All Kinds of Crazy

Shameless plug for my spending habit

2009-12-18T18:35:00.001-08:00

So, I'm entering a contest to win some cash... it's from a site I visit every day, because they are a daily deal site with baby/kid items. I'm kind of a nerd in that I log on to the site every day as soon as it updates (almost every day at least.) But it's not good to be tempted every single day to buy something, especially since I'm still on mat leave. Oh well! :)

Here's the link in case you're curious!!

Random bits about my life

2009-11-12T14:00:00.000-08:00

...So I've had a rough couple of nights with the baby. I'm not sure what's up, he's just waking up several times a night and I'm not used to it because he was such a good sleeper before. Nothing to worry about, he isn't sick or anything - just wakeful. Last night he was up at least 3x between bedtime and 11pm, then he was up from 12:30 am to 1:30 am, then up from 3:30 am to 4:30 am, then again around 6am. And I don't mean happy awake - he was screaming and clearly unhappy about something. I'm contemplating some sort of "sleep training" right now, although most of the methods seem to be based on at least some form of "cry it out" - which just breaks my heart. But everything I have read suggests that sleep training can help him nap better AND sleep through the night AND stop feeding at night when he might not really need to eat. Sigh! I don't know what to do. L still uses his soother for naps and bedtime, plus often I have to do at least a partial swaddle so he doesn't rub his face until he wakes up. (And he has to wear socks on his hands so he can't scratch. Poor kid! Such humiliation.) Most sleep training methods want you to get rid of the soother and the swaddle. Bah. I much prefer the lackadaisical, kids-will-be-kids method of parenting. It requires so much less work. But I have to return to work in a few months and I need to be functional during my long commute and workday. Pray for me!

On another note I was reading today about kids who have just discovered that Santa Claus doesn't really exist. Have I blogged about this already? I am too lazy to search my archives. Anyway, the hubs and I had a conversation about this, whether we would let the kid believe in Santa or not. I was pretty adamant on NO since I think the whole idea of Santa is ridiculous and trite. However, I also don't want my kid to be the one telling all the other kids that Santa is just made up. I never believed in Santa growing up.

You know, I also can only recall one occasion of dressing up for Halloween and going trick-or-treating. I was young, maybe about 4, and I dressed up as Yoda from Star Wars. I recall some sort of costume that looked like a garbage bag. I also recall tripping and ripping a hole in said costume. I don't think we ever really went out again, and I remember my mom saying that Christians don't believe in Halloween, so we shouldn't "celebrate" it. I don't feel like I missed out on anything, but I wonder if my kid will feel left out if he doesn't get to dress up, etc. I don't think I have much of an opinion on Halloween at this stage of my life, though. I've never been to a Halloween party and my favourite part of the whole holiday is the day after, when candy is on sale. This year, we bought the baby a dinosaur costume. I should say, the hubby bought it. I am far too practical to buy things like that.

Ummm.... hmm. Oh yes, the dog turned two years old this past week! She's such a good dog. One of the nice things about going back to work is that she'll get to come with me again. That'll be nice. We thought about getting a second dog, but we might wait until she's a couple of years older, so she will be a little more calm. Every family should have a dog, they are awesome.

I'm making dinner tonight - that'll be an adventure. Let us hope no one gets sick and the food is tasty. I am trying to be a more tidy and clean person, like my mother, but I don't think I'll ever reach that level of cleanliness. How she gets everything done, I'll never know. Yesterday I vacuumed and mopped the floor and that felt like an accomplishment. Anyway, I'm starting off small, by committing to cleaning up the kitchen before bed every night. You're probably horrified, aren't you, after all, who leaves dishes in the sink overnight? Me, that's who. But no more!

Accepting change

2009-09-15T22:43:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel like I'm just not ready to accept that I am a grownup. Sometimes I even feel like I missed out on some portion of young adulthood... for example, I never really lived on my own, I just lived at home until I got married... I never was truly independent... and I even wish we'd travelled more and done more in our double-income-no-kids life. I find that this motherhood thing is strangely lonely. I want to hang out more with friends, but I always find some reason not to - I don't have a car, I don't feel like going out, I don't want them to have to tolerate my kid, the kid is fussy, the kid might scream, etc.

This afternoon, I took the baby and the dog for a walk to McDonalds, about a 40 minute walk (maybe less, I tend to walk slowly.) Everything was fine until we got to McDonalds. The dog wouldn't stay in her "down" position, so I saw her trying to be friendly with a cyclist who was just trying to get at her bike (the dog was tied to the bike rack.) Apparently the cyclist did not view my dog as friendly. (Really - she would never hurt anyone, she just thinks that all humans want to pet her and be licked.) I had to go and get her, at which point the baby started to fuss and scream. He was inconsolable until we were almost home. He wouldn't take the pacifier and there wasn't really anything I could do. I couldn't carry him and push the stroller home AND hold the dog's leash. It became overwhelming. At several points I stopped to try and comfort him, and then the dog would wander instead of sitting by my side as she is supposed to do when I stop walking*. So then I had to yell at the dog. I felt like a terrible parent/dog owner, first my kid is screaming and then my dog is misbehaving, and I can't fix either one, and I am getting angry at both. I prayed all the way home that I wouldn't lose my mind entirely.

When we got home, the baby was fine - just tired and in need of a nap - and the dog was also fine. And I realized that part of my frustration was that I'm not certain I'm cut out for being a mom, and the more the baby cried, the more I felt inadequate. When I went to pick him up out of his stroller, he gave me a teary smile. I don't know if God might have a lesson in this story. Maybe that I don't have to be a supermom for my kid to love me anyway. Maybe that we are all imperfect. Maybe that if my kid can love me and smile at me even though I let him cry for 20-30 minutes, how much more does my heavenly Father love me despite all my inadequacies. Sigh. It's so hard sometimes.

*My dog is really well-trained... but walking on a leash has always been her toughest "trick". Part of her training is that she only walks on our left hand side, right beside (not in front nor behind), and when we stop walking she is supposed to stop and sit right away.

Ohana means family.

2009-08-20T22:51:00.000-07:00

I know, it's been ages since I've posted ... at least I've worked harder on the boy's blog.

Recently we went down to the States for a family reunion with my mom's side of the family. As the extended family members are spread out all over North America, it is rare that a big group of us can get together. Most of my cousins were there. Today, some cousins who couldn't make it to the reunion came and visited us here. I think my family is pretty darn awesome.

Here's an example: My uncle, who is now retired, has spent many years researching the lives of missionaries to China from China Inland Mission. He's written a book that highlights a number of missionaries who were not well-known, but who served the Lord faithfully in a land far from their homes. Really, these missionaries who brought the word of God to the Chinese people carried a legacy with them that continues today among Chinese worldwide. I've read some of the stories and am amazed by the faith these men and women had. I mean, I *am* Chinese and I still can't really imagine picking up my life in Canada and moving to Asia. These folks learned, in some cases, several dialects in order to minister to the local people. If it weren't for my uncle and his painstaking research through extremely old books, letters, and records, we might never know of the work these missionaries did. Pretty cool, eh?

1461 days

2009-07-02T19:56:00.000-07:00

If you had asked me last year what I thought I'd be doing on our fourth anniversary, here is a list of what I would not have said:

doing a load of dirty diaper laundry
typing with one hand because I'm holding the baby with the other
searching craigslist for items like a nursing pillow
brushing my son's head to loosen those stubborn cradle cap flakes
washing the spitup out of my hair

Boy, life sure has changed in the last year. In my post last year about our anniversary, I mentioned that having a dog trumps having a kid. Well, I still think there are several advantages to having a dog. For one thing, the dog is much easier to train. She knows way more tricks than the Spud does. For another, the dog will always listen to us. I dread the day when the kid turns against me. Oh, and I never had to teach the dog how to eat - she's always been good at that!

Of course, I'm thrilled to be a mom and to have our little guy in our lives. God has really blessed us with a great kid. He looks particularly sweet when he's sleeping and not yelling in my ear! I think he's the best baby ever. If you asked me what I thought of him at 4am, maybe my response would be different. It's pretty hard to be coherent when he's screaming in the middle of the night and all I'm trying to do is change his diaper. Sigh. The nice thing is that the hubs will always take over if I need him to, and sometimes he's just got that magic "fall asleep" touch.

Happy anniversary, honey. Thanks for taking this crazy ride with me.

20 years

2009-06-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Spud (your stomach isn't the size of a chickpea any longer, so I'm going with Spud),

You might be wondering why the title of this post is "20 years" and not "almost 2 months", which is your age. Well, that's because I'm going to tell you about your grandfather in this post. As it happens, today marks 20 years since your grandpa (gohng-gohng) passed away. Mommy was only 10 years old at the time, so you'll have to forgive me if my memories are a little jumbled and vague. Maybe one day when you are bigger, your grandma (poh-poh) will be able to tell you more.

Mommy was very sad yesterday upon realizing that it was Father's Day, because it would have been so nice to celebrate with your gohng-gohng. Alas, God called him home much earlier than any of us wanted. I think he would have been proud to have a grandson, and I imagine that he would have delighted in getting to know you.

Grandpa was a man devoted to God and to his family. He was a lot like your own dad, in fact - very social with many friends, enjoyed cooking, very family oriented. Mommy still remembers when he would make treats like green onion pancakes. (Daddy hates these - but mommy will teach you to love them!) Grandpa was the sort of guy who knew someone no matter where he went, and could make conversation with just about anyone. He served as an elder at church for many years, even when mommy and kow-fu (?) were young, and he taught Sunday School to people who later taught mommy in Sunday school.

Mommy hears you fussing right now so I'll keep this short. I wish you had had the opportunity to meet your gohng-gohng. Maybe you already did in heaven? I'm not really sure how that all works, but one day our God will make it all clear. In the meantime, I praise the Lord for how He has blessed our family in these 20 years, and I'm looking forward to telling you more about your grandpa soon.

8 days

2009-05-02T16:58:00.000-07:00

Dear baby,

Hooray! You're finally here!!!

I don't want to post your real name on this blog, so I have been trying to think of a nickname for you. For now I think we'll go with Chickpea. That is what they said was the size of your stomach when you were born, so it seems like a good name for you.

Chickpea, Mommy went through a lot to get you out. First of all, you were late. Late, late, late. Mommy was given oxytocin to induce labour, but it didn't work as quickly as expected... then (I'm really shortening up the story here) Mommy and Daddy found out that you were "ROP" - which is to say, you were totally not positioned correctly. So the doctors had to open me up and haul you out by hand. Let me just say that you are lucky you will never have to go through labour as the pain is almost indescribable. And thanks to your positioning and the resultant c-section, I got to experience both the pain of a major surgery and the pain of labour.

Of course, all that fades away because you are a fantastic baby, and I couldn't ever have asked for a better kid. You are a good sleeper, you don't cry a lot, and now that we have worked through some of your feeding issues, you're gaining weight at a champion rate. I must tell you that the feeding issues have been extremely difficult for me. I felt as though my body was failing me, because I couldn't feed you properly. All the hormones are really not helping either, as I have been so emotional lately. I feel guilt over not being able to feed you the way I wanted to, I feel guilt over not being able to spend as much time with the dog as I wanted, I feel easily irritated at the smallest things ... ugh! Motherhood is a difficult thing. I'm so grateful that you are a happy, calm baby. Chickpea, you are the joy of every day now, and we are incredibly thrilled that you are finally here with us. Welcome to the world, little one. Mommy loves you more than you'll ever know.

Here you are having a little bit of tummy time. PS: sorry for all the yellow and green clothing. From here on out, it's boy stuff for you!

Love, Mommy

I'm becoming more and more granola

2009-04-18T22:54:00.000-07:00

First it was the purchase of two hybrid vehicles. Then, we bought a substantial amount of organic beef, one quarter cow to be exact. Then I decided we'd be using cloth diapers for the baby. And now, we've decided to buy a share in a CSA farm operation for the 2009 summer season. Is there no end to my earth-friendliness. I am just kidding, of course, I am not completely devoted to environmental issues, but one small step at a time I guess.

I'm sure you can read about a CSA on your own, but I'll explain my understanding of it. I first heard of this on a food blog that I used to read all the time - but have unfortunately forgotten the name of now. Essentially, community supported agriculture is a system where a farm sells shares of its (usually summer/early fall) harvest to a group of folks for a certain price early in the year. The farm benefits by having the cash it needs up front for the growing season, and the shareholders get a weekly box of whatever the crop is for that week, depending on what the farm grows. The other benefits.... organic veggies, locally grown, etc.

So that's what we'll be doing! The farm we are hoping to join is actually not in farmland per se, but is made up of a collection of donated lands including backyards, etc. I'm pretty excited. I think each week will be a little different and hopefully we won't end up with too many brussel sprouts (though the hubby might not mind.) It should be an interesting adventure in what sort of food we can make at home. And by "we", I mean the hubby! Although I did manage to make dinner once this week. I made a beef tortellini soup. Don't worry, I used a recipe, so no one got sick. :) Maybe when I'm on mat leave I'll actually cook more often. Stranger things have happened!

40 weeks

2009-04-14T19:29:00.001-07:00

Dear baby,

Yesterday was your due date (according to some tricky doctor math.) Clearly, you didn't receive the message, because you're still not out. But I don't mind. I figured you would be late. After all, I am hardly ever on time for anything, and your grandma says I was late for my birth too. Your other grandma thinks that your father was also late. So it didn't bode well for you to arrive early in any event. Oh well. I only finished work last week, so it has been nice to have a few work-free days. Weirdly, I've actually felt kinda bored the last two days. Guess I'm just used to a routine.

So anyway. What's new. The doctor checked me out this week and last week to see what kind of progress you were making, and the official word is NOT MUCH. I'm progressing just fine, but you haven't decided to drop down yet. We are all ready for you to arrive - I finally finished washing all the clothes you own, well, except for the stuff that won't fit you for several months. Boy, are your socks tiny. And the hats too! Those are for your bald head - I figured you might take after me in that regard too. We've even had to sell our Canucks playoff tickets in anticipation of your birth. Baby, when you're older you'll realize what a sacrifice we've made :) Daddy says if the Canucks make it to the Stanley Cup finals he'll take you to a game. We do need to get a new light fixture for your room, because we broke the other one when assembling the crib. Oops! And when we know if you are a girl or boy, we might get you some clothing that isn't gender-neutral. A baby can only wear so much yellow and green.

Recently the dog has been wanting to sit closer to me (that is, when it isn't sunny enough for her to sunbathe outside) so we have allowed her to sit on the couch. She usually doesn't sit for long on the couch though, possibly it's too soft or slippery. But look at her today:

She looks comfortable, doesn't she? :)

See you soon, little one!

Calm before the storm - 38 weeks

2009-03-31T09:59:00.000-07:00

Dear baby,

We've hit the 38 week mark, which means you are full-term and ready to come out anytime... right? Right? One way or another you will be here in less than a month, because Mommy is only allowed to go 10 days past her due date. I think there are a number of people who are going to lose the baby pool on this basis alone.

Life has been busy lately, but in a good way. I am hitting the point where it is truly uncomfortable to sleep, and perhaps the dog senses this, because she wakes up several times a night herself sometimes. The nice thing is that she has now taken to nudging the blanket to wake me up for food, rather than just scratching at the door. Of course, sometimes she thinks it's breakfast time when it's really 5 AM... but actually, I think she knows what time it really is and just wants to see if maybe I might fall for her little trick. I've been trying to get her to nudge your daddy instead for food, knowing that in a few short weeks, I'll be way too exhausted and/or busy to get her food at a specific time. She's a very good girl. Be nice to her and she'll love you forever... I hope you'll love her too.

People keep asking me if anything is happening or if I'm ready. As for what is happening, you still seem to move a lot, which is reassuring, but also worrying, because maybe you're not resting enough for the tough labour ahead of us! And am I ready? Well. I am ready for you to be out instead of in, but I do not think one can ever be ready for a baby, a life to care for, a person to be responsible for. These days I spend a lot of time reflecting on my life and the potential changes ahead. Hopefully you won't mind adapting to my lifestyle. :)

Please come soon!

Should everyone own a dog?

2009-02-23T18:32:00.000-08:00

Just now I watched a bit of Jon and Kate plus 8 - only the last 10 minutes or so of the new episode wherein the family gets a pair of puppies. I couldn't actually tell what kind of puppies they got and no doubt I could google it, but whatever, that's not the point anyway. The part of the show I saw was where they brought the dogs home and put them in their basement, and then a bunch of discussion about having two puppies. At various times, the puppies are seen peeing on the carpet or tile. At one point, Kate says "I've potty trained 8 kids, I didn't want to potty train the ones in fur too. You let the dogs outside and they play, then they come in and pee on the carpet." Another time, she says that some of the little kids don't like the puppies because the puppies bite.

I've really stopped watching this show for the most part because I'm starting to find it kind of upsetting. I think it's great that they've chosen this lifestyle to earn their income and why shouldn't they take advantage, I suppose. When the show brings in enough revenue to support the purchase of a mansion, why not go ahead and buy it. I wouldn't deny that they need space.

But do they really need dogs, specifically puppies? I mean really, house training a puppy is a difficult process even if you don't have kids. I think it's ridiculous that Kate would express surprise that the puppies would be "let outside" and not pee. They don't instinctively know to pee outside, you have to teach them that it's the right thing to do. Also, you can't let puppies bite and nip, you have to teach them it's not okay to do that. And finally, if you are a clean freak, don't get a puppy. They *will* have accidents and you *will* have to clean it up.

We aren't perfect dog owners or anything, but I feel like I did a substantial amount of research prior to getting Kodi. I knew we wanted to take her to obedience school and I knew that puppyhood would be a tough go at the beginning. Of course, her breed does come with a great disposition and a general attitude of wanting to listen and behave well... but we, particularly the hubby, spent a lot of time in training with her. People often tell us that she's so well behaved, and they can't believe she'll listen so well. She isn't perfect but she is well trained, if I may say so myself. I find it so irritating when people obviously aren't interested in training their dogs, or who think that having a puppy is either a great novelty (the fun of which wears off quickly) or a pain in the rear (in which case, why did you get one!?)

To be honest, we kind of wanted Kodi to be a little bit older before we had a baby... I think she'll handle it well but at the same time she is still a puppy and is still full of energy. It'll take work to train her to respect the baby as a pack leader :) One day I'd love to have a second dog - maybe in a few years!

I'm hoping that in the first half of the episode, Jon and Kate talked about things like obedience training, spending lots of time with the puppies in training, teaching the kids how to take care of puppies and not to provoke them, etc. But I sort of doubt it. Too bad. The show is watched by so many people that the family could have been a great influence on future dog owners. Instead, we're left with more of the Kate-screeching over pee and having to clean it up. Unfortunate.

32 weeks

2009-02-17T21:30:00.000-08:00

Dear little one,

The doctors aren't agreed on your exact due date, but apparently I'm somewhere around 32 weeks, and happily, you're not measuring ahead or behind. I like normal, so good job. I met the OB today and she said your head is down and your legs are on my left side. That explains a lot of the odd kicking recently.

I'm finding it difficult to believe that you're really not that far from your arrival into this world. There's no way I'll ever be fully ready for your presence in my life, but here's a little of what we've done so far:

- set up your room - mostly. The crib hasn't arrived, but when it does, you'll have a place to sleep. You already have two dressers and a super cool bookcase. Your daddy didn't like the bookcase as much as me, but I thought it was fantastic; plus, I love books.

- set up your diaper changing area. We're planning to use cloth diapers so I have purchased a ridiculous amount of diapers for you... I have a stash of newborn fitted diapers and covers, and when you outgrow those, I've got a second stash of one-size pocket diapers that will hopefully take you to potty training time. I can guarantee that people reading this either will care deeply about diapers, or will think I'm crazy. I've spent a lot so far on diapers, but I think it's still less than I would have spent on disposables. Please don't be allergic to cloth diapers. :)

- met the OB/GYN.... who might not necessarily be the one who delivers you, but since the family doctor doesn't deliver.... anyway. I'm trying not to fret about this process.

- attended pre-natal class. We went with the class-in-a-day option rather than the six weekly session option. I think that was a wise choice; I doubt that in the pain of labour I'll really remember much anyway.

I'm sure there's more, but I'm exhausted.

Can't wait to meet you!

Off topic: I watched a bit of American Idol tonight. Why do I put myself through this terrible show. Every year I tell myself I won't watch any more and yet every year I keep tuning back in. Paula Abdul is still beyond crazy and incoherent, although she appears to be trying to tone down the insanity a smidge. The finalists are BAD, at least most of them are. Please don't sing Mariah or Whitney, people.

I'm still faithful to Heroes, 24, and new on the list, The Office. Don't get me hooked on any more shows though!

30-31 weeks

2009-02-09T19:35:00.000-08:00

Dear Kodi,

Mommy is writing you this letter because as we all know, it isn't all about the baby right? Besides, what baby? As far as you know life is peachy with just the three of us, who needs a baby to take attention away from you!

I want to tell you that I love you so, so much. I sometimes find myself tearing up for no real reason because I love you and worry about you constantly. You recently went through a third bout of giardia and we were sad to see you sick. In your short life you've also had kennel cough, an oral papilloma, and a cyst on your foot. Poor doggie. Today I had plans to leave you at home for most of the day to see how you could handle it. I changed my mind at the last minute though because as Daddy and I always say, we didn't get a dog so that we could leave it at home. You have no idea how good you have it, Kodes. We didn't crate train you, so you have no idea what it's like to spend hours a day inside a little box, waiting for your owners. On days when we know we can't have you with us we send you to doggy daycare where you wrestle with other dogs for hours on end.

I know that your life will change a bit when the baby arrives and I wish with all my heart that I could promise you it wouldn't change... but I would be wrong. All our lives will adjust somewhat. I'll have to get used to less sleep, and you'll have to get used to the sounds of crying. I hope that you and the baby will become friends and that you'll learn to love him/her as much as you love us. If it's any comfort, when I go back to work I'll still be able to take you with me and I won't be able to take the baby.

Kodi, thank you for being such a great dog. I only have to show you your leash now for you to get super excited. Here's a picture of you that I like, because it looks like you're talking. "Say, mommy, is there any food? No? how about now? now? now??"

Almost 27 weeks

2009-01-14T10:44:00.001-08:00

Dear baby,

We are entering the third trimester and my, hasn't that gone quickly. Not so much for you, maybe, but for me, it's been quite smooth sailing.

Here are some updates on your progress. You are rather kicky these days, and last night it felt as though you were playing the drums on my stomach. Lovely! Perhaps you'll take after your mommy and be musical. Or maybe you'll take after your daddy and be athletic. Ideally, a combination of both. Hopefully, not a lack of either characteristic. Also, you handled yourself quite well after I took a spill the other day. Good job! We were pretty relieved to hear your heartbeat and a nice kick on the doppler.

Apparently at this stage you weigh just over 2 pounds. Coincidentally, I am now about 2 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight. I am happy not to have gained more, but I am not really thrilled about gaining weight in general. What can I say, I have body image issues. I hope you won't ever have that problem.

You haven't caused me to have any odd food cravings and I think generally, I have been eating fairly well. Unfortunately, I failed my glucose screening test, and I will have to attend a much longer test this week to determine whether or not I might have gestational diabetes. GD isn't really related to diet, more to family history and such, though of course if I had it, I'd have to modify my diet. Diabetes runs in your dad's family, not so much in mine, so if I have it, guess who I'll be blaming? That's right. YOU. But let us hope it does not get to that point. I'm not good with needles and such. Your father has already made changes to our meals, introducing more veggies and cutting out as much starch as he can get away with before I complain. He's a good guy. You'll like him a lot.

I think you're a boy, and your dad thinks you're a girl. I asked the dog what she thought but she just turned away when she realized I didn't have any food for her. Well, only a few more months until we find out who's right.

Since my last post, we've done a lot more to prepare for your arrival. We bought a high chair, not because you'll need one right away, but because it was a floor model on clearance. I love me a good sale. This is the high chair we bought. I like the animals on it, but it's too bad you won't get to look at them since you'll be facing the other way. We also bought a new glider/ottoman combo, again a floor model on clearance. Oh, and we got you a swing/infant rocker. We'll see if you are one of those kids who hates swings or not.

See you in 13 weeks!

This makes me mad!

2009-01-06T16:29:00.000-08:00

From my city's website regarding snow removal:

City crews maintain 310 kms of designated routes—all major thoroughfares and all bus routes—with up to 12 trucks, salting, sanding and plowing during snow storms, as well as clearing sidewalks in front of civic facilities and bus stops. ...

The City’s response actually starts before the snow begins to fall. Staff receive daily weather reports for the next 48 hour period. If snow is forecast, crews start working up to 12 hours ahead laying down salt on the roads to prevent ice build up. As salt becomes ineffective on its own with temperatures below –6 C, sand is added to the mix during colder periods.

(City's) side streets are not part of the 310 km of designated snowclearing and salting routes; to include them would require far greater resources than the City currently has, and (City's) typography, weather patterns and street design make that a less effective use of those resources. Typically, snow storms such as today’s occur about 12 times per season.

You have got to be kidding me. First of all, if you had driven around the major roads you would realize that they have BARELY been plowed. Four-lane roads have become two-and-a-half lane roads. The major roads we live near have definitely not been plowed. And also, 310 km? I am doubtful. And re: side streets - this is a city that was developed such that almost everyone lives on a side street. The subdivisions have winding, curving roads that isolate each subdivision from the main road. This isn't a city where a grid was laid down to determine the streets. Instead it appears one grid was laid down for the big roads, then they allowed a child to draw curlicues inside the grid to determine where the small roads would go. In other words, unless you live on a major road, you can't even get to and from your house in a big snowfall, because the city doesn't have enough resources, and doesn't consider the side roads important.

The last sentence kills me. Snowstorms like this 12 times a season and they are STILL unprepared. No fricking way. This city spends hundreds of thousands of dollars on useless stuff (millions on the Oval!) like beautifying the medians with flowers. And they must have to pay their city staff overtime to do it, since those folks work at night to plant. Roads are paved and repaved every few years regardless of whether we need it. City Hall is always nicely maintained. At Christmas, thousands of lights are strung up. I frankly think that these efforts are lovely and all, but spending a little more on snowplowing WOULD BE FAR MORE APPRECIATED. They could get a few Bobcats and drive them around some side roads - even if some of the larger side roads were plowed, that would give us all a headstart.

But no. Enjoy your flowers, people, that is, if the snow ever melts in time to plant new ones. Because of course! The City can only plant annuals, not perennials.

GRRRR.

Excitement in moderation

2008-12-31T16:21:00.001-08:00

I happen to belong to a forum that has two main sections: weddings and babies. After our wedding, I stopped visiting the forum for a long time, since I really didn't need to look at other people's grand wedding plans for inspiration or anything. But since finding out about the baby (I need a catchy name for this. Babywatch 09? Wee One Countdown?) I've gone back to the forum to have a look at all the baby talk. And I have discovered that I am way behind. The women on this forum are nothing if not incredibly organized and prepared for their babies. Many of them have been wanting babies for ages so I suppose their eager anticipation is understandable. You should see the nursery pictures. People deck out their babies' rooms like nothing I've ever seen. Plush crib bedding sets at over $150 (this is just the baby bedding! not the mattress or crib!) Rocker/glider chairs and ottomans that cost around $400. Matching crib and furniture sets. Neatly organized shelves and baby names plastered across the walls in big wooden letters.

There's no real point to comparing myself to others, I know, but I can't really help it. When I look at what others are doing, I feel like an amateur at this baby thing. Let's talk about the "nursery", or as I will call it, the baby's room. We painted the baby's room back in the summer when we first moved, so I have no desire to paint it again. It's just a neutral brown/beige colour. We don't know if we are having a boy or a girl so there is no point painting blue or pink stripes into the room decor. We haven't purchased a crib yet although there is one I'm eyeing which will convert into a toddler bed and one day, a double bed. But paying hundreds for matching dressers or change tables just seems wasteful. And crib bedding sets? I want the baby to be comfortable, but does s/he really need some sort of fancy "set" when all s/he is going to do is sleep and/or pee on it?

Here's what we have done so far to prepare for the baby's arrival:

purchased a stroller. Why so early? I don't know. I like the idea of strolling around the neighbourhood with the baby and the dog. We got a good price on a fully decked out stroller, but one day I'd like to get one with air-filled tires so we can take it to the dog park.
purchased a glider chair on Craigslist. I scored a good deal and got it for $20. Unfortunately it doesn't have an ottoman. I'll have to keep looking.
purchased cloth diapers. Do not freak out. I am trying to be environmentally friendly but also realistic in that I doubt I can exclusively cloth diaper this baby. Also, do not freak out but I bought used diapers. They're extremely clean though.
debated car seats. I do not plan to buy a used car seat in case it's been in an accident or something, and given my line of work, you can see how nervous I am about stuff like that.
Ummm... is that all? Pretty much.

Oh my.

**January 2009 update: we bought a car seat! And C, I rejected your comment b/c I try not to publish our real names too often on this blog :) Sorry!**

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-23T14:26:00.000-08:00

I quite enjoy Christmas, but I could do without all of the snow right now. Snow is such a pain. And I haven't even shovelled a tiny bit this year!

The hubs and I aren't getting each other anything for Christmas. We bought some small items for family but that is mostly just out of appreciation for all that our families do for us. Along the lines of what Jr. said in her recent post, I feel like I've moved past the point where Christmas is about giving and receiving (Joey! haha) gifts... although I still firmly believe that we can always do more to give to those who are in need. But as for myself, our house is full of things, things, and more things. We don't really need any more things.

Last night, we went to the Canucks game and I opened up one of those pull-tab games they give you at the door. We had two, one of them was a loser, but the other one said "Congratulations! You have won a $50 gift card to the Canucks Team Store!" I was thrilled because I can't even remember the last time I won something. I think it might have been in elementary school, when I won a ticket to some children's festival for my excellent book report. We decided that rather than me getting a new hoodie or him getting some new item, we would get something for the baby and for the dog. We also had a 40% off coupon (it's "Boxing Week" at the Canucks Team Store). So Kodi's getting a new Canucks shirt, and the baby has a shiny tracksuit to wear when s/he is somewhere between 6-9 months. Too bad the tracksuit isn't velour :) No doubt the dog will really love wearing a shirt. I am not really in favour of dogs wearing clothing, but if it's just at home and for a few pictures, I guess it's okay. Kodi hates her Santa hat though. Probably because she knows Santa isn't real.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Week 23

2008-12-19T15:39:00.000-08:00

Dear baby,

Unfortunately, your parents have (still) not taken a series of pictures of your mommy's tummy as many people would to document this pregnancy. In fact, we haven't taken a single one yet. Don't be appalled. We eagerly await your arrival, but somehow we can't get our act together long enough to bring out the camera. It'll happen, I promise.

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of change, or so it feels. I am still under my pre-pregnancy weight, thanks to having no appetite at all in the first four months. I am, however, moving into the world of maternity clothing. If you are a girl, you may one day venture into this world yourself. I hope for your sake that stuff is cheaper when you're at that stage. I cannot bring myself to buy much in the way of maternity clothes when I know I'm only going to have a few more months of wearing this stuff. One store I visited had jeans for $40 - and that was the sale price. Little one, I rarely spend $40 on non-maternity jeans. Once I bought jeans for $8. Yes, I have no fashion sense. No, I am not ashamed of it. Anyway. I'm doing my best with my non-mat pants. So what if I can't do up the top button? They're still good!

I've begun to feel you move as well. As you are my first baby, I had no idea what to expect. Everyone describes the first movements as bubbles, or flutters, or something like that. In the last couple of weeks, I've started to feel movements... but I would say they aren't kicks - more like... rolling around. I'm fine with not being kicked, by the way.

In general I am feeling great, all things considered. I wake up feeling like my stomach is unbearably stretched, and I am always tired (though that might be unrelated to the pregnancy). My appetite is better now. It's almost Christmas, and that is a delight all on its own. Too bad you aren't here to see our lovely Christmas tree - we'll have to get one just as nice next year.

The dog says hi too. She's been loving the recent snowfall. Her happiest day would be if she could chase pinecones all day long in the snow, then come home to a nice meal and a warm blanket. And a treat or two. I look forward to teaching you how to be gentle with her. I won't lie - I think your father would protect the dog from you more than you from the dog. So be nice to Kodi! Heh.

Halfway point

2008-11-30T15:33:00.000-08:00

Dear baby,

I made it to the halfway mark of my pregnancy without even realizing I was pregnant... so if you ever look up old blog posts and wonder why I didn't blog about my pregnancy earlier, that is why. I hope you don't think your mother is incompetent. I had an inkling I might be pregnant, but so many other reasons also existed for my fatigue, stress, loss of appetite, um, anyway.

The good news is, you're almost here! In less than five months we'll get to see your face. Your real face, not your scary ultrasound face. Your daddy and I are super excited. Your dog, Kodi, would be excited if she had any idea what was going on. Trust me, she's just itching for a new face to lick. She has a cough right now, but that didn't stop her from trying to eat one of the Christmas tree ornaments. Oh well. Hopefully by the time she meets you, she'll be less prone to eating things she shouldn't.

According to a pregnancy calendar site I visit sometimes, you are as big as a banana, carrot, or butternut squash. I find that last one hard to believe. Have you seen a butternut squash? Those things are gigantic. This pregnancy calendar lists a wide variety of issues that can occur to your mommy during pregnancy. None of those things have yet happened, but we've got a long way to go, so I'll keep you posted. It also says that by now I should be feeling your kicks easily, possibly even outside the belly. Hmm. Once again, I will keep you posted. The ultrasound tech said you were quite active, but darned if I could tell.

Baby, we are grateful to God that you're on your way. Can't wait to meet you!

Good reads

2008-11-20T12:29:00.000-08:00

We just got back from another fabulous vacation to Mexico where once again, my main activity was lounging on the beach with a good book and a lot of sunblock. On this trip I read almost 3 books, I haven't quite finished the last book. I love reading, but in regular life I find it hard to have the time to read a book and absorb the words I am reading. So that is what vacations are for!

On this trip, I borrowed the novel "Beijing Coma" by Ma Jian from the library. I am always drawn to Chinese writers and when I read the jacket, I immediately wanted to read the entire book. Beijing Coma's protagonist is Dai Wei, a student who was shot in the Tianamen Square protests and who subsequently fell into a coma. While in the coma, he can hear and smell what is going around him, although he can't see, move, or respond in any way, although his body is surprisingly "alert". The book revolves around his memories of the weeks leading up to the massacre and alternates between those memories and what is happening presently around him.

I had never read a book about what happened in the weeks leading up to June 4, 1989, so this was quite an eye opener (although it is fiction, the author bases his characters on real people and real stories.) In 1989, I was only 10, and my dad was quite ill, so I didn't understand what was going on China, except that it was bad. I have read that unfortunately, since China has worked so hard to propagate its own version of what happened (nothing! nothing happened!), young people in China today are barely aware of the Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. The iconic image of the "Tank Man" is not even recognized among Beijing University students. In the new world of China embracing newfound wealth, maybe this isn't surprising, just saddening. It makes me wonder whether we in the western world even realize the extent of what happened, and whether we turn a blind eye to how China censors the truth. Maybe we turn a blind eye too often, preferring the glamourized images of China while citizens lose their homes in favour of big development, choosing to buy cheaply made, potentially dangerous items made in China to save ourselves money.

Beijing Coma struck me because it presented the possibility, many possibilities, you might say, that things could have turned out differently in June 1989. If only this happened, if only that person made this decision ... thousands more would be alive today. An entire nation could have risen up against an oppressive regime. And at the same time, the book illustrated how even great intentions can go horribly out of control. I don't really know how to express how I felt about the book, but maybe you can all have a read for yourselves.

Dear Kodi

2008-11-06T11:11:00.000-08:00

Guess what, happy little dog! It's your first birthday today! Yay!

You've now been with us for about 9.5 months and what a delight it's been to have you in our lives. You and I have been through hundreds of walks, lots of doggy park time, and tons of cuddles at home. Plus, you've learned a multitude of tricks. In the last few months you have started to learn the names of your toys, so that if I ask you to go and find your monkey, you no longer stare at me like "What the heck is a monkey? Is it food?" You have also learned to walk SLIGHTLY better than you did before obedience class. The first half of our walk always involves me getting a little mad, which I know I shouldn't do. I'm sorry. It's just that you weigh almost 65 lbs and it's really difficult to hold you back when you lunge forward.

You've also become better at balancing toys and treats on your head. I have some good pictures of you doing this that I will upload later on. You do, however, drool like a faucet turned on when a treat is in the works or when your dinner is hitting the bowl or when you think we're eating something delicious. It's kind of funny, but also a little gross.

Kodi, sometimes I don't know what comes over me, but I think about how one day you'll leave us. It makes me incredibly sad and I know I shouldn't dwell on some unknown future day. I should instead think about loving you now, and giving you a good and happy life. I know God created you and part of me hopes that there's a place in some sort of heaven for you so that maybe one day, if you should pass on and I should pass on, we'll see each other again. Sounds ridiculous, I know. I try not to think about it. One night recently I was very sad because I thought about this again and I thought about how I had yelled at you that day for pulling me. The nice thing is that you always forgive and forget when I'm mad. It's part of being a dog, I guess, life just moves on and you live in the present.

Anyway. Daddy and I are very proud of the dog you've become over the last year. You are an incredibly good dog. You rarely chew on anything that isn't yours and you sleep quietly by yourself when we're not home instead of tearing the house apart. You are still scared of the hair dryer and vacuum cleaner and anything that is large and makes loud noises. You don't tear apart all of your toys, and your favourite is still the Christmas toy we got you as a baby. You will eat anything we give you, or at least you'll try it once. Whenever I come home, you run to the door with a toy in your mouth, ready to play, and you greet me like you haven't seen me in years, even if it's only been a few hours. Above all, you always listen to us and I don't think you would talk back even if you could, because you love us too. Thank you for brightening up our lives. I hope in this next year, we are as good to you as you have been to us.

More relationship stuff

2008-11-05T10:34:00.000-08:00

I went out with a good friend recently and we had a long conversation about relationships. We always talk about relationships but this time was different. She told me a lot more than she usually does and I appreciated the open and honest nature of our discussion. One of the things she told me was that she knows a lot of eligible, single guys with many great qualities... but that many of these guys didn't want to enter into a relationship because they were afraid of losing their freedom.

I found this incredible at first - do people really see marriage and commitment as the "old ball and chain", as the great limitation upon personal freedom? I guess so!

She talked about how her pastor had listed the top five benefits to being single, and the top five benefits to being in a relationship. All of the benefits to being single amounted to freedom. All of the benefits to being in a relationship amounted to a lack of loneliness. And that is where I realized that freedom and loneliness are not so far apart. Interesting. I've never thought of that. I've never felt like getting married meant a loss of freedom. Kind of the opposite actually, since I didn't have a ton of freedom while living at home anyway.

Anyway. I'm just rambling today. So here's another unrelated question for you. I'm not sure where I came up with this one, but work with me here.

Let's say you are in a relationship with A. Maybe one that is serious, maybe not that serious, it doesn't really matter. Not married, though, since that throws too much of a wrench in this problem. Let's say that sometime before you had this current relationship with A (it could be months, years even), you had feelings for B, but something just didn't work out. Let's say they were strong feelings, and you were disappointed when the potential fizzled. Let's say that B now has feelings for you and if you gave it a shot, the relationship with B could work out. It could be worse than, the same as, or better than your relationship with A... in other words you don't really know whether it will work out with B. But it could. Let's say you haven't thought about your feelings for B in a long time, but they might still be there.

Question: 1) would you want to know about B's feelings? 2) if you did know, would it affect your relationship with A?

Grandma (poh-poh)

2008-11-03T12:01:00.001-08:00

Grandma, it's been many years since you passed away. Sixteen years, I think. I have so many memories of you and always wish we could have had more time together. God called you home in exactly the way you would have wanted, quickly and without pain, but in my opinion, it was still far too early. But I know it's okay, because now you get to spend eternity with Him.

I remember how you would come and stay with us from Seattle, taking the Greyhound by yourself even though you couldn't speak any English. You used to ask why we would buy things like French fries, since you could just make them at home instead. You made the best beef jerky - no store-bought kind can ever match up. You loved to watch Family Ties (Alex was your favourite) and I never understood how you could watch an English show or what you really thought was going on. Actually, once you surprised us by responding "I don't know" when we asked you something. I guess you must have picked up some English over the years. You taught me how to peel the roots off of bean sprouts and how to wash rice properly. You told me to marry a Chinese guy (so that his family would pay for the wedding) and although I always laughed, guess what, I ended up marrying one after all.

What I loved most about you though, Grandma, was your love and faithfulness for God. You never had the opportunity to get an education but somehow you still studied the Bible and memorized verses. You always encouraged us to do what was right and to work hard.

I think I've learned even more about you since you passed on. Now that I'm older, I'm able to grasp our family's history even better. I know that you were a hard worker all of your life, from being a street vendor to being a mother of many children. You didn't have much schooling, but your math was better than most educated people's math. I know that you made many sacrifices for your family. The family was poor, but you did not let that stop your children from being educated and working hard so that future generations would live a better life.

What would you think of how my life turned out if you were here today? Would you be proud of me? One day I'll get to ask you in person.

It could be the one...

2008-10-30T11:38:00.000-07:00

This time, I wonder what it feels like
To find the one in this life, the one we all dream of
But dreams just aren’t enough
So I’ll be waiting for the real thing, I’ll know it by the feeling
The moment when we’re meeting, will play out like a scene
Straight off the silver screen
So I’ll be holding my own breath, right up ’til the end
Until that moment when, I find the one that I’ll spend forever with

Cause nobody wants to be the last one there
Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares
Someone to love with my life in their hands
There’s gotta be somebody for me like that
Cause nobody wants to do it all on their own
And everyone wants to know they're not alone
There’s somebody else that feels the same somewhere
There’s gotta be somebody for me out there --Nickelback "Gotta Be Somebody"

I hear this song on the radio all the time these days. I had to look up the lyrics since I am terrible at remembering lyrics. It's a very catchy song, one of those songs that you can sing along to without even really knowing it.

Lately I've been thinking about love and life and how to get all of my single friends matched up. Just kidding. Really just kidding. I only think about matching SOME of my single friends up. Um, anyway, where were we. I sometimes wonder what life would be like if I hadn't met the hubby. Would I be out there, trying to meet people? Where would I even go to meet people? If I met someone with "potential", would I make the first move?

I have often been the nosy spectator on the sidelines of my friends' almost-relationships and have thought, "Hmm, if only s/he made some sort of first move, I bet it would all work out." And then it baffles me as to why someone doesn't make any move at all. And then I say to the hubby, "Don't you think [whoever] and [whoever else] would make a great couple?" And then he shrugs. Or says "Absolutely not." Or "I already thought of that months ago." But then nothing happens.

So I am putting this out there: GRAB THE BRASS RING, PEOPLE. Take a chance, make the first move, and see whether the person you are interested in is also interested in you. (Caveat: if you or your friends are fairly certain that the other person is NOT interested - don't jump the gun.) Be a risk taker! There's gotta be somebody out there for you. Even Nickelback says so!

Topic for discussion: why DON'T people make the first move more often?

America the hateful

2008-10-25T10:26:00.001-07:00

I'm not much for politics, but the American election is by far more captivating than the Canadian election ever was. I saw this video today on another blog and I couldn't turn it off despite the sickening feeling in my stomach. I know that Americans aren't all like this and neither are all Republicans, but the idea that so many can gather together and spew hatred and lies publicly, with their children nearby - that is beyond upsetting. So much vitriol toward Obama because they think he's Muslim. Even assuming he was Muslim, which he obviously is not, why would that matter? And calling him a baby-killer because of a party stance on abortion... how is that appropriate?

There's so much more to say, but it's just so upsetting.

Mr. Thrifty

2008-10-21T09:19:00.000-07:00

That's actually the name of the model skeleton we have in our office...

But this post is actually about saving money.

Last week, I watched an episode of Oprah wherein she promised to show us how the thriftiest family in America could help a struggling family climb out of debt. Judging from blogs I've read, tons of people watched this episode (unsurprising.) I don't think that family offered anything too earth-shattering in terms of money-saving tips. For example, the mom talked about how she rarely ever uses her cell phone, so she managed to find some plan (probably pay-as-you-go where she only has to spend $5/month.) Fine for her, but I actually need my cell phone for more than emergencies. Another tip was to clip as many coupons as possible. Maybe it's just a problem with Canadian stores nowadays, but I find that coupon clipping is challenging. Either only brand-name products have coupons, or the coupons are instead tied to those annoying club cards they make you sign up for (so that they can spy on your shopping habits.)

So instead of rehashing those tips, here are MY money-saving tips, many of which I am still trying to put into practice.

1. Stock up on sale items that you'll need eventually. I am a bit of a hoarder of drugstore type items. Toilet paper, toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc. There will always be TP at my house!

2. Break the Starbucks habit. This is a really obvious one that everyone and their dog mentions. Blah blah, if you get a latte a day you'll spend a gazillion dollars by the end of the year. I am not that much of an addict so my solution is to limit myself to one Starbucks visit a week; less if I can help it. In addition I am trying to bring my own cup to save on paper cups. Starbucks should really offer more than a 5 cent discount for this.

3. Force yourself to save money. We contribute to RRSPs on a monthly basis so that when the end of the year rolls around, it isn't all about scraping together a suitable lump sum for the year.

4. Always put God first. Not specifically a money-saving tip, but still important. My mom always taught me to put in my offering/tithes at the beginning of the month, not with the idea that God will bless you more if you are faithful with your offering, but in recognition of all He has done for you. In so doing, I have found that God always provides just what we need. And in times when I have forgotten, things just don't feel right. Hard to explain. But there you go.

5. Cell phones - look for retention plans if you want more minutes but don't want to spend more. I spent days researching better plans when I wanted to get out of my Bell plan and then poor hubby had to spend at least an hour or two on the phone negotiating new plans. But we came out of that with a great plan with a ridiculous amount of minutes and a low, low price. If you don't use your phone much, try a pay-as-you-go plan like 7-11's Speakout Wireless where your minutes last up to one year.

6. Borrow movies from the library instead of renting. Our library has lots of almost-new releases and older movies. Bonus - a cool DVD dispenser with a little man inside who shoves your DVD at you. No, not really.

7. Borrow books instead of buying. Okay, this is just me - I cannot stand to buy books because I find that I read them quickly and then I don't often read them again. (Exception: my Harry Potter books.) I much prefer borrowing books at the library, reading them, then ditching them. My only concern is that the books are probably covered in germs. Yuck. Wash your hands!

8. Wear more sweaters. Every year we hold out as long as we can before turning on the heat, preferring to keep the house at a cool 16 degrees. This year we have turned the heat on about three times, and then only to 18 degrees. Why would you turn on the heat when you can put on an extra sweatshirt and some warm slippers?

9. Change your lightbulbs to CFLs or LED bulbs. Actually I haven't seen many LED bulbs for sale but CFLs are plentiful. They are often on sale; we bought boxes of 6 for $9 at Canadian Tire in the summer. Saving energy is always a challenge, since it's so much more convenient not to!

10. Eat less. Heh.

Mrs. Poburko

2008-10-16T13:15:00.000-07:00

You were my kindergarten teacher and everyone was scared of you. I don't know why they were scared of you, but I know why I was scared.... one day, my friend had a loose tooth and you said you would help her pull it. To my horror, you tied one end of a piece of dental floss to the tooth, and the other end to the closet doorknob. Then you slammed the closet door. The tooth came out. I think I screamed.

Strategery

2008-10-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

Now that the election is over, I can tell you who I voted for. In our riding, the incumbent is a Liberal and it was expected to be a hot contest between the incumbent and the Conservative candidate. Well, at least everyone thought it would be a hot contest. I've never met either candidate, although I noticed one's campaign strategy was to stand on busy streets in a suit, waving to commuters, and the other recruited several Chinese people to help phone other Chinese people to sway their vote.

In the week before the election, both the NDP and the Green Party candidate were hinting strongly (or saying outright?) that strategic voting would be, at the least, not a bad thing. You know how it goes - vote Liberal even if you normally vote NDP or Green so that we'll have a chance of defeating the Conservatives. Actually, I considered the opposite - voting Conservative to keep out the incumbent, who I don't particularly like, and who I thought would win. Strategic voting is somewhat controversial. To me, it doesn't represent true democracy, because you'd be voting for someone you didn't really want in office, just to prevent someone you REALLY REALLY didn't want from coming to power. It requires holding your nose when voting, and is that the picture we want to paint during an election in a first world country?

So up until I got to the voting booth (if you could call the cardboard science fair display a "booth"), I wasn't fully decided on how to vote. I eventually went with my gut and voted NDP. I know next to nothing about the NDP candidate, but I like what the NDP stands for, generally. I then fretted over whether I should have voted strategically. Fortunately in the end, it didn't really matter because the Conservative won by a comfortable margin.

Of course, what this reinforces is that proportional representation through a single transferable vote system would resolve the problems seen in a multi-party system like our own. I looked for a site that explained the STV system the best and here is what I found. It has pictures! Though I think their picture of chocolate could have been a little better. Anyway. No doubt at some point, some person much smarter than me will be able to analyze what just happened in our election and tell us roughly who might be sitting in Parliament if we had an STV system. That'll be interesting.

Squishy or spacious?

2008-10-10T15:30:00.000-07:00

Just finished reading this article about families who have eschewed the suburban sprawl and larger homes with yards for small apartments in the heart of their cities. This article reminded me of the difference between my brother and I. I have never really desired to live in downtown, although I can see the attraction of living there (that is, if I also worked downtown.) My brother, on the other hand, would love to live in the city, or maybe a bigger city than our own. (No doubt he'll contradict me at some point during this post.)

I used to tell the hubby that I always dreamed about living in an apartment. I have no idea why I wanted to live in an apartment. Maybe it was a Seinfeld or Friends or Mad About You influenced idea. Of course, nobody in New York has apartments as big as on TV. Every time I go to Ikea, I marvel over the showrooms that proclaim, "Live comfortably in 455 square feet!" and display an entire family's life, squeezed into every nook and cranny of a small space. Chairs are folded and hang on the walls, beds are one step away from the kitchen, and the bathroom is right beside the fridge. Part of me is always tempted to try out living in a small space just to see if I can do it.

Of course, the problem is, I don't mind suburban sprawl. We live in a spacious part of the world where people can live in houses that have yards. And once you have a yard, and a BBQ, and maybe a few chairs to sit on outside - well then - why wouldn't you want that?

I can definitely understand that one reason for living in the city would be a commuting issue. I don't work in downtown, but when I have to go there, it does make me curse the traffic situation getting out of the burbs. (That is partly a problem with how the city and its outlying areas are designed.)

Maybe I am a little claustrophobic. In our old place, I didn't like how there wasn't much separation in the common areas, such that if hubby was on the phone, I'd have to turn down the TV (or turn up, if I wanted him to get off the phone!) I can't imagine sleeping in a closet just to make more room in the apartment for my kids, or sending my laundry out just to accommodate living in a smaller space. I am a homebody at heart; I think relaxing is best done at home rather than out at some restaurant or club or theatre. (I make exceptions for vacations. Those can only be done away from home. Preferably in some hot, sunny, tropical location.) Besides, it's hard to have a 60 lb dog in an apartment.

I hope this post doesn't come off as "la la la, I love my giant house"* ... instead, I think it's pretty amazing that many of us have the ability to choose our living circumstances. Whether it's living in a basement suite, an apartment, a townhouse, or a house, or with family or in-laws, many of us are fortunate to have a place to live at all. This is just my perspective. Sometimes I think it'd be awesome to live closer to the "action", to be in a more culturally and socially diverse area of the city. Other days, I think living in the suburbs is really pretty good.

Your thoughts?

*I don't have a giant house!

Politicky

2008-10-07T21:38:00.000-07:00

We are often asked who we're going to vote for ... in the past week the hubby even received emails urging him to vote for one candidate (Conservative, of course.... the reasoning was that we need a strong Christian voice in Parliament.) Sometimes I wish the politics in Canada were more... polarized. I read an article that described Canada's politicians as "beige" and frankly I think that really fits. I feel like I know way more about the US election than I do about the Canadian one. (That's probably my fault, but I'll just blame the media. Just like Palin!)

I will tell you that I usually don't vote based on religious beliefs, either mine or the candidate's. I tend to think it isn't really relevant what a person believes if they are in political office. Separation of church and state, I guess.

This post has no real point ... but tell me ... how do you vote?

Tara W.

2008-10-05T23:00:00.000-07:00

You were a roommate for a short time and it is because of you that I think having a roommate sucks. You took our other roommate's car and put a dent in it, then you "fixed" it, hoping she wouldn't notice. You left your bras lying around the kitchen and living room, you didn't like to clean, and you overcharged us on rent. Then, you tried to evict us even though you weren't even allowed to be subletting to us. I unplugged your telephone every single day just to irritate you. Childish, I know. Oh well.

Debris

2008-10-03T14:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning as I drove to work, I passed by a pile of shoes near the centre median of the highway. The shoes were strewn over a distance of probably 20-30 feet or so. As far as I could tell, they were mostly women's shoes, and included several pairs of Crocs (pink) and canvas Keds-like shoes (green and white). Have I ever mentioned my dislike for Crocs? I think it is because they make feet look super wide and I have a thing about how feet should never look wide. Also, they remind me of a hospital nurse's very sturdy/ugly work shoes... but with holes!

This morning, many of the Keds-like shoes were still there... but all of the Crocs were gone.

Could it be that someone crossed a busy highway just to snag those pink Crocs!?

Nancy

2008-10-01T12:24:00.000-07:00

I met you in Montreal the summer after high school. We were both there to learn French, although somehow I got put into some sort of advanced class where half the students were Francophones, which I found kind of unfair. You were in a more normal class, so maybe you actually learned something. I lent you my jacket one night when you were cold and you somehow got blood on it... I don't really want to know. We spent our evenings hanging out at the 24-hour Second Cup and you were a great friend. Apparently you also hated your name, since I later learned that you changed it to something totally different - like Jennifer or some name like that.

M.

2008-09-30T09:37:00.000-07:00

It's weird that my most vivid memory of you is that once, I was in the same restaurant as you, except you sat behind me and you couldn't see me.... I was with some friends you didn't know, so probably you didn't even guess I was there. I heard you talking with your boyfriend, not because I was eavesdropping, but because I heard my name. You were actually discussing my relationship with the now-hubby and how our relationship was probably going to fail. I was too chicken and non-confrontational at the time to turn around and say "Hello, is that me you're talking about, please stop", so I let it go.

You didn't ask for forgiveness (nor would you really have to, it was so minor) but guess what, I'm giving it to you anyway. Despite whatever some troll thinks of it.

If you're going to insult me

2008-09-30T09:25:00.000-07:00

At least have the guts not to do it anonymously. I'm sorry I rejected your comments on my last post, "Anonymous", but this is my blog and I can write whatever I want AND reject whatever commentary I want. You're welcome to repost your comment (but not twice in a row, just hit the button once, genius) with your real name attached. Otherwise, feel free to move on. If you have something to say to me in person, I invite you to do so. I get that you think I'm not a very good Christian. Since there's no name attached to the comments, I can only assume that you are an internet troll.... using Shaw and living in Richmond.

C.

2008-09-28T12:30:00.000-07:00

The year I got engaged, you kept asking me about the wedding and when you would get your invite. I wasn't sure if we should invite you because the four of us, we aren't great friends... but that year, you and I served together in ministry, so I thought it'd be rude not to invite you.

After I gave the invite to you, you didn't reply... so when the reply date passed, I had to ask if you and your husband were coming or not. You said that you would be out of town. No big deal, right? I found out today that after you received your invitation, you announced loudly to a group of our mutual friends that you would rather spend money on yourselves than attend our wedding or give us a gift, so you booked a trip to Portland as soon as you knew that you were invited. Maybe you were mad that we didn't give you a very big gift for your wedding (I was a student - it was all I could afford.) Who knows. I'm not offended that you didn't come, but what was the point of telling everyone that you'd rather go to Portland?

Well, you haven't asked me to, but I've decided to forgive you. You probably don't care, but if I don't let this go it'll just bother me forever.

Doris

2008-09-25T21:57:00.000-07:00

You were shocked when you found out that I could barely speak Chinese, and you resolved to speak only Chinese to me for the rest of the year. As it turned out, I actually learned some Chinese because you wouldn't speak any English. Too bad it only lasted through high school!

Welcome, guests!

2008-09-25T18:39:00.000-07:00

The hubby and I are finally ready to welcome out-of-town guests to our home, as we recently purchased a guest bed for a steal of a deal. Not an actual steal, but pretty darn close. Even cheaper than our own bed (Westin Heavenly Bed! - but without all the plushy goodness of duvets and pillows and shams and such), which I already thought was a fantastic deal. I love our bed, it's super comfy and it's tall enough that the dog can't jump on us in the morning (she's never tried - but she has tried to jump on my in-laws' bed at their house!) I also love our bedroom set because it was my first real grownup furniture.

But the problem is the height. I like it, but other people look at it and think "Wow! That's way too high!"

Well, future guests will be thrilled to know that our guest bed is EVEN HIGHER. Of course part of that is because we bought a bedframe that sits the bed about 10 inches off the ground. Even so, the mattress itself is at least 16 inches tall and the boxspring is pretty regular sized although we ordered a low profile boxspring. Can't complain though when we got a great deal. But it makes me laugh to imagine guests having to literally climb into their bed. Perhaps they could take a running leap.

I tried to convince the hubby that maybe we just don't need the boxspring, but he seems to believe that guests will really like having to jump into bed. Oh well. I'm sure it'll be a comfortable sleep, that is, when they aren't worried about toppling off.

I can't wait to have guests! Ahaha!

Kathy

2008-09-24T18:14:00.001-07:00

I can't actually remember whether your name was Kathy or not, so I'll just call you that. You and I worked together and it was my first real job, so naturally I was intimidated. You were rude to me when I first started and I never enjoyed working with you after that. Once, I suspected you of stealing $20.00 from my till since I was *never* short by more than a few pennies. I later heard you were fired for stealing money on several occasions. Nice work.

Jennifer Y.

2008-09-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

I remember admiring your thick, waist-length hair and wishing my hair was nice and straight like yours. You were always a sweet and friendly girl and you laughed at my jokes. In grade 7, you liked this boy and I told you to go for it ... but I neglected to tell you that I liked him too. At some ridiculous elementary school dance, I danced with him even though I knew you wouldn't be happy. Wow, I was a jerk.

Mrs. Challoner

2008-09-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

You were my grade 2 teacher in a 2/3 split class. When we all wrote books for a class project, mine was based on The Ugly Duckling and was about a girl who felt ugly, but was actually beautiful. You asked me to read it to the class and I did. Maybe you thought the book was about me. Maybe it was. In any event, I was the only one who got to read my book out loud.

New feature on my blog!

2008-09-22T18:58:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

In an effort to blog more, I'm going to attempt to participate in something that I think is called x365 or Blog 365 or something like that. The idea is to write one short post a day about one specific person in your life, past or present, and... really that's it. Just a few thoughts about that person, and then move on. I haven't signed up for anything official since the chances of me blogging every day are slim, but hey, it's worth a shot.

Hope you'll find it entertaining and maybe you'll even find yourself named at some point!

It's the little things in life

2008-09-19T21:32:00.000-07:00

I wish I could blog about something intelligent, like the election situation in Canada or the US, or perhaps a book I've read lately, or maybe some environmental issue. Sadly, I have been completely unaware lately so I have no idea what is happening in the world. So instead, I will tell you about stress relief. I need a lot of stress relief these days. Here are the things that make me happy... or less unhappy at least.

- Coffee Crisp. Yum.
- chocolate - yum.
- dark chocolate mocha at Blenz in the morning. Yum. Expensive habit.
- playing with my dog
- shopping... for my dog :) (yes - she is spoiled. no - she doesn't wear clothing.)
- Pho subs. - yum.
- watching Heroes, The Office (we just got into this! hilarious!), HGTV shows, anything in HD...
- getting to and from work in under 45 minutes (rare)
- visiting the mall on lunch break
- not wearing heels all day long

Well, I could go on, but there's something good on TV right now....

Back to the grind, part the end

2008-09-14T15:56:00.001-07:00

So, since my last post I have been living a stressful life with restless sleep and general unwellness. I do not know what is wrong with me but I am very, very tired. It is probably something to do with having to think all day long. My mind is just not made for that sort of work.

Okay, last time I told you some of the things I liked about university, so of course for completeness, I must now tell you what I did NOT like about university. I'll try to keep this brief and intelligible rather than just a rant blowing things way out of proportion.

1. Always feeling behind. Even my most studious friends would agree that it's extremely difficult to feel ahead or even on course with university classes. From day 1, I felt as though there was way more to do than there was time to do it all... and for me, that was just a totally unmotivating way to learn.

2. The campus from October to March. Mostly these months stick out in my mind as representing a soggy mess, irritating bus rides filled with soggy people and their dripping umbrellas, and the inability to get through a day without the bottoms of my jeans being completely drenched. Pleasant!

3. Labs. Oh my goodness, did I ever hate labs. First, often a lab meant working with a partner and not always one of your choice. Second, the total randomness of achieving an acceptable lab result. Third, the HOURS this sucked out of my day. Blah blah lac operon E. coli blah blah bacteria blah blah no thank you!

4. My PoliSci class. I took this in an effort to boost my marks, but ended up with a 60. Yes, that is right, a 60. This is an impressive mark, although it is still less impressive than my Immunology mark. I have managed to forget almost everything about this class except for the terrible haircut my prof had.

5. Keeners. You know the type, the ones who always have a question, or who always have an answer, or who always raise their hand even if they have no clue. A friend once suggested playing Keener Bingo and I believe this meant that if you observed someone raise their hand three times in one class, you were to stand up and shout "BINGO!" I never did this.... too bad.

6. People with weird habits that disturbed me. Once, I sat next to a guy who sniffed for the entire hour of class. Not runny nose sniffling... just a continual sniff. I decided he was probably having a reaction to some sort of illicit, snorted drug. Another time, I had to ask the guy behind me to quit writing so hard on his desk. (This makes me sound crazy, but bear with me.) It was during an exam and he was writing on one thin sheet of paper with a mechanical pencil and nothing underneath the paper. And, it appeared that he was extremely passionate about whatever he was writing. The scratching and tapping was really grating inside my head. At the break, I asked him to please slip a few sheets under his paper. He complied, but I'm sure he thought I was insane. Perhaps this item is really just a reflection of my own intolerances, but hey, this is my blog, not yours.

7. Telereg. This probably doesn't exist any more, but anyway. We had to register for classes using a telephone. (If any of you oldies are out there, yes I agree that this was one step up from having to physically run to each building to register, but still.) I remember having to employ two phone lines and a cellphone starting two minutes before registration time. Oh, the agony of punching in the code for the class you wanted, only to have the system stall for five silent minutes before telling you that you were unsuccessful, and then freaking out because you didn't have a backup plan.

Boy, it's a good thing I haven't decided to pursue another degree, I don't think I could handle more university. Jo, you have my infinite respect. And you too, godbrother. And the rest of y'all who are more studious than me. Which would be - everyone.

Back to the grind

2008-09-04T09:09:00.000-07:00

It's been a rough week back at work... I'm so tired. But as tired as I am, I'm grateful that at least I am not back at university. Sometimes people assume that I loved school, probably because I was there for so long. Those people even assume that I worked hard at school. I think I can hear my family laughing right now. Shush, family! Haha.

In an effort to be a little more cheery, I'm going to tell you some of the things I enjoyed about university:

1. The buildup to first year. At the time, lots of church folk were attending university and I was excited to eat lunch with them, to experience "free stuff week", to be one of the cool older folk, to study in the bowels of Koerner... um yeah. None of that really happened for me. Free stuff week? Not all it was chalked up to be. Lunch plans were sparse, and I was never cool. Oh and I think I can count on one hand the number of times I studied downstairs at Koerner. In short, blown expectations - but at least I enjoyed the anticipation.

2. Learning that science was not for me. Of course, I had to complete an entire degree to find this out, but hey, what's four or five years out of my life!

3. Figuring out how to bus everywhere, including at least four routes that would take me home. If only there had been a u-pass from the very beginning.

4. Having some classes with friends, including Anatomy and Molecular Biology with a couple of good friends (Drosophila!) and Immunology with my godbrother (what were we thinking!) and, um, maybe that's it. I had a lot of fun in those classes, possibly because I wasn't paying a lot of attention. (See? Science just isn't my cup of tea.)

5. Planning my wedding during my last year of school while also working 16-24 hours per week, yes, at school. I'm good at the multi-tasking.

6. Working at a campus job - seriously, if students out there need money, find a campus job. You're there anyway, you might as well work and earn far more than minimum wage. I paid my way through school by working on campus every summer and, of course, living at home. Thanks Mom :)

7. The campus in September. So lovely. Green grass, sunny days, not having to wear a jacket... too bad it all becomes crummy and wet come October.

8. Graduating - twice - and getting the heck out of there!

Conflict amplification

2008-09-03T10:28:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you don't like someone's personality?

There is someone I'm thinking of who I can't stand right now. I will call this person X. I can't stand X. X talks too much. X thinks certain jokes are funny when they should barely be called jokes in the first place. X interferes with normal goings on and doesn't understand that change for the sake of change is unnecessary and time-consuming.

There is another person I can't stand. I will call this person Z. Z is annoying. Z thinks Z knows more than anyone else in the world, but in truth, Z knows very little. Z is just difficult to get along with.

Z and X get along okay, but each thinks the other isn't as clever as they make themselves out to be.

As for me - I wish I could resolve things, but I feel like I'm stuck in the middle between Z, X, and the other more reasonable people in my life. The conflicts are getting worse, not better. The problem is, you can't change a person's personality. They are stuck with whatever personality they have chosen to adopt and you either have to like it or lump it. Very depressing.

I'll try to post something more exciting next time I post... :)

Environmental living

2008-08-13T11:15:00.000-07:00

I wish I could say that we've got the green living thing down pat. I wish our house was powered by wind or the sun, or that I walk or bike everywhere. No, although we have taken some steps to lessen our lives' impact on the earth, we are far from fully there. We drive hybrids, but that is as much about saving money as it is about lowering emissions. One of the challenges of living a greener lifestyle is cost. It's often much cheaper to buy non-organic food or even non-local food. A hybrid vehicle is a huge initial investment, and some have speculated that they won't necessarily save money in the long run because of their initial price. Want to buy something that is non-toxic or chemical-free? Often, it's more expensive. It's a bit like the debate surrounding eating healthier... fresh fruit and veggies are so pricey compared to the inside of the store. (Someone once told me that the healthiest t way to shop a grocery store is to go on the outside only, to get to the produce, dairy, bakery, etc. and avoid the inside, filled with delicious processed products.)

Anyway. One thing we are doing this coming fall is buying half a cow from a local farm that has grass-fed, Angus (mixed with something else) cows. (Yes, the family from "Jon & Kate Plus 8" also bought half a cow - that isn't what made us do it!) The grass isn't sprayed, so the beef is organic. The cows don't eat grain, so their meat is supposed to be leaner and healthier for you. More Omega 3's or something. Frankly I was just enamored by the idea of buying half a cow. Call me crazy. (and call me if you want the name of the farm!)

I'm also on the lookout for organic/local chicken.... but while the beef is quite reasonably priced, it seems that locally produced chicken is not quite as cheap. Local produce is somewhat more accessible in the summer due to the farm markets and such. I've been thinking about going to the Avalon Dairy store that Chris mentioned, but the hubby thinks Avalon milk is overpriced. I'm sure it's a lot more than buying Lucerne or Dairyland, but maybe the hormone-freeness of it is worthwhile.

On the home front, we changed almost all our lightbulbs to CFLs. Saving money, but again with a larger initial investment. We also signed up for a water meter and we are always looking for ways to save water. Apparently in our city, you are not actually supposed to have low-flow toilets - this is just anecdotal information though. So, we'll have to settle for shorter showers and such. I've stopped using my dishwasher because it sucks. SUCKS. I should have gotten a new one, but I was too cheap. Half the time, this one doesn't seem to open the detergent holder's lid early enough so the detergent just clumps up instead of being used. I do try to save water while washing dishes. I sometimes will fill up a sink with hot soapy water and then use the other sink for rinsing. Other times I pile up the dishes, give a few seconds of rinse, then wash them without much water, just a wet soapy sponge. I think it's a miracle that I do any dishes, though :)

We also have a front load washer, which saves a lot of water and detergent. The matching dryer, however, seems to take longer than the old one ... I'm considering whether to hang my clothes outside, but that seems too public, you know? Anyway.

Anyone have a great environmentally friendly tip?

Etiquette

2008-08-04T16:33:00.000-07:00

Let's say you are invited to a party at someone's house. Let's say it's not a house you've ever been to before, you know the sort of party I mean, where you are either good friends but not close friends, or relatives but not close relatives. In fact, imagine that it's the first time many of the guests have been there. Sort of an unofficial housewarming, officially just a summer BBQ. Let's say that the hosts specifically say "No gifts" in the invitation. What do you do? Bring something or not? Buy a gift? Give a gift card? Nothing at all?

I think it's just the way I've been raised, but my instinct is always to bring SOMETHING to someone's house unless it's just a whole bunch of close friends (sorry, close friends! you know I love ya!) Before we were married, we used to just tag along on gifts with the in-laws... but I would never do that now. These days, if I received that sort of invite from a good friend, I would either buy something small, or give a gift card... from a friend I didn't know as well, I would bring a nice box of chocolates or some fruit. If it was from a relative, I would probably give a red pocket of money or a gift card. (I can just hear my brother saying "But they said no gifts!! That means no gifts!!") I know! But you see, I would feel totally awkward showing up empty handed.

So, of course, the reason I'm asking is because this happened to us. Obviously I won't give a ton of details, but essentially someone came to our house without a gift. Now, I must say at the outset that this in itself doesn't offend me in the least.. We specified no gifts, but some people just chose to ignore that and brought a little something anyway. I have no problem with someone not bringing a gift, especially since we said no gifts. If you know us, you know we are brimming over with stuff anyway! But what happened to tip me over the edge is that this person came in, and the first thing they said wasn't "Nice place!" or "How's it going!" or even "Weird colour choices!". The first thing they said was, "Oh, sorrrrrry, I didn't bring a gift!" I can't make the tone of the voice show up, but it was quite flippant.

I know I shouldn't be offended. And yet somehow I still am. Maybe it's just that the relationship between this person and the two of us is already a little tense. Or maybe I am just a total jerk. I can't figure it out.

Once in a while when I'm bored

2008-07-28T17:07:00.000-07:00

Maybe I'm the only one who does this, but once in a while I randomly Google people from my past. I'm not that old, so "past" often refers to elementary school friends, since I didn't go to the same high school as any of them. (And yes, I have Googled myself with both last names... with nothing shocking as a result. Phew!) On other occasions I've Googled people I vaguely knew in high school.

It's a bit voyeuristic to do this, I know... but I've often wondered what happened to so-and-so and what they are up to these days. Here's what I've discovered:

I looked up a girl who was a really good friend of mine all through elementary school. As it turns out, she owns her own talent agency now and she manages some famous folk. At least, I think they are famous, I only known a few of them. I always thought she would be a model, actually... she's beautiful. As it turns out, her sister is a model (and a PhD candidate!)

Another girl is actually famous - she's a comedian. Websites describe her as a 28-year-old Jewish lesbian living in the US.. and she was featured in TIME (magazine or .com, I'm not sure.) At the end of one of her shows, she strips naked. This sounds really odd, I'm sure, since I am only pulling out bits and pieces of information from the great internets... but anyway. I'm not surprised that she is a comedian since I always thought she was hilarious. Oh, and she won a comedy festival award - how awesome. Unfortunately my only other memory of her is going to her Bat Mitzvah. There was a lot of Hebrew. I understood nothing.

One guy from elementary school is now the executive chef of a local Asian fusion restaurant. At least I think it's him, it's been a long time since I was in grade 7. I have to say, that's a pretty cool job to have. I've never been to this restaurant, so I could be wrong that it's Asian fusion. It's definitely some sort of Asian food. I don't remember much about this guy at all, except that he had fairly dark skin for a Chinese guy. What a weird feature to remember.

On high school folk... I always remembered this one guy's name since it was unique. (As an aside, it is almost impossible to accurately Google Chinese people as our names are so darn common.) He was in grade 11 or 12 when I was in grade 8. Probably grade 12. Anyway as it turns out he works for the Canucks now in some sort of security or administrative role. Very cool. I wonder if he'll get me free tickets if I mention that I went to the same high school as him.

So... now I feel like a total stalker...

HGTV isn't always good

2008-07-27T15:48:00.000-07:00

So, I'm watching Flipping Out right now, which is a show about a guy named Jeff Lewis who is some sort of realtor/house flipper. He's extremely wealthy, as evidenced by the fact that he has four staff who cater to his needs. They cook and clean, manage his life, do his banking, act as personal secretaries, clean his pool, wash the driveway, so on and so on.... oh, and they take care of his pets. In this episode, he is flipping out (ha!) at every opportunity because he feels that his staff are not doing what they are supposed to do. In particular, one of his dogs was injured and he's mad that someone let it happen.... so he's out buying a nanny cam to spy on his employees. (Instead of working on his houses, he's working on this... and calling it a sting operation.)

This guy has three very energetic dogs and he purports to love them tremendously. In fact, he says he is so committed to them, he makes sure they are taken care of by his employees. So far, I have seen one employee take the dogs outside to go potty... when the dogs start to growl and gang up on each other, he claims they are just playing. I can't help but be a little judgey. What point is there in having dogs if a) you don't have the time to walk them or play with them or take care of them yourself and b) if the people who are taking care of them can't even tell when the dogs are fighting? Now that the dog has been injured, someone needs to take the dog to the vet. He asked the housekeeper to delay her eye doctor appointment so she could go, and when she couldn't, he told another employee that he needed to stop everything to prioritize the dog. HELLO! It's YOUR dog! My oh my.

Oh! House Hunters is on. Honestly, HGTV is one of my favourite channels. It should be everyone's. Hmm... this episode of House Hunters is about a 25 year old who lives at home... or in the words of the host... "You might wonder why this 25 year old with a career STILL lives at home." If she were Chinese, this wouldn't be odd in the least. But that's another post for another time.

A little weird

2008-07-26T22:43:00.000-07:00

The hubby's away this weekend celebrating T's last single outing ever.... or something like that. Anyway, today I decided to do some shopping. We recently bought a dining room set, my first real foray into the world of grownup furniture. It's so nice that I almost don't want people to eat on it... and I certainly wouldn't want them to spill something. I was about to go to Ikea, only my second favourite store ever, but then I remembered that it's Saturday, and hello, only crazy people, or people who love crowds and long lineups go to Ikea on Saturdays. (Did you know that Ikea reserves two spots for hybrid vehicles? They are even closer than the "family" parking spots. Take that, parents with three small children! Too bad there are no hybrid minivans! Bahaha!) So instead, I went to Jysk.

I first heard of Jysk when I was in the Hat, but I never actually went inside. It's somewhat Ikea-like in that they sell furniture and household items for good prices. I wandered around aimlessly for several minutes and finally chose a tablecloth and placemats. I made my way over to the checkout line and was privy to the following conversation:

Cashier (to family in front of me): Oh, just to let you know, you can't return this duvet once it's opened so if you need to return it, don't open it. And this pillow - if you need to return it, um, it's best to return it within 2-3 days.

Wife: What do you mean you can't open the duvet?

Cashier: Well, we can't accept a return if the duvet is opened.

Wife: But the package just has a zipper, how can you tell if it's been opened by someone else?

Cashier: Oh, well, we just look at the packaging and how it's folded... umm... yes.

Wife (after paying): So should we just check it right now by opening it?

Cashier: Um, well, we can't accept a return if it's been opened... I mean if it has a tear then maybe a return will be okay, maybe, after you open it, maybe...

Wife: But you can't tell if it's been opened... maybe someone else, not me, opened it first, then I can't return it.

Cashier: Well, okay, if you have to return it, make sure you fold it back neatly.

Kid: OHHHH... NEATLY... THEN WE CAN RETURN IT....

Cashier: But return it as soon as possible...

Wife: Can I exchange it right now for one from the inside?

Cashier: .....

Wife: I'll just exchange it, thanks.

I think their return policy needs a little work - maybe their customer service needs some work too.

On a customer service note, I feel like our move has been one giant complaint. Here are the things that weren't quite right:

seller failed to disclose/inspector failed to find out that the master ensuite shower leaked... all the way into the drywall below
seller put a "quick fix" on several things, including hooking up the toilet flusher in the tank to a yogurt container filled with rocks
Telus overcharged us on two consecutive bills; the customer service rep forced me to say I would cancel before he could help me
Terasen charged us a random fee because we moved, despite the account number not changing and Terasen having to do no work other than to change our billing address
Alarm company overcharging us and alarm being overly sensitive to the panic button being pressed
Appliance company overcharging us
Bank not taking out the right amount on our mortgage
Roofing company being slack on everything except demanding payment
Furniture place saying they would deliver between 1 and 5pm, arriving at 5:45pm instead

Sigh. Although you might not believe it, I really dislike having to get on the phone to complain about some billing or other issue. It's just so exhausting... why can't things just be right the first time? Anyway. None of these things are serious, and we are still thrilled with the move - and believe me, I know these complaints are trivial. I just like to remember them.

Rich Bride, Poor Bride

2008-07-20T18:27:00.000-07:00

Who's seen this show? More importantly - who's been disgusted by this show?

I'm currently watching a delightful episode of Rich Bride, Poor Bride. They are investigating centerpiece prices and the one they really like is $125.00 per centerpiece. The one they might go with is $79.00 per centerpiece. This isn't a small wedding either, they have about 25 tables. My word! That is ridiculous.

The groom wants to wear a white tux. Ummmmm.... hideous. Perhaps he could throw on a big hat and carry a cane, and wear a knuckle ring set that says "Groom".

The bride picked the wedding cake without talking to her fiance and essentially told him that all he could do was help pick the flavours. Nice. Also, the cake was hideous. Oh, and she wants fireworks for their entrance. FIREWORKS.

Uh oh. He just said it was his money paying for the wedding when she said it was their money. He said, "it isn't our money until we're married." Ouch.

I think I've got train wreck syndrome, I can't turn away.

Their limobus costs $1199! Ours was half that! What a ripoff.

We spent about $5 on each centerpiece at our wedding. This consisted of vases from Michaels (a store I have barely set foot in since the wedding, but dragged the hubby to at least 20 times when we were engaged) and roses. The centerpieces would have looked a lot nicer if I had remembered to put water in the vases on the Friday we brought them to the hall. Oops.

We picked the wedding cake together, but that is mostly because I did the research and hubby went along with the ideas. I recall that it was tasty, but that is all I remember about the food, since I didn't eat anything else that night except a bite of wedding cake.

Oh my. The arguing on this show continues. And the women are squealing. And cackling. Oh my.

What show are you all watching these days?

Not good

2008-07-15T09:08:00.000-07:00

Nine city workers "working" on one small stretch of road. Three are holding signs or directing traffic to follow the traffic lights. One is smoking on the side of the road. Two are drinking coffee. Two are standing around pretending to be busy. Only one is doing any actual work. Creating jobs for Canadians!
Guy who almost hits me with his pickup truck because he runs a stop sign - then gives ME the finger. I love this city.
Pedestrians who think that because power is out and traffic signals are down, they can cross without even looking.
People I used to respect and admire acting way younger than they should, and acting icky to boot. Yuck.
Bubble tea that costs more than $2.99.
Our home alarm company.
Having to tell Telus that I'd cancel if they didn't waive a charge that was ridiculous to begin with... and having that threat of cancellation be the only way the charge could be waived. What a waste of time.
My mood. Stressful times make for stressful... times. I can't even think of the words I need.

Unsolicited advice

2008-07-13T19:48:00.000-07:00

The other day, hubs took the dog out for a walk and was gone much longer than I had anticipated. As it turns out, he was in the little park near our house when one of the neighbours came out to talk to him about our dog. Background: we have a small park near our house with no school or playground attached, just a green space with a little path around it, and houses that back onto the park. Most evenings, we take the dog for a walk and when there are no dogs in the park and no people in the park, we will take her off leash and throw the ball around for about 5-10 minutes (she tires fast!) On one occasion, we met a nice fellow with his golden retriever and he asked if our dog might like to play. Which, if you've met our dog, is a silly question, of course she wants to play. So the dogs ran around off leash together for about 15-20 minutes and they had a great time. When a little dog came into the park with her owners, we put the dogs back on leash but those owners said it wasn't necessary. And true to retriever form, the two big dogs ignored the little one.

Anyway, said neighbour came out of her yard specifically to talk to the hubby. She told hubs that the dog shouldn't ever be off leash and that she had 35 years of experience training dogs, and that even her own dog (a Rottweiler) wasn't good enough to be off leash. She said a bunch of stuff and he relayed it to me. First of all, let me just say that yes, our 8 month old dog is not perfect off-leash. She is good almost all of the time, but there are times when she won't respond to "come!".... and there are also times when she is super friendly with people who give her attention. However, I took this lady's advice to be bordering on offensive. She talked about how we would have a lawsuit on our hands if our dog charged at a kid on a bike, and how she had years and years of experience, and she could tell that our dog wasn't ready to be off leash, after all, even her Rottie can't be off leash. (Her Rottie often barks at our dog from his backyard; our dog just ignores him. He instigates!)

I think I've talked about unsolicited advice before, so this is probably old. But what am I supposed to do with this advice from a person who supposedly has experience training dogs, but cannot train her own dog to be off leash? I'm sure I'm overreacting, but it would be like me stopping a mother at the grocery store and telling her how her kids should behave, and that she shouldn't let her kids run up and down the aisles. Even if I had children, and well-behaved children to boot, I don't think it would be my place to say anything to another mom. So why does this neighbour feel the need to step in and talk to us about our dog? I just don't know.

If I'm doling out unsolicited advice, just let me know and I'll stop... cuz wow.... how irritating!

What's in a name?

2008-07-04T16:07:00.000-07:00

I happened to be reading a blog today where the discussion was on baby names. I always find these discussions entertaining. You wouldn't believe some of the names people think are neat. I get that parents want unique names for their children, but sometimes, maybe it just doesn't pay to be too unique. There's always someone who has to suggest a weird spelling, like "Allysyn" or "Johnothin". And then there are the names that would inspire a world of upsetting comments for the child.

Behold! A list of names I will never name my child, but which were suggested by many on the site/forum I was reading. Note - some of these are actual names of actual children!

Tuesday - would you not be tempted to shout, "IT'S TUESDAY" every time it was actually Tuesday? Wouldn't you be tired of questions like, "Why not Wednesday?" And must the child have to answer multiple times, "Were you born on a Tuesday?"

Puck - yes, Midsummer Night's Dream was a lovely play, but I can't see the wisdom in naming your child something so similar to a swear word.

Bastian - yet another similarity to an unfortunate word.

Fountain - um, no. What if the child happened to spit while talking? S/he would never live it down!

Pepper - first, everyone would snicker if the kid was asked if she wanted pepper on her food. Second, no. Just no.

Jem, as a middle name for a boy - are the Holograms coming???

Lulu - while the child is small and cute, this is a nice name. But imagine introducing yourself as an adult: "Hello, my name is Lulu" - it's just so hard to be taken seriously when you have a babyish name.

Casper - the Friendly Ghost? No, no, and no.

Oval - well, I suppose it's one step above Triangle or Circle...

Prosper and Zebben, or Abram and Skandar for twin boys - again, perfectly nice to have unique names, but Zebben?? Skandar? I just don't know.

Emberly - is it Emily or Kimberly? Why, it's both! Maybe Kimily would be next?

Babylon - I'm not a fan of place names as people names, but if you're going to use a geographical location, surely you could find a nation that opposed God a little less.

Faxon - sounds a little like an invisible gas that could kill you. Also, too close to a swear word.

Kason, Kedric, or Ethaniel - ah, the twisted spelling names! Not quite Jason, not quite Cedric, not quite Ethan or Nathaniel. Kason and Kedric are just bad names. Ethaniel is... weird.

Lzay, because it's similar to Lazy and Lizzie - why would you want your name to be similar to Lazy?

Modest or Patience - I suppose it's better than Lazy, but it would be rough to have to live up to your name all the time.

Granite, Onyx, or Lava for a "dark" name - all of those are horrible names. How sad. I would consider Lava for a dog, but not a human.

Sullen - might as well go with Bitter, Unhappy, or Miserable.

Karma Amelia - just try and stop yourself from singing the song.

Durian - boy oh boy. Not just a fruit, but a disgusting, smelly fruit. (Sorry, Em.)

I love my name - don't you love yours now too?

1096 days

2008-07-03T10:26:00.001-07:00

It seems to be taking us quite a while to get fully settled into our new place. I chalk this up to two factors: a) lack of motivation and b) other, more fun things to do. It's pretty difficult to come home after a long work day and pick up a paint roller, even though I'm the one who suggested painting over the very 1990's peachy-pink walls. Not to mention that I'm not really feeling that great lately... although you won't catch me blogging about that kind of thing...

Of course, the painting prevents us from doing other stuff, like unloading all of the boxes or setting up furniture or even buying the appropriate furniture. The domino effect of household chores. We're trying to give ourselves a deadline, but wow, painting an entire house takes a long, long time. Should have just hired someone.

Anyway. 1096 days - that is how long we have been married. Yes, it's true, we've made it three entire years. Actually, it's 1097 days since I'm not writing this on our anniversary. I was just thinking how it's nice that we bring such different qualities to the table. The hubs is relatively easygoing, plus he cooks so I don't have to. I am not that easygoing, but I do clean up after dinner so he doesn't have to. The dynamic works well. Through these few years, I think (or hope) I've learned to be more patient and compromising. I haven't learned to cook, but I've learned not to interfere with a good thing. I've learned that being part of another person's big crazy family is pretty darn fun. I've also realized that having a dog trumps having a kid. Haha! What has hubs learned? I suppose you'll have to ask him, but what I hope he's learned? NOT TO DO MY LAUNDRY. Yes, I am a little bit of a laundry stickler.

Here are some great things I've discovered about the hubby:

- he isn't a trained handyman, but he can fix almost anything that goes wrong in the house, and if he can't fix it, chances are he has a friend who can!
- he's much better at painting than I am
- he's pretty good at training the dog to do tricks
- he likes chocolate cake
- he still likes to bring me flowers

Happy 3 years! May love fill all of your lives.

Wii Fat

2008-06-25T22:45:00.000-07:00

Recently, I noticed that in some of the blogs I read, bloggers were raving about Wii Fit. I couldn't really figure out why all these bloggers who previously never talked about video games were suddenly so into Wii Fit - but then someone fessed up - Nintendo had provided Wii Fits for free to various "mommy-blogger"-types in order to, I don't know, drum up more interest I suppose. Interesting marketing technique, but will the reviews really be unbiased? I think not.

So therefore I will post my own review of the Wii Fit game!

First of all, I can't imagine that Wii Fit is a replacement for real aerobic exercise. There is an aerobics category, but uh, no. However I do think the yoga and strength exercises are awesome. Not because I can do them, mind you, but because they are actually realistic and challenging.

But there are many little annoying features of Wii Fit. For example, the fact that it constantly reminds you of the same things - to clear the space around you, to put the strap on your wrist, not to jump on the balance board, to keep still - argh! So many reminders! And another odd feature is how, after your friends have registered on your Wii Fit, it will tell you that so-and-so registered, or that so-and-so hasn't been seen in a while. Creepy and a little Facebook-ish! And finally, the way it cheerfully tells you if you are obese or overweight... I mean, I can see it on the TV, you don't have to announce it!

What I think is useful and fun about Wii Fit is that it encourages you to get up off your seat and get moving. We could all use that sort of encouragement. I apparently have terrible balance, so the yoga poses are pretty helpful. The balance games are neat as well. I wish I was more coordinated. I still remember reading in my first grade report cards that my teachers thought my gross motor skills could use some work. That could still be said about me.

I'm going to commit to doing some Wii Fit every day for two weeks. I'll report back when I'm done, so you can all see whether it's useful or not.

Seven little thoughts

2008-06-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

Recently, I took the dog for a walk. She loves to stick her head in shrubs and grass and since it was raining, the shrubs were all wet. I watched as several beads of water rolled off her head and I thought to myself, wow, her head is like Gore-tex.

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On our walk we met a girl with Downs Syndrome. She told me that my dog was so cute and of course the dog went right up to her and licked her. She then said, "I like dogs!" Me too.

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We've decided to paint the interior of our house. I can't seem to choose colours and last night I sat in our family room with about 50 different colour swatches. Wish I had more artistic talent. Alas, my ability to be sarcastic and droll just isn't enough in this situation.

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There are stores you should never go into unless you have at least $100. These stores include Ikea and Costco. My word, I love Ikea and Costco. If only they were smushed together into one store. One day, I'll get a POANG. But a fancy one, not regular boring white POANG.

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I heard on the radio that Clay Aiken and his "good friend", 50-year-old Jaymes Foster are having a baby through artificial insemination. There are so, so many things wrong with this. Not the least of which is the thought of Clay Aiken being a father. Ick.

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I also heard that Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee are officially back together after 10 years of separation. I feel a little old knowing that they've been separated for 10 years and I remember when that happened. Stupid celebrities and their dramatic lives.

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The other day I had a Caramel Light frappuccino from Starbucks. Apparently you save 1/3 of the fat or calories or something. DO NOT BOTHER WITH THIS, GET THE FULL FAT. When my frapp melted as it inevitably does, it looked like just muddy water with a bit of creamy foam on top. Embrace the fat, people!

Pomp and circumstance

2008-06-07T08:46:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to a high school graduation ceremony for some of our teens. It's a small school with not that many grads, so it was a very personal ceremony. One of their teachers spoke, and it was clear from his words and emotions that he cared deeply for his kids and their future. He is also leaving the school, so I suppose that made him even more emotional. As I looked down at the grads, I thought about hope, and how in a way, their lives are just beginning. Each graduate walked across the stage while someone read a blurb about him/her .. what s/he'd be remembered for, what his/her future plans were ... and it was neat to hear about the big plans they all had. I was trying to think of how I felt at my high school graduation... I don't think I felt full of anticipation for my future, but then again I knew there'd be at least four more years of school. I don't even recall feeling grown up. I think I just felt a general sense of dread. Graduation from high school wasn't that big a deal for me. I had to be home by midnight on my prom night and so when people talk about the fun things they did for prom or convocation, my eyes just glaze right over.

At my first university graduation, I still didn't feel any real anticipation for the future - again because there was even more schooling ahead.

At my second university graduation, I felt slightly more hope... mostly in the knowledge that I would never have to set foot in another building on campus ever again. EVER. (It didn't help that I did both degrees at the same school AND I worked on campus for at least 3 years plus summers.) I had a lot of exciting things going on after graduation, like our wedding, moving out, getting a job ... so the future was rosy. But, I don't know why, things still felt unsettled.

Last night as I listened to the speakers, I realized that I actually feel all of that hope and anticipation right now. We just moved into our new place, and although I loved our old house, I really love this house. It isn't some sort of magic house with magic qualities. In fact we have found several quirks and issues already. But it's home. It's my home. It's the first time my name has appeared on title (so we were too lazy to change things for three years, oops), it's the first time I've felt like a real live adult. People - the bank lent ME money. How crazy is that!?

I'm really looking forward to our lives in this place. Maybe one day we'll have kids, who knows. Maybe even a second dog one day! I am trying not to plan my entire life... but to rely on God more fully. Last night's grads chose Proverbs 16:9 as their grad verse:

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."

I think that's quite fitting for a new beginning, don't you?

Living a greener lifestyle

2008-05-27T10:14:00.000-07:00

Chris and Mar's new website (can I link it yet?) is a delightful blog compiling information on living greener, healthier, and earth-friendlier... if I may sum it up thusly. I think it's awesome that we are slowly learning to embrace environmentally sound options in our lives. We live in a privileged part of the world and yet it's so easy to squander all of our resources, to waste when we could re-use, to harm the earth carelessly. It's sort of an interesting conundrum ... it's cheaper to use disposable stuff and to eat non-organic food... and although as one of the richest nations in the world, we have the ability to choose better options ... we usually don't. Our consumerist, get-things-cheaper attitude takes over. We complain about items made in China when they turn out to contain lead or are made of something disgusting, etc. But we usually won't bring ourselves to spend more to buy a locally made item or food product. The almighty dollar governs our lives. Of course, the less we spend now, the more it costs us in the future. Interesting how that works.

As the price of gas climbs ever upward, I find myself wondering how I can lessen my own impact on the earth. Unfortunately there is little I can do about my commute. There is no reasonable transit option and I can't carpool with anyone. I do try to drive the hybrid twice a week (and I am campaigning for hybrid #2 when we finish paying off the first one...) I can't work from home and what's worse, I often have to drive to and from various places while I'm already at work.

So... here are some small things I am trying to do - feel free to add suggestions!:

pack a lunch - it means less packaging and it's healthier anyway (I'm doing my best!)
lighten up on the gas pedal - it's more gas-efficient. And avoid idling!
recycle, recycle, recycle. Ugh, this is a tough one sometimes. But after seeing some shows on landfills and what shouldn't be in them, I'm convinced!
grow vegetables - well - this is just a dream for now.
get a water meter at our new house - complete with low flow toilets and faucets and showerheads
take shorter showers
use reusable bags rather than plastic

Things I take for granted

2008-05-14T10:59:00.000-07:00

Recently I was reading Mimi Smartypants (one of my favourite sites to peruse) and she talked about Chicago's public library recently instituting a hold system for books. Wow, weird! We've had that system forever (or at least it seems like it.) I suppose our library system isn't as large as Chicago's, but nevertheless, I'm still surprised. I used to be quite the bookish kid - my brother and I used to take out stacks of books from the library and read them for hours at a time. (When you're kind of a klutz athletically, at least you can be smart academically!)

These days I rarely visit the library. Lack of time, lack of convenience, I suppose. (I used to just visit the branch closest to my house on the way home from school. Now - I'd have to drive!) I think I take the hold system for granted though. Instead of going to the library for a specific book, I tend to go and just browse the fiction shelves for books by authors I've enjoyed in the past, for recommendations by friends, or for staff recommended reads. On the rare occasion, I will actually look up a book and place it on hold, but then I'm bad about picking up my holds too. I know - how lazy can you get - first they bring the book to you and then you don't even go and get it.

I've always found comfort and escape in a good book. In Mexico last year, I finished three books while laying on the beach drinking mojitos, enjoying the sunshine ... ahhh... kinda wish I was there right now. Anyway. I feel like I hardly read any more and it's hampering my vocabulary. I don't even have any good snarky things to say. Maybe I should make it a goal to read more books - but that's a tough goal to keep.

It's funny how life gets in the way of enjoying life sometimes. Most days when I get home from work, I'm tired... and there are so many things to do already. I'm constantly playing catch up on cleaning, for example.

I really should make better use of the library, you know. In Medicine Hat I had to pay $8 for a library card. Yes, I know that isn't a lot, but here, libraries are free. FREE! It's like music to my ears.

What's in your lunch box?

2008-05-09T09:49:00.000-07:00

Ever since I started working for a living (what a drag!) I have found that it is very difficult to pack a lunch to work. It's so much easier to buy something from a nearby restaurant than to wake up early and pack myself a lunch. Yes - I realize I could pack myself something the night before, but that requires a level of organization as yet unknown to me. Sometimes, there are dinner leftovers and then lunch is easy ... but even then, there are days in which I don't feel like eating leftovers for lunch. (Wow, I am spoiled.)

So I've been looking around the good old Internet for lunch inspiration. This is made more difficult by the fact that I rarely cook, but let's just see what's out there anyway, shall we?

Lunchinabox.net is a great site devoted to the art of bento. I wish I had the wherewithal to prepare such delightful looking lunches. I mean really, take a look at this yummy zarusoba bento! I'm so impressed that this lady takes the time to create such neat lunches for her little kid. Frankly I think that would cause lunchroom envy. I would love to have the creativity and tools to make my own bento box every day.... and yet somehow - I look at the pictures and think, too complicated!

Here's another one: Laptop lunches. The neat and tidy lunch box is quite visually striking to a disorganized soul like me. Although I'm far too old to be carrying a lunch box to work (I usually just grab some sort of bag and throw food in) (aside: the plastic bag = Chinese person's suitcase) the idea of packing a variety of foods in small containers is rather appealing.

Packing a lunch is not only earth-friendly, it's also friendly to the wallet. I tell myself these things every day and yet often I end up buying something for lunch. So I am hereby making a resolution to pack my lunch four times a week (I like to set lofty goals rather than keeping my standards low) and spending less than $20/week on going out for lunches, coffees, and the like. Since buying the new place I am finally stepping into the world of debt (the old place was only in hubby's name) and thus being a good steward of money is more important than ever.

What do you like to have in your lunch?

Just curious

2008-04-30T23:19:00.000-07:00

Who keeps Googling "alittlebitsnarky" in order to get to my site? Sitemeter suggests you are in Toronto... but Sitemeter has been wrong before...

88 keys to my life

2008-04-28T12:54:00.000-07:00

My mom is a piano teacher and has been one for as long as I can remember. I started piano lessons around age 5 and so I have some great piano-related memories. Our house was always filled with music and/or noise, depending on what student was playing at the time. I can still remember the day we got the grand piano - I was only about 5 and I was mesmerized by the piano movers and their ability to carry this giant piano. My mom tells me that when I was really young, I would sit by the fireplace in our old house, peering around the piano to watch her students during their lessons. I recall once, some kid and his parents came over for dinner or something, and my brother and I were playing with this kid when he hurled a toy car at the piano. The dent is still there. I remember that my brother used to play piano too, that is, until it turned out he completely sucked at piano, and hated it too. He once said that he wouldn't mind inheriting one of the pianos, so he could burn it. Some of my closest friends were my mom's students and we used to play every Saturday - I was always the leader, of course.

I was the one who insisted on taking piano lessons, and what's even crazier, I insisted on continuing them. My mom used to say to me all the time, "If you aren't going to practice, why don't you just quit?" and instead of taking the opportunity to quit like most kids might, I would say "No! I don't want to quit!" and then I would step up the practicing. You see, my mom wasn't my piano teacher. Instead, I had a very frightening piano teacher. I'll call her Mrs. T. She was all sorts of awesome, but so, so scary. I never cried in front of her although I recall many occasions when I would get into the car and start crying right away. (Never one to reveal my vulnerabilities, of course!) Mrs. T told me stories about how when she was a student in Hong Kong, she took lessons in her teacher's 5th floor apartment, and when she didn't play well, he would throw the books out the window and she would have to retrieve them and walk back up the stairs each time. I suppose she was trying to say that no matter how much she yelled, at least I wasn't climbing 5 flights of stairs several times each lesson. Sometimes Mrs. T didn't yell, she just got quiet - which was even scarier. She wasn't the type of teacher to give out trophies or plaques or even smiley face stickers - but she was an excellent teacher. She didn't have a lot of students, and the ones she did have - let's just say I felt completely inferior compared to them. We used to have master classes, where we would have to play a song in front of several peers and then critique each other. Nerve-wracking. And let's not even get into piano competitions. Even today, the mention of "Kiwanis" makes me a little nervous.

When I was young, I was very diligent about practicing. Okay - maybe not "very" - but definitely diligent. When I was preparing for my Grade 10 piano exam, I practiced about 3 hours a day. Of course, I was only about 11 or 12, and had nothing better to do anyway.... I always told my mom that my ultimate goal was to get my A.R.C.T. diploma and have it hanging on the wall. I was prepared to do everything I could to get my hands on that diploma. This included taking every theory exam known to mankind. Have I told you about me and music theory? We don't get along. My poor mom taught me most of my music theory in group classes and I admit, I was terribly lazy. On Saturday mornings, about 15 minutes before class, you would find me holed up in my room, hastily finishing (or pretending to finish) the week's homework. I would skip portions that I didn't think I could do in time, and sometimes, SOMETIMES, I would feign total surprise that I hadn't finished my work. What do you mean there were 10 pages assigned? I clearly heard you say there were only 2 pages of homework. I knew that my mom wouldn't yell at me in front of the other students, and since I was the youngest, the other students couldn't really criticize me either. I aimed for a bare pass on every exam starting from Grade 4 Harmony and up. My crowning moment was when I achieved a 63 in Grade 5 History after having barely cracked open the textbook for Grade 5 History, and studying only from another girl's meticulous notes.

I finished my A.R.C.T. around age 14 or 15 in school... and my teacher gave me the option to continue lessons. She talked about how I could expand my repertoire now that I was finished with exams. For a little while, I did continue with lessons. But I fell into the teenage trap of comparing myself to friends who had given up piano long ago, who didn't have to spend their evenings and weekends practicing piano ... and so I gave it up. At the time, I was still involved in church worship team ministry, and figured I could keep up piano to some degree through worship.

I never really wanted to lead worship, preferring to play piano instead. One day, however, I was encouraged by my team leader to take over the reins of leading for at least a few occasions. I never felt comfortable leading - I'm pretty sure I was extremely nervous... I don't remember all of the details, but I recall specifically that after one occasion, someone told me that my worship leading was not bad, but I had forgotten to include an opening prayer or a closing prayer, and that really was a big negative. I probably took his comments more personally than they were intended, but from that time on I lost my passion for worship team. I didn't want to lead, and I wasn't even that interested in playing piano any more. I felt like I was a terrible worship leader and so really, why bother leading or participating at all. (I know, I know - oversensitive much?)

Eventually, I became a youth group sponsor and didn't have time to be on worship team any more, so I took the opportunity to leave. I rarely played piano after quitting worship team - I only really played when I felt a whim to do so (again, rare) or when I was asked to play for a wedding. And then I got married and moved out, and didn't even have a piano after that. (Which made practicing for weddings somewhat challenging.)

Now that we are moving to a house that could actually accommodate a piano, I find myself wondering if maybe one day, I'll have a piano again. I miss being able to play and I worry that my skills have declined past the point of no return. I miss being able to play well. I don't think it's in the budget to spend several thousand on a piano right now (since I would *never* just buy some cheapy piano) nor do I really have the time to practice. Certainly not three hours a day! You might suggest that I wait until I have kids that are old enough to learn - but, just like my mom, I won't force my kids to learn - I would prefer they choose to learn themselves, after having heard their mother play a beautiful melody from the depths of her memory. Um, yeah... we'll see.

If I had a piano in front of me right now, I'd start by playing some scales. Technique first, songs later. It's how I always learned to practice. I miss the routine of piano.

Straight up, she's a cold-hearted snake

2008-04-23T19:40:00.000-07:00

American Idol ... why won't you leave me alone? I rarely watch Idol now but have managed to catch a couple of episodes this season. It's like a train wreck - I just have to keep an eye on what is going on because I'm so fascinated. Not because I particularly like it... although I do enjoy the audition portions still.

What I really could do without on Idol is the nattering, useless presence of Paula Abdul. My stars, the woman is crazy. When she isn't stumbling over her words like a drunk, she's throwing out unhelpful comments that add nothing at all to the show. You know what I'm talking about - "You look beautiful tonight" or "You really made that song your own" or "It was a little pitchy but you look beautiful tonight, all of you look beautiful tonight." I watched a couple of episodes of Hey Paula in an effort to try to understand her, but all I came away with was a strong sense that indeed, the woman has issues - whether they are alcohol-related or drug-related, I don't know. (But how can you not suspect it!? She had a breakdown over her makeup artist missing a flight! And she threatened to sue a reporter! And she sobbed about everything! And she stumbled over her words all the time, except when she was clearly scripted!)

So, on Tuesday, Brooke whatever her name is started her song, forgot the lyrics, and started again. Maybe you've heard about it. (Probably not - you probably don't care. Nonetheless.) Paula took an agonizing few moments of no speech at all to gear up and say "No, you just don't start and stop a song." When Simon was asked what he would have done in Brooke's position, he said he would have done exactly what she did, ie start and stop and start again. Paula then said, "I think you could have just sung something - just sung something, kept going, from your heart."

Oh, okay then. She should have just sung something from her heart! Instead of "You Must Love Me", should she have broken into her ABC's? Maybe the Oscar Mayer wiener lyrics? Perhaps she should have sung last week's song? Maybe she should have just made up the words entirely! Maybe a little "Rush Rush" or "Forever your girl" would have been appropriate?

Paula, you are clueless. Fox should have canned you several seasons ago. Who agrees with me!!!

Springtime fresh

2008-04-21T22:16:00.000-07:00

Since the dog made her way into our lives, I really haven't done much shopping for myself. I'm perfectly willing to get stuff for her (uh - yeah... so I spoil my dog. Shush) but I am much cheaper with my own stuff. Once in a while, however, I do feel like breaking out of the mold and shopping for clothes and shoes until I drop.

The problems, however, are many. First, I rarely find stuff that I like AND that fits me properly. Probably it's because I am short and a little rounder than I'd like. Second, I can't relate to a lot of the fashions that are out there right now. I often try to find work-appropriate clothing, but all I seem to find is trendy, "disposable" clothing. Ugh. Third, I much prefer online shopping because the variety in the States is just faboo, not to mention the prices. But the duty and taxes! Ugh again!

Let's talk about some of the fashion trends right now.

1. Coats with cropped sleeves - a few examples. I like this look - on other people. But on me? No. I have a few shirts that have 3/4 sleeves but I could never wear a jacket with cropped sleeves. My wrists would be cold! I much prefer sleeves that are way too long.

2. Bubble skirts. Um - need we emphasize the rear end? Also, I'm fairly sure I had a skirt like this in the late 80's.

3. Bermuda shorts. Now look, I work in a very casual environment. But I really do not understand these short pants. On What Not to Wear, one of the hosts told a girl she could wear these to work and they would be a great substitute for a formal suit when paired with a suit jacket. I beg to differ.

4. The ever-popular capri pant. I have never worn a pair of capri pants. I believe I have mentioned why before, but here it is again - why would I want my pants to cut me off at the fattest part of my calf? Truly, the capri should be reserved for clam digging or terribly skinny girls. Or terribly skinny girls who like to dig for clams. And let us not even discuss the manpri. Hideous.

5. Skinny jeans. Again, these should be reserved for very skinny folk only. On most people, the tapered jean look just widens the butt. Why not add in the high-waisted look and really enlargen the rear? (I wanted to say "embiggen". Quick! what show is that from?)

Sometimes - I hate shopping. It's a wonder I get dressed at all on weekdays.

Aging gracefully

2008-04-17T10:34:00.001-07:00

Five days ago, it was my birthday. We didn't do anything terribly special for my birthday, but I did get a dozen roses from the dog. I guess she didn't read my previous posts. Oh well! Pretty clever of her to order me flowers - I didn't even know she had a credit card.

Actually, the dog is having her spay operation today, poor thing. I suppose we are all aging in our own ways. Pray for her speedy recovery!

I have mixed feelings about getting older. On one hand, I am glad to be where I am right now. I like my job, I have a good relationship with my mom and with my in-laws, we're moving, and I have the best dog in the world (even though she's still a bit of a crazy puppy.) On the other hand, I don't really like to think about getting older. I can't really imagine myself as a real grownup, having responsibility for kids, having to do parent-type things, gearing up my career, oh my. [Note: not pregnant! Don't get any funny ideas.]

Well. I can't change the fact that I'm getting older. To compensate, I shall begin acting like a 5 year old. Just kidding about "begin". :)

Perfection

2008-04-10T14:38:00.000-07:00

In an ideal world, you would complete the sale of your house before completing the purchase of your new house. In an ideal world, you would give possession of your old house after getting possession of your new house. In an ideal world, your buyer wouldn't screw you over.

Alas.

Instead of ranting about how my world is not ideal, let me tell you instead about my perfect house. What I have always wanted is a house that feels spacious and warm. Space to entertain, warmth to live in. I have never wanted a huge house, nor one with every new fangled appliance or handmade countertop. I don't dream like the HGTV folks. My perfect house has a large family room, where we can lounge after work, have friends over, snack in front of the TV (flat screen LCD, of course.) My perfect house also has a spacious kitchen where I can sit and watch the hubs cook (heh) or do the dishes while he cooks and not bump into him. My perfect house has a nice yard for the dog to run around in (and a good fence to keep her in.)

Hey, guess what!

We're moving. To the perfect house! Who are we kidding - no house is perfect. But this one comes pretty darn close. I mean, it has floral wallpaper borders and a pink countertop and non-low-flush toilets and what's not to love? Ok, it also has a huge family room, a nice sized kitchen and a good yard. I can't wait to have family and friends over. Maybe we'll even let the youth group come over. MAYBE.

Meanwhile... I will not lose faith.

From weepy to realistic

2008-04-08T22:30:00.000-07:00

So my last post was a weepy tribute to Trevor Linden, eh. Can't really deny that, although to be fair, I didn't actually weep. YET. (Although that Giada picture almost made me puke.)

Alright, let's discuss the Canucks this season. I tried to believe in blue, I really did. But they let me down every time. What went wrong? I'm no hockey expert, but in my opinion, these are some of the issues:

1) Luongo being good, but not great. Why? Who knows. Maybe he's just not the superhuman Canucks fans wanted him to be.
2) Nazzy. Not the same since the Steve Moore/Bertuzzi disaster. Too much pressure to perform? Poor leadership skills? I don't know... I still like him.
3) Coach's "system" of defence first - um... unsuccessful this year, to say the least.
4) Lack of scoring.... although I think this is eclipsed by the lack of defence and inability to hold onto a lead. Losing 4-0, 7-1, 6-3, and so on - that's just unacceptable.

Now as for the future ... I think it goes without saying that the Canucks need to make changes. I am hoping that these changes will not translate into ticket price hikes for season ticket holders, but who are we kidding here - they'll always raise prices. (AND they took away my soft serve ice cream, only the best deal at GM Place. Thanks a lot.) Well. So begins the rebuilding. Oh dear - I sound like an Oilers fan.

The end of an era

2008-04-06T15:38:00.000-07:00

Char has already talked about saying goodbye to Trevor Linden, but I'll add my two cents' worth. I've watched Trevor since before the 94 playoffs, although I wasn't a huge hockey fan until around that time. In 1994 I was in grade 9 and I remember the glory of watching the team go to the Stanley Cup finals. I remember seeing Trevor's face when he scored the game-winning goal in game 6, and seeing the utter sadness and exhaustion after losing in game 7. And why do I remember? Because Trevor's entire heart was in the Canucks. His emotions rose and fell with each win and loss. You knew that he was a true leader because he inspired his teammates to play better. And his emotions were our emotions. When I think of the Canucks, I think of Trevor.

I remember when that jerk and that other jerk forced Linden to give up his "C" (okay, that might be my version of the story, but whatever), when he was traded, and best of all, when he was traded back to the Canucks. The past two seasons have been tough as a Trevor fan, since it seems obvious that the current coach hates him... even after he was the best player in the playoffs and scored the game-winning goal in the longest game of my life (on my birthday!) But through it all, Trevor has never been a complainer. At least on the outside, he appears to have accepted his change in role without losing his passion for the game, and his devotion to the team. He isn't the most skilled player anymore, and he probably doesn't have the stamina he used to. But he is a true competitor and Canuck for life - and I think, a great example to kids and adults everywhere.

Here's to Trevor Linden, #16. You gave us many great years and a ton of memories. I wish you weren't retiring (and I suppose you haven't actually said you are yet) but I'm glad I got to see you play this season. Please become the head coach soon. The Canucks are in need of serious help.

Spend less, or support local business?

2008-03-25T11:02:00.001-07:00

I think it's clear to the what, five readers of my blog that I am more of a thrifty sort than a spender. But I am definitely willing to spend when it comes to the dog. Boy, if you want to save every penny, don't get a dog. Between vet visits, toys, and food, your wallet will be noticeably thinner. Especially if you are a total yuppie like me, and you want to feed your dog something better than Purina. (Kodi's food is endorsed by the dad on Eight is Enough! - actually, I think it's his company...) I'm not surprised by the costs, since we worked out the budget well in advance before getting the dog. But that doesn't mean I am not looking for a bargain where one can be had.

So, there are some great local stores in our city where you can buy whatever your dog's heart fancies. Some are tiny stores with fancy stuff, some are a little bigger with less fancy stuff, but in any event, many are local to the Lower Mainland. We have taken the dog to several dog stuff stores and she has always been spoiled by the staff at these stores. The cheap side of me objects to these stores, however, because the same stuff can be had for much, much less online.

For example, I wanted to buy this toy:

It is a tough rubber bone, into the ends of which treats can be inserted. In the pet store near our house, this item costs $15.99. I found it online for $6.69! How could I resist?? I bought a ton of toys for the dog (thanks to my mom for bringing them back from the US) and they were all substantially less expensive than any store here in Canada, even the online Canadian stores.

Here's another example:
This is a truly educational toy... heh. You stuff the bees into the hive and the dog works to get them out. At first, hubs couldn't understand why the dog would want to get it out but when he gave it to the dog, it was clear how much she really wanted to get the bees outta that hive. They squeak and are perfectly mouth-sized, you see. I saw this type of toy for $21.99 at a local store and I got it for $7.69 online.

I justified my large purchase by saying that the dog tears up her toys (or eventually she will, at least) so the cheaper, the better. But am I responsible for putting locally-owned businesses out of business? Worse... am I guilty of... not caring?

Dog days of spring

2008-03-21T15:39:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, I wish I had become a teacher so I could have spring breaks, winter breaks, and two months of summer. I doubt I could handle the rest of the job and let's not even mention being underappreciated ... but still... those holidays are tempting.

Today, since neither hubby nor I had to work, we decided to enjoy the beautiful spring weather and take the dog out for a day of fun. We went to Granville Island and had a lovely walk (and the dog didn't even yank on the leash... that much.) We stopped in at Woofles, the doggie bakery, which is tiny but filled with friendly folk. Kodi met several dogs and people. She met a labradoodle (I think) who wanted nothing to do with her nor the other playful dog we met. Of course, Kodi was a little over-hyper and overexcited so I can't really blame the labradoodle for not wanting to get involved in the jumping and pawing and barking. I hope the hyperactivity goes away with age. Then after more walking, we went to Three Dog Bakery. And then after that, we went to the pet supply store. I know - we are total yuppies. Actually, I didn't get Kodi nearly as many treats as I wanted to, because wow, doggie bakeries are expensive! I don't even buy myself cookies at a real bakery because of the price. Haha.

Happy Easter, everyone!

Brekkie part 2 - homemade

2008-03-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

One of my friends shared this recipe with me and we decided to try it out this weekend. It made for a lovely breakfast and wasn't difficult - plus it left the house smelling nice all day. I used to love the cinnamon knots at Bread Garden but wow are they ever high in fat (possibly because they were made of croissant dough.) This recipe isn't low fat but it's not completely unhealthy either - that is, unless you eat the entire thing at once. Don't do that.

I'm pretty sure this recipe can be found elsewhere online but I always like to read a little commentary with recipes.

Overnight Cinnamon Pull-aparts

Ingredients:

20 frozen dinner rolls (we used 24 - why leave 4 in the bag!)
1 cup brown sugar (we cut this down to about 3/4 cup)
2 Tbsp cinnamon
1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding (we increased this to 1/2 cup or so.)
1/2 cup melted butter
pecans, walnuts, or raisins (we had none of these)

Instructions:

Place dinner rolls in a greased bundt pan. (We didn't have a bundt pan - so I used the bottom of our tagine. Thanks, Crate & Barrel!) (Also, we put half the rolls in first and some of the sugar and cinnamon, then put the rest of the rolls on.) Over top, sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon, and add nuts or raisins. Pour the pudding and butter over top. Place a damp towel over the pan and leave the pan overnight. (I put it in the microwave. I'm not sure if that made a difference.) In the morning (get up half an hour early), the rolls should have risen nicely to the top of the bundt pan (or higher!). Take towel off and bake at 350 degrees F for about 25-30 minutes. Turn over onto a plate and enjoy.

Comments: The tagine wasn't the best bakeware to use, and next time I might make a smaller version in a loaf pan instead. I suppose I could also buy a bundt pan. I would also be careful to make sure each roll was covered in the topping mixture because some of the rolls on the outside got a little brown. That could also be due to the tagine being used! In any event, I have to say that this breakfast was fantastic and low fuss. Can't ask for more than that on a weekend!

Crash Test Dumbass

2008-03-14T18:04:00.001-07:00

Ever seen "Crash Test Mommy" before? It's on the Slice channel. Here's the show in a few words: burnt out, busy mommy hands over household to judgmental spouse/relative who thinks s/he can run said household far better. Burnt out mommy goes to spa for weekend. Usually, Judgey fails miserably and learns to appreciate mommy much more.

I'm currently watching an episode where the mom has two kids plus takes care of four more in a home-based daycare. Dad works at an auto body shop and thinks that his wife needs to be more organized, so that she can have dinner ready for him at 5:30. He said that his mom would always have dinner ready by that time, and would make lunches for him and would keep the house sparkling - so what was wrong with his wife?

It always strikes me as odd that folks like this still exist. First of all, comparing your wife to your mom is never a good idea. It only makes your wife feel bad and brings up Oedipal issues. Second, telling her to get organized in order to make YOU dinner is rude. This is not a woman whose sole job is (underpaid, underappreciated) homemaker. She runs a daycare! Third, it's never a good idea to be judgmental about the way your wife cleans if you do nothing to help.

[Ok: he didn't give the kids the right breakfast, and skipped storytime altogether. He then said "I am not convinced that my wife's job is stressful." He's keeping the house clean by shuffling the kids outdoors or upstairs. Hmm - how about, oh, I don't know, taking care of them! Ridiculous!]

When did this couple's relationship get to the point where he belittled everything she did, AND SHE TOLERATED IT! I am so offended on her behalf. His kid asked to play with him, but he said no, I have to clean. I dunno. This is just uncool. We are not in some sort of Beaver Cleaver era where the mom wears an apron on top of her pleated knee-length dress. This is the year 2008, let's have a little respect for each other.

End rant!

Brekkie

2008-03-12T23:30:00.000-07:00

I love breakfast. I rarely eat breakfast, but when I do, it's enjoyable. Seems like no one really eats breakfast on a regular basis. I think my problem is that I get up too late. But since I hate mornings, that bad habit is unlikely to change.

But when I do eat breakfast, here are my favourite foods:

1. Chinese "bao"s. My favourite is "gai may bao" - mm... buttery goodness. I also like "boh loh cha siu bao", but I don't like "boh loh bao". I am a fan of Pine House for "baos" - but there aren't really any that are convenient on my way to work. Hubs isn't that fond of Chinese baos, having grown up with them. My least favourite bao is this ham and green onion roll. I ate one once as a kid and felt nauseated for a full day - now even the smell of them makes me gag a little.

2. Eggs (scrambled or sunny side up), bacon, hashbrowns, and toast. This is either known as camping breakfast, in which the caloric content is very high (which happens when you fry your hashbrowns and eggs in bacon fat) or Golden Coin breakfast, in which the caloric content is ... very high. Needless to say this is not a weekly breakfast.

3. Chocolate croissant. The best were the ones I used to eat at Bread Garden, but now that Bread Garden sucks, I have switched over to Starbucks. (I like Blenz coffees - but a) inconvenient locations and b) crappy pastries.) Calories? High. Deliciousness? HIGH.

4. Cereal. NOT. I cannot stand cereal. When I find a cereal I like, I eat about two bowls before I realize that once again, I cannot stand cereal. Maybe I eat it too slow - I hate how it gets soggy near the end. I know someone who puts water in his cereal instead of milk. Blearrgh.

5. Dim sum. I didn't much like dim sum as a kid, but as an adult, it's made its way back into my life quite easily. On occasion, hubby and I have gone for dim sum and spent only about $8. My favourite dim sum item is "loh bak goh". My least favourite is chicken feet which the hubs insists on eating.

These days at work, if I have time, I make myself a latte or tea misto in the morning. I nurse it until lunchtime (go go Starbucks thermal cup.) Pretty sad breakfast.... maybe one day I'll get organized enough to pack myself something in the morning.

Why being smart is an advantage

2008-03-08T16:15:00.000-08:00

At the outset of this post I would like to say that we have termed Saturdays "Honk Saturdays" because of the horrible drivers in our city. Today, someone ran a stop sign and nearly killed us! She didn't even slow down - hubs had to swerve dangerously out of the way and we were fortunate to avoid the accident. It would have been a bad accident as she only stopped inches from our car and didn't bother swerving at all... just drove straight at us. I saw two things: my life before my eyes (actually, I saw my doggie's life) and the scratches already on her front bumper. Obviously a terrible driver. Some choice words were exchanged (our words - she was too busy trying to avoid our gaze.) To the driver of the electric blue Toyota Camry - LEARN TO DRIVE. (No, it wasn't Jr.) (Haha!)

Ok! Onto today's post.

If you asked me whether I would rather be rich and stupid, or poor and intelligent, I would pick poor and intelligent every time. Of course, someone always has to say that if you were intelligent, you wouldn't be poor. But let's not argue over that sort of thing right now. Intelligence is worth a lot. So is kindness and patience and compassion, but we aren't discussing those qualities at the moment. I promise - I am not a complete jerk.

As you may have already read, Kodi came in first in her puppy kindergarten class today. We were of course thrilled. I made hubby take her through the testing because I was worried she wouldn't walk properly if I was with her. She didn't walk fantastically in any event, but then again none of the dogs really did. Perhaps they wondered why they were being walked on a leash in circles around the room. Her "leave it" trick was awesome and she was also great at sit/stay and down/stay. We are going to take her to basic obedience (in which she will hopefully learn to "heel" and do a down/stay for three minutes!) - but that will have to wait a couple of months until she's older. Right now we are just so happy that she learned some tricks and also learned to be a little more assertive and playful. I caught her biting some doggy ears today during playtime. Hmm.

Let me tell you about one of the dogs in the class. I will call him Nerdlet. His real name isn't that of course, but one never knows who is online. Nerdlet came to class with his mom and, um, older brother (maybe a 10 year old kid or so.) As background... on the first day, all of the dogs had the wrong collars - we all had to get training collars. Some of us also had the wrong leashes. Nerdlet had the wrong collar, the wrong leash, and also, he wore a raincoat. INDOORS. Nerdlet's mom tried to protect him from playing with the other dogs, as she was worried he would get hurt. (Nerdlet is the same age as our girl, but much larger.)

As the weeks went on, Nerdlet's mom finally bought him a better leash. On week 3, she still had the wrong collar, and her excuse was that the training centre didn't have the proper collar. The trainer pointed out that there are other stores that sell the right stuff. So finally on week 4, Nerdlet had abandoned the raincoat and was wearing the proper gear. But that sadly did not eliminate his... elimination problems. Nerdlet had developed the unfortunate habit of peeing and/or pooing (usually both) at every class. The first time, his mom had to pick up the poo and she kept complaining that it was gross. I suspect she is the sort who lets him poo everywhere and doesn't clean it up. Even on graduation day, Nerdlet had to pee. And not just a little bit - I am talking about a full pee. What did Nerdlet's mom do? She stood there of course! I would have grabbed my dog and taken him outside to pee. Instead she let him pee and then waited for the trainer to mop it up (you are supposed to mop it up yourself.)

Nerdlet was terrible at his tricks. His mom insisted that he does not know how to lay down without physically moving his feet forward. Alas he did not pass that section. Even when the trainer showed them ways to train him, the mom looked totally clueless. The trainer told his mom that Nerdlet was playing her - he totally knew WHAT to do, he just did not want to do it. Poor Nerdlet.

To top it off, during playtime, all he wanted to do was run up to people and grab/hump their legs. I was unimpressed. I can't stand that sort of thing.

I'm really glad to have my little doggie! She has been such a joy (and at times, such a terror.) When I have kids, I'll tell my kids that winning isn't everything, and that winners should be gracious. But for now, I'll tell my dog that she's allowed to gloat over the Nerdlets of the world. After all, she was the best-behaved and the best-qualified for the next level of classes. Of course she's smart - she has really smart parents. Heh.

Later I will post a picture of the dog with her prize!

4 months

2008-03-07T10:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the dog turned 4 months old. She has been with us for a little under two months and I think she's made the adjustment very well, if I may say so myself. Some people talk about how much work puppies are, you know, the waking up multiple times in the night, etc. But we lucked out - she is a fast learner. Housetraining - well, she has had accidents, of course, but hardly any after the first week or two. She learned to paw at the door when she has to go out. From 9 weeks to 12 weeks or so, she needed to pee around 3am, then around 6am. But since that point she hasn't needed to do her 3am pee any more, and can last till 6:30am before she has to go out. Pretty awesome.

This week she began teething. She has lost several baby teeth, but we can't find any - either they are too small and got vacuumed up, or she swallowed them (more likely.) I've been giving her frozen treats to soothe her sore mouth - she is a big fan of frozen banana. She also gets a raw bone to chew on sometimes. One of her favourite chew treats is a bully stick. It's sort of disgusting if you know what a bully stick is, but she's a dog and probably couldn't care less what it's made from.

Tomorrow is puppy school graduation day. It's nice to see that she's so much less afraid of other dogs now and is willing to play. Too bad they are all still way bigger than her. The dog she is still a little scared of won't even be there tomorrow, so that is excellent news. One less dog to compete with!

We're thinking of taking a trip to Seattle sometime - I found some cheap dog-friendly hotels (which are hopefully tolerable and not filthy) and if the weather is nice, we can walk around downtown/Pike Place.. maybe visit University Village... I haven't been to Seattle in years.

I'm so glad I convinced the hubby to get a dog! She's way more fun than a kid. Heehee!

Growing up, part 2

2008-02-28T21:25:00.000-08:00

Just as I started to feel a little young, carefree, and irresponsible, what should arrive in our mail but the yearly utilities bill. Friends, you will be pleased to know that the two of us are using over $1,000 of our fine city's utility services. That's right - our sewage, water, and waste prices are over a grand. I don't feel that bad about throwing the dog poop in the garbage now.

So we have decided to sign up for the water meter that is available, which could save us as much as $400. I know! I don't know why I never did this before - lazy, I guess. Once I get the water meter, I'll be doing my best to conserve water here at home. No more washing dishes or flushing the toilet or using the shower. Just kidding. Actually, if you get a water meter, you qualify for other free water-conserving devices. Hooray! Free stuff! Next year I will update you on whether we actually saved any money. But when you come over, try not to use too much of my water, okay?

Time for a couple of doggy pics!

Here she is enjoying her orange ball:

And here she is sleeping on a pillow like a human:

And finally, enjoying her monkey in the sunshine (she's really grown since then):

Growing up

2008-02-25T12:59:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been thinking about adulthood and how I don't really feel like an adult. I have friends who have purchased a place of their own, I have other friends who are moving out or who have already moved out to live on their own... and as for my situation - someone said to me the other day that I was so lucky to marry someone who had already paid off his house. (Not true! The bank still demands money from us!) So apparently at least one person in my life thinks that I fell into this delightful situation of home ownership by some combination of luck and good looks. (I added that part.)

I'm definitely lucky. Hubs bought this house without my input or initial financial contribution (I don't even think I was in town at the time.) He did the renovations, painted the whole house, carpeted and laid tile, and all I did was belittle the (former) shag carpeting and move my darn self in the day we got married. Oh, and then I complained about the lack of closet space. I'm so helpful.

This "luck", however, comes with feeling a little behind in life... aside from nosing around at some open houses, I've never actually had to look for a place to rent or buy. I've never had to apply for a mortgage. I've "rented" before (in the Hat) but I hardly call that living on my own. I've never even purchased a car. If we choose to rebuild one day, I might never get to actually hire an agent and go through the buying process. This isn't intended to be a whine - I am super grateful to God for everything I have. I sometimes just wish I had gone through the process of getting to where we are, rather than being on the outside watching. Sort of ridiculous to think this way, I know. I'm just musing.

Anyway.

Today we signed the dog up for puppy daycare. I am heading for a very busy couple of months at work, and it will help tremendously to have somewhere for her to go on the days that she can't come with me to work. Also it helps tremendously that I found a place that is significantly cheaper than the other spots at which I inquired. It's just pennies a day! Many many pennies! But far less pennies than the other place. Actually it is half the price compared to the place near my work, but then again this daycare won't take her for off-leash runs through the mountains. Oh well, she's too young for off-leash running in any event.

I just received some sad news about someone I was acquainted with. He died in an accident leaving behind a wife and kids. Life is so incredibly short. I can't even begin to imagine what the family is going through. Keep them in your prayers.

Doggy Daycare

2008-02-20T15:39:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I think my dog needs a more adventurous day. Should her day really be made up mostly of sleeping? I mean, she is a puppy, so she needs sleep but wow! she's always yawning! Except while eating or thinking of food :)

I was thinking of signing her up for a doggy daycare near my work on a once-per-week basis. That way she would have at least one day where she'd get to interact with other dogs, go on runs through the mountains, etc. Seems like a neat idea, right? Unfortunately, it's pretty expensive to have a dog in daycare. It isn't a lot cheaper than human daycare! So I think it'll have to wait for now. Too bad - she would enjoy running off-leash, I'm sure. I might actually put her in daycare for next month when I'm in trial. Ugh. I'm exhausted even thinking about it.

On to other things. I'm happy to report that even though I am a bit of a stickler for things at work, I do not suffer from the "kitchen OCD" that some of my friends have. My mom is definitely one of these, she can't sit down to eat until the entire kitchen is clean. I'm not a complete slob, but I do think dishes can wait until after dinner. Of course, I also don't cook, so who am I to say anything! I will say that since the dog's arrival, we have learned to keep the floors clean, since she chews everything. I think that's a step in the right direction. Housework just feels SO low priority to me :) But don't worry! I always get it clean - it just takes a while to motivate myself.

I need SUNSHINE. now!!

Holidaying

2008-02-16T07:50:00.000-08:00

On the radio yesterday, there was a news preview clip asking, "Are you ready for the long weekend? Oh wait - unlike most Canadians, you don't get one!" Then various people talked about how disappointed they are that Albertans get Family Day (a stat in Feb) but we get no stats until Easter. Blah blah blah such a long haul between January 1 and Easter. Blah blah we need stats to keep us going. Someone actually said, "Working families need a break." Sucks to you if you are a working single, I guess!

Of course, what they don't mention or realize is that most people in Alberta don't get Family Day AND Heritage Day (the first Monday of August.) They just get Family Day. Even when I worked for the feds in AB, we had to choose between Family Day or Heritage Day.

Frankly, the "We need a stat in winter" whining bothers me. I much prefer having a statutory holiday in August when the weather is likely to be awesome, rather than in February when it's either raining or snowing or cloudy and about to rain or snow. In August, you can enjoy the beauty of Vancouver and its surrounding areas. In February, you could... go skiing maybe... but then you have to watch out for highway closures due to accidents and snow. Depressing.

I can't wait until the summer statutory holidays, actually. Canada Day is always a good one because it's right around our anniversary. I need some sunshine! We might be off to Mexico again this summer. It can't come too soon in my opinion!!

Misbehaving

2008-02-13T21:18:00.001-08:00

Kodi is getting much, much bigger... she's probably reaching 25 pounds now!

Here are some of her interesting and funny quirks:
- she thinks everything in the kitchen is hers and that all food is being prepared for her
- she does a good "dance"
- she will put herself to bed when tired
- this morning I found her sitting in our laundry basket (on top of the clean clothes)
- if she chews something you don't want her to chew, you just have to show it to her and say NO and she'll never touch it again.
- at work, she sleeps at my feet instead of on the dog bed
- she will eat every single treat or kibble with the same vigour... although at least it takes her more than 5 seconds to eat her meals now!
- sometimes, she'll be really curious about the dogs on TV and will approach the TV to see where the dogs are
- she naps for hours at a time
- she knows when she is in trouble and will try to avoid our gaze when she has been bad

And here are some of her more irritating quirks:
- when she is tired, she acts like a spoiled, cranky toddler - she puts everything in her mouth and runs away when told to come
- she constantly pulls on her leash instead of walking nicely, even though she is choking herself by pulling
- she is an early riser... obviously she does not take after her parents
- she thinks all food and everything with a crinkly wrapper is for her - despite never having received food from our table, she'll always try to give the puppy eyes for food
- she has to greet every single person who is within one block's radius when on a walk

I can't believe how fast she is growing - soon my puppy will be a big, big dog with a big wagging tail. Well, maybe she'll calm down a little by that point. And then I will get a second puppy! Just kidding.

The Joy of Parenting

2008-02-11T10:42:00.000-08:00

Being a parent to a dog is, I think, a lot more fun than being a real parent.

Of course, I wouldn't know.

But anyway. This morning I was very upset. The dog woke up to pee as usual around 6:30 and I looked outside before letting her out - it was dark. I turned on the light, opened the door, and she ran outside. As she was peeing I saw what I thought was a cat run out towards her from behind our shed - but it turned out to be a giant raccoon. Thankfully, it only took a few steps towards the dog, and even better, the dog came back in when I called her. It was a scary moment. I hate raccoons.... the ones that live around here are constantly tipping over our garbage cans and rummaging through the crap. (Not literally crap.) Maybe if they learned to put the cans back up and the lids on, I'd be less disgusted by them.

Do you ever wonder why God created certain animals? I wonder this about mosquitoes, rodents of most kinds, raccoons (are those rodents?), wasps, silverfish (so gross!)...

Anyway. PJ requested a post about the Canucks. I've decided not to post about the Canucks at all, however. We'll see what happens when it comes to the post-season... if we are in it at all!

The dog is over 20 pounds now. I hope she isn't growing too fast... she doesn't look fat, so maybe she's just piling on the muscle. Next to other church dogs, she is a giant.... but in puppy school, she's still just a midget and she freaks out when other dogs try to play with her a little roughly. She doesn't seem to mind the rough play with smaller dogs. Maybe she's just a bully!

Unsolicited

2008-02-05T15:48:00.001-08:00

Outside pet store. Dog is trying to leap off a curb toward our car. We stop her and ask her to sit. She is tired and hasn't even had lunch yet, so is reluctant to sit. We say SIT and she finally sits.

Random lady walks by and says "Don't forget to praise them when they do what you say or else they won't do it next time."

Oh okay thanks lady. Because I've done ZERO research on dogs and dog training. And also, because we asked for your assistance. Move on with your day.

Moderation

2008-02-02T23:00:00.000-08:00

I've decided to be a comment moderator. Don't let this stop you from commenting, unless you are the type to leave stupid comments (like the one I deleted), in which case, quit it. I try to have a sense of humour (and I would hope this shows through in my posts sometimes) but on occasion, I just don't find things very funny.

If you'd like to leave unfunny comments on my blog, you're welcome to say them to my face instead.

The dog's typical day at Mommy's work

2008-01-30T12:09:00.001-08:00

First off let me just say that I wanted the dog to learn our real names rather than "mommy" and "daddy", however, I re-thunk that when I realized that if we have kids, our kids wouldn't be taught to call us by our real names. Thus - mommy and daddy it is.

Here is a typical day for the dog when she is my office dog.

7-7:30am - wake up and demand food. Unreasonable amount of whining while food is being prepared. Pretend food has been withheld for years. Freak out when food is presented. Inhale food at ridiculous pace.
8-9am - ride in car. Whine and bark at mommy during car ride.
9ish - arrive at work. Run around in parking lot. Pee near tree or mommy's boss' car.
9-10ish - first nap. If lucky, nap for over 1.5 hrs. Thrash around in sleep, growl/bark during dreams.
11am - go outside for a walk.. Pee. Poop in random spot. Show little appreciation when mommy picks it up.
11:30ish - Fuss. Thrash around with toys. Get bored, whine, growl. Chew on chairs, papers, cardboard, metal, plastic. Lick floor. Hear "NO" about a thousand times.
11:30-12:30 - refuse to settle down. Fuss. Chew everything. Pretend to sleep, then fuss again.
12:30 - demand food. Again more whining and barking despite mommy's SHUSH. Jump on mommy despite OFF and NO. Sit when commanded to for food, but look unhappy. Eat at super fast pace. Return to bowl and discover that no food appears after the meal is finished.
1ish - second nap.
2:00 - wake up, go out, pee. Eat sticks and leaves. Investigate every fallen leaf. Eat several. Spit them up in mommy's office later. Go for walk around office.
2ish-3ish - more fussing. Feign interest in Christmas toys. Fight off sleep despite constant yawns. Growl at toys. Growl at mommy. Bark. Hear NO repeatedly. Decline to chew on Nylabone in favour of chewing on anything else.
3:00-4:00 - third nap.
4ish - wake up, go out, pee, poop, smell everything, eat sticks, pull on leash when told not to, cry when told not to pull on leash.
4-5ish - fourth nap.
5ish - fuss when put in crate, whine all the way home, bark at mommy when she does not provide treats in the car immediately upon demand.

Dogs... gotta love em.

Heard on TV

2008-01-29T23:22:00.000-08:00

[Lady and her kid are making egg-free, "healthy" cupcakes on the Martha Stewart show. (Aside: if a cupcake is healthy, is there a point to eating it??)]

[Lady adds water and vegetable oil to the Kitchenaid mixer, narrating as she goes along.]

Lady: So you add 1 and a quarter cup water and 1 cup of vegetable oil.
Martha: What kind of vegetable oil do you use?
Lady: It's vegetable oil. You know, vegetable oil.
Martha: Oh.

I suppose it's one step above saying "EVOO" like Rachael Ray, but come on, can't you at least make it up if you don't know what kind it is? Say CANOLA. Everyone loves canola.

Move-out Must-haves

2008-01-27T14:55:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it's hard to believe that it has been over 2.5 years since I've lived at home. Time flies. I thought I'd compile a little list of must have items for those who are moving out... things I didn't really realize I'd need, or took completely for granted at home!

A sewing kit. I don't really know how to sew, but I still had to buy a few things in order to put buttons back on, etc. What I've got: some sort of plastic box, some needles, a few spools of thread, a pincushion, and some scissors. Also I keep all the buttons from new clothes in those tiny ziploc bags, but I put a note inside so I know which shirt came with which button. Smart eh?
Stamps. At home there were just always stamps and I never had to buy any! What I've got: again a plastic box to hold the stamps - and a Shoppers nearby from which to buy stamps.
Toilet brush. It sounds obvious, I know. What I've got: dollar store quality toilet brush. No one got me the $20 one I registered for!
Vacuum. We had a central vacuum at home, but this house is too old for one, too bad. Also, did you know that floors don't clean themselves? What a disappointment! What I've got: Eureka vacuum from Costco. It isn't even sold any more. I wanted a Dyson or Miele or even a Kenmore, but couldn't justify the $400-600 price tag. Tip: buy a ton of vacuum bags, some filters, etc, all at once so you don't run the risk of having them discontinued later!
Candles and a lighter or matches, and a flashlight. You never know when the power is going to go out. What I've got: Well, aside from the zillions of wedding candles we had left over, I also have a few random Ikea candles... and we have two handcrank flashlights. Not the best, but they do the job.
Mesh laundry bags. You don't want your delicates to be twisted around in the machine! What I've got: a lovely "football" shaped bag from Daiso! $2!
Dish towels. I use sponges to wash dishes, so only need towels for hand-drying, dish-drying, and wiping up stuff. What I've got: Since my hubby just grabs the first towel he can find to wipe up a spill, I buy the super cheap facecloths from Ikea (12 for $5.99) and bleach them when they aren't very white any more.
Shelving and storage options. I am constantly in need of places to put things... especially now that the dog is here, and wants to chew on everything! Also (see next item), I always have extras of household stuff. What I've got: Sorely lacking in this regard - I need to get some chew-proof rubbermaids and boxes.
Costco membership. Ok, this isn't a must-have. But it's awesome! Why wouldn't you want to buy 96 loads worth of laundry detergent? or 250 bounce sheets? or 30 rolls of TP? or 8 tubes of toothpaste? or camping stuff in the middle of February? What I've got: We used to get a membership for free, but now we suck it up and pay for it ourselves. It's more for entertainment than anything else - I could spend a whole day at Costco!
Tool kit. The one time you'll need tools is when you don't have any at home. What I've got: Actually, I am blissfully unaware of what tools we have beyond a hammer and multi-bit screwdriver but I have been assured that all the tools we have are necessary. I'm sure the hubby could tell you what other tools we have, but I mostly just holler "Help! Please fix _____" and somehow, he gets it done. Maybe it isn't the tool kid we all need, but just someone who will fix things!

That is all I can think of for now...

One week old

2008-01-26T10:11:00.000-08:00

Kodi's been with us for one week now. This week she has peed on the carpet about 6 times (oops!) at home and 3 times at work (double oops.) Good thing we have a good stain remover. She has actually been quite good about giving us warning when she has to pee... but sometimes she gets outside and is far more interested in eating every leaf and twig in sight. You'd think we don't feed her or something. She has come to work with me three times and seems comfortable there, although really, she spends 75% of the time sleeping. I suppose it's a puppy thing - energy in spurts.

I wonder what goes through a puppy's mind.... does she remember the home she came from? Does she miss her brothers and sisters? Who does she think we are - food providers? pseudo-parents? I dunno.

Enough about the dog, she's sleeping right now anyway. I am watching some sort of makeover show on an Asian girl and the hairdresser said about her hair: "There's so much of it... and the colour is just so solid and one colour... I want to change it." Um... yes. Imagine! Asian hair that is all black! Ridiculous!

Ok. Real time blogging. Head & Shoulders commercial about total softness AND no dandruff. That girl is about to put her hair in a ponytail with a scrunchie. Do people even use those any more? It isn't the 1990's! Elations - some sort of vitamin drink for joints. Oh - it's a Priceline commercial. I think - yes! that's William Shatner. He's so delightfully cheesy. Now, an ad for LA Ink. I've never gotten hooked on these tattoo shows - it seems there are just tons of them.

Back to the show! Hello "before" frumpy Asian girl! Hello much hipper looking younger sister! Now, the reveal. Wow! It's a nicer haircut but I think she actually looks .... ten years older!! In a more sophisticated way. But she looks like my piano teacher and I admit I'm a little scared by that. She has a total mom haircut. Before, she just looked frumpy and tired - now she looks like a well-dressed see lai. There is no way she's only 28. The show was supposed to make her look ten years younger! But alas... no luck. Maybe I'm just being harsh cuz I don't think I look as old as she does, and I never even got a makeover. Hmm - maybe it's the dark red lipstick. Well, remind me never to get my hair cut like that. Ahaha! They didn't even succeed - people still thought she was an average age of 31. Sucks.

Hooray! It's time for What Not to Wear. Yay!

Show me that smile again

2008-01-22T12:45:00.000-08:00

I wanted a dog for a very long time. I went back and forth for months. A dog is just like a child in many senses, right... - they have many needs, they need people around, and they don't know when to stop being bad sometimes... and worst of all, you have to actually pick up the poo WITH YOUR HANDS. But on the other hand, they are loyal and no matter how many times you catch them doing something bad, they still love you....

So, this dog ownership thing has been very interesting. Kodi is a great little dog (soon to be not so little.) She is a typical puppy - full of energy one minute, needing a nap the second. Obviously I'm biased but I think she's super smart - she knows how to sit and shake hands and almost has the hang of lying down on command too. And she's only 11 weeks old! She also has been pretty good about telling us when she has to go to the bathroom. I'm thinking of how to hook up a bell so she can ring it when she needs to go out. Haha!

Definitely there have been frustrations - like when she is bored and begins to growl and/or bark at me, or when she tries to chew every piece of paper in my office. Hubs told me to stand up, make myself look way bigger than her (how hard could that be? she's a puppy!) and say "NO" at the top of my lungs. Let's just say - we're working on it. I was a little upset on Monday after having a frustrating day with her ... but I'm trying to remember that she's just a puppy, and prone to doing the wrong thing sometimes.

I'll have to take a video of her tearing apart her monkey toy sometime. It's one of the only non-Christmas toys we got her. Poor monkey lost half his mouth already!

Sigh.

Random tidbits of advice

2008-01-14T13:36:00.000-08:00

If you are headed out of town and need a cheap hotel (in price, but not in quality) - use Priceline to name your own price. I got a hotel in Orlando for $55 when similar hotels would have been over $150.
Static cling got you all fired up? Rub a Bounce sheet on your clothing!
If you are unhappy with your Starbucks drink, write to them. You'll always get a response and some sort of free drink as compensation. (Note: I don't just write for the heck of it. I'm not that cheap.)
Craigslist is your friend. From video games to furniture to jobs - what CAN'T you find on Craigslist? (It's rhetorical. I know you want to answer. I am looking at you, big brother.)

PS: Look! I added a blog on the right hand side... :)

2008-01-10T21:16:00.000-08:00

I took this picture while parasailing in Mexico. We were convinced to go along with one of the kids on the trip and although it was pricey, it was definitely fun. If you haven't gone parasailing, here is what happens: you get strapped into a harness while wearing a lifejacket, and you stand at the back of a speedboat. As the boat speeds up, one of the crew lets out your line and you start to float higher and higher until you feel like you're at the top of a skyscraper. All the while, the parachute is allowing you to float above the water while billowing out behind you. It isn't a long trip (or it would be even pricier!) but the view and the thrill are well worth it.

Anyway, I took a ton of pictures and tried to get in about half of them, thus ensuring that I look like a total parasailing dork. Nonetheless. This picture is my favourite. I love how the light filters through the parachute, bright but not blinding. If you looked from a different angle, you might only see sunlight. For some reason, looking at the sunlight through the holes in the chute reminds me of how I see God sometimes ... getting only a glimpse of him, without seeing the whole picture. Maybe sometimes I put my own parachute up, choosing not to see what I know well is there... because if you can't see God, surely he can't see you... choosing to float along, the-devil-may-care attitude... thinking that I am doing well to hold myself up... deciding to hide from God and thus hide all of my faults and sins and challenging times.

Well. No one can hide from God, not Adam, not Eve, not Jonah, not me.

Do you ever feel like hiding from God? Or from other people? I'm learning to lean on God as my anchor, my rock, my salvation. Despite being a Christian for over 20 years - it isn't easy.

2007 Meme

2008-01-04T12:01:00.000-08:00

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?

I took a flight from the International terminal for the first time ever. It's much nicer than the domestic side.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I had to review my January 2007 blogs to see what I had said, and apparently I had resolved to save all of my loonies and toonies. I can't say I saved ALL of my loonies and toonies, but we do have a substantial collection going. Maybe I'll make it back to Disney World after all.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Quite a few friends and one cousin. I haven't even met my cousin's new baby!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Um... well... the hubby's family dog died and it was so, so sad :(

5. What countries did you visit?

Chile, Mexico, and the US of A.

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?

I don't think I lacked anything in 2007! But if I could choose to have something, it would be a TRIP TO DISNEY WORLD.

7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Ummm.... I'm going to go with "none"...

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

WINNING. Ask me more later.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I don't really fail at things. :D Just kidding. I certainly wasn't as good a housekeeper as I wanted to be, so maybe that counts.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I did lose my voice recently...

11. What was the best thing you bought?

I would say my computer, although I did not actually receive it in 2007.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

This is a weird question.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

I wasn't depressed, but I was definitely appalled back in December...

14. Where did most of your money go?

Well, we did buy a new car this year, so that is sucking up some cash. But luckily it's a hybrid! Otherwise ... well... we got a Wii and I got a new computer too!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

I am never *that* excited. But I was pretty thrilled to get the new car!

16. What song will always remind you of 2007?

I don't really have a 2007 song, but I really like this song I hear all the time - it's called East to West by Casting Crowns. Here's the chorus:

Jesus, can You show me just how far the East is from the West?
Cause I can't bear to see the man I've been
Come rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
Cause You know just how far the East is from the West
From one scarred hand to the other

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? happier, I would say, because life just keeps getting more joyful! b) thinner or fatter? Possibly the same, or a little fatter. Dang it. c) richer or poorer? richer - but not by much.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

I am not really one for regrets. I wish I had kept in better contact with out-of-town friends though.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Played a few less video games! My poor eyes :)

20. How did you spend Christmas?

Slept in ... and then had dinner at my mom's house with the in-laws. It was nice.

21. Did you fall in love in 2007?

I did not fall OUT of love, does that count?

22. What was your favorite TV program?

I would have to say 24, although Heroes was a close second.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Contrary to what you might believe, I don't really hate people. I just harbour extreme dislike sometimes!

24. What was the best book you read?

The best book... hmm... well, the last Harry Potter book came out and it was pretty darn fantastic. Other than that, I don't really remember the books I read this year. Perhaps they were just not that good!

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Really, I hardly ever listen to music, I don't have many CD's and I just listen in my car. But maybe the greatest discoveries were Paul Brandt and Aaron Lines - after meeting them in Chile, we started to listen to their music and they are both awesome. Country music!!

26. What did you want and get?

I wanted a new computer, I got a new computer. I wanted a Wii, I got a Wii (after an overnight campout at Zellers! What was I thinking!) I wanted black flats, I bought black flats (3 pairs! Overkill maybe.)

27. What did you want and not get?

I cannot even think of what I wanted and didn't get... maybe I have low expectations. Or else a lot of stuff. Oh! I know - I wanted a clean house! And I did not get one! Haha!

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

I can't even remember the last time we went to a theatre to watch a movie... so let's see, DVD-wise, I think my favourite film was Jesus Camp. I just found it so incredibly fascinating, like a train wreck, couldn't turn my eyes away. Very eye-opening.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Embarrassingly, I couldn't actually remember without looking back at my blog. But anyway! We went to a playoff game the night before my birthday and seven periods later, the Canucks won and it was my birthday :) We didn't get to the Keg for my post-game, birthday dinner since it was past 1 AM and whaddaya know, the Keg isn't open that late. Oh well.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

I really don't know how to answer this... I can't say that I lacked anything.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?

Cheap = good.

But I'm trying to change that to Work appropriate = good.

32. What kept you sane?

My job ... sort of.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

I do not fancy celebrities.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

Difficult question. I'll have to think about this.

35. Who did you miss?

My brother who moved to the States!

36. Who was the best new person you met?

I can't think of this right now but I could tell you stories about the worst person I met...

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.

More of a continual lesson - I have learned that when I put God first, he and I seem to walk closer, and God's provisions for me seem so much richer.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

His grace still amazes me.

Auld Lang Syne

2007-12-31T17:21:00.000-08:00

Ushering in the new year ... do you feel prepared?

Rarely do I make resolutions - why bother setting the standards high when I know I won't keep them - but this year I think I will definitely strive to be a little more patient, and a little less talkative. Pretty challenging not to talk, I always have a lot to say. But today someone told me that someone else told her (follow along, please) that I seemed to turn the conversation onto myself a lot. This caught me off guard, given that I had always thought the "someone else" did the exact same thing when we conversed. In fact I recall the specific conversation, and I recall the "someone else" asking me about my life, so why she would find it weird that I talked about myself, I just don't know.

But then again, the truth usually lies somewhere in between two people's perceptions.

I'm full of flaws, and often I can't stop thinking about those flaws. You might not know that about me. I don't like to show weakness. So of course, I am now mulling (ok, ruminating) over the fact (or perception) that someone thinks I talk about myself far too much.

Sometimes, I sort of hate who I am. So it's a good thing God's love for me is unconditional, and exists even when I'm tired of myself.

I'm tired of myself right now.

*EDIT... to respond to comments:

PJ: I think you've missed my point entirely. I never said that I like to talk about myself. Certainly, this blog is about me, it is my blog after all.

All I meant to say in this blog is that I have never thought I talked a lot about myself to that friend, but if that friend perceives that I did, maybe I will just have to keep a lot more TO myself in the future. That's all.

Pondering the future

2007-12-23T23:31:00.000-08:00

The hubby's extended family appears to be turning into Wii addicts. Tonight we enjoyed yet another family dinner. People have moved on from asking when we are going to have kids to asking when we are going to build our new house. Do not panic - we have no concrete plans to build a house. Do not ask me - we are not even going to consider it for a few more years. I have no idea where everyone decided we were going to build a house forthwith, but all sorts of (unsolicited? unhelpful?) advice came pouring in - such as, build now before you have kids! build it bigger so you have lots of room! build now because it will be expensive later!

I'm quite happy living where we are right now. Those close to me will know that it's a struggle just to keep our house clean - imagine living in a bigger house where the amount of surface area to clean would be staggering. I suppose the hubby's family is just excited or something at the idea that we might be expanding our humble abode, but if we had to keep up with the wealth of extended family, we would have to work several jobs each, and I'd probably have to start embezzling. We went to one family's house recently which felt like one of those dream-home-lottery houses ... I just felt uncomfortable the whole time, like I was dirtying the place just by walking through it. I'd rather live here and be proud of the fact that the hubby saved up for years on his own to be able to buy this place. I'd like to be proud when people come over and aren't horrified by what they see. I'd like to be content with what we have.

My personality isn't overly laid back, but I would like to think that I am learning to be content. This is applicable in many circumstances. The hubby is working toward a new career of sorts, and there is always the chance he won't like it, or maybe will like it but will find it very difficult, and money will be tight. Or maybe he'll want to be a stay-at-home dad if we have kids. (I highly doubt I will want to be a stay-at-home mom but I suppose anything is possible.) I would hope that I could learn to be content in any of those situations. In the past couple of years, I have learned that God is faithful and will always provide, if we put him first in our lives.

Two days until Christmas. The Lord is good - let us come and adore.

Timeline

2007-12-18T20:00:00.000-08:00

Age 4: I tell my mom I want to quit pre-school because all they teach is the alphabet, and I already know how to read.

Age 5: I watch my kindergarten teacher pull out my friend's loose tooth by tying floss around it, attaching the floss to the closet door, and closing the door.

Age 6: I am one of the tallest girls in grade 1. My teacher puts me in the fast learners reading group. These are unrelated issues.

Age 7: My brother and I convince my parents to get season passes to Expo 86. We proceed to go as often as possible. I remember the giant Swatch.

Age 8: I am taking piano lessons with my very scary teacher. She yells. Many times, I hold back tears until the end of the lesson.

Age 9: I am in a split class with a new teacher. I still spell better than all the kids in the class, including in the grade above me.

Age 10: I put a poppy, pin side up, on the seat of a boy I hate. He sits on it, but the pin lodges between the "cheeks". I laugh - he doesn't.

Age 11: We move to a new house. My brother gets the room with the big windowsill, so I get to choose what side of the bathroom I want. It is not the same.

Age 12: I practice piano for 3 hours a day to get ready for my grade 10 piano exam. Sometimes, I read a book while practicing my scales, thinking my mom won't notice. She notices.

Age 13: Transition to grade 8 and a school where I know no one. I look around at all the nerds in my enriched classes and fear that I am more of a nerd than any of them.

Age 14: My team wins at Technolympics and is rewarded with the ugliest long-sleeve t-shirts I've ever seen. That's what you get for building the best 10-second timer and the longest, thinnest newspaper bridge.

Sleigh bells ring.. .maybe

2007-12-11T23:06:00.000-08:00

When we were young, we used to spend most of our Christmases in Seattle with my aunts and their families. I loved Christmas in Seattle - my cousins were so much fun, and being the youngest, I got to take full advantage of the cute factor. Plus, my cousins let me "shop" in their closets, and gave me bags full of barely worn clothes. One of my aunts had a big fish tank in front of their fireplace, and I still remember how my uncle would move the fish tank the night before Christmas while we slept, so that in the morning he could point to it and say, "Look! Santa came and he moved the fish tank!"

I never actually believed in Santa, of course, but it was still amusing. My parents never encouraged a belief in Santa Claus - they taught us that Christmas was about the birth of our Saviour. It's probably safe to say that most "church babies" like me had similar experiences.

So I was a little surprised in the last week to find that Praise 106.5, my number one pre-set station in the car, was playing The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.) It's a lovely song, but a part of it involves kids waiting for Santa and his sleigh full of goodies. I find it strange that a Christian music station would play such a secular song. It seems that Christmas is being watered down even in a Christian radio station. Very.... sad.

Two weeks until Christmas. I'm looking forward to some quality family time. My brother is coming back, yay! Also, we are hoping that the hubby's parents will come with us to Christmas Eve service at church - please pray that God will work in his family. Praise God for his unending love.

Things I would like to have

2007-12-03T23:22:00.000-08:00

Strawberry Chapstick. I don't know why, but Shoppers (and other stores) only seem to sell plain and cherry, which, yuck. I have only found strawberry at one particular store at UBC (Subcetera). Not being a student anymore has a downside.
A saxophone. I still want to learn how to play one day. How hard can it be?? :)
New computer.... although the rattling in this one seems to have stopped... yay!
24 Season 6 set. Gotta keep the collection going.
A 16-20 oz. stainless steel tumbler, no handle. I have a "tall" size one already. What? I like hot drinks.

Exhaustion

2007-11-28T20:41:00.000-08:00

It's only been 3 days and I am TIRED. Also, it is terribly warm in robes. I don't like the on-edge feeling I have all the time, and while it's fun and all, it's just so, so hard. It doesn't help that I am still fighting a cold. I delivered my opening statement with about half my normal voice and now I am hacking up a lung. But God is good and I know it's only by his grace that I even had any voice!

Okay. What else can I talk about. How about some real-time blogging of TV:

It's commercial time during America's Next Top Model. Yum, chocolate torte or something like that at Superstore (President's Choice brand.) Andrew, I think you'd really like this. It looks like pretty dense chocolate. And only around $5.99 or something.

And now, Ugly Betty commercials. I've never watched this show.

Oh, we're back to ANTM. Why is that girl's hair just like Tootie from Facts of Life? Nigel is mean. Miss Jay's afro reminds me of that Bishi Bashi stage where you have to match the beat to make the guy's hair grow. Nigel is annoying and can't take a joke. Tyra is getting really weird as the seasons go on.

I'm so sick of the "X of you stand before me... but I only have X-1 photos" and the "The first name that I'm going to call is..." JUST CALL THE NAME. No need for the ridiculous drama. Oh, Tootie made it. They're off to Beijing (currently they are in Shanghai.) Oh, the name Tyra doesn't call must leave the show. No, it's the person whose name she doesn't call. Tyra is horrible.

You shouldn't be late for go-sees. Neither should you wander around Shanghai by yourself. Apparently you also must wipe away your sarcastic attitude in order to make the judges like you. I obviously would never make it on this show... and I'm not just talking looks.

And now the hubby wants to play video games, so it's back to work for me.

Mexico roundup, part 1 (sans photos)

2007-11-21T21:56:00.000-08:00

Good day everyone,

I'm sure you've been wondering where I've been. Well, to give you an idea of my week thus far, I got home around 8 on Monday and it's just been getting later every day. We're gearing up for three super busy weeks, so I don't think I'll be seeing any less of my messy office any time soon.

Anyway, Mexico! It was great. The weather was perfect - hot, but not ridiculously so. It was our first time at an all-inclusive and I think it was a great way to start. Our resort wasn't one of the huge ones we saw driving past Cancun, but the size was great. We were right by the pool and a tiny walk away from the beach. Apparently at some resorts you might walk for 20 minutes to get to dinner. That is just ridiculous. The food was pretty good, although I think cruise food is a notch above. Food was certainly plentiful. I like how on a cruise, you get to eat a "fancy" meal every night - whereas at all-inclusives, much of the time, your dinner is a buffet.

I managed to finish three books while lying around on the beach enjoying mojitos and margaritas. I read "The World According to Garp" (very... interesting), "All Over Creation" (hmm... also very interesting), and "The Good Life" (which I did not realize was a 9/11-related book.) The hubby couldn't really see the fascination in reading all day long, so he played beach volleyball, soccer, tennis, etc. I did get roped into "beach Olympic games" one day and that was a little strange, but fun. Our team lost though. Maybe because our team name was "Gimme More Tequila" (not my suggestion.)

Anyway I will try to post more when the craziness dies down. Look for me sometime before Christmas, in other words :)