Swollen
As if I needed another reason to be… well, less than excited about a summer pregnancy in Boston, my hands are so swollen that most days I can’t actually get my hands closed into a fist. Knitting is largely out of the question.
Lucky for me, the lovely wry punster thoughtfully suggested that I do some sharing!
1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
I was six months into my first “real” job (at the company I work for still, actually). Jon and I were living in a lovely apartment in a pretty terrible town, and generally enjoying being grown-up.
The big news was that we were just starting to plan our wedding, having been engaged for a couple of years at that point. We planned the date around our photographer’s availability. She was a dear friend and former colleague of Jon’s (he worked in an independent photo lab during high school), and if you’re in the Maine area I would recommend her without reservations.
(Image copyright Leigh Kelly-Monroe and the Unforgettable Moment. Don’t copy it, hoser.) It’s a little bittersweet to post that photo, actually. We were so young! Not that we’re old farts now, of course… but life sure was different.
2) What are five things on my to-do list for today?
- Play with Jacob at the awesome playground next to the preschool building before summer camp starts. Check.
- Get an ultrasound to make sure the baby is simply large, not godzilla-sized. Check. (Everything’s fine.)
- Pick up our first meat CSA at the farmer’s market this afternoon.
- Manage to get organic fruit & veggie box off of the porch before it either (a) gets drowned by another round of freak thunderstorms or (b) all of the chard wilts into nothingness. (Mmmm. Chard.)
- Watch the Sox get trounced again by the Rays. While trying to knit and keep my hand from going too numb. SIGH.
You know, writing that list, I’m realizing that none of those things would really have been possible in Monterey (though I loved Jacob’s Montessori school there with the heat of a thousand suns). Pregnant or no, depressing Sox games or no, I’m so happy to be back here.
3) Snacks I enjoy:
Right now?
*cough*
More generally, though, here’s a sampling.
Um, yeah. What can I say? I love good food. And vinegar. Don’t forget the vinegar.
4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
I’m far too pedantic for a question like this. But I’ll try not to be too irritating about my answer. I think, aside from changing careers and doing something like getting a degree part-time in food science or nutritional anthropology, our lives would look much the same. There’d be no mortgage for me or my fam, of course, and there’d probably be more travel. But I like our life, and wouldn’t want to change much about it.
So where would the money go? A foundation of some kind, I expect.
5) Places I have lived:
Small-town Maine
Claremont, CA. This was our dorm. I think the architecture is called “neo-brutalist”. Not the most photogenic place, I know. Scripps was much more beautiful.
Lowell, MA. Okay, okay. This is Ingonish, Nova Scotia. I never lived in Nova Scotia, but trust me. You’d rather look at this picture.
The Camberville area, MA. Yay! We’re back!
Monterey Peninsula, CA. Ties with Maine for the most beautiful place I’ve lived. Too bad my experience wasn’t great there.
6) Jobs I have had:
I’ve worked since I was 12, at one thing or another. So this is far from exhaustive. But it tells an interesting story about my life, I think.
- Maid in a coastal Maine resort
- Dairy Queen countergirl and snarker extraordinaire.
- Mathematics research assistant
- Information security engineer specializing in formal methods
- System administrator
- Manager of information security engineers and director of security research program
- Mother
Cliche of the day: Guess which job is the most difficult?
Please do play along if the mood strikes you. I love reading stuff like this.
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I’d guess maid. My feeling (being a SAHM) is that being a Mom is the most challenging job but also the most rewarding. Where as being a maid is a ton of work, including hard labor and there just isn’t much reward for the work.
Love the answers and photos! Sorry to hear you’re so swollen, but that the baby is doing well. ;)
If you want to read my answers then you can view them here.
Ok not sure if that last comment when through, so here goes again…
Great answers and photos!! Sorry to hear you’re so swollen, but that the baby’s alright. ;)
If you’d like to read my answers check them out here (http://rubysnpurls.wordpress.com/2008/05/28/a-meme-to-pass-the-time/).
I was pregnant in Boston at this time last year and I totally understand what you’re going through. I wish I had a magic remedy for you. Good luck!
I’m delurking to say, Go Mudd! (At least, I think that’s mudd. It’s been a while.) It’s a nice surprise to see that a blogger I follow is a fellow 5C-er (I’m a pomona gal myself. Chirp!)
Sorry to hear about the swelling…summer pregnancies are almost as much fun as summer newborns.(hot little people in your arms all day) Love the Pics!
I loved reading this, and the photos.
Your wedding was so wonderful. It still ranks up there as one of the nicest that I’ve attended. The gorgeousness of the setting (the fall colors on the trees) didn’t hurt. And your wedding photos are definitely among the nicest that I’ve seen.
I think I’ll try to play along! Sounds fun!
i also did the meme a couple of weeks ago! i love the photo from your wedding, and i love even more the photos from all the places you’ve lived. did you and jon go to claremont and scripps? i love that area of california. monterey and carmel are just so beautiful!
The photos are fantastic!
Your food photos are making me drool right now.
You both looked lovely in that wedding photo, I am sure you are not that much older! (although we have compared pre and post children pictures of ourselves and the difference is scarey!!)
Well, this is a bit weird…
I grew up in Small-town, Maine. I lived in Lowell, MA for a few years (living next door in Chelmsford now). I’m moving to California late summer/early fall.
Love your food pictures! Yum!
I love the way you answered this meme with pictures! The wedding one is so lovely!
How adorable are you in your wedding? Plotz!
Also? Those cookies? They may have been the cause of some kitchen mayhem down here. Maybe. :)
Careful with the swelling! Are your ankles/feet/legs bad too? Yikes. That was one of the worst things with my pregnancy.
Your wedding photo is beautiful.
I love all the photos in this post!
And also: I have been known to eat pickles from the jar, and I’m definitely not pregnant. Mmmm, vinegar and crunchiness.
Hey, Amy, We’re missing you. We are now meeting Tuesdays at the same time at East Village (the old Morgan’s Cafe and before that the Monterey Herald Bldg.) Sorry you cannot knit. If Boston weren’t so hot in summer, I might come live with you just for the food. The heat is just not endurable for me.
Christina’s baby Ashleigh is 3 1/2 months now and is so cute. She’s really grown a lot.
Am loving lace knitting but still haven’t restarted the curved shawl just yet. Am doing the Haruha Scarf and the Falling Water Scarf, which both have purl-back alternate rows. Got some Rowan Mohair in burgundy, but I know that I need the right psychological moment before the curved shawl gets activated again.
Loved the wedding photo! You two really know photography, or perhaps you are particularly relaxed and photogenic.
Remember that tip you gave me regarding knitting thru the back of the loop when picking up sock gusset stitches? Well, I finally taught myself to graft the toe in a respectable manner. It turns out I wasn’t pulling the yarn tight enough.
Well, got to get going to town for the meetup–be kewl u jewel.