Anarchy Mommy

Life in the Chaos

Those Rascally Salahi’s December 3, 2009

Filed under: opinions r' us — anarchymommy @ 8:00 pm
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/02/AR2009120203781.html?g=0

Oh there is no doubt they’re pathological. Some bizarre didn’t-get-attention-from-daddy is going on in that pretty, skewed, blonde head. Fo’ sho’ (says the woman who should know).

But I have to enjoy the Salahi’s.

Not because I feel they’re all that intelligent or fascinating, but for what they point out about us as a society. Because you know she was able to sneak into that cheerleader alumni gathering because she looks like a former cheerleader. And they were waved into the White House dinner without being verified because they look like a Washington power couple – the older gentleman and his younger, high maintenance, arm candy wife.

Picture this – Michaele Salahi closer to the American average and 30 pounds heavier, in the same sari, but her natural (assumably brown) hair and a traditional head scarf. Would they have been waved in? Chances grow thinner.

If she had not been yoga’d and pilate’d to painfully thin, bleached blonde within an inch of baldness, and tastefully tooth-whitened to that plastered Barbie grin…would any of their psycho deviant party crashing photo ops been possible? I think not.

A reversed example from this year would be the Susan Boyle phenomenon. Yes, the woman can sing. Yes she’s unattractive. Unattractive people can sing, is this actually shocking? Singing does not require hair extensions, a prerecorded track (*cough*, Britney) and a stylist. I know, the horror. But how do we not find it offensive that Susan Boyle opens her mouth and lets out a gorgeous voice and America tears up and claps…because, “I mean, look at her!”?

My opinion: the Salahi’s insanity is a mirror for our own.

Your thoughts?

 

The Pregnancy Tribe December 3, 2009

Filed under: family, health, spawn — anarchymommy @ 11:30 am
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A date, a date!! Yesterday the doctor said January 10 I go off blood thinning pills. The 6 month coumadin treatment will end. Yes! So close.

End of January my awesome, beautiful, fantabulous hematologist (yes she rocks that hard) will test for underlying problems, something in my genes. Any condition other than pregnancy that would cause another blood clot.

“And then,” Doctor Wonderful said nonchalantly, “we will get you pregnant.”

Hmmm.

Technically, The Man holds that privilege. But in a broader sense she will be pivotal. She will prescribe the injectable Lovenox and monitor my blood in any future pregnancies to prevent another clot.

The Man and I didn’t talk about getting pregnant again for a long while after Bean. We both wanted time and, besides, every doctor stressed we had to wait until I was off coumadin.

The hospital stay had been tough. No matter the time of day I had vials of blood drawn every 4-6 hours for a week. My arms were scary bruised. It got to the point where I would burst into tears when they woke me at 4am to ask which arm to poke. It was exhausting.

I couldn’t help but wonder, would every pregnancy and delivery be like this?

We had planned a home birth with Bean. We had an amazing Midwife and a Doula picked out. We had alerted my live-in mother (“Hey what’s that coming out of your…?? Oh my.”), planned on laboring in water, and taken Bradley Birth classes that stressed little to no medical intervention.

Now we knew there could never be a home birth. I would always be “high risk”. The horror stories we had heard and read about fighting off excessive interventions while birthing in a hospital…those could very well be our story. I was scared of something, childbirth, that a week ago had seemed undeniably healthy and natural. Along with the death of a baby, we were mourning the end of how I, and we, wanted to birth. Choosing home birth had felt empowering.

Now what?

Within days of getting out of the hospital our hematologist was already talking pregnancy. “Hold on to that unused Lovenox,” she said while nodding, “we’ll need it when you get pregnant again.” It’s as if she could hear that tiny subconscious seed stretching it’s roots in my brain. When The Man asked how the clot would affect any later pregnancies, she answered before he’d finished asking, “Oh! You will have babies.” So sure. Concise. Confident. Much more than I.

Almost every weekly visit featured pregnancy mentions. Always positive, always absolute.

I have to wonder if she knew my biggest post-dvt fear. That someone would tell us we should not have another baby. That I was incapable of having a pregnancy that didn’t endanger my life or damage our child with the treatments I needed.

But she never said it. And every time I felt insecure or scared I thought of her voice, “You WILL have babies.”

So! Sometime in ‘10 The Man, Dr. Wonderful, and I will have a sit down. And we, yes WE, will get me pregnant. Team Knocked Up, The Pregnancy Tribe.

Help us out and please keep your fingers crossed? Our team could use the support.

 

Bam! Roxy Smackdown December 1, 2009

Filed under: dogs, pictures — anarchymommy @ 6:45 pm
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This look = “Bitch, please.” I want to hold it up everytime someone deserving comes along.

She’s complaining about that douchey boyfriend for the 200th time? Bam! Roxy Picture. “Biiitch, pleease..”

You come across a social Neanderthal who assumes you love to defer to his it’s-only-natural superiority? Shazzzam! Picture. Roxy says, “Oh, bitch, PLEASE!”

How would YOU use the Roxy Smackdown? Come on, you know you wanna! ;)

 

The Man’s 2010 Calendar November 30, 2009

Filed under: family, nature, pictures — anarchymommy @ 6:10 pm
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Need a gift for someone who loves the desert & great photography? Or something pretty for the home and office in ‘10? Here ya go ;)

The Man’s 2010 Calendar

 

Native American Dancers November 28, 2009

Filed under: pictures — anarchymommy @ 12:30 am
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Some more photos used for Photo 101 class.

Used this to fill the “Creative – Blurred Action” requirement:

And this one went for “Photojournalism”:

These were taken at the Springs Preserve during their cultural/history weekend last spring. Two separate Native American groups gave dance presentations.

The first photo was a young girl dancing solo with the feathers in hand. Most of her movement was in her feet and hand, making the silver bugle beads on her dress shine  and jingle in the sun.

The second included a wide variety of ages, sexes, and combinations of solo and group dancers. Their musicians did some killer drum work on a hot Vegas day.

They made for some pictures I really liked. In fact, I should share some of the ones that didn’t wind up being used for class…

 

Sinful Thanksgiving November 25, 2009

Filed under: family — anarchymommy @ 7:21 pm
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Like most 21st century couples, The Man and I communicate electronically everyday. A few texts, a couple emails, the occasional sexual invite (hot diggety!). We share links to stories, unusual items done or seen, and pictures.

One of my favorite things from him are Sinfest cartoons. Today this one arrived, which summed up my crappy attitude with one tidy little bow. Thankful for the laughs, thankful for the attitude readjustment:

The Sinfest Thanksgiving

And you, what are you thankful for, my friends?

 

Missing Eldorado November 25, 2009

Filed under: nature, pictures — anarchymommy @ 5:50 pm
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I have been kinda whiney lately. Will try to fix it, for everyone’s benefit. After Thanksgiving and a few school deadlines, I need something of this flavor:

This was taken in May, I believe, on our Northern Cali trip. We drove from Vegas to Carson City, through Tahoe and then hit this. A gorgeous trail and waterfall on a rainy day hike in Eldorado National Forest. I used this picture for my “nature” requirement in Photo 101 last semester. It was taken with The Man’s infrared camera.

Eldorado, I love you!!

 

Good Morning, Honey November 24, 2009

Filed under: dogs, family, pictures — anarchymommy @ 8:13 pm
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In funnier news, check out the view The Man woke up to this morning. Not sure how I feel about being photographed with the iPhone while sleeping, but Roxy under the covers makes me laugh every time.

 

Year of the Grateful Torturee November 24, 2009

Filed under: health — anarchymommy @ 6:19 pm
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If I followed Chinese calendar years, I could swear ‘09 was the Year of Medical Intervention. Alternately known as “Year of the Paper Gown”, “Year of the Insurance Group Number”, and the colloquial ”No food after Midnight”. You know, that year you’re supposed to paint walls mint green, separate rooms with curtains, and crank the thermostat down to 62.

My latest ’09 celebration: Esophageal Manometry. Had one yesterday.

Wiki says: “A technician places a catheter into the nose and guides it into the stomach. Once placed, the catheter is slowly withdrawn, allowing it to detect pressure changes and to record information for later review. The patient will be asked at various times to take a deep breath or to take some swallows of water. The degree of discomfort varies among patients. Patients are not sedated because sedatives would alter the functioning of the esophageal muscles. Overall the procedure takes about 45 minutes. After the procedure is complete, patients can usually resume their normal daily activities.”

First person narrative? You’re awake. They put a tube up your nose and down your throat. Then pull it out one centimeter at a time for an hour. A lot of gagging and eye watering is involved. I think Gitmo came up with this one.

Doctors only require this if it seems like your esophagus isn’t doing it’s job, so don’t worry. It isn’t something that will pop up on your annual physical, or be a part of routine tests at 50.

Like the colon cancer screening my mother calls, “The Butt Hose”. My inner Beavis finds that endlessly funny. Butt Hose. He hehe he. Cornholio needs tp for my Butt Hose. Ok, 12 year old giggling over. How juvenile…hehehe.

I await judgment from los médicos. We shall see what fresh and unusual torture – err, I mean treatment – they will come up with next. They will make me bleed, stick things in places lots of lube is required, bicker over which meds I should or should not be on. And in the end I will thank them, as always.

Stockholm patient? Nah. I am grateful for their care. Even when it hurts. Thank you for trying to make my life better, longer. ‘09, you’re a cruel, poignant bitch. Thank you.

 

Photo 101 November 20, 2009

Filed under: pictures — anarchymommy @ 6:49 pm
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Last semester I took a Photography class. Filled my Fine Art gen ed requirement and I hoped it would allow me to understand a tiny kernel of The Man’s world.

I had fun with it. Until the end.

Blame is a funny thing. I could throw it around and toward the teacher…or I could own up to the fact that I’m a huge procrastinator. Nahhh, it was that lazy teacher’s fault. Damn her!! ;-)

I got an “A”. Thanks to a lot of help from The Man (who is the world’s best teacher) and an insane 3-4 days of shooting and editing. I lost my cookies more than a few times.

Going to post some of the semi-likeable images over the next days, ready?

From Assignment 12, “Self Portrait”:

 The assignment was to do something “you don’t usually show people”. I was in my 5th month pregnant with Bean at the time. We were inundated with childbirth and parenting info. Childbirth classes, doula recommendations, Midwife tips, it was neverending and entirely overwhelming. I had about an hour to shoot this picture. The Man rigged it up for me with the camera over the guest bed. I had to readjust myself many, many times and I was never happy with body positioning. But it captured that moment in time pretty well, looking back now.