In other news, do you like my new keyboard? Isn't it nice? Someone (possibly me) dumped half a cup of hot tea on the keyboard Saturday morning, and it just couldn't take the abuse.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Proof
I have decided to present proof to you that pole dancing is indeed a dangerous sport. This is a picture of the bruise on my inner right thigh that I managed to give myself learning the "Fireman spin" on Thursday night. When I took this picture the bruise was 4 days old, and it's looking much better than it did on Friday.
In other news, do you like my new keyboard? Isn't it nice? Someone (possibly me) dumped half a cup of hot tea on the keyboard Saturday morning, and it just couldn't take the abuse.
In other news, do you like my new keyboard? Isn't it nice? Someone (possibly me) dumped half a cup of hot tea on the keyboard Saturday morning, and it just couldn't take the abuse.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
The Betty Cup Invitational
Happy long weekend everyone! So far it's been a lovely one for us.
Friday we went, as always, to Raven and Shades place in Sherwood Park. There was some landscaping work going on in the front yard, and my husband, being the helpful bloke that he is decided to pitch in and assist with the rock moving endeavour. I went inside and hung out with Raven and the kids, which is fun and incredibly exhausting. Thankfully all four of the children gathered there are very well behaved for the most part. We had a wonderful supper of home-made pulled pork, which was great, but not as great as the last time Raven made it. We played a round or two of a game called Jungle Go, and then Shades ran part two of our two part adventure in an RPG called The Mountain Witch. It's a very neat game, and although I was nervous at first due to the way the game is narrated by both the GM and the players, it turned out to be great fun and very satisfying. Apparantly next week we may end up playing a game in which we are all cavemen, and we can only grunt and gesture to get our points across to the other players. Cool. After we finished playing Mountain Witch, we played more Jungle Go. I have learned that I am much better at that game when I have a case of Coke under my belt.
Saturday was a lazy day, I slept in (mostly because I didn't fall asleep till after 5 am due to the gallons of cola that I consumed). We went to West Edmonton Mall to pick up some litter boxes and makeup for me for Paradise Lost. Let me just say that West Ed is a miserable place at the best of times, let alone on the Saturday of Labour Day long weekend with a crabby toddler. We got what we needed, and by time we got out of there we were all ready to tear eachother to shreds. That night was Paradise Lost, and it was fantastic as always. Bad things had happened to my character in downtime which were not clear to everyone, but by the end of the night, I think everyone knew that something was up.
Today was the Betty Cup Invitational Croquet Tournament. I did not place in any of the games, which was unfortunate, but we had a lovely time. I got lots of pictures, but due to the fact that it was beautiful and sunny out today, many of them are not very good because of shadows. Mary was mostly good, and busied herself with making sure the pond was always full of croquet balls. She was very good at her job. Our neighbours, I & V have themed their backyard on Alice in Wonderland, so there are a great many plastic hedgehogs that Mary would throw into the pond, an adult would retrieve from the water, just to have Mary toss them back into the pond.
Tomorrow we will head back to Sherwood Park to spend the morning at a Spray Park with many children. It will be either fun, or horrible. It's always a gamble.
Friday we went, as always, to Raven and Shades place in Sherwood Park. There was some landscaping work going on in the front yard, and my husband, being the helpful bloke that he is decided to pitch in and assist with the rock moving endeavour. I went inside and hung out with Raven and the kids, which is fun and incredibly exhausting. Thankfully all four of the children gathered there are very well behaved for the most part. We had a wonderful supper of home-made pulled pork, which was great, but not as great as the last time Raven made it. We played a round or two of a game called Jungle Go, and then Shades ran part two of our two part adventure in an RPG called The Mountain Witch. It's a very neat game, and although I was nervous at first due to the way the game is narrated by both the GM and the players, it turned out to be great fun and very satisfying. Apparantly next week we may end up playing a game in which we are all cavemen, and we can only grunt and gesture to get our points across to the other players. Cool. After we finished playing Mountain Witch, we played more Jungle Go. I have learned that I am much better at that game when I have a case of Coke under my belt.
Saturday was a lazy day, I slept in (mostly because I didn't fall asleep till after 5 am due to the gallons of cola that I consumed). We went to West Edmonton Mall to pick up some litter boxes and makeup for me for Paradise Lost. Let me just say that West Ed is a miserable place at the best of times, let alone on the Saturday of Labour Day long weekend with a crabby toddler. We got what we needed, and by time we got out of there we were all ready to tear eachother to shreds. That night was Paradise Lost, and it was fantastic as always. Bad things had happened to my character in downtime which were not clear to everyone, but by the end of the night, I think everyone knew that something was up.
Today was the Betty Cup Invitational Croquet Tournament. I did not place in any of the games, which was unfortunate, but we had a lovely time. I got lots of pictures, but due to the fact that it was beautiful and sunny out today, many of them are not very good because of shadows. Mary was mostly good, and busied herself with making sure the pond was always full of croquet balls. She was very good at her job. Our neighbours, I & V have themed their backyard on Alice in Wonderland, so there are a great many plastic hedgehogs that Mary would throw into the pond, an adult would retrieve from the water, just to have Mary toss them back into the pond.
Tomorrow we will head back to Sherwood Park to spend the morning at a Spray Park with many children. It will be either fun, or horrible. It's always a gamble.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Adventures in Pole Dancing
I had my second pole dancing class last night, and it once again confirmed that I am in terrible shape, and not particularly sexy. Though I am getting a bit better, I like to think. Last night we learned the "Fireman Spin" on the pole, and the "Sexy Pushup" on the floor. I was concerned about the spin, and it turns out I was right to be worried. Today I have a giant bruise on the inside of my right thigh from doingit incorrectly, and bruises on both my ankles from doing it correctly. I'm still not doing it properly, but by the end of the night, I managed to spin around the pole and actually land on my feet, which is a big step up from the way I ended up sprawled on the floor the first couple of times I tried. The Sexy Pushup is a miserable thing. I don't have a lot of strength in my arms, thanks to years of having a separated shoulder, followed by surgery 3 years ago, and ending up with arthritis in said shoulder. I've avoided using my arms for a long time, and pole dancing requires a whole lot of upper body strength. Anyways, I showed Ian how to do the sexy pushup (which I cannot myself do just yet) and even he thought it was tough, and he has upper body strength to spare. So, I will continue to stick with this class, and probably take it again. It's really great exercise, once again muscles that I didn't realize I had are aching today. As ridiculous as I feel, the women in the class and the instructors are friendly and fun to be with. I've never found a way to exercise for an hour that only feels like 15 minutes.
I must go, Mary is shouting "No!" very angrily at the TV, apparantly Zabomafoo has done something with a Llama that she does not approve of.
I must go, Mary is shouting "No!" very angrily at the TV, apparantly Zabomafoo has done something with a Llama that she does not approve of.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
What I Learned Today
When bringing your toldder to a petting zoo, do not put her in the pretty green shirt with ruffles on the front. Unless of course you want the toddler to get eaten by goats. Enough said.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Andy Panda
My baby brother. He's turning 26 in two months, so I guess he's not such a baby anymore. He's also done very well for himself in Vancouver, and he's an excellent person to go to if you have a question about wine. In fact, if you're ever in "The Big Smoke" drop by Marquis Wine Cellars and say hello to him.
I decided to post this instead of commenting on the DRAMA! that is going on in our little social circle. Emmett and Anne R. Key are far more involved than I, but the whole thing makes me shake my head. That is all.
So, on Friday before Purgatory Mary and I ran to Safeway. I had comitted to making up some fake blood for the game, and needed supplies. My list was Cocoa powder, Grenadine, Corn Syrup and red and green food colouring. While paying, the girl at the till, being a friendly girl and wanting to make conversation, said "So, what are you making? Looks like it'll be something good!" I could feel myself turn bright red, and I muttered something about baking brownies before scuttling out of the store. I suppose I could have told her that I was making a few litres of fake blood, but I'm not sure that'd go over too well.
I decided to post this instead of commenting on the DRAMA! that is going on in our little social circle. Emmett and Anne R. Key are far more involved than I, but the whole thing makes me shake my head. That is all.
So, on Friday before Purgatory Mary and I ran to Safeway. I had comitted to making up some fake blood for the game, and needed supplies. My list was Cocoa powder, Grenadine, Corn Syrup and red and green food colouring. While paying, the girl at the till, being a friendly girl and wanting to make conversation, said "So, what are you making? Looks like it'll be something good!" I could feel myself turn bright red, and I muttered something about baking brownies before scuttling out of the store. I suppose I could have told her that I was making a few litres of fake blood, but I'm not sure that'd go over too well.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
The End of Summer Bash
Our friends V & I had their end of summer bbq today, and we had a lovely time. It was Marys second time enjoying the party, and she had an absolute blast.
Here's a picture of last year's party:
And here's a picture of this year:
It just never ceases to amaze me to see how quickly she changes.
Oh, and you might be interested to know that the pretty pink dress she was wearing today was actually made for me by my Grandmother, almost 30 years ago.
Here's a picture of last year's party:
And here's a picture of this year:
It just never ceases to amaze me to see how quickly she changes.
Oh, and you might be interested to know that the pretty pink dress she was wearing today was actually made for me by my Grandmother, almost 30 years ago.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Confirmation
I had my first dance class last night, and while it was not awful, it confirmed several things in my mind.
First - I am in terrible shape. Seriously. Though not as terrible as I expected myself to be.
Second - I despise physical activity of any time. Again, I didn't hate it as much as I thought I would, which is nice.
Third - I'm fat.
Fourth - I am not even moderately sexy. I spent a whole lot of time looking at my fat self in the mirrors which are on every wall last night and trying not to laugh at myself. I kept thinking "What is that fatso doing trying to be sexy...there's nothing sexy about all that flab." Also, I am so uncoordinated it's not even funny. While doing the "sexy walk" one is expected to run ones hands over ones body. I, however, am so busy concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other without falling down, any movement of my hands messes with that and I do fall down. Don't even get me started on the actual pole work. yeesh.
It was a good workout though, better than I had expected. Every muscle in my body, including my abs (which i thought that pregnancy had destroyed) aches. It's nbot a bad ache, really, I'm kind of enjoying it. And who knows, if I stick with these classes, maybe I'll loose a little weight and learn to put one foot in front of the other without falling down.
First - I am in terrible shape. Seriously. Though not as terrible as I expected myself to be.
Second - I despise physical activity of any time. Again, I didn't hate it as much as I thought I would, which is nice.
Third - I'm fat.
Fourth - I am not even moderately sexy. I spent a whole lot of time looking at my fat self in the mirrors which are on every wall last night and trying not to laugh at myself. I kept thinking "What is that fatso doing trying to be sexy...there's nothing sexy about all that flab." Also, I am so uncoordinated it's not even funny. While doing the "sexy walk" one is expected to run ones hands over ones body. I, however, am so busy concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other without falling down, any movement of my hands messes with that and I do fall down. Don't even get me started on the actual pole work. yeesh.
It was a good workout though, better than I had expected. Every muscle in my body, including my abs (which i thought that pregnancy had destroyed) aches. It's nbot a bad ache, really, I'm kind of enjoying it. And who knows, if I stick with these classes, maybe I'll loose a little weight and learn to put one foot in front of the other without falling down.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
The Great Bra Hunt
Yeah yeah, I know. Lollyblogger. Is anyone surprised? To be honest, I've been having a tough time blogging at all for the last few months. Life has settled into a sort of routine that does not have room for any excitement.
Anyways, one bit of excitement is that I start a Pole Dancing class tonight. Yes, I did say pole dancing. I'm pretty excited about it, a few of the girls that I know have been taking the classes for a while, and they love them. So, I have decided to take the plunge and sign up. I really need to loose weight, and I hate physical activity, but I have been told that this is great fun, so I'm going to try. Aside from which, one friend of mine who is built in much the same way as I am has lost 2 dress sizes since she started. The added bonus is increased flexibility and confidence. I've never ever considered myself sexy at all...I'm about as limber as an 80 year old, but hopefully this class will change that a bit.
One problem with taking this class is that I needed to find a sports bra. Apparently the world has decreed that fat women with big boobs don't exercise, and never will, therefore they don't need to make sports bra's in larger sizes. I've always had very large boobs, and I always will...loosing weight likely will not change that. It's always a nightmare finding a bra that fits, but hunting for a sports bra was a step beyond...almost as painful as looking for a new bathing suit. After the third time I tried on an XL bra that barely covered my nipples let alone supported anything, I was close to tears. I finally found something that fits half decently, although the support is not what I would have liked...but I made do, I really don't think I would have found anything better.
On the Mary front...well...she is just funnier and funnier every day. She has taken to disciplining herself when she gets into trouble. If she climbs up onto the cat house or diningroom table, she starts to yell "Down! DOWN!" at herself, and if she gets into something she knows she shouldn't, she starts saying "No. No no no." even before she does it. She's also gone baby CRAZY. Everywhere we go she points out every baby she can see, and often a short person is considered a baby. At home she has a Cabbage Patch doll which she got for her 1st birthday. She never paid attention to the doll till this past weekend, but now she drags it everywhere. She shares her juice and cookies with Baby, pretends to change it's diaper, wacks it's face against the wall, brushes its hair, tosses it to the floor, and tucks it in under any sort of blanket/clothing that she can find. She still loves her cars and trucks, but she's definitely got the baby bug. Hopefully Moustapha and I can provide her with a real baby to take care of (minus the face bashing and tossing to the floor) in the not too distant future!
Oh! Did I mention that it is officially official, Moustapha has a new job? It's great to have him home every evening, and even better is that his new employer actually has health benefits! Which means that I will be able to get new glasses, which I desperately need. I can't do any of my embroidery right now, which is annoying because I'm getting better at it, and I've managed to teach myself to do more than just cross-stitch too. But if I do it for too long (more than about 10 minutes) right now I just give myself a splitting headache. I have a couple of big projects that I want to finish before Christmas, and I need to get to work now so I can finish them in time.
Anyways, Purgatory is tomorrow night, and I've had some big changes happen with my character. BIG changes. So, I must think on how I will play with it...no matter what, it'll be interesting. I waited up till 1am for my turn last night, and when I got it...well, it was fantastic as usual.
Anyways, one bit of excitement is that I start a Pole Dancing class tonight. Yes, I did say pole dancing. I'm pretty excited about it, a few of the girls that I know have been taking the classes for a while, and they love them. So, I have decided to take the plunge and sign up. I really need to loose weight, and I hate physical activity, but I have been told that this is great fun, so I'm going to try. Aside from which, one friend of mine who is built in much the same way as I am has lost 2 dress sizes since she started. The added bonus is increased flexibility and confidence. I've never ever considered myself sexy at all...I'm about as limber as an 80 year old, but hopefully this class will change that a bit.
One problem with taking this class is that I needed to find a sports bra. Apparently the world has decreed that fat women with big boobs don't exercise, and never will, therefore they don't need to make sports bra's in larger sizes. I've always had very large boobs, and I always will...loosing weight likely will not change that. It's always a nightmare finding a bra that fits, but hunting for a sports bra was a step beyond...almost as painful as looking for a new bathing suit. After the third time I tried on an XL bra that barely covered my nipples let alone supported anything, I was close to tears. I finally found something that fits half decently, although the support is not what I would have liked...but I made do, I really don't think I would have found anything better.
On the Mary front...well...she is just funnier and funnier every day. She has taken to disciplining herself when she gets into trouble. If she climbs up onto the cat house or diningroom table, she starts to yell "Down! DOWN!" at herself, and if she gets into something she knows she shouldn't, she starts saying "No. No no no." even before she does it. She's also gone baby CRAZY. Everywhere we go she points out every baby she can see, and often a short person is considered a baby. At home she has a Cabbage Patch doll which she got for her 1st birthday. She never paid attention to the doll till this past weekend, but now she drags it everywhere. She shares her juice and cookies with Baby, pretends to change it's diaper, wacks it's face against the wall, brushes its hair, tosses it to the floor, and tucks it in under any sort of blanket/clothing that she can find. She still loves her cars and trucks, but she's definitely got the baby bug. Hopefully Moustapha and I can provide her with a real baby to take care of (minus the face bashing and tossing to the floor) in the not too distant future!
Oh! Did I mention that it is officially official, Moustapha has a new job? It's great to have him home every evening, and even better is that his new employer actually has health benefits! Which means that I will be able to get new glasses, which I desperately need. I can't do any of my embroidery right now, which is annoying because I'm getting better at it, and I've managed to teach myself to do more than just cross-stitch too. But if I do it for too long (more than about 10 minutes) right now I just give myself a splitting headache. I have a couple of big projects that I want to finish before Christmas, and I need to get to work now so I can finish them in time.
Anyways, Purgatory is tomorrow night, and I've had some big changes happen with my character. BIG changes. So, I must think on how I will play with it...no matter what, it'll be interesting. I waited up till 1am for my turn last night, and when I got it...well, it was fantastic as usual.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Good News
Well, it's only a step away from being officially official. Moustapha has accepted a job working in Alberta. He has been working with this company all week now, and found out yesterday how much they are willing to pay him. It's not quite as much as we had hoped, but it isn't bad, and it is much closer to home. In fact, he should be home pretty much every evening and weekend. Isn't that fabulous? It's certainly worth a dollar pay cut to start, in my mind. The last step is informing his other employers that he won't be traipsing all over the world with them anymore. It's going to be hard, not only because it's always an uncomfortable thing to quit a job, but because he is working all day it is hard to actually get ahold of the boss to let him know. I'm confident it'll all work out though.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Baby Blogging
I took this picture when we were walking home from a lovely afternoon tea with V &I the other day. Mary just can't get enough of her Daddy, and neither can I.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Life or Something Like It
Once again I am finding myself slipping into lollybloggerdom. I keep trying to post here, I know I have stuff to say, but when I get at the computer, I just stare blankly at the monitor for a while before walking away.
Anyways, I'll start with a week update, if I can remember what has happened.
Moustapha is still working with the new company in Red Deer. Every morning he gets up at a God awful early hour, and drives to the south side of the city where he meets up with his co-workers. Then they all pile into a truck and drive the hour and a half to Red Deer. The best part is that he is usually home between 5:30 and 6 every night. We still (!!!) don't know how much they are paying him, but hopefully he will talk to the owner of the company (who hired him, and then went on vacation) soon. If they are willing to pay him what he was making working out of town, then he will be staying with these guys. It's wonderful to have him home, and equally wonderful to have him out of the house during the day.
We had a very busy weekend with lots of social interaction. On Friday evening we went over to Anne R. Key and the Dauntless Janets place to play Texas Hold'em. It was great fun, and I managed to consume an entire bottle of white wine all by myself. We tired of poker after a while and decided to try out Rumoli, and eventually moved on to a game called "Would You Rather?" By that time Emmett had come over and he joined in on the games. I think that he ended up winning Would You Rather, but the details are a little fuzzy.
Saturday a good friend of ours got married in an incredibly Catholic ceremony. As we were going to the Basillica downtown to attend the wedding, we saw that the main drag downtown on which the church resided was closed off. We had no idea what for, but there were people lined up on the sidewalk, so we asked. It turned out that the Carribian festival was starting that day with a parade. Half way through the ceremony the very loud (deafening) music started outside and echoed through the church. Mary and I headed outside to watch the parade, and she was extremely concerned by the brightly coloured wierdo's dancing down the street. Her brow was furrowed, and she refused to smile no matter how hard the scantily clad women gyrated in an attempt to please her.
We headed home for a nap after the ceremony and parade, and then went to the reception at around 6 that evening. Mary spent the entire two hours that we were there running around the hall. Running and running and running. Occasionally she would climb up into an empty chair, pound the table and babble at the people seated there, before climbing down and running some more. It was incredible, and exhausting. We left the reception when the speaches started and wandered over to Emmets for a birthday pie party. I was confident that Mary would pass out the minute we put her in her playpen, but I did not count on the fact that I had forgotten to bring her bottle. We put her down and she proceded to scream bloody murder and jump wildly up and down in her playpen for about an hour and a half. Finally I decided to let her out for a while. She spent the entire rest of the evening charming the pants off the resolutely childless that were gathered there. She organized the remote controls and cat toys, she picked stuff up off the floor and put it on the table, she babbled and coo'd at the kitten, and was all in all a delight to have around. I was pretty worried about setting her free in that crowd, I know that they are not baby people, and I didn't want to ruin their fun, but I think it went pretty well. We left at 11:30 and Mary had not slept a wink. I would have liked to stay later, but we all needed sleep, and I wanted to leave before Marys attitude went down the drain.
Sunday we did nothing. We wandered around a mall, rented a movie, and relaxed.
Monday Ian went back to work, and Mary and I hung out. I had grand plans to do stuff around the house, but I discovered that my keys were missing. I spent 3 hours searching high and low for the keys, and eventually had to call I & V and beg them for a ride to my babysitting gig. Last night I went over to Raven's place to roleplay. It was great fun as always, and I caused all sorts of problems between the characters, including moving in on one girls fiancee, and having a member of the crew lashed within an inch of his life for daring to slap me. Raven was exhausted, they had returned from Gen Con that day, and she didn't last very long, but it was nice to see her anyways. Oh! And she brought back the pinkest, girliest dice I've ever seen! Yay!
Tonight is D&D, and tomorrow I babysit late, though I should be home in time to watch the finale of So You Think You Can Dance.
Anyways, I'll start with a week update, if I can remember what has happened.
Moustapha is still working with the new company in Red Deer. Every morning he gets up at a God awful early hour, and drives to the south side of the city where he meets up with his co-workers. Then they all pile into a truck and drive the hour and a half to Red Deer. The best part is that he is usually home between 5:30 and 6 every night. We still (!!!) don't know how much they are paying him, but hopefully he will talk to the owner of the company (who hired him, and then went on vacation) soon. If they are willing to pay him what he was making working out of town, then he will be staying with these guys. It's wonderful to have him home, and equally wonderful to have him out of the house during the day.
We had a very busy weekend with lots of social interaction. On Friday evening we went over to Anne R. Key and the Dauntless Janets place to play Texas Hold'em. It was great fun, and I managed to consume an entire bottle of white wine all by myself. We tired of poker after a while and decided to try out Rumoli, and eventually moved on to a game called "Would You Rather?" By that time Emmett had come over and he joined in on the games. I think that he ended up winning Would You Rather, but the details are a little fuzzy.
Saturday a good friend of ours got married in an incredibly Catholic ceremony. As we were going to the Basillica downtown to attend the wedding, we saw that the main drag downtown on which the church resided was closed off. We had no idea what for, but there were people lined up on the sidewalk, so we asked. It turned out that the Carribian festival was starting that day with a parade. Half way through the ceremony the very loud (deafening) music started outside and echoed through the church. Mary and I headed outside to watch the parade, and she was extremely concerned by the brightly coloured wierdo's dancing down the street. Her brow was furrowed, and she refused to smile no matter how hard the scantily clad women gyrated in an attempt to please her.
We headed home for a nap after the ceremony and parade, and then went to the reception at around 6 that evening. Mary spent the entire two hours that we were there running around the hall. Running and running and running. Occasionally she would climb up into an empty chair, pound the table and babble at the people seated there, before climbing down and running some more. It was incredible, and exhausting. We left the reception when the speaches started and wandered over to Emmets for a birthday pie party. I was confident that Mary would pass out the minute we put her in her playpen, but I did not count on the fact that I had forgotten to bring her bottle. We put her down and she proceded to scream bloody murder and jump wildly up and down in her playpen for about an hour and a half. Finally I decided to let her out for a while. She spent the entire rest of the evening charming the pants off the resolutely childless that were gathered there. She organized the remote controls and cat toys, she picked stuff up off the floor and put it on the table, she babbled and coo'd at the kitten, and was all in all a delight to have around. I was pretty worried about setting her free in that crowd, I know that they are not baby people, and I didn't want to ruin their fun, but I think it went pretty well. We left at 11:30 and Mary had not slept a wink. I would have liked to stay later, but we all needed sleep, and I wanted to leave before Marys attitude went down the drain.
Sunday we did nothing. We wandered around a mall, rented a movie, and relaxed.
Monday Ian went back to work, and Mary and I hung out. I had grand plans to do stuff around the house, but I discovered that my keys were missing. I spent 3 hours searching high and low for the keys, and eventually had to call I & V and beg them for a ride to my babysitting gig. Last night I went over to Raven's place to roleplay. It was great fun as always, and I caused all sorts of problems between the characters, including moving in on one girls fiancee, and having a member of the crew lashed within an inch of his life for daring to slap me. Raven was exhausted, they had returned from Gen Con that day, and she didn't last very long, but it was nice to see her anyways. Oh! And she brought back the pinkest, girliest dice I've ever seen! Yay!
Tonight is D&D, and tomorrow I babysit late, though I should be home in time to watch the finale of So You Think You Can Dance.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Update
I've become a real lollyblogger again, unfortunately. I just haven't much to type about here, and when I do think of something, it's either at 3 in the morning, or I'm just too lazy to sit down and type.
Ian (sorry, that's Moustapha) has been home for a week and a half now. He just started working for a company that is not a front for a notorious biker gang yesterday. The bonus, aside from not working for that biker gang is that they are working in Red Deer right now. So, he gets up early in the morning and meets his ride on the south side of the city. They all drive to Red Deer, and he's home by 6ish in the evening. On monday they start working in Nisku, which is even closer. We will see after today if he is going to stay with them, depending on how much they offer to pay him, but all in all it looks positive. The company is local, they only work in Alberta. If he does have to go out of town they do 11 days out and 3 in. They have a benifit plan, and they are willing to give him tickets for the work he does so that he is officially qualified. If he sticks around long enough, they may even help him get his Journeyman ironworker ticket.
Mary is doing well, every day she has more words that I can understand. We ended up quitting the swimming lessons, the chlorine was doing horrible things to her poor skin. She was just one giant ball of eczema, and it was pretty awful. After one or two days with no swimming, it cleared right up, so I decided not to go back. No big loss for her really, as she hated it anyways.
Well, that's all for now. Maybe I will have something a bit more interesting to say later on.
Ian (sorry, that's Moustapha) has been home for a week and a half now. He just started working for a company that is not a front for a notorious biker gang yesterday. The bonus, aside from not working for that biker gang is that they are working in Red Deer right now. So, he gets up early in the morning and meets his ride on the south side of the city. They all drive to Red Deer, and he's home by 6ish in the evening. On monday they start working in Nisku, which is even closer. We will see after today if he is going to stay with them, depending on how much they offer to pay him, but all in all it looks positive. The company is local, they only work in Alberta. If he does have to go out of town they do 11 days out and 3 in. They have a benifit plan, and they are willing to give him tickets for the work he does so that he is officially qualified. If he sticks around long enough, they may even help him get his Journeyman ironworker ticket.
Mary is doing well, every day she has more words that I can understand. We ended up quitting the swimming lessons, the chlorine was doing horrible things to her poor skin. She was just one giant ball of eczema, and it was pretty awful. After one or two days with no swimming, it cleared right up, so I decided not to go back. No big loss for her really, as she hated it anyways.
Well, that's all for now. Maybe I will have something a bit more interesting to say later on.
Friday, August 04, 2006
Friday Baby Blogging
Or, why did we ever pay for a bed?
I don't know why we bothered. Mary NEVER sleeps in her bed. She drags her stuffed animals and her blankets off the bed, and curls up on the nice comfy hardwood floor.
I don't know why we bothered. Mary NEVER sleeps in her bed. She drags her stuffed animals and her blankets off the bed, and curls up on the nice comfy hardwood floor.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Swimming is fun
Mary and I started swimming lessons on Monday morning, and it's fun. Sort of.
This is a picture of Mary and I last year when we took the same class. Cute, eh?
Here are some pictures of our lesson today.
What you can't tell in these pictures is that from the moment we got into the water, Mary started saying "All Done!" quite seriously. And she didn't stop the entire time we were swimming. We started off in the deep pool, which is kind of cool, but not too bad. She clung to me like a little leach and shivered. She refuses to kick, splash or blow bubbles in the water at all. When we got into the warm toddler pool that she is tall enough to stand in, she will constantly attempt to get out. Again, she refuses to do anything but grin at the other kids, and try to leave.
I think next time we will do music or art lessons. I suspect she'll enjoy them a whole lot more.
This is a picture of Mary and I last year when we took the same class. Cute, eh?
Here are some pictures of our lesson today.
What you can't tell in these pictures is that from the moment we got into the water, Mary started saying "All Done!" quite seriously. And she didn't stop the entire time we were swimming. We started off in the deep pool, which is kind of cool, but not too bad. She clung to me like a little leach and shivered. She refuses to kick, splash or blow bubbles in the water at all. When we got into the warm toddler pool that she is tall enough to stand in, she will constantly attempt to get out. Again, she refuses to do anything but grin at the other kids, and try to leave.
I think next time we will do music or art lessons. I suspect she'll enjoy them a whole lot more.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Three's a Crowd
Hello there!
I'm still alive. Ian is now home, he got home safe and sound on Friday early evening.
There's lots going on, but I don't have much time to blog.
Needless to say, things are going okay. It's a bit rocky this time around. I have a routine, and Ian messes that up. I'm trying to make him feel welcome, but it's tough. I'm so used to being alone, and he is used to me needing him a whole lot more than I do now. But we are working it out, slowly but surely.
He might have a job closer to home. More on that as the situation develops.
Love you all!
I'm still alive. Ian is now home, he got home safe and sound on Friday early evening.
There's lots going on, but I don't have much time to blog.
Needless to say, things are going okay. It's a bit rocky this time around. I have a routine, and Ian messes that up. I'm trying to make him feel welcome, but it's tough. I'm so used to being alone, and he is used to me needing him a whole lot more than I do now. But we are working it out, slowly but surely.
He might have a job closer to home. More on that as the situation develops.
Love you all!
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Bad Afternoon
Well, the unthinkable has finally happened. It's my own fault, I know it, I should have been more careful, and now I only have myself to blame.
I'll start at the beginning. This morning Mary slept in again, it was wonderful, and she was so cheerful all morning. Around 12:30, I decided that Mary should have a nice nap, so I changed her diaper, got her a bottle, and put her in her room. She's such a good girl these days, as soon as I say "Do you want a nap? Mummy will get you a bottle of milk." she runs to her bedroom and climbs up on her bed. Anyways, she went down without a fuss, and though I did hear her banging around in her room and talking to herself, I really thought nothing of it. I had work to do, Ian/Moustapha (yes, they are the same person, hard to believe, I know) is supposedly coming home tomorrow, so I want to get the house nice and clean.
At 2:30, I decided that it was time to get Mary up and continue with our day. I figured she'd already be awake, so I could just change her diaper and carry on. As soon as I opened the door to her room, I knew something was wrong. It was too quiet, deathly quiet. I had a deep sense of foreboding, and I peered around the corner in search of my daughter. What I saw froze the blood in my veins. Who was this changeling child? Had the faeries taken my beautiful, fair skinned, curly haired girl and left this brown, spiky haired monstrosity? But no, I looked closer, and the monstrous creature in my daughters bedroom had her beautiful blue eyes. Then I noticed the distinct lack of diaper on the brown little monster sitting on the floor, calmly sucking on an empty bottle, and it hit me. My focus changed from the child to the room, and I realized that my foot was only a centimetre away from a giant poo sitting there in the middle of the floor. But that giant log was not alone, there were streaks of brown all over the floor. And the bed. And the rocking chair. And the walls. And the dresser.
I quietly backed out of the bedroom and closed the door. I took a deep, calming breath, and started to fill the bathtub. I sat quietly on the edge of the tub as it filled, and I took another calming breath. I then opened the door of the bedroom, only to find the changeling child squatting over the log, and baptizing it in a most repulsive and demonic way.
You will all be happy to hear that my own angelic darling is back, after a 45 minute exorcism (bath). I intend to go out today and purchase some duct tape to ensure that this never EVER happens again.
I'll start at the beginning. This morning Mary slept in again, it was wonderful, and she was so cheerful all morning. Around 12:30, I decided that Mary should have a nice nap, so I changed her diaper, got her a bottle, and put her in her room. She's such a good girl these days, as soon as I say "Do you want a nap? Mummy will get you a bottle of milk." she runs to her bedroom and climbs up on her bed. Anyways, she went down without a fuss, and though I did hear her banging around in her room and talking to herself, I really thought nothing of it. I had work to do, Ian/Moustapha (yes, they are the same person, hard to believe, I know) is supposedly coming home tomorrow, so I want to get the house nice and clean.
At 2:30, I decided that it was time to get Mary up and continue with our day. I figured she'd already be awake, so I could just change her diaper and carry on. As soon as I opened the door to her room, I knew something was wrong. It was too quiet, deathly quiet. I had a deep sense of foreboding, and I peered around the corner in search of my daughter. What I saw froze the blood in my veins. Who was this changeling child? Had the faeries taken my beautiful, fair skinned, curly haired girl and left this brown, spiky haired monstrosity? But no, I looked closer, and the monstrous creature in my daughters bedroom had her beautiful blue eyes. Then I noticed the distinct lack of diaper on the brown little monster sitting on the floor, calmly sucking on an empty bottle, and it hit me. My focus changed from the child to the room, and I realized that my foot was only a centimetre away from a giant poo sitting there in the middle of the floor. But that giant log was not alone, there were streaks of brown all over the floor. And the bed. And the rocking chair. And the walls. And the dresser.
I quietly backed out of the bedroom and closed the door. I took a deep, calming breath, and started to fill the bathtub. I sat quietly on the edge of the tub as it filled, and I took another calming breath. I then opened the door of the bedroom, only to find the changeling child squatting over the log, and baptizing it in a most repulsive and demonic way.
You will all be happy to hear that my own angelic darling is back, after a 45 minute exorcism (bath). I intend to go out today and purchase some duct tape to ensure that this never EVER happens again.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Beer and Popcorn!
Yesterday turned out to be a lovely evening. I did not spend the evening weeping in front of the television with toast and a 40 oz bottle of Coconut Rum. Raven was smart enough to see that my post yesterday was a desperate passive aggressive plea for someone to drag me out of my stinky hot little house. So drag me away she did. I had a lovely family supper where the children outnumbered the adults, and then Ravens wonderful husband looked after Mary (who apparently cried the entire time) while a few of us went for a swim.
In the mail yesterday I got my first $100.00 family blah-de-blah cheque from the Harper government. I stifled the urge to immediately head out to buy beer and popcorn, I decided to save it for when Ian gets home, so we can enjoy a hundred dollars worth of beer together.
Speaking of Ian, he gets home on Thursday! Eep. I'm delighted and excited, but as I've said before, I'm also nervous and anxious. The house is a mess, and when Ian gets home I know that he's going to screw with my routine. I despise change, and Ian coming home is a big one. Of course he will leave right when I've finally gotten used to him being around, and it'll be another miserably stressful change too.
In the mail yesterday I got my first $100.00 family blah-de-blah cheque from the Harper government. I stifled the urge to immediately head out to buy beer and popcorn, I decided to save it for when Ian gets home, so we can enjoy a hundred dollars worth of beer together.
Speaking of Ian, he gets home on Thursday! Eep. I'm delighted and excited, but as I've said before, I'm also nervous and anxious. The house is a mess, and when Ian gets home I know that he's going to screw with my routine. I despise change, and Ian coming home is a big one. Of course he will leave right when I've finally gotten used to him being around, and it'll be another miserably stressful change too.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Two years ago today...
...I got married. I believe I shall celebrate it by spending the day alone in my stinking hot little house with a screaming toddler. Tonight I will watch Casanova all by myself. I may do some laundry. For supper I will have toast.
Last night I dreamed that Mary had a fever of 43 degrees, and was hallucinating. I took her to the children's hospital and was surprised to find that a very handsome friend of mine who I always thought worked for a that computer game company was actually a pediatrician. He came in, looked at Mary, and then the dream suddenly morphed into something a wee bit more naughty on a space ship. Then my D&D group wandered in. It was very odd.
Last night I dreamed that Mary had a fever of 43 degrees, and was hallucinating. I took her to the children's hospital and was surprised to find that a very handsome friend of mine who I always thought worked for a that computer game company was actually a pediatrician. He came in, looked at Mary, and then the dream suddenly morphed into something a wee bit more naughty on a space ship. Then my D&D group wandered in. It was very odd.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
My Tarot Card
Who'd have guessed it?
You scored as III - The Empress. The Empress is a maternal symbol. She is the mother figure who loves, nurtures and protects. She will protect you, she will always be there when you are in trouble. When you fall over and graze your knee, the Empress will kiss it better. Yet she is not a weak figure. Her compassion is strength. If her children are threatened she will stop at nothing to protect them. If well aspected in a Tarot spread, the Empress can symbolise security, protection and unconditional love. If badly aspected it can represent over-protectiveness, fear of risk taking and refusal to face the real world.
Which Major Arcana Tarot Card Are You? created with QuizFarm.com |
Why
Why is it that when I sit there, available and trying to play with her, Mary ignores me. I chase her around, I hang out with her, I try to play with her, and nothing. But the moment I sit down at the computer, or I try to do the dishes, or God forbid I use the toilet, she's howling and screaming. Demanding my complete attention. Climbing into my lap, hitting anything that I'm holding or using and shoving it away. Is this my life, to sit there, motionless in a chair, doing nothing, getting nothing accomplished, bored to tears, just in case the little tyrant deems me worthy of her attention?
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Yeah Yeah Yeah...
Hello!
I'm still alive...just lazy. Very very lazy.
I had some fun social times since last I posted. Last thursday I went to R & S's appartement. It was a delightful time, R made his wonderful lasagne for all of us and we watched Batman Begins while Z went crazy playing Starwars on the computer and guzzling more coke than a nine year old boy should ever have access too. Friday night I went over to Ravens place, and we had a lovely time. There was a point where we had a 5, 4, 3, and 2 year old, as well as Mary and two 8 month old babies on feeding tubes. It was INSANE for a while, and all the grownups were exhausted when the children went to thier various beds. After everyone went to bed we played a rousing game of "Betrayel in the House on the Hill," after which comprimising pictures were taken.
Saturday I didn't have a baby. Mary went to Ian's aunt and uncles place at 5 that evening, and I did not need to pick her up till 10:30 the next morning. After a rocky start (I burst into tears at a red light when I looked into the back seat and saw the lack of a carseat), the night went wonderfully. It was Cori and J's Arthurian game, and I was up to no good, as usual. As always it was a fantastic time playing in the legend and altering things to our own liking.
Sunday I visited Anne R. Key and the Dauntless Janet for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Mary was relatively well behaved and happy, which is always nice. Anne gave us a CD that she made for Mary called "Songs in Celebration of Mary and her Magnicifant Melon." They sent me home with a container full of fantastic Indian rice pudding full of saffron. Yum.
Monday I had a headache. All. Day. Long. At around 11 in the morning I lay down on my bed and just let Mary roam around the house and watch tv. I must have fallen asleep, and when I woke up, Mary had moved all the stuff on the floor beside the bed (yes, I'm a slob), dragged two blankets in from her bedroom, curled up and fallen asleep. What a strange little creature. She could have crawled up onto the bed with me, or gone to her own bed, but she chose the floor.
Well, speaking of being a slob, Mary is napping right now, so I think that I'm going to try to get some laundry and dishes finished.
I'm still alive...just lazy. Very very lazy.
I had some fun social times since last I posted. Last thursday I went to R & S's appartement. It was a delightful time, R made his wonderful lasagne for all of us and we watched Batman Begins while Z went crazy playing Starwars on the computer and guzzling more coke than a nine year old boy should ever have access too. Friday night I went over to Ravens place, and we had a lovely time. There was a point where we had a 5, 4, 3, and 2 year old, as well as Mary and two 8 month old babies on feeding tubes. It was INSANE for a while, and all the grownups were exhausted when the children went to thier various beds. After everyone went to bed we played a rousing game of "Betrayel in the House on the Hill," after which comprimising pictures were taken.
Saturday I didn't have a baby. Mary went to Ian's aunt and uncles place at 5 that evening, and I did not need to pick her up till 10:30 the next morning. After a rocky start (I burst into tears at a red light when I looked into the back seat and saw the lack of a carseat), the night went wonderfully. It was Cori and J's Arthurian game, and I was up to no good, as usual. As always it was a fantastic time playing in the legend and altering things to our own liking.
Sunday I visited Anne R. Key and the Dauntless Janet for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Mary was relatively well behaved and happy, which is always nice. Anne gave us a CD that she made for Mary called "Songs in Celebration of Mary and her Magnicifant Melon." They sent me home with a container full of fantastic Indian rice pudding full of saffron. Yum.
Monday I had a headache. All. Day. Long. At around 11 in the morning I lay down on my bed and just let Mary roam around the house and watch tv. I must have fallen asleep, and when I woke up, Mary had moved all the stuff on the floor beside the bed (yes, I'm a slob), dragged two blankets in from her bedroom, curled up and fallen asleep. What a strange little creature. She could have crawled up onto the bed with me, or gone to her own bed, but she chose the floor.
Well, speaking of being a slob, Mary is napping right now, so I think that I'm going to try to get some laundry and dishes finished.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Peace in the Middle East...Not!
Wow. I really don't know what to say, other than I'm glad (even more than I was before) that I don't live in the middle east. Right now it's just Israel, Lebanon and the Palestinians...but it looks like Syria and Iran are going to wade in soon. Can you say "kaboom?" I spoke to my father (tolerant fellow that he is) a while back about the situation in the Middle East, and he had this to say: "Bloody Arabs. We should just nuke them all." My husband said almost exactly the same thing just a week or so ago when we were discussing the troubles that Canadian soldiers are having in Afghanistan. Now children, can we say "Narrow minded?" Or how about "lack of tolerance and foresight?"
But really, what can we do? Certainly what is happening halfway around the world is going to effect us here, no matter what happens, and I can't imagine that it will effect us positively. So, do we sit here and cluck our tongues and pretend it doesn't matter? Do we wade in and involve ourselves in a fight that doesn't make sense to us? If we do, whose side do we take? I know, the answer to that is easy, Israel, right? But I just can't see that anyone here is innocent of wrong doing in this situation. I really don't know. It seems like a loose-loose situation for everyone, including those of us who aren't involved. Those of us who still get tears in their eyes when they watch the nightly news. Those of us who still ache deep inside because of the senseless violence and deaths of innocent people who are just trying to survive. I just don't understand why we as a human race refuse to learn from our past mistakes. Violence does not solve anything. Violence does not make things better for anyone. Why do we always resort to violence?
Goody is renewing her vow of non-violence on August 6th, the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. The only thing I can think of is to do the same. I'm only one person, but maybe if enough people feel strongly enough to make a vow to themselves, to their Gods, or whatever matters most to them, eventually the world will be a better place. Or at the very least, there will be a couple less people willing to solve their problems by hitting them.
But really, what can we do? Certainly what is happening halfway around the world is going to effect us here, no matter what happens, and I can't imagine that it will effect us positively. So, do we sit here and cluck our tongues and pretend it doesn't matter? Do we wade in and involve ourselves in a fight that doesn't make sense to us? If we do, whose side do we take? I know, the answer to that is easy, Israel, right? But I just can't see that anyone here is innocent of wrong doing in this situation. I really don't know. It seems like a loose-loose situation for everyone, including those of us who aren't involved. Those of us who still get tears in their eyes when they watch the nightly news. Those of us who still ache deep inside because of the senseless violence and deaths of innocent people who are just trying to survive. I just don't understand why we as a human race refuse to learn from our past mistakes. Violence does not solve anything. Violence does not make things better for anyone. Why do we always resort to violence?
Goody is renewing her vow of non-violence on August 6th, the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. The only thing I can think of is to do the same. I'm only one person, but maybe if enough people feel strongly enough to make a vow to themselves, to their Gods, or whatever matters most to them, eventually the world will be a better place. Or at the very least, there will be a couple less people willing to solve their problems by hitting them.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
The Amazing Disappearing Diaper
Life holds so many surprises for me now that Mary has moved into the toddler bed. I never know what scene is going to greet me in the mornings when I open her door. Today's was...unpleasant. I opened the door to find Mary, naked and shivering, curled up in a HUGE puddle of pee in the middle of the floor, half soaked up by the clothes that she once again managed to dig out of her dresser. The best part of this story is that I cannot find the diaper. I have searched her entire room, under the bed, under the dresser, in the dresser, in all her hiding places...it's just gone. I'm fairly certain she was wearing a diaper when I put her to bed, did she eat it?
Anyways, the weekend was very nice. Anne and Janets wedding was lovely. It was in I&V's beautiful yard, only a couple doors down from my house. The wedding party was dressed in traditional East Indian clothing, as well as some of the guests. There was plenty of wine to be had, as well as the most delicious rice pudding that I have ever tasted (it even had real saffron in it). I suspect I had a wee bit too much of the wine though...at one point I told Emmett that I want to go to the July 1st Luau next year (I missed this years party) so I could make out with Cori. Then I told Cori the same thing. Perhaps a tad bit indiscreet, don't you think? Other than that I behaved myself quite well, I got teary eyed during the actual service. I am so proud to live somewhere that two people who love each other as much as Anne and Janet have the right to make the same commitment as any boy/girl couple.
Anyways, the weekend was very nice. Anne and Janets wedding was lovely. It was in I&V's beautiful yard, only a couple doors down from my house. The wedding party was dressed in traditional East Indian clothing, as well as some of the guests. There was plenty of wine to be had, as well as the most delicious rice pudding that I have ever tasted (it even had real saffron in it). I suspect I had a wee bit too much of the wine though...at one point I told Emmett that I want to go to the July 1st Luau next year (I missed this years party) so I could make out with Cori. Then I told Cori the same thing. Perhaps a tad bit indiscreet, don't you think? Other than that I behaved myself quite well, I got teary eyed during the actual service. I am so proud to live somewhere that two people who love each other as much as Anne and Janet have the right to make the same commitment as any boy/girl couple.
Monday, July 10, 2006
Christmas in July
Yay! I have finished my first Christmas ornament. Well, kind of. It's not an ornament yet, but I've finished the embroidery and beading. I'm a little disappointed in the picture, but I still want to show off!
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Six Little Hairs
I have a confession to make. Today I shaved six long and dark little hairs off my chest. I always thought that my father was kidding when he told me certain things like eating broccoli would grow hair on my chest. Apparently he wasn't. I have lived with these six hairs since I was pregnant with Mary, and I finally decided to temporarily rid myself of them this morning. I know they'll be back, but they were getting to braidable length, and it'll take a while for them to return to their former glory.
My dad and his wife were in town yesterday. It was very nice to visit them, and I'm a little sad to see them go already. My step-mum drives me a little crazy at times, she's a wee bit controlling and bossy, but she has a good heart. She told me that she is worried about me, that she thinks I'm going crazy being at home alone with Mary all the time. I said "buahahaha! lalalalala! who? me? crazy? neener neener neener. I'm not crazy at all!" And then I spun around in circles in the lobby of the restaurant till I fell down. After I calmed down, she told me that she thinks I need to get out of the house (duh) and that she knows that I want badly to go to school. So. She said she'd pay for me to take the Nursing Attendant course at NAIT. I barely resisted the urge to burst into tears and slobber kisses all over her hands and feet. So my current plan is to contact the school on Monday, see how the program works, how much it costs, when it starts, and get that information to Mike. Then I have to figure out what to do with Mary when I'm at school. I don't think that classes will start till September, so I will have plenty of time to figure that part out. I'm excited, but I am trying very hard not to get my hopes up too high. I don't want to be disappointed when things fall apart at the last minute.
Anyways, I must start to get prepared for the social event of the season, if not the year, which is happening tonight. Anne R. Key and the Dauntless Janet are getting married at midnight under the full moon. Oh, and on that note, just this morning I found an email in my junkmail exhorting me to go to my MP and demand that he stop the downfall of society and our very country by voting against homosexual marriage. Ironic, eh?
My dad and his wife were in town yesterday. It was very nice to visit them, and I'm a little sad to see them go already. My step-mum drives me a little crazy at times, she's a wee bit controlling and bossy, but she has a good heart. She told me that she is worried about me, that she thinks I'm going crazy being at home alone with Mary all the time. I said "buahahaha! lalalalala! who? me? crazy? neener neener neener. I'm not crazy at all!" And then I spun around in circles in the lobby of the restaurant till I fell down. After I calmed down, she told me that she thinks I need to get out of the house (duh) and that she knows that I want badly to go to school. So. She said she'd pay for me to take the Nursing Attendant course at NAIT. I barely resisted the urge to burst into tears and slobber kisses all over her hands and feet. So my current plan is to contact the school on Monday, see how the program works, how much it costs, when it starts, and get that information to Mike. Then I have to figure out what to do with Mary when I'm at school. I don't think that classes will start till September, so I will have plenty of time to figure that part out. I'm excited, but I am trying very hard not to get my hopes up too high. I don't want to be disappointed when things fall apart at the last minute.
Anyways, I must start to get prepared for the social event of the season, if not the year, which is happening tonight. Anne R. Key and the Dauntless Janet are getting married at midnight under the full moon. Oh, and on that note, just this morning I found an email in my junkmail exhorting me to go to my MP and demand that he stop the downfall of society and our very country by voting against homosexual marriage. Ironic, eh?
Thursday, July 06, 2006
What Life?
Well, it still hasn't snowed, or even rained, but this morning when I woke up the temperature in the house was only 27. It felt almost arctic in here!
I have likely spoken about this before, but I really need a life, or at the very least, a bit more of a life than I have now. I find that I have very little to talk about other than Mary, the few games that I play, and the fact that I need a life. It's really starting to bother me, and I imagine the people I talk to spend a lot of time rolling their eyes behind my back.
Last night I got out of the house for the second night in a row! Yay! Mary and I headed over to Rico and Scott's lovely downtown apartment after a very long day of crying and not napping. Mary went to sleep in her playpen right away, and I enjoyed a beer, a movie on their giant TV, and some excellent adult company. I may start harassing them more often to spend time over there, this house and the lack of adult conversation is starting to turn my brain to mush (starting? hah, it's already well on it's way).
Life with Miss Mary isn't all bad, mind you. She has been awfully crabby and demanding in this heat wave, but she's still pretty darned cute, and she gives such wonderful wet kisses that it just melts my heart. And oh my god, when she says uh-oh...well, the cuteness factor is just out of control. I guess I just wish that I could get a break from being the sole caregiver from time to time. I am awfully lonely still, but I am learning to lean on my friends more and more, and they are a huge help.
Speaking of which, the house that is next door to my Mums house in Abbotsford (a town in the Fraiser Valley, about 30 minutes east of Vancouver) is empty and going up for rent, and it's really cheap for that area of the world. I have always said that I wanted to live around B.C., and as soon as my Mum found out, she called me and started harassing me about moving out there. I always thought that if I had the opportunity I would jump at it, all my family except my dad lives in and around Vancouver and living next door to Mum would have added benefits, like a built in babysitter. I told my Mum no though, I don't really want to leave Edmonton. As much as I would love to live closer to Mum, I don't want to leave my friends behind. I have more friends in Edmonton than I ever have in my life, and they are such a wonderful eclectic group, I just can't imagine finding another group of people that are anywhere near as fantastic. After I told Mum how I felt, she was disappointed, but she took it fairly well. I also realized that I've not seen my friends enough since having Miss Mary, and that's something I'd like to fix also. Emmett offered up his cool basement in the comments yesterday, and I believe I shall take him up on his offer (next week, my dad's in town today and for the weekend). I'm going to try to start contacting people more often too, instead of just sitting around feeling sorry for myself.
Anyways, Zoboomafoo is on TV now, and Mary is whining for my presence, so I guess I should quit rambling and pay attention to my child! Wish me luck for naptime today!
I have likely spoken about this before, but I really need a life, or at the very least, a bit more of a life than I have now. I find that I have very little to talk about other than Mary, the few games that I play, and the fact that I need a life. It's really starting to bother me, and I imagine the people I talk to spend a lot of time rolling their eyes behind my back.
Last night I got out of the house for the second night in a row! Yay! Mary and I headed over to Rico and Scott's lovely downtown apartment after a very long day of crying and not napping. Mary went to sleep in her playpen right away, and I enjoyed a beer, a movie on their giant TV, and some excellent adult company. I may start harassing them more often to spend time over there, this house and the lack of adult conversation is starting to turn my brain to mush (starting? hah, it's already well on it's way).
Life with Miss Mary isn't all bad, mind you. She has been awfully crabby and demanding in this heat wave, but she's still pretty darned cute, and she gives such wonderful wet kisses that it just melts my heart. And oh my god, when she says uh-oh...well, the cuteness factor is just out of control. I guess I just wish that I could get a break from being the sole caregiver from time to time. I am awfully lonely still, but I am learning to lean on my friends more and more, and they are a huge help.
Speaking of which, the house that is next door to my Mums house in Abbotsford (a town in the Fraiser Valley, about 30 minutes east of Vancouver) is empty and going up for rent, and it's really cheap for that area of the world. I have always said that I wanted to live around B.C., and as soon as my Mum found out, she called me and started harassing me about moving out there. I always thought that if I had the opportunity I would jump at it, all my family except my dad lives in and around Vancouver and living next door to Mum would have added benefits, like a built in babysitter. I told my Mum no though, I don't really want to leave Edmonton. As much as I would love to live closer to Mum, I don't want to leave my friends behind. I have more friends in Edmonton than I ever have in my life, and they are such a wonderful eclectic group, I just can't imagine finding another group of people that are anywhere near as fantastic. After I told Mum how I felt, she was disappointed, but she took it fairly well. I also realized that I've not seen my friends enough since having Miss Mary, and that's something I'd like to fix also. Emmett offered up his cool basement in the comments yesterday, and I believe I shall take him up on his offer (next week, my dad's in town today and for the weekend). I'm going to try to start contacting people more often too, instead of just sitting around feeling sorry for myself.
Anyways, Zoboomafoo is on TV now, and Mary is whining for my presence, so I guess I should quit rambling and pay attention to my child! Wish me luck for naptime today!
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Let it snow...
I swear if this heat wave continues, I am going to melt away to a nasty little puddle on the floor. For the last several days now the temperature has been around 30 degrees or higher, and I can't bloody take it any more! I'm hot, I'm sweaty, I'm miserable, I can't sleep...and Mary is the same, which doubles my misery. Last night at midnight, it was still 31 degrees in the house. This morning, it's 29. I'm really hoping for snow, or at the very least a nice thunderstorm to cool things down a wee bit.
I had an okay weekend. I was house and dog sitting for the people I babysit for. They have a GIANT puppy named Isis, who is very sweet, but doesn't realize that she weighs more than most small adults. Their cat, Blues, is an outdoor cat. He escaped my first day, and didn't return till about 26 hours later. By time he came back, I was certain that I'd have to tell T & N that I lost their cat, and I was frantic. He of course looked at me like he'd been stting by the door the whole time, and where had I been?
Purgatory was on Friday night, and as always it was a blast. My character had been up to all sorts of no good in the down time (as usual), and continued the no good into the game. I just love my evil, doll lovin little girl in that game, she's fun to play, and it's SO easy to get into trouble.
Canada Day was okay. I went to visit G & K to watch a terrible football game. The Edmonton Eskimo's were absolutely whopped by the Montreal Alouettes. It was very boring and disappointing to watch. After the game was done Mary and I headed back to the house, Mary went to bed, and I availed myself of the X-Box, and played a Lord of the Rings game obsessively till I couldn't keep my eyes open. I was moping a wee bit because the Paradise Lost game was going on that day, followed by a great party out at the cabin, and I wasn't able to go. Much fun and debauchery was missed out on by me...but maybe next year I'll get to go.
Other than that, things are quiet, much the same as ever. I could go into my emotional state, but I'm not going too. Suffice it to say, I'm just about done with being a single parent, I'm desperately lonely, and it doesn't look to be changing any time soon.
Oh, and I'm praying for snow...
I had an okay weekend. I was house and dog sitting for the people I babysit for. They have a GIANT puppy named Isis, who is very sweet, but doesn't realize that she weighs more than most small adults. Their cat, Blues, is an outdoor cat. He escaped my first day, and didn't return till about 26 hours later. By time he came back, I was certain that I'd have to tell T & N that I lost their cat, and I was frantic. He of course looked at me like he'd been stting by the door the whole time, and where had I been?
Purgatory was on Friday night, and as always it was a blast. My character had been up to all sorts of no good in the down time (as usual), and continued the no good into the game. I just love my evil, doll lovin little girl in that game, she's fun to play, and it's SO easy to get into trouble.
Canada Day was okay. I went to visit G & K to watch a terrible football game. The Edmonton Eskimo's were absolutely whopped by the Montreal Alouettes. It was very boring and disappointing to watch. After the game was done Mary and I headed back to the house, Mary went to bed, and I availed myself of the X-Box, and played a Lord of the Rings game obsessively till I couldn't keep my eyes open. I was moping a wee bit because the Paradise Lost game was going on that day, followed by a great party out at the cabin, and I wasn't able to go. Much fun and debauchery was missed out on by me...but maybe next year I'll get to go.
Other than that, things are quiet, much the same as ever. I could go into my emotional state, but I'm not going too. Suffice it to say, I'm just about done with being a single parent, I'm desperately lonely, and it doesn't look to be changing any time soon.
Oh, and I'm praying for snow...
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Maybe it wasn't such a good idea...
I'm begining to think that the "Big Girl Bed" was not such a good idea. Currently, Mary is in her bedroom going "Whee!" about something, and occasionally banging on her door. I know she's tired, she fell asleep in the car on the way home from IKEA, so why won't she sleep?
Anyways, this is the scene that greeted me after nap time this afternoon. The pink thing that she is in is a doll crib given to us by our friends S & A a while back. Other than her being trapped in the doll crib, the mess is pretty much what I see every morning and after nap time. When does this phase end, anyways?
Anyways, this is the scene that greeted me after nap time this afternoon. The pink thing that she is in is a doll crib given to us by our friends S & A a while back. Other than her being trapped in the doll crib, the mess is pretty much what I see every morning and after nap time. When does this phase end, anyways?
Sweat
I'm sorry, it's been a while since I posted here. The miserable stinking heat has sucked the life and energy right out of me. I realized this week that while I enjoy 30+ degree heat while in Puerto Rico sitting on the beach or by the pool, I don't much like it here when real life has to continue on. Mary's not dealing well with the heat either, she's more miserable than I am, and it takes even less than usually to get her whining and shrieking in frustration. She is also sweating buckets, it's unreal how icky and wet she is after her nap. She also desperately wants cuddles from me, and gets extremely annoyed because I'm just as hot as she is. So she spends her entire time being held by me whining, squirming, and giving me extremely dirty looks.
You can see a picture here of Mary playing with her big pink ball. I leave her balls outside every night, but I bring them close to the house. Our yard is fully fenced, and I always assumed that would be enough to keep what was within safe. Not so, my friends. On Monday night, at some point in the night, someone came in too my yard, and stole Marys big pink ball. I am really bothered by this, not only because Mary loved that ball, and now it's gone (it'll cost $3.99 to replace), but it is the fact that someone came through my gate or over the fence, right up to my front steps to steal a ball. Right under my bedroom window. I suppose it's my own fault for leaving things out in the yard and assuming that people would leave them alone.
You can see a picture here of Mary playing with her big pink ball. I leave her balls outside every night, but I bring them close to the house. Our yard is fully fenced, and I always assumed that would be enough to keep what was within safe. Not so, my friends. On Monday night, at some point in the night, someone came in too my yard, and stole Marys big pink ball. I am really bothered by this, not only because Mary loved that ball, and now it's gone (it'll cost $3.99 to replace), but it is the fact that someone came through my gate or over the fence, right up to my front steps to steal a ball. Right under my bedroom window. I suppose it's my own fault for leaving things out in the yard and assuming that people would leave them alone.
Friday, June 23, 2006
I'm so crafty!
I just had to post my latest cross-stitch efforts to show off. They aren't much to look at, but I have finished more projects in the last months than I have in my entire life! Christmas stuff is next on my list, and I'm tackleing some dificult projects which are more embroidery than x-stitch. Wish me luck!
Friday Baby and Boobie Blogging
Hello there everyone! Pardon me if I seem a wee bit distracted, I'm watching the neighbours children run wild through the construction workers and equipment out front. Our sidewalks are being paved with asphalt, and those horrible, parentless children are going to get themselves killed. I haven't decided if it will be an accident or not, the construction workers are getting awfully frustrated with telling the wretched little beasts to bugger off. Where is their mother? Likely still sobbing over the Oilers loss. I try so hard not to judge other parents, but come on...a little parental supervision is required from time to time, don't you think?
Speaking of hockey...did you hear about the Montreal Canadian goalie who was photographed cuddling and kissing with Paris Hilton? I've been hearing about it for a couple of days, but I didn't really get why everyone was making such a big deal about it. Then I realized that his wife, who has been in the hospital caring for their premature baby for the last three months found out at the same time as the rest of us. Oops.
On to boobie blogging. My boobs are big, as if most of you who know me didn't know that already. I hate them with a hot hot heat, and I always have. It's very dificult to buy a bra, and because of the weight of the boobies, unless I splurge and spend about $150 on a german engineered monstrosity, they wear out (wow, what a sentance! and the bra's wear out, not the boobs). Anyways, I went to the doctor yesterday for my annual exam, and during the breast exam my doctor was amazed. He commented that my breasts are very dense and large, and he said that he was amazed I'm not constantly crippled from back pain. I mentioned that my back always hurts, but that I'm tough, and I just deal with it. He postulated that my breasts account for about 30lbs of my weight. Wow. Then he told me that once I am done having babies I ought to consider having breast reduction surgery, and that he would be happy to arrange that for me. I asked him if I couldn't just have it done today, and he laughed. So...all the more reason to have more babies now instead of later. The sooner I can get myself into a normal bra size (hell, I'd be happy even with a D!) the better.
Now here's a picture! Of my boobs! No...just kidding. It's a picture of Mary sleeping beside her new toddler bed. Where she sleeps. Instead of in her bed. She's so strange.
Speaking of hockey...did you hear about the Montreal Canadian goalie who was photographed cuddling and kissing with Paris Hilton? I've been hearing about it for a couple of days, but I didn't really get why everyone was making such a big deal about it. Then I realized that his wife, who has been in the hospital caring for their premature baby for the last three months found out at the same time as the rest of us. Oops.
On to boobie blogging. My boobs are big, as if most of you who know me didn't know that already. I hate them with a hot hot heat, and I always have. It's very dificult to buy a bra, and because of the weight of the boobies, unless I splurge and spend about $150 on a german engineered monstrosity, they wear out (wow, what a sentance! and the bra's wear out, not the boobs). Anyways, I went to the doctor yesterday for my annual exam, and during the breast exam my doctor was amazed. He commented that my breasts are very dense and large, and he said that he was amazed I'm not constantly crippled from back pain. I mentioned that my back always hurts, but that I'm tough, and I just deal with it. He postulated that my breasts account for about 30lbs of my weight. Wow. Then he told me that once I am done having babies I ought to consider having breast reduction surgery, and that he would be happy to arrange that for me. I asked him if I couldn't just have it done today, and he laughed. So...all the more reason to have more babies now instead of later. The sooner I can get myself into a normal bra size (hell, I'd be happy even with a D!) the better.
Now here's a picture! Of my boobs! No...just kidding. It's a picture of Mary sleeping beside her new toddler bed. Where she sleeps. Instead of in her bed. She's so strange.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Ouch
Today was a day for accidents.
Mary was playing with Jonah today, they were both full of energy and craziness. She tripped over something on the floor and landed flat on her face on the hardwood floor. The screaming was loud and painful to my ears. After I calmed her down, I noticed that her nose was bleeding, poor thing. I must say, it's extremely dificult to clean the nose of a squirmy, excited, happy, full of energy toddler. It's like wrestling a greased pig.
Tonight when I was "cooking" my supper (putting a frozen pizza into a pre-heated oven) I burned my arm on the inside of the oven door. I actually held my arm there for a few seconds, not realizing that I was cooking myself, before I flung the pizza to the ground and lept back. I have a huge raised red welt on my forearm now, and it hurts like a son of a bitch. Thanfully Rob and Scott were very good nurses, and when I got to their place for D&D they got sick of my whimpering and provided me with both ice and aloe vera lotion. It's still a nasty burn, but it no longer hurts so badly that I want to vomit. I recently quit cooking except for frozen things that can be heated up in the oven or microwave (I really am a terrible, terrible cook) and now I think I may have to quit with the oven too.
Mary was playing with Jonah today, they were both full of energy and craziness. She tripped over something on the floor and landed flat on her face on the hardwood floor. The screaming was loud and painful to my ears. After I calmed her down, I noticed that her nose was bleeding, poor thing. I must say, it's extremely dificult to clean the nose of a squirmy, excited, happy, full of energy toddler. It's like wrestling a greased pig.
Tonight when I was "cooking" my supper (putting a frozen pizza into a pre-heated oven) I burned my arm on the inside of the oven door. I actually held my arm there for a few seconds, not realizing that I was cooking myself, before I flung the pizza to the ground and lept back. I have a huge raised red welt on my forearm now, and it hurts like a son of a bitch. Thanfully Rob and Scott were very good nurses, and when I got to their place for D&D they got sick of my whimpering and provided me with both ice and aloe vera lotion. It's still a nasty burn, but it no longer hurts so badly that I want to vomit. I recently quit cooking except for frozen things that can be heated up in the oven or microwave (I really am a terrible, terrible cook) and now I think I may have to quit with the oven too.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Getting Lonely
Moustapha has been gone for three weeks now since his last visit. Five months since he first went away. He's been home twice, about a week each time, and I visited him for 2 weeks when he was in Puerto Rico. That's about four and a half weeks that I have seen my husband in the last five months. I'm used to it. I have a routine, and it isn't so bad. I get out quite a bit, thanks to my fantastic friends. I manage to make it to most of my games, although finding a sitter is always stressful for me (even though I know Raven is happy to look after Mary from time to time). I've been thinking about it, and the worst part of Moustapha being away is the lack of touch. I miss kissing. I miss being held. I miss holding hands, I miss cuddling. I miss...other stuff. From time to time I almost wish that my morals were a wee bit looser. They aren't likely to be though, except in my dreams. Dreams which have been getting more vivid lately featuring a vast cast of friends and famous people mingling in my huge, clean, imaginary bedroom. After my dream last night, there are a few people out there who I'm not going to be able to talk too without blushing like crazy.
This Saturday was Cori and Jackie's Arthurian LARP, and wow. It was fantastic fun. I am so very very thankful that I was able to find a babysitter at the last minute and attend. We were at a midsummer ball in Arcadia (Fairy Land) and there were several actors playing the parts of mischievous fae. My character, Morgause, Arthurs eldest and most bitter half sister was up to absolutely no good. I counciled sweet Princess Guinevere on pleasing men, encouraged her and Arthur to spend time together and whisper sweet nothings. Arthur kissed her, and was glowing with love when I slipped her a love potion to another man. I also slipped Lancelot a love potion for my sister Morgaine for the second time. Noble Lancelot ended up having a trist in the trees with her, effectively betraying his vows to his wife. I also managed to ensure the support of one of the other northern Kings for my husband, Lot of Orkney (interestingly enough played by Moustapha when he's in town), for when he decides that we've had enough of Arthurs noble stupidity and leads a rebellion. I'm very much looking forward to the next game to see what sort of evil shenanigans I can get up too. I'm also curious to see how long I can manage to get away with my mischief before people begin to suspect me...
Last night I started watching the Battlestar Galactica DVD's that Raven loaned me, and holy smokes! I've only watched the first episode, and I really hadn't expected to be quite so affected and blown away by it. I'm incredibly eager to watch more of the series.
This Saturday was Cori and Jackie's Arthurian LARP, and wow. It was fantastic fun. I am so very very thankful that I was able to find a babysitter at the last minute and attend. We were at a midsummer ball in Arcadia (Fairy Land) and there were several actors playing the parts of mischievous fae. My character, Morgause, Arthurs eldest and most bitter half sister was up to absolutely no good. I counciled sweet Princess Guinevere on pleasing men, encouraged her and Arthur to spend time together and whisper sweet nothings. Arthur kissed her, and was glowing with love when I slipped her a love potion to another man. I also slipped Lancelot a love potion for my sister Morgaine for the second time. Noble Lancelot ended up having a trist in the trees with her, effectively betraying his vows to his wife. I also managed to ensure the support of one of the other northern Kings for my husband, Lot of Orkney (interestingly enough played by Moustapha when he's in town), for when he decides that we've had enough of Arthurs noble stupidity and leads a rebellion. I'm very much looking forward to the next game to see what sort of evil shenanigans I can get up too. I'm also curious to see how long I can manage to get away with my mischief before people begin to suspect me...
Last night I started watching the Battlestar Galactica DVD's that Raven loaned me, and holy smokes! I've only watched the first episode, and I really hadn't expected to be quite so affected and blown away by it. I'm incredibly eager to watch more of the series.
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Happy Fathers Day, Husband!
I know you won't see this till Tuesday night, but I'm thinking about you, and I miss you terribly. I wish you could be here with us
Friday, June 16, 2006
Friday Baby Blogging
Things are going much better than I expected with the toddler bed. Marys first night seemed to go well, but when I woke up and went to get ehr she was fast asleep curled up on the rocking chair beside the window. Naptime yesterday went well, but she didn't seem to realize that she could get out of bed herself (see the picture). This morning she was curled up in front of her door when I went in to get her up. Other than getting out of bed sometime in the middle of the night, she is doing really well. She doesn't fuss at all when I put her to bed which is fantastic!
And just for Anne, I made sure that RackBear was included in this picture.
And just for Anne, I made sure that RackBear was included in this picture.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Big Girl
After an incredibly long and frustrating hour, I managed to switch Mary's crib to a toddler bed. I've never enjoyed putting things together, and it's even worse when you have a toddler trying to "help." My patience was sorely tested, but I came out victorious. Here's a couple pictures of Mary exploring her new bed.
News Flash
This morning when I got up I went to Mary's room, as usual. As usual, she had been up for a while, and playing quietly till I went to get her. Her bedroom light was on, as usual, she can reach it from her crib. What was not usual was the fact that she was not in her crib. That's right, she was a free range baby, roaming around her room making a mess. What the hell? She's not even 18 months old, how can she have figured out how to get out of her crib? Should I keep putting her in her crib and hope that we don't have a repeat performance, or should I go about changing her crib into a toddler bed? If it's a real bed then there is absolutely nothing keeping her in bed at night or during nap time, and that's not cool.
Also, does anyone know when a child shows whether they are left or right handed? It's been driving me a little crazy (not that it matters which she is) but she shows a definate preference for her left hand right now.
My sinus cold has slowly migrated down my throat and into my chest, and is setting up camp there. How long should I suffer with a cold before going to the doctor? It's been a week now.
Also, does anyone know when a child shows whether they are left or right handed? It's been driving me a little crazy (not that it matters which she is) but she shows a definate preference for her left hand right now.
My sinus cold has slowly migrated down my throat and into my chest, and is setting up camp there. How long should I suffer with a cold before going to the doctor? It's been a week now.
Monday, June 12, 2006
I'm Blind!
I just have to say that if you are going to wander around your living room stark naked, please, please please please, shut your blinds. There is a large, very hairy, very naked man roaming around his living room across the street from me, and he just stood, feet planted shoulder width apart, facing the street, right in the middle of the window with a light behind him. Ugh.
All For Anne
As Anne R. Key pointed out in my comments, it is Monday, and I have not blogged.
I know.
I really haven't much to talk about right now. I've been sick (again) and I have only left the house once since Friday evening. So there. Mary isn't sick yet, but it's coming, I can tell. Today she was incredibly crabby and wouldn't let me not hold her, except for when she didn't want to be held. Then she stood on the floor and sobbed miserably. It's possible that she's as tired of this house as I am.
Does anyone know if I can buy a new immune system on Ebay? I'm getting real tired of this defective piece of garbage that I've got, and according to my doctor, it'll likely only get worse.
The Oilers lost tonight. That means they only have to loose one more game and hockey will be done till fall.
I know.
I really haven't much to talk about right now. I've been sick (again) and I have only left the house once since Friday evening. So there. Mary isn't sick yet, but it's coming, I can tell. Today she was incredibly crabby and wouldn't let me not hold her, except for when she didn't want to be held. Then she stood on the floor and sobbed miserably. It's possible that she's as tired of this house as I am.
Does anyone know if I can buy a new immune system on Ebay? I'm getting real tired of this defective piece of garbage that I've got, and according to my doctor, it'll likely only get worse.
The Oilers lost tonight. That means they only have to loose one more game and hockey will be done till fall.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Friday Baby Blogging
It pissed rain all day Thursday, so I thought I would go back to earlier in the week when it was sunny and hot.
Oops
Well, I suppose I owe y'all an explanation for the devil typing at the end of my last post.
You see, I was going to continue on and talk about my D&D game, but I needed to take a potty break first. When I got back, Mary was sitting in my chair and there was an error message on my web browser. I just assumed that blogger wasn't working, because as a few of you probably know, it's been acting up a whole lot in the last few days. I didn't even realize that the post had been posted till I saw Anne R. Key tonight at the restaurant.
I thought about going back to edit the post but I just couldn't bring myself to delete Marys first blog entry.
You see, I was going to continue on and talk about my D&D game, but I needed to take a potty break first. When I got back, Mary was sitting in my chair and there was an error message on my web browser. I just assumed that blogger wasn't working, because as a few of you probably know, it's been acting up a whole lot in the last few days. I didn't even realize that the post had been posted till I saw Anne R. Key tonight at the restaurant.
I thought about going back to edit the post but I just couldn't bring myself to delete Marys first blog entry.
Happy Belated Devils Day
Huh. It looks like June sixth 2006 passed without a hitch. Go figure. I've been trying to blog since Tuesday evening, but every time I try to log on I get error messages. It's been incredibly frustrating. I've had things that I want to blog about, but I've forgotten them all now. Damn it. Anyways, look at this article. Unlike other women who were changing their induction/c-section dates to avoid the "Devils Day," this woman happily gave birth on June 6th, and even named her baby Damien. People are so weird.
Hmm. What else is going on in my life? Mary and I are both feeling better. Um. Oh, we played D&D on Tuesday night, and we have a new party member! Yay! uyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyys GIMuuMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM&WWQ&iIII7bgggggggggggg iSVVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIC CCCCCCCvJM iyydIdydyDydidiiiyssddddddds
vvvvccccccccccccccsmMMMMMMMMMMMMMM7Y
Hmm. What else is going on in my life? Mary and I are both feeling better. Um. Oh, we played D&D on Tuesday night, and we have a new party member! Yay! uyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyys GIMuuMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM&WWQ&iIII7bgggggggggggg iSVVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIC CCCCCCCvJM iyydIdydyDydidiiiyssddddddds
vvvvccccccccccccccsmMMMMMMMMMMMMMM7Y
Monday, June 05, 2006
I Hate Hockey
Yes. You heard it right. I, Jennifer Dixon, proud Canadian, hate hockey. Really there is nothing wrong with the sport as far as sports go. The problem is that I live very close to the rink (arena?) where the Edmonton Oilers play, and I am sick to death of the NHL. I'm tired of listening to the Woo Report, and I am tired of watching my unemployed single mother neighbour deck her house out horribly and tackily with Oilers parphenalia. Granted, I don't know her whole story, and I try oh so hard not to judge, but if she put even half the energy into finding a job as she does into the Oilers...well...needless to say, I'm feeling a wee bit snarky. Every time I go outside it gets uglier and uglier, and tonight I had to watch her on the news again. I won't even go into the fact that her unneutered male "purebred" pitbull sits in the front yard and flips out every time Mary and I go out to play, and I often see it running around the neighbourhood because it has escaped.
Phew. Now that I have that nastiness out of my system...It's hard to be a tolerant person some days, particularly living in the neighbourhood that I do. I see a lot of people every day who need help, who are living in the streets, who have drug problems or whatever else. It makes me so frustrated to watch my tax dollars go to whatever they are going to (Afghanistan, hunting "terrorists") when our social programs are just not working. I understand that our social programs in Canada are better than what is offered in the States, but sometimes I think that it's not enough. There is just no reason for anyone to live in poverty in the richest province in the country. I also have to say that there are very few legitimate reasons for an able bodied person to be out of work for any length of time in Edmonton. The Tim Horton's not too far away is so desperate for people to work for them that they are offering to pay 6 hours for every 4 hours you work, and they aren't the only place that is struggling to keep staff.
On to other things. Goody commented on my last post wondering if I have ever thought about homeschooling Mary. I have thought about it, an awful lot. I started looking into homeschool before Mary was born, and I've come to a few conclusions. Number one, it's very expensive. You need to pay for your supplies and extra-curricular activities which both cost a whole lot of money. Number two, well, I'm selfish. I'm looking forward to Mary going to school so I can get out of the house from time to time, maybe get a part time job. When you homeschool, you never get a break from your child, and I just don't think I could do it. I'm also not terribly confident that I could give her a quality education. I want her to speak French, and while I can teach her the basics, and I often talk to her in my bad French, I want her to be more fluent in the language than I am. I'll just need to do my best to teach her the values that are important to her father and I when she isn't in school.
Well, Miss Mary is getting crabby and tired, so I had better get my sweet girl into bed.
Phew. Now that I have that nastiness out of my system...It's hard to be a tolerant person some days, particularly living in the neighbourhood that I do. I see a lot of people every day who need help, who are living in the streets, who have drug problems or whatever else. It makes me so frustrated to watch my tax dollars go to whatever they are going to (Afghanistan, hunting "terrorists") when our social programs are just not working. I understand that our social programs in Canada are better than what is offered in the States, but sometimes I think that it's not enough. There is just no reason for anyone to live in poverty in the richest province in the country. I also have to say that there are very few legitimate reasons for an able bodied person to be out of work for any length of time in Edmonton. The Tim Horton's not too far away is so desperate for people to work for them that they are offering to pay 6 hours for every 4 hours you work, and they aren't the only place that is struggling to keep staff.
On to other things. Goody commented on my last post wondering if I have ever thought about homeschooling Mary. I have thought about it, an awful lot. I started looking into homeschool before Mary was born, and I've come to a few conclusions. Number one, it's very expensive. You need to pay for your supplies and extra-curricular activities which both cost a whole lot of money. Number two, well, I'm selfish. I'm looking forward to Mary going to school so I can get out of the house from time to time, maybe get a part time job. When you homeschool, you never get a break from your child, and I just don't think I could do it. I'm also not terribly confident that I could give her a quality education. I want her to speak French, and while I can teach her the basics, and I often talk to her in my bad French, I want her to be more fluent in the language than I am. I'll just need to do my best to teach her the values that are important to her father and I when she isn't in school.
Well, Miss Mary is getting crabby and tired, so I had better get my sweet girl into bed.
Saturday, June 03, 2006
They Hate Us 'Cause We're Free
Sigh. Bye bye personal freedom, hello American style fear-mongering. Oh, and remember, if you think your neighbor's might be up to something suspicious, make sure you call the CSIS right away! You know, like the single mother across the street who you only see leave the house once every couple of days. She must be up to no good. And don't forget Muslims, Seiks, Hindus...You just can't trust those shifty eyed foreigners, eh? I'm a little terrified about where this is going to take our country, especially with Mr. Harper in charge. He's already restricting the press, only allowing pre-approved questions from reporters that he likes. What next?
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that they prevented Toronto from being blown to bits, but things in Ottawa have been getting more and more frightening since Stephen Harper took over, and I am afraid that this is going to take us even further towards the place that Bush has taken the USA.
Here's a link to the CBC website if You're interested.
My fears about the government aside, it really saddens me to see how badly people have twisted religions. Most of you who read this blog know that I have a deep fondness for religion, all religion, and I generally won't hesitate to defend Christianity or any other religion, major or minor, when people start badmouthing it. Islam is in theory a beautiful, tolerant and kind religion. If you've ever even read a page of the Qu'ran you can get the sense of that, even if you can't read the language it was intended to be read in. But then look at what extremists have done to the Christian faith over the years, and even now in the US and Russia (as Emmett showed us a few days ago).
I really wish that I could express myself better in writing. I wish I could make it clear how I feel, how frightened I am about the way things are going in Ottawa and in the world. I wish I could express eloquently and intelligently where I see things going, I wish I could come up with some sort of solution. I wish there was something I could do. I suppose the only thing I can do is my best to raise my daughter to be tolerant of everyone no matter what colour they are, no matter who they love, no matter where they live, and hope for the best when she starts school.
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that they prevented Toronto from being blown to bits, but things in Ottawa have been getting more and more frightening since Stephen Harper took over, and I am afraid that this is going to take us even further towards the place that Bush has taken the USA.
Here's a link to the CBC website if You're interested.
My fears about the government aside, it really saddens me to see how badly people have twisted religions. Most of you who read this blog know that I have a deep fondness for religion, all religion, and I generally won't hesitate to defend Christianity or any other religion, major or minor, when people start badmouthing it. Islam is in theory a beautiful, tolerant and kind religion. If you've ever even read a page of the Qu'ran you can get the sense of that, even if you can't read the language it was intended to be read in. But then look at what extremists have done to the Christian faith over the years, and even now in the US and Russia (as Emmett showed us a few days ago).
I really wish that I could express myself better in writing. I wish I could make it clear how I feel, how frightened I am about the way things are going in Ottawa and in the world. I wish I could express eloquently and intelligently where I see things going, I wish I could come up with some sort of solution. I wish there was something I could do. I suppose the only thing I can do is my best to raise my daughter to be tolerant of everyone no matter what colour they are, no matter who they love, no matter where they live, and hope for the best when she starts school.
Friday, June 02, 2006
Goth Meme
 | You scored as Fantasy Goth. You are a Fantasy Goth. You may or may not actually be a goth, but "normal" folks see you as one of those weird kids, and you are probably considered a geek by quite a few.
What subcategory of Goth best fits you? created with QuizFarm.com |
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Timing is Everything
Yesterday morning we got up extra early to take Moustapha to the airport. I was feeling pretty run down, but it was understandable. I hadn't slept very well. Mary and I got home and played in the front yard for a while, and she went down for a nap around 10:30. By Noon I was shivering, and my head was killing me. I could hardly keep my eyes open, so I crawled in to bed. At three, I finally woke to find Mary playing quietly in her crib (thank God). I did not feel any better, as a matter of fact, I felt worse. My stomach hurt, all my muscles and joints ached, I was shivering, I had these nasty electric shock feelings every time my skin touched anything including my clothes, and I had a splitting head ache. By five I wanted to die. Mary was obviously not feeling great either, she hardly ate any supper at all, all she wanted to do was cuddle, and she was in bed asleep by 6:30, and I followed at around 7:30.
Today was much of the same, only with a later wake up time, no airport, and some grocery shopping. Oh yeah, and some really nasty toilet business and emesis for me. I do feel a wee bit better tonight, I don't want to die right now, which is a nice change. I have been drinking Pedialyte to keep myself hydrated due to the above mentioned toilet business. Have you ever tasted that crap? Nasty nasty stuff. I gag every time I drink it, but it is apparantly better for me than Dr. Pepper, so I'm going to be a trooper and keep it up. I do keep thinking that it might just be easier to drink plain old water, but oh well.
Anyways, wish me luck getting over this nasty bug, I think that I might need it.
Today was much of the same, only with a later wake up time, no airport, and some grocery shopping. Oh yeah, and some really nasty toilet business and emesis for me. I do feel a wee bit better tonight, I don't want to die right now, which is a nice change. I have been drinking Pedialyte to keep myself hydrated due to the above mentioned toilet business. Have you ever tasted that crap? Nasty nasty stuff. I gag every time I drink it, but it is apparantly better for me than Dr. Pepper, so I'm going to be a trooper and keep it up. I do keep thinking that it might just be easier to drink plain old water, but oh well.
Anyways, wish me luck getting over this nasty bug, I think that I might need it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
