A lull

After all this blogging I've done for the past month or so, I've come up against some kind of block. Don't know what to write about.

I guess I could give an update of sorts about different things..

1.) Microwave: Yes, we went to the Brick and picked up a brand new one for the store credit we had. So we're microwaving our coffee and the frozen veggies and anything else microwavable again...Whether its advisable to do so is a different topic - one I've not bothered to research really..

2.) Neighbors: All solved and all is at peace again.

3.) Baby: Still in there, kicking away. Hoping he stays there full term and comes out a happy healthy baby! Yes, I went for one of those 3D ultrasound places and shelled out the money in exchange for the pleasure of seeing him move around and knowing that its a 'him'. Was it worth all the money we shelled out for it? I don't know....Was it safe? I really really hope so. I hate to think that my selfish desire and impatience to 'see' the baby could have harmed the baby..

4.) Baby stuff: More stuff acquired. A car seat first hand since you're not supposed to take a chance with car seats (never mind they might not be all they're cracked up to be). Clothes, a diaper disposal can and an infant bath tub - second hand. Oh, and also a Baby Bjorn second hand. I like buying things second hand because its waay much cheaper for things that are in still in good condition. There is also the feel good aspect of 'better for the environment' and all that. Although in the case of my diaper disposal system, I've got to wonder...Since it uses exclusive plastic bags, its really not cheap. For the same reason and also because of the whole 'disposable diaper' thing, its not really environmentally friendly either. But I am intending to switch to cloth diapering once the baby is 3 or 4 months old and I am sort of more familiar with diapering in general and my baby in particular. Hopefully my intentions will actually translate into action!

5.) Relatives: We had a great time at Banff. Now they've gone back and I am back to trying to fix simple dinners that are nowhere close to being as appetizing as the food they made.

Tolerance

A friend of mine sends out a monthly newsletter that contains links to stories pertaining to what he calls pseudo-secularism. If you're interested in such reading, you can visit his site (http://www.sabha.info/archive.html) and subscribe to it too.

I don't always agree with what he says but his links are interesting and his sarcasm makes the newsletter entertaining. Here is a story that stood out from his recent newsletter.

Americans disrupt Hindu prayer

Interesting article

http://www.shobanarayan.com/articles/web/articles_beliefnet_fashion.htm

Will I be a 'Hindu Mom' too? I don't know! In the past decade I've gone from being a complete believer to an agnostic to an atheist to back to being a quasi-believer. Quasi-believer because I like the comfort and the familiarity of going to the temple and going through the motions of praying. Also because the question of whether God exists or not does not seem as important or relevant to me as it did 10 years ago...the psychological comfort that comes from believing that there is indeed a higher power and a greater purpose and that everything is not random is immense and I am not strong enough to deny myself that feeling of comfort.

But I do wonder what I will teach my child about religion or traditions or customs...I don't see myself bombarding the poor kid with Sanskrit lessons and Veda classes like the lady in the article. On the other hand, I do feel that our religious literature, philosophy and mythology is so rich and that my child should have some appreciation of it all...But philosophy and mythology is different from actual religion and rituals. I know of many people who are well versed in poojas and rituals but hard pressed to explain what it all actually means. So does my child really need to be a believer to have an appreciation of Hinduism?

I think if I can bring up my child to question things and learn for him/herself and reach his/her own conclusions instead of blindly following whatever I/someone else says, I would have done a good job! Easily said!

So is milk good for you?

Maybe it is, since apparently it fends off diabetes and heart disease and such.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6898103.stm

But wait, don't head to the grocery store yet. Would you rather have Diabetes or Parkinson's?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4419477.stm

And if you're a woman, how about some ovarian cancer?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4051331.stm

Romba conpeeshinga keedu!

In other news...

Here are a couple of links I came across while browsing some blogs today.

1.) http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/specials/broadband/open/chi-magnetpart1-special,0,2945032.special

Apparently tiny but powerful little magnets the size of baby aspirin, inside big toys, can cause a lot of harm if the big toy breaks and the tiny magnets are ingested. 1 death and 4 near fatal incidents later, the toys still haven't been fully recalled and are available for sale widely! Scary!!!! And Magnetix is not the only company to blame either. Here is a link to a follow-up story.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-fri_toys_0706jul06,1,5991469.story

2.) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19231313/site/newsweek/page/0/

Unrelated article to the first link, but a good read nevertheless. I've a friend who went through something very very similar and so I can totally understand. Again it goes back to the whole being judgmental thing that I talked about in an earlier post. I am lucky that my friend experienced this whole pregnancy and childbirth thing before me. If nothing else, I've learnt from her experiences that unexpected can and will happen in this process and there is truly no way to expect and prepare for it...

Come to think of it, the same holds true for life in general doesn't it? Except we all like to think we have some kind of grip on things and some measure of control. But if we didn't think so, would we be able to function at all?

Going to Banff tomorrow with the relatives...Have been really pampered this week with the varied delicious home cooked meals I come home to in the evenings. I'll really miss them when they leave next week. Especially now that the 'joys' of pregnancy such as back pain and edema have struck, I really really appreciate all the help around the house.

And when he lived he lived!

I came to know yesterday that the CEO of the company I used to work for in US passed away last week. He was 80 something and died of a heart attack while sailing on a boat with his wife and daughter! Not only did this man live well, he also died well! No prolonged agony - no months of deterioration, vegetating in a wheelchair being unable to care for himself, frustrating himself and others...Just a quick and a simple death while he was doing what he loved, among the company of those he loved!

And when he lived he lived! I didn't know him very well....But I've seen his infectious enthusiasm and his high energy. I know he loved the company that he started from scratch based on an idea and developed into one of the most well known luminaire manufacturers in N.America. I know he loved his family. I know he loved sailing. Sounds like a pretty good life to me! Actually change 'pretty good' to 'fantastic' in the previous sentence. I don't know many others who at 80 something were still actively running their company and coming up with innovative solutions everyday!

I saw him last year at Lightfair in Las Vegas and he was his usual self then, asking about Calgary and my married life and showing me the new products displayed in the room. I was so sure I would be seeing him again at the next one I'd be attending a couple of years from now!

I cannot say he was a sweet old man because he wasn't - at least not all the time. He could be gruff and stubborn with a cranky temper to boot and I was sometimes incredibly nervous around him. Yet, I immensely admired this very stubbornness and his insistence on doing things HIS way. The customer was seen as a person who must be educated in the use of better lighting instead of being pandered to by offering cheap low quality products. Accordingly his company was associated with quality and I am extremely proud to have worked there.

I am glad to have known him even if it was a short time and my interaction with him was limited.

Count another blessing

Something else I am thankful for - for being born in the culture, religion and the family I was born into. Not that I am claiming that its the best or anything - but at least none of these factors have ever stood in my way of doing whatever I wanted whenever I wanted.

I talked with a woman today who has been through an immense ordeal for the past 6 years - an ordeal made worse by her religion and its laws. It started with her marrying the wrong kind of man belonging to an uptight conservative family and ended with her separation from this man and losing custody of her only child! I shouldn't say her ordeal has ended though - what mother can bear to be separated from her child? Her pain continues....and yet through it all in everyday life she hides it remarkably well with her smiles and constant cheerfulness!

The weekend

Happy Canada day and all that...The 3 day weekend just rushed by and I don't have much to show for it - not even a microwave. We spent the day going from Sears to Sears only to find out that they were all out of stock of microwaves of any kind! So now, we've decided to go back to the dreaded Brick (gasp!) and buy it from them...after all we do have the store credit.

What I did end up getting were some glass bottles. Had advertised on a 2nd hand site that I was looking for some because of all that stuff about Bisphenol A in plastic bottles, that the Globe and Mail has been publishing. Can't just go to Toys R us or Zellers and buy glass bottles for babies since they seem to have only the plastic stuff! Granted I am hoping I don't need em bottles at all, but who knows! So when a kind lady wrote to me saying that she had 10 glass bottles that she was willing to give away for free, I jumped at the offer. So thats something I've acquired during the weekend.

Going to have relatives visiting for the next couple of weeks and in the midst of going to the stampede and taking them to Banff etc, I don't know how much time I'll have to blog. Just as well...considering no one reads this stuff anyway. :-P