Yesterday morning the schools were on two-hour delay because of some ice we got on Tuesday that melted on Wednesday but roads were still a little wet on Wednesday night so school was on two-hour delay on Thursday morning.
I understand that ice can be dangerous, but also I think southerners go a little crazy avoiding it because other things are dangerous, too. Icy roads are attributable to approximately 580 people, annually. Accidental gun deaths, meanwhile, claim around 600 people (and that's just accidental deaths), yet 41% of North Carolinians own guns.
It's like this quote by Dean Obeidallah, "That’s the same reason we don’t see many stories about how to reduce the 30 Americans killed each day by gun violence or the three women per day killed by domestic violence. But the media will have on expert after expert discussing how can we stop these scary brown Muslims from killing any more Americans despite the fact you actually have a better chance of being killed by a refrigerator falling on you.... I’m not saying to ignore the dangers posed by Islamic radicals. I’m just saying look out for those refrigerators."
And if that's too hyperbolic of an example, consider that 2876 people are killed in car crashes annually because of rain.
That's right. You're four times as likely to get in a car accident and die due to rain than you are due to icy road conditions. And yet there's no public outcry when school buses are zipping along during a torrential downpour (or worse just after a torrential downpour (because wet roads (and otherwise clear weather) are responsible for over 4000 deaths annually)). I'm just saying...
I understand that ice is dangerous (and I hate winter weather as much as the next person) but talk about straining at a gnat while swallowing a camel.
Southerners think ice is terrible because the media explodes whenever there's a snowflake in the forecast. Rain, on the other hand (which—did I mention?—causes far more deaths on the road than ice) doesn't make people bat an eye.
Basically, don't accuse me of wishing all school children dead when I mention that I'm baffled that school was cancelled for a day and a half because of a thin glaze of ice. A thin glaze of ice, mind you, that melted before the first day was over (because even at 8:00 that night it was still above freezing).
Also, the very same weather conditions (freezing rain or, as was the case on Tuesday, "light freezing drizzle mist") can happen pretty much anywhere. It's not a southern phenomenon. Trust me—click here to read about this one time we had the exact same weather in Utah. It's a funny story. I promise.
That tangent aside, Thursday morning found me scrambling to iron out the brand new kinks in my schedule so that I could get to the doctor's office.
I had to be at the doctor's office at 9:40.
Rachel had to catch the bus at 10:00.
Miriam had to be to preschool by 10:30.
We have one car.
Andrew was anxious to get to campus...but had no choice but to stay home with the kids while I went to the doctor's office. So I left the house at 9:25. Andrew finished getting the girls ready to go and waited for the bus with Rachel. The bus grabbed her at 10:10. My friend Kiki swung by at 10:15 to pick up Miriam. And I got home at 10:40 to relieve Andrew.
My appointment went well. I chugged 50 mL of glucose before leaving the house and then struggled to keep it down while my blood was drawn and my 17P shot was administered. Now I'm just waiting for the results of my test and I'm super nervous because what if I didn't study hard enough? What if I fail? Why can't my pancreas just do its job?
But then again, maybe I'll pass.
I am expecting another girl, after all, and, anecdotally speaking, girls have been easier for me to carry than boys. Case in point: Rachel was born at 39 weeks and 5 days gestation. No complications. Miriam was born at 39 weeks and 5 days gestation. No complications. Benjamin was born at 33 weeks and 4 days (though if my due date hadn't been adjusted he would have been considered earlier—and I'm pretty positive my due date shouldn't have been adjusted but my opinion doesn't count in medical records). And I had gestational diabetes (due to his placenta canceling out all the insulin my poor pancreas could produce).
If this little girl wants to fit into our pattern she (and her placenta) is just going to have to behave herself and arrive on May 31st with no complications whatsoever.
I'm so glad this OB/GYN office is saying that there aren't really any noticeable symptoms of gestational diabetes (that's why they test everyone) because when I was diagnosed with Benjamin my doctor asked me if I'd noticed excessive thirst, increased urination, or overall fatigue and I was like, "Ummm...I'm pregnant...so...I guess I somehow overlooked those symptoms." But I still felt like an idiot for not noticing anything.
Honestly though, what pregnant lady doesn't drink more, pee more, and want to sleep more?
So, until I get word back from the doctor I guess I'll continue to eat as much pumpkin bread as I want, guilt-free (pumpkin bread was our project for no-school Wednesday—and it's delicious).
*****UPDATE (11:00 AM)*****
I passed! Yay!
I get to retest in two months, anyway. Less yay.
But I passed!
I understand that ice can be dangerous, but also I think southerners go a little crazy avoiding it because other things are dangerous, too. Icy roads are attributable to approximately 580 people, annually. Accidental gun deaths, meanwhile, claim around 600 people (and that's just accidental deaths), yet 41% of North Carolinians own guns.
It's like this quote by Dean Obeidallah, "That’s the same reason we don’t see many stories about how to reduce the 30 Americans killed each day by gun violence or the three women per day killed by domestic violence. But the media will have on expert after expert discussing how can we stop these scary brown Muslims from killing any more Americans despite the fact you actually have a better chance of being killed by a refrigerator falling on you.... I’m not saying to ignore the dangers posed by Islamic radicals. I’m just saying look out for those refrigerators."
And if that's too hyperbolic of an example, consider that 2876 people are killed in car crashes annually because of rain.
That's right. You're four times as likely to get in a car accident and die due to rain than you are due to icy road conditions. And yet there's no public outcry when school buses are zipping along during a torrential downpour (or worse just after a torrential downpour (because wet roads (and otherwise clear weather) are responsible for over 4000 deaths annually)). I'm just saying...
I understand that ice is dangerous (and I hate winter weather as much as the next person) but talk about straining at a gnat while swallowing a camel.
Southerners think ice is terrible because the media explodes whenever there's a snowflake in the forecast. Rain, on the other hand (which—did I mention?—causes far more deaths on the road than ice) doesn't make people bat an eye.
Basically, don't accuse me of wishing all school children dead when I mention that I'm baffled that school was cancelled for a day and a half because of a thin glaze of ice. A thin glaze of ice, mind you, that melted before the first day was over (because even at 8:00 that night it was still above freezing).
Also, the very same weather conditions (freezing rain or, as was the case on Tuesday, "light freezing drizzle mist") can happen pretty much anywhere. It's not a southern phenomenon. Trust me—click here to read about this one time we had the exact same weather in Utah. It's a funny story. I promise.
That tangent aside, Thursday morning found me scrambling to iron out the brand new kinks in my schedule so that I could get to the doctor's office.
I had to be at the doctor's office at 9:40.
Rachel had to catch the bus at 10:00.
Miriam had to be to preschool by 10:30.
We have one car.
Andrew was anxious to get to campus...but had no choice but to stay home with the kids while I went to the doctor's office. So I left the house at 9:25. Andrew finished getting the girls ready to go and waited for the bus with Rachel. The bus grabbed her at 10:10. My friend Kiki swung by at 10:15 to pick up Miriam. And I got home at 10:40 to relieve Andrew.
My appointment went well. I chugged 50 mL of glucose before leaving the house and then struggled to keep it down while my blood was drawn and my 17P shot was administered. Now I'm just waiting for the results of my test and I'm super nervous because what if I didn't study hard enough? What if I fail? Why can't my pancreas just do its job?
But then again, maybe I'll pass.
I am expecting another girl, after all, and, anecdotally speaking, girls have been easier for me to carry than boys. Case in point: Rachel was born at 39 weeks and 5 days gestation. No complications. Miriam was born at 39 weeks and 5 days gestation. No complications. Benjamin was born at 33 weeks and 4 days (though if my due date hadn't been adjusted he would have been considered earlier—and I'm pretty positive my due date shouldn't have been adjusted but my opinion doesn't count in medical records). And I had gestational diabetes (due to his placenta canceling out all the insulin my poor pancreas could produce).
If this little girl wants to fit into our pattern she (and her placenta) is just going to have to behave herself and arrive on May 31st with no complications whatsoever.
I'm so glad this OB/GYN office is saying that there aren't really any noticeable symptoms of gestational diabetes (that's why they test everyone) because when I was diagnosed with Benjamin my doctor asked me if I'd noticed excessive thirst, increased urination, or overall fatigue and I was like, "Ummm...I'm pregnant...so...I guess I somehow overlooked those symptoms." But I still felt like an idiot for not noticing anything.
Honestly though, what pregnant lady doesn't drink more, pee more, and want to sleep more?
So, until I get word back from the doctor I guess I'll continue to eat as much pumpkin bread as I want, guilt-free (pumpkin bread was our project for no-school Wednesday—and it's delicious).
*****UPDATE (11:00 AM)*****
I passed! Yay!
I get to retest in two months, anyway. Less yay.
But I passed!
Yay for passing! Now I can mail you these white chocolate M and Ms to help you gain weight. Such a toss up--do I gain weight, or do I watch my sugar levels?
ReplyDeleteI don't think it necessarily has to do with deaths but also just the amount of accidents. Here in the midwest freezing rain resulted in a 150 car pile up. They don't want to have to have cops and paramedics having to rush to all the accidents. That being said glad you passed your test!
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