CNotes

Countdown

The countdown is officially on ... tadpole should be here by the end of next week. Why do we know this? Well, last week my blood pressure spiked and my ob/gyn sent me home.  After a restful weekend, another spike at the doc's office on Monday and she sent me home for the duration.  No going to work. Not supposed to be doing housework, errands, etc.  Must recline/lie on my left side.  Good news? Can work remotely. And, I'm going crazy after 2 days of this!

Good news? The doc agreed to my birthday date with the Hub tonight to go to the fancy movie theatre to see Harry Potter 7. Have clearance to recline at the in-laws for Thanksgiving.  Then recline at home for football on Friday & Saturday. No guarantee there won't be a BP spike during either the FSU v. UF game or OSU v. OU game.

Bad news? The nursery is so not done ... and no sitting at the sewing machine for me.  Also, the Hub has picked up even more of the heavy lifting around the house. He's so awesome ... planted the pansies I bought, already set up the Christmas tree (my MIL is coming over on Saturday to decorate for me ... says she's bringing a long pointer for me to direct her).

So, now I'm thinking about the bag for the hospital.  I've seen lots and lots of "must take" lists and I have a pretty good idea, but I'd love to hear from you what was your #1 item packed or what was the thing you forgot that you really wish  you'd had ... music? your own pillow? snacks for the Hub? what? ... and, what did you bring that wasn't necessary?

So, as my doc said on Monday, the only way to get my BP down is to become "unpregnant." That means on Monday, she'll examine me and we'll determine a date next week to introduce tadpole to the world.  Wow. It's finally here.

Content

Big Twitter brouhaha over Amazon.com's decision to sell a book in its e-store called "The Pedophile's Guide to Love and Pleasure: A Child Lover's Code of Conduct." Seriously. This is not a joke.

I found out about the sale of the book from two women I follow on Twitter.  After checking it out and reading what the author had to say about the book, I was appalled that Amazon would offer this book for sale. The #amazonfail hashtag was running rampant. Boycott Amazon.com facebook groups popped up ... totaling more than 10,000 fans.

People called & email Amazon. Major news outlets picked up the story.  Here's Amazon's initial statement:

 Amazon believes it is censorship not to sell certain books simply because we or others believe their message is objectionable...however, we do support the right of every individual to make their own purchasing decisions. (reported by AolNews)

The challenge?  This statement is in direct conflict of Amazon.com's own guidelines:

 Publishers are expected to conduct proper research to ensure that the Titles sold through the Digital Text Platform Program are in compliance with all local, state, national, and international laws. If Amazon Digital Services, Inc. determines that the content of a Title is prohibited, we may summarily remove or alter it without returning any fees. Amazon Digital Services, Inc. reserves the right to make judgments about whether or not content is appropriate. (Read full guidelines HERE.)

Um, I'm pretty sure that fondling a child is against the law in every state in the U.S.  Don't you?

So, on this topic, we're not talking about protected free speech.  According to those who have read the book (I have not), this is a how-to manual that gives explicit advice on skirting laws and encouraging adult-child sexual activity.  Children are to be protected from adults who want to abuse them.  Whether this book qualifies as protected free speech is a question for the legal community.

Interestingly, Amazon.com has issued no statement since pulling the book sometime last night after freely defending its decision to offer the book for sale earlier in the day, as well as allowing the author to publish the book through the company's Digital Text Platform.  As a PR practitioner, I wonder when they will. This will make an interesing case study on crisis communications.

It appears that Amazon broke no laws in publishing or offering the book for sale.  It is a private company and can certainly can sell this book should it choose to do so. However, the public can vote with its wallet and use response speech to decide to spend its money elsewhere - there are consequences to free speech that we all need to understand.  In a commercial or retail environment, this is where money comes into play. I think it is the very real impact of a possible boycott from consumers (especially at the holidays) that led Amazon to do a complete 180 without explanation. 

Choices

Learned something really interesting in prenatal yoga class last night. Ok, I thought it was interesting and hope you will, too.

Our instructor was giving us an exercise during relaxation and she told us she wanted to think about Choices.  This exercise is something she learned in yoga instructor training. 

The next time you're stressed out about something or find yourself in a situation that isn't going your way, what if you re-framed the situation and thought, "How would I feel if I chose this route?"

An easy example is running late ... sitting a stoplight, freaking out that you're going to be late. (happens to me)  What if I thought, "What if I chose to be late?" What would the positives be to being late to wherever I was headed?

Since we're only about 4-5 weeks out from delivery and since I"m high risk because I'm on blood thinners, we've tried to imagine almost every delivery scenario ... from our plan, to au naturale because we can't stop the blood thinner early enough ... to a C-section, which I'd like to avoid, but could be reality.  I hope I remember this exercise.  What if we chose this delivery method?  Then, I could focus on the positives and feel better about something the Hub & I won't have 100% control of ...

Karen, our yoga instructor, also said this is a great lesson to apply to parenthood.  Yep - I can see me trying to imagine, "What if I chose to wake up every two hours?" Hmm ... maybe she was thinking of a different scenario.