I’ve never felt particularly sorry for picky eaters. In truth they often confuse me. Being the kind of person who will happily eat almost anything I am served, I never understood being picky. Sure, there are a few things I don’t like… primarily licorice-flavored things and cheesecake (a dislike I could probably overcome, but refuse to. It’s so bad for you, why should I try it again only to find I now adore it?) But as much as I do really appreciate a nice expensive gourmet meal, I also have no problems with mac and cheese in a box, or boiled hotdogs in slices of bread instead of buns. Give me something I’ve never even heard of and I’m thrilled to try it. Give me something I used to dislike and I’ll gladly give it another chance (unless it’s cheesecake, of course). It seems incredibly weird to me that people might not like entire swaths of flavors like “mushrooms” or “onions” or “cheese.”

Being culinarily adventurous is part of my self image. So uh, what’s the deal with suddenly being a horribly picky eater? I mean, I know what the deal is. I have a proto-human growing inside me making hormones go haywire. But it never even occurred to me that I’d be a picky eater! I knew I’d have weird cravings (actually, to be completely honest, I thought I’d be getting a well balanced diet with every possible nutrient I’d need and I wouldn’t have much in the way of cravings). I didn’t think I’d develop incredibly strong dislikes for totally normal things like chicken, or inexplicably positive feelings towards potatoes.

But here I sit, with a bowl full of spanish rice and sausage (quite the experience 3 days ago!), wishing it were spaghetti with olive oil and garlic. And I’m beginning to understand and sympathize with those people who just plain old don’t like something.

And yes, I still want avocados and sardines on toast.

I don’t even LIKE liver! Whyyyyy would I want liver and onions? It’s got to be because I know I can’t eat liver right now and my body has decided that means it must be the best thing evar! Just like I should be eating chicken and can therefore not abide it.

On the plus side, saltines are sorta almost starting to help my stomach and I’ve figured out a pretty tasty ginger tea (hint: an entire bottle of honey). And I’m finally beginning to feel excited instead of just overwhelmed and exhausted and sick all the time! Maybe the second trimester will hit as hard as the first did, and in a month or two I’ll be on top of everything! That will be so awesome :).

Who knew it was possible to be both so nauseated and so hungry at the same time?

This is what used to be the door marked “do not open”

I think this pair of signs I saw in the basement of the physics building speak for themselves.

Despite my drooping eyelids, I’m staying up for as much of the first presidential election of 2012 as I can. It’s not like I don’t know how I’m planning to vote, but I’m still looking forward to seeing a man I deeply respect fence with a man who rather frightens me. I want my children to grow up in a world where they feel safe.

Here we go!

I am beginning to wonder if that serenity which exemplifies the happy pregnant woman is, in reality, a simple matter of being too tired to kick up much of a fuss about anything.

Franklin has started thinking I’m angry far more often than I am actually angry. My fuse might be a tiny bit shorter than normal. But I know that lack of sleep and not feeling well are both things that shorten my fuse, and I have both in abundance right now. I think that the joy and excitement equalize the nausea and exhaustion, though. I don’t feel particularly angry. Or anything but tired now that I think of it.

I think he’s misinterpreting because he just isn’t used to low-energy beth. Everything I say sounds sullen in comparison to my normal self. Not sullen, mind, only sullen in comparison to my usual effusiveness.

Speaking of sleepy. Time to go to bed! I am starting to tire of all these miscarriage nightmares though. Do those o away in the second trimester too, or do he just get replaced with some new thing? I can’t wait to find out.

So, about 2 months ago, I quit my highly stressful, highly social, cube farm job and got a job at a university, where I have my own office and responsibilities that last for months rather than minutes or at most days. I’m way less stressed, but a little more lonely. At my new job, my department is split across something like 6 buildings while our new building is being built. It should be done by December. In the mean time, I am spending a fair amount of time in the basement of the engineering building, which is apparently very old. And full of things that were too expensive or cumbersome to throw away. I am also occasionally in the chemistry building, which has the same issues. So today I’ve decided to begin a new series: Weird Shit I Found At Work. I’m going to start slow with a picture of an old water fountain:

This thing still dispenses clear liquid. I am not sure if you could pay me enough to drink it, although I saw a guy filling his water bottle at it. I think it looks like a baby urinal.