive to Vermont for the night. I bailed on our trip this weekend after looking at weather reports, and he needs to pick up some of his ski gear before a trip next week. (Note: No, I'm not skiing while pregnant!) 8 p.m. — I chat with my college roommate, who just gave birth to twins one week ago. The box of goodies that I sent her arrived today. Hooray! I do a final kitchen cleanup and shut the house down. 9 p.m. – I wash and dry my hair and catch up on some TV before falling asleep around 11. So far, I've been sleeping really well without too many restless nights or middle-of-the-night bathroom trips. I tell myself the baby knows that Mama needs her sleep. Pregnancy is an afterthought most days, but sometimes the realization that a baby is coming soon hits me like a bolt of lightning and sends me into a tizzy. DAY 2 6:30 a.m.– Our two cats are clamoring for breakfast, so I roll myself out of bed to tend to them before they start fighting directly outside of S's room. 7 a.m. – S gets up and opts for blueberry waffles for breakfast, while I once again settle on Kashi Blueberry Clusters. This has been my daily go-to breakfast since getting past the first trimester. I never threw up during the first trimester with this baby, but I generally felt nauseous all day every day and could rarely eat anything more than an English muffin or chicken noodle soup. With S, I threw up every morning from weeks 6-14 but felt fine the rest of the day. 8:45 a.m. – It's going to rain this afternoon and I want to make sure that we stretch our legs and get some fresh air today, so I suggest to S that we get dressed and go to the Nature Center in town for a walk. I have to borrow a sweatshirt from my husband because all of mine are too tight now. It *only* takes us 45 minutes to pull ourselves together and get out the door. 11:30AM – My husband is back home, and we take S to the diner for lunch. I get a buffalo chicken salad because I am a sucker for buffalo chicken, but the salad makes me feel like I'm making an effort to be healthy. I also steal pickles from S and my husband. 2 p.m. – My husband takes S up to her room for her nap, but she asks for me to come up to read her a book and put her to bed. I'm planning to clean my room this afternoon while she naps. 4:30 p.m. – Oops. I fell asleep and got nothing done! As a general rule in life, I REALLY don't like to take naps. Pregnancy is just about the only time I make an exception. 5:30 p.m. – We always get the most delicious macaroni and cheese on our way home from Vermont, and my husband dutifully picked one up this morning to make for dinner tonight. Sadly, it's a bad batch. It looks and tastes terrible. Just looking at it makes my stomach turn and I can't bear to think about eating ANYTHING. I don't tend to have specific food aversions during pregnancies, but some days I struggle to find anything that I'm willing to eat. This evening, I force myself to at least eat a toasted English muffin so that I get something in my stomach. 9 p.m. – After getting S to bed and tidying up the main floor of the house, I make a mug of peppermint tea and head to the basement with my husband to watch “Planet Earth II.”  DAY 3 7 a.m. – My husband gets up to get S from her crib but we all have get up, so I groggily follow them downstairs. 9:45 a.m. – S has swimming lessons on Sunday mornings, which are my husband's domain. We've been away most weekends this winter, but it's so nice to have a little time in the house by myself this morning! I make an egg and cheese on an English muffin and have a second cup of coffee. I realize I'm going to have a baby in about three months and spend my alone time scurrying around the house finding homes for some stray, out of place items. Pregnancy is an afterthought most days, but sometimes the realization that a baby is coming soon hits me like a bolt of lightning and sends me into a tizzy. 2 p.m. – I finish up my grocery list and go shopping for the week while S naps. We usually shop on Monday mornings and while it's a definite treat to stroll the aisles of Whole Foods by myself, I miss my shopping buddy. I always load up on lots of fresh fruits and veggies to snack on throughout the week. I've been drawn to a lot of citrus fruit during this pregnancy. I love to have grapefruit with breakfast whenever I have time, and I snack on clementines throughout the day. I *had* to have a red bell pepper every single day when I was pregnant with S, but I haven't eaten them nearly as often during this pregnancy. I consider shopping a success because I kept myself from coming home with a ton of junk food. I maintained a very healthy diet when I was pregnant with S and rarely craved any kind of junk food. In fact, junk food made me feel really sick over the entire course of my first pregnancy. This time, I want all of the candy, cookies and ice cream you can toss my way. It's a daily struggle to make sure I'm giving the baby the right nutrients and keeping my weight in check. 4 p.m. – My husband managed to edit a video of S skiing, put all of her toys away in the basement, AND vacuum that room while I was out shopping. He is amazing and also makes me feel like the laziest person on the planet. I bought a single sumo orange at the store and eat it right when I get home. I immediately regret not buying the store's entire stock and will literally dream about sumo oranges for the next week. 6 p.m. – The Academy Awards are on tonight and even though I haven't seen a single nominated film, I'll watch red carpet coverage and the entire awards show broadcast. We get Chinese takeout for dinner and eat as a family before I return to the couch. I get the night off from being Mom. (Truthfully, my husband does most of the heavy lifting with S on the weekends anyway.) 8 p.m. – I bought ingredients to make skillet s'mores for dessert, and all I want is peppermint tea and a big bowl of fresh berries. I am simultaneously proud of myself and disappointed. The baby is constantly battering my bladder. DAY 4 6:15 a.m. – I wake up after hearing S stirring in her crib, but there's no way we're getting up yet. I have to use the bathroom, but it's just not worth getting out of bed right now. 6:30 a.m. – I look at the baby monitor again and notice that S is no longer in her crib! I am momentarily alarmed but decide that there's nothing she can get into trouble with in her room, so I leave her to play with her books while I wake myself up. 6:40 a.m. – I hear a door open and S is suddenly in my room saying, “Hi, Mommy!” Terrific. Not only can she climb out of her crib, but she ALSO can get out of her room. This is not a developmental milestone that I am looking to deal with three months before we have a new baby. 9 a.m. – S and I head out for a playdate at a trampoline park with my best friend and her daughter, who is just four months younger than S. My best friend is due with her second baby exactly two months after me, and we are trying to squeeze in as much time together with our girls as we can before the babies arrive. I'm so grateful to experience pregnancy with her again. I always have someone to text throughout the day who's facing similar toddler, parenting, and pregnancy issues. 10:30 a.m. – The baby feels really low today and is constantly battering my bladder. This is not an ideal feeling as I chase a toddler across a sea of trampolines. 2 p.m. – I'm so tired after a full morning and partial afternoon of really active play with S. I think about making a salad for lunch after putting her down for a nap, but there are three untouched quarters of a perfectly good PB&J sandwich sitting on a plate. I'd love to lie down for a little while, but I need to take care of some work emails this afternoon. I also order a couple of books for S about being a big sister to help her get ready for the baby. 8 p.m. – Leftovers of last night's takeout for dinner tonight. I'm starving and eat most of mine while my husband is still preparing his plate. We head to the basement to catch up on “Homeland.” 9 p.m. – My husband is organizing for our weekly garbage pick-up. I help by emptying the various small trash cans around the house while he cleans the litter boxes one more time and takes the garbage can and recycling bin to the end of the driveway. 10 p.m. – Early to bed! I'm exhausted from staying up late last night and a busy day with S. The baby starts kicking me as soon as I lie down, but I'm too tired for it to bother me today. DAY 5 7 a.m. – S did not climb out of bed this morning. Phew. Perhaps it was a one-time thing. 9 a.m. – My mom arrives to pick S up for the day. This is a good time to mention that our lives do not function without my mom. She's exceedingly flexible and generous with her time, and I don't know what we would do without her. My mom takes S two days a week, and I use those days as my full workdays. I'm extremely lucky to be able to work part-time, mostly from home, for the same PR firm that I was with full-time for nearly 10 years before having S. 9:30 a.m. – I settle down at my desk with my Kashi Blueberry Clusters and coffee after quickly getting dressed and pulling myself together for the day. Even though I work from home and spend a lot of time on the floor or chasing after a toddler, I need to get dressed in real clothes every day (read: no yoga pants for this mom, but to each their own!). It helps me feel like a human and have a productive day. 11:15 a.m. – I receive a call that my furniture delivery will arrive within 10 minutes, so I take a quick break from work. I unload the dishwasher, eat a clementine and refill my water cup while I wait. The delivery arrives – a new dresser that will either go to S or the baby–and I forgot that it would come fully assembled. The baby's room is currently my office and guest room, and I haven't “moved out” yet. The deliverymen are confused when I ask them to leave the dresser in the box and put it against the wall in my living room, but that is where it will live for the next month or so. Good luck to my husband and whichever friend he recruits to help him move it upstairs. 1 p.m. – The baby is kicking up a storm, and I look at the clock and realize that I haven't eaten lunch. I was extremely disciplined about my eating schedule when I was pregnant with S, and this baby is typically kicking me to say, “Excuse me? Hello? I'm hungry down here!” I make a salad with spinach, black olives, feta cheese, walnuts and red bell pepper and head back to my desk. 3:30 p.m. – I dial into a conference call that I primarily need to listen to and multitask by looking for overhead light fixtures for each of the bedrooms in the house. None of the bedrooms currently have overhead lights, but it's not a huge project. We'll have them installed sometime before the baby arrives. 4:30 p.m. – I don't have any additional work items to take care of today, so I take advantage of the extra time and make two phone calls that have been sitting on my to-do list. I make a two-and-a-half-year well visit with the pediatrician for S and call the hospital where I will deliver the baby to take care of preregistration details. The hospital tells me that I'll also have to stop by in-person to sign a few forms, and I make a note in my calendar to take care of that when I'm near the hospital following my next OBGYN appointment in three weeks. Then I start dinner prep before S gets home: lemon garlic shrimp with whole wheat penne. 6:30 p.m. – S's new stall tactic to avoid bedtime is to ask for a “quick bath” every night as we're heading upstairs. She doesn't need a bath today, but I'm not in a mood to argue with her and it gives us something to do before she goes to bed. There is one bathtub/shower that we share, and the bathtub is TALL. It's increasingly difficult for me to bathe her, but my husband doesn't get home early enough during the week to help with that task. 8 p.m. – I chat with my college roommate again. She has some questions about breastfeeding and pumping. I can't remember the answers to her questions off the top of my head, but I know exactly where my feeding and pumping logs are from when S was a newborn and consult them. As I review my notes from those early days, I am reminded of how incessant a newborn's needs are and jokingly ask myself why I signed up for this again. Mild panic about life with a toddler and newborn sets in. 9 p.m. – I can't drink, but I *can* have a bowl of ice cream. It's the little things that keep me going. 10 p.m. – Catch up with my husband, who worked late today, and catch up on news of the day. I don't get much time to read or watch the news during the day anymore and I don't have a TV in my office, so I often bookmark articles to read at night sometime between getting S to bed and falling asleep myself. DAY 6 9:15 a.m. – S and I head out for Mommy & Me class at the Nature Center. This is S's favorite weekly activity, and it's a great way for us to spend some time outdoors. I grab a Nature Valley granola square for myself as we leave the house because I know I'll be starving once class is over. 11 a.m. – We are back home after getting caught in a storm at the Nature Center. I can't zip my raincoat over my stomach, so I'm wet and freezing cold. 2 p.m. – I make avocado toast for lunch, which seems to satisfy the baby, and jump onto the computer to tackle a project for work that I want to send to a client tomorrow morning. I also use my time during S's nap today to educate myself about potty training and review recommended potty training products on Lucie's List. S has to be potty trained for preschool in September, and the thought of trying to do it this summer with a newborn makes me shudder. We'll tackle that in April. 5:30 p.m. – I have some chicken breasts in the fridge that I need to use, and I intended to marinate them earlier in the day but never got the chance. I settle on a dry rub and serve it with cauliflower rice and broccoli. The baby is happy that I'm eating a real meal at what it deems a reasonable time. S devours it and asks for more, and I hope that the baby develops her taste for vegetables. 8 p.m. – My husband heads out to play soccer, and I throw in a load of laundry and wash my hair. Quick showers are easy, but washing and drying my hair is a time commitment. My blow dryer and dry shampoo are really important tools these days! I look at my stomach and lament that it looks like I might not make it through this pregnancy without my belly button “popping.” It didn't happen with S, and it freaks me out, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. 10 p.m. – We head to bed, but I've been stressed that the light fixtures and remaining nursery furniture that I have picked out won't be available if I wait any longer to order them. I make those purchases and while I've got my laptop open, I reach out to two local photographers about booking a newborn session. I can't drink, but I *can* have a bowl of ice cream. It's the little things that keep me going. DAY 7 5:45 a.m. – I get up extra early to see my husband off for the day since he'll leave for his ski trip straight from the office this afternoon. This is the last time he's allowed to travel far away from home before the baby arrives. We're not taking any chances this time! 6:30 a.m. – I'm enjoying a cup of coffee and catching up on some news when lo and behold, S opens her bedroom door and is looking for me. She comes downstairs and we make a smoothie. I make a mental note to order a toddler clock on Amazon. 9:00 a.m. – I'm going to work from my parents' house today. We're leaving later than I'd hoped, but we're finally in the car and on our way. My parents are puppy-sitting for one of my sisters, and my best friend and her daughter are coming over for a puppy playdate and lunch. There's no way I'm missing out on that fun! 12:30 p.m. – I join the crew for a quick lunch after addressing morning emails and dialing into a few conference calls. My mom picked up deli sandwiches for everyone, and yes, I eat cold cuts for lunch. I'm very diligent about avoiding most of the pregnancy no-no's, but I will occasionally make an exception for an easy (and delicious) lunch. 2 p.m. – Loft and The Gap are having enticing sales today, so I take a break to peruse their websites. I try to be very judicious about the maternity clothing that I buy, and I always wait for a sale. Most of my maternity clothing needs fell over the summer with S, while this time I've needed winter clothing. I'm also home this time rather than in an office every day. Of course, I mostly end up buying things for S. Because what toddler doesn't need white jeans for summer? 6 p.m. – S and I get home and I make my ultimate lazy dinner: quinoa with black beans, corn and cheddar cheese. I add Sriracha to mine and a little enchilada sauce to S's. 8 p.m. – I'm determined to be productive while my husband is away, and I head upstairs to clean my room. Three hours later, I've purged and re-organized my closet and dealt with a lot of the disorder that was driving me batty. 11 p.m. – My hips and feet are in so much pain. I can barely move. I've been lucky so far in this pregnancy to not be afflicted with many aches or pains, but I really regret when I stay on my feet too long or overexert myself. The cats have been staring at me for an hour and are grateful when I climb into bed so they can settle down into their spots for the night and go to sleep. I turn on HGTV to quiet my brain, and the baby starts its late-night acrobatics. I'm pretty sure this one is going to be trouble. My pregnancy sounds like it revolves around S, and truthfully, it does. I read the pregnancy and baby books when I was pregnant with her, and I don't need to worry about finding every single “just right” item for the baby this time around. Barring complications, I know what to expect from labor/delivery, postpartum recovery and a newborn and know that I can handle it. My job right now is to make sure that S is taken care of and feels loved, and I'm more focused on making sure that SHE's ready for the new addition to our family. MORE: What It's Like To Have a Difficult Pregnancy   http://bit.ly/2q1erJD

[sarahtarian]

10:30 pm thought...

This is inspired by the craziest episode of Jane the Virgin airing on Monday night.

One of my favorite things in the universe is watching or hearing your friends explain to you how they stumbled upon their favorite shows.  -And how it results in someone’s unique collection of favorite shows.  

I don’t care if anyone reads this, but I wanted to take a few minutes to walk down memory lane and revisit my personal stories.  In a rough order of how much they mean to me:

Criminal Minds (Wednesdays @ 9 on CBS)- This school year has been crazy because I’ve moved twice, and switched all of my classes in anticipation of moving in with my dad, and correctly assuming that I would need to be my own best advocate.  I had signed up for way too many hard classes because I felt rushed when signing up, and I didn’t yet know that I wouldn’t exactly be able to go to an international college because of money and my weak dedication to school. In an act of self-preservation, I began to get into some new shows in the Fall of 2016 to help myself cope with the death of my parent’s marriage, and the sale of my childhood home.  In one of my new classes, (I took part one last school year, so I’m in part two now) I had become acquaintances with this girl who is a senior at my high school, that I would see on the bus and in the lunch room everyday.  One day in November 2016, she sat at a table with me.  I don’t remember how we got into this conversation (I’m 50/50 that I was watching The Blacklist during our shared free period), but I recall trying to explain the plot of the Blacklist to her, and she said, “That sounds exactly like Criminal Minds!!!”, and I thought to myself, oh lord, I’ve heard of that show, and it always sounds like some lame 90′s crime show to me.  I hope she isn’t going to push the subject, and try to get me to watch it.  I believe it was that night when I watched maybe 4 episodes of it, and I was HOOKED.  My new-found obsession was quite casual, up until winter break, when I felt comfortable putting my home screen as Matthew Gray Gubler because I’d be out of school for an extended period of time.  The moment that changed my universe was when I saw a cute little post on tumblr asking if anyone wanted to join a Matthew Gray Gubler/Criminal Minds group chat, and I responded, not knowing what to think.  To be honest, I though I had either asked too late, or maybe it would just fizzle out very quickly like my 2014 o2l group chat did.  It did not.  Our chat turned one month yesterday, as did my Matthew Gray Gubler blog.  Those dozen or so girlies and guys completely changed my junior year, and my life.  Not only did our chat enhance my understanding/appreciation for Criminal Minds, it has become my place to vent, give the others some advice, and make every conversation feel like a slumber party.  Being a fan of Criminal Minds has helped me see what I want my future to be a little more than before, and most importantly, that I don’t want to redo the mistakes of my parents.  I like reading so much more now than I did before, and for the first time that I can ever recall, I am content in the happy medium I’ve found between my hobbies.  This past week, I went to an orientation for volunteers at a baby horse hospital (my second year), I’ve gotten a lot of time by myself in my new apartment to work on singing, I’ve sat down and made some original posts for my blog that I’m proud of, I found a way to study for midterms and not hate it, and I believe that all of these factors culminating together have, and will help me in the real world.  This particular fandom makes me feel like I’ve found my home at a very vulnerable time in my life, and brought me back up from my rock bottom.  I can honestly say that I feel like I have a much stronger sense of self after being immersed in the psychology of Criminal Minds, and understanding the reason for my own behavior.  This show makes me laugh when I would otherwise be crying.

Jane the Virgin (Mondays @ 9 on the CW)- I had just started my sophomore year in High School.  I was in a rough situation friend-wise, and this show was my coping mechanism.  I must have rewatched the first season 3 times, and I got so sucked into it for some reason.  I was, and still am so into the romanticism of this show which for me means the music, the non-sexual building of Jane’s relationship with her love interests, the crazy family drama, and the complexity of the storyline, and strangely, how hard it is to try to summarize the show to someone.  There are so many multi-layered stories going on at the same time with sadness, angst, love, and forgiveness.  It is also an added bonus that this show is inherently diverse because it is supposed to take place in Miami, so there are people of color in many socio-economic statuses.  This show continues to pull on my heartstrings.  Even though I only found the show around September 2015, this show has had such an impact on me because I found it just in time to help prepare me emotionally for my parent’s divorce that I found out about on 1/31/16.  Even though it isn’t the *most* realistic show ever, it prepared me for the divorce by showing me elements of what real love is, and that my parent’s marriage wasn’t working.  I am immensely grateful that I decided to watch the pilot while fiddling around on Netflix looking for something new to watch.  I clicked on it because I had heard of it once or twice before, though I don’t remember where I heard about it.  I also just really appreciate the way this show has been able to tackle relevant issues such as bringing up abortion as a viable and OK option, as well as normalized feminism :)

Grey’s Anatomy (Thursdays @ 8 on ABC)- While I probably won’t continue watching this show anymore, I am not sad that the show seems to be coming to a close now that it’s in it’s 13th season.  Possibly most of the reason that I still watch is because it reminds me of some time I got to spend with my older sister.  I love this show for quotes, catching medical terminology that I know, relatively realistic relationship ideals, and just appreciating the deep backstories of most of the characters.  In some ways, I would call this my guilt pleasure show because it is all about nostalgia, and unrealistic career goals to me.  This is by far, the show I’ve been watching the longest out of those listed here.  This is the show I binge watched on Netflix in the anticipation of entering high school.   With some of the older characters, they feel like family to be.  My affinity for Grey’s Anatomy came full circle when I met Addison (Kate Walsh) at a debate party for Hillary Clinton in my tiny hometown, and we took a few pictures and talked, and exchanged a few looks of disbelief from across the small party room while watching the debate.  This show does make me a little sad because it reminds me that the best days have already come and gone:/ This is one of the only shows that I keep watching every Thursday because of nostalgia, and to mentally check out of the world for an extra hour.  My first encounter with the show was flipping through channels at my Grandma’s house with my sister, and stumbling upon the episode where a black man and a white lady both get impaled, and only one can live.  Years later, I would catch my sister watching Grey’s Anatomy, and when I was about 13, I started to join in.  I always thought my sister was dumb for crying when the characters would get hurt, but I get it now.

I also religiously watch The Blacklist, Scandal, and How To Get Away With Murder.  I try not no get into too many shows at once, because I tend to get a little obsessed.