The Health of the Ghetto

I often find myself fearing for the health of myself, Martin, our pets, and soon, our child. This is not a clean area, in any way. You can tell the social health of the neighborhood just by looking at the houses, not to mention the crack pipe Martin found on the sidewalk last winter and the list of pedophiles we looked up on the internet that are surrounding us. But when I think of the germs that are floating around the library, it kind of creeps me out. I walk Baxter around the library block and can't count the number of infectious diseases I'm passing on South Street. I'll be lucky if our child survives infancy with the number of germs milling around that bus stop. (And if alcoholism were contagious, I'd be worried about that too.) It's a far cry from the suburbs, that's for sure. I predict that either Franja will die within the first year from TB or something of that nature, or s/he'll have the immune system of a superhero!

And now I'll admit that I'm really no better than the rest of the neighborhood. Martin called a little bit ago to tell me that his insurance man is coming over to the house tomorrow. Yikes! Suddenly I'm made aware of how awful our house looks, inside and out. Martin says it looks fine but I'm not so sure. If only we had a normal couch, and not so many flies. If only the outside didn't look so trashy. If only I knew what to do with all the garbage that is covering all the flat surfaces of the house! And I hope this man isn't allergic to cats....

Last night Martin and I went on a date to Starbucks. Now, no judgie (as Lisa would say.) It was a FREE date to Starbucks with some giftcards that Martin got from work. So we walked over to the Wabash Landing Starbucks and I got to enjoy a caramel apple cider (yay!) and I don't know what he had. This was when we were sitting in the window and that whole Sheila Klinker thing happened. (Don't get me started on THAT again..) So anyway, we really weren't gone for very long, maybe an hour or an hour and a half. I doubt it was two hours. We walked Baxter before we left, and again a little bit after we got home. And as we came down Alabama Street on the library side, we noticed that one of the parking signs had been COMPLETELY smashed down! Flat into the sidewalk with tire skidmarks on either side of it, as if someone had run over it head-on!! It would be quite a challenge to hit it at such an angle. But anyway, we were bummed that we missed all the action, I bet it was really loud. There was car paint down at the bottom of the sign. I just walked Baxter again a little while ago, and already it's been straightened out and put back up. Which is good, because it was blocking the sidewalk.

I'm wearing a shirt that doesn't exactly fit me but I like it. It's this red shirt that some of you might remember from Sarah's pregnancies. She wore it all the time because it's so cute and comfy. She wore it right up to the birth of PeterXavier. But now I'm wearing it, and it doesn't quite fit. I don't know what's to blame, whether it's my giant totties or the fact that I am more ginormous with my first baby than Sarah was with her third, but whatever it is... it's a slightly depressing. Especially since it wouldn't be hard for me to admit that the only reason I got pregnant in the first place was so I could wear this shirt. And now it doesn't even fit!

Before we were married I was making this quilt as a wedding gift to Martin. Well, the quilt never got finished. In fact, the quilt TOP never got finished. But I still have it all organized as it was, so I figure that while he's gone for the next few weeks it will be a perfect time for me to work on that quilt and possibly finish it, or at least finish the top. I have to finish it because the fabrics are gorgeous, they are Moda which is a really nice brand of fabric. Sooooo soft and nice to work with. And GREAT colors. I love it. Whenever I get it out to work on it again I will post a picture of the colors, although a picture won't do it justice I'm sure.

Speaking of quilts, last night was cold enough to sleep with a quilt on the bed. Hooray! My mom bought us a bedding set awhile back and the sheets are really cute--tan with green and brown stripes. Since our bed has yet to evolve from a mattress on the floor, the dust ruffle and comforter aren't getting much use, but I did fold up that floral quilt I made a few years ago at the end of it and last night we used it, and it is sooooooooo pretty. If there was one good thing that came from me working at the quilt store, that is it. I love that quilt. It it's so soft and snuggly!! Perfect for fall. Or spring. Or winter, with another blanket or two on top.

My old apartment was so cold last winter that I would sleep with two quilts, a blanket, a down comforter, a sheet, and an electric blanket. Before bed I would put all the blankets on top of the electric blanket and turn it on so it'd get reeeeaaaallly warm in my bed. Then I'd crawl in. Aah, winter. I love it.