Pavement show!

When I was 16, my hero, my big brother Alex, bought me four CDs for Christmas. One of them was Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, by Pavement. It made a lifelong fan of me. Tonight, I got to see Pavement for the first time ever, 16 years after getting my first record. Here are some highlights from the show:

1. Meeting up with eight other friends, all of whom know and like Pavement. Growing up in Montgomery, I never thought I would have more than one friend who liked or had ever heard of Pavement (yo, CG).
2. I think I've finally decided I have a sensitivity to marijuana smoke. It would explain my vehement hatred of it. My stomach cramps all up and I get nauseous.
3. This girl, standing in the area where everyone else was sitting.


Why, lady? Why not go stand in the standing area? She stood by my friends who I wanted to sit by, totally blocking Stephen Malkmus from my view so I had to move to the standing area. Not that I mind standing at a concert. It was just one of those moments where you question another human being's value. To her I say, "Girl, you are a douchebag and a half."
4. Stephen Malkmus' wit. Sharp as ever.
5. Absolutely beautiful weather, for once in Portland.

My list makes it sound like it wasn't a great night, but it was close to perfect; even magical. I had a blast, and I'm happy the band decided to grant me a reunion tour. I never got to see them when they were together because I lived in Alabama, so this was the fulfillment of one of my biggest wishes in life.

P.S. Tall people standing in front of me at concerts: You suck. Always have, always will.

About 12 days old

No longer pregnant!

39.5 weeks

34 weeks pregnant

Here's me looking like a total goofball.

My veins suck

Today at the obstetrician, I had a glucose tolerance test to screen for gestational diabetes. I don't know what my results are yet, but I do know that my veins hate me. I had to have blood drawn within one hour after drinking the sugary drink they gave me, but the phlebotomist couldn't get any blood out of me. Finally, she took it out of the back of my hand. Now my hand hurts and I'm afraid to take off the bandage because she thought my vein was collapsing and I don't want to see a gory bruise on my hand. I thought I was going to faint after the second time I got stuck with the needle. I felt all the blood drain out of my head and thought I was about to start seeing spots. I asked for a glass of water and that helped a lot.

Then I went back to work and realized that part of the reason I felt so shaky was because of the sheer quantity of sugar I had to drink for the glucose test. I was cracked out like Cornholio for a few hours at work, which I knew would be followed by a crash.

Also, I took Max to the vet in the morning for his vaccinations because I am going to have to board him a few times in November. It turns out he's an old dog now. One of his back legs is significantly smaller than the other, which indicates nerve damage or a spine problem the vet said. Also it is likely because he failed a reflex test the vet did with his back toes.

Now I'm drinking tea next to Nathan on the couch, while he watches a sporting event. I think I'm going to slowly drift off to sleep.

What you do at a crosswalk in Portland

In Portland, there's a rule of the road that says if there is a pedestrian at a crosswalk, whether the crosswalk is painted or just implied by the pedestrian standing trying to cross a street, the cars must stop. I'm sure it's the same way in lots of places, but it's a hard and fast rule here. The problem is, only 1/10 of the people in the area know about it. This isn't surprising. Drivers everywhere in this world are a selfish bunch who don't pay attention to even a quarter of the things they should notice while driving. But the funny thing is that if you're standing at a crosswalk, and a line of cars is headed your way, the first few cars are guaranteed to not stop. They never seem to know they have to. No, the only car that stops, and this happens really regularly, is the very last car in a chain. Imagine how frustrating it is to be the pedestrian sitting waiting and realizing that no one is going to stop. And then seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, the last car in a chain of idiotic brutes. Then, that car stops. Why? Why does the last car stop, when by all rights, he or she could just pass me faster than it takes for me to be sure that car is going to stop? By the time I've waited for every car in the chain, I'm focused on the rear of the last car, waiting for it to finally pass me so I can go, not on how fast that car is or isn't going. So this is what I have to say:

"Dear first car, Stop for me. Sincerely, Christina"
"Dear last car, Thanks for the thought, but please just keep going. Sincerely, Christina."