ppd

finally.
It is is in the gossip rags that Brittani Spears is not a drug addicted mess but may actually be suffering from post-partum depression. I have been saying that for awhile now, but everyone thinks it's drugs. I don't doubt that she's using drugs, but I bet it's her way of self-medicating.

I was absolutely convinced it was ppd when she shaved her head. And then attacked the paps with an umbrella. I can only imagine what it is like to live a life under such scrutiny. Ever go to TMZ? They have a ton of stuff on Britney Spears, and the videos are in-sane. They are shouting questions at her, flashes going off in her face, people getting in her way, which makes it impossible for her to walk in any direction. Ugh.

Okay, so that's her life, and then she has this husband who she splits from-- always a totally life-altering event, even if it's what you really want and need to do. AND she had a baby just 5 or 6 months ago.

I'm by no means an expert on Post-Partum Depression, but I do know it happens and can be absolutely devastating to a woman and her family.

I recently read two stories about women who were tragically affected by post-partum depression to the max severity (psychosis). Two true accounts of what happened after the births of their children. Two women out of the hundreds of thousands of women who are affected every day. Melanie Stokes and Tina Zahn (incredible website with intense video that gives me chills and brings me near tears every time I watch it).

I don't know why people don't talk about PPD. It is real. It is scary. It can be life-threatening.

I hope that the tabloids give Britney Spears some space to breathe and to heal.

Pan's Labyrinth

Go see this movie. Now. You can thank me later.
Oh, it's in Spanish with English subtitles, but it's so engrossing that you forget you're even reading.

an inconvenient truth vs pmrc

Does anyone remember the pmrc? I was a teen when the PMRC was at its tizziest, and I listened to a lot of the music they were horrified by. Check out this wikipedia entry if you're lost and have no clue what the hell I'm talking about. The article also includes a picture of Rage Against the Machine sporting nothing but some sharpie and duct tape. You know you want to look...

I just finished watching the Oscars and all the love that was thrust upon Al Gore. I like Al Gore, but I think I like him more now than I did 8 years ago. Anyway, as I was watching the love fest, I couldn't help but wonder how many in the audience were appalled at the whole PMRC thing, of which Tipper Gore was the very vocal crusader. She seems to keep a pretty low-profile while Al is being worshipped by celebs far and wide. Everyone hated the PMRC (thanks for the stickers, btw-- they really help me decide which music to buy. PARENTAL ADVISORY usually).

So, do I love Al Gore more than I hate Tipper? Hm. I'll have to think on that one.

blah-ging

I am so lame. When did I blog last, like, a week ago?

I just dropped my beloved Odyssey off at a collision center because the rear bumper is scratched up from a minor collision. The van was backed out of the driveway and into one of my students' cars. Nice. Their vehicle sustained more damage than mine, and I felt awful. They were really awesome about it, though. They're a really cool couple.

So, the insurance company has been awesome. I have to give mad props to Progressive for actually taking our hundreds of dollars every month and creating a very supportive claim system. I drop the van off, there is a woman from Enterprise waiting for me because sh is delivering a rental vehicle. I do a walk-around the rental and then a walk-around my van, and I am outta there. 15 minutes, and I was on the road. Amazing. Simply.

Whenever Wayne has been in accidents (and there have been several), it was always a pain in the ass to coordinate the rental car and the repair stuff. We've always been with progressive, but I think they have made some improvements in their service since Wayne's last accident, which was probably 5 years ago.

I am, however, stuck with a most hideous vehicle. I am almost embarrassed to drive it, but I don't want to go throughthe hassle of trading for something else. The woman seemed very pleased to be able to offer me the HHR when I was supposed to get a Malibu. No big love for either of those vehicles, to be honest. I am most definitely a lover of Japanese cars.

We went to The Shins concert on Sunday night; I love them. It was so much fun, but I would really love to see the play in, like, a bar or something. They are such a great band for intimate shows. On the way to the concert, I saw Dave Hernandez (I swear it was him) leaving Dragonfish.

Tuesday Paige and some friends went to Easy Street in Seattle to see an in-store performance by The Shins. Paige was given the setlist by James Mercer, which is very exciting. She bought a VINYL of Chutes Too Narrow. I think that is her first real album. She has some decent video that I'll put up once i find out where she uploaded it. She said the event was amazing. I'm glad I let her skip school for it :-)

Sasquatch line up was announced on Tuesday, as well. It looks okay-- not as impressive as last year, but it does look good. I want to go, but i think Wayne is less enthusiastic. I reserved three hotel rooms just in case. It was so much fun last year.

Anyway, I have a strong feeling my computer is about to CRASH, so I am getting off of here.

bore-ed

I don't really feel like blogging, but what the hell. I ate some heavy duty chocolates a little while ago, and I'm kind of on a caffeine high. Or something.

Wayne and I had a most awesome Valentines Day. Wayne bought me three boxes of chocolates from a candy-maker who is closing. Closed. He has bought me chocolates from that place for, like, 7 years now. They have the yummiest chocolates.

I surprised Wayne and made him wear a blindfold while I drove him to an undisclosed location. I made us appointments at our favorite spa, which is about 45 mins away: half an hour in a steamy sauna that overlooks a cute little creek, and an hour and a half long hot stone massage for Wayne while I got a salt glow and an hour long massage.

It was wonderful.

Then last night we had dinner at the melting pot, where I drank just enough to make myself very sleepy.

And of course, we have tickets to The Shins on Sunday. Can-not wait.

So, we're coming up on a three-day weekend, which we really need. Well, I teach on Monday, but the rest of la familia has that day off.

Okay, I am done. I think I just hit the wall.

did someone say...

The Shins?

Yeah, I'll be at the concert on Sunday. Aren't you jealous? I have the best husband ever.

field trippin'

One of the coolest things about being part of the co-op at the elementary school is the abundance of field trips. It is so awesome. From what I understand, the rest of the school has one, maybe two, field trips in a school year. We have had three now, and I think we have one a month from here until June.

Today we went to the Tacoma Art Museum. It was so much fun; I thought we were going to the Tacoma Children's Museum, which I have been to several times with all three of my kids, and it just isn't as much WOW as I would like it to be. But this morning I found out from my friend/co-tripper that we were actually going to The Real Museum. Nice. I have never been to a Real Museum, I think. I've been to history museums and such but not a real art museum with art that makes you go, "WOW." I was sufficiently wowed, and the kids had a great times.

We were there for two and a half hours or so, andthe kids were able to learn about warm and cool colors; how art tells a story, and they each interpreted a piece of art they liked. It was so fun to watch them get excited about art. It's sad because art is so important but so underfunded in schools. I loved how at my older kids' schools (Steilacoom and UP), they would have visiting artists come and teach the kids music and art. It was so wonderful, but I don't know if our current district has such a program.

Speaking of our district: the bond failed. The fucking bond that would only cost property taxpayers and additional $58/mo (for a $200,000.00 home) FAILED. If only you knew (and some of you do know) how much this bond would have improved our schools. The school that my daughter currently attends needs to be razed and rebuilt; she may be attending a brand new school next year, or we may be back at the school that hasn't been updated since 1973 (it totally depends on if we get into the co-op again next year). Even if we decide to go to the new state-of-the-art school, I think the kids and staff at the current school need a new building; they deserve a new building.

What really sucks is that the bond needs 60% to pass, and at last check it was at 57.99% Yes. Such a small margin by which to fail.

Hm.

Oh, on the way home from the field trip today, I received a text from Wayne about Anna Nicole's death. I was so stunned but so not. What a sad, sad life that woman lived. Drama til the end.

Oh, this week Wayne and I watched a new show: Rules of Engagement. It was so hysterical. Actually, I didn't know whether to laugh or to be annoyed that Wayne was laughing so hard. The married couple is so totally us. It really isn't funny. But it is. I'm so damn conflicted.

cause of death

I've been getting some hits today due to searches for Danielle McCarthy.
The ME in Snohomish county released her cause of death yesterday.

From King5 in Seattle:

Puyallup teen died of ecstasy overdose

03:08 PM PST on Monday, February 5, 2007

KING5.com Staff


Danielle McCarthy

EDMONDS, Wash. - The Snohomish County Medical Examiner has determined that a 16-year-old Puyallup girl who died at a New Year’s Eve party in Edmonds fatally overdosed on ecstasy.

Danielle McCarthy's parents say police told them their daughter got sick while driving with a group from the party in Edmonds to one on Greek Row in the University District. The group drove back to Edmonds, where they laid Danielle down on a couch.

She had been dead for some time when she was dropped off, alone, at Stevens Hospital that morning.

Police are still investigating. Anyone with information in this case is asked to call Edmonds Police tip line at (425) 771-0212. Tips can be left anonymously.

paint and blood

I mentioned earlier that we painted our bathroom. It has totally changed the feel of the bathroom-- so much warmer. It makes our skin tone look warmer, too; Wayne and I decided we should always surround ourselves with brown walls.

So, I have pictures. I know you want to see them.

These are shots of what the bathroom looked like when we moved in (2003) up until we painted.



This is the bathroom now (4 years later):



I know that I probably won't love it forever (remember harvest gold, anyone?), but I love it now, which is all I care about. It's paint, so it can be re-done easily.

The brown really warms up the floor, too. We plan on ripping that out and laying tile, so it doesn't really matter except that it looks much better in the meantime.

While Wayne was putting up the new towel racks and whatnot, I gave Maya a shower in the girls' bathroom. She came rushing out of the bathroom like this:



The damn tooth hole wouldn't stop bleeding; it continued to bleed on Monday a bit, as well. The right front tooth was super loose, too. She told me that she looks "like a country girl. People from the country have teeth like this." Very funny. Well, she pulled the other tooth last night while I was teaching class. She has a toothless grin now! I'll take a picture when she gets home from school; she was in bed by the time my class was over, so I couldn't take a picture last night.

Oh, speaking of my class, I love them. My current students are such a good fit with each other, and they are just a really awesome group of people. I have one couple who is interviewing midwives (they were at an OB practice). The hospital they were planning to birth (probably deliver) at has a very high cesarean rate and in highly interventive and unsupportive of natural birth. They approach people who are birthing naturally as a failure waiting to happen. It's quite sad.

I received a call from a woman yesterday-- a referral from the current couple who are in the midst of switching-- who is having the most horrible time with her OB right now. Her OB (VV, MD) is in a practice with an OB who really gave a former couple of mine a hard time at their birth. I've heard horrible things about VV, MD ever since I started teaching in 2003. The things this woman was telling me about VV, MD were just so sad and frustrating. It made me so angry that there are people in OB who are so damn disrespectful towards pregnant women. I was more than happy to give her the contact info for the wonderful licensed midwives in our area. We are so fortunate to have such compassionate, skilled and sincere licensed midwives; although, I wish there were more midwives than OBs in practice here.

I have two definite and one very likely couple signed up for my April class. Damn. I'll need to order more workbooks already!

I went on an Amazon shopping spree Sunday. I bought 8 books to add to my library; I love adding books to the library, but I wish my students would utilize the library more fully. I have books, magazines, handouts, movies that they can check out.

I'm going to go nurse my sick self to pseudo-wellness with some tea and last night's episode of 24.

Blah.

I. Am. So. Blah.
Blah.
Blah.
Blah.
I don't even want to blog, but I have nothing else to do. Wayne is watching the Super Bowl, which I could care less about. Paige and I are watching Men in Trees.

Wayne and I painted our bathroom this weekend. It was very exciting. We have lived here for 4 years (in May), and the majority of the walls in our house are still white. Blah. We have a mildew issue in our bathroom, due in part to my habit of running the shower on the hottest hot for an hour before I set foot in the shower and due in part to the fact that we take waaay long showers once we do get in. And we have poor ventilation. We think we killed the mildew problem, though.

We chose shades of brown-- a dark and a light. It looks much, much warmer now. I like it, but I can also imagine myself getting tired of it reasonably quick. We also changed the fixtures to brushed nickel. They're much nicer than the standard stuff that comes with new construction.

It was so great to have Wayne home this weekend. He was unable to go to his 2nd job this weekend because the building where he works still has no power because of a fire. I am so damn tired of Wayne's second job. We were fine financially before his second job; I think that the second job has made us way too dependent on this "supplemental" income. When the job no longer exists, because people die, you know, we are so going to be screwed. Dude. It freaks me out. I feel like we need to wean ourselves from that income. A gentle weaning, of course. After a trip to Mexico, maybe.

A trip to Mexico might just un-Blah me.