We joked that, since I am Kitteh and John is Bear, we'll have a Bearcat but after today's appointment, when I finally saw the thing for the very first time, I am not so sure.  It looks only like a Bear.  No feline resemblance whatsoever...(sigh)  I don't think I've laid my eyes on a cutest thing!  It was dancing a funny little dance and its heart was racing.  A heart, my dear friends and neighbours.  I am growing a miniature functioning heart inside of me.

The word Doc used was "perfect".  Of course, there's nothing my Doc can say that would make him appear less likable - apparently he is married to a Bulgarian woman!  Now, what are the odds to choose an OB whose wife is Bulgarian?!  All in all, I felt like I had all the worldly luck and joy today.  I am doing the little funny bear dance every hour or so, and I even bragged to my neighbour with the ultrasound photos, grinning like a fool while at it.

So, in a nutshell my pregnancy is going well and I feel good.  Nothing to really worry about, and even if there is, I AM SO DAMN HAPPY!!!  I met my baby today.  I'll worry later.

In the euphoria, however, I completely forgot to ask one of the most important question: when is my due date.  He-he.

iBroccoli

In honor of my cousin Polly's birthday yesterday I cooked the Famous Polly Roasted Potatoes with Broccoli and Cauliflower and Cream and Cheese.  It was delish!  Happy Day Day once again, Polita! We love you!

Well, it was about fuckin' time

Bullfighting in Catalonia is now banned.  I cannot really drink, but I am toasting the great news with a sip of John's pale beer.

Happy Bearday!

John turns binary today.  A 32 bit Bear!  We're going to Tassajara in an hour so I've got to get ready, but I needed to post this shot of John with his rainbow heart and say: I love you, babe! Bezkraino!

Apples and Chipmunks

Here's why Apple is one of the greatest tech company in the world: they provide exceptional products and services, and they are hilarious!

I have so many things to update you on - the trip to the pit of the universe Los Angeles and the baby among others - yet I couldn't resist posting this one.  Today we all went to Palo Alto as I had an appointment with a Genius for a minor hiccup with my iPhone. While we waited we had some fun with the Macbooks provided, and let me tell you, there were quite a few eyebrows raised our way during these 10 minutes spent with Photo Booth.  I had to move onto the iPads in order to calm down.

The verdict: I am a fateful Microsoft user and a tremendous Google fan, but once you go iPhone I don't think there's coming back.  It just works.  Also, Apple have this great robotized phone system that understands whole sentences and directs you conveniently to the right solution for you - in my case apple.com where the simple and user-friendly software allowed me to make an appointment at the Apple Store.  Once there, I was greeted by a representative who had an app for pointing the customers the right way.  And the best part?  The whole experience was completely straight forward and confusion free.  No stupid questions, no long waiting.  The aforementioned Genius even read the note I had left when I made my online maintenance request ("Sticky home button, please help!") and shook my hand on the way out.  Neat.

Of course, I am not too fond of the $70 iPad cases, but I guess it appeals to those suckers who use Apple only because it's trendy.  

P.S. Me as a big-brained wrestler scared me a little but the one below will never fail to make me laugh my wits out :D

 

Високи Сини Планини*

While we traveled down south and back again I was once again struck by how dry this country is.  California is a big state and in all fairness its nature is diverse enough, providing beaches and redwood mountains and orchards and hay fields and palm trees, but come fall everything looks rather obliterated, so orange that it hurt my heart.

My Dad went on a two-day a team building trip in Rila Mountain just before the beginning of the school year.  Rila is an amazing place and the photos he brought back somehow managed to hurt me even more with their lush green freshness and Bulgarian-ness. Gosh, I miss home so damn much.

See for yourselves.

Cali:

Rila:

 

* Tall Blue Mountains - a line from an old Bulgarian children's song

Perfectly legal!

Wheee!  I suddenly feel so young and free - my driver's licence came in the mail and now I am finally able to be like any other 16 year-old in America! To celebrate this sudden rejuvenation, I had the car today and at the end of the day I took a wrong turn somewhere and got thoroughly lost :D

The Latest Funky Sightings

Sometimes when I don't have the time or the opportunity to write I begin seeing things:

Peep-cat!

Local charms.

One seriously cool family.

In the thrift store.

Flower power.

Cat in a box :)

The Sister is Here!!!

She's still getting over her jet-lag and we're still synchronizing, but September is already a blast.  It's a great way to get distracted from pregnancy for awhile and to keep active.  

Oh, and we did some substantially stylish shopping - photos to follow.

iMagic

Taken this morning while trying to wake up.

Pregnancy is such a funny thing!  Every week I feel something odd and different; it takes me a few days to adjust but just when I get used to it and things more or less turn back to normal, there's yet another new symptom that turns magically up and puzzles me.

Still, I feel good.

Things Might Get a Little Quiet Around Here

Because I've stopped making up excuses and procrastinating making preparations about writing and actually started writing.  I still have about a billion things I want to share, but less time to do so, and I think it's for the best.  That way only the most interesting life stories will find their way to my blog.  

About the above image: I know I am not supposed to drink coffee and I am not - this was a sort of a celebratory ritual and was a decaf; and the sheet is blank only because I took the photo before I wrote 2 pages of awkward but consistent prose.  

Armed and Dangerous

As I mentioned before, I am going to shoot film for the next 3 weeks.  Not exclusively - I'll need the speed of digital while on the road-trip (we're going to LA to see if we can see Metallica; which is entirely my sister's idea but I love her too much to say no) but mostly I plan on being analog for the sake of art.  Somehow art has gone out of my photography lately, and I blame the suburban surroundings entirely for that.  So, I have a Zenit E, a Nikon FM2, an Olympus XA2, and a disposable Kodak.  All of the film I am using is expired Kodak Max or Gold, but after I am done with the first rolls I will purchase the new 35mm Kodak Portra 400 and see what the fuss is all about.

Sick and Tired

And this is how I spent the rest of my Labor Day Weekend - hard at labor to fight off the flu.  Not being able to take any drugs sucks.  The good news is that I am going to live.  I even managed to spend more time out of bed than in bed today.  The stupid virus hit me in the stomach and I practically puked my head off in the last two days.  Thank goodness that at least I have no nausea or pain in regards to my pregnancy...!

It started innocently enough - at first I just felt tired and sleepy.

Then came the headache.

The nausea followed suit.

It was awful!

But Shelby came by and made me feel better.

And John was so sweet to hop to the store and to get me ginger everything.

He also got these anti-nausea acupuncture bracelets.  

Shelby and I lived on the couch for most of Monday.

She is the healing kitteh!

Until she felt very comfortable...

A little too comfortable, I would say, as she took over the whole couch.  That was funny, but at least I managed to get up and try to walk again.

American Shopping

This Labor Day Weekend we went shopping to prepare for my sister's visit.  I am aware that I am getting lazy and mostly taking photos with my iPhone, but I plan on picking the Nikon again soon.  Amazingly, suburban/small town Nor Cal isn't as photogenic as you might imagine.  But!  I haven't given up hope for a new lens(es) and I am sure that I might even get a full frame DSLR one day.  That will surely change things. Also, I have decided to shoot film during my sister's entire visit!  I am so excited!

Anyways.

I drove all the way during the following shopping extravaganza with my spanking new driver's licence - and to my shame, we visited most of the popular bourgeoisie malls that operate in the area.  Sometimes I wish I lived back in the big city that provides not only ace photographic opportunities but also excellent shopping experiences. Think boutiques, corner stores, flea markets and vintage shops.

But hey-ho, you can't have it all.  

@ Macy's, which lingerie fitting rooms are almost as big as my bedroom :D  

@Target.  This store always smells like cheap synthetic products and slave labor to me...Shown above: voodoo dolls of Batman and the Joker?

Almost 20 years later people still make money from the only band that didn't do it for the money.  The tr-shirt itself was beyond bad.

Bra-shopping at Safeway.  I mean, fruit shopping.  But then again, everything feels like this when you are pregnant.

@PETCO.  I wanted to nom on white mice but John got me some crunchies instead.

@home.  Finally!  I had watermelon for the first time this summer. 

It was good!

Shelby also had some.

I swapped the watermelon with Watermelon Hello Kitty.

Shelby can't be easily fooled :D