February 28, 2007 by veronica.

It started out as this really, really great idea.  I had this plan to try to get doula clients in Rochester.  It kinda worked, but I missed the first email a client sent me by 2 weeks.  Good thing she didn’t mind and I’ll end up being her doula.  Then, yesterday, another email showed up.  Good deal, but she’s due the end of March and the first 2 weeks of April are 100% off-limits. (Shoot–Nina, remind me to get that info to you, if you still don’t mind a house guest!)  So another doula and I have worked it out where I’ll cover part of March for her while she’s out of town, otherwise she’ll take the birth.  Good deal.  And then I got another email from a woman who wants a doula in October.  Cool.  That’s COMPLETELY do-able.

Sadly, I have hit my saturation point for clients until Mid-June.  What really sucks in that EMAILS KEEP COMING!  And the last 2 have been from women both due, like, the same week!  So I have to email my doula class to see if anyone wants some non-paying births.  I feel like the biggest chump for saying I want clients and then becoming over-booked.  I should really put that to an end before it gets even crazier.  But you can bet your sweet knickers that I’ll use the same method to get paying clients in a couple of months! I’m just not saying how I did it. =)
The other interesting thing is that I now have gotten emails about what a doula does and how to become one.  These are coming from people in the Cities, and I heard that they have one of the highest doula concentrations in the US.  So why haven’t these people heard of doulas before? I guess we just blend into the woodwork.  To combat this, I will be ordering a shirt and a bumper sticker that says, “Doulas: Helping families create happy memories, one birth at a time.”  I’ll wear the shirt as much as humanly possible and we’ll see what happens!  Even if it works half as well as my last idea, it’ll be worth it!

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February 25, 2007 by veronica.

7:02 PM

I thought they started now.  What’s going on?  Maybe they actually start in 30 minutes.  I guess I’m a little confused. 

The fashion tonight is terrible.  Am I the only one who thinks this?  The dresses tonight have weird things added to them…like the massive globs on Beyonce’s dress…or that stupid bow on Nicole Kidman’s dress.  Reese Witherspoon’s dress in nice, but her hair is sooooo hideous.  She needs to put it up.  And Kate Winslet looks OK, but I like her better in jewel tones. 

Why aren’t they on yet?

Oh, and Anne Hathaway.  She never wears a good dress.  I have to say, though, the award for the trashiest dress goes to Jessica Biel.  I think she stole the design from Barbie, and that’s not a good thing. 

Umm…now I am panicing.  Why are they on late?????  Damn ABC!

7:13 PM

OK, according to TV Guide, I’m fine.  This is planned.  It’s not running late.  I am missing a ring, though.  Because I have to get Lil down for bed in a bit, I am going to tape part of it when I leave.  I don’t want to miss the opening.

7:28 PM

Here we go!  And I have to put Lil down…I’ll be back!

7:43 PM

I love Ellen’s hair.  I probably missed a really great opening.  Oh, but we have gospel singers now.  This is weird.  Look at the people not sure if they should stand up.  Haha.  =)  Ok, so now the awards start.  I’m in an Oscar pool.  I never win.  Chris won 2 years ago, but that’s because he picked Lord of The Rings for everything.  Not so this year.  But for some weird reason I picked Pan’s Labyrinth for everything.  No good reason.  The only movie nominated for anything that I’ve seen was Click.   And that movie was AWFUL.

Oh, I got the Art Direction right!  I’m 1 for 1!  Woooo!

7:53 PM

Ugh.  Will Ferrell.  I don’t like Jack Black either.  Oooh, but I do love John C. Reilly.  He’s outsinging the other 2, too.  Ok, that’s over.  That was weird.

AWESOME!  Got Makeup right, too!  I rule!

8:02 PM

Missed one.  I had No Time for Nuts.  That’s OK.  It only counts as a tiebreaker and I’m not worried about even being close.

Oooh!  But I got West Bank Story!!!  That’s another tiebreaker.  I changed my mind at the last minute, as I had Helmer and Son first. 

I wonder how Chris is doing.  I’ll go check his sheet at the break.

8:13 PM

That Elements and Motion thing was cool.

Chris is now 2 out of 4 to my 3 out of 4.  I think he copied.  =)

OMG–I got Sound Editing right!  Sweet!  So what’s the difference bewteen Sound Editing and Sound Mixing?  I think they explained it a few years ago, but I don’t remember. 

See Jessica Biel’s dress?  Isn’t it awful?   Oh, and I hope Mel Gibson wins NOTHING. 

Oh, I see, Mixing is actually done at a mixing board.  Hey, I got that category right, too!  That makes me 4 out of 4 for the important things, and 5 out of 6 overall.   

The academy has really short acceptance speech allowances this year.  That’s Ok for us, but think about those guys who will never be on TV again.  I bet they get so excited to say hi to their families, but then they get played off.

8:26 PM

I missed one.  Oh well.  I don’t like Eddie Murphy, anyway.    And I thought they got rid of the dance part of the Oscars 7 years ago.  These guys are really good, though. 

And who enters commercial contests?  That was so lame.  I mean, do you go to your partents and say, hey, I want to film myself in the shower fo all of America to see?  Yeah, I don’t think so.

Alright, it’s time for the singing to begin.  I think Randy Newman should just have his own dressing room there since he’s always nominated.  Wow, this song is boring. At least it isn’t like last year’s all-night Beyonce spectacular.  I hope Melissa Etheridge will win.  And why does the guys behind her look like Heath Ledger?    Her hair is growing in really cute.  See, my theory is, if you write and perform the song, you deserve to win. 

8:43 PM

I’m a dork.  I did go check out the ideas about going green at Oscar.com.  They are pretty good, but I do want to point out that people should really get into the habit of unplugging chargers for their electronics.

Oh no, I had Cars, not Happy Feet.  Shoot.  I think I gloated too much.  See?  caeron Diaz’s dress is ugly, too.  Either I am out of step (but I doubt that…the clothes at the Golden Globes was fine) or these people are on crack.

I love Ben Affleck.  And I really love that he married Jennifer Garner. 

And, no, Liz, I  wasn’t going to ridcule Wil Smith’s son…I felt bad, too.  See people?  This thing is interactive.  How cool is that? 

8:55 PM

Ugh.  That bit about the horse race and the end with Tom Hanks was just awful.    Adn do you think those American Express commericals have the actors’ real signatures or do you think they make up what their signature looks like? 

Are we having fun yet?  I will probably only be able to go for another hour and then head to bed.  I haven’t quite recovered from being up for 30 straight hours. 

OH MY GOD are we going to have interpretive dance with costumes frm movies now?!??!?! Oh, no, but this is new.  They usually just show sketches and scenes from movies.  Any why are they giggling while reading the lines?  You know, this is really hokey.  HEY, yay, I got one right again!  Cool!

Ugh, UGH, NO TOM CRUISE!!!!!  I am leaving!  I will be back once he’s gone.  And he’s doing the voiceover, too?  BELCH!  I think I am going to go throw up.  FREE KATIE!!!!!

9:17 PM

Hmmm…Pan’s Labyrith is cleaning up.  I bet Selma Hayek is bawling her eyes out. 

Are they really doing that for the Saturn award?  That would be really cool, if only because someone had to greenlight that, and I think most companies wouldn’t want to spend money to send an award around the country. 

I love Robert Downey, Jr.  He needs to be in more movies.  And I got Visual Effects right, too.  I wonder how everyone else is doing.  By my count I’ve only missed 3 that count.  That’s better than I usually do.  Maybe not seeing movies was good this year–that way I don’t have an emotonal attachment to any movies.

9:35 PM

Ah, yes, Jennifer Hudson won.  OK.  No big surprise.  I didn’t like her on American idol.  See, she sang Circle of Life, like, 3 times in the competition, and I kept wondering why she didn’t know any other songs.  Ew.  I just saw her hair.  It does not look good.  It looks ratty.  I’m sorry.  I think there was this grand consiracy to make people look bad.  I don’t even know who would be best dressed– I don’t think any one is even well dressed.

I am ON FIRE!  I got Documentary Short subject right, too.  I guess now is the time to announce that I cheated.  I paid the entire Academy to vote for these people.  It was a lot of money, but it was so worth it.

10:00 PM

Wow.  Who knew Clint Eastwood could translate Italian?  Impressive.  It looks like I will have to sign off after 3 hours of blogging and go get ready for bed.  I hope you enjoyed my ramblings.  And we’ll see who ends up winning the pool!

Posted in Reviews | 4 Comments »

February 25, 2007 by veronica.

1:43 PM…

So, to test out my timestamping options on the blog, I though I would let you guys know that we have been stuck at home in the middle of a Blizzard since Friday. We have over a foot, with some sleet and rain mixed in.

1:46 PM…

In the middle fo all of the snow, my cleint went into labor on Friday night. I was with her for 14 hours, and she had her baby yesterday morning. It was a very long night, and I’m still trying to recover. Good thing we can’t leave the house!

1:48 PM…

There must be a better way to time stamp updates.  Oh well, manual works.  See you tonight!

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February 22, 2007 by veronica.

I realize that my blog lately hasn’t really had anything to do with what’s going on in my life for, like, 3 weeks.  I keep hoping random posts will make up for the fact that I really don’t want to put the energy into things unless I have to.  Life lately has been extremely stressful and somewhat depressing.  I mean, if I really must whine, I still haven’t had a week where I didn’t have to go to work or do doula things on one or both of my days off.  I know, I know, I know that most of the world can handle working not just 4 days a week, but 5 whole friggin days!  I really should stop whining, right?  Well, here’s the thing:  I really, really, really like routine, and I routinely work 3 days a week. It’s good that Lily does too, because it’s made bedtimes and other things a whole lot easier.  But I have had no routine in my life for months, and I gotta admit that it’s starting to wear on me.  Every free moment I get, I’d rather spend it relaxing at home than out in the real world.  It’s not that I don’t want to talk to or see my friends, it’s just that everything else has taken so much energy that I have to save what’s left for me and Chris and Lily.  I’m sure it doesn’t help that we all went from one cold to another in a 2 and a half week span, but still, I’d do anything for one normal, boring week.  I just know it’s not gonna happen…not until April.

This week was supposed to be normal, even fun.  I had a play date scheduled for Tuesday and dinner with an old coworker that night.  But at 9:15am Monday, my March client called to say that she was being admitted to the hospital and was in labor.  Well, 8 hours later, they sent her home (and I TOTALLY understood why she was so pissed about it…but doulas can’t talk about their births with clients).   Monday was shot to hell.  That meant I worked Tuesday morning, but I was so emotionally drained, it was very difficult to get through the morning.  So right now, no doula baby, and until there is one, I am constantly thinking “ohmygodwhodoIcallnowtowatchLilyifthebabycomesnow”, and I gotta say, that is exhasting.  I know I will feel sooo much better once this baby comes, but as I keep telling my client, we gotta be patient.
But on the plus side, I feel like I did OK on Monday with the mom.  I kinda feel like a failure because she didn’t progress, but maybe this experience is to help me get over my birth baggage.  This would be a good thing, because my first on call shift at the hospital is next month.

And to top it off, I am coming to the realization that there will most likely be no big vacations this year.  I keep having conflicts come up.  So while I got the very awesome news that there will be Lamaze Childbirth Educator training in Chaska this summer, it happens to fall on dates I was hoping to leave town…and use money I was hoping to use on said trip.  And I really, really need a vacation, but I need to go to Chaska more.
So yeah, I’m kinda in a funk.  Don’t take it personally.   Things will get better. Rather than give up anything for Lent (which I haven’t done in awhile, except that year I had to give up my 1-2bag/day habit of Cheetos in college…I like to challenge myself on a different level), I am really going to try harder to stay positive, even when I don’t really feel like it.  I’ll be “putting out all those good vibes”, like a doula told me to do the other day.  I haven’t been very successful yet, but dammit….my nose is dripping everywhere!  I’ll do better once it stops.

Posted in The doula journey, Life | 1 Comment »

February 20, 2007 by veronica.

I would like to announce that I have decided to attempt a real-time blog post during the Oscars this year. I will be blogging the entire night (except the 20 mins I will be putting Lily down to sleep), and I will be constantly updating my posts. So check out my web page Sunday. It will be FABULOUS!

Posted in Uncategorized | 12 Comments »

February 14, 2007 by veronica.

Alright.  Some of you watch Studio 60.  NBC just annunced this morning that they are oulling the seies before the end of the full run, and even though they say it will come back eventually, who knows.  I say if they can still keep crappy, creaky ER on air, they can keep Studio 60 on.  So, here, if you care, let NBC know.  And if that link does not work, I can help you find the show feedback section on NBC.com.

Posted in Soapbox anyone? | No Comments »

February 13, 2007 by veronica.

I discovered this wonderful article on a blogroll.  The research is out there.  The statistics are real.  It’s just the fear that drives us.  Don’t be afraid!  Your body really does know what to do.

But I have to admit, as educated about childbirth as I am, I still don’t know where to deliver my next baby.

Doulas , though, really can help.

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February 12, 2007 by veronica.

For weeks, I have been making a mental list of things that the world seems fascinated with that, really, I just don’t get.  And yes, I’ve tried to get into these things, but it just does not work.  Like what?

*Christopher Walken.  Creepy.  Creepy and he always makes me want to hide.  All the time.

*Grey’s Anatomy-  I’ve tried, and I just don’t care.  But, to make matters worse, every time I hear the phrases “Dr. McDreamy” or “Dr. McSteamy”, I really want to puke.  It’s an involuntary reflex to the cuteness of it all. 

*Lost- Too complicated, too many twists, and I do not like it.  Oh, and I hate anything with monsters.

*playing computer games- especially RPG and super-especially MMORPG.  I just don’t know why I’d want to spend lots of money to spend hours and hours each week online…doing something (I think chasing dragons…I think.)  I’m not saying others can’t, but I just don’t get it.  I also don’t understand paying large amounts of money for consoles and their various games. 

*Heroes

*Harry Potter-even Kenneth Branaugh in a movie wasn’t enough to entice me.  (Kenny B.—Him I get.)

*Golf

*Country Music- I used to listen, back in 9th grade.  What gets me is that, even though it’s been, well, many, many years, even when I am forced to listen to country radio, I still know half of the songs.

*Talk radio- NPR does not count.  I mean talk radio where all the guys do is lie–you know, make things up about people and basically be mean.  I guess I’m not sure why anyone would want to buy into this.

*Beside Christopher Walken, there’s a whole list of actors I just will not watch: Nicholas Cage, Eddie Murphy, Drew Barrymore, Jack Black….

*Seinfeld-Never got into it, and I’m fine with that.

*Desperate Housewives, Survivor, The Office, (Office Space, for that matter), and on, and on…..

Posted in Reviews | 1 Comment »

February 1, 2007 by veronica.

Well, January is over, and I feel like I missed the whole thing.  I really was very busy, which can be a good thing, but GOOD GOD don’t I get to sit down for 5 minutes?  I am getting the hang of my iPod (and got decent headphones for it), and I really love iTunes.  So now I have a little buddy to take with me to work to keep me entertained and happy while the world around me goes crazy…

It’s been a big week for me.  Last Tuesday, I interviewed for the volunteer doula position.  It went really well.  It’s so nice to talk to people who actually want to talk about birth and the whole culture surrounding birth.  It was really a good experience.  The head of the program called me on Friday to tell me I was accepted.  Her only criticism was that I tried too hard to impress them.  She said as long as I relax, I’ll be a very good doula.  Good to know.

Then last Wednesday, my first doula client called to tell me that her baby was breech and they had scheduled a C-section for the 31st.  I gotta admit, I panicked.   I had no idea what to do as a doula for a scheduled C-section.  I didn’t even know if it would count as a certification birth.  I did find out that night that I would have to do a lot more paperwork, but that it would count if I was in there for the birth.  I did go with for the birth, but I was nervous as heck because my client was told only 1 person was allowed in the OR.  Thanks to to a great anethetist and a very understanding OB, I was allowed in.  I was very helpful (I was told later), and I did not try to impress anyone.  I gotta admit, it was pretty awesome– not the C-section part (which happens just like you see on TV)–but the whole being a support erson thing is pretty awesome.  I found myself quietly explaining things to the mom a few times.  At least I was paying attention to everything I read.  I got home last night at 8:30.  I didn’t see Lily all day.  I was DEAD TIRED.  But you know what?  It was one of the best days..I am officially a doula!  WOOOOO!!!  And I have another birth lined up for March now.  YAY!

So with all of this going on (oh, and my schedule only gets worse.  If I’m not working, I have a dr. appointment for shots for the doula program…and training…and I’m going into work extra days…and at some point I’ll have to be on call at the hospital…and doula meetings…and studying…), Chris and I were able to get out and have a little bit ‘o fun all by ourselves.  We went to my work’s kickoff up at a hotel in Minneapolis.  It was a fancy affair, so I had to go out and get a fancy dress, nice shoes, and a shawl.  We got all dressed up, went out, ate an awesome steak dinner, and I had some wine…

Here are some pictures.  The last one…yeah, I can’t figure out how to fix it.  I’m sorry.  And the first picture…Lily and I were waltzing.  And yes, she’s very good at it.  She almost never steps on my feet. Oh, and she sings the waltz music for us…watch out, Broadway.  Lily is a singing, dancing fool.

Posted in The doula journey, Life | 17 Comments »