Robopet

Over Instant Messenger, my husband has just informed me that he purchased a Roomba for $100 less than the going rate from Woot.com, a deal he found out about when his coworker emailed him late last evening. I want all of you to count up how many Proofs of Nerdiness there are in the previous sentence. First person to do so wins the half empty bottle of gin in my cupboard. He did this while I was sleeping "because sometimes they're sold out by morning and I didn't want to wake you up!" Whatever, Phillip.

I had to ask what Woot is. I've decided it's cool. Also, I've always kind of wanted a Roomba, seeing as how we can't have a real pet. (Cats: Phillip is allergic and I hate them. Dogs: We have no yard and Phillip hates them. Other Assorted Live Animals Like Lizards and Birds and Hamsters: Ick, no thanks.) And it'll be sort of cute to let the baby pet the Roomba and take it for walks.

It is a very sunny Friday here in my part of the world. I have no complaints. The Perfect Day Job is going swimmingly (unless you count the fact that I still haven't talked to the Boss about maternity leave and working from home, all of which is allowable and feasible, but must still be discussed, a fact that gives me unattractive facial twitches every time I think about it). Plus the Internet said all sorts of sweet lovely things to me yesterday and to celebrate I ate an entire half-gallon of ice cream before going to bed. It was no sugar added!

Today I am amusing myself by looking up airplane tickets to Chicago. Oooh, Chicago! you say. And sadly, I must tell you that I don't get to go to Chicago, I get to fly into Chicago and then rent a car so we can drive ourselves to a wedding in Podunk, Michigan. Or maybe even The Teeny Suburb of Podunk Michigan, I'm not sure. I'm kind of disappointed because Chicago is one of the Great American Cities and I am all about Great American Cities, even though I have been to exactly one of them (New York) and then only for exactly twenty-four hours. Someone from Chicago recently told me how much she hated city living and what a nice change it is in Seattle, so people, come on. I need to visit Chicago!

But not this time. Someone (not me!) has limited vacation time and so we will be heading straight to Podunk, Michigan where we shall immediately change into our thrice-worn suit and hideous maternity dress and attend the rehearsal dinner where we will dredge up all sorts of embarrassing stories to tell at the reception. Then Phillip will spend the rest of the weekend being all Official in his ill-fitting tuxedo and I will be lounging about like a Hideous Beached Whale as I will be thirty-freaking-three weeks pregnant. I don't know what you think, but that sounds like a lot to me. Enough weeks, in fact, to seriously consider whether a weekend in Podunk, Michigan is a smart idea.

Well, sort of seriously.

Like I would MISS the WEDDING!

But then I heard a story about a pregnant lady who flew across the country during the third trimester and did not get relief from the resulting swelling until the baby was sixteen years old. HORRORS.

Whatever. I'm going.

Yay! I like this back and forth we have.

So anyway. Tomorrow Phillip and I are planning to take the advice of all the people who have recently had babies and we are going to Go Out and Do Something. Strangely enough, we are not really Go Out and Do Something people. Our version of going out usually means going to a friend's house or out to dinner and doing something usually means having those same friends over for dinner. (Or TV. Or both.) I know people who do things like snowshoeing and hiking and picnicking at the state parks and other outdoorsy things like that and I have to admit, the weather is gorgeous and a drive up to the mountain pass would be pretty. But I'm more of a museum or downtown or library kind of girl (read: inside, where things are civilized) and I'm not sure what we're going to do. Basically we've decided on New and Far-ish From Here. We might pack a lunch and fourteen sweatshirts and have a picnic up north on the water somewhere. We might go even farther and take a ferry ride to one of the cutesy tourist towns. But it's also entirely possible that we'll stay home in our pajamas watching our saved episodes of 24 and eating our weight in instant noodles purchased at the new Asian grocery store down the street. (These are not Cup O' Noodles, people. These are AUTHENTIC.)

Hmm. What would Jack Bauer do?

Comments

[Jenn]

Awwww, you could take your Roomba out for a walk! And pretend it's a dog!

My sister has enough pets to cover you guys. She and my BIL have 2 dogs, 2 ferrets, a cat, and turtles. And they live in a small apartment.

[lee]

The incessant beeping of the Roomba every time it fills up it's tiny little dust storage thing will be a slight preparation for a small baby with full diapers. Still, I have to admire the man, buying a Roomba when the one with the integrated serial port and external payload bay was just announced.

The email I got today about unincorporated Podunk County, MI was the first official notice I recieved about The Wedding. I had heard rumors and grapevines from my housemates of course. And they are possibly not even going. So I have to decide if I want to go to Chicago?

[Sean]

"Podunk"? Come on guys...it's not that big!

[Rosemary]

Well, I'm pretty sure Jack Bauer would - hello - save the world! He doesn't have any time for PICNICS - terrorists are swarming all over Seattle! Your roomba may in fact be a remote detonator. Beware. . . he may have to come and torture you and Phillip to get to your roomba.

What is it about Jack Bauer that is so attractive to so many? Could it be so simple as the fact that we're all scared of terrorists and he always foils them? I don't know. There must be more to it.

[Arwen]

AHEM.

You are sure you have no more vacation time? You really only have one weekend? This is the WORST NEWS EVER!

Because Chicago is only 3.5 hours from here, and Podunk, MI has to be even closer, as there is no Michigan on the other side of Chicago.

This could be our ONLY CHANCE EVER to meet in person! I don't know anyone in the Pacific Northwest! I will never be in Washington! If you are in Michigan we have to SEIZE THE DAY!

Excuse the dramatics but I feel very strongly about this.

[Katie Ann]

New, hello! :) I found you by way of Angela.
I'm from Chicago (although not currently living there) and I must say, its quite lovely! Phillip should scam some extra time off for you to see Chicago, I'm sure it would make the trip to Podunk worth it!

[Christina/Mrs Broccoli Guy]

Wow, look how popular you are today! I'm wondering how you managed to have Sunshine today when it is dark and gloomy and clammy and cold here... and by my math we live maybe 45 minutes apart? No fair, I say!

[Lynn]

I counted four occurrences of nerdiness in the first sentence :-)

[Sara]

As I sit here, only able to be online because my 10 month old is busy dumping all the CDs on the floor...oh wait, grabbing my cup of coffee...now she has the remote. Anyway, what I would be doing if I had some baby free time would be things like sitting on the floor with all my scrapbooking supplies out, or playing computer games, or going to a movie, or hanging out in a bar, or napping and having mid-day sex. Hiking and picnics are easy with a baby. It's the quiet stuff that's hard, especially once they get mobile.