Ya

Dear Ya,
I've missed you a lot the last couple of days! I assumed I would only have to wait a few more days, but ma says I might have to wait a little longer than that. She said 10 months...but that feels like an eternity to me because, well, it kind of has been for me. In any case, I've been faithfully thinking of you and often imagine playing tug-of-war and pulling your nice long hair.

(Also, I don't know if I've ever told you, but thanks for letting me call you "ya." Makes things much easier on my end.)
Much as I enjoyed those things, I really just liked hanging out with you this summer. I won't lie, I was a little nervous when you first tried to hold me, but I'm glad we got to be best of friends. I loved going to museums and that cool place where you can watch all the airplanes, although I was sad that I had to leave you there...at least there was that cool bottle to distract me.Most of all, I loved our sleepovers and going to the park and reading books. You're so fun and I'm glad that we can be friends. Mom says that I can even see a moving picture of you on that cool box with the buttons I like to press, so I'm excited for that. I'll miss you a lot, and can't wait to see you again soon!

love,
nat

Follow Up to The Cost of Food

Wow, thank you thank you for the many insightful and thought-provoking comments on the Cost of Food post. I thought a few of the recurring comments re: access and time were excellent and deserved a more-than-comment response, so I'll share some of my thoughts here.

Before doing that, though, I want to reiterate that I am NOT against food stamps. I think they absolutely have a place. I am so glad that those who need it can get help, and I'm certainly not here to judge the merits or need of one person receiving them over another. Several of you mentioned students vs. poor single parents, and while that's certainly given me fodder for thought, my initial honest thought is that I think there's even a place for government assistance in high NPV (i.e., future high-paying job) situations (off the top of my head, for example, if it enables a mother to choose to stay home it MAY be worth it considering the cost of day care, effect of a mother at home, etc. etc.), but who knows.

I was mostly curious about the amount of money given, and from what several of you have noted in comments and via email (including from first-hand experience), I definitely think there is room for reevaluation. While I certainly think it's important for that money to get to those that need it, I also think it needs to be monitored and used efficiently. Why? Because the money isn't endless. Our budget crisis is way too critical to ignore the effects of mismanaged funds. I think it's important for the money to go to the most needy. To me, the risks are too great of someone really needy missing out on assistance due to misappropriation of funds or someone else getting far above and beyond his/her needs. As individuals and as a government, I think that if we can spend less, we should - for the best interests of those contributing and those receiving.

Now on the subject of time. Cooking takes it. Simple as that. I get that, and even more so, Dan gets that. He was pretty shocked when we first got married that he would have to sometimes wait over an hour for food, which he'd never really done before. Still, there's something gratifying in preparing and waiting for and consuming food. I realize, though, that not everyone has that luxury. I'm incredibly lucky to be able to work a part-time schedule from home while taking care of my baby. I have a supportive husband who is an extraordinary father and helps out with both the baby AND cooking. I do, however, sometimes have crazy days in which I have to go into the office and then my Internet doesn't work (I know, you can't even believe how hard my life is) and I'm left to cook dinner in 20 minutes. So I have a handful of recipes that take about that amount of time and that don't involve fast food. I'm in no way opposed to canned beans and store-bought tortillas in a pinch (although the food snob in me thinks the homemade kind is infinitely better :)). The point of this very long paragraph is that I really believe that even when time is scarce, frozen dinners or McDonald's aren't the only options.

Now the trickier question - access. Food deserts are a very real issue, and don't have an easy answer. I have to say that while I obviously admire Michelle Obama's effort to bring produce into the city, I think the $4/pound tomatoes at "her" farmer's market are a little ridiculous (although tasty). Some teammates and I wrote a lengthy paper on this issue in graduate school, and while we suggested a few solutions (investment in supermarkets, farmer's markets, food delivery services, nutrition/cooking courses and clubs, providing immersion blenders, etc.), I'm interested in your thoughts. So, readers, what do you think are the best ways to address the access issue?

The Cost of Food

I love food. This, I'm sure, comes as no surprise to anyone who knows me. I love planning food, preparing food, and, of course, eating food.

Despite my love for food, or perhaps because of it, we stick to a relatively tight food budget. Each month, we budget $200 for groceries. We also have $100 for eating out, which we rarely hit unless we're traveling, but I look at that more as "entertainment" than "sustenance." We could easily eek the extra meals out of our current grocery budget if needed. And we live in DC (=expensive). This includes the slightly-higher cost of our weekly CSA box (local and organic produce), as well as some nice-to-haves such as our beloved Trader Joe's vanilla ice cream and nuts. I certainly don't feel that we're depriving ourselves by any means, and we definitely don't go hungry (hungry Preethi = highly unpleasant Preethi).

I read an article recently (oh how I love Mark Bittman) that discussed how junk food is not really as cheap and real food is not really as expensive as the media and others sometimes make it seem. I was pretty surprised to see that the program-formerly-known-as-food-stamps provides $5/person/day for food. No, that's not extravagant, but it's certainly more than manageable, and is more than we currently allot.

I am all for government assistance where needed. I fully support paying taxes into a system that helps those that need it and allows them to get back on their feet. But I have pretty much negative desire to give my money to allow someone else to spend more on nicer food or by spend less time preparing it, if that is, in fact how things work.

I think Bittman makes a great point in laying out a few basic, easy and cheap meals. I am extremely grateful to my very frugal parents from whom I learned that it's normal and expected to cook meals at home, buy the cheaper-than-canned dried beans, and sometimes settle for bananas and apples instead of raspberries if there's no more room in the budget.

What do you think? Am I way off base here? Am I misunderstanding how much money is allotted/how food stamps work?

Monday Thoughts

I've written previously about how I dislike Mondays. Notably, one of those things (the first, obvi) hasn't changed, but the rest pretty much have. I like my current job (oh right - my job! forthcoming post on that...several months late) significantly more than the one I had then, working part-time and from-home means that I don't have to drive to work, and Nat doesn't really understand the glory of weekends and sleeping in, anyway, so there's that.

All this is to say that I've arrived. I finally like Mondays. I actually think they're very peaceful and relaxing. I get to catch up on tasks and organize and prepare for the week (how old and uncool and majorly OCD am I?). And though I still have to spend the day eagerly anticipating Dan's return home, I at least get to spend it with this one:

Still, the weekend was pretty fab. There was a 5-mile run (still LOVING my Vibrams). There was a day-long date by way of National Museum Day in which we visited a couple of the few not-free museums/gardens in the city, where Nat befriended most of the staff and other visitors.

I also got to view the broadcast of the annual Relief Society Meeting with some lovely friends. The conference was fantastic, and I especially loved President Uchtdorf's counsel to be happy now! I, of course, loved his Charlie and the Chocolate Factory analogy of not forgetting to enjoy the simple candy bar in the midst of searching for the golden ticket. I just love everything about his talks and wit and demeanor and love. It made me even more excited for General Conference next weekend.

My big disappointment is that we didn't get to visit the National Book Festival, but time just didn't allow, and since we've been down there before, we opted for the museums this year. Oh the difficult decisions we must make.

Wherein I Stab Comcast in its Figurative Eye

I am a stickler for customer service. I will be an infinitely loyal customer and sing your praises and send you love notes if you value me as a customer and treat me with respect. As someone with two business degrees, I've read a whole lot of case studies on customer service, and it astonishes me how often companies (who may even otherwise have excellent products and services) are a massive fail in this area.

I think my most loathed company of all time is Comcast. I'm fairly certain they have the worst management, the most incompetent representatives, and the least authority to actually serve a customer of any company in the history of the world. For instance, just now, Comcast overcharged me (surprise!) for our Internet. We don't have cable or a landline, but I refuse to pay the ridiculous charge they normally give for high-speed Internet. So for the past several years, they've agreed to give me a lower rate for (slightly) slower Internet. This works just fine for us, as we don't download/upload lots of things, nor do we do a lot of streaming. Not to mention the fact that it's usually fast enough for that, anyway.

However, every few months or so, they randomly increase my rate and I have to call them and yell at them for randomly increasing my rate without telling me. Just now, they increased my rate by almost $15/month, without so much as informing me of it. They told me that they had just performed an "audit," and that I had mistakenly been paying a lower rate, one that was applicable for bundled services. This is absurd, as multiple representatives assured me that I could have that rate, and that it would continue and not go up. They guaranteed that this was the rate just for the "economy" Internet, and that my rate was accurate and stable.

Just now, I called and waited on the line for at least 10-15 minutes to talk to a representative (who clearly had no authority to do anything, so I usually just bypass them and ask for the supervisor), then waited for at least 20 for a supervisor, at which point I was told the supervisor was busy and would call me back "shortly." When I asked what "shortly" meant (10 minutes or an hour?), I was told that she didn't know.

Contrast that with Chase. Now, I have to say, Chase used to be fairly annoying, too. But man, they have clearly stepped up their game and I've been seriously impressed in my last few interactions. This time, my email address got messed up in their system, so I never received my paperless statement. For whatever reason, I never received a statement in the mail, either. Because of this, I missed my payment due date (which I never do - I have literally always paid off my statements in full).

So I called them, and was on the line with a representative in no more than 2 minutes. I explained the situation, ensured that my paperless statements were fixed, and asked if they could reverse the late fee/interest charge, which they immediately did - zero hassle. I was on the phone - wait time, explaining, reversing, thanking, fixing the address/email address problem, etc. - for 5 minutes and 33 seconds, according to my call log. Not only that, but they were pleasant and knowledgeable and accountable and responsive and had authority to actually do something to help a customer. You can bet I'll be a Chase fan for life.

These kinds of things get me so worked up and I've toyed with the idea of spotlighting various companies with excellent/really poor business practices (not just in the realm of customer service, but also that), but I'm guessing that would be interesting to no one but me. Gah.

One Book, Two Book

I used to only be able to read (and focus on) one book at a time. I would get so engaged in that Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Supermystery that there was no way that I would put it down for even a moment to start another.

I've realized lately, though, that I tend to read several books at a time for different occasions. For instance, I'm almost always reading one religious and one non-religious book. I'm also usually reading something with Dan (which I'd feel guilty for reading when he's not home, much as I'd like to), as well as listening to an audiobook for when I run/cook.

So how many books do you usually read at a time? One? Twelve? Do you finish all of them?

11 Months

Dear pear bear,
Happy 11 months!The biggest development this month has been the appearance of your first (and second and third) tooth! Since you've been gnawing on things for months now, we didn't really think anything of it at first. But then, a few days after your 10 month birthday, the top right one made an appearance. And an appearance it was! Let's just say that we had a few...unpleasant nights there, particularly since the top left and bottom left showed up just days later. Let's just say we're glad that you've returned to your normal habits.

Oh, well, except for two nights ago. When your slight cold turned into slight wheezing. We called the doctor who asked us to bring you in, despite it being a Sunday, and they gave you a breathing treatment. Although you were miserable the night before, I was sort of embarrassed when we got there because you immediately started smiling and flirting with all the nurses. A tricky one, you are. They gave you a quick nebulizer treatment and you felt much better after that (although you loathed the process). Here's to modern medicine and the return of sleep.
You continue to be active as ever. Many babies I know love bath time. You? Well, you love the water. However, there is no way in the world we could actually get you to sit in the bathtub. Instead, every time we put you in, you immediately try to stand up, which generally involves much slipping and sliding. Needless to say, showers are our preferred method of getting you clean.

This activity level hasn't helped your skinniness. Your pediatrician, who we love dearly, said that you were probably just fine, but that we could bring you in for a quick appointment in between your 9-month and one-year ones just to ensure you're growing. You had put on a few ounces, but you stayed below the 5th percentile in weight, while hitting the 75th in height. Since you've hit all your milestones and are otherwise happy and healthy, the doctor wasn't concerned, so I think you're just destined to be a skinny mini. Every time I see you with other babies your age, I just have to laugh to myself because you just look so little in comparison.

Despite your evident teenyness, you continue to love food, especially anything with a little kick (e.g, Indian, Thai, Mexican). I love that you are willing to try out anything - even if you're not hungry at all, you'll give anything a chance. I love that about you - you're always willing to try something out. I love that you love food, although with parents like your Dad and me, it would be hard to imagine you NOT loving food. You've also maintained your love for spoons, as well as cups - any time you see anyone with a cup, you frantically crawl your way over and try to drink from it.You continue to love to point at anything and everything - most particularly airplanes. Your grandma kindly taught you what they are, and you now get excited any time you hear one (which, since we live 10 minutes from an airport, is about every five seconds). The first time you pointed to the ceiling after hearing a plane, despite not seeing it since we were inside, I about died from the cuteness.

You are still a little chatterbox. You love to babble all day long, and have a few intelligible words every now and again, too. Your favorite word is undoubtedly "da;" your entire face lights up whenever your dad walks in the door from work and you start frantically pointing and calling out to him. When he goes into the bedroom to change, you follow him around like a little shadow. It is the sweetest thing ever. I love how you absolutely adore one another.Reading books is still a favorite pastime of yours. Not only do you pull your books off the shelves multiple times a day, but you now take the time to sit and page through many of them. I love how you have clear preferences for books and manage to find the ones you like best, and sit and look carefully at them. You love going to story time, too, although I think there, you're still too fascinated by all the new people to pay much attention to the books. You do, however, love the songs, and, for that matter, music in general. We have a lovely morning routine in which we read from the scriptures together and then I practice my violin, and we both love it more than I can say.

Speaking of pastimes, you went on your first kayaking trip this month. We had a dear friend from South Africa in town, and we all went kayaking on the Potomac River. We thought we'd have to take turns, but it turns out they had infant life vests. It was a perfect night, and we all loved the experience (well, at least you did when we were facing away from the sun).
I love how easy it is to make you laugh. You giggle hysterically any time we play follow-the-leader and you see me crawl around. You love rolling balls back and forth to us. And you get so pleased with yourself when you manage to figure something out (such as climbing off your little "car" by lifting one foot over), and laugh at yourself for it. Tug-of-war with anything is the funniest thing ever to you. And dogs! Well, dog. There's this one little dog in our complex who you absolutely adore. While most other dogs interest you, you've never laughed at their antics. This one, however, well, you spent a solid 15 minutes laughing like crazy every time she moved or caught a ball.

A friend wrote a while back how while most people tend to let their guard down, so to speak, around their families and sometimes let their their uglier sides peek through, her baby son manages to save the best for his family. I couldn't agree more - you have this wonderful way of not only being cheerful with your family, but of being kinder and better to us than anyone else. Even when you were sad and in pain this month, you would still just look up at me with those big eyes and sweet smile and anything bad would melt away. I am just overwhelmed with gratitude to have you here, and with me forever, to learn from and love. I love you, tiny son.
love,
mama