Thirtysomething

Random Thoughts

So, it appears my last post was 6 weeks ago. Interesting. I'm not trying not to post. But with two blogs, a Facebook account and a barely-used Twitter account, something had to give I suppose. Also? I work full-time, have a family and enjoy interacting with humans occasionally. So I haven't really made time to post but here's a series of things that have been on my mind:

• Rolo amazes me. He engages in pretend-play now. He changes his teddy bear's diaper. He feeds him crackers. I overhear him lecturing his stuffed monkeys in his crib "You no do that. 'Kay?" Pretend play is something he couldn't have wrapped his head around a couple of months ago. He still can't wrap his head around Halloween. Or Christmas. I try to explain these things, talk about costumes and Trick-or-Treat and Santa, but I think it's something he's going to have to see to understand. He's also in the "Why?" phase which is adorable and maddening at the same time. I can take the first 3-4 "whys?" but after that it gets ridiculous.
• Ron has a couple of head hunters and will start job-hunting soon, even though it's too early to tell if he'll finish his fellowship this June. Might not finish until next June. Might have no choice but to continue fellowship until next June because the job market for physicians blows right now. The head hunters are like "Ha, ha, you sort of missed the boat here buddy! Job market tanked about 6 months ago." Between the economy (doctors aren't retiring on time) and this talk of health care reform (which scares hospitals shitless), places aren't hiring or expanding practices the way they normally would. Mostly, hospitals seem to be maintaining a status quo, cutting back even, waiting to see what fall out comes from any health care reform. Thank you, Mr. Obama! In theory, yeah, I'd love for everyone to have access to health care, although I'm not sure it's a God-given or constitutional-given right. But in reality, for me, for my family, this health care reform is going to screw us over. Two years of graduate school, four of medical school, seven (or eight) years of formal training, $250k in loans and my husband won't be able to get a job? Yeah, call me bitter. I'm not looking to be a millionaire here, I'm just hoping to avoid bankruptcy.
• We took a trip to Burlington, VT last weekend. I had been there before, twice, in college. Still an interesting town, although it wasn't as I remembered it. Or maybe I'm just older. The seven hour car ride up was fine, even for Rolo. We only stopped once. But two is a hard age to travel with. Too big for a pack-n-play, too small for a real bed. Not content to sit in a stroller for more than 5 minutes. It was a logistical disaster, despite my planning. There was fun though: stuffing a bear at the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory, petting animals at Shelburne Farms, checking out scarecrows that are on every street corner up there, discovering that Pizzeria Uno has a kid's "make-your-own" pizza that we could leave the problematic cheese off of. Good times.
• I'm just about seven months pregnant and have given just about zero thought to this impending arrival. I haven't opened a book, thought about names, gotten any clothes. Nothing other than talking to Rolo about a little brother or sister and prepare him for the end of the world as he knows it. Good times.
• Also, if you can, try not to plan for being hugely pregnant in winter. I was due with Rolo in August and everyone was like "August?!? Oh it'll be so hot, you're going to be so miserable." Actually, it was fine. What's not fine are the sweaters and outerwear one must resort to when pregnant in the fall and winter. It's atrocious. Exhibit A. Exhibit B. This isn't too bad. Oh wait, that's $275. Ahem.
• I've decided I like my neighborhood. Or at least I like my local Starbucks, Whole Foods, day care area.

So that's what's going on for now. More to come. Eventually.

Labels: random, Rolo, winter of my discontent

posted by DJ Heavy D @ 9:53 AM