Pregnancy Changes

Pregnancy is truly a miraculous thing - not only because of the wonder of new life growing inside you, but also because of the miraculous growth one goes through physicall and emotionally. 

All the sudden, I am finding the motivation to do all sorts of projects which I have nicely managed to put of for so long. The universe seems to be playing along, too. In the same week, we are getting our not-so-urgent heating problems fixed and some needed paint work done. 

My bump is growing. I pee twenty times a day. I have to eat every three hours. I cannot sleep on my back and have to lie on my side with a pillow between my legs. Bending over is not as easy or pleasant as it once was. It is a phase of constant change, or rather improvement, inside and out.

I think what scared me the most about pregnancy and motherhood was the inevitable change in my life. I seriously resented being told how much my life would change after having children. I always heard it as some kind of finger-shaking comment intended to make me reevalute my selfish, immature perspectives. And you do when you are responsible for another human being's life, but I still did not like it. When reflecting on this, I realized I wasn't reacting to the comment. I was reacting to the idea of change.

I haven't always welcomed change, mostly because I have always equated change with the negative. Change, though, is the nature of life and is itself neither bad nor good.  This transformation is one of the most exciting I have ever been through (and I have had my fair share of drastic life changes simply due to the expat life). This process has so far taught me one very important thing about life: Embracing change is in fact easier than fighting or fearing it.

New Year's Nesting

It was a particularly long hiatus, friends. I admit it. I didn't write for over two months and I didn't even tell you I was going to have a break. How rude. And my Adsense results are proof. The truth is that I really hadn't planned to disappear. I decided to let my muse be in charge of 'leisure' writing and she, unfortunately for my blogging, got pregnant and very distracted. My professional writing muse was, on the contrary, very busy pumping out PAID articles for Knitting  magazine here in the UK, the first of which appears in this month's issue, being an amazing virtual assistant to talented language and travel writer, Susanna Zaraysky , and writing art show reviews for the burgeoning new Manchester arts and culture magazine HIVE .

Yes, you did read correctly. My hubby and I decided to undertake on the greatest act of creativity humanly possible: making a new life. I am now in my 18th week and constantly amazed at what is happening to my once tiny body. I now have a surprising appetite for meat and meat products (to the delight of my German spouse), the urge to reorganize closets, cupboards and entire rooms (because I won't feel like doing it with an infant and a manchild to care for) and some seriously raging hormones (which I usually display as unabashed bitchiness and aggression). Yes, pregnancy is an interesting and entertaining journey.

With a baby on the way, there is always inevitably some shuffling of furniture, rooms and designated spaces to accommodate the precious new family member. To kick off 2009, I channeled some of my hormonally fueled aggression into preparing my new work space.  It just seemed to fit with turning over a new leaf, resolutions (which I never make by the way; I only set my intentions and create possibilities), etc. I have moved from the desk in our dressing area (which connects our bedroom to our en suite bathroom) to my craft room. Matthias will be moving his workspace there since he spends far less time at the home PC and the 'office' will become the nursery. I organized all my supplies (which were augmented by the addition of my mother-in-law's sewing machine and all of granny's loot to go along with it) and found a new home for all my wool and yarn so that I can have my office supplies nearby. It is brighter than the space upstairs and I can feel my creative juices flowing more easily here, surrounded by all my crafty things. To the right is a shot of where I am sitting as I write this post. It is a small corner, but it is my corner and it is organized. Would you have expected anything less?

I also started 2009 by focusing my intentions and creating possibilities for myself and my life for the following year. I had been stewing in a psychological sludge since November which I had to shed in order to accomplish anything today, let alone this year. I have again embraced the importance of personal writing as an essential ingredient to my sanity, effectiveness, and keeping an empowered context in my life. This morning I used my morning pages (see posts tagged Artist's Way) to cull all the nasty, energy sucking thoughts that had been bogging me down and to articulate my intentions and possibilities for the New Year. Among them are the possibilities of being peaceful, courageous and a loving mother; as well as the intention to sell 4 more articles before June and market my book idea/find representation successfully by year end.

Finally, it snowed here in Manchester overnight. It is the first time I have seen snow so close in the UK. Here is a picture of Matthias getting ready to leave:

It wasn't much, but it was a nice surprise nonetheless. I will be back with some more retrospective updates about my trip back home to Seattle, Christmas in Germany, New Years in Scotland and all the sordid details of pregnancy.

Fiber and Needles - It's a Lifestyle

If you are reading this and thinking, 'Oh God. Britt is shooting up Metamucil', then you have a strange sense of imagination, my friend. No, I am talking about fiber of the wooly type and the needles used to create fabulous garments from such fiber. And it is truly a lifestyle- for me and many others.

This weekend, I was out at an open house for a small company that sells undyed, natural wool yarn from a special breed of British sheep, the Bluefaced Leicester. There were several independant yarn and dying companies there peddling their wares, while we ladies (and several gents I must add) ate scones, drank tea and knitted or spun the wool of our choice.

This particular Saturday was probably the last of our ten-day stretch of Indian Summer- like weather: mild with a clear blue sky and a light breeze. It is really strange to then go to the shops and see nothing but 'Father Christmas' and 'Christmas Cake' (that's Santa and Fruit Cake to us Yanks).



The day was also great because I got to reconnect with a couple gals from my knitting group who I haven't seen in over two months on account of German visitors and staycations. I also got some hardcore networking in for my writing ambitions - I passed out a bunch of my new business cards and polished my elevator pitch which will come in quite handy at the big trade show in London next month. 

I also got to meet several ladies that also use the same online social network created just for knitters and crocheters called Ravelry. Every member has an avatar and moniker, neither of which always reflect the person's actual identity. We all were buttons with our monikers on them so we can speak to each other in person as easily as we chat together online. Strange, but beautiful nonetheless.



And using the utmost restraint a fiber-crazed knitting junkie is capable of, I only walked away with nearly one kilometer (a one-kilo spool) of superwash sock yarn (undyed) and a starter natural dye kit. After all, I blow my fiber budget before going to the big show.

Another episode in the life of a fiber and needle addict. And do I ever love it.

Why American Politics Nauseate Me

What happens if you take a blithering idiot and 1) elect him or her to an important office such as state governor and 2) nominate this person (behind whom is 'nothing but panic and emptiness ') for the vice presidential candidacy?

The answer is Sarah Palin. And she could be our next VP, or even worse, take over the presidency if John McCain were to die in office (which is not to be excluded as a possibility, seriously).

What is the McCain election team thinking? What are GOP supporters thinking? This women has obviously suffered severe brain damage from prolonged exposure to snow and periods of nearly 24-hour daylight. Sarah Palin is probably the best George W. Bush ersatz I can think of. At least he can stick to concise and utterly empty BS rhetoric (well, two-thirds of the time).

As my good ol' home town weekly indie paper, The Stranger, so astutely equated with a passage from EM Foster's Howard's End, if the McCain/Palin ticket were to fall, one would only find "panic and emptiness". One thing is clear, Gov. Palin would be the perfect puppet president to dance at the tugs of special interest strings.

I think we can agree politicians do several things exceedingly well: speak publically and lie whilst doing so. That is enough to sicken a person with faith, albeit it severly waning, in democratic ideals. Then there is the plastic glitz and glamour that has turned American politics, especially the presedential race, into an episode of the Oprah Winfrey show. But what really turns my stomach is the fact that any old schmuck with the cognitive ability of an inchworm can be elected or nominated to the most powerful offices in our once great land. We have just had eight years of this crap and now a large percentage want to elect potentially more of the same?

This folks, in case you were wondering, is one of the many reasons America is ridiculed the world over and is now forced to confront one of the greatest crises we have ever faced. Your vote and your dollar count! Use them wisely.

Thanks to Fritinancy's post for inspiring this rant.

So much for 'having' good intentions

Yes, the path to hell is paved with good intentions...and retroactive blog posts. I have been busy and it is good.

My post a week ago really seems to have sent the universe a message: I am ready to work and earn money consistently! Currently I am working on a research project for another writer attending the Frankfurt Book Fair next month. That and my 'usual' activities like hunting for leads and sending out resumes have kept me especially busy this week.

Within three days of writing that post, I landed three new projects. It just goes to show you the power of intention...when you put it into words.

London Calling

It has been nearly two weeks since Matthias and I went to London on our UK 'staycation'. It was an interesting trip in many respects. We tried to go 'budget' since we had just spent a month of entertaining guests which backfired in a way. Instead of having fun and just experiencing the marvels of this world metropolis, we were totally focused on saving as much money as possible.

We stayed at a cheaper chain hotel in East London, nearly a 40-minute tube ride into 'The City'. On the othe hand, we got to see how the 'other half' live. It is a shocking contrast between Knightsbridge ala Harrods and Barking ala Pakastani market. But you live and you learn and I definitely learned not to hold onto those purse strings so tightly because it only chokes your experiences of life. Left, our Yeomen, aka Beefeaters, at the Tower of London. They actually live there!
Right: The Bear and Tower Bridge. Below: Me in front of the backdrop of 'The City' including the gherkin (which has a special place in my heart, thanks to Dad)

On the other hand, what we didn't spend on a hotel, we spent on several nice meals. We ate at a great sushi restaurant called Satsuma the first night in Soho after leaving The Duke of Wellington , a very nice gay bar we weren't aware was such. No wonder Matthias was getting so many looks! The next day, we ate at some chain called HaHa and for lunch (there isn't much you can do wrong with pasta). Later, we went to an Asian fast food joint after a few pints at theWindmill and watching the afterwork crowd on The Cut .

Our last day, we ate at PJs , an unbenownst to us American restaurant just outside Covent Garden, for a prefixe menu for 11 quid each. The food was fresh and carefully prepared and the staff were very hospitable (a real rarity in London). That night we spent in what is rumoured to have the longest bar in Britain be one of Karl Marx's old haunts, The Cittie of Yorke and drank refreshingly cheap pints while again watching the afterwork crowd. The architecture was really incredible and oozed history. I especially liked the enclaves off to the side with seating for 2 or 4 people which gave a very intimate feeling to a pub with cathedral ceilings. Photos: Bottom right: The Horse Guards at Buckingham.

We did lots of walking about and took in all the sites: The Tower of London (which we did shell out the $32 to go in since neither of us had been there as teenagers), Big Ben and the Houses of Parliment, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, St. Pauls's, Fleet Street (I am a writer after all), Picadilly Circus, Kensington, Knightsbridge, Waterloo, and of course the very disappointing I Knit London, an overly-hyped knitting shop. Here I am swallowed by the massiveness that is the Tate Modern, an old refurbished mill or factory.

We also spent a ridiculous amount of time in museums. Afterall, I was on the cheap (most public museums are free in the UK because we have to pay city council tax) and have an Art History degree. We went to the Museum of London and learned about the Roman and Medieval past of the city, the Great Fire and that museums often close entire wings for remodeling. We also went to the National Portrait Gallery to get our fill of dead and living monarchs and famous British people.

Then there was the Tate Modern and the architectural marvel that it is. It was an interesting juxtoposition to be in an old industrial building, a power station to be exact, which now houses the powerhouses of modern art. Two floors and four wings of modern art later, we hit the pavement looking for some less cereberal activity.




All in all, I was happy to have gone back to London. It was a very different place than I had remembered from my trip with my high school best friend Mimi (who incidentally I am thrilled to be back in touch with now) and my parents. It still seemed just as large and cosmopolitan. But this time around I saw things with different eyes - not looking from the outside in, but looking from the liminal state of neither here nor there. I was looking in both directions, at the locals and the tourists, knowing that I didn't fall into really either category. That has been the story of my expat life.

Leek and Potato Soup

Even though it was the most gorgeous of weekends here in Manchester, it seemed to be the time to hunker down and get ready for fall. I spent most of yesterday 'winterizing' our garden which was little more than planting a few pots to be taken to the kitchen window sill, pulling out the now *sick* tomatoes and the completely out-of-control bolted arugula/rocket.

Yesterday, sensing the onset of autumn, I had to make a huge batch of leek and potato soup. Here is my recipe. Tell me what you think.

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cooking Time: 20 Minutes
Ingredients:

• 4-6 medium leeks, washed and trimmed
• 4-5 medium potatoes, washed, peeled and cubed
• 2 tbs of butter
• 1 clove of garlic
• 4 cups milk
• 2 cups of broth (fresh or instant, veggie or chicken, you choose)
• a dash (or three) of fresh cream
• salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste

First, prep the veg. Boil the potatoes for around 10 minutes or until soft. In the meantime, sautee the leek and garlic in butter, then add the broth and simmer. When the potatoes are finished, drain and remove half. Add milk to the remaining half and puree using a mixing wand, blender or food processor. Combine this with the leeks, add cream, season. Add remaining potato cubes and simmer for 10 minutes.
Serve with crusty bread and enjoy.

Happy Autumn, Everybody!