We went to the ob/gyn this week for an ultrasound of our little one.

The doctor looked at the screen and said, "His hands are up in front of his face. See his fingers? He's giving us the peace sign!"

The Husband looked closer at the screen and said, "Actually, it looks more like he's giving us the finger...with both hands."

The doctor and I both took a second look. He was right! The kid was indeed giving us the double middle fingers.

Even the doctor agreed.

I guess this is what we have to look forward to...

I took a walk this afternoon, to take a break from work and get a snack.

I work in one of those large buildings in Manhattan with a basement concourse full of retail shops and restaurants.

As I walked through it, I noticed a line of people. It was a massively long line - it stretched through half the length of the concourse!

I saw that it was a line of people applying for minimum wage jobs at a new retail store that's about to open up.

I've seen people lining up to apply for jobs before, but never this many!

One man up front was talking earnestly to the employee who was controlling the line. All I heard him say was, "Come on, we're all here because we all have to eat!"

It really hit home, the impact of the recession. I can't stop thinking about it.

The Sister is visiting us for the weekend.

Brokeback Mountain was on tv tonight. The Husband has never seen it, but the Sister and I were watching it while eating dinner.

"I'm curious.." said the Husband. "When in the movie do we realize that Jake Gyllenhaal's character is gay?"

"Hard to say.." replied the Sister. "My guess is it might be sometime around the time he has sex with Heath Ledger's character..."

I laughed so hard I semi-swallowed (and almost choked on) a chicken bone.

I'm nothing if not persistent.

I hang onto this blog, even though everyone I know has migrated their daily thoughts onto Facebook.

I like Facebook as well, but sometimes you need the anonymity of your own personal blog. And a forum in which to write full postings that aren't limited to tiny little blurbs of material.

So I'm still posting away, even though I think about 5 people out there still read this. It's very 2003 of me, of course.

But I don't care! In a way, it's like getting back to basics.

Back when I first started this blog, nobody read it, but it was a way for me to get my thoughts out there. It was a simpler time. And it is again, in a way.

What am I up to these days? Well, mostly bouncing around on this ball that the Husband bought me:

This thing does wonders for pregnancy-induced sciatica.

I'm almost 8 months along now, counting down the weeks and days until our little bundle of joy joins us (God willing).

The only thing that alleviates the back pain is this ball.

Like the boulder that Sisyphus was condemned to roll up the hill forever.