(Flawed logic?  Perhaps.  Whatever.)

In other news of the somewhat bizarre, I noticed this morning that the manager (or whoever) of the train station in my neighborhood has very kindly posted a NO SMOKING sign in the stairwell that leads up to the platform.  This is nice and all, but I would prefer a NO URINATING sign.  That’s right, folks: people pee in the train station stairwell.  The scent in there is godawful and damn near intolerable.  I’d post my own NO URINATING sign, but I fear the idiots who pee there will retaliate by pooping instead.  Ugh.

Still more bizarre news is that one of the many pregnancy books I am reading these days has informed me that the three body parts babies first develop are mouth, spine, and anus.  I find this both fascinating, intuitive, and disgusting.  What goes in must come out, huh?  Incidentally, I’ve now gotten to see two ultrasound images of the kidlet (who looks an awful lot like a blob with a heartbeat) and it should come as no surprise to learn that my child is already adorable.  Seriously, it’s the cutest blob I have ever seen.  It is also an exhausting blob.

Perhaps I should change my tag line to something like,”Red Red Whine: Not Rockin’ Much These Days” or “Red Red Whine: Now with 85% more WHINE!” or “Red Red Good-Lord-Will-I-Ever-Get-to-Drink-Wine-Again?”

I must run to catch my train, but before I go, I should probably clarify that the book I discussed earlier this week wasn’t just about polar bears, and polar bears aren’t the only Arctic citizens who are suffering as a result of global warming.  It’s just that the polar bears pull my heart apart more than anything else (yes, even more than the Inuit people, the walruses, the seals, and the birds).  You really should read the book.  In fact!  Let’s do a random drawing!  Let me know in the comments if you would want to read the book, and I’ll enter your name in a drawing to win my slightly used copy.  You have until next Friday to be considered.

Have a great weekend!

Hearing this, it should come as no surprise that I have been intrigued by Alun Anderson’s new book  After the Ice: Life, Death, and Geopolitics in the New Arctic.  (If you click on the link, you’ll understand even better why that is.  Check out the sad polar bear on the cover.  It breaks my heart.)  When my pals at HarperCollins included this book in the list of potential ones that I could review, I jumped at the chance.

Truth be told, I was worried that this would be a bit dry.  After all, I don’t read a lot of non-fiction books, and usually when I do, they are biographies or memoirs.  Instead, I couldn’t put it down, although that could be in large part because I find the effects of global warming terrifying.  It is well-written, fascinating,  and informative.

Anderson has compiled a virtual ton of information, yet somehow manages to make it easy for non-scientifically-minded folks like myself to process and understand. This book makes me want to go up to every single person who thinks global warming is not a threat and thump them on the head.   It also makes me want to fight harder against my husband’s latest desire for an SUV.

My one complaint is that I wish Anderson had devoted a chapter to what individuals can or should do to help the situation, because it feels pretty bleak right now.

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?

How’s this for an announcement?: made the very small beginnings of a baby.  NOTE: if you are my Facebook friend, please don’t write anything about this on there. It’s really too early for me to be telling people as I’m only 6 and a half weeks along, but I couldn’t resist.

Also: abstained from drinking while touring Napa Valley, abstained from rare meats and soft cheeses, and went off my Zoloft, all thanks to the tiny person.   Took the PRAXIS exam.  Applied for and was accepted into a graduate school program to become a teacher.  Decided to stop trying so hard on something that I shouldn’t write about here.  Did something that wasn’t horrible, but I’m still not proud of it and won’t write about it here.  Heard my sweet nephew and niece attempt to say my name (“Wa-wa” was the best result, and it KILLS ME).  Went to a knitting conference.  Created a knitting group.  Totally neglected this blog.   Went a whole year without going to my home town.  Ate kind of a lot of beets.  Ran two 5Ks.   Added $202 worth of delectable chocolates to my virtual cart on the Woodhouse website and then (sensibly) abandoned it.  Drank a lot of seltzer water.  Went to a fortune cookie factory and paid 50 cents to take a photo.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don’t know!  I need to see if I made a list last year.  That will give me something to post about next time.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes: Erin, to Ellie; Alice, to Marco; Shara, to Gus; and Julie, to Frances.  I feel like I’m forgetting someone – if I forgot you, I am sorry!  (Ashley, WL was born in 2008, right?  Why am I forgetting???)

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Thankfully, no.  Rob’s grandpa died, though.

5. What countries did you visit?

Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

An out-of-the-womb, healthy baby (am terrified of this first trimester).   I’d also like to have written a book, or at least a huge chunk of  a book.  I finally have an idea that I think might actually work.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

The weekend of 4/23, when I went with my awesome friend Sarah to Stitches South!

12/4 – the day I went to a fertility doctor who made me feel like crap about my weight and told me I probably wouldn’t conceive until I got thinner (story forthcoming)

12/17 – the day I went in for bloodwork so the same fertility doctor could analyze my menstrual cycle; I ended up getting a call telling me I didn’t need fertility doctors after all.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

The two 5Ks were pretty big for me; my PRAXIS score was huge as well (I rocked that exam, plus I got a high enough score on the math section that St. Joe’s waived a pre-requisite course for me).  Actually, I suppose the biggest was making the decision to go back to school.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Enh.  Weight loss plans.  Also, I did not keep the house very clean and I kind of sucked at my job (although I like to blame the economy for that).

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Nothing major.  I did learn that I have a degenerative eye disease and am going to need surgery for it (but not until after el bebe is hatched).  It also is not fun to struggle with depression and not be allowed to take an anti-depressant.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

YARN!  Glorious, glorious YARN!  Also: my tickets to Denver to see my sister and the littles, and my ticket to Atlanta and admission to Stitches South.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

I think we should all pat ourselves on the back to celebrate our behavior in 2009.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Oh, I’m not going to name names here.  Hey look!  My behavior once again merits celebration?  (Pat pat pat -on-the-back).

14. Where did most of your money go?

Mortgage, yarn, and wine.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Knitting!  Friends!  El Bebe!  Travel!  My niece and nephew!

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

Y’all, I have been embarrassingly out of it when it comes to music.  I see a new year’s resolution in this…

17. Compared to this time last year, are you a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?

a) happier (although unmedicated, which makes me inexplicably/randomly weepier); b) about the same size; c) richer

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Listening to music, both live and at home.  And I don’t feel like I read enough books this year.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Whining.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

Well, for 2009 we went up to Vermont to stay with Rob’s mom, then drove to Hartford and flew to San Francisco and drove to Napa Valley and flew back to Hartford and drove back to Brattleboro and then drove back to Philadelphia.  I’m exhausted just writing that out.  Also, I will NEVER do that much traveling in one holiday period again.  AND, Abbers, I’m sorry I flaked in San Francisco.  When people say they are exhausted in their first trimester, BELIEVE THEM.   Phew.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?

Nope, but I stayed in love in 2009.

21 and 1/2. Holy crap, is this meme ever going to be over?

22. How many one-night stands? Ha. Zero.

23. What was your favorite TV program?

Modern Family, 30 Rock, Dexter, Big Love, Top Chef, and I’m sure I’m forgetting something.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate last year?

As in years past, I think hate is a very very strong word.  I try not to hate anyone.  Dislike?  Yes.  Hate?  No, thank you.

25. What was the best book you read?

I have no idea.  My top 11, though, are:

The Razor’s Edge
State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America
The Well & the Mine
The Weight of Heaven
Clara’s War
Crazy for the Storm
Rampant (Yay, killer unicorns!)
America America
Hummingbirds
How Green Was My Valley
American Wife

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Dude, I am sad to admit that I made no great musical discoveries this year.  Oh wait – I take that back.  Andrew Bird and Vampire Weekend were new to me this year.

27. What did you want and get?

Yarn, a trip to a knitting conference (are you seeing a theme here?), a spa gift certificate, and a make-your-own-seltzer-water machine.  How I love the make-your-own-seltzer machine!  Oh, and the tiny beginnings of a baby.  (nice afterthought, huh?  Sorry, kiddo.)

28. What did you want and not get?

50 pounds thinner.

29. What was your favorite film this year?

Dude, I don’t remember a SINGLE MOVIE that I saw this year.  I think they were all pretty mediocre.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I went to Fogo de Chao and celebrated my carnivorous nature with friends and Rob (I was doing the Atkins Diet at that time).  I turned 34.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Making a lot more placements, which would have meant making a lot more money.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept for 2006?

What’s a fashion concept?

33. What kept you sane?

Zoloft, therapy, knitting, and drinking.  Whee!
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Hmm.  I still fancy Vince Vaughn, methinks.

35. What political issue stirred you the most?

Sarah Palin.  I’d like to send a pack of angry gnomes after her.

36. Who did you miss?

Anyone who lives far away.

37. Who was the best new person you met?

This is going to sound crazy, but my new boss!  She’s still a micromanager, but she’s got an excellent sense of humor and I really like her as a person.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006.

Don’t let mean fertility doctors bring you down.  Keep a lint brush in your desk at work so no one can tell you picked your pants out of the to-be-dry-cleaned pile before they actually made it to the dry cleaner.  It’s actually worth it to hit the stores at 5 a.m. after Thanksgiving, especially if you reward yourself with a Cracker Barrell breakfast at 7 a.m.   Math is still not any fun.    Acupuncture is weird but amazing.  Being an aunt gets better every year.  It’s okay to stop trying to like someone.  Faux-fur-lined coats are warm.  It feels really good to work hard at something and succeed (see: the math section of the Praxis exam; completing two 5Ks).

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

I choose to skip this one because my brain is fuzzy.  It’s my first day back at work in 2 weeks, y’all.

(What can I say? I’m in pare-down mode. I had more than 400 “friends” on FB and realized how ridiculous that was, since I probably only consider 100 of them actual friends. Hrmph.)

Do you like how I nonchalantly threw in the words “rare degenerative eye disease”? And doesn’t that sound random and frightening? Insanely, this is actually fairly fantastic news. I’ve been having problems with my eyes for several years now. By “problems”, I mean I’m almost constantly uncomfortable and even occasionally experience pretty excruciating eye pain. I’ve had three different ophthalmologists tell me that I have scar tissue on my corneas (despite the fact that I’ve never had any trauma to my eyes) and that really the only thing they can do is tell me not to wear my contacts. Well! FINALLY, I made myself an appointment at Wills Eye Hospital here in Philadelphia – which is #3 in U.S. News & World Reports’s rankings of ophthalmic hospitals in the country – in the hopes that they’d be able to help in some way. Cha-ching! They helped, indeed. It turns out that I don’t have scar tissue at all. Instead, I have this funky genetic eye disease that basically causes callouses to develop on my corneas (not scars) and does some other stuff, too. (My appointment was fascinating – they actually used this machine that took a topographical map of my eyes – how cool is that?)

SO. In some cases, this can be treated with medicine (which I am currently attempting). If that doesn’t work, I’ll have surgery. In the meantime, I get to go back to wearing my contacts (although not for more than 8 hours per day). Whee!

I’m just so excited to know there’s actually a solution, I can get back to my contacts, and- AND – I’m not just being a baby about the general discomfort in my eyes!

Yippee!!

So, what’s everyone doing for Thanksgiving? We are heading to Rob’s brother’s house and I have high hopes that the turkey there will be as delicious as it was last year. Mmmmmm. This is my attempt at segueing into today’s poll. I’m trying to decide whether I should make the same sweet potatoes that I made last year (I skipped the olive oil and instead topped them with toasted macadamia nuts) or make this recipe instead. Last year’s were tasty – but I’m tempted to branch out. What do you think? OR, should I do one of those standard ones with either the candied pecans or marshmallows on top?

Gobble gobble! I hope you all have a lovely Thanksgiving, and that those of you who are traveling this weekend arrive at your destinations safely.

Oh! And if you choose “Other” in the poll, please let me know what alternative recipe you propose.