Mind dump

I suppose I could do several separate posts here, but none of this is really worthy of its own headline. So, here's some stuff, condensed to respect the fact that you have far better things to do right now than read about the tiny tidbits of my life:

• I don’t want to pat myself on the back here, but ... I’ve had more than one Coke in the last 80 years. So, you’re welcome Michael Phelps. Enjoy those golds. They’re on me.
Seriously, I am hooked on Olympic coverage, and not just because I’m dying to see a glimpse of my best friend’s hard work. It’s fun to get back to having pride in my country and my fellow countrymen. Go Team USA!

• Granted, in a non-Olympic year this would be far bigger news in my life, but still — FOOTBALL IS BACK!!! OK, so it’s just preseason and who really cares, but FOOTBALL IS BACK!! It’s back in the daily sports section, back in the Sportscenter roundup, and, very soon, back in my weekend routine. For anyone who cares (and I know many of you do), Penn State's first game is in 17 days. And counting.

• I’m at that awkward stage of early pregnancy when I don’t yet look “pregnant,” but I no longer look like myself. Well, I suppose I look like myself if I had a penchant for eating donuts. A lot of donuts. It’s horribly disconcerting for someone who’s used to having a (relatively) flat stomach, because most of my shirts no longer make me look normal. They make me look ridiculous, actually. They make me look like those chicks you see at Wal-Mart (or, really, everywhere these days) whose friends for some unknown reason never get the cojones to tell them that they should no longer be wearing small- (or even medium-) sized shirts, because that amount of fabric is just not cuttin’ it. I’m really not trying to be catty here ... I’m just sayin’ ... Bring on the baby bump! Let’s get this show on the road.

• Last, but certainly not least, it's 10 weeks into this pregnancy and I’ve finally figured out a way to quell the nausea: Gettin’ the Led out. Anyone who knows me knows I’m a Zeppelin freak, but honestly I haven’t listened to much Zep, beyond the random song that pops up from my iTunes shuffle, in quite some time. But three separate times now when I’ve been driving around, feeling as nauseated as ever, a Zep song (twice it was “Black Dog,” and once “Rock and Roll”) has come on the radio, and on instinct I’ve cranked it .... and felt instantly better. I mean, no nausea whatsoever, until several minutes after the song ended.
I need to dig up all my Zeppelin box sets, pronto. It’s about time the boy learned about the Rock Gods anyway....