Paradise found; football; and bathroom stinginess

(Let me start this blog with stating that I created an incredibly witty blog full of laughs and then when I went to upload it, Google erased it. Not much p***** me off like that. Technology. Humph.) But let me begin again. . .

Paradise found it: black beans. One of the more resourceful American girls here (she's a mom; she has to be) found some black beans at two different stores so she sent them with her husband who gave them to John to give to me. At our last gathering during the missing groceries roll call, I was lamenting about the absence of black beans (and dry beans in general) so she picked up a couple of bags for me. Now all I have to do is pick which recipe to start with. . . today I am making a minestrone soup--nice and healthy with spinach and everything. (Okay, so I put some kielbasa in it, so it's not THAT healthy. . .)
Too bad I am craving homemade potato salad. . . you can get cole slaw (yuck!) galore here but nothing that looks like potato salad. Stiggs, I know you have a recipe so I'll have to e-mail you for that. At least the ingredients, um, potatoes, won't be too hard to find here!!!

The second picture here is SOOOO CUTE!!!! If you did not know already, John has been practicing to play with the Cork Admirals (www.corkadmirals.com), and American football team that plays in full pads. (A "kitted" practice, etc. is one in which you play in full pads, or your "kit". They like that word kit here. . .) Anyway. . .the season lasts like nine months, so John is thrilled. There are games and playoffs and even a superbowl of sorts. It's pretty exciting. Check in with the website, and I'm sure there will be more stuff about "Koog" on there soon!



My final comment in today's post will be TMI for anyone who is not used to going to the doctor and peeing in a cup several times a month. Or is you are uncomfortable with the phrase "peeing in a cup." Or with peeing in general. Fair warning: stop reading if you will be offended.

So one of the MANY differences between the US and Irish health care system involved giving a urine sample. As I was reading through the copious information about having a baby in Ireland (they mail all of this stuff to you, including your medical records, which you have to maintain and bring to all visits to be completed by the doc) I noticed that it said to "make sure to bring a urine sample to all visits to your doctor and general practitioner."
What? You have to bring your pee along with you??? What kind of container do I use? An empty jelly jar???
I knew from my first visit with my GP that I could provide the sample there (some of you heard my complaints about the "test tube" they have you pee in) but I asked her today what to do and she gave me a couple of sample jars for my next visits. I took a picture so you could sympathize. What do you notice? Perhaps the complete cylindrical shape and the minuscule diameter!!! Could you honestly pee into a cup like this without making a mess? By the end of this pregnancy, I'll be a pro!
So why would they want you to bring your pee with you? (In the States this would never happen because you would switch out your pee with a healthier pregnant woman or your dog or something.) Perhaps they just do not have the facilities for you to provide a sample on location. What? You say: No bathroom at an OBs office? In the land of pregnant women with peanut bladders?
I totally believe it.
Public bathrooms are funny and few and far between here. Malls have more than you can count. Businesses do not, including the ONE store to purchase maternity clothes and baby gear (um, pregnant ladies and people with small children). No bathroom there, as my American friends learned last week when she was there with her two little girls, one of whom had to GO right NOW!!! Some places truly exhibit bathroom stinginess. Others do not. Must be some sort of random potty-rationing that I just don't understand.

I hope you enjoyed my ranting about the urine sample cups. John offered to buy me a funnel. Then I would just have to explain to the doctor why there was motor oil residue in my pee.

Well, I have wasted twice as much time as I thought I would on this post (having to compose it twice.) That leaves me less than 10 hours to putter, plus sleep and the gym, before I have my ultrasound tomorrow. Can you tell I'm excited???

Well, here goes trying to publish this post again. . if you hear me screaming, you'll know why. . .