Fitness and Pregnancy?

OK I'm going to try not to turn this into a pregnancy blog, but understandably, it's sorta on my mind at the moment. So. One thing I think about, one of the shallower things, let's admit, is that I hope I can stay fit. Or at least not turn into Couch Potato Mama Deluxe. I have read that at least at first it's OK to keep on with your normal physical activity. For instance, I am accustomed to running a couple of miles a couple of times a week -- sometimes more often -- lately, sadly less frequently. But I've run the last three days and I feel good and stuff. I wonder how long I can keep doing it? Anybody out there, how long did you keep working out, if you worked out during pregnancy? I know these are really questions for my doctor or midwife (and yes, I'm making apptmts so I'll be in there soon), but I was wanting to gather some anecdotal evidence from people I know.

Ack, so I have to admit I'm nervous. The other day I said airily to Alexander (is that his name on here? I can't remember if I gave him a name or not), "I think it will be so interesting seeing how my body changes with pregnancy. I'm not freaked out about it. It's such a miracle." What I really meant was "I wonder if I'm going to gain 300 lbs? Will people even recognize me? What if I never lose any of the weight? And, no, it doesn't threaten me that you have 6% body fat. Really."

I've never been...um...twiglike in nature, and the smallest part of me is the middle part --the waist and stomach part. The part that will disappear. The other parts, like arms and legs, and, you know, the booty section, let's just say they're generous. So I'm going to be looking pretty dang generous, I'm afraid. Ah, well. I know these are petty concerns. But I still have them...

I'm giving up caffeine!!

But only for nine months or so. Ha! How do ya like THAT? We are really excited. It appears that the incubation of 1/11 of the soccer team has begun. OK, OK, only in my husband's dreams are we making a soccer team. At the MOST, are making a basketball team minus one. I found out for sure today. And yeah, I'm like three weeks along. None of this waiting three months to tell people for me. Impossible. We called my parents before the two lines had finished appearing.

I have had a headache since midday from caffeine withdrawal. This is Day 1 of withdrawal. I really thought I wasn't pregnant, so I've been drinking my normal 2 large cups of coffee in the morning with a few diet Cokes interspersed throughout the day. Today I had one diet Coke (so as to taper, not cold turkey, the caffeine) and tomorrow I'm trying for no caffeine whatsover (except for that which appears in dark chocolate or other tasty treats. Not giving THAT up). There was some recent study about caffeine enhancing miscarriage risk....so I guess here we go.

I'm not sick (yet) -- people say to hang on for that one, because you're not always sick at first. I don't feel extra tired either. Hmm! Maybe that's because I don't have to actually get up in the morning for work. That's gonna change...I'm hoping to be doing a temp lawyerish job by next week. That will be a good test.

Happy Birthday, Dr. King!

To celebrate, we are going to go to the World Beat Center for a "free outdoor family event -- food, crafts, and music." I hope the rain doesn't make it miserable.

Burned Alive - veracity doubts

I wrote a book review post on here for Burned Alive - A Victim of the Law of Men by "Souad." It was a gripping story of a woman, born in 1957 or 1958 in a village on the West Bank, whose brother-in-law allegedly poured gasoline on her and set her afire to kill her as punishment for being pregnant out of wedlock. Her death would avenge the family's honor. I think that much of the story may be true, and it is certain that honor crimes occur in many countries around the world. The book's account of the cruelty suffered by Souad is truly sickening and there seems to be almost total complicity in the daily cruelty, as well as the horrific honor crimes, by her entire culture.

However, I promptly deleted the post after reading this review, http://www.antiwar.com/orig/ttaylor.php?articleid=5801 , which casts some serious doubt on some of the claims in the book. It brings to light many contradictions, some important, some not as important. Except, of course, that any inaccuracy calls into question the accuracy of the rest. The article notes that there is not a single cite, reference, or attempt in the book to offer any evidence for the many claims that Souad makes. Also, the book is entirely "recovered memory," because Souad had repressed the memories for 20 years before she begins to get therapy and try to remember. Recovered memories are notoriously unreliable. Sorry, no cite here, but you can look it up. The reviewer is rebuffed when she tries to get more information from Souad and her humanitarian rescuer; but as a result of her dogged attempts to get at the truth, the publishers have actually changed several things in subsequent editions of Burned Alive.

I mention none of the criticism in order to detract from the horrific reality of honor crimes; and I believe this woman did suffer what has to be one of the most awful experiences imaginable. However, I was duly, duly chastised when I realized that I swallowed the whole thing, without question, even though some of it truly did not add up, merely because it was written down. In a book. Of stuff on the internets I am more skeptical, cuz as we can see, any fool can get a free Blogger account and repeat misinformation without even getting off the couch to get another diet Coke. But a book, it has to have a publisher, and an editor, and cover art. Surely you don't make things up that you put in a book.

So! I am determined to be a little more careful and a little more skeptical in the future. I think it would do a lot of us good to think reasoned thoughts and draw conclusions based on actual facts and real research. It seems like many "positions" or "opinions" held by people these days are the speedy result of: 1) putting on, like a cheap hat, the views of talk radio idiots who are mostly interested in ratings; 2) taking as gospel the email inbox glurge that is forwarded endlessly, without regard to truth or facts; and 3) believing that everything the news media say is true, or perhaps that your own carefully chosen news network, and only that one, is accurate. Of course, when one sees or reads a report about which one has actual knowledge, one realizes that coincidentally, in this one isolated incident, they got half the facts wrong. But I digress....

Do you have a base for this?

When I was 17 or so, I was on this weird liquid diet where I ate/drank only 5 or 6 shakes per day. My brother and I were visiting our friend S and passing through the home of some other friends, MJ & D. At the time, I didn't know these other friends very well. I knew them mostly because we are part of the same faith.

I had my disgusting powder to make my disgusting shakes with me. They were best cold and blended up with ice and diet cream soda. Sometimes I had to make do with water, or with them not really blended. This was gross. Since we were traveling, I didn't have any diet soda with me. But I needed to make one of my shakes and since we were at someone's home, I figured I could at least have it blended up. So I looked around for the blender and found it, or at least the top part, the part you put the liquid in. I was holding my little packet of powder and the top of the blender and was looking around for the bottom of the blender. I asked MJ, the lady of the house, "Do you have a base for this?"

She paused, then looked at me strangely. "No," she said.

Hmmm. Awkward moment. OK, she has a blender in her home, but she doesn't have the most important part, the part that blends things. Not only that, but when I ask for the base, she doesn't even have an explanation, like, "Oh! The base, I'm sorry, we accidentally sold it at the yard sale," or "Oh! The base, it electrocuted two people, we don't use it anymore," or something. I mean, who has a blender without a base? What is the point? And when I ask about it, why does she act as if *I* am the weird one? But I am in her home and I don't want to seem ungrateful or rude. And I don't know her that well. So I just say, "Um, OK," and abandon my hopes for a not-disgusting shake. I put the powder in the blender with some water, put the lid on, and self-consciously shake the blender back and forth as one might do with a bottle of juice, trying to pretend like this is what I'd planned all along. She watches me for a moment and goes back to what she was doing before.

Sometime later, I find this out (How, I don't remember. MJ and S must have discussed it and told my brother?):

MJ saw me, standing there with the powder, and when I asked if she "had a base for this," she thought I meant the base for my liquid shake. Like, "Do you happen to have, in your house, the base ingredient for my liquid shake, even though I am merely passing through, you hardly know me, and you didn't know until today that I drink liquid shakes?" Awkward moment for her. Hmmm. What kind of crazy question is that? And how to respond to such absurdity while still being polite? She settled for "No" and a bewildered look. Adding to the strangeness for her was my obvious surprise at her answer. Then I proceed to shake up my drink without actually using the blender. (I think that is was on the counter all the time and I just didn't see it. I don't remember that part either.)

When we each found out the other's side of the story, hilarity ensued. When we saw each other after that, sometimes we would ask the other for a base. But time went on and I don't think we've mentioned it for years.

Eighteen years later (a week ago), MJ asks for my address so she can send us a wedding present. It just came. A blender, base and all.