Cove Beach Marking: Driving Grown Men Insane

Well of course a 43 year old rollerblader attacked a man and his 4 year old son on a trike! Have YOU ever tried to decipher the markings of the track and path at Cove Beach?

From the Advocate: Shortly after 9 a.m. Monday, Karamon was skating down the path when he allegedly shouted and cursed at the father that his four-year-old son on a tricycle was in a designated area for in-line skaters, Cooney said.
"Mr. Karamon's contention is that the four-year-old was on the wrong side of the path," Cooney said. "But the path is for use by everybody and we can't have Rollerbladers or anybody cursing out people."
A short while later Karamon was approaching the family again and collided with the father who shielded his four- and two-year-old sons, Cooney said.

Well then, what DO those signs on the round track mean when they show a bike and a skate on the inner loop? Doesn't that mean "this track is for fast people, slow traffic stay out of the way?" Although I won't attack your kid over it, I always thought that slow traffic was supposed to stay on the outside.

I blame the annoying signage for this incident. It really does give the impression that walkers and slow things should be in one lane to let fast bikers and bladers pass by in the other. The problem is that Cove gives the impression that it can be used by really fast people on wheels, when, evidently according to this article, there are NO safety measures to ensure that 4 year olds on trikes don't get run down by testosterone-raging middle aged male rollerbladers.

Stamford Parks and Rec, this is your fault!

(And, that guy obviously LOST HIS POOPIE.)

My baby's shrieking, gotta run! We both have a cold and are hating life right now.

Click here to read more.

DO NOT THROW ME AWAY!!!

That was the stern- and ironic!- message written on a cardboard box that my husband put out with the trash this week.

Husband: The guys didn't take that cardboard box.
Me, in "duh" voice: They don't TAKE cardboard, you have to tie it up with string for recycling.
Husband: Of course, it also probably didn't help that you'd written "Do not throw away" on the box.

At this point, I collapsed in laughter. I forgot that I'd written "Do not throw me away!" on that box to remind myself that it contained a cool, yet very lightweight, serving platter.

I wonder what the trash guys thought when they read the box. The really embarrassing part of the story is that another side of the box said, "Use me for a par-tay."

I obviously was NOT going to put the box outside like that. I was going to bundle it up with the other 1,000 boxes in our basement. My husband finds it hard to believe that they won't just take our boxes, so sometimes he brazenly leaves them out with the Toter trash bin.
I laugh whenever I think about the ridiculous message(s) on the box. Click here to read more.

Little Buddha: Curry of Champions

A friend came over with her baby to visit today, and we ordered curry from Little Buddha: she the red with chicken, I the green with beef. I scarfed mine down while my tired baby fussed in a bouncy seat, and she managed to eat hers while her son military crawled around my living room, eating my shoes, shredding my Shape magazine, and pulling over our fireplace wood on himself.

I don't think I'll ever order that red curry, because the green transports me to another world... a world of very spicy food unlike anything else in Stamford. All I needed today was a glass of white wine, or maybe a pale ale, to go with that... but maybe that would have transported me too far!

You can't go wrong with Little Buddha for delivery; our total was 19 bucks for lunch portions. We both would have liked more rice, but you know, us new moms are trying to fit back into our pants... so that's OK. Click here to read more.

Starbucks Really is Leaving Me

Today I was really, really tired. I got motivated to go to the grocery store with the idea that I could grab a latte at the Starbucks inside the Super Stop and Shop. After wrapping up in the dairy and frozen food, I headed back to the Starbucks near the produce and entrance. IT WAS GONE. The Starbucks was gone. The chairs and tables were there, but the coffee-making area was full of boxes. "I'm not going to freak out," I muttered to the baby. (It's a testament to my fatigue level that I didn't notice it when I was IN the produce area upon entering the store.)

I had heard that the Ridgeway Starbucks (on Summer St., right by LA Fitness and Old Navy) was closing, but the SSS closing was a shocker to me. On reflection, the SSS was much less busy that the Ridgeway one, so it makes sense. Still, that didn't help my tired and grumpy mood.

I guess we're left with High Ridge and Ferguson Library locations. Well, Starbucks, it was nice having you so close to me, but now that's over. First the Newfield, now this. We doubted that Stamford was a five Starbucks town, and we were right. There may be another Starbucks I'm forgetting, but the baby is fussing, so I gotta run! Click here to read more.

I'd Hammer Out a Love- Between- My Brothers and My Sisters- Aaaaall Over this Laaaaand!

I'm sad to hear about Mary Travers' death. I met her once and she was really kind. Cheers to her for making such inspiring music- and for marching for Civil Rights, which I didn't know.
Mary, of Peter Paul and Mary, passed away at Danbury Hospital; she'd been fighting leukemia the past few years. My condolences to her family and friends. Click here to read more.

To the West Coast and Back

Wow. Blogging again. Feels weird.

About my long absence: we took a trip to Seattle and California, and thought I'd have time to do some blogging there. Ha! On our second day in CA, both Baby Q (almost 6 months now!) and I got the flu. I got better in a day, but for Q, the next two weeks were composed of 4 doctor visits, 2 ER visits (with 2 bags of IV fluid), countless calls to doctors and lactation consultants, and a pound lost that we are still struggling to regain. We've been home for a few days and are lying low, trying to get back into our routine and make sure he is eating enough. This is the first morning I've had time to set him aside to play while I open my laptop!

On a positive note, Seattle was pretty darn cool, and so was CA (San Fran area). I got to to see my niece and nephews (2, 4 and 6) and they are each so special. My husband flew out after the second ER trip, and Q pretended like he was better, so we got to hit Napa briefly. Of course, the night my husband left, Q vomited 4 times. That was a week ago, and he's been fine since.

As usual, mad props to the lactation consultants at Stamford Hospital, specifically Ellen and Eva, who counseled me over the phone while I was away. They are such a valuable resource, and they are FREE, which is amazing. I highly recommend their Friday Mother's Group to all new moms, breastfeeding or not- I made such awesome friends through it and learned a lot. Click here to read more.