tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42525188572293845132024-02-07T22:05:50.072-05:00Paul and Dana's BlogPaul and Dana Gillin's wedding, marriage, life, love, coming twin girls.Dana Gillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04195461286144687900noreply@blogger.comBlogger175125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4252518857229384513.post-29784535051216269652011-12-16T18:26:00.001-05:002011-12-16T18:26:29.377-05:00Merry Merry Merry Christmas from the Gillins!<div class="sflyProductPreviewWidget" style="width:425px; height:494px;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetTop" style="height:6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/top.gif);"></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetCenter" style="height:482px; padding: 0 6px 0 6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/bg.gif); background-repeat:repeat-y;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewLogo" style="width: 105px; height: 34px; padding: 14px 0 0 14px;"><img src="http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/logo.gif" style="padding: 0; background: #ffffff; border: none; box-shadow: none;"></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewContainer" style="height:350px; text-align:center; padding: 0;"><a href="http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=1ActXDRi4ZNHGQ&cid=SFLYOCWIDGET&eid=118"><img src="http://images-community.shutterfly.com/prs/v1/1ActXDRi4ZNP/1ActXDRi4ZNPcW/p/67b0de21b3127d902548/JPEG/1324077931000/0/" style="padding: 0; background: #ffffff; border: none; box-shadow: none;"></a></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewMessageContainer" style="height:55px; background-color:#f4f4e9; text-align:center; padding: 15px 0 15px 0; line-height: 19px;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewTitle" style="font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 15px; color: #333333; font-weight: bold;"><span>Photo Card</span></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewViewCollection" style="font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 13px; color: #333333;"><span>View the entire <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery" style="color: #6666cc;">collection</a> of cards.</span></div></div></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetBottom" style="height:6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/bottom.gif);"></div></div>Dana Gillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04195461286144687900noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4252518857229384513.post-50181626976247028382011-09-14T15:56:00.002-04:002011-09-14T16:07:23.296-04:00Plumber-toryBy Paul<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtNr8amol1NHYaBp1kO-pG4phzYuLoc1NI7A6vQ2wnA692CRCwLnNhcLD7l21ZZi-9KjdGHCFGHXyWZc366RVFGClK-k2g6XjTwz7tmzk-WtLmNRxIF47VFvfsTh5pJpkJFAxrdA3F_A/s1600/Jotul_stove.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 238px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtNr8amol1NHYaBp1kO-pG4phzYuLoc1NI7A6vQ2wnA692CRCwLnNhcLD7l21ZZi-9KjdGHCFGHXyWZc366RVFGClK-k2g6XjTwz7tmzk-WtLmNRxIF47VFvfsTh5pJpkJFAxrdA3F_A/s400/Jotul_stove.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652309286653019154" /></a><br /><div>Want a nice Jotul gas stove?<p></p><p>We have one, but we may not need it. Our contractor has stopped responding to our phone calls and there's a hole in the (physical) wall where the project hit a (figurative) brick wall two weeks ago. Our dilemma illustrates an all-too-typical experience homeowners often confront when dealing with contractors who are good craftsmen but lousy businessmen. And this one took us completely by surprise. </p><p>Our contractor for this job was a plumber who has done several projects for us in the past. In every case, he has been prompt, responsible and reasonable with his fees. We'd been looking forward to enjoying the warmth of our new gas stove for a year, and finally had the wherewithal to purchase and install it. We called up Jeff and he cheerfully agreed to the job. </p><p>That's when Jeff became the plumber from hell.</p><h3>AWOL</h3><p>The week before the Aug. 7 start date, we called Jeff to confirm that all systems were go. Days passed without a response. The installation date came and went and no Jeff. When I was able to reach him directly a few days later, Jeff explained that his stepmother had died suddenly and he had been called to help out his dad. We couldn't understand why he couldn't also place a one-minute phone call to notify us, but Jeff had always been reliable in the past, so we let that detail go. We rescheduled for Aug. 17.</p><p>That day also came and went with no sign of Jeff. Two calls went unanswered. When I was able to reach him again, the explanation was bizarre. A bee sting had landed him in the hospital and he had been recovering for several days, he said. This time I asked the question outright: "Was it too much trouble to make a quick call to tell us?" Jeff had to admit that no, it wasn't. I read him the riot act: "Three strikes and you're out, Jeff," I said. We rescheduled for the Friday before Labor Day weekend.</p><p>This time Jeff showed up, two hours late, carrying a couple of hundred dollars worth of piping and towing Eric the carpenter. When they opened up the wall to cut a hole for the flue vent, a groan went up. A huge support beam blocked their way. There was no way to go around it and still meet fire codes, and nowhere else to put the stove. </p><p>We debated alternatives that afternoon and during a return visit from Jeff over the weekend. Bypassing the support beam would require opening up the whole wall and probably a day or more of labor on top of a couple of hundred dollars in materials. It would more than double the installation cost, and I wasn't comfortable with messing with support beams in the first place. </p><h3>Out the Window</h3><p>That's when we hit on the window idea. Move the stove four feet to the left, take out a large window and replace it with a smaller one. Build up the wall a couple of feet and vent through the wall. It was quicker, cheaper and didn't mess with the support beam. "Let's do it," Jeff said. He promised to pull some numbers together and call me in a day or two. </p><p>That was 10 days ago. Our calls are again going unreturned, Jeff has vanished and the stove sits in the family room staring at us like a cast-iron Cyclops. The flue pipe parts Jeff bought sit in a corner and one of his ladders is propped against a wall in the basement. We wonder if he'll simply walk away from the money he spent on the stuff so he doesn't have to confront us directly.</p><p>Three strikes, Jeff. </p><p>If only this was the exception, but it's more like the rule. So many contractors are good at fixing and installing things, but terrible at the nuances of running a business. They can sweat a pipe but not meet a deadline. I once had a plumber gave me a quote on a washer/dryer install, get the job and never be heard from again. I tried to dial up a general contractor who had done some jobs for us in the past and discovered his phone was disconnected. A Google search revealed that there's a warrant out for his arrest. </p><p>I've often wondered why the contractor market bifurcates into two business types. You have the very large general contracting firms and the small mom-and-pop outfits but very little in between. I think what makes these big businesses so big is that they know how to run a business. The sole practitioners never scale up because they can't meet commitments.</p><p>Price is one of my least important criteria in choosing a contractor. I want someone who'll give me an accurate estimate, show up on time and finish the job on schedule. Unfortunately, many tradesmen find these expectations far too demanding. I thought Jeff was different from the rest. Turns out he's just like all the others.</p></div></div>Paul Gillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11735777846134752755noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4252518857229384513.post-71328109491212235212011-03-04T16:55:00.004-05:002011-03-04T17:02:50.254-05:00Crib #2, baby-approved!Today, Jannine sent me some great news -- Crib #2 is all done!!! She also emailed me pix of it, which substitutes the cherry for red oak and switches the walnut for the cherry/red oak in the pattern, compared to Crib #1. Take a gander at its beauty!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6rZ9CI_57ecvEjSDh1dj0dePh2BpKx3fzF2TokBLEXAuzj0Lbfn5ZKHa7STXWvbz_Lm7ou7_tyONMVkIPk4ehdBg2HoC9UkcRBlOEUOhyphenhyphenGhC2LP-Q3YL0b6qLNO_KSrlgpCXUmQvzIUF/s1600/Crib+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6rZ9CI_57ecvEjSDh1dj0dePh2BpKx3fzF2TokBLEXAuzj0Lbfn5ZKHa7STXWvbz_Lm7ou7_tyONMVkIPk4ehdBg2HoC9UkcRBlOEUOhyphenhyphenGhC2LP-Q3YL0b6qLNO_KSrlgpCXUmQvzIUF/s400/Crib+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580347149260266834" /></a><br /><br />It just so happens that my parents had some friends over, who have recently adopted an adorable baby boy named Nouraiz. So, of course, the baby had to check the crib out to make sure it held up to baby expectations!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGoUw9YT9lP85HPGmWkPoHGSC3XiNbr-bSjnOAmWLwxZ3k7WqGzWqsglco2BWYeYxJIgJdaspZTYzLBS8mlRlLVdSTe-CGPF_oWx35DtUgPii6RUiw8hky2N3FhoNJKog5dZbkpDgukAsl/s1600/Nouraiz+thinks+this+is+great.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGoUw9YT9lP85HPGmWkPoHGSC3XiNbr-bSjnOAmWLwxZ3k7WqGzWqsglco2BWYeYxJIgJdaspZTYzLBS8mlRlLVdSTe-CGPF_oWx35DtUgPii6RUiw8hky2N3FhoNJKog5dZbkpDgukAsl/s400/Nouraiz+thinks+this+is+great.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580347157630112994" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDXqOA7YbTP_dbNIQARS3HxNawbP7ARgjhEKn_e3HQts94_fJtV3aCvf1jZFXyKHEVcsQuGRmgrht0D-2HvVznmdkXVG8RQwPHTEUyc9y5u7EXWTMHkx5WyWXPWlq6NJl3EL-C4uu28sD/s1600/Nouraiz+checks+the+finish.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDXqOA7YbTP_dbNIQARS3HxNawbP7ARgjhEKn_e3HQts94_fJtV3aCvf1jZFXyKHEVcsQuGRmgrht0D-2HvVznmdkXVG8RQwPHTEUyc9y5u7EXWTMHkx5WyWXPWlq6NJl3EL-C4uu28sD/s400/Nouraiz+checks+the+finish.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580347154044744354" /></a><br /><br />(Don't tell him there's a bear on his bum!)<br /><br />The cribs will both arrive on Monday, delivered in person by my parents. They live 6 hours away, so this is nothing to sneeze at, but the cribs will be safe and they'll teach us how to set them up and move them properly. It'll be a good visit, but short, as my parents have to get home again to do all the things they've left undone in the several months they've been working their tails off making the cribs. They'll be back shortly after the babies are born to help out.Dana Gillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04195461286144687900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4252518857229384513.post-86379115113771039712011-03-04T16:49:00.003-05:002011-03-04T16:54:57.225-05:00Weights of girls at 34 weeksWe went to the perinatologist yesterday (at 34 weeks gestation) and got the usual once-a-month ultrasound, which measures key parts of each baby. We find out every visit here how much they weigh.<br /><br />So this week, Lillian weighs 4 lbs., 2 oz. And Blair weighs 4 lbs., 6 oz. They are each compared to the singleton growth chart (there isn't really one for twins, which grow just a little slower than singletons), so they matched up at 18% and 21%, respectively. That may sound like they're totally small for their gestation and -- OMG -- what can be done?! But in fact anything over 10% is considered normal. If they were compared to other twins, they'd be closer to about 30%, so still small, but not AS small. <br /><br />We didn't get any pictures to share, because both Lillian and Blair, who is usually a ham for the ultrasound pictures, had their heads turned away yesterday. But the weight was something interesting to learn about.<br /><br />We have another appointment in 2 weeks, if I haven't delivered them yet, and that will probably be our last perinatologist appointment.Dana Gillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04195461286144687900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4252518857229384513.post-62315923605512383442011-03-01T17:31:00.003-05:002011-03-01T18:04:56.199-05:00Crib #1Jannine sent me a picture last night of crib #1. It's GORGEOUS!! Crib #2 will be the same idea, just a slightly different pattern with the 3 woods. Crib #1 woods are walnut (dark), cherry (reddish), and maple. Crib #2 will be constructed of walnut, red oak, and maple. The walnut is from a supply from Jannine's dad, my Grandpa, who has been gone from us for about 11 years now. So that's kinda special. My Grandpa and Dad are both, obviously, woodworkers. <br /><br />Dad and Jannine made both of them by hand and we couldn't be more grateful. They are truly made with love (not to mention time, patience, talent, etc.). The cribs both convert to toddler beds (with three sides) and then to double beds, so the girls will be able to use them for years to come. We couldn't be more excited to welcome these particular pieces into our home. Truly beautiful heirlooms in the making!<br /><br />Dad and Jannine will be coming this Sunday to deliver the cribs.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaTDQjaj0Sze0y3mc50_Vk6cvY5I63-XHsF4SXhe-TOfICcMrYGvBTT3YwYhiEAnzFBJgqGRgzuR95B9Pg6IViP2R-AMQw1F5QXtTaLxE700TOTvu9OgxEf1ys4mmZ2JVzbmZO49Mof1la/s1600/crib1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaTDQjaj0Sze0y3mc50_Vk6cvY5I63-XHsF4SXhe-TOfICcMrYGvBTT3YwYhiEAnzFBJgqGRgzuR95B9Pg6IViP2R-AMQw1F5QXtTaLxE700TOTvu9OgxEf1ys4mmZ2JVzbmZO49Mof1la/s400/crib1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579250874380416498" /></a>Dana Gillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04195461286144687900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4252518857229384513.post-16370653851511414572011-02-28T18:09:00.004-05:002011-02-28T18:47:17.517-05:00Totally ready to meet our girlsI'm 33w4d today and it's getting more and more "uncomfortable" (read: sometimes painful) to carry multiples. I still LOVE my big belly and I love feeling Lillian and Blair kick around in there, but there's almost no non-baby room left and sometimes their kicks aren't so much towards my belly as towards my ribs. Today, for instance, I've been on my laptop checking email and sitting slouched in my comfy chair. Well, the only place Lillian's feet fit anymore is right up in the right side of my rib cage. So there's this constant pressure there. Sometimes I push against her feet when they're lodged there, but I know there's really nowhere else for her to put them, so it's kind of futile.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUHzSl23N9sqIHbIbItdvE-s2Lcyd3qHm_Zcr_EiS-0uwoPtrkqMrn_Ze4wGwnri9Rt0K0gryFSv9J8PTRD-CVNKLeIYfnnxgy-fVCrngavaEhsfkZfo9y8DQ_XYkq7tqm2avP5lWzHcD/s1600/ChiccoPlayard.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUHzSl23N9sqIHbIbItdvE-s2Lcyd3qHm_Zcr_EiS-0uwoPtrkqMrn_Ze4wGwnri9Rt0K0gryFSv9J8PTRD-CVNKLeIYfnnxgy-fVCrngavaEhsfkZfo9y8DQ_XYkq7tqm2avP5lWzHcD/s320/ChiccoPlayard.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578883532275722786" /></a><br />The nursery is coming together slowly, as I can only do a bit each day before my back or my pelvis starts to hurt. But I have assembled (and played with) the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chicco-4-1-Lullaby-Playard/dp/B001VDYARY/ref=br_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3S0N9F8FD3LH4&colid=1QEL9PGXPYYTY">Chicco playard</a>, so I know where all the connectors/parts of the bassinet and changing table and activity arch go. It's really a marvel of engineering! There's even a corner unit that provides a night light, vibrations and music (with volume control!).<br /><br />Over the course of a few days, I even decorated a trash can for the nursery with bunnies and little carrots on it. Paul and I also got curtains for that room and he put them up this past weekend, so that's all set. We just need a rug for the nursery and we'll be set. That and the cribs, which are arriving with my parents on Sunday. We simply cannot wait to see them!! All the love and hard work and looooooong hours that went into them will be appreciated every day the babies are in those cribs and afterward, when we convert the cribs to toddler and twin beds.<br /><br />We have our now-weekly OB/midwife meeting tomorrow. And on Thursday we have another ultrasound with our perinatologist, when we see the girls again and find out how much they weigh now. We'll keep you posted. 4 weeks ago (when I was 30w pregnant), Lillian weighed 2 lb 13 oz and Blair weighed 3 lbs even.Dana Gillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04195461286144687900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4252518857229384513.post-60837132751258517312011-01-19T15:24:00.005-05:002011-01-19T16:27:46.428-05:0050/50 bedrestMy midwife, who works with my OB, gave me the thumbs up last week to go 50/50 on bedrest. That is, 50% of the time I'm awake, I'm allowed upright; the other half, I should be reclined. While this freedom definitely does my mindset good, the fact of the matter is that if I'm upright for half of my day, my back kills me. <br /><br />But it's all a matter of degrees. I guess I was on some kind of self-imposed bedrest before my late-December hospital stay anyway, because of the back pain.<br /><br />Paul picked up (with 2 nice coupons) our crib bedding sets the other night from Babies R Us (BRU). Now all the things we've gotten for gifts and picked up ourselves are just in the packaging in a spare room. Starting next Monday, we're getting the floors redone on the 2nd floor in the back section of our house (including the back room, which is the nursery). It'll look FANTASTIC when it's done (hopefully it won't take more than a week), but in the meantime, we can't set up any part of the nursery. It's an empty room with gorgeously painted light-mint-green walls (thanks to Paul, who painted the majority of the 2nd floor in November and December).<br /><br />I can't wait to get in there and set things up. We have the changing table from Craigslist.org, a glider/ottoman from BRU, 2 cribs coming from my parents (my Dad is making them!), so the furniture is set. Check out this pic of the crib slats so far (mock assembly):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQNWMEcFM3KXDW7GY9BNq_Bz0IXisDfsylwRfNyhgwiirBEL3Xmy8jj8dAGOhXFiNE__m4anehoYfNe9BJAPF6T7X3jw3vNDj1CV612HPYEH5Eh8hO4TcSAAvvFqrygrnMYUKL1DtWFPD/s1600/crib.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQNWMEcFM3KXDW7GY9BNq_Bz0IXisDfsylwRfNyhgwiirBEL3Xmy8jj8dAGOhXFiNE__m4anehoYfNe9BJAPF6T7X3jw3vNDj1CV612HPYEH5Eh8hO4TcSAAvvFqrygrnMYUKL1DtWFPD/s320/crib.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563999358128461458" /></a><br /><br />I can't believe how shiny that wood got with just tung oil! My dad did lots of research to make sure that both the wood and the finish he used would be safe for babies (especially when they teeth and could possibly chew on the rails, etc.).<br /><br />I finally put the ultrasound pix (which have been on Facebook as I get more pix of our girls) and my belly pix on Flickr. Take a gander:<br /><br /><p align=center><object width="400" height="300"> <param name="flashvars" value="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2F27561454%40N04%2Fsets%2F72157625862556260%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2F27561454%40N04%2Fsets%2F72157625862556260%2F&set_id=72157625862556260&jump_to="></param> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2F27561454%40N04%2Fsets%2F72157625862556260%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2F27561454%40N04%2Fsets%2F72157625862556260%2F&set_id=72157625862556260&jump_to=" width="400" height="300"></embed></object></p>Dana Gillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04195461286144687900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4252518857229384513.post-89099387796091782852010-12-29T16:05:00.004-05:002010-12-29T16:18:56.392-05:00Girls' HeartbeatsOne of the great things about having four non-stress tests for the girls in the span on 26 hours in the hospital is that we got to hear their heartbeats a lot -- something that never gets old. This is true especially when the steady, just-the-right-tempo tells you that despite being in the hospital and worrying sick about them, they're doing just fine. <br /><br />Paul even got to fall asleep to the sound of their heartbeats on Monday night, as he slept in the 2nd bed in our hospital room. I, however, couldn't move during the tests (the monitors are precariously positioned and would slip off the area of my tummy right above each girl's heart if I moved), so I just lay there enthralled at my girls' sounds. <br /><br /><a href="http://paulanddana.com/audio/twins_heartbeats_12-28-10.mp3">Here is the recording I took on one of the Tuesday afternoon tests.</a> The loud thumps are the girls (mainly Lillian) kicking the monitors. They're both pretty good kickers, but Lillian is definitely the more riley of the two so far.<br /><br />Their hearts are pretty much in synch, except when they're not and it sounds like cacophony! But one suggestion of comparison is racing hoofbeats. I like that one. What do you think it sounds like?Dana Gillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04195461286144687900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4252518857229384513.post-37370172304274831252010-12-28T09:38:00.002-05:002010-12-28T10:29:14.804-05:00The Changing Meaning of “High-Risk Pregnancy"<span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />24w5d pregnant<br />Framingham Hospital, Post-Partum room 357<br />Belly circumference: 42”</span><br /><br />Until yesterday, our high-risk pregnancy meant that we got another doctor, twice the amount of doctor visits, and ultrasounds out the wazoo (7w, 12w, 19w, 23w so far.) Now it means something completely different. It's seemed a bit strange being in post-partum with no babies to show for it. The all-to-real possibility of having babies born way too early (each girl stands about a 50% chance of survival at this rate, according to several sources) at not even 25 weeks hit yesterday like we drove our car into a brick wall. <br /><br />I suppose I got up about noonish and Paul brought me cereal for breakfast. I hunkered down in my comfy chair on the 3rd floor to watch some TV... all a normal day for me. I was contemplating having Paul bring the laundry baskets down to the basement for me so that I could get something productive done during the day, maybe wrap some of those presents I didn't get to before Christmas for people who won't show up for a week or two anyway. I had plans, albeit calm ones. My typical day lately (except for the Christmas rush when I was going to stores to shop a bit until my back hurt).<br /><br />About 3:00 p.m. I went to the bathroom and found that I was bleeding quite a lot. I know it looks like a lot more in the toilet, but it was real blood and definitely a flow and a few clots. All the info I have says call your doctor if you see anything bright red or clots at all, so first I texted Paul, who was on his afternoon walk with Jacoby. I asked him – do I contact the old OB I'm transferring from or the new OB, with whose midwife I have my first appointment this Thursday. He said call them both, see who picks up. He was afraid they wouldn't be working normal hours because it was, in effect, Christmas Monday. Turns out my new OB, Dr. Jacobsen, called me back in less than 3 minutes and said I need to be checked out, so go right away to the ER and they'll be expecting me and send me up to Labor & Delivery. He said he'll see me soon. I was ready to go by the time Paul got home from his walk, so he drove me over, and dropped me off at the ER door to then go park the car.<br /><br />Of course, the ER is never an immediate gratification type of place. I was about 3rd in line. Paul parked quickly and probably almost ran into the waiting room with me. I was shaking at this point from panic about what could be wrong with the babies. I had left the house thinking I wouldn't be back for several days. I pleaded with him to help me (he was a bit calmer than I was at this point) and asked him to get me in right away. Then I saw that the woman checking people into the ER was Dianne, a woman from my movie meetup who is actually a lot of fun to be around. If I ever knew she worked in the hospital, I had forgotten (I ask almost everyone in the group when I meet them what they do for a living, to break the ice) and was so happy to see a familiar face in such a scary situation. I told Paul, “See if her name tag says Dianne. She's a member of my group.” I didn't know if the woman looked like her or was actually her. So he says yeah, that's her. And I go up to the doorway of the room and pop my head in and say, “Dianne, it's me, Dana. I need to get in right away to Labor & Delivery. They're expecting me.” She goes, “Oh, Dana! Come with me right away!” and whisks Paul and I in the back, down a short hallway and puts me on a gurney and gets us a nurse, who wheels me right up to L&D. The whole thing happened very quickly, but I kind of felt like Dianne working here, at this exact time, was one of those things you tell yourself is coincidence if there's not a higher being in charge of things.<br /><br />I don't really believe that God is manipulating us like pieces on a gameboard. I don't think he arranges our day for better or for worse. But I certainly felt something yesterday when Dianne was the one help us out at the desk and get us back and quickly wheeled up. Call it coincidence if you want to. I choose not to.<br /><br />At any rate, when we got up to L&D and they found a room for me, Paul in tow carrying my winter coat, scarf, sweatshirt, purse and just as scared as I was, the resident OB, a very kind and gentle woman named Dr. Hernandez, and a very wonderful and calm nurse whose name I got in the beginning but was too panicked to remember, began right away to hook me up to some baby monitors so that they could run a non-stress test on me (ironic naming, considering I couldn't have been more stressed!) and the 2 baby girls. After some maneuvering of the sensors, normally meant for bigger babies, and some repositioning because both babies were kicking and moving around, they got both girls on and both seemed just fine. Heartbeats generally in the 140-155 region and as steady as you can expect with wonky monitors on them.<br /><br />The atmosphere in the room was very calm, which helped Paul and me settle down a bit. I met Dr. Jacobsen shortly thereafter, or so it seemed, and it turns out he's super nice, funny, and easy-going. You can tell the man smiles a lot in his life. I had a speculum internal exam by Dr. Hernandez with Dr. Jacobsen peering in (all looked fine, I had stopped bleeding probably a few minutes after I got to the hospital), and then Dr. J did an internal manual exam that didn't hurt nearly as bad as he warned it could if I tensed up (I was sure not to!). He found my cervix to be tight, long and closed. All signs that are wonderful news. If pre-term labor had started, it would be thinning, shorter and starting to open. Just in case, though, he ordered a 2-shot, 24-hour-apart regimen on steroids to mature the babies' lungs so that if they were delivered in the next day or two, they'd have a fighting chance. I asked what would happen with the drug if the babies stayed put? Nothing bad. The drug would still take effect, but they'd just have a jump start on their lungs. <br /><br />He also said that he'd want to keep me in the hospital overnight, until the next shot on Tuesday (today) at 5:00 p.m. The nurse later said that in the morning they may decide to send me home and then come back again for the shot.<br /><br />Dr. J said I'm on “modified bed rest” for at least a few weeks, which means I can get up to go to the bathroom, but nothing else. I wasn't allowed to shower yesterday (too bad I didn't sneak one in before all this started yesterday afternoon, as one of the lovely side effects of this pregnancy for me is that the lush hair the other women claim during gestation just has manifested itself as oily hair after about 12 hours for me. Lots of ponytails lately!). I had to stay in bed. I'll ask about showering today when Dr. J stops by this morning at some point.<br /><br />Paul asked about his trip to Florida next week, which is a belated trip for Alice's high school graduation. He's planning on leaving on Saturday the 1st, at which time my parents are coming up to help me, feed me, walk Jacoby, do whatever I need to get ready for the baby shower weekend, which is the next weekend. Paul was planning on returning from Florida on Thursday, but that may be bumped up a bit now. Then my mom's coming in Friday afternoon (the 7th) and will be staying for a few days into the next week to help me organize things like wash baby clothes, etc. We were going to shop for baby stuff, but that's out now. Thank goodness for online shopping, which may be my option now. At any rate, the doc kind of said, “Let's see how things pan out tomorrow.” That is, if the bleeding returns, maybe not such a great idea. He offered to write letters to get out of reservations, etc.<br /><br />Paul and I talked today a bit about it and realized that as long as he gets Alice and her friend down there and checked in, he could come back like the next day or in two days and just tell them to ride the Disney buses to where they wanted to go. He would have served as chauffeur, but there are other options for their transport. I'd rather have him home than not now that something's happened, but we'll see what the doctor advises. At least I'll have all the help I'll need with Dad and Jannine coming up in Paul's stead.<br /><br />The doc said that if I “behave” (I said it's the babies who have to behave!), this bed rest could get more lenient in the next few weeks, but he'd keep an eye on things and let me know. I think I'll probably have more appointments with him and his midwife than maybe normally, but that's not a bad thing.<br /><br />I asked him, naturally, about the baby shower. I said it could just be a matter of me driving to the restaurant and sitting there for a while. He said that should be okay.<br /><br />The nurse, in a calm moment, told me that they wouldn't necessarily be able to explain why this happened. They'd look, but sometimes there's no structural reason it happens. It appears that this unexplained bleeding is what I had.<br /><br />She took blood, gave me the steroid shot in the arm (intramuscular – yay), and took a urine sample. All routine tests. So far, everything's come back okay, including the tests the docs performed. It's good to know they have a system in place for this scenario, that they know the routine even if I don't, that no one's panicking about anything. That's reassuring.<br /><br />A bit into the evening, I got moved to a post-partum room, when it was apparent I wasn't going to be delivering these babies in the very near future. It's a double room with no roommate, so Paul slept on the other bed last night. He keeps running home (2 blocks away from the hospital) to walk the dog, get food for us, bring me more things. I just left with my purse yesterday, which I had packed with phone and charger and iPod and charger, but that's it. He's been trying to make me more comfortable (and less bored, as it's totally boring here without anything to do). He brought a few movies, one of which we watched last night (<span style="font-style:italic;">Flash of Genius</span> with Greg Kinnear), my laptop (hospital WiFi!), stuff for a shower, should I be allowed to do that today.<br /><br />I've been keeping all my parents up to date on what's going on. Jannine apparently flew down the stairs to Dad, who was in the basement working on the 1st crib, in a panic last night when I had time to call them. She goes, “Dana's in the hospital!” and they both sounded pretty freaked out. I had to tell them everything seemed okay so far and they seemed to calm down a bit for the story. <br /><br />Mom listened calmly after I told her it all seemed to be okay so far. We all wish there was an explanation, but maybe no explanation means no real problem, too, so even that's not bad news.<br /><br />I'm so glad I got to get through Christmas on my own two feet. I got to buy Paul's gift, we got to go to church on Christmas Eve, we got to celebrate Christmas Day like we normally do – a nice breakfast, present-opening, then a low-key day with a great dinner. True, I had a migraine most of the day, but that mostly meant that I lay on the couch (with Jacoby – that was cool!) by the Christmas tree and napped on and off while Paul did some house work that needs to be done. He feels crunch time now with only a week (as of Christmas) to get the projects done for the shower weekend. My dad will help with anything he can't get done.<br /><br />I'm amazed every day how much Paul has gotten accomplished the last few months. It seems like his baby-planning isn't taking the form of buying things for the babies, and planning what we need, strategies for twin baby care, etc., like mine is, but rather he's nesting in a way that I can't – home improvement. I wish I could help with painting, and holding doors for him as he installs them and fixing up the 2nd floor bathroom (which has been transformed from something barely useable to something I'm actually proud of, baring the new floors we'll get done in late January). He's been completely busy from morning to night each weekend since early October fixing up the house. For our baby shower weekend (less than 2 weeks away!), when 3 of the rooms on the 2nd floor will be occupied by Jannine and Dad, Mom, and Sara (my sister-in-law) and little Reed. For our babies, who won't tolerate too well Daddy drilling the holes for the closet door in their room or down the hall or paint fumes.<br /><br />Oh, some good news: My back won't hurt at all if I'm not allowed to walk anywhere! Looking for silver linings here.<br /><br />Something nice about being in Post-Partum: It's comforting and wonderful to hear a baby cry down the hall. These rooms are surprisingly sound-proof. Or maybe it's just that there's no one next door to us. But Paul left the door open when he left to walk the dog and to shower this morning and I can finally hear a baby down the hall doing what babies do.<br /><br />All the pain and discomfort of being pregnant with twins is made up each time I feel one of them kick. But I know that that joy is about 1% of what I'll feel when I finally get to hold Lillian and Blair and see Paul hold them, too. I think that's when the magic will hit. For all the trauma of delivery, the possible months of bed rest, the scary situation yesterday, the three and a half years of trying to make our babies, if we finally get to hold two healthy daughters, then it'll all be worth it.<br /><br />--------------------- <br /><br />Dr. J just came in to talk to me. He had looked at my non-stress tests and said everything looks great, that he was really happy the bleeding stopped on its own yesterday, that it tends to happen again if it happens once (but not always). He said I should be on bed rest (with bathroom and shower breaks) until 32 weeks (7 weeks from now), then as the babies get more viable, I can do more things. He said at 36 or 38 weeks I can go play basketball if I wanted to. :-) At that point they try to make labor start on its own, so anything “risky” now would be welcome then. He also said I should keep all my doctors' appointments, including Garian, our chiropractor.<br /><br />He was in no rush with me. He commented that he liked Paul, that he seems like a fun guy. I had to agree, of course! Paul is a fun guy! I told him how much he's been helping me out. About showers/bathing, the doc said they're good for me, that standing for 20 minutes wouldn't hurt, but I may be more comfortable with a shower chair (which, incidentally, we have because it came with the house and our steam shower) or having Paul help me in the bath. Both are good ideas. :-)<br /><br />He vetoed sex, because it seems that any messing with my cervix makes it angry, even though nothing really bothered it yesterday. We kinda figured on that veto. He said it's time to get creative. I'm all for that! :-)<br /><br />Dr. J is obviously a very personable guy! He commented on what a nice room I had, what a great view over the lake, which is beautiful with newly fallen snow.<br /><br />He also said I should stay here until my shot at 5:00 this evening. Which I prefer, actually, because going home and coming back seems not exactly like bed rest to me.<br /><br />So here I am, with Paul, in this nice room for the day. With nurses to come give us whatever we want. They really are wonderful here.Dana Gillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04195461286144687900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4252518857229384513.post-11359293730472676632010-12-06T20:09:00.004-05:002010-12-06T20:20:50.839-05:00It's 2 girls!We found out 2 1/2 weeks ago, at our 19-week ultrasound, that we're having 2 girls! We couldn't be more excited, and I'm already picturing at least a decade of pinks and purples. Here is a picture a piece of our little angels:<br /><br /><p align=center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho4OpuvWuO20zyzt5nNW-qOlABRvOGhUYCUPGxiqvXkUjtdoInjo9Ik30pBqgRvwc0agQb0bxT9BwBo-ylGKuUn8dQB46riXEmMcCWeczcxr12fKGr74waNqUUifkbGMS2Z9hqYRzPqMQ6/s1600/19w+-+Baby+Girl+B.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 244px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho4OpuvWuO20zyzt5nNW-qOlABRvOGhUYCUPGxiqvXkUjtdoInjo9Ik30pBqgRvwc0agQb0bxT9BwBo-ylGKuUn8dQB46riXEmMcCWeczcxr12fKGr74waNqUUifkbGMS2Z9hqYRzPqMQ6/s320/19w+-+Baby+Girl+B.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547741840600750930" /></a><br /><b>Baby Girl A</b></p><br /><br /><p align=center><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJme2yvoetqcF8R_SK6L0otKzOcRWFUngfkVfvEXZwNzHxUQU8t8SJjhQgs6KQZTyaC-iRr7UhRcMGpii5FI6zz4oekMiL_Z1NQ9nx1bZBXFseeRQSnAz_JtZeq41QOMJIJaAGTtZt4ytD/s1600/19w+-+Baby+Girl+A.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJme2yvoetqcF8R_SK6L0otKzOcRWFUngfkVfvEXZwNzHxUQU8t8SJjhQgs6KQZTyaC-iRr7UhRcMGpii5FI6zz4oekMiL_Z1NQ9nx1bZBXFseeRQSnAz_JtZeq41QOMJIJaAGTtZt4ytD/s320/19w+-+Baby+Girl+A.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547741840775688146" /></a><b>Baby Girl B</b></p>Dana Gillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04195461286144687900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4252518857229384513.post-49147756812814590092010-12-03T08:15:00.005-05:002010-12-03T08:26:39.181-05:00Another Week in Paradise<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.paradisuspalmareal.com/"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 473px; height: 164px;" src="http://www.paradisuspalmareal.com/images/mastheads/paradisus-palma-real.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>We're back in the Dominican Republic at the stunning <a href="http://www.paradisuspalmareal.com/">Paradisus Palma Real</a>. Like every other <a href="http://www.smvc.com/">Sol Melia Vacation Club </a>resort we've stayed at, this place is pretty close to paradise. Every detail of landscaping and decor has been carefully tended, and the all-inclusive plan is a great convenience. The food is unspectacular, but very well presented, and there certainly is plenty of it. I'm loving the bottomless Chivas Regal and Absolut Peppar vodka :-).<br /><br />As great as the Palma Real is, we still give the edge to the <a href="http://www.paradisuspuntacana.travel/">Paradisus Punta Cana</a>, where we stayed last year. We loved the beach service there, and the people we met were fantastic. We still talk about Miker, our beach waiter, who took care of our every need and entertained us with jokes and song. If we had it to do over again, we'd go back to the Punta Cana, but this ain't bad for now! See the slides below.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="300" width="400"> <param name="flashvars" value="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fpaulgillin%2Fsets%2F72157625382263043%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fpaulgillin%2Fsets%2F72157625382263043%2F&set_id=72157625382263043&jump_to="> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fpaulgillin%2Fsets%2F72157625382263043%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fpaulgillin%2Fsets%2F72157625382263043%2F&set_id=72157625382263043&jump_to=" height="300" width="400"></embed></object><br /></div>Paul Gillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11735777846134752755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4252518857229384513.post-91590004228588198902009-09-15T22:33:00.005-04:002009-09-15T22:37:04.846-04:00Tour of some Disney World resortsOn our recent trip to Disney World (we're proud members of Disney Vacation Club, so we go down a few times a year), we went on a bit of a resort tour (and stopped at a few pools to cool off, too). Here are our pictures from our stops at Pop Century Resort, Caribbean Beach, Port Orleans, The Contemporary, and All Star Movie Resort. Enjoy!<br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"> <param name="flashvars" value="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2F27561454%40N04%2Fsets%2F72157622382072672%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2F27561454%40N04%2Fsets%2F72157622382072672%2F&set_id=72157622382072672&jump_to="></param> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2F27561454%40N04%2Fsets%2F72157622382072672%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2F27561454%40N04%2Fsets%2F72157622382072672%2F&set_id=72157622382072672&jump_to=" width="400" height="300"></embed></object>Dana Gillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04195461286144687900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4252518857229384513.post-63550453544881667092009-08-18T17:25:00.003-04:002009-08-18T17:33:21.675-04:00More photos of the weddingIt's fun when almost two years after an event, you see friends who give you more pictures! Cindy and Rich Takvorian came over last night for dinner and were kind enough to give us a CD of the pictures they took during our wedding.<br /><br />Thanks, Cindy and Rich! We really appreciate it!<br /><br />Here's a slideshow of the pix:<br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"> <param name="flashvars" value="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2F27561454%40N04%2Fsets%2F72157622077941674%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2F27561454%40N04%2Fsets%2F72157622077941674%2F&set_id=72157622077941674&jump_to="></param> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2F27561454%40N04%2Fsets%2F72157622077941674%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2F27561454%40N04%2Fsets%2F72157622077941674%2F&set_id=72157622077941674&jump_to=" width="400" height="300"></embed></object>Dana Gillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04195461286144687900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4252518857229384513.post-80790313905520632052009-04-23T12:24:00.004-04:002009-04-23T12:29:02.489-04:00Compost heapWell, we're finally starting a compost heap in a corner of what we jokingly call a back yard. There's a little section in back of Paul's office that we'll never use for anything else. And between the bunnies' litter boxes, their salads, and our gardening we're sure to have lots of material to make it a big healthy pile of goodness for our gardens (both flower, in front of the house, and veggie in back).<br /><br />Problem is, neither Paul nor I have any idea about how to start a compost heap. So we consulted <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Compost">wikiHow's article on composting</a> and now have a good idea. <br /><br />Here's the video from wikiHow:<br /><br /><div style='text-align:center'><object width='480' height='401' id='FiveminPlayer' classid='clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000'><param name='allowfullscreen' value='true'/><param name='allowScriptAccess' value='always'/><param name='movie' value='http://www.5min.com/Embeded/11225/'/><embed src='http://www.5min.com/Embeded/11225/' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' width='480' height='401' allowfullscreen='true' allowScriptAccess='always'></embed></object><br/><span style='font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10px;'> <a href='' target='_blank'></a> </span></div><br /><br />If you have any tips for us, please comment and share! We'd like to learn all we can about it!Dana Gillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04195461286144687900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4252518857229384513.post-27223734990168070732009-04-23T12:19:00.003-04:002009-04-23T12:24:50.615-04:00Al Gore's Boston speech, March 2009Has it really been 4 months since I posted? Ugh. <br /><br />The <a href="http://paulanddana.com/audio/AlGore.mp3">Al Gore speech/interview</a> was just great! The interviewer wasn't so great, but Al was wonderful.<br /><br />We recorded it so we could share it with you.Dana Gillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04195461286144687900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4252518857229384513.post-33400733760936945262008-12-22T16:24:00.001-05:002010-11-17T23:57:31.589-05:00A very Harry HolidayBest concert EVER!!! <a href="http://harryconnickjr.com/">Harry Connick, Jr.</a> was ON! He was alluring and gorgeous and magnetic and fun and amazing. It was hard to believe it was the last show of his holiday tour, because he was on such a roll. His jokes were funny, his audience interaction was great (he couldn't get over some cookies that an audience member made for Harry and the band and Lucien).<br /><br />He joked all weekend at this 3 Boston shows that he couldn't believe we came out to watch him. "If it were me, I wouldn't have come." A great stage performer makes jokes he's used for 3 days sound off-the-cuff. Harry is a great stage performer.<br /><br />Happy Holidays!Dana Gillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04195461286144687900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4252518857229384513.post-3489521250046274382008-12-19T17:50:00.002-05:002008-12-19T17:55:41.049-05:00OMG! OMG! OMG! We're going to see Al Gore!I just bought tickets to see <a href="http://www.citicenter.org/shows/lists/#461">Al Gore speak at Boston's Wang Theater</a> on March 30, 2009, which is, incidentally, the night before his birthday! But he's giving the bday present to US! I've been waiting just YEARS!!!! to see Al speak. I'm so excited I can barely type! <br /><br />Only slightly less exciting (and only because we've seen him before in concert) is our upcoming <a href="http://www.ticketmaster.com/Harry-Connick-Jr-a-Holiday-Celebration-Boston-tickets/artist/1271348?tm_link=tm_music_f5">Harry Connick, Jr. holiday concert</a> this Sunday night, which I got last-minute tix to. I'm a bundle of anticipation!!!<br /><br /><a href="http://harryconnickjr.com/">Harry</a> AND <a href="http://www.algore.com/">Al</a>! I just can't wait!!! (Only have 2 days to go for Harry!)Dana Gillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04195461286144687900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4252518857229384513.post-18639298522098618662008-10-31T12:22:00.005-04:002008-10-31T12:30:01.039-04:00We Are the Merry Fiskateers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://paulgillin.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/fiskars_swag.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 293px; height: 213px;" src="http://paulgillin.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/fiskars_swag.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>In the first chapter of <em>Secrets of Social Media Marketing</em>, I wrote about <a href="http://www.fiskars.com/wps/wcm/connect/fiskars_landing/Fiskars">Fiskars</a>, the Finnish maker of fine cutting tools that uses a community of scrapbooking enthusiasts called Fiskateers to evangelize its products to specialty craft retailers. It's a perfect example of how to use social media to create street-level awareness.<br /><br />Dana, wasted no time in applying to become a Fiskateer, and last weekend she attended a gathering of her fellow crafters in central Massachusetts sponsored by Fiskars. What a bounty of gifts they received! Dana counted no less than 15 raffles for the 28 attendees. She won four of them and carted home about $500 worth of swag. Above is a photo of the goodies.<br /><br />Fiskars sent lead Fiskateer <a href="http://fiskateers.com/blog/author/kelly-jo">Kelly Jo</a> as well as one of its "Fiskaneers," which is what the company calls its engineers There was also a representative of <a href="http://brainsonfire.com/FIRE/">Brains on Fire</a>, the media agency that conceived of the community. Fiskaneer Doug chatted with the group about ideas for new products, yielding great insight from dedicated crafters. The attendees were treated to plenty of food and a trip to the nearby Yankee Candle superstore. The spent the rest of the afternoon crafting together.<br /><br />Did Fiskars overdo it with the sheer quantity of stuff it gave away? I doubt it. These 28 women have already declared their allegiance to the brand, and giving them more incentive to promote Fiskars through their online and offline social networks can only help boost word-of-mouth marketing. The group has been designated "crafting ambassadors," only it's clear that the brand they favor is Fiskars. By harnessing their enthusiasm, Fiskars can extend the value of a few gifts to a much broader audience. The cost of goods for this exercise is cheap compared to the value of good cheer the participants will spread.Paul Gillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11735777846134752755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4252518857229384513.post-13214410176564028252008-09-14T15:34:00.000-04:002008-09-25T15:35:03.336-04:00Bandit's an inside kitty nowOn September 8, I brought Bandit to our vet to get her checked out and then brought her inside. No longer is she sleeping in open garages or under our back deck. Now she's got comfy rugs and cushions and toys and windowsills. And, remarkably, my allergies haven't flared up ONCE since she's been in our home. True, I keep her brushed and I wipe her every now and then with these moist kitty wipes to keep her dander at a minimum, but I also smoosh her and cuddle her and hold her and pet her like crazy and I don't react. Could this be a touch of fate, that I got a cat I'm not very allergic to?<br /><br />To answer your questions preemptively, no, the bunnies have not met her yet. She's such a sweetie, though, that I'm confident she'll be appropriately pushed around by the bunnies. Especially the toughie, SweetPea! You want the predator animals to be below the prey animals on the pecking order in any house. Otherwise, you have a very dangerous situation.<br /><br />Her name is Bandit not only because she needed a tough girl name outside, but also because she stole my heart. Damn cat. ;-) Thought you'd like some pictures, so here you go:<br /><br /><p align=center>I maul Bandit (and she loves it!):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/Bandit-gets-mauled-by-Mommy-747899.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/Bandit-gets-mauled-by-Mommy-747365.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a></p><br /><br /><p align=center>She looks like a very big cat here. She's like 9 pounds and actually a very small kitty:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/sleepy-Bandit-789256.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/sleepy-Bandit-786106.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a></p><br /><br /><p align=center>Bandit's closeup:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/Bandit-closeup-747118.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/Bandit-closeup-746436.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a></p><br /><br /><p align=center>My beautiful kitty:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/Beautiful-Bandit-750235.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/Beautiful-Bandit-749552.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a></p><br /><br /><p align=center>Purrrrfectly happy (she hardly ever stops purring):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/Purrfectly-happy-767931.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/Purrfectly-happy-767294.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a></p><br /><br /><p align=center>"I'm a model? Of course I'm a model. I couldn't care less."<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/I-couldn't-care-less-747684.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/I-couldn't-care-less-746872.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a></p><br /><br /><p align=center>Naptime (it's always naptime):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/Nap-time-766961.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/Nap-time-766048.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a></p><br /><br /><p align=center>"Hey, whatcha doing? Is it playtime yet?"<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/Hey!-Whatcha-doin-751092.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/Hey!-Whatcha-doin-750528.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a></p><br /><br /><p align=center>"It's my house now!"<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/My-house-now!-748807.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/My-house-now!-747954.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a></p>Dana Gillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04195461286144687900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4252518857229384513.post-90662803619057469472008-08-13T17:31:00.003-04:002008-08-13T17:39:15.271-04:00FramesByDana.com<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2ZJ05l1c3kGio9N7dlRWibAVh-1ZrvgB15Xu6ODpbHO6CfkbLEDmpHnZNMzpeRz-L_94JW-ebG1oKOVOIVEkmVtMFgdvfxNR5L9PRhzItumxqP27FTSI1CO0cazDuHI_F5FL7HRtGvET/s1600-h/beach.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2ZJ05l1c3kGio9N7dlRWibAVh-1ZrvgB15Xu6ODpbHO6CfkbLEDmpHnZNMzpeRz-L_94JW-ebG1oKOVOIVEkmVtMFgdvfxNR5L9PRhzItumxqP27FTSI1CO0cazDuHI_F5FL7HRtGvET/s320/beach.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234118621246043666" /></a><br />They say that many successful Internet voyages begin with family and friends. You tell your circle, they tell theirs, they tell theirs and before you know it, you've got a great audience. I'm hoping my blog friends will tell their extended family and friends about <a href="http://framesbydana.com">FramesByDana.com</a>, which I've just spent 3 days updating. It now has a shopping cart, a wedding section, and a streamlined frames section.<br /><br />Please tell people about <a href="http://framesbydana.com">the site</a>. It's what I love doing. And I don't know what better thing you can say about an income stream than that.<br /><br />If you're wondering why I redid the site this week, between 2 big vacations and while researching our book, it's because I've taken an ad on a local deli's paper placemats. There's 800 placemats, I think, which should last Kugel's Deli about 8 or 9 months. My ad is top and center, so should be very visible. I'm hoping to get real business from that investment. I've known all along that my site gets WONDERFUL SEO (search engine optimization) -- that is, Google loves me. But the lack of constant ordering is because I don't have what you expect at a commerce website: a shopping cart. Well, now I do. So with the site now at over 17,000 page views, I decided to add it and give myself a real chance at this.<br /><br />I hope you'll help me by simply telling people about <a href="http://framesbydana.com">the site</a>.<br /><br />I still have much to add to the site -- a greeting card section, for one -- but I wanted to get what I've been working on the past year (the wedding section) online and also add the shopping cart. So stay tuned for more goodies in the months to come. And make sure to navigate all the pages/sections. There's a handy-dandy nav bar on every page so you don't get lost. Tell me what you think about the <a href="http://framesbydana.com">new and improved site</a>!<br /><br />Thanks for any publicity you can toss my way! Or feel free to order something... :-)Dana Gillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04195461286144687900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4252518857229384513.post-45248436069521939332008-08-05T07:36:00.000-04:002008-08-05T07:37:29.679-04:00Gettysburg Tours are a Travel BargainAbout six years ago I stopped by Gettysburg, PA with my son for a half day while on a trip to nearby Baltimore. I've wanted to go back ever since. <a href="http://www.nps.gov/gett/">Gettysburg</a> is like no other historical attraction I've ever visited. The National Park Service has maintained the site and battlefields in a condition that mirrors almost perfectly their state on July 1, 1863, when the pivotal battle of the Civil War began.<br /><br />This week I got a chance to go back with the luxury of some time for exploration. A full day at Gettysburg still doesn't do the place justice, but I discovered the history bargain of a lifetime: the private guides provided by the Park Service.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.paulgillin.com/uploaded_images/IMG_5057-750688.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.paulgillin.com/uploaded_images/IMG_5057-750656.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>For just $55, you can hire an expert to accompany you in your car for a two-hour tour of the battlefield. After that, you can return at your own pace, armed with the wisdom your guide has imparted. With group bus tours running $26/person, this service pays for itself quickly. Our guide was Mike (left, explaining cannon ballistics for my kids), one of about 150 contractors who work in this capacity, and his knowledge was voluminous. There was barely a question we could throw at him that he didn't answer.<br /><br />The great thing about tour guides is that they're unique. You can take the same tour with two different guides and learn entirely different things. The last time I toured Gettysburg, we had a group tour guide who was an expert at describing the scene on the battlefield. Mike was great at defining military strategy, and we couldn't have had a better setting for his expertise.<br /><br />Standing in a wooded area, looking across an open field, we could almost see the Confederate troops advancing on Cemetery Ridge for the fateful Pickett's Charge, the tactic that nearly turned the war in the south's favor but ultimately forced Lee into retreat. The great thing about Gettysburg is that the entire six-mile battlefield is spread before you. You can survey the scene almost exactly as the generals did before the battle.<br /><br />Mike told us how authorized tour guides have to leap tall buildings to gain NPS approval. He said he had to finish in the top 10 of roughly 200 people who took a written exam, then submit to an oral test and finally a tour of the battlefield with experts who fired all sorts of trivia and trick questions at him. All this so he could earn $25/hour giving tours (I tipped him a well-deserved $20). That is dedication. And the Park Service has no shortage of applicants for these jobs.<br /><br />I also recommend the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/eise">Eisenhower house tour</a>. My knowledge of our 34th President was minuscule, and the self-guided 90-minute tour of his final home in Gettysburg gave me new respect and admiration for him. The Park Service guides punctuated the visit with bits of wisdom and skillfully answered all questions without being intrusive.Paul Gillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11735777846134752755noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4252518857229384513.post-19739848114637706112008-07-19T15:16:00.000-04:002008-07-19T15:17:30.406-04:00Podcamp Boston 3Some good quotes already from <a href="http://www.podcampboston.org/">Podcamp Boston 3</a>. Paul and I are here, trying to learn something new about social media.<br /><br />Chris Brogan (in an impromptu talk in the cafe about old media vs. new social media): Now there's <a href="http://twitter.com/home">Twitter</a> and that's what you do in the bathroom.<br /><br />David Meerman Scott session now (just a Q&A, but he's great at that) gives us this video (1.9 million views of a toilet company video):<br /><b>WARNING: NOT FOR KIDS!!</b><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/o5ul7prwoiM&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/o5ul7prwoiM&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Now if I could just get the damn time to continue the <a href="http://www.bunnyblab.com/podcasts/podcast-index.html">BunnyBlab podcast series</a>! =:-3 (The archives are still valuable, though, so get thee to the podcast series!)<br /><br />PCB3 is crashing both the Harvard server and Twitter today. Go us!Dana Gillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04195461286144687900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4252518857229384513.post-32750912232006008932008-07-15T19:50:00.001-04:002008-07-15T19:52:44.472-04:004 bunnies and now one (outdoor) catThis weekend was kind of exciting around the Gillin house. It appears we now have a cat. We think it's a girl kitten and we've named her Bandit. And she's as sweet as can be -- affectionate and playful. She likes me a lot more than Paul right now because Paul tried to pick her up the first time he petted her. I think she felt a little threatened. She's beautiful, too... <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/0714081418-756361.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/0714081418-756356.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/0714081419-756388.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/0714081419-756383.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Too bad I'm so allergic; I'd have her at the vet and in the house in no time if I wasn't. As it is, she hides out in our next door neighbor's garage (which is open) during the day and comes over for attention and pets and food. Day One was Saturday and she got 2 cans of tuna fish. Then on Sunday, Paul bought her some kitty food, so we put some of that in a dish every night. And there's a dish of water out there waiting for her whenever she wants it. She's been known to lay on our driveway and on our porch.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/0714081419a-703098.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/0714081419a-703087.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/0714081419b-703129.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/0714081419b-703119.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />If anyone in Framingham wants to give this kitty a good home, <a href=mailto:dana@bunnyblab.com>email me</a>!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/0714081420-740887.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/0714081420-740883.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/0714081420a-740906.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.bunnyblab.com/uploaded_images/0714081420a-740903.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Dana Gillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04195461286144687900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4252518857229384513.post-48372989342699725792008-07-08T14:14:00.004-04:002008-07-08T14:39:32.423-04:00Quebec City, une petite Francais<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQNjp1U9ucTqrIU7WeEDC3lqRCW8__2qJpn_WNNxPu9yd_vsXiN97NSEHA656K8Ona5obMm_GEWvVOAqLTKK7llNedgKiBK95fEHrj4yGx37oqqx241NzCG-ebPhnvBGDGUa8FJ9bwWWo/s1600-h/VanHalen_7-12.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQNjp1U9ucTqrIU7WeEDC3lqRCW8__2qJpn_WNNxPu9yd_vsXiN97NSEHA656K8Ona5obMm_GEWvVOAqLTKK7llNedgKiBK95fEHrj4yGx37oqqx241NzCG-ebPhnvBGDGUa8FJ9bwWWo/s320/VanHalen_7-12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220714586354010802" /></a><br />Paul and I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Quebec City for the 400th birthday celebration of Quebec last week. Once we got there, we realized we were sort of reliving the beauty of our honeymoon in France, as the city is very french.<br /><br />They're celebrating in Quebec City this whole summer, really, but the festivities were kicked into high gear last week, as July 3 was actually the birthday. We saw Van Halen, an amazing and extended fireworks display, and all sorts of fun receptions thrown by the Canada Tourism Commission, to which Paul spoke on Thursday afternoon. I spent the time he was speaking exploring the city and geocaching. It was rainy on Thursday in Quebec City, but I braved the wet and was rewarded in a few hours with lovely sun. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1E4w69GjsPr0tssL8FUUodka66gk51CD6K62yKNreBd5LumB2NjhqeENGeSF3SEw5soa7IyT50pl18R28LjI1vE4sf506YD_28IqM-3NGwMTqAcTVgYVDDC7a8W-zKMJjlj2V-wBzEci/s1600-h/Quebec_City_7-30.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1E4w69GjsPr0tssL8FUUodka66gk51CD6K62yKNreBd5LumB2NjhqeENGeSF3SEw5soa7IyT50pl18R28LjI1vE4sf506YD_28IqM-3NGwMTqAcTVgYVDDC7a8W-zKMJjlj2V-wBzEci/s320/Quebec_City_7-30.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220713185964045890" /></a>We stayed in the castle-like hotel, Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, and even had a room with a river view.<br /><br />See our <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulgillin/sets/72157605999397137/show/">pix of Quebec City</a>.Dana Gillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04195461286144687900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4252518857229384513.post-88082880278687892112008-06-06T23:21:00.009-04:002008-07-05T17:10:50.957-04:00Two zoos in three weeks<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJARpRsFL0A7PN7C2pXwWwZvsHY9G3za9h_kgYeK1JVQkMxMbRHNFWMY6AJ466imQTQIuSRFbBd1QP7CrmtmQvTeCNr-rRZVFEefGvoM6Gf03X05RAPZ2cbFWso9AXCoDtwLFdCjZKU3YY/s1600-h/Reindeer.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJARpRsFL0A7PN7C2pXwWwZvsHY9G3za9h_kgYeK1JVQkMxMbRHNFWMY6AJ466imQTQIuSRFbBd1QP7CrmtmQvTeCNr-rRZVFEefGvoM6Gf03X05RAPZ2cbFWso9AXCoDtwLFdCjZKU3YY/s320/Reindeer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208986254157280786" /></a><br />A few weeks ago, Paul and I were in Toronto mixing business with a bit o' pleasure (like we do). I took his working day to explore the <a href="http://torontozoo.com/">Toronto Zoo</a>. The public transportation system isn't easy to understand if you're a newbie, but once you get to the zoo, it's worth it! (If you want my exact route from downtown to the zoo, <a href=mailto:dana@gillin.com?Subject=Direx_to_Toronto_Zoo,_please!>email me</a>.)<br /><br />At any rate, I walked around the zoo for 5 hours (including one 20-minute break to massage my aching feet) and met a very nice zoo member at the <a href="http://torontozoo.com/Animals/details.asp?AnimalID=394">reindeer</a> enclosure. We walked around together after that for about half an hour and joked and laughed about the animals. Then I had to leave and he returned to the tigers. I did not get his name, but he helped turn the day from one in which I was enjoying the zoo by myself to an experience where I met a new, albeit temporary, friend.<br /><br />Then last Friday, Paul and I flew to LA and hung out in Disneyland for 5 days. Ahhh. We stayed at the <a href="http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/en_US/hotels/landing?name=GrandCalifornianHotelLandingPage">Grand Californian</a>, which is a very nice hotel, and we stayed in a very nice room. Thank you, Disney! <br /><br />I could get used to Southern California weather! The sun was hot and strong, the air was refreshing, the pool was delightful, the whole Disney atmosphere was wonderfully fun.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-H8jOc37ic60g6ahyKB-u-Eaw1huc7rymK_ZZWESnoaQBdgaXZLVMe68nSZPP_eGD2EAFbJu_W9BFILfZcPn6atzupMxXDnOItImvBCEIuQwi-omg8bLiDWSzw2OYw4rHC9c_-D79W5a/s1600-h/giant_panda_eating.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-H8jOc37ic60g6ahyKB-u-Eaw1huc7rymK_ZZWESnoaQBdgaXZLVMe68nSZPP_eGD2EAFbJu_W9BFILfZcPn6atzupMxXDnOItImvBCEIuQwi-omg8bLiDWSzw2OYw4rHC9c_-D79W5a/s320/giant_panda_eating.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208984137208806450" /></a><br />On Monday, Paul and I ventured down to the <a href=http://www.sandiegozoo.org/zoo/index.html>San Diego Zoo</a> (we'll explore <a href="http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wap/index.html">the Wild Animal Park</a> during our next visit to southern California) and spent a glorious day seeing all the animals. We spent something like 5 hours there and only saw 2/3 of the park. It's definitely a multi-day excursion if your goal is to see every animal!<br /><br />The famous <a href="http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-giant_panda.html">giant pandas</a> were sleeping -- one behind a tree and one with his bountiful bum pointed right at those who came to gawk at him. The <a href="http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-okapi.html">okapis</a> (my new favorite wild animal) were busy using their 18-inch tongues to get the very best leaves off the trees.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqPAQ-RPTOGFJRA-94gpWB8UoPBNUW6cJRWDiBK7EeG23fZpirnUne_dk2q8aovKGgzcFR-wciUGdMYWIsFjsTdYjhVke4GnPdI_GPffdGdHVp9dGRQy31D5iGz8u0A4jOStCwze0KBZ7F/s1600-h/okapi_walk.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqPAQ-RPTOGFJRA-94gpWB8UoPBNUW6cJRWDiBK7EeG23fZpirnUne_dk2q8aovKGgzcFR-wciUGdMYWIsFjsTdYjhVke4GnPdI_GPffdGdHVp9dGRQy31D5iGz8u0A4jOStCwze0KBZ7F/s320/okapi_walk.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208984362517907218" /></a><br />It was a great day. And Paul bought me a snowshoe hare (not a real one, don't worry!) to commemorate the trip. I didn't have any room for it in my luggage, so I took it on the plane home with me. It was funny watching the woman next to me figure out why on Earth a grown woman with a wedding band on her finger was carrying around a white stuffed bunny. "Is it a gift for someone back home?" (It's amazing how nosy people can be.) "It's a gift for me," I said. She didn't have a good answer to that one.<br /><br />Again, we were mixing a few days of vacation with a business trip -- Paul spoke to a bunch of Disney execs on Tuesday after a morning <a href="http://www.newspaperdeathwatch.com/2008/06/04/a-visit-to-the-la-times/">visit to the LA Times</a> with his new friend, <a href="http://www.edpadgett.com/blog/blog.html">Ed Padgett</a>. The meeting was just too early for me, so I skipped it. I did want to meet Ed, but it would have meant getting up at 5:30. He sent a great dessert cook book back to me, though. Thanks, Ed!<br /><br />It was a wonderful trip to LA. Anaheim was lovely. I'm about zoo'ed out, though. For at least a few weeks.Dana Gillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04195461286144687900noreply@blogger.com0