tangentwoman

Monday, November 24, 2008

What the what?

I feel like I'm in a bad sitcom or something today, where I'm oblivious to something about myself that's obvious to everyone else. This could all be pure coincidence, but I'm too paranoid to believe that.

This morning, I ran into a co-worker (one whom I like, but with whom I'm not close) in the hallway, and he said, "Hey, how's married life?" Which sort of surprised me, given that I got married more than four years ago, so married life is just sort of...life, at this point. So I basically said that, and realized that maybe HE'S getting married (which, it turns out, he is, so that explained that), but then he said, "So, no kids any time soon?"

To which I said, "Well, not immediately, anyway," to which he said, "That's probably smart."

Uh, okay.

So, that was all a little weird, but fine, and there is a huge baby boom at work right now (and, it seems, in general, at least among people I know. I think I know, at this point, 25 women who are pregnant -- no exaggeration), so maybe he was trying to see if I'm succumbing to the peer pressure, or drinking the water, or whatever? I have no idea.

Anyway, two hours later, I was getting my lunch, and another co-worker (one whom I don't especially like, and to whom I'm really not close, and who I think is not close to co-worker #1) said, "So, I guess you're not having kids anytime soon, huh?"

And this wasn't even a situation like this morning, when the other co-worker and I were walking down the hallway together and we sort of had to make conversation, and maybe that was the only thing that popped into his head. This woman seemed actually to seek me out to raise this point with me.

I wonder if I'm getting fat. That's the only thing I can think of, that people see me getting a gut and they're whispering and wondering if I'm pregnant, and someone has come out with, "Oh, no, she's totally not ready for kids."

I can't figure it out. And I'll say it again: there are soooooooooo many people who desperately want kids and have trouble conceiving, and it is stressful and taxing and awful and, at times, all-consuming. So, people, knock it off with the bringing up the "When are you going to have a baby?" thing. I was going to add "...with people you don't know that well," but I actually have a fairly hard and fast rule about this topic being off-limits unless the person going through it brings it up first.

Other random thoughts:

-- The Smelmooo and I went to the local mall on Friday night, and it was completely overrun with teenagers. I don't know if it was because of the Twilight movie or if it's more that kids have nothing else to do on a Friday night once it's cold out, but they were just everywhere, hugging and screeching and making out on the railing. And, as I took all of this in, I completely turned into my mother.

-- The store where I bought my wedding dress has been all over the local media lately, because apparently the owner -- who I quite liked, and who was very understanding and comforting when I had a meltdown during my initial fitting -- has been scamming the customers by taking deposits (or full payments) and then never actually placing the orders because she's completely behind on payments for completed orders. I don't think I was a Bridezilla overall, but I also think I would have completely flipped my shit if I found out two weeks before the wedding that the dress I'd paid for was just not coming, and that I had no recourse.

-- I'm really sad that Pushing Daisies was canceled. I thought it'd have a little more time.

-- I like that Hugh Jackman took the Sexiest Man prize, and I enjoyed his account of his wife sitting in the bathroom stall at the Tonys while other women debated whether he's gay. I kind of wonder if his publicist made that story up, but it's a good one, regardless.

-- I am totally geeking out about the potential ripple effects of Henry Waxman beating out Dingell for chair of the Energy & Commerce Committee. I just think it's fascinating, and I can't wait to see how this all plays out. I know almost everyone else has their eyes on what's happening with Cabinet positions and stuff, and I care about those, too, but this is the one that's most grabbed me.

-- My parents are going to Australia and New Zealand this winter, and my sister is going to Alaska this summer, all of which is making me itchy to take a big vacation, maybe to one of those places. In the short-term, though, I am excited for the four-day Thanksgiving weekend ahead of me.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Asked and answered

I still can't quite comprehend why, throughout my long search for a new primary care physician, the conversation has gone like this, every single time:

me: Hi, are you accepting new patients?

office staff: What's your insurance?

me: Cigna PPO.

office staff: Yes. [click]


Really, I'm not taking a freakin' survey -- I'm trying to establish myself as a new patient! And yes, after having this experience once, or even twice, I should probably work on my opening, but yeesh.

In any case, I finally found someone, and I have an initial consultation on Friday, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that that will go better than the initial phone conversation. Yeesh.