Apparently someone (Penelope!) gave our fancy new camera a bonk and so it can't focus at certain distances. So I brought it back to the wonderful family-owned shop where I bought it (Chestnut Hill Camera Shop) and they sent the lens back to Nikon. So, it will get fixed and it will be covered under the warranty, but now in this incredibly scenic time of year, I have no camera and therefore no pictures to show you.

So a question instead: does anyone know how to make a link appear on the blog without actually typing out the whole url? (Kevin, I know you know how to do this because I've seen it on your blog). If I could do this, I could improve this blog tremendously!

I had an unexpected week off from work (just 4 hours in the office in the middle of a week of no call). It was so GREAT and has cemented my desire to try to cut back to 24 hours of work per week. Then I went back this week and my last night (of 3 in a row) was one of those nights where I got report on the SIX labor patients who were all confusingly similar (about 4 cms along, GBS positive, ugly strip) and just kind of stood there at a loss and finally said to the nurses "What room should I go into first and what should I do?" So much for my triage skills. Anyway, it quickly progressed (deteriorated?) into a situation where I felt that I was running from one disaster to the next. At 2:30 in the morning, the doc and I looked at each other and she said "Well the board is clear," and I said (with the whites of my eyes still showing, I'm sure), "But at what cost?" She's new too (even newer than me as she is just out of her residency). Anyway, I kind of fell into my bed and lay there twitching for about an hour before I could sleep. I kept thinking of the effects of adrenaline on the immune system and how long term, chronic exposure to adrenaline is quite to the human organism and how way back when I decided I wanted to be a midwife this was not really my vision of how my life would be. Somehow more tye-dye and friendship and belief in birth and less abject terror and fewer std's and less adrenaline.

So, this weekend I'm going to work on handmades for the holidays, Christmas cookies and hanging a pretty quilt in my dining room. I am also going to try to conquer my fear of the post office and get some packages mailed finally (sorry Christine).

Also, blogworthy news: I'm going to be an aunt...to a Niece! (Gosh that word looks weird--is that how it's really spelled?). I'm going to solicit name suggestions for the benefit of my brother and sister-in law (who haven't asked for help), just because I'm excited. So please feel free to post your girl Schwarz name in the comments section.

Off to take my beasts (the canine ones) for a romp.

Jessi