Today's rambling: It's like a potpourri of things!
Written on January 09, 2002 at 10:11 p.m.
while feeling a bit

Mom and I went out this afternoon to buy things for a baby shower that I was invited to. Debbie's daughter (who I used to work with when I first started) is going to be having a baby (duh) in just a couple more months, I think. I forget exactly how soon it's due. Debbie invited most of the people she works with because, as she said, she literally has no family. Which is sad! But her other daughters wanted to have a baby shower for Jen. I was supposed to have RSVPed by the 3rd, and now I feel terribly rude for not having done so! I'll have to call the store tomorrow and see if it's alright if I still show up, hehe...I hadn't planned on showing up at all (I still wanted to buy something, but I didn't feel comfortable going, as I'll probably be the only person there who hasn't experienced pregnancy or whatever...though if her daughters are there, I won't be the only one).

ANYway, so Mom and I went out, and I never realized before how much fun it can be to go baby shopping! All these cute little things, from outfits to blankets to digital thermometer pacifiers! Granted, it's all WAY too expensive, but fun nonetheless! As much fun as going pet-shopping! So much fun, in fact, that I ended up spending $70! X_X

We started off looking at those little pre-made basket things, which have all sorts of things like baby dishes and blankets and teething rings...you know, an assortment of stuff. But then I was wondering what everyone ELSE would end up getting, and I realized that all the little "knick-knacks" and accessories would probably show up in abundance. I've never gone baby shopping before, however, so I wasn't sure how to be different (because I don't like to run with the pack and buy the same gifts, hehe).

Mom pointed out that, aside from various odds and ends, people would most likely end up buying all newborn stuff. Which is great, seeing as Jen will need that stuff right away, but what about for later? Shouldn't she have SOMETHING for when her baby gets bigger? I don't mean infant outfits or anything, hehe, because by then she should've bought some herself! But y'know, just for when the baby's a wee bit bigger? I'm not making any sense. Oh well...

So yeah, I ended up buying this pack of 3 little...what're they called, body suits or something? And then there was this little keepsake pillow that has a birth certificate printed on the front, that digital thermometer pacifier (which I thought was entirely too cool because you can take baby's temperature without the baby even KNOWING you're doing so!), a receiving blanket, a fuzzy teddy bear...umm, I can't remember the other stuff, hehe! Mom threw in a pair of these tiny little booties because she couldn't resist them (she was so eager to go with me on this excursion because she loves baby shopping). There had to've been more, though! That stuff was expensive, but I'm sure...oh yeah! We got this sponge thing that you stick the baby on when you're bathing it...Gee, I'm going to be just as surprised as Jen tomorrow when she opens this stuff! ;)

I already mentioned (several times), that I found baby shopping to be quite fun. I liked the baby stuff made by a company called "bon bebe". Anything in French makes me happy. *giggles* But I actually had fleeting thoughts that I might actually not mind having a baby, if it was this fun buying stuff for it!

Then I walked by the maternity section and saw maternity underwear. As soon as I saw the swollen, distended belly in the picture, all warm thoughts of babies fled. I suddenly remembered exactly why I never want to go through childbirth.

*sigh* Ah well, I'll keep my fuzzy domestic tendencies aimed at things like baking. Baking is fun.

Oh yeah, and I got the overwhelming urge to actually SEW a baby blanket for Jen. My great-grandmother (the one who got me interested in AND taught me a little bit about embroidery) used to make baby blankets for almost all the newborns in the family, and she made mine (which I still have now...it's my "Yellow Blankie" ^_^). Wouldn't be so much better to have something that actually had thought put into it, rather than just some store-bought thing? Obviously I won't have anything like that for tomorrow...And I have to confess that I don't know Jen well enough to know if she'd actually appreciate something like a handmade baby blanket. So that makes me a little hesitant to go ahead and try it.

But I'm not going to allow myself to feel regretful over having spent so much on her today. Because it's not really for HER, it's for the baby...and even though I don't really like children, I think the new baby will enjoy my pressies. Because...all children love presents. ;)

Now I'm going to veer away from that topic. Though I do need to remind myself to find Yellow Blankie and see how Grammy made it, so that perhaps I can replicate it, hehe...

Last night, Mom called us off work for today because neither of us felt like working those hours (she'd put in when she first started that she wasn't available late at night, yet this guy keeps scheduling her 'til 8 and whatnot!). I'm glad to not have worked, but at the same time I feel guilty! And I hate that I feel guilty! People there call off ALL the time for no better reason than mine, and they don't care at all. If they did, they wouldn't do it so often! But yet me, I've got to have that huge conscience that screams "Shame on you!" for every little thing! GRR! Not that it's bad to have a conscience, but YEESH! Let a girl have some time off sometimes!

Every time I get into music discussions, there are times when I get this irresistable urge to just start talking about Queen. But no one that I know (other than Geoff, ha ha) even likes them, so I just keep my mouth shut! Actually, nobody really likes the music I listen to, period. I grew up listening to Oldies with my parents, so that's what I listen to more than anything else. But I need periodical influxes of new music (hehe), so I also listen to newer stuff. But, with the exception of Queen, I don't have any favorite bands or artists. I like a few songs from this artist, a few from that one, but there aren't really any other instances where I've liked so many of one artist's songs.

Well, I guess there was my brief little affair with the Backstreet Boys. There's another one I don't talk about much, though I don't see anything wrong with liking their music. Just because I listen to pop bands doesn't mean like the members themselves, and I'm tired of hearing people group all pop listeners together. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH LISTENING TO THEM! It's not like I'm going around squealing, "Oh my GAWSH, Nick Carter is just like the most adorable boy on the face of the planet!"

Hehe..I get a little tetchy on that subject. I just hate hearing people diss them, especially because they try to sound all superior and whatever. While I love deep, emotional lyrics as much as anyone else, I don't primarily listen to music because it's intellectual--I'll read a book if I want to be intellectual. I listen to music because it makes me feel good. And if the song happens to be by Britney Spears or something, that's fine. Doesn't mean I like or respect her...I just happen to find the tune catchy.

*shrugs* Anyway, just my opinion, as always!

I hope the maintainer of that African Cichlid website replies, soon...I want to know what sort these two in my tank are!

And I'm wondering what happened to David...I actually miss talking to my two TMK friends! *sniffles*