The heat is sapping my will to live. This helps though: if you take a ripe mango (even super-ripe is okay here), three ice cubes, a bit of honey, a bit of cardamom and a small carton of plain yogurt and blend them all together.

Pupkin (the puppy I liked at Groom-a-Rama) has been sold. Today almost all the puppies in the front window were white. I found this disturbing for some reason. Yesterday they had a wider selection, and one little bulldog kept nipping a pug's tail, or rather, holding it with his teeth. It didn't seem to hurt the pug, however. The puppies seem pretty resilient. Sometimes I go inside and dangle my hand into their space and they jump up and nibble and lick my hand, and I can even pat them if they can jump high enough. To achieve this they sometimes use another puppy as a launching pad! This never seems to bother the under-puppy, though.

I saw a really disturbing website yesterday. If you are curious, leave a comment and I will direct you there. Basically, it makes me not EVER want kids.

Am reading and enjoying Gods in Alabama, a birthday gift from my sister. (My birthday is on Saturday.) The author is Joshilyn Jackson. It has more twists than any book I've ever read. I laid them out for D at lunch. I'm predicting an ultimate twist - that a guy one of the characters "murdered" is actually alive - but we'll see.

There is a park in New York called Gramercy Park that you cannot enter unless you have a key. To get a key, you have to live in one of the buildings nearby. Sadly, the park is always empty. If I had a key, I would use it.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I would like to URL, please.

Also, have you read My Latest Grievance, by Elinor Lipman? I'm just a couple of chapters into it, but liking it so far...
Anonymous said…
and not only would I like to URL (whatever that means), I would also like the URL for the website you mentioned.
bdogg_mcgee said…
Yes, I would like it as well. I don't know why I'm saying this, but curiosity has gotten the best of me.

If you're looking for some YA fiction to read, try "A Great and Terrible Beauty," by Libba Bray. I'm currently listening to the sequel during my commutes, and it's really good. Not that you asked for a book recommendation or anything.

That's sad that Gramercy Park is always empty. Maybe you could make friends with someone in one of the nearby buildings and get a key copied from theirs? If I lived in one of those buildings I'd totally let you copy my key.
Bearette said…
Liz - hehe, sure i will give you the URL. i have the lipman book on my hold list...it is taking FOREVER. thanks for the recommendation, though. the emily giffin book is finally in transit.

Liz & Bdogg - the URL is shapeofamother.blogspot.com. It is basically a place for mothers to put up photos of themselves (some rather graphic) after pregnancy so they can make some kind of peace with their bodies. A lot of the pictures freaked me out and made me see pregnancy as a destructive force. But i would be interested in hearing what you guys think.

Bdogg - I've heard of that book! i'll add it to my wishlist. i'm always looking for recommendations. and thanks for copying your key ;)
Caro said…
You mean my blog wasn't bad enough to make you wish to never have kids?

You need a good set of lock picks to get in that park!

Pregnancy does ruin your body, but if you're rich enough you can get plastic surgery afterward. I wish I was.
Bearette said…
C - you make me laugh :D my friend carpe did tell me about a friend of his who got lipo and a tummy tuck. the doctor insisted on treating her as an outpatient and she couldn't stand up straight for a week. however, it did work. i've always been against plastic surgery but that site scared me :(
Lisa said…
I understand about the heat. Poor Rowen hasn't had much outside time because her mom doesn't want to be out in this crazy hot weather.
bdogg_mcgee said…
Oh oh oh! I totally saw that website too, Bearette!

It scares me a little...
Caro said…
Okay I went to the site, and the ones that look bad, look extremely bad. Even I don't look that bad.

Maybe they are worse case scenarios.
Bearette said…
L - is rowen running wildly around the house ? ;)

bdogg - me too :)

c - that makes me feel better! there was one who had 5 kids and a totally flat stomach...they asked her what her secret was, but she didn't respond ;)
Mike said…
That park wasn't always empty. A friend of mine used to live in Grmaercy Park (not the park) and had a key. It's like a block square, right? We used to hang out there. Now she lives in sea Cliff on the island with her son. Better, I guess.
Anonymous said…
I really want to look at that site but I'm completely scared given that I'm already on the fence about the kids thing...
Amy said…
That mango dish sounds sooooo good. The heat is sapping the life out of me too - I got home tonight and immediately fell asleep for like an hour. It's either too much work or the heat.
Anonymous said…
Hehe. I learned about the site last week and had already combed through the entire thing.

My mom doesn't resemble those pictures, and she's had three kids (and no surgery). I think pregnancy and childbirth must affect every woman differently... although no one can deny that it's hard on the body.
Anonymous said…
But also...it's intriguing that the site has caused such a huge reaction across the blogosphere. And a little sad, I think. That an entire website had to be created so that women could "make peace" with their post-pregnancy bodies is an interesting commentary on our society.

If it were me, I hope that I'd think nothing other than, "Who cares? Look what my body did! It's amazing." But I can't deny that some of those dramatic physical changes would be hard to swallow.

And that bugs me.
SK said…
First, what is cardamom?

Secondly, I'm afraid to look at that site. it sounds gross. I used to get grossed out watching 'a baby story' on TLC. Thank God I don't have cable anymore.

I've heard of Gramercy Park before.. was it in a movie or something? That's sad that they don't let people in there without a key. It should be enjoyed.

Also, I didn't realize that there were still pet stores that sold cats and dogs. That's very sad to me but maybe it's different in NY. They stopped having pet stores like that here years ago. Now if you want one you either go through:a)breeder b)aninimal shelter, or c) (myfavorite method) - a rescue group for the particular breed you are looking for.

Got my kitties from a rescue and they were so spoiled there. There are rescues for about every kind of breed you can think of and a lot of them have showings at the pet store on the weekends but they aren't sold through the store. I think it's much better that way.
Lisa said…
Rowen is moping because there's not enough room in the apartment to run around. Too much furniture and too many boxes. The other day, I came home to find her trapped among the boxes. Somehow she got into a hole in between a bunch of them and then couldn't find her way out again. Poor thing! So she mostly hides in the closet, giving me those sad, guilt-inducing eyes.

I think I'll skip going to that site. I'm already freaked enough about the whole baby process.
Bearette said…
Mike - so you've been in the park!! i'm intrigued..yes, it is a small park, probably about a block square.

ashley - i wonder if you'll give in ;)

amy - it really is good...pretty much the same thing as a mango lassi. i can only imagine the heat is worse in california :(

liz - it is awful that we care about that. but i think it's inevitable in our society. and maybe some of them don't care...at least that's what they said. they said it was all worth it, etc.

lost - cardamom is an indian spice, you can get it at whole foods and probably most other supermarkets. it has an interesting flavor. they do still have some pet stores here, though i agree with you it's not the best thing for the animals. my sister is addicted to the rescue sites, too...she has adopted 2 doggies (and she already has 3 cats!)

lisa - poor rowen! i'm sure she'll be psyched to have a new apartment to play in, sans boxes.
Elsa said…
Sounds like a very good smoothie.

And I just added yet another book to my wishlist - thanks, Bearette ;) It sounds pretty interesting and the feedback from readers on Amazon is pretty positive.

Good luck with getting a key to Gramercy Park.
verniciousknids said…
I like the image of puppies launching off each other! I'll be working myself up to looking at that site...maybe!

And most importantly...Happy Birthday Bearette!
Bearette said…
Thanks, Vernicious :)
jules said…
Ew! Hey - Happy Birthday! I used to live near Gramarcy Park - there were occasionally people in it, but true, not used as much as it should've been. This was over 10 yhr ago!
Caro said…
I thought your birthday was the 22nd. I feel like an ass.

Happy Birthday!
Bearette said…
Thanks, guys! C, you're not an ass - it is the 22nd :) VK was just sending early wishes :)
Anonymous said…
Happy Birthday!

BTW, I'm listening to Undomestic Goddess (by Sophie K.) on CD. It's funny! I haven't read any of her stuff before.

I was almost dying when Samantha realized she had missed the Very Important deadline...
Bearette said…
Thank you! i love her books...they are so fun. they're all good, too. "can you keep a secret" was a little below the rest imho...otherwise, all super.
Anonymous said…
That smoothie sounds perfect. I just saw the mom site today, too, and all it did was reinforce my decision never to have kids. :) Have you seen Notting Hill? There's a locked park like that in the movie.
Bearette said…
I actually own it :) I don't remember the park scene, I guess I'll have to watch it again.

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