I want to be cremated...

...and this is why.  These are caskets floating around after being washed up by Ike.  When I'm cremated and the ashes scattered, at least there won't be the expectation that someone can go back and find me to lay flowers down - hopefully I'll be providing some organic material to help grow the flowers myself!

(The photo is from CNN.com)

Nature

"Man is a part of nature, and his war against nature is ultimately a war against himself"

From Rachel Carson's Silent Spring.

Just liked the quote - nothing more to really say.  :)

Giving to the homeless through a donation "meter"

I found this article in the Atlanta news today and think it's interesting, but I'm torn on how I feel about this.
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2008/09/10/panhandling_atlanta_meters.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab

I agree that panhandlers are often pushy and unpleasant to encounter, especially when you are downtown at night. How can you be sure they will use the money you might give on food or other necessities instead of drugs. When we lived in Midtown, Corey tried to give a box of take-out food (a fresh container, straight from the restaurant - not leftovers), and the person threw it at him. Also, you never know which individuals really need assistance, and which ones panhandle because they are too lazy to actually find a job, but then they drive home to nice suburban homes.
However, seeing people on the streets and not giving just seems wrong because many people need help getting on the right path to become self-sufficient. This option of contributing to homeless services in the city seems like a good solution, but might also have problems. How can you be sure that the money will go to the right place any more than if you gave directly to a panhandler. And will the money really help the people who are out on the streets?
Giving to a meter when you see a panhandler on Saturday night downtown won't give them food or shelter that evening.

What do you think about paying a meter to help the homeless? It will be interesting to see how things go.

Nesting = Sewing

We haven't done much with the baby's room yet for several reasons.  One, we don't want to choose a color/design scheme yet since we don't know the sex - most of the decorating will happen after CJ is born.  We do need to set up some furniture and get the house a little more ready, but some of that is on hold until my brother moves out.  In the meantime, Corey has been working on projects to finish our pantry, and also to finish the shed he starting building last summer.  That's the papa-nesting.  

My nesting has mostly consisted of sewing - everything from baby items such as burp cloths, changing pads, nursing cover-ups, and gifts for other friends having babies  - to a new purse for myself (plus the tri-fold purse organizer to hold everything in the purse) and a new bed quilt for our bedroom.

Several projects are still underway, so I'll post more photos as I finish them.  :)

Hermaphrodite dinosaur

Since we aren't finding out the sex of the baby yet, we've been getting a lot of gender neutral (green and yellow) things for the baby.  

Corey's mom took it one step farther and got the baby a dinosaur that is both pink and blue, so we decided that rather than being gender neutral, the dinosaur is actually an hermaphrodite.  

Isn't it cute?  :)

Political humor

This video clip from the Daily Show is pretty funny, yet so true.

http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=184086

Savannah

Last weekend (Labor Day), Corey and I went to Savannah to visit family and friends and take one last weekend get-away as a family of two.  We had a great time, caught up with some college friends who live nearby, and saw several family members.  

We didn't spend as much time as I wanted to at the beach - only 1 hour and 15 minutes, to be exact.  But, the beach time was just what I needed!  Anyone who's been to the east coast beaches know they aren't the most gorgeous, but the waves were just right for me to spend an hour in the water splashing around (carefully).  It worked miracles on my achy body: my feet that had been swelling for about two weeks went down and stayed that way, the buoyancy of the water also helped my back.  Overall, probably the best hour and 15 minutes I've ever spent at the beach!

Another highlight of the trip was visiting the site where we got married a little over five years ago, and taking some pregnancy pictures.  It is a beautiful location, and I always like to stop by when we are in Savannah, but it was very special "showing the baby" where we started our family (of two at the time).

Rock climbing with baby

We passed through Macon this past weekend and had dinner with my parents.  Corey was telling us about his recent experience at the insurance agency when he went to increase his life insurance policy in preparation for the baby.

One of the questions he was asked was whether he had been rock climbing in the last 5 years (because there was an additional application process if he had).  He said he hadn't, which is true, but considering how much we used to climb, it surprised me that it had been so long since we'd been out climbing.  So, I said that as soon as our baby is old enough to properly fit into a harness, we need to take a family rock climbing trip.

My mom immediately chimed in that the baby should stay with her if Corey and I wanted to go climbing.  Since she never had a problem or concern over safety when we've climbed before (because we have good gear and proper safety training), I was surprised.  

Apparently, she thought I was going to strap the baby on my back in a baby-carrying harness and climb really high.  

So, in case anyone else is wondering or concerned about this: we will take our children rock climbing, but we will allow them to climb at a reasonable level for their experience, and with all of the proper safety precautions.  I'm guessing our first family trip to the Red River Gorge will take place around 2011 - check back for updates in three years!

New Favorite Person of the day

So I'm sure this won't be that exciting tomorrow, but I find this really amusing.  Aparently, Sarah Palin's (the new Republican VP) mother-in-law isn't sure how she'll vote - she really likes Obama.  Maybe this is just a sign of her utter inexperience that she doesn't know to ask her mother-in-law not to mention such things to the press.  

Favorite quotes by Mama Palin from the news article:

"I'm not sure what she brings to the ticket."

"Well, she's a better speaker than McCain."

I have nothing against Palin (except her political opinion), but it sure is funny.

Cloth diapers

Against the advice of many friends, Corey and I plan to primarily use cloth diapers on Baby Self. Most disposable diapers available today are made with such strong chemicals, I don't want those things anywhere near my baby's butt. In fact, one of the main chemicals that is used as an absorbant is the same thing that was taken out of tampons because it was linked to Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS). Combine that with the environmental impacts: one baby sends and average of 5,000-8,000 diapers to a landfill, which take hundreds of years to break down, and disposable diapers use more resources (energy, water, chemicals for processing, etc) to produce, and I can't imagine NOT giving it a try. Corey's accountant brain agrees because, even though cloth diapers are a greater investment at first, over the time a child is in diapers, there is substantial money saved.
We are planning to use some BumGenius, Whammies, and FuzziBuns.

Lot's of people have been curious about our decision and what's available, so here's some info:
Why to cloth diaper: http://www.atlantacloth.com/Diapers%20-%20The%20Problems.html
Product reviews: http://diaperpin.com/diapers/diaperpages.asp
BumGenius: http://www.bumgenius.com/
Whammies: http://twolittlewhales.com/catalog.php?item=262&ret=index.php
More Whammies, plus other accessories: http://www.diaperware.com/productpage/wahmies.htm#pailliner
FuzziBunz: http://www.fuzzibunz.com/