What it'll do to you

So I haven't posted in forever and most of my thousands (ha) of readers know already but I'm, as they say, in the family way. They also say knocked up. Either is fine. So now we have that out of the way. One of the interesting things that has happened in terms of being pregnant is the new found ability to ask for whatever you like. Sure this applies to wonderful things like declaring that you'll be eating cupcakes for dinner, but also like somewhat awkward things too.

Today I was standing in line in the parking lot at a client's office. I was waiting to plunk money in the machine in exchange for a parking permit. It being 8am in Olympia meant that it was state worker rush hour and the line was ten people deep. A guy behind me lit up a cigarette which in this state makes me nauseous of course but I usually can easily avoid smoke. Before the neurons could even finish firing, I turned around and demanded he put it out. When he protested, I did it: I played the pregnancy card. It's so weird, it felt kind of liberating to just demand the outcome I wanted but at the same time uncomfortable placing this rather mundane activity (that of bearing another human) at the forefront of my abilities of persuasion.

Well, at least it worked. Besides this demand and the cupcake obsession, being pregnant actually feels pretty great most of the time. They tell me its the hormones, but damn if it isn't the best high in the world.