As Chad said today, after FutureBaby becomes an ActualBaby (knock on wood), we're leaning toward referring to him or her by a pseudonym on our blogs just to provide a mild amount of privacy (after a birth announcement with the actual name, probably). I've been having fun reading the pseudonym suggestions over at his blog, so I'll toss it open here too:

Recommend a post-birth pseudonym for FutureBaby, preferably one independent of age and sibling status.

Heck, if you're so moved, recommend a non-pseudonym for FutureBaby; it's unlikely that you'll come up with a suitable name that we haven't thought of yet, but since Chad's commenters got to offer suggestions, y'all might as well, too. Nb.: FutureBaby's last name will be Orzel (pronounced or-ZELL), with a middle name of Nepveu; probably no second middle name.

(Pseudonym, by the way, is a really weird looking word, or perhaps it only is if you've been awake since five this morning.)

And yes, we know about the Baby Name Wizard's NameVoyager (Java applet).

It seems like time to start educating myself about childbirth in more depth. Since I will not be taking classes, I am now soliciting recommendations for books, videos, web sites, or similar self-study educational resources about childbirth.

I already own The Pregnancy Book by Sears & Sears and have a recommendation for Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn by Simkin.

( important note on giving me advice )

For extremely tight muscles: menthol, menthol and camphor, or capsaicin? Bonus if you can vouch for non-stinky brands.

(No Aspercreme or equivalent.)

So I've got this idea in my head that I want to cross-stitch a decoration for FutureBaby's room. We're eschewing most of the usual nursery decoration stuff (lamps? valences? no, thanks), but I haven't been able to shake the urge to make something.

( cross-stitch wibbling )

Comments from cross-stitchers or people who know what kids tend to like in decorations are welcome.

Okay, if you've been bursting to give us advice related to FutureBaby, here's your chance:

( two questions )

For reasons too long and boring to mention, I'm only just looking at this whole new-fangled podcast thing. And today I was inordinately delighted to discover the Car Talk Podcast — Click and Clack! free and without any effort on my part!

I also discovered, through iTunes, a free Cook's Illustrated video podcast (which doesn't appear to be available through their website). And behind the cut are a bunch of audiobook-like things that I'm going to try:

( audiobook-type podcasts )

Any other recommendations? Note that I prefer to read my news, and don't have time to watch more than short videos (the Cook's Illustrated ones are in the five-minute vicinity). Things like audiobooks, radio plays, and other entertainment listening are best.

Suddenly it's February, I have less than a month to get my Hugo nomination ballot in order, and so far my ballot consists solely of Shaun Tan's The Arrival (ETA: booklog entry) for Best Related Book. Eek!

( cut for lists )

What else? I did a very quick search for 2007 lists and tagged them on delicious, if you're looking for reminders. Recommend me novels: but, it should be accompanied with specific reasons that I, personally, would like it, and as much or more than I might like the three things I plan to read. I will either ignore or mock anyone who fails to follow directions.

I have several paper journals from my teenage years, which are currently sitting in a box in an upstairs room. I'm organizing and decluttering that room, and am trying to decide what to do with them.

I don't want to re-read them, because they make my skin crawl with embarrassment. I don't want anyone else to read them, because ditto. The only thing I can think to do with them is move them to the basement.

 . . . and yet I hate the idea of throwing them away.

Suggestions, from experience or otherwise?

Princess Tutu is a 26-episode anime about ballet, fairy tales, and hope. It is metafictional like whoa, very peculiar, and not for everyone, but I ended up loving it, enough that it is a close second to Fullmetal Alchemist on my list of favorite shows.

( cut for length; no spoilers )

Hello, LJ. Having completed [major work thing] today, I intend to spend the weekend catching up on a lot of stuff—including looking at exercise bikes. Anyone have recommendations, suggestions, things to look for or avoid?

All I know now is that it should be sufficiently adjustable that I (5'3") and Chad (6'6") can use it. Oh, and I'd like some way to monitor my heart rate so I know I'm not slacking off, but that doesn't need to be intrinsic to the bike.

Do you use an online backup service that you'd recommend? I'm looking at Mozy and Jungle Disk, but that was on a very quick look.

(My absolutely-essential files are on a USB drive that I carry at all times and automagically e-mailed to myself once a week, and we both have external hard drives; but it would be really good to have offsite backups of everything if it can be done without too much fuss.)

Here are the books that I am definitely taking to Japan:

• Scott Lynch, Red Seas Under Red Skies
• Kij Johnson, The Fox Woman and Fudoki
• R.H.P. Mason, A History of Japan
• Sei Shonagon, The Pillow Book

I am possibly bringing various John M. Ford books that I haven't read yet, in case that memorial panel actually happens—does anyone know if it's going to? If not, well, Ford is not my ideal vacation reading.

For the last half-dozen-ish slots, I find myself with a plethora of mass-market paperbacks, so, like everyone else: a poll!

( possible books )

I have the post-vacation blahs in a big way, not helped by an upset digestive system (bad airline food? reaction to Northeast allergens? just not wanting to be here? who knows!) and a serious lack of sleep. Have very briefly skimmed over reading list and marked a rather large quantity of things "read" on Bloglines.

Feeling overwhelmed at the idea of leaving for Japan in less than two weeks. I still have fourteen chapters of Genji to read, not to mention learning more than five Japanese words, and half-a-dozen doctor's appointments, and all this laundry, and, generallly, everything that needs to be done for us to leave the country for three weeks.

Speaking of Japan & Worldcon: has anyone else filled out a program questionnaire & not gotten a schedule? There's at least one other con e-mail I've not gotten that Chad has, and so I'm worried that I'm not getting e-mail for some reason. (The other possibility is that they've decided they don't need me after all, which is fine, but I'd really like to know.)

Further to traveling: can anyone recommend a simple, preferably shareware, e-mail program for the Palm TX? Versamail apparently refuses to send anything longer than 4KB of text, which rather puts a damper on my post-by-e-mail plan for Japan.

I have this whole list of posts I wanted to write for International Blog Against Racism Week, and failed to write any of them while on vacation (and to finish Genji, and to read new-to-me John M. Ford books in preparation for a proposed Worldcon panel, and and and . . . ). I don't know whether I'll have the guts to write them and post them outside of IBARW (I was telling Chad, it's like being in a school of fish: it feels like there's less chance of trolls coming and eating you). But I did read Covering and will post about it, so that will be something.

But now, I am going to go buy food for the family and a camera for me. Yay, blatant consumerism as a mood lifter, or something.

So if you're trying to split pills that don't already have a line down the middle, are pill splitters really an improvement over a sharp knife? If so, is there any kind that's better than another?

So, as you may have seen in Chad's blog, we are going to Japan for Worldcon and making a major trip out of it. Our tentative plan is to arrive in Osaka on Sunday August 19, spend about a week in Kyoto, then head to Yokohama (30 min. outside of Tokyo) to the con hotel and do stuff in Tokyo and environs (Kamakura) until the con, which is Thursday August 30 through Monday September 3. We'll probably stick at the hotel until Tuesday, to both relax and get in some last-minute fannish socializing, and then do . . . something . . . that would get us back to Osaka to fly out that Saturday.

(The plan is structured this way because other commitments make this block of time the best one, and we want a good chunk of time in Kyoto.)

So! Tell me about traveling to Japan. We are planning to hit the major museums, gardens, temples, and shrines in Kyoto, maybe Nara, Tokyo, and Kamakura; what else should we see, particularly in the post-con period? Note that low-stress things would be particularly valued at this point in the trip.

Other things I'd like to know, off the top of my head:

• Is an East Coast travel agent from a big chain going to be able to help us with booking airfare, hotels, rail passes, baseball tickets, etc.? Are there agencies that are better at travel to Japan than others?
• Is there any likelihood at all that business fares will drop below five digits? Chad could really use the extra leg room, but when he looked quick at fares, they were in the $10K range—which was way more than when we looked at this several months ago. Maybe we were just looking at the wrong dates?
• If I'm not willing to sleep on the floor, does that rule out hotels like Crossroads of rachelmanija's icon?
• What can I eat if I don't like soy sauce and raw fish? (Yes, I know. This is one of the reasons it took Worldcon for Chad to be able to drag me to Japan.) Do you have restaurants you particularly recommend?
• Souvenirs. Besides stuff I just like, are there particularly good things to bring back as gifts for people? Are there things to avoid?
• What learning-Japanese audiobooks do you recommend?
• What's the wireless internet situation like? I'm contemplating getting a Palm with wireless to carry around and possibly replace the laptop for the trip.
• Besides kabuki, what live performances should we try? Would, say, the equivalent of a minor-league baseball game be worth trying, considering that we're really not that into baseball but enjoy live games?
• Who else is going to Worlcon? What are your plans? Are you sticking around before, after, where are you going when?
• What should I be asking that I don't know enough to?

(I am, by the way, keeping an eye on telephase's post for ideas too.)

As I said last month, if you're aren't absolutely certain that your heir under your state law is who you want to inherit your estate, you must make a will (and if you have children, you must make a will regardless).

Now, Neil Gaiman offers a sample will for authors with specific provisions for creative works. I can't vouch for its provisions, as it's not a wrinkle in estate law that I studied, but if you have intellectual property to dispose of, take a look at it, run it by an attorney in your state, and make a will.

My older post was prompted by a suspicion, based on almost no evidence, that John M. Ford hadn't left an enforceable will; I'm sorry to see that this seems to be the case.

If you aren't absolutely positive that your heir under your current state's law is the person you want to inherit your estate, make a will.

That is all.

I don't have time to update my "Why watch Fullmetal Alchemist" post this week, but I wanted to note that the Cartoon Network has come around again to episode one, starting this Saturday night at midnight (repeated at 3:00 a.m. Sunday morning). I still haven't finished the series (wah!), but the episodes I've seen since writing that post have only deepened my love for the show. So, in the unlikely event that there's anyone left reading this journal who hasn't tried it, go and watch!

(I know, I know, it's Saiyuki week, but recs are recs, right? Anyway, it can't be FMA week until after I've finished the series.)

I am about to pre-order the next Malazan book from the UK for Chad (since I have an Amazon.co.uk account and he doesn't), and I feel vaguely like there ought to be UK-only books that I should toss in, but nothing is coming to mind right now. So: are there any UK books, with no US publication date on the horizon, that I ought to look into?

We're done with Samurai Champloo now, and thus are out of anime from NetFlix (Fullmetal Alchemist being taped from Adult Swim as it airs). Chad and I both liked Champloo and are liking FMA; Cowboy Bebop worked much better for Chad than I, largely because I couldn't stand Faye and Ed (and to a lesser degree because noir isn't really my thing). I saw bits of Hellsing which I found visually stylish, probably too dark for me, and likely to be annoying in its treatment of the indecisive blonde girl.

Pretty thin fodder to base recommendations on, I realize, but does anyone have suggestions? We do find that anime works well on DVD, especially in half-hour episodes that don't have to be too much time commitment.

(I suspect Utena is just too weird for this point in our anime-watching experience, plus I have no idea what Chad would think of it (though I'm half-tempted to get it myself during March Madness just to see). The Count of Monte Cristo retelling, Gankutsuou, looked very visually strange to us in the previews on Champloo discs.)

Anyway, thoughtful recommendations, [eta:] with detail or reference links, are welcomed.