Personal/Family

We’re still trying to buy a house in Albany and it’s looking like it’s actually going to happen. So we’re officially becoming East Bay-ites, or whatever you call people who live in this area. The location is much more “me” in that it has some aspects of New York living. Mostly, it’s much more walkable than where we are now. We give up the gorgeous hill views, but gain the ability to walk to public transportation, to a fairly large shopping center, and to boutique shops on Solano Avenue.

Meanwhile, I’m still pregnant and all’s well. About 8 weeks to go.

I’m not sure exactly how to say it, so I thought I’d borrow some of the words used by another individual who “came out” recently. Here goes…

Throughout the last several months, I have grappled with my own identity, who I am….At a point in every person’s life, one has to look deeply into the mirror of one’s soul and decide one’s unique truth in the world, not as we may want to see it or hope to see it, but as it is.

And so my truth is that I am a pregnant American….

I’ve felt like a sort of “dishonest blogger” the last few months — choosing not to write about the most fundamentally life-altering experience I’ve been going through. But I’ve been worried — and still am worried, as is the way with most parents-to-be probably — about things going wrong. But now I think it’s time to throw off the fear and embrace my future as the mother of a son. So if I seem a little erratic in my blogging, or if I show signs of “pregnancy brain,” just know the fog should lift (and the little one should make his appearance) in mid-July.

UPDATE: I’m feeling fine. Am pretty much over the morning sickness stage. Getting a little bit of a belly but others would probably just notice me looking fatter and wearing more tent-like clothing (and comfy shoes). Hopefully will start to really “show” in the next few weeks. (I’m halfway there — 20 weeks — as of this weekend.) Pretty exciting stuff!

Finally got some pictures from Point Reyes uploaded onto the computer after a second trip there Saturday(figured out all I had to do was stick the memory chip into the slot on the laptop – duh). The picture at left is a small flower that grows in the dunes (don’t know the plant’s name, unfortunately). It was fantastic to get out the new camera and play around with macro settings, etc. The photo album is here.

I had some ambition of getting pictures up before I blogged about this, but alas, will have to add them later…

Michael and I had the most exquisite Sunday — the kind of day that makes you really appreciate living in Northern California. We woke up knowing we had chores — oil change for the car, etc. — but we wanted to get out and we couldn’t resist the beautiful day. We took off over the Richmond/San Rafael bridge to Marin County and headed toward the 1. Immediately, things started to get interesting — wooded and winding — and eventually we emerged to amazing views of the Pacific. We were heading toward the Point Reyes National Seashore, where even whale watching was a possibility. Upon our arrival, after seeking counsel from a Park Ranger, we enjoyed a 5 mile circular hike that took us through mountains and marshlands. We were divebombed by a hummingbird apparently protecting its territory, saw dozens of hawks, and even managed a little stroll on the beach.

Afterward, we were dead tired and so hungry. On the way back, we happened upon the Parkside Cafe in Stinson Beach. We had been expecting a burger, but ended up with a gourmet three-course extravaganza. We rolled out of there satisfied and with huge smiles on our faces. This (and his job, of course) is why we moved to the Bay Area.

Before all of this Blogger/spamming mess, I had been a bit quiet. That was because the dominant thing going on in my life sucked up all of my attention.  My 72-year-old father was admitted to the hospital last week with a case of pneumonia, brought on by and complicated by a diagnosis of COPD — chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. COPD is basically a winning combination of chronic bronchitis and emphysema. And when I say winning, I mean that if you’ve got it, it’s eventually going to win the fight for your life.

It’s probably not necessary to mention that my dad was a smoker. I say was  because there’s some reason to hope that he’ll kick his two-pack-a-day habit now that he’s had this health scare.  At the moment, he’s got 2 grandchildren and more on the way. You’d think he’d have plenty of incentive to quit, if only to spend a little more time getting to know them. My brother told me a touching story the other day. When my dad came down with pneumonia, my brother asked his 3-year-old daughter to include grandpa in her nightly prayers, telling her he wasn’t feeling well. Her response? Totally unprompted she said, "Grandpas cough a lot."  It’d be wonderful if she got to spend enough time with him to develop more substantive memories than that one.

All this to encourage those of my friends out there who smoke to think seriously about quitting. No one I know (you know who you are!) seems to be that heavy a smoker. You may think that means you don’t need to quit. The way I see it, it means it’s the best time to quit — because maybe you can before too much damage is done.

As for my dad, we’re still trying to determine if he’s going to have to be on oxygen 24/7 the rest of his life. We’ve had to arrange for someone to move into a little cabin on his property. She’ll  take care of him, make sure he’s taking his treatments and call an ambulance if things get too bad.   He’s actually doing really well, and while it makes me happy, it also worries me. What if he starts smoking again?

UPDATE: Just heard Johnny Carson died of emphysema over the weekend.  (Chervokas on Carson.)

We definitely feel closer to nature here in our new California abode. We found a couple of creatures, which seem gecko-like to me, in our back yard this weekend. The above one (shown on a piece of egg carton) was the smaller of the two. We also went out exploring the Wildcat Creek trail in Wildcat Canyon Park near our house. Still adjusting to the elevation changes (read: still huffing and puffing) on walks around here.

The gecko pictures – taken with my camera phone – could have been way better. That’s why I’m pleased to announce the expected arrival of a new digital camera. (The last one got dropped on its telephoto lens and was last seen emitting smoke and a bad smell.) Dell’s online store says we should be getting the new one, a Canon Powershot A95, sometime today. In making the purchase decision, we relied heavily on a David Pogue set of reviews on NYTimes.com.

UPDATE:Looks like our little buddy might be a salamander, though I do think the larger one (who we’ll check on later this week) is a gecko.