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We went to the doctor's office for a routine checkup yesterday and, when Jan wasn't paying attention, the midwife turned to me and called Jan a "swimming pool".
We all knew it would happen sooner or later, but nobody knew it would be this soon!
Being pregnant can be uncomfortable. Or so I'm told. Being pregnant during the summer can be very uncomfortable. Being pregnant during the summer in Spain can be hell. Jan is currently in hell.
Normally the temperature here during the months of July and August get so unbearably hot that you can see cars melting on the street while people spontaneously burst into flames on line at the supermarket. Many people take a much needed break from work at this time of year and go on holiday to some cooler part of the planet. We do not have that luxury.
Now, I wouldn't even say that it's all that hot right now. According to Yahoo Weather, it is currently 70 degrees Fahrenheit (or 21 degrees Celsius) with the humidity being a steady 50%. Sounds like heaven, doesn't it? Jan doesn't think so. Unable to sleep (the poor thing), she's currently walking around the apartment, opening all the windows, removing all her clothing, and dipping her feet in a pot of cold water beside the bed - her right foot has been especially hot these past couple weeks. I have no idea what we're going to do when the summer really gets here!
I just chose 18 of the most breathtaking photos that I took while in New York and uploaded them to my Flickr account. I was all set to put together another comprehensive album for easy viewing when I was informed that free Flickr accounts (like mine) are only allowed a total of three photo sets! Since I've already created three sets, I can't create another unless I pay for a pro account. I also found out that I can only host 200 photos with a free account. My current stockpile of 135 photos is flirting with maximum capacity. The $25 a year that they're asking isn't too terrible, but I'm gonna see how long I can hold out before I finally cave. Waddaya think? Should I spring for an account without limits? Or should I squeeze what I can out of my current situation? In the meantime, feel free to browse through my new photos in their shamefully unorganized state.
Steve, Jan and I were walking back to Steve's car from Times Square one night last week when, for some bizarre reason, we started reciting, "Wha' happened?" (a la Mike LaFontaine from A Mighty Wind) - as we sometimes do. Not five seconds later, I turn my head and there, in the doorway of the comedy club that we're passing, is a giant photograph of Fred Willard with him inside performing at that very minute!
It was a great trip and we're both really tired; not so much from jet lag, but just from nonstop excitement and general lack of sleep.
The purpose of our trip to The Homeland was to attend my cousin Robert's wedding. That, of course, was just an excuse to get our last world trip in before the third trimester deadline. But since it's been over two years since I last stepped foot in the state of New York (the longest I have ever gone in my life!), I didn't really need an excuse.
The wedding itself was wonderful and nothing like I had expected. Robert met his bride Desrie at church. He "found" religion a few years ago and has never been happier. This being my first Born Again wedding, I was caught completely off-guard by the lack of alcohol and dancing and the joyous excess of hymn, Jesus, and soul. The ceremony was lovely, lead by a sweet preacher who we later found out had never conducted a wedding in his life (this was his first). The songs, vows, and miniature ring bearer and flower girl predictably brought the inevitable tear to my eye. Just one, though. After the ceremony, we all headed over to Bubby's Brooklyn just under the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges in DUMBO where we stuffed ourselves silly on crab cakes and birthday cake (and much, much more). We tried to take some photos of the wedding party outside in front of the amazing Manhattan backdrop but the impending rain and arctic wind made sure we didn't stray far from the dining room. I'll try and throw together a photo album of the event and upload it to Flickr sometime in the next few days.
The best part of the whole trip wasn't the things we did, but the people with whom we spent our time. My Binghamton buddy Steve was kind enough to put us up for the entire week we were in town - he's the best! So Edgewater, New Jersey was our base camp while we made frequent journeys into The City. My Aunt Amy flew all the way from California when she heard that my sisters and I would be in town. Both the Woltz and the Edelstein clans voyaged southward to meet us for drinkipoos and lunch. Of course we saw my dad and his side of the family at the wedding (though he mysteriously disappeared when it was over). Jovan even traveled down to meet us on two separate occasions - the trip wouldn't have been complete without him.
And did these people keep us busy? Did they ever! Over the course of our five day trip we:
*whew*
I just got back from three days in the Pyrenees Mountains where we finally wrapped the shooting of Clean Break and now I'm off to New York for a week where I'll attend my cousin Robert's wedding, see friends and family, go to a Broadway show, and maybe catch a Yankee game. I'll fill you all in on the details when I get home. Byee!
Jan: Yesterday, I got such a pain coming down... waddayacallit... Montuic.
Josh: Oh, I thought you were going to say "your abdomen".
Jan: No, I meant the mountain.
Josh: I know. I thought you were referring to your belly as Montjuic.
Jan: Well, it is a Jewish mountain!
Great 3 bedroom apartment (2 double + 1 single) in Gracia (the coolest neighborhood in BCN), close to Plaza Joanic, 80 m2, parquet floors, completely refurbished kitchen and bathroom, 5th floor with an elevator, small balcony, tons of natural light.
Yes, at long last, after personally going to visit 30 apartments, we finally found our new home and will be hopefully residing within its welcoming walls as of June 1. It's got everything we were looking for - except for a terrace :(
We're sorting out the financial details now and should sign the contract and get the keys as soon as we get back from New York on the 24th. Then we'll have a week of studying blueprints and trips to IKEA before we finally nestle in. Thank goodness! I'll post New Home pictures as they become available :)
When I had my hair blond and spiky, some people used to say I looked a bit like Bruce Willis from The Fifth Element (trust me, it was only the hair). Then when I shaved my head, some people said I looked like Ed Norton from American History X. Well modern technology seems to think different.
Feel free to check out MyHeritage.com's Face Recognition thingamajiggy. It'll tell you which celebrity you most resemble. Here are my results:
OK, I get the picture. I have squinty eyes! I'm surprised they didn't throw Mao Zedong in there. So... which celebrities do you look like?
A few months ago, I told Jan that there was this girl who works at our local grocery store who I thought was checking me out from afar. She's about my age, kinda short, with dark hair and a couple prominent piercings. Maybe she was checking me out, maybe she wasn't. For all I know, she may have never even noticed my existence. We chalked it up to my incessant narcissistic delusions of grandeur. It still made me feel a little uncomfortable so I sometimes make it a habit to avoid her path. Today at the supermarket I instinctively hopped onto the shortest cashier line and found myself face to face with what's-her-face at the register. We both froze for a moment, politely smiled at each other, and then she looked me in the eyes and grinned, "So... you're not blond anymore." I knew it!
I was in such a rush to start my new job when I got back from Lisbon that I didn't have time to tell you all about the trip. I'll try to keep it brief:
Lisbon is a very nice city. A little run down in parts, a little falling down in others, but a very good vibe, nonetheless. Since it's smaller than Barcelona, I'd say it was "walkable" if it wasn't so darn hilly! The ancient trolleys carrying people up the many hills are charming - very useful from expectant mothers. The Portuguese love their salty fish to the point where burning sardines can be smelled all throughout the city. There isn't all that much to "do" in Lisbon so, when we finished our checklist of "must see" tourist attractions, we found ourselves catching up on some much needed sleep and sampling more than our fair share of the local cuisine (which wasn't as cheap as we'd expected!). A good time was had by all.
For those of you interested, I've posted a new set of photos on Flickr documenting our five day journey. If you're lucky, you might even get a sneak peek at "the bump" wandering around Lisbon.