If you are reading this, it means I finally had a chance to sit down and crank out a few thoughts this morning. I had a busy morning, busy week, being a new dad and such. I've basically been Errand Boy since Lil' S came into the picture, but so be it. Somebody has to do it.
Today I escorted my in-laws to Bank of America because they needed to get something notarized. They don't have an account there, but S and I do. We almost never use it, and I personally loathe BoA. It was S's account before we met, and we only kept it because it's connected to some other accounts we have and making a grand switch at once will be too disruptive, so we're weaning ourselves off. Going to a BoA branch in DC is never fun, it's always crowded; if you go on the weekend, it's worse, tenfold. What should have taken about 5 minutes took well over an hour, but we got it done.
The notary didn't like it that I was the account holder and they were the ones using the service, but he helped us anyway. Of course, he gave us the "Just so you know, it's supposed to be for account holders only," and then he came back to it again, "Next time, remember, we're not supposed to notarize things for third parties." Right, next time. I'll keep that in mind next time my in-laws are buying property, need something notarized ASAP, and happen to be in town visiting my newborn child.
I know the guy was in some sense being nice, but I don't get the second lap of the condescending, I'm-doing-you-a-favor quasi-admonishment. It's like the time I lost my luggage tag on a flight, which of course was also the one time the airline lost my luggage, so I had to deal with the woman at the counter, and when she found out I lost my tag, she was like, "Well how am I supposed to find you in the system?" I asked if she could search my name, and she proceeded to give me a five minute lecture about how irresponsible I am (I didn't retort that it was her airline that lost my luggage, which is far worse than losing a tag, because I was in finish-with-this-b-ASAP-and-get-on-with-my-life mode), and then she clacked my name into the computer, and had my info in seconds. Why she felt the need to reprimand me, I don't really get, but it's the same impulse as the BoA notary.
So BoA was one errand I've run recently. Here are a few others.
Best Buy and Target to buy a TV, a DVD player, and entertainment system furnishings. We broke down. We got cable TV (DIRECTV, technically, but same shit). I hate cable. It's a ripoff. For one thing, you never know exactly what you're paying for. I defy anybody to look at their bill each month and explain all the charges on it. (DIRECTV is actually better about this than others, and I still had to call to get an explanation. Also they pulled the three-months-of-free-HBO-which-will-be-$45-a-month-after-trial-period-unless-you-explicitly-cancel-even-though-you-didn't-ask-for-it stunt.) For another thing, you pay for 195 channels and thousands of programs you don't want, just to get the three channels and five programs you do want. We were getting by fine with our computer TV pu pu platter of Netflix, Hulu, a borrow Xfinity account, and "free" TV sites, but we made the switch to DIRECTV for one reason: NFL Sunday Ticket. There is no way I can spend all day at a bar once a week now that Lil' S is here, so if I'm going to watch NFL games, this is my only real option. And I need NFL. I'm addicted. So I did what addicts do. I compromised my principles and spent a bunch of money to get my fix. It is going to be pretty sweet tomorrow though -- the Seahawks on a 40" HDTV with surround-sound, Bose-quality audio, right in the comfort of my own home. I'm going to have a baby in one hand and a cold one in the other.
Babies R Us to buy a bunch of miscellaneous things we didn't have a chance to get. This places SUCKS! Nobody is around to help you. You're just wandering around this cavernous building hoping to come across the things you need. One thing I got was a new diaper bag, an actual diaper bag. S just bought a normal Burrberry bag as a diaper bag. Super practical as always.
Doctor to take S to her checkup appointment. Apparently, we shared the waiting room with a reality TV star. Some older woman was there and S recognized here from a TV show. If I have this right, she's the mother of the woman who's married to the man who won the first season of The Apprentice. I guess all three (mother, daughter, husband) are on a show now. I'm proud to say I had no idea who this woman was (I'm completely against the deification of celebrities in our culture, especially when they're celebrities who shouldn't even be celebrities because they don't have any talent and aren't particularly interesting), but S recognized her, as did the women in the doctor's office (they're self-proclaimed big fans). The best part about this trip is that the doctor cleared S to drive, so hopefully this will be the last time I have to accompany her.
Pediatrician to make sure Lil' S is doing OK. He's fine, healthy and happy. I already expressed my dislike of the lactation consultant who works at the office, but I think we're done with her. By the way, just so you don't think I'm anti-lactation consultant, S had a private visit with a consultant who makes house calls, and I thought she was really good (other than her price, between her and the pump, we will have to breastfeed because we won't be able to afford formula). Although, to be honest, I mainly like her because she told S everything I was telling S before she came, which is basically that everything is going very well with the nursing and pumping and there is no need for any concern.
It's weird, I'm usually the one who's the follow-the-instructions-to-a-tee type, and S is more the ad-libber, but when it comes to baby rearing, we're the opposite. I'm very laissez-faire -- let him sleep when he's sleepy, let him eat when he's hungry; and S is very schedule-oriented -- he should eat this much, as these times. We got into a mini-argument the other night (in front of her mom, which is embarrassing) because I was going to take him while S slept, and she wanted me to wake him at a certain time to give him a bottle, and I said that I'd just give it to him when he woke up, I wasn't going to wake him up. So then S got irritated and said that she would just stay up and do it herself, so I said she has to be comfortable with me doing things my way, so then we went back and forth, until finally I agreed to wake him up just to keep the peace. But I didn't wake him up. He woke up on his own an hour "behind schedule", I fed him, put him to bed, and everything worked out great... unless S reads this.
OK, that's all for now, until next time...
Today I escorted my in-laws to Bank of America because they needed to get something notarized. They don't have an account there, but S and I do. We almost never use it, and I personally loathe BoA. It was S's account before we met, and we only kept it because it's connected to some other accounts we have and making a grand switch at once will be too disruptive, so we're weaning ourselves off. Going to a BoA branch in DC is never fun, it's always crowded; if you go on the weekend, it's worse, tenfold. What should have taken about 5 minutes took well over an hour, but we got it done.
[Apparently there is a whole website devoted to the suckitude of BoA.]
The notary didn't like it that I was the account holder and they were the ones using the service, but he helped us anyway. Of course, he gave us the "Just so you know, it's supposed to be for account holders only," and then he came back to it again, "Next time, remember, we're not supposed to notarize things for third parties." Right, next time. I'll keep that in mind next time my in-laws are buying property, need something notarized ASAP, and happen to be in town visiting my newborn child.
I know the guy was in some sense being nice, but I don't get the second lap of the condescending, I'm-doing-you-a-favor quasi-admonishment. It's like the time I lost my luggage tag on a flight, which of course was also the one time the airline lost my luggage, so I had to deal with the woman at the counter, and when she found out I lost my tag, she was like, "Well how am I supposed to find you in the system?" I asked if she could search my name, and she proceeded to give me a five minute lecture about how irresponsible I am (I didn't retort that it was her airline that lost my luggage, which is far worse than losing a tag, because I was in finish-with-this-b-ASAP-and-get-on-with-my-life mode), and then she clacked my name into the computer, and had my info in seconds. Why she felt the need to reprimand me, I don't really get, but it's the same impulse as the BoA notary.
So BoA was one errand I've run recently. Here are a few others.
Best Buy and Target to buy a TV, a DVD player, and entertainment system furnishings. We broke down. We got cable TV (DIRECTV, technically, but same shit). I hate cable. It's a ripoff. For one thing, you never know exactly what you're paying for. I defy anybody to look at their bill each month and explain all the charges on it. (DIRECTV is actually better about this than others, and I still had to call to get an explanation. Also they pulled the three-months-of-free-HBO-which-will-be-$45-a-month-after-trial-period-unless-you-explicitly-cancel-even-though-you-didn't-ask-for-it stunt.) For another thing, you pay for 195 channels and thousands of programs you don't want, just to get the three channels and five programs you do want. We were getting by fine with our computer TV pu pu platter of Netflix, Hulu, a borrow Xfinity account, and "free" TV sites, but we made the switch to DIRECTV for one reason: NFL Sunday Ticket. There is no way I can spend all day at a bar once a week now that Lil' S is here, so if I'm going to watch NFL games, this is my only real option. And I need NFL. I'm addicted. So I did what addicts do. I compromised my principles and spent a bunch of money to get my fix. It is going to be pretty sweet tomorrow though -- the Seahawks on a 40" HDTV with surround-sound, Bose-quality audio, right in the comfort of my own home. I'm going to have a baby in one hand and a cold one in the other.
[Season starts tomorrow. They were Bill Simmons' surprise pick to win the NFC. It's unfortunate they are getting buzz. I thought they were quietly going to have a solid season. Now, this means they're going to lose to the Cardinals tomorrow.]
Babies R Us to buy a bunch of miscellaneous things we didn't have a chance to get. This places SUCKS! Nobody is around to help you. You're just wandering around this cavernous building hoping to come across the things you need. One thing I got was a new diaper bag, an actual diaper bag. S just bought a normal Burrberry bag as a diaper bag. Super practical as always.
[S's diaper bag.]
Doctor to take S to her checkup appointment. Apparently, we shared the waiting room with a reality TV star. Some older woman was there and S recognized here from a TV show. If I have this right, she's the mother of the woman who's married to the man who won the first season of The Apprentice. I guess all three (mother, daughter, husband) are on a show now. I'm proud to say I had no idea who this woman was (I'm completely against the deification of celebrities in our culture, especially when they're celebrities who shouldn't even be celebrities because they don't have any talent and aren't particularly interesting), but S recognized her, as did the women in the doctor's office (they're self-proclaimed big fans). The best part about this trip is that the doctor cleared S to drive, so hopefully this will be the last time I have to accompany her.
Pediatrician to make sure Lil' S is doing OK. He's fine, healthy and happy. I already expressed my dislike of the lactation consultant who works at the office, but I think we're done with her. By the way, just so you don't think I'm anti-lactation consultant, S had a private visit with a consultant who makes house calls, and I thought she was really good (other than her price, between her and the pump, we will have to breastfeed because we won't be able to afford formula). Although, to be honest, I mainly like her because she told S everything I was telling S before she came, which is basically that everything is going very well with the nursing and pumping and there is no need for any concern.
It's weird, I'm usually the one who's the follow-the-instructions-to-a-tee type, and S is more the ad-libber, but when it comes to baby rearing, we're the opposite. I'm very laissez-faire -- let him sleep when he's sleepy, let him eat when he's hungry; and S is very schedule-oriented -- he should eat this much, as these times. We got into a mini-argument the other night (in front of her mom, which is embarrassing) because I was going to take him while S slept, and she wanted me to wake him at a certain time to give him a bottle, and I said that I'd just give it to him when he woke up, I wasn't going to wake him up. So then S got irritated and said that she would just stay up and do it herself, so I said she has to be comfortable with me doing things my way, so then we went back and forth, until finally I agreed to wake him up just to keep the peace. But I didn't wake him up. He woke up on his own an hour "behind schedule", I fed him, put him to bed, and everything worked out great... unless S reads this.
OK, that's all for now, until next time...
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