Blueberry scones

How The BSC messed me up for good

When I was about 9, I picked up Kristy's Great Idea and fell in love with The Baby-Sitters Club.  And with it went my perceptions of How Teens Should Act.  For starters:

-I thought that it was totally normal for 13-year-olds to go on rather sophisticated dates to French restaurants.  It took me until I was 18 and in high school before I found out that that wasn't the case. (Why, yes, I didn't date anyone until college!  HOW did you know?)  I was like "Sooo....you don't go to places with a prixe frixe meal?"  And my friends were all "Uh, ever hear of Chili's?"

-Also, that 13-year-olds were in long-term relationships.  Because that's normal.  Did I mention I didn't date until college?  Because I think that bears repeating.

-I was scared.to.death of getting diabeeetuuus after reading about Stacy, ESPECIALLY the one where she ends up in the hospital.  Remember that?  Now, obviously, because I'm one of the Olds, I read these books before teh Internetz, when we couldn't just Google our symptoms and scare ourselves silly.  So, I had read all of these books, and every time I was just a bit thirsty, I was convinced "ZOMG, I have diabetes!" and that I'd be hospitalized by morning.  That hasn't happened yet, thankfully.

-Kids in junior high can be entrusted to take care of a zillion kids.  Bonus points if the kids have a variety of developmental issues.

-Ever notice that all of these girls could waltz around NYC on their own, even if they've never been to NYC before?  Yeah, I couldn't believe that, either, especially as my own parents would barely let me jog around the park by myself, let alone navigate my way in a big, strange city.

-Those Super Specials were all about the hook-ups, weren't they?  I was so disappointed to go on family vacations, because I was always convinced that I'd meet a ton of people.  That never happened.

-Rich = cool.  Also, there is no need to explain how someone got so stinkin' rich in the first place.  How DID Watson Brewer get all of that money?!  And why didn't anyone ever ask Kristy how he got so rich?  These girls were as nosey as all hell, so I'm surprised no one ever just came out and asked her, or better yet, snooped through his personal stuff during a sleepover. I don't think it's ever mentioned what, exactly, he does, so I will propose that he was the Don of the Stoneybrook branch of the Mafia.  

I think that's about it.  I liked the books, but I definitely had a skewed verison of reality for a looong time after that.

A three-martini lunch

Last week, Peanut busted out of her crate while we were gone.  We have no idea how long she was out of her crate - one hour?  The whole time?  And yes, Dub was in his own crate the entire time, and he was FURIOUS that she was out.  I picture Peanut's day going a little something like this:

Brown Bear, Brown Bear

Brown Bear, Brown Bear

What do you see?

I see an irritated mommy looking at me.

And so it goes.  Maureen has a well-stocked library that is chock-full of children's books, but it's only the Brown Bear/Polar Bear books that she wants to read, again and again and again.  I have tried hiding them and skipping pages at the time, but she knows when I'm cheating and stubbornly refuses to let me read the condensed version.  I know the books by heart, and I barely glance at the pictures any more.  I sigh when she hands it to me, because please, please, please, can't we read something else?

I've actually thought about switching things up a bit, and maybe reading my own version.  My dad did exactly that with the books my sister and I would beg him to read time and time again.  He'd throw in "....and then they went shopping" at the end.  Or that one character ditched another to get ice cream.  And we'd squeal with delight while protesting "But that's not how the story goes!"  Those were good memories, and I have to tip my hat to my dad for the good improvisation. 

But really, how can I say "no" to this face?

It's been a while

I thought I'd jump back in the game and do my seven quick bits again.

1.  I have been falling asleep to "Ocean's 12" for the last few nights.  To tell you how tired I am, I'll just say this - I've been watching the movie for the last few nights, picking up right where I left off, and they're still in freakin' Amsterdam. 

2.  Scrambled eggs are the devil's breakfast, but what I wouldn't do for a bacon sandwich is insane.

3.  We're getting closer to buying a (new to us) car. I predict much crying (me) and complaining about the lack of height in the cabin (Josh).

4.  I am finally caught up with The Office, and now I like to watch it on Hulu.com the day after it airs. It's too bad they only keep the last five episodes on the site.

5. The sun is setting by about 6 these days, and it just makes the nights seem so long.  What on earth did I do during the summer?

6.  Dub had his teeth professionally cleaned a few weeks, and let me tell you, SOMEBODY is acting like the cock of the walk.  (Is it still personification if you're comparing a dog to another animal?  I'm so confused, and my brain is leaking out of my ears these days.)

7.  This clip makes me laugh and laugh and laugh.  You have a) someone injure himself, then b) writhe around in pain on the floor, then c) someone else comes in, doesn't try to help the guy, and makes a goofy-ass announcement.  What more could you want in a 30-second clip?

At the crossroads

I had what could only be described as an awful experience at my OB/GYN's office on Saturday.  I'm STILL fuming, and I'm not sure what to do.  Here's what happened:

-My appointment was at 8:30 a.m.  I arrived, peed in a cup, and sat and waited for about 30 minutes for the ultrasound tech to become available.  She lets me in, I get the ultrasound, and then I return to the waiting room for another 15 minutes or so.  This puts my time at about 9:30.

-They call my name, I get weighed (I actually LOST weight since my last appointment.  Morning sickness is the new weight-loss plan, yo!), and then I sit in the exam room to wait for the PA to arrive. 

-Now, I'm 12 weeks, and there's a certain basic procedure that I have not had yet with this pregnancy, due to the spotting and bleeding and so on.  I mention this to the PA, who says "Oh...do you want one?  Today?"  Yes, please!  She gets up to let me get undressed (and this something I.don't.get. - you're already seeing my ladybits, so why the pretense of modesty?) and tells me that she'll be back "in a minute."

-You can see where this is going, right?  I get undressed at lightning speed, hop on the exam table, and put the paper over me. And wait.  And wait.  AND WAIT.  People, I dozed OFF.  At this point (it had been about 45 minutes since I saw the PA), I realized this is crazy, so I grabbed my cell phone and called the front desk.  "I'm in exam room #5, and I need (procedure) done.  When is someone coming to do this?"  The receptionist was VERY surprised to get that phone call, I'm sure, and it was yet another 5 minutes before a nurse even showed up to say "well, we're buuuusyyyy, so it'll be a while." 

-I demanded to leave and to reschedule.  I am so furious.  I had to ask to do a basic procedure, and then I was ignored.  I understand that they were busy.  But leaving someone for 45 minutes is just beyond the pale. NO ONE could have stopped in to say "sorry, we're behind"?  I'm not counting the nurse, because I strongly suspect that the only reason she even came in was because I called.

I don't know what to do.  This is the practice that delivered Maureen, and I had a fine experience.  They have also squeezed me in and probably bumped other patients due to the complications I've had with Baby v.2.0.  I appreciate that.  But I really do think that waiting 45 minutes for what should be a quick procedure is wrong.  I also think it's reprehensible that I had to mention "that procedure" for it to be done at all.  What if I didn't know I needed one?  Then what?

I want to leave, but this is the tricky part. If I leave this practice, I need to do it soon.  I am also having a devil of a time finding a location that's close to my house; practices in my area are usually affiliated with Hospital A.  Practices close to my work are affiliated with Hospital B, which is all the way downtown.  I am NOT going to be "that mom" who delivers on her way to the hospital on the KENNEDY, are you KIDDING ME?  (Also, my practice has a lot of late nights and Saturday appointments, which are few and far between in other practices.)

I'm really not sure where I'm going with this post, to be honest.  I'm mad, but I also feel stuck.  I don't know what the perfect solution is, but I hope it's something I can find, and soon.  Any advice?  Am I out in left field for even making this A Thing?