Things never go smooth. Why can't things ever go smooth?

I've been becoming more and more frustrated with the distinctly low-end aftermarket stereo in my car, and decided finally to replace it. Picked out a nice Kenwood, ordered it and what they were certain was the right harness adaptor from Crutchfield. It took a week to get the package, and when I had it I went out, looked, and from the view I had through the slot in the dashboard, it all looked good to go. So I pulled out the wire strippers, and the crimper, and with a merry chorus of clicking noises I connected up the wiring harness adaptor. That done, I decided to just install the new stereo and be done with it.

So I pulled out the old one, pulled on the wires, and... wait a moment. That's the wrong plug. There's no second plug. This is the wrong harness adaptor. So, now I'm out $15 because their website was wrong. There'd been a review mentioning that this might not be the right adaptor for a 1994, but I'd trusted them.

Turns out, the reviewer was right. I needed the other adaptor, which the website didn't even show me until I searched by the part number he'd given, and which the website insists won't fit my car. Sorry, website, but I'm rather more inclined to trust the actual wires and plugs under my dashboard.

So now, I have two options. I can either whomp up another set of splices in the wiring I have, or I can telephone the people who sold me the stereo, and explain to them that their website steered me wrong, and I need the other harness adaptor. It turns out, you see, that which harness adaptor is needed depends on which of the two options for a factory stereo Volvo installed, and I didn't know which stereo my car had had since it was long gone when I bought it. I'm definitely inclined to telephone them and say that they really ought to have both options shown, since their unwarranted certainty caused me issues.

In the meantime, I shall continue with the declining stereo that's fitted. It mostly works.

Releasing the feline

As you know, since I've been harping on about it, the LA and I are expecting our first child. We've been awaiting today rather anxiously, or at least I have; today was the 20 week anatomy scan, since the sprog is now expected to be large enough to count fingers, check for presence of kidneys, and so on. As it turns out, like the vast majority of pregnancies, ours is proceeding normally; there are no gross abnormalities, and it already looks like the poor child will be saddled with a rather axe-like nose. Both the LA and I tend towards the larger end of the scale in that department, with long straight noses.

The kid was active, yet cooperative; the check went very smoothly. I'd post a picture, but all they provided were some "3D" shots which, frankly, look like nothing so much as a half-melted candle; the old-fashioned 2D pictures are much easier to interpret.

And now for the big news. Once we got home, it was just about within the acceptable time window for calling my mother, and so she was the first family member to get the news: we are expecting a girl. I'd been watching the screen, and thanks to some pointers from friends who've been through it before, I had some idea what I was looking for; I was pretty sure we were dealing with a daughter even before the tech confirmed it.

While we don't have any illusions of being able to entirely avoid pink, frilly things, we'd like to request that if there's a choice, you please lean towards the version which isn't pink. There will be plenty of pink, you need not add to it!