I needed to get a spray nozzle for our backyard at the beach so as to water the plants with some efficiency. I thought we had an outside spigot but we do not. We have a dryer vent, but no water comes out of it.

I was in the yard hosing down the plants, and realized that the nozzle I bought is WAY COOL. You know, for a hose nozzle. It has about 10 different spray settings, so I can reach the far plants and shower the near plants without moving from my spot or unnecessarily drowning any plant life less than 2 feet away from me. I was exceptionally excited about this hose nozzle.

Morag: “THIS NOZZLE IS SO GREAT! It’s the greatest thing I’ve ever purchased!”

Hubby (not as impressed as I was): “NOZZLE TOV!”

Morag: “Shut up.”

Hubby: “I am so awesome!”

And now, every now and again? I think “Nozzle tov!” and totally crack up. 

According to several email messages in my inbox, I am 30 weeks pregnant today. Most of them tell me I’m in for the long last 8-10 weeks of gain gain gain and big big big. Yeah, no shit.

Email message: “You may be a little clumsy lately, as well.”
Morag: “Yes. Also Sneezy and Tired.”
Hubby: “Yeah?”
Morag: “Yeah. I am many dwarves.”

I sat around and did nothing most of this afternoon. I read books, drank ice water, and enjoyed the breeze and the sun.

Heh. I just typed “sin.”

I am amazed that I have relocate to somewhere entirely separate to truly do nothing and just relax. But man is it worth it. 

I am having a very quiet day, and will attempt to write the Most Boring Blog Entry Ever.

1. It rained like damn last night, and our town fireworks were canceled, along with many other towns in Jersey. This means a LOT of explosions again this evening, if the rain holds off. And if there’s more rain? Explosions on Friday or Saturday night.

2. I’m going down to the beach tonight with the dog so that I can hang out by myself tomorrow. I hope I can get my own stuff done with the hours of quiet that I’ll have.

3. It’s so quiet I’m not sure what to do next. I did a lot of stuff this morning and I’m still worrying that I forgot something.

4. I think I forgot to prep something for dinner. Oops.

5. I’m doing well on the boring, huh?

6. I really think I have a limited number of words to use in a day, and I’ve used a lot of them on my other site.

7. For three days spent an hour away, there is a LOT to pack, given the list I’ve been making. Like, damn.

8. How much you want to bet that despite the best of intentions, I end up reading the novel I started this morning? Yeah, I bet I will, too.

9. Ok, I’ve been boring enough. I’m done here. 

What are your plans for the 4th? Since it’s a Wednesday, I’m doing as little as possible. I’m not going to any parades because parades make Hubby want to hurt himself, someone else, or both ("People standing around watching other people block traffic as they WALK BY? WHY IS THIS FUN?!"), and we won’t go to watch the fireworks because to get a reasonable viewing location you have to go sit at like 3pm. And I’m not that interested anyway because people have been setting off fireworks every night around me. It’s very noisy once the sun goes down.

Our Wednesday plans are probably to sleep in, have a big breakfast, and hang out with the wee dude. When he’s napping I might read a book, or cook something, or whatever. But I’m not planning on doing anything, since most everything will be crowded. Otherwise, I’m not planning a thing. Since I was up a lot last night, really all I want to do is sleep. 

Any time there’s a big holiday with lots of travel and symbolism, like July 4, there’s an increased presence of police in the face of an increased threat of terror. But with the attacks on the airport in Scotland and two cars filled with explosives that didn’t detonate successfully in London, all organized by what looks like the same crew, it’s more than just a possibility to my mind. I’m commuting to work and while there aren’t army national guardsmen and women fully armed on the platforms with me, I noticed a good number of NYPD on the street at the PABT.

I was already thinking about the possibility of an attack before I got to work today. After reading about the attack in Scotland, I asked myself what the plan is if there’s an attack on New York this week while I’m there, and if it should be any different since I’m big and roundly pregnant. Hubby and I checked with each other: the plan is the same. I stay put until it’s safe for me to get out or until someone can come to me. I stay in my office, or find a hotel, and stay put in a location where I know I have food and water. So there you have it. That’s our plan. I don’t run or head for the river to stand in a line of 4 million people waiting for a ferry. I stay where I am until it’s safe enough for me to move elsewhere.

But it strikes me this morning that having a plan in the first place is something that a part of me still isn’t accustomed to, that being aware and talking about what I would do when there’s another attack (When, not if. When.) is something that most people don’t have to do. Most of the time, folks in the US don’t think in terms of what they should do if there’s immediate and huge danger, if everyone around them is running scared, if there’s no clear path to safety and exit from the danger. This isn’t something that crosses people’s minds. I’m still not used to the fact that it crosses mine regularly, that the “Think about terrorism” part of my brain is like Broadway and 42nd street at lunchtime. Yet at the same time, I’m glad it does cross my mind at least once, because having a plan for the “what if” - or for the “what when” - makes me feel a tiny bit better.

MSNBC reporter Mika Brzezinski refuses to read a Paris Hilton story THREE SEPARATE TIMES as the lead story in the “Morning Joe” program. First she hands it off, then she tries to burn it, then she shreds it.

Oh man, I’ve watched it twice.  This lady makes my day. Hooray! Enough Paris Hilton! Hubby’s been talking about the Star-Ledger’s continual quest for Not News on the front page, and between the Star Ledger’s continual positioning of idiocy and fluff on the front page above the fold, and the nonstop Paris saturation, I’m about to toss our tv out in the yard and cancel our newspaper subscription.

Go watch. Enjoy. It’s just brilliant.