Potatoes in the Mist

Third trimester is, in a way, the most dastardly of all...the energy and well-being of second trimester has fled...now I'm lugging around a bowling ball and trying to find the energy to go about everyday life. Deep fatigue and insomnia are a hideous mix. On the bright side...I love feeling him move. Sometimes he even does it when I walk now (formerly a quiet time for him). And after dinner he wiggles all his limbs, as if to say, "Yay! I just had some potatoes!" It's endearing. One of D's cousins gave me a copy of Belly Laughs... Jenny McCarthy's account of her pregnancy...not something I would have picked up on my own, but I enjoyed it. Who knew a celebrity could be so relatable? She even gained 60 lbs to my 43 (a total I am trying not to raise, although the carrot cake did win the carrot cake vs. popsicle battle tonight). At one point, she says she baked a pan of brownies each night and ate the whole pan by herself...D said, "And she only gained 60 lbs??...

The celebrities are out in full force...I saw Liv Tyler at Barnes and Noble today. First, I heard a woman say, "Everyone is staring at me, so..." Of course I looked then, and saw Liv talking on her cell phone. She's tall and thin with high cheekbones. I read in a magazine a while back how she was lamenting what having babies can do to your body, but having seen her, I don't think she needs to worry. She had no body fat. I got Sophie Kinsella's newest, Remember Me, and a book about knitting socks. I'd like to get into knitting socks again. I like working with worsted-weight (medium weight) socks; the super-fine (e.g., you go blind while knitting them) socks are not for me. The book focused on worsted weight, so that was cool. Afterward I went to the grocery store, where I am starting to enjoy pregnancy privileges; some guy let me ahead of him in line! I checked out Yo Mommy yogurt (the kind Liz wrote about) but was dismayed to find it contains fish oil, which m...

D and I had dinner at a diner tonight...one with nicer decor than most, lots of windows and hanging plants, but a diner nonetheless. I was enjoying my grilled cheese (Swiss on wheat, my favorite combo) and strawberry milkshake as we overheard a guy giving his children a morality lesson at the table behind us. "You have to be honest," etc. And "you'll be much closer when you're adults." As they filed out, the waiter said, "Pretty exciting, huh? An actor, huh?" D: "What was he in?" The waiter: "I dunno." Neither of us got a good look at the guy, so my eyes shot to the entryway. There he was...Ethan Hawke. With a curly-haired woman I didn't recognize, and two kids. The girl was tall, thin and blonde...she'll probably end up looking like Uma. She had sparkles on the seat of her jeans. He should recognize *me* by now ;)

I went swimming with A and D today, and we all met in the lobby before heading out to lunch. There was a guy in a gray T-shirt standing across the lobby, and I poked A and said, "See that guy in the gray T-shirt? He's an actor. He was in the Chris Rock movie." I was referring to Head of State. The only problem was, he walked toward us as I was talking, so he heard what I said. I felt like such a dork. You're supposed to pretend to be above it all (the whole celebrity thing, when you spot one) even though you're star-struck. I've even patted this guy's dogs before, without letting on that I knew he was famous. Oh well. I don't think he cared -- he smiled at us -- but I was embarrassed anyway. Then we met up with A's girlfriend at the Irish Rogue, which had been taken over by a rugby game. Huge TV screens showed young men with powerful thighs, duking it out. The whole bar was rooting for Ireland, but A, to be perverse, decided to root for Scotland (h...

So I was visiting 3dpregnancy.com to check on E's progress. Actually, I looked a week ahead, to 25 weeks (I always do this). I was intrigued by the line: " You may see also that your baby comes to your hand if you lay it on your abdomen." Before, I noticed he could be contrary...D would put his hand on my tummy to feel him, and sometimes he would swim away ;) But today I tried it, and he kicked my hand about 4 times. It was really cool. The site also mentions, " [Y]ou can really feel it when he turns and changes positions." This is true. Sometimes it feels like an internal organ is shifting. In other news, J. Lo's twins were born today. I feel a peculiar kinship with Jessica Alba because I think we are due around the same time. I heard she was carrying a boy, too, though some tabloid now says "twins."

So 3 things happened today so far: 1) I was walking along and saw Ethan Hawke again. He must either live in my neighborhood or have a special fondness for it. This time, he was talking with some guy (not famous) and telling what sounded like a story of frustration. "Just rack it up!" he said as I passed. He was wearing a navy blue skullcap and looked a bit gaunt. I was tempted to offer him a sandwich or switch some pregnant poundage from my body to his. 2) Before I saw Ethan (yeah, we're on a first-name basis now), I looked up at the sky and thought: If it's going to be so gray and oppressive, could it at least snow? A few minutes later, a fluffy white powder started drifting down (and no, it was not dandruff). Pretty cool, huh? 3) I've been wanting to get back to knitting. But I have enough knitted goods for an army (one with a secure sense of masculinity, since many of my hats are pink). So I decided I could make something for someone else. Then I realized it...

So D and I tried a new restaurant tonight. To be precise, it was a new branch. We'd been to their other location. But this one was better. It was as campy as it gets. The menus were record covers (I got "Stayin' Alive", D got 70s-era Barry Manilow) and there were display cases in the wall with different themes: Hairspray (featuring Edna and Tracy Turnblad dolls), Menudo (featuring 5 dolls in sweaters, plus a photo of the actual members, wearing Speedos with hairless chests) and Michael Jackson (a Michael Jackson doll with life-size handcuffs dangling above. No little boys.) Anyway, the bathroom had a star on the door that said Justin Timberlake. I went in and it was hilarious. There was a display case that said JUSTIN and SEXY, with a shirtless picture of him and a shirtless boy-doll. One entire wall was a tile mosaic, with him in a white suit, foot on top of a disco ball (like his CD cover). Inside the bathroom, "What Comes Around" piped in (while other mus...

From MSN: All you " Office " fans secretly hoping for a real-life Jim and Pam romance, just give it up already. The New York Daily News spied John Krasinski "canoodling" with on- and off-screen ex Rashida "Karen" Jones at a post-"SNL" party last week, the second time in six months they've been seen cozying up. The paper also caught the sometime squeezes looking thisclose at a May screening of " Shrek the Third ." Oh well...I kind of thought he and "Karen" were good together anyway.

So I turned on the TV tonight before Pushing Daisies came on, just in time to catch the tail end of Wheel of Fortune. Pat Sajak and Vanna White look exactly like they did when I was a kid. Pat asked Vanna, "What are you wearing for Halloween?" Vanna replied, "Easy. Black. Simple. Maybe I'll put a letter on the front." They laugh and Pat leans in: "What letter?" Vanna (nervously): "I dunno. Maybe an N?" Pat: "Well, I wish you would wear an I. So I could dot it." This, um, clever innuendo made me wonder...have Pat and Vanna ever been...together? Ick.

So D and I agreed to eat at a neighborhood restaurant tonight. There was a commotion out front, with bright lights and people filming. Once we got in the resto, I asked the host what was going on. "George Clooney is out there," he said matter-of-factly, but you could tell he was enjoying the drama of it. After we ordered, I stepped downstairs and one of the employees went to the window and pointed him out. "What do you think of the beard?" the employee asked. "You got a pretty face, why hide it?" (referring to George). I didn't think it was bad, though. It made him look rugged. On the way out, we got an even better view. He's tall, with dark hair that's mostly silver now, and he was wearing an expensive-looking gray suit. He smiled at someone nearby and he did have a beautiful smile. I thought he was better-looking in person, which seems to be a trend with male celebrities I've seen.

A lot has happened today already. I went to meet D for lunch and along the way I spotted a Boston terrier -- one blue eye, one brown. I stooped to pat it and then I heard an ear-bruising screech!! Everyone's head whipped around. Even the dog jumped. A taxi had squealed to a halt and there was a delivery boy on its hood. Somebody yelled, "Call an ambulance!" The boy seemed fine, even hopping on his bike to finish his deliveries -- but everyone persuaded him to stay. I took out my cell phone but another woman was already giving details to 911. After the woman finished the call, I was satisfied that help was on its way, so I continued. There were a bunch of rubberneckers/supporters gathered around the boy, so he wasn't alone. The dog stayed too. I was shaken by this, of course, but then something amusing happened. A few blocks later, I knelt down to pat a beagle tied outside a coffee shop, and it let loose with this big mournful howl: AROOOO. Everyone smiled, including a...

Don't worry, no one is trying to kill me. It's just a line from the Nancy Drew movie we saw tonight. Another favorite: "You're only happy when there's trouble." (Said affectionately by Ned to Nancy.) They changed some things around from the book...there was a new, short, 12-year-old guy who tagged around after Nancy, and Bess and George were reduced to bit parts. Nancy was a bit of a fish out of water in L.A., but the salesgirls were quick to embrace her "sincere" look (a real turnaround from the snotty salesgirls in Pretty Woman ...maybe an intentional parallel because Emma Roberts, who played Nancy, is Julia's niece). D thought the resemblance was so marked that she must be Julia's daughter...but I assured him that Julia's children, Hazel and Phinnaeus, are mere bebes. I'm giving the movie a B+...it was a bit scary for me in its action/adventure sequences! Otherwise, it was wholesome and fun. I hope it finds more of a following on S...

Tonight we visited Rainer. Some other girl was patting him but as soon as he saw me, he got into my lap. I like being his #1 ;) I told the girl if she sits cross-legged, he will sit on her lap. I probably shouldn't have explained this because now his affections will be divided :( Some things I've learned about Rainer: He likes mellow jazz, preferably non-vocal. He does NOT like alternative The Cure-type stuff or anything discordant, but his displeasure is mitigated if you sing, "Good cat, the best cat" to the tune of whatever is playing in the bookstore. He likes a low, soft voice. If your legs are bare, he has fun kneading them with his paws: pressing one paw into your leg, then the other. He retracts his claws for this. And celebrities spotted: Kyle MacLachlan walking his dog on Broadway around 16th. He's Bree's husband on Desperate Housewives. I think he dated Charlotte on SATC, too. I almost patted his dog, but he was walking too fast. Rachael Ray. D had a...

So D and I went to Angelica Kitchen for lunch today. This is one of my favorite vegan restaurants. Anyway, we walk in and who do we see but Parker Posey! Facing the door, directly in front of us. I nudged D. Me: (sotto voce) There's Parker Posey! D: Where? Me: Right in front of us! D: Where? Me: THE BRUNETTE WITH THE CAMERA! RIGHT THERE! The hostess: Right this way, please. It was very exciting. PP is very petite and looks about 32 (though I think she is 38). She was eating with a blonde girl I didn't recognize, no one famous. For the rest of lunch, we fought the urge to stare. I never approach celebrities. I wouldn't know what to say, I wouldn't want to freak them out, and it feels gauche, somehow. Yet it is exciting to see them. D thought her clothes were frumpy, but I thought they were fine (white flowered shirt, kind of baggy, with jeans). She wore her hair pulled back. When she left the restaurant, she put on a big pair of sunglasses. The restaurant has big plate ...

Gauge is an annoying concept in knitting where you have to get a certain number of stitches per inch. For scarves, hats, and mittens, in my experience anyway, it really doesn't matter. I started making a tank top and saw that I was getting a few more stitches per inch than you're supposed to, making the tank top narrower than it should be. However, I didn't feel like going out and buying bigger needles to "get gauge." Also, I reasoned that my existing tank tops are still narrower than the tank-top-in-progress, and they fit fine: It should be okay, I hope. But I learned my lesson...I did two annoying gauge swatches and switched to a smaller needle to "get gauge" for my upcoming sweater. Totally off-topic, but Paris Hilton is going to jail for 45 days. I wonder what she did now. Did she flash someone she shouldn't have? I think she needs to start wearing underwear.

...that you never see the celebrities you want to see. Now, I know it's always fun to see someone famous. The shock of recognition. Is that...? Yes, it is! But I keep seeing ones I don't care about. I mean, I wish them well, but...I saw Amy Sedaris again today, on the way to Pilates. She's never smiling warmly like she is on the cover of her hospitality book. There's always a scowl on her face. I want to see Woody Allen and Diane Keaton. One of my yoga students saw them together on the Upper East Side. Some fun things I did see: a schoolbus full of children who for some reason got really excited to see me, and started waving. They were thrilled when I waved back. It was cute. a man who saved a Papillon. They look like Pomeranians, but he explained that they come from "the north." She previously belonged to a lady who neglected her. I'm glad she was rescued. And in other news: I'll be getting 11 skeins of yarn in the mail soon, so I can start a sweater....

D and I watched The Perfect Man from Netflix. You know, the one with Hillary Duff, Heather Locklear and Chris Noth in it. I really enjoyed it. Hillary is refreshingly un-anorexic and non-augmented, Heather was actually kind of wise (?) and Chris was fun as always. Plus, the whole thing was rated PG, so it was reassuringly fun and wholesome. Viewing pleasure for the entire family ;) So my camera no longer shows an image on its screen, but if you peer through a tiny box (the viewfinder?) you can take a picture. If anyone has a fabulous camera that is (a) cheap, (b) reliable, (c) takes good pictures and (d) is available on Amazon, let me know. This camera's diva-ish ways keep life interesting, but I'm in the market for something a little bit steadier. Here is a pic from my bike ride the other day. Can you picture Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester meeting here? It seems moor-like, somehow. Now all we need is his big, black dog. And here is a pic of the mitten I'm making. The loose th...

So D and I watched 2 episodes of Big Love tonight (from Netflix). Episode 2 was called Viagra Blue, so I thought it would be terribly banal. Wrong! I really liked the show. My favorite part of the show is the interaction among the three wives. They have shifting alliances and a fragile balance needs to be maintained. I think each one wants to maintain the illusion that she is the only one sleeping with Bill Paxton (the husband)...hence the scheduled places and times for "togetherness." I think Chloe Sevigny's role is like Omarosa's on Season One of The Apprentice... there has to be somebody people love to hate. I actually like her, though; she stirs things up and keeps them interesting. I think Bill Paxton's relationship with Jeanne Tripplehorn (the first wife) is the deepest, and the most like a conventional marriage. His relationship with the youngest wife (who is dating Chris Klein in real life) is almost father/daughter. Disturbing...but fascinating. My obsess...

So we went to dinner with A and R tonight, our friends in the area. Conversation ranged over a wide variety of topics, including whether A and I should attend our upcoming college reunion. Am not sure why I am angsting about this so much. I went to my fifth-year reunion without a second thought, and had a good time. A isn't sure she wants to go, either. I made an "I'll go if you go" offer and she laughed and said, "I'm not ready to commit." She said she got post-traumatic stress disorder from her high school reunion. I steer clear of those :) And I did like my college, so again, I'm not sure why I'm putting so much analysis into it. Moving on... We ate at the Pelican, a fun, uber-trendy hotel with a sharp green awning and a pink padded door to the ladies' room. I got orrechiette with eggplant, cheese and tomato sauce, which was nothing less than splendid; and D and I split a key lime pie, my favorite Floridian dessert. R cracked us up with an...

So today we went to the beach again...pretty much the norm here. The antibiotics seem to be doing their job (knock on wood...I'm quite superstitious about these things). I finished my merino wool scarf: It's a bit folded up...actually longer than it appears. So thank you for all your thoughts on Barbie and her friend. I saw her AGAIN today...with a third guy. I thought guy #2 was the best choice, but apparently she didn't, because she kept going. Anyway, her friend was sleeping alone on her towel as Barbie and Guy #3 frolicked in the waves. But then...2 or 3 guys came over to talk with Barbie's friend. One of them stayed. And he seemed a lot smarter and more interesting than Barbie's boy :) He looked a bit like one of the Native American actors from Smoke Signals . And speaking of actors, I left the beach to get us two panini for lunch. I went to the snack shop and asked for two caprese panini (tomato, mozzarella and basil). There was a corkboard covered with pictur...