I intended to exclusively breastfeed with Pia, but I quickly learned that my supply was insufficient. She failed to gain weight in the first couple of days, and her weight dropped from the 11th percentile at birth to below the 2nd percentile. The low weight put her at a risk for jaundice, so the doctors monitored her carefully. Pia's ( Read more... )

I recently finished the John Grisham's "The Confession," which is less novel than "argument against the death penalty in novel form." In the book, days before a confessed killer's execution, another man shows up and confesses to the crime. There weren't many shades of gray, as the man on death row was (spoiler alert!) completely innocent and many ( Read more... )

FYI, I updated my personal webpage to www.lynn.garcowski.com.

I first started noticing some cramping on Sunday, July 18th, which developed into contractions every 20-30 minutes by that evening. They continued throughout the night but didn't get stronger or more frequent, so I assumed they were the famed Braxton Hicks contractions. (I spent much of the 19th googling the difference between BH and “real” ( Read more... )

I previously posted about my love of National AnthemsSince then, I requested and received a big book of national anthem sheet music for Christmas. I've enjoyed the book quite a bit in the last six months, but it's been especially useful now that the Women's World Cup has started. Every match begins with two anthems, and I get to practice my sight ( Read more... )

I just finished Gore Vidal's Burr, the book which Michelle Bachmann claims converted her from a Democrat to a Republican. My motivation to read the book was largely to understand this claim (and to have a better understanding of Aaron Burr beyond the milk commercial), but after reading it, I still don't get Bachmann. (I probably shouldn't be ( Read more... )

My two year old niece Annabella leaves her shoes all over my in-law's house, so it wasn't surprising when we couldn't find one of the shoes as we prepared to leave for Christmas Eve celebrations. What was odd was that the shoe was still missing after 30 minutes of searching. We finally punted, put Annabella into her too-small shoes, and headed out ( Read more... )

Last night was the much-anticipated Hang Up and Listen live podcast in Raleigh. Much-anticipated by me, at least, as I’m a big fan of the online newsmagazine Slate.com and its podcasts. Other Slate podcasts had previously recorded their shows live, but only in large metropolitan areas like New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago. When Hang Up ( Read more... )

This past weekend, Jacob and I went to The Rally to Restore Sanity (and/or Fear). I remember being a little confused by the concept when the rally was first announced on The Daily Show. (What exactly would happen at their rally? Does the Daily Show really want to restore sanity, given that they spend a good chunk of their show making fun of the ( Read more... )

I’m getting frustrated by my lack of contribution to my ultimate team. I’ve played four seasons now (three falls and one spring), but I don’t think I’m adding anything to the team that I didn't my first season. My throwing and catching skills are slowly improving, but I’ve realized that it’s kind of a moot point if I never use them. I’ve been ( Read more... )