Curiousity and the Kat

letter to baby

2012-01-30T23:29:00.000-08:00

Dear baby girl,
Why? WHY are you awake at 11:30 p.m.?? Why do you wake up and decide it is play time? it is not play time, it is sleepy time. Mommy is getting sleepy. Your brother is asleep. Even daddy the night owl is sleepy. WHY are you not sleepy? instead you play with blankie and tug on your soother.. perhaps a rock in the chair will help.. or more food.

Tired Mommy

2012-01-29T23:04:00.000-08:00

Wonder of all wonders, I went to a movie today in the theater. Today is my birthday and someone had asked me earlier in the week if I was doing anything for my birthday. I wasn't planning to get any gifts as my mother sent $$ to buy whatever I wanted, and my request to my hubby was that we get professional photos of the twins done. We have book the photographer for Spring when they are 6 months.

So I asked a friend if she would babysit for a couple hours and she gladly agreed. So it was a win/win. I got to go out with hubby, and she got baby cuddle time. When we came home, there was baby boy asleep on her shoulder.... but that is time for another blog.

So as I had the opportunity to go to a movie, I picked the best of what was out there. After scanning the movie listings, I decided that we would see "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy". All I knew about it was that Gary Oldman was in it, and he is a good actor, and that it was a rerun. So I figured I should read about it is about. It says that a retired agent of the British Secret Service is called back to find a mole who is leaking information to the Russians, in this retro plot movie.

This movie was hard to watch. Even for my husband. He even asked questions during the movie. I am used to not really hearing everything in the dialogue, hence I miss plot nuances often, so it was interesting that Hubby wasn't getting it. The movie had a stellar cast with names like Colin Firth, John Hurt, Toby Jones, to name a few, but even that does not save this movie.There is a lot of silence in the movie with fabulous music, but the plot is complex and slow to move in the beginning. It finally moved and started to make sense closer to the end.

The cinematography also added to the plot convolution as it was not the fast paced "American" version that we North Americans are used to, but rather I would say it had a European flavor to it, especially with the silences and use of flashbacks. You really had to concentrate. (maybe the fact that I realized that I was sleepy didn't help.)

Things My Husband Misses While He is at Work #2

2012-01-24T19:35:00.000-08:00

Things My Husband Misses While He is at Work #1

2012-01-24T19:13:00.000-08:00

Memory lane and the long reaching influence

2012-01-23T21:01:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard of "Kangaroo Court"? When I was in youth group during my junior and senior high years, we would have kangaroo court as the evening's activity. You would be the defendant accused of some bogus, often true "crime", and then judged by your peers. I was often "accused" of talking too much. (Go figure. is that really shocking for those who know me? ) The first time I had this "charge" I was in grade 8, likely 14. My punishment was to have my toenails painted with liquid paper. I remember shrieking in horror because I was being singled out and because they were touching my feet of all things. (I have a thing about people seeing my feet because they have always been big.)

The last time that I remember kangaroo court was at a camp in the middle of winter, Camp Buchan, known as the Boy Scout camp. It was a youth retreat with the same youth group. My girlfriend reminded me that I had extra blankets that I wouldn't share. (She got cold water all over her sleeping bag because someone did the "stick your hand in the bowl of water while you sleep" trick, but she woke up and it spilled all over her. So she tried to get me to part with one of my blankets but I was asleep and had a death grip I guess.)

I was likely accused of the same thing, I can't remember the charge. But I was soooo embarassed because my "punishment" was that I supposed to serenade a boy. I was painfully shy and it took forever for me to sing to one. It was a friend of the youth leader. He was likely in his 20's at the time, and his clowning around didn't help the matter. He put a scarf on his head like a bonnet and fluttered his eyes at me. After 10 minutes, someone finally said "enough already, sing something." to which I replied that I didn't know what to sing. "I dunno.. "you are my Sunshine". Do you know that one?" So I sang the first verse of this song to Gordon and never forgot it.

Ever since then, this song has been my signature song. When I worked at camp and got caught with my elbows on the table (which was often, especially when I was so tired from cooking the meal) that I would sing this song in response to being caught. (When you have your elbows on the table at a meal, anyone is allowed to "catch" you and then the whole room sings (your name here) and tells you your punishment. So the song goes

Lyrics

Joe, Joe, strong and able
get your elbows off the table
this is not a horses stable
but a first class dining table

Round the table you must go
you must go
you must go
Round the table you must go,
my fair Lady-o.

Stand up on your chair and sing, chair and sing, chair and sing,

Stand up on your chair and sing, my fair lady-o.

So, I would often stand on the chair and sing "you are my sunshine."

When I was staff, (I cooked for 3 summers in 2 different camps) I would be in charge of "lost and found". If people lost something, like a hat, or sunglasses, and wanted to claim them back, they had to "do something" to get them back. The staff member in charge of lost and found could assign something crazy for them to do and then they would get their stuff back. Otherwise, it was mine to keep. After a while, most staff and campers knew that they had to sing "the song" for me before I gave them their stuff back. It wasn't until I worked in a nursing home in NS for 3 years that I learned there were verses for this song. I only learned the 1st one, but there are apparently more.

Lyrics | Ricky Nelson lyrics - You Are My Sunshine lyrics

Interesting how long this song has been with me. And now I sing it to my kids.

Art Show

2012-01-22T16:06:00.001-08:00

Today my church had their monthly Artist's Cafe and had asked photographers in the church to submit photos. We were asked about how our photos are influenced by our faith. There were submissions from 6 photographers and 2 gave a talk/speech about their work. Most of the photos were from nature; birds, flowers and other landscapes.
These were my submissions. They are old as I don't really have time to take pictures at the moment. (other than my babies)

They are First Snows, taken November 2009.

Little Things, taken at Blodel Conservatory, in Vancouver BC, April 2011
For the Fallen, taken April 2010 at the National War Memorial, Ottawa ON.

2012-01-17T13:29:00.000-08:00

Here is a video/photo that I found and think is cute...

Oh yeah, that's how you want to start the day....

2012-01-13T07:54:00.000-08:00

So Hubby has gone back to work. It has been a full week now. He gets up at 7 and leaves by 7:30 a.m. whereas when I had to be at work by 8, I got up at 6 and left by 7:15 a.m., which is when his snooze button would be blaring for at least the second time. So now we get up with the babies and take them downstairs to feed them. He leaves and I continue my day.

Today, I have yet another medical appointment for my daughter. We are going to a friend's place in the morning for lunch and then I will leave Micah with her while Lena and I go to the cardiologist. This will be the first time that we leave a baby with a sitter who isn't family, so we'll see how it goes.

I try to feed him at least one bottle of breast milk a day, while she gets at least one bottle of formula a day. This morning, he was getting milk and near the end of the bottle, he spit it up. Not a little... a lot. All over me, down my back and some on him. Of course I know now, you hear big belch from little body, get to a sink right away. Luckily, hubby heard this and cleaned up the chair where I had been sitting before he left for work. After I cleaned up me and him, I fed Lena. I'm still wary at times as she has done the same thing... all over me, and her, and the floor. And especially after you get spit up on by one baby, you aren't sure what the other will do. Interestingly enough, neither were crying to be fed this morning. They were just awake when Hubby got up, so he figured that they wanted to be fed. Micah is sleeping through the night and so there are less feedings at night. Which is good, because it is me that does it. Hubby will get up if I need him to, but luckily it isn't as crazy as when they were newborns from the hospital. I'm told that not all babies sleep through the night, that some spit up a lot (so much so that they go through every outfit there is), that some don't sleep at all... so far so good... except for the spit up all over me thing. :)

2012-01-12T09:20:00.000-08:00

As you can see, I have been away from the blogging life for a while. Distracted for obvious reasons. The above photo is actually from Christmas Day 2011. The children were thrilled, as you can see, about the day. (sarcasm intended)

Christmas Day was a quiet day which is a godsend considering how this journey into "mommyhood" began.

After many frustrating months and various miscarriages, we were finally successful and I was pregnant with twins. I remember the day that I went to the IVF clinic to confirm pregnancy. The doctor said..."uh, I think you'll need a bigger car..."
I was puzzled and asked why. "Well, there's 2!"
To which I replied, "yes, you put 2 eggs in me, so why are you surprised?"
"Well I wasn't really sure about the quality of the 2nd egg, and didn't expect it to take."

Right. I sometimes wonder which baby was the one that he didn't really expect to exist, but then I say that that's not something to focus on now is it?

So now I have 2 babies. Lena (pronounced Lay-Na, versus Lee-Na, or Lie-Na) Margarete is Twin A, and Micah Norman is Twin B, as per the hospital records. They were born via c-section on September 25, 2011, a month early, on their daddy's birthday. The expected date of arrival was October 11, which was when the c-section was scheduled, and the official due date was October 25. Hubby thinks it is a good thing that they were early because of their cardiac status. Both children have Aortic Valve Stenosis, meaning that the heart has a hard time pumping the blood because one of the valves of the aorta was stuck. The cardiologist who initially assessed my children said that in 25 years of working, they had never seen 2 fraternal twins have the same cardiac condition. (Which makes me wonder about that egg thing again eh?) So Lena ended up having an angioplasty at 11 days old, while Micah was able to stave that off until Dec 1, when he was about 2 1/2 months old.

So long story short, they are now 3 months old (on Christmas Day!) and doing well. Lena, due to having the angioplasty at 11 days, now has a leaky valve with backflow into one of her chambers. She has to have a ROSS procedure, but hopefully we can wait until she is year old. She is smaller than her brother, (as of yesterday, December 11, Micah is 15 lbs, and Lena is 11 lbs,) but as one girlfriend put it, "if you are going to have a delicate, dainty child, aren't you glad it's not the boy?"

So it has been one week since hubby returned to work. One week of me being on my own with 2 babies. So far so good. I have sort of figured out a routine. I'm still trying to figure out how to get Lena to stay asleep at night as she tends to sleep a lot in the daytime, and thinks that 3 a.m. is time to play, much to the annoyance of her tired mommy. It is hard for me to figure out how much is related to her cardiac status, and how much is just her being a baby. She is considered to be sicker than her brother, due to the ROSS thing. She is monitored monthly by cardiology (our next appointment is tomorrow) while he is only needing monitoring every 6 months.

My church has been very supportive providing food and prayer support, especially in the early days when the babies were in the NICU. (They didn't leave the ICU for the first month of their life due to being preemies.) People are surprised that we have made it to church so soon after their birth (as early as the first week) and I have been told that I'm "amazing" and a "testimony to faith".

I am surprised that I don't freak out more than I do. I have learned that babies are going to cry, and you aren't going to know why they are crying, or you won't have the time/or hands to help them. Everyday is a new day and differs dependant on the whims of the child. Both babies will cry at the same time for different reasons (we think that they stick up for the other. or maybe it is the "me too" syndrome.)

Well that will be all for this post. Hopefully I will update sooner than the last.

Christmas in July!!

2011-08-02T14:35:00.000-07:00

Yeah... I know that it is August, but Christmas started in July at Hallmark and I forgot that until I wandered by this afternoon. Soo...... I have started my Christmas shopping early this year. I used to have all of my christmas shopping done by the end of August, with maybe like one left, for that hard to figure out person. (likely my dad or brother in law)

Anyhow... I have started already even before today. I already sent 2 presents home with my mother for 2 of my 3 nieces. I will have to think of what to get for niece #3. Mind you, I still have to think of what to get for my sister's birthday next month.

So when I was in the Hallmark at the mall, I had to buy something while I could get it, as the ornaments tend to sell out fast. This is one of the 4 ornaments that I picked up. I'm not sure which of my babies this will be for, but likely the boy. Oh, by the way, I'm pregnant and due in October. Oh.. and I'm having twins, a boy and a girl. :)

Yet another rant...

2011-06-24T09:35:00.000-07:00

Did you know that if you google "Sears Sucks" that you get "About 3,200,000 results (0.15 seconds)". I did not know this until the other week when I was annoyed at Sears. Why did I type this in? Because I was annoyed at Sears yet again. So this incident was actually for a wedding registry. I did not register at Sears for my wedding and have never actually bought anything from a Sears registry until the other week.
We got an invite for a wedding and I picked the Sears registry vs. the Home Outfitters list. When i went to order it online, it was confusing. So I gave up and went in to the store the next day to purchase instore. What I learned is this: instore stuff was on sale, and so our price limit changed from one item to 3. This is cool!! The other thing that I learned is that while the couple has a "pickup" store, Sears does not do this anymore and instead CHARGES you extra for shipping it to the couple's home. I don't know the address of the couple... so I ended up buying the items to take to the wedding itself. It has been a while since I had taken a wedding present to a wedding, as there is already so much going on in a wedding day, that the last thing people need is to figure out how to drag presents from the wedding venue to home.

So hence I was annoyed about the non-pickup store part. When i registered at HBC, the item is paid for at your store of choice and then taken off the shelf and shipped to the pickup store.

My other annoyance at Sears is that despite following procedures for customer ordering, it still took me a YEAR to get a part for my Danby 5 in 1 AirConditioner/Heater. This part is small and only cost $3.95. They were going to charge me $12 to ship it to my house, which is ridiculous since I can pick up from a local store.
So after phoning the special parts number, numerous times to be told said part is on back order but should take one month or 2, I would call back and be told it is still on back order, repeating my request and ALL of my information about the part order. I would give up and wait 2 weeks after "order in" date and then call again. I ordered the part on June 12, 2010. On January 10, I went in the parts pick up location again and was told that it still wasn't in, but was told the date of the order and that yes, it was ridiculous that I didn't have the order yet.

So after a year of a duct-taped appliance that I hated to use because of that fact, I mention this to the in-laws. MiL emails the president (which I had thought to do but wasn't sure where to find the info) and the part was shipped within a week. Plus FiL took the damaged part and "fixed" it. So I had 2 parts now for the appliance, wahoo!! I then forgot to cancel the order and received a call that my part was in. So now, should I break it again, I have a 3rd item to do me. I will not be waiting another year for a part from Sears, and seriously consider boycotting them. Especially since I go to my local store in Metrotown and it is a MESS. You can't find anything is this store as the organization is horrible, despite renos, and the selection is poor.

Pictures from the Park

2011-05-25T13:25:00.000-07:00

So now that I have finished my rant below, I will add pictures from a recent visit with my mother. We went to the Q E Park one day, as she is a gardener and I thought she might enjoy seeing some considering her garden was still under snow or barely moving when she came to visit. I had never been to the Conservatory before. I didn't know that it had birds in it too. When we walked in, our glasses fogged up due to the humidity. (Not necessarily a place that I would want to go in August..) and we were greeted by a Chinese Pheasant who wandered into the front lobby... bright yellow bird, followed soon after by its red mate.

Quite the sights there.

Stuff

2011-05-25T13:18:00.000-07:00

I know I don't write much here anymore.. life isn't really that thrilling lately. I have been trying to clean out this one room of my house. Formerly known as the "guest room", "spare room", and now, it is mostly referred to as the "dump room", where we dump stuff because the house severely lacks closet space. It is frustrating at times because I want to get rid of stuff and yes, it is really my stuff. I am a "collector" not really a hoarder, but I collect "stuff". (For example, I finally threw out cards given to us at our wedding 5 years ago, the reply cards and gift notifications. Why I thought I needed to keep it all is beyond me... but nonetheless.)

The other part of my frustration is that I have stuff that is "worth" something, but no bites on Kijiji or Craigslist. And freecycle people aren't very prompt at coming to get things. There is a Value Village nearby, which has a convenient and easy drop off but I would rather give to Charity if I can. I will have to go up the street to the charity thrift store and see what stuff they take and when they will let me drop stuff off. I'm getting to the point of wanting everything out of my house even if it is worth money. Sometimes, cleaning is more work than you think

2011-03-23T14:56:00.001-07:00

Ugh... now I have to get a root canal. I have had pain for the past 5 days or so from one of my teeth. I thought I flossed wrong, etc. and finally had emergency appointment with my dentist this morning. It took me 45 minutes to get there and 10 minutes for her to tell me what was wrong. That the tooth is dead and I'll need a root canal. So I have a choice; she can do it, and it will take 2 1/2 hours, or a specialist who will take 45 minutes. The annoying part is that I'll be awake for it all.. ew.

2011-03-05T19:20:00.000-08:00

Ever have to break in to your own house?

We did this evening when hubby shoved me out the door without taking the keys. It wasn't funny at the time, but it is now..

She's Fabulous!!

2011-01-07T11:36:00.000-08:00

I love my PVR (personal video recorder) and have corrupted my husband as well. He is now frustrated when he cannot fast forward through a show, because, sadly, he realizes it is live TV.

So over the holidays, there were a slew of movies. And I taped a lot. I was shocked that the PVR was still only 47% full. As there have been days when it is 99% full, so I HAD to watch stuff or I would miss new episodes of my favorite shows.

I prefer to tape the movies from TV v. theatre because there is closed captions. I discovered when I moved here to BC that my TV had closed caption and I haven't been able to watch TV without it. That was 7 years ago...

One of the movies that I watched the other day has given me a new respect for Elizabeth, the current queen of England. I watched "The Queen" starring Helen Mirren, as Queen Elizabeth, as it told the story of coping with the death of Princess Diana. While I realize that it is likely an extrapolation of what occurred (dialogue, etc) the movie was very well done and I have a renewed admiration for the work of Mirren. Quite a good coincidence to have seen the movie about her father only weeks prior. It was almost like a continuation of the story as there were some references to her father's role as King. I particularly liked the line she said when she met Tony Blair, as he was elected Prime Minister. She told him, "you are my 10th Prime Minister. Churchill sat in that very chair and lectured me about duty." I hadn't realized that it was so many...

2010-12-27T19:38:00.000-08:00

Did I mention that I was crazy? I went to more places than just Michaels today. But only bought something at Michaels. I could not find what I was looking for at IKEA (blue cocktail napkins), and when I did find them at Walmart, I was not going to spend $20 (30 count for $2 each, of which I need 300). I didn't make it to the mall to get my pictures.. or groceries because at that point I was annoyed at the crowds and generally frustrated.

So I will have to commandeer hubby to drive tomorrow.

Movies!

2010-12-27T10:28:00.001-08:00

Of course, we have been to the movies these past months... especially in the past few weeks.

We have been to Tangled, which is a Disney movie, about Rapunzel. It is about time that a move was made about Rapunzel. I was told that Disney had plans for this movie since the time of Snow White. It is interesting that there is no remake of Snow White. Why mess with a classic? However, should the movie about Rapunzel been made in the 60's, she would have been a lot different.. in looks and personality. Movie characters are reflective of the time in which they are made..

Anyhow, about the movie. I loved it! and I loved her hair. While they did some poetic license with the tale (as most movies do), it was still enjoyable and fun.

The second movie that we saw was Tron: the Legacy. I didn't/haven't seen the first Tron, but think that the making of this movie in this time was probably a lot easier than it was the first time around. I wonder that we aren't spoiled by the CGI and special effects, that we, the audience, don't appreciate the amount of work that goes into the making of a movie.
I can't say that I loved this one. It was an interesting tale with a good plot, but my reaction is more.. indifference. M'eh.

The latest we have seen, was on Christmas Day. This will probably turn into our new tradition: going to movies on Christmas Day. There were a lot of people there at the theatre, but it was not too crowded at 12:30

We saw the King's Speech, which is the story of Prince Albert, who became King when his brother abdicated the Throne for Wallace Simpson, a woman who was twice divorced. Marrying a divorcee was just not done at the time. Albert did not really want to be king as he suffered from stuttering. As making speeches is common for the job, Albert did not find this to be his favorite part of the job.

Within the first 20 minutes of the movie, I could see why it had been nominated for numerous Oscars. Colin Firth's stammering was superb. It was truly believable!
Of the three I would recommend this movie first, and Tangled for a fun movie for all ages.

Boxing Sales!!

2010-12-26T17:50:00.001-08:00

This morning, we got up... let me rephrase that.. I dragged my husband out of bed at 7:30 a.m. and we drove 10 minutes south to a mall to go to the Source. The Source was not open. But Best Buy was. So we went there and bought ourselves another flat screen TV to replace my old TV that is known as our Wii TV (downstairs). Then we went to Canadian Tire at the Big Bend mall, which was essentially disserted I might add, to get a blender, see if christmas decor was on sale (they were not), look at lamps (which were ugly) and remembered to buy a better snow shovel... so that should we need it here in Vancouver, (the rare times) that I do not have to be annoyed at the metal scraping metal sound.

Then it was 9 a.m. We went home and back to bed for 30 minutes before getting up to go for choir and the 11 a.m. service. It seemed like no one was there. Most people were away.

So I thought about it... and decided at 4 to go out again to Big Bend mall and use my coupon for Michael's. Bought wrapping paper and an ornament, and then found sweaters in a different store.

Tomorrow I will return to Michaels with a different coupon and buy more blank greeting cards for my photo card non-business.(meaning that I plan to sell them but haven't determined the best way to do that yet.)

And I might look for lamps again... and try and find some non-ugly, not Debbie Travis ones.

Hallelujah Chorus - FBC Choir & Friends

2010-12-20T09:21:00.000-08:00

Irony

2010-12-15T11:08:00.000-08:00

So last night I prepare my husband a nice meal. It took time to plan and make (more so than ordering in, or frozen pizza) and the food is on the plate and I wait for hubby to walk in the door.

No hubby.

I take it upstairs and get the water.
No hubby.

I figure it has been 10 minutes. He'll be home soon. I'll start eating.

Phone rings. He tells me he is JUST leaving the office.

why oh why? is it that when the food is ready, he is not. Reminds me of how things went with dad. Food is ready, he is late. or decided to take the afternoon off, thus coming 15 to 30 later than expected. But when things are quite ready, there he was lurking in the kitchen...

irony.

2010-12-14T22:23:00.000-08:00

Classes are done for the first semester of my "new life" and I have a month off til the next set of classes. But there is no rest for the wicked... or so the saying goes.

I have been requested to organize a formal farewell function on behalf of my church for my choir director who is retiring. Not just me... others were asked, but everyone is "too busy" to do it. So, it is me.

So I have been hunting for old photos, had a 2 hour interview with her, have conferred with numerous people, created invitations, and now I have to compile the photos into powerpoint presentations. I still don't know the themes that I will use, but that will emerge once I sort through it all, I suppose.

This week is our annual Christmas party. This will also be the choir's farewell to the director/minister of music, who has been with us for 20 years. 20!! in one place. That is rare! I am the choir gift person. Not sure how that happened but it has been a challenge to come up with different stuff for the past few years. (you know, to outdo the previous year, but not to go too cheap...) I'm sure there will be tears that night too.. sigh. So then in January, I will finally have her final farewell. Lots of work and lots of "opinions" to deal with. *double sigh* People have opinions, but don't want to do the work to get their "vision" in place either.. so they have to suffer with mine. :) Poor things.

This week hasn't been easy though. It's been a busy weekend with lots of events to go to. Lots of singing this weekend with choir. At our church's annual Community Carol sing, it seemed that there were babies and pregnant women EVERYwhere. and it was too hard to ignore. I have had people ask about us "and what about you? aren't you going to... " (get with the program.)
ugh.
Anyhow, this weekend wasn't fun for a variety of reasons. Busy and that other aspect didn't help.

But I'm looking forward to more photography stuff and more classes in January. And I believe that this year, we deserve at least one more big fun trip somewhere. We went to Italy in 2009, and my mother's for Easter. So 2011 should be another big trip to someone "exotic".. meaning DisneyWorld, England, a cruise or... some other fabulously fun place that I have yet to learn about.

Christmas Tree is Finally up.

2010-12-02T08:21:00.000-08:00

The tree is finally up! We didn't get to it last year as we were so busy and just plan tired!! So this year we made the effort to make sure it is up for the first week of Advent.

As you will notice there are some interesting pieces on the tree that one does not often think to put on a tree... (the computer is one of his., the Charlie Brown and Cinderella are mine.)

And this is another one of my possible "still life" photos for my term assignment that is due on Monday.

Christmas decor... what not to do..

2010-12-01T18:35:00.000-08:00

Shared with me about Christmas decor... what not to do.

Photo Shoot

2010-11-19T23:56:00.000-08:00

Today we had another photo shoot for class. We were told to bring props, so .... others got to play with my hats. Most are hats that I don't wear, but still it is rare that I let others wear my hats. I didn't think that the guy (Shawn) would like my hat styles as they are somewhat girlie... on the plus side, I asked my prof why my photos have been blurry (see 2 entries ago.. totem pole pic) and now my pictures hopefully will be properly focused. :)

Everything happens all at once... or is it more appropriate to say.. "when it rains it pours" ?

2010-11-19T11:43:00.000-08:00

It is turning into winter here in Vancouver. There are these odd slush like raindops, snowflakes. And I have had to drive in them all over town for the past 2 days. Not liking it. As it is usually in idiotic traffic lines with people who do not know how to drive (evidenced by the honking horns, near misses, and general idiocy of others).

So it will be a busy few days. Today I have 2 batches of cream cheese brownies on the go, then I have to go to an AGM, and then to class. Pick up hubby's christmas present. Go to Harry Potter movie in the morning. Go to fundraiser in the evening.
little things.

Hubby apparently fainted yesterday at the blood lab because they took 6 vials from him. He is a big guy, but still he was surprised at the fainting part. Luckily, he wasn't standing at the time.
So this is his last day of vacation before returning to work on Monday. Poor thing. He is chomping at the bit to get me off of his computer so that he can play whatever games there are. Well, he will have the next 12 hours I guess.

More photos... and frustrations

2010-11-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

So here are more of my attempts to figure out my photo assignments and my annoying camera. What I have as yet to fathom is WHY the picture looks focused on the camera, but isn't when I get it to the computer screen.... I'm still learning to play with the focus and exposures. As you can see from my failed attempt with the totem poles...

Photo Shoots for class

2010-10-30T20:27:00.001-07:00

These are some photos from my recent class assignments. Even one where I had to be model for the shoot.

2010-10-24T21:12:00.000-07:00

Alas, it has been a hard week. In one day, the washer broke (but will be fixed in 2 days), and I got in hit by a car, luckily, my car is only scratched with one slight dent. Then the renos that we were going to do didn't work, so we have to return a bunch of things to attempt renos in a few weeks time.

And it rained when we had our outdoor photo shoot for photography class this morning. Ah, the joys of life.

Hope next week is better.

Update

2010-10-05T13:53:00.000-07:00

Yipee. More stuff is getting out my house.. supposedly 2 different people are coming to pick up the remaining books. The list started at 129 and is now at 104. (but I think I found a couple more and added them to the pile...)

So now I have to get started on my homework for Friday's class. I have to photograph one object in 4 settings, 25 photos per setting. The idea is to get used to exposure, settings, color and composition. What makes a good picture.. and then manipulate it on the computer in class-- to get it to look better.

So what object shall I pick... more like what hat shall I pick?

2010-10-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

Nothing like waiting an hour to see a nurse, only to spend less than a minute to get the bloodwork done.. the joys of life... (not)

Think I'm in a Rut ...

2010-09-14T14:55:00.000-07:00

I did clean out the room and have piles to get rid of. In the end, I am disappointed that craigslist is not helpful for my contents and I will have to freecycle them. I have been dragging my feet to do things these days as I get a thrill from "getting things" not necessarily from getting rid of things. But I have to do it soon, other wise it'll be time to drag it all back upstairs... again!! as I have people coming at the end of the month for hubby's birthday, plus my mother is coming.

But more than that, I have been thinking about where my life is going. I have been waiting for things to start and my calendar has tons of things written on it for the week and month, but it's not that I'm busy crazy. (which is good). Just tired of waiting for life to get momentum. And when it does, I'm not sure that I can get going again. Summer was so nice and lazy.... darn autumn is coming and expects me to do stuff like fix my garden, etc.

Planning for Fall

2010-09-07T22:00:00.000-07:00

So maybe... I will finally be able to get rid of the pile of stuff that has been in the house. Some of it is clothes. Some of it is dishes (including unused, duplicate or unrequested wedding presents), DVDs that we haven't watched in a while, VHS that we really haven't watched in a while.

The "stuff" has been carted up and down the stairs for months. I mean like at least 4!! Because I find it, take it downstairs to the first floor, so that it will go out of the house. But then I have people over and I have to clean it up because I still haven't gotten around to getting it out or posting it, etc. Ugh!

So now things have been posted on Craigslist and Kijiji, and nary a bite. So.. I will have to either Freecycle it, or give it to a thrift store. I refuse to give stuff to Value Village though because they are for profit. I would rather give to a non-profit, charity type store. So I will have to bite the bullet and ask my thrift store contact if she wants this stuff.

I have made a HUGE dent in the 3rd bedroom, my scrapbook/craft room, the guest bedroom that is no longer. And you can actually walk in there now. Plus I went through boxes and found stuff that went "missing", like antique stuff from my grandma's estate, my tape recorder, the roll of stamps that I knew I had bought, an INSANE amount of Photo frames, and Christmas presents for this year that I bought last year.

Yes, I have started my shopping early, but then that is what I do. I have 11 people to buy for, and 4 done. Most people will just get baking, cookies, etc this year as I have time and if you think about it, do you remember what certain people gave you in the past? Not likely, and cookies are yummy and can be shared with others as well.

I hope I have time to make the cookies, as I will be starting classes part time in a few weeks, and hopefully I get the job from this Friday's interview. If I don't get the job, I think that will be okay because I have school work and enough other things to keep me busy.

Let Me In

2010-09-03T20:13:00.000-07:00

Cute Cartoon... I love this and wonder how much of it is not based on reality....

Runner beats bus from campus to campus

2010-09-03T11:27:00.000-07:00

Runner beats bus from campus to campus

Makes you wonder eh?

Do you Know who this Man is?

2010-08-27T12:47:00.000-07:00

My husband doesn't. Why does this bother me? because he was raised here in Canada and doesn't know one of the great Canadian icons of the recent past. (In case you don't know, it is Paul Anka.)

So we went the movies last month. I grabbed a copy of the movie magazine that they give out for free. I like it because it tells you what is coming out soon and gives reviews of current movies. One of the movies is "The Switch" starring Jason Bateman, and Jennifer Aniston. These are stars of my era so he knows who they are. I was interested in reading that Jason is married to Paul Anka's daughter. I did not know this fact and commented to hubby about this.

Who's Paul Anka?

WHOO is PAUL ANKA?? You DON'T know??? He's like Frank Sinatra for Canada. He wrote "My Way", "Puppy Love" and "Diana". .... I then sang Diana for him...
Hubby knew the songs, but did not know the singer...

Ugh!

Anniversary Weekend

2010-08-08T16:35:00.000-07:00

Here we are... 4 years later and still going strong.

This weekend, we went to Victoria for an annual visit and we actually stayed at the Empress Hotel, not just High Tea! Went to the Butterfly gardens. bought me a new hat... of course. And we saw Ironman 2 on IMAX screen at the museum. And of course, took lots of pictures, trying to learn my new camera...

here are pics.

Update

2010-08-04T12:57:00.000-07:00

Yes it has been a while since I have written about my life.
I finished my final class of cake design and flowers. These are pictures from the final cake. I learned the basket weave technique. And now I have been asked to make my father in law's birthday cake next week. So I have been thinking of what to make.
Tomorrow is my 4th wedding Anniversary. Hubby and I are going to Victoria. When we go, we usually go for High Tea at the Empress, check out the Museum, buy me a hat, and maybe go to Butchart Gardens.This time, hubby surprised me and suggested that we STAY at the Empress Hotel itself!! His comment was that he grew up on the Island, but never stayed there, so why not. Can't argue with that.

Then we return after the day is over and go spend the day at Playland with his work crew, and at the end of the day, I will experience my first BC Lion's game!! So it will be quite the Anniversary weekend.

I'm looking forward to it. Next weekend, we will attend a family wedding with reception at Minter Gardens. And I will have to start baking for another bake sale, as well as continue to purge the house. I am not very active with this one lately. I started with a vengence in the cleaning and sorting, when I first quit my job, but have slowed down mostly due to the heat.

Anyhow, there is my update for now. I know you have been wondering ML, so there you go!!

Review: Inception-- Movie

2010-07-29T07:54:00.000-07:00

Hello all,
Yes I have been "away" from this for a while. I haven't been able to think enough to write anything. Last night, for "date night" hubby and I went to the air-conditioned movie theatre instead of braving heat and crowds for fireworks. We say the movie "Inception" starring Leo DiCaprio and Ellen Page. The critics say that it is confusing, and that you never really know what is going on.... Hubby and I beg to differ, but then we watch a lot of sci-fi movies so maybe we have an edge. The premise is that Leo's character does "Inceptions" for a living. He invades the person's dream in order to extract information, and in turn plants another idea. In order to do this, he has a team of people who enter the dream with him, build it (Ellen Page plays the Architect), and enter into one of the 5 levels of dreaming.
The complexity/confusing part is whether or not what you are experiencing is the reality or the dream. Even Leo's character isn't sure at times.

I think this was well done. Whoever thought of the idea, but also the director and film crew filmed it well. True there are a lot of stunts, including an "antigravity" one, special effects etc. but it was still well done. Often the stunts or special effects get so involved that I wonder what kind of movie I'm at, as the director/actors seem to get so involved with that aspect that it makes you forget how or IF the stunts etc. even fit into the plot.

I enjoy Leo's movies for the most part. As always, he is a snappy dresser (I have yet to see him in a movie in jeans, I wonder if he isn't trying to recreate Cary Grant-isc type persona) and driven actor. Major thumbs up for this movie

Cake Class #4

2010-07-02T14:52:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post pictures of cake #4. We learned how to make roses. Yes, they are a bit pathetic.. but not bad for a first time. I took the cake to a friend as it was her birthday the next day. She enjoyed it and shared with my former co-workers. They devoured it, I'm told. Which is good, because I didn't have to eat it. Nor did my friend eat it alone.

Cute Kid - Video

2010-07-02T14:49:00.000-07:00

HST

2010-07-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

HST petition delivered to Elections BC
Vander Zalm delivered 85 boxes containing 705,643 signatures from disgruntled voters in every riding across the province.

That's a lot of paper and a lot of angst, eh?

New hat!

2010-06-24T10:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was out doing errands and stopped at IKEA. I found a hat there. Of all places?!

It's really a bowl, but it looks like a hat. I HAD to get it. LOL!!

2010-06-24T09:36:00.001-07:00

Yeh! Shatner and Nimoy are coming to town. Boo! I'm gonna miss it!!

Cake Decorating Class #3

2010-06-24T09:23:00.000-07:00

Cake decorating Class #3 was the art of decorating skills. We learned the shell, the pompom flower, rosebuds, and leaves. In the end, I came home with 7 works of art. (The middle one was done by my teacher as she borrowed my cupcake to demonstrate.) So I came home from class, hollered up the stairs to hubby that I home, told him that if he wanted one he had to come pick it for himself. I picked one for me, which was the one in the bottom right corner and took it upstairs. I set it on a tv tray and sat down. Hubby told me that I had a rare call from someone I used to work with, so I called her back. While I was on the phone, I noticed that the cupcake was not as I left it!
He ate my cupcake!! So in the middle of the conversation, I stopped to yell at him about it. His defence was that it was in the tray neat to him, so he assumed that I had brought FOR him. Disgusted, I returned to the call, and he went downstairs and brought me a different one. His other defence was that he was on the computer with headphones and hadn't heard me say, "That is mine, do not touch. Get your own." which I had said very loudly as I walked into the room.

I suppose in hindsight that this is a funny incident in the married life that is us. Even one of my girlfriends began her conversation the next day with "is he still alive?" to which I had to think what she was referring to before answering "barely".

Dvorak Slavonic Dance - First Baptist Church in Vancouver

2010-06-22T14:58:00.000-07:00

The one on the left is Ellen Wang (http://www.aylaungwang.com/) and Jungmi Cho. Ellen is the organist at FBC and also plays with VSO,etc. Jungmi was our pianist for the FBC Choir until February 2010. I believe this is one of Jungmi's last performances at FBC.

Cake Class #2

2010-06-15T22:11:00.000-07:00

So I learned from making the first cake that I really need to take the icing out of the fridge for a day, (to make sure it is room temperature) before trying to use it. Today I saw the difference in consistency and spreadability. It is a chocolate cake with cherry filling, white icing and I learned more about using the icing bags. I still am impressed with myself with my first cake. It looked whimsical. This one.. well, is more a "me" cake, with the hat eh? Next time, I should make the picture bigger.
I plan to go visit my former coworkers for tea and bring the cake. This is the first week of my "replacement" so I guess it is a nice way to usher him in?

2010-06-14T17:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's sermon was "the Witness of the Spirit". One quote from J. Hoffman was this "Evangelism is listening in on a conversation between the Holy Spirit and another person. It only speaks if/when that person is listening."

My First cake!

2010-06-13T15:40:00.000-07:00

I have started a cake decorating class. This is the first cake that I have made. I am taking it to the year end choir party in a few minutes. I realize that it is not the best looking, but I made up for it with whimsy. We will see how it tastes in a bit...

and then the day ended up a tree .. literally!!

2010-06-06T20:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of the best Saturdays I have ever had. I went shopping with a girlfriend, whom I haven't gone shopping with since... my wedding dress hunt 4 years ago. We had a day of it. I picked her up and we went to breakfast at the closest restaurant, DeDutch. I haven't been there much but it was good for what it was. (It's no IHOP, but good.) Then we hit the stores, Diane's, where I learned that I have been wearing the wrong bra. (I knew this according to Oprah that most women are wearing the wrong bra for their body, but I did not know that I was one of them! Glad that's cleared up!)
then we hit Bodacious on Main Street, and Penningtons. We tried on dresses, skirts, tunics, anything worthwhile in the store, .. and actually bought stuff!!

Then since we were close to my house, ran in for a bite and the coupon for Additionelle that I had in my other wallet. Took off for Bed, Bath and Beyond for a look see at their grand opening in Coquitlam, and was pleasantly surprised to find it had a similar layout to the now defunct Linen N' Things, my former favorite store. And ended at Additionelle. Phew!! What a day! It was then 4 p.m. I drove home to pick up my hubby and drove my friend back to her house.

Hubby and I went hunting for a field so that he could fly his model plane. It was a gorgeous day! Clear blue sky, no clouds, sunny and just enough breeze.... so I thought. We learned otherwise when we got out of the car. Hubby put the plane down and gave it a test drive to see how it would go.. and the wind was stronger than we thought. I swear!!! not even 2 minutes later it was STUCK IN A TREE!!
See this is the distance from our car to the tree. (Our car is behind me and the camera.) And it is a TALL tree!

Notice the red arrow. This is where the plane is. Notice the difference in height, keeping in mind that my hubby is 6'7.

So hubby looks around for something to knock it out of the tree with. It is stuck and WON'T budge.

I find him a rock and he starts chucking it up there, mindful of cars and pedestrians on the street. I am holding the remote to see if the plane will get unstuck by the rocks or whatever. There were 3 different people who walked by and see hubby throwing the rock in to the tree, and wonder as we are both staring WAAAY up .. at a tree. "I didn't do this. He did. He got it stuck in the tree. I don't want you to think that I am some crazy woman driver." I said to one couple.
Eventually, hubby gives up throwing the rock and recruits the assistance of some nearby players, and asks for their soccor ball.I end up watching 3 men and hubby lob the balls up there. They hit it, the ball goes over, but still it doesn't budge.

In the end, one of the men climbs the tree to see if he can shake the branch where the plane is. (Notice the orange shirt. That is the guy in the middle of the tree, no where NEAR the plane.)

In the end, a second guy went up the tree even further and climbed on to the large limb attached to the branch where the plane was stuck and shook the thing loose. Hubby takes the plane and immediately flies it while the second guy gets out of the tree, only to discover a) there really is a strong wind, b) both batteries are low or dead. So he gives up and we go to DQ for ice cream at 6 p.m. It is hot, we are tired. I just wanted to go home. I was happy the day was over but thought the whole thing with the plane .. was hilarious!!

Prince of Persia-- go see it!!

2010-06-05T20:27:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have been to yet another movie. This was for "date night". I did not really want to see this movie but it was not my turn to pick. This movie is based on a video game. Hubby was saying that the game's plot is even more complicated than the one in the movie. Oh my. So from looking at the commercials and trailers, I thought it was mostly going to a fighting movie, you know sword fights with very little plot. But I was pleasantly surprised.

Shrek 4: Forever After

2010-05-31T16:10:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah, forgot to say that we went to see the final Shrek last week. How could we not? While the previous Shrek (3) was not so great, and this one was kind of lack luster as well, I will say that Shrek 4 was better than Shrek 3
.
The premise of #4 is that Shrek wakes up one day and thinks.. "is this it? is this all there is? what happened to my life?" and wished that he could have his swamp back the way it was. Him, the swamp, no family responsibilities, people terrified because he is an ogre. So in a "That's a Wonderful Life" theme, Shrek learns what life would have been like had he not rescued the princess and changed his life.

There are great animations, hilarious scenes (especially the Fat Cat in boots, just not the same as it was eh?) and more of that lovable Shrek action that we remember.

Update on life

2010-05-25T15:10:00.001-07:00

Ah yes. It hasn't been more than a week yet since the end of the working life. I have been back to work once last week for birthday cake, and might go back once a week as a volunteer to help with the clothing depot. The clothing depot is a room where the hospital stores clothes for patients in need. Some patients come in with dirty clothes, or they are cut off of them in the Emergency room, while others weren't planning to come or have lost weight, hence they need something to wear upon discharge. There is no consistent person to sort it and about a year ago, I went in on a Saturday to "fix" it and reorganize it. If I do go back, this time my volunteer hours will be credited which will be good for the resume when I go hunt for a job.

In the meantime, I went to Michael's today to get materials to make photo cards. I figure I take enough photos and buy enough cards, that maybe I could learn how to make them. While I was there, I asked about the cake decorating class. I decided to sign up while I was there, or else I would find some reason not to go. So for 4 weeks in June, I shall learn about decorating skills. We'll see how that goes and whether I decide to do more with this, or with photography.

I have been to photo stores, as usual. But have been asking about cameras, as I would like a DSLR camera. I figure if I want to learn to better my skills, or even go in to the business, that I should learn about cameras and see about getting a DSLR camera, as opposed to my "point and shoot" version.

We shall see what pans out. In the meantime, I am enjoying my time off. It feels like a long weekend, but I don't feel like I should be at work, or that I should find another job just yet. I figure I will wait at least a month, to destress, purge the house, and generally relax. I am enjoying the doing nothing and remember the words of my father-in-law, "if it doesn't get done today, there is always tomorrow."

(So don't worry MaryLou, I'm doing fine and hope you are too.)

Foodies Unite!

2010-05-22T06:16:00.000-07:00

Last night, I had the first of what I hope will be many future "Get to know you" Socials at my house. The main premise is this: I have a large group of friends that get together from time to time, and as there are so many of us (about 20), we get together in the large group that we are but do we really get the chance for meaningful conversation with each other. So I thought to invite different friends for dinner once a month, meaning different people, who likely wouldn't spend time together, get a chance to talk over dinner, instead of some noisy room.

It went well. I invited one of my fellow foodies. I don't know her that well, as in we haven 't gotten together often, but it was so great to have her come. I recruited her assistance in the kitchen. "Foodies Unite!" was her response. She was so thrilled to do so. For me, it was practical. I really wasn't sure that I minced the garlic properly, and I wasn't sure about what parts of the green onions that I was supposed to use.

Later I teased her and said, "You put pepper on your salad? I have never seen anyone do this."
Her retort was "this? from the woman who puts corn syrup on her pancakes?"

It is interesting to see what eccentricities people have. I don't know why people think that my use of corn syrup is an oddity, but then I don't understand how people, such as my spouse, can use table syrup. It is essentially water. I think that the reason we used it in my family, was that mom bought it for baking and then figured we should use it more (otherwise it goes to waste). We ended up liking it, and use it all the time. Yes, it is an expensive bugger but then I suppose with the watery stuff people use it twice as fast?

Anyhow, I look forward to future foodies (or non-foodies) gatherings.

Movie Review -- Letters to Juliet

2010-05-20T12:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we went to the movie, Letters to Juliet. My mother, who rarely sees movies even recommended this. "No swearing, no nudity, good clean movie" is essentially it.
"Letters to Juliet" is centred about 2 women; Claire and Sophie, and their quest for love.

In the city of Verona, Italy, there is a shrine set up to Juliet from the famed play "Romeo and Juliet". There is a wall to which women come from around the world to leave letters for Juliet. The Secretaries of Juliet write a reply for each of them. Sophie stumbled upon this and ended up helping to write letters. She found one buried behind a stone that had been written in 1957, and sent a reply. This reply spurred the writer to return to Verona and Italy in search of her lost love. To see if she could find him. In the end, both women find a great love. Sophie realizes that her fiance is an idiot and finds an unlikely suitor, while Claire, played by Vanessa Redgrave, finds her love.

Vanessa Redgrave is superb in this flick. Yes this is a chick flick. Yes I took hubby to this movie and no, he did not hate it.

Musical fanfare

2010-05-14T08:22:00.000-07:00

I wanted to tell you about the hymn sing that we had at our church at the beginning of the month. We are having fundraisers for the new piano. The other one was 10 years old, and we are still trying to sell. The "old" one was wood, while this new grand piano is a black lacquered shiny thing. Because I am in my church's choir, I was in the choir loft the entire time. What a treat it was though. They took our organ out so that the audience could see Ay-Laung playing it. She called on some of her VSO friends to dazzle us with performances as well. One such "friend" is the current conductor of the VSO, Ken Hsieh. He is a world renowned concert pianist and conductor. He was only in town for the weekend, and "only for Ellen, anytime" would he condescend to play in such a small setting. I don't mean it in a negative way, but rather that this is not usually in his schedule, and as a favor to her, they played a duet, with Ellen on the organ and he, on the piano. They thrilled us with Duet Suite by Denis Bedard, movements Maestoso and Presto.

We were also joined by Trumpeter Marcus Goddard, pianist Evelyn Loewen, and soprano Robyn Driedger- Klassen.

Needless to say, it was quite the evening of culture. Now I am looking forward to Robyn's next performance to celebrate Chopin's 200th birthday, with music from Liszt, Mendelssohn, Viardot, Schumann as well. She will be joined by Kathryn Koslowsky Schmidt

Scenes from the End

2010-05-13T22:46:00.000-07:00

So... here it is... 11 p.m. PST on my last day of work. The office is empty except for the books that aren't mine, the keys, the ID, and the manuals for the next person's use.

I'm sure that there are a lot of people who don't know. A lot of people who don't understand.. a lot of people that I will miss. But here it is, an end of an era in my life. And time for the next phase.

I am looking forward to "doing nothing" for a while. No pressure to get up early, not needing to get on transit and fight the cram of a train or bus. Just whatever.

Tomorrow, I will start to clean up the first floor of my house of the "stuff" from the office. Then I will start to bake some things for a bake sale at my church. The last time I did this, I made a cake and it sold .. with the plate for $15. This time, I will also bake for CHOPIN & DESSERT. In honor of Chopin's 200th Birthday, there will be a fundraiser concert featuring Chopin's music with dessert after. Now , it is on to bed.

2010-05-09T17:07:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a busy one, but we ended it with "culture" by going to Chorfest which is an annual choir workshop featuring choirs from all over the province, that ends with a concert. The photo above is the adult choir. Notice there are people above the stage. They are the choir as well. From the different attire/uniforms, it is easy to see which member is in what choir. There was also about 100 other singers from the youth choirs. In all about 200 participants singing on the theme of royalty, meaning songs from Royal events, Coronations and funerals, etc. It was quite impressive.. however my recording via cell phone as posted below, was not...

Shock and Awe

2010-04-28T22:55:00.000-07:00

It has now been 13 days since I tendered my resignation. The reaction has been interesting. There has been shock (one person cried, that I know of. You know who are, you are likely reading this right now. :) he he) and there has been awe. Most people have said "really? why?" or "where are you going to?" (because most people have a plan B set up before they ditch the current plan.)

It has been interesting to see what some people say when I tell them, but I have as yet to tell the bulk of the staff that I work with (as there are so many of them) that I will be leaving. I will finish the task tomorrow and email the head people who will hopefully inform the rest of those who need to know. The reactions have been positive for the most part. Why am I leaving? It is just time to move on to something else. There is no better reason than that. I have been at this place for almost 8 years, I have been challenged and grown immensely, but I sense that there is more to learn in some other ... arena? venue?

I have appreciated the affirmation that I have received from various persons about my contribution to their lives, and while I did waiver at first, I still feel that this is the right move. One higher up person that I work with said that it takes a lot of courage to move on. It is not easy to move to different places, and some do it more than they would like, but he and I both agree, that it is better to make the choice for yourself, rather than to have it made for you. Then you have some control. This is what we tell our patients, isn't it better that you choose than if someone chooses for you. Sure the options aren't always the greatest at times, but isn't better when you pick how it will go?

Two colleagues from the ministry world have congratulated me for taking this step. They said that it is hard to do ministry in a secular setting, especially with the high risk for burnout. So, yes, I am doing this as a preventative measure. To avoid burnout. I love my job and the experiences that I would not other wise have been privileged to be a part of, but in order for me to love the work, I need to go do something else, learn about me and life, and leave the door open to return to this work at a later time.

Still, shock and awe. That is also what I feel about my choice to change. Change is hard to do, but in the end, I know that it will work out for my growth. I'm still shocked that I did it, that I am doing it, but I still have as yet to finish the work assigned. We will see how much more shock I have than awe at that point.

Something Completely Different

2010-04-21T20:12:00.000-07:00

I have done something monumental and drastic... I have decided to change my life.. I hope for the better. Not that there was anything necessarily wrong with the direction that I was going... but I have given notice and will leave my job in a few weeks.

Of course, I have pondered what this means in the grand scheme and momentarily kicked myself.. wondered if I have made a mistake. Momentarily I say ...

So I look forward to the change ahead and wait for the next adventure along the journey of life...

2010-03-27T18:00:00.000-07:00

I had so many weird dreams last night. And you know that feeling when you know it is a dream .. and weird and so you think "enough of this". So the first dream I did that. And as I woke up there was hubby taking my glasses off of my face. I had actually fallen asleep while reading a book in bed, waiting for him to come upstairs. (which he didn't do until an hour and half after I went up to read and wait for him.)

I have never fallen asleep while reading like that. Usually I know that I am sleepy and put the book away. Hope it doesn't happen too much in the future. Perhaps that is what caused so many odd dreams and wakeful fits.

Movie Review/rave

2010-03-13T18:27:00.000-08:00

We went to Alice in Wonderland starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter last weekend. We watched it in 3D. It was quite the flick!! Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, certainly adds another role to his list of zany characters.

So Alice has returned to wonderland as a teenager and had thought that her previous visit was a crazy dream. She is shocked to find out that it was real and that these ... people... are also real. The Red Queen with her HUGE head. The cat that appears at random from the thin air. All of them.

Anne Hathaway's portrayal as the White Queen, deposed by her sister the Red Queen, was not so great. She seems almost naively passive despite the plot to return to the throne.

My favorite scene, of course, was when the Hatter was fitting the Red Queen, with her ENORMOUS head with a variety of hats. Alas the scene was too short... ironically considering he was the Hatter, you would think that he would wear a different hat from time to time...

What the heck.... are people thinking?

2010-03-05T18:38:00.000-08:00

This afternoon, I got on the train to go home and this girl and her friend went for most of the ride with me. I realize that this is a look but whoa... I think it is meant for the runway, not real life. The skirt is a hoop skirt, or hard crenolin, like a tutu and then her eyes had jewels under them. Like.. um... barbie wanna be? Notice the heel in front of her. Her friend was dressed in black, with majorly platform shoes. When they got off, the girl reading her book and another woman exchanged looks that said "what was that??!"

Irony... or Monty Python ish retort?

2010-02-26T15:31:00.000-08:00

In Answer to Your Query

Noami Lazard

We are sorry to inform you
the item you ordered
is no longer being produced.
It had not gone out of style
nor have people lost interest in it.
In fact, it has become one of our most desired products.
Its popularity is still growing.
Order for it come in
at an ever increasing rate.
However, a top-level decision has caused
this product to be discontinued forever.

Instead of the item you ordered
we are sending you something else.
It is not the same thing, not is it a reasonable facsimile.
It is what we have in stock,
the very best we can offer.

If you are not happy

with this substitution
let us know as soon as possible.

As you can imagine
we already have quite an accumulation
of letters such as the one
you may or may not write.
To be totally fair,
we respond to these complaints as they come in.
Yours will be files accordingly ,
answered in it turn.

2010-02-22T21:40:00.000-08:00

So the Olympics are here. So are the celebrities...

yesterday someone called my hubby to ask how long a wait is at the ER where I work. I said it depended on why you are going there. He said that he was bitten by a celebrity's dog. Hubby did not know the guy, but I sure did as I watched DOOL for over 15 years before giving it up.

I hate being sick...

2010-02-14T11:04:00.000-08:00

Talk about timing to be sick. I'm not surprised as I typically get an annual cold in February. Where this one came from I have no idea. I phoned hubby to ask him to bring home milk after choir practice. His response to my voice was "Boy, you don't sound good." as at that time, my voice got worse. Lower and more congested.
Today I remembered that we were going to pick up a fellow choir member due to the Olympics shutting down streets, and transit routes being messed up. I joked that I could sing tenor, while she joked that I could be bass. So I stayed home, again.
So I have tried vitamin C, Orange juice, strepsils, Sinus pills, and finally had to pull out the big guns and use Neo-Citron Total. It seems to work. Mostly...
I'm supposed to be on call this week coming... I don't know if I can go tomorrow, or if I would get sent home. You know.. working at a hospital and all.

In the meantime, I am indulging with Olympics on TV (some, as I am much of a sports fan.) and old movies. Old movies are my sick day treats. Cary Grant, Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, and of course what ever is on the PVR that hubby doesn't typically watch with me.

Things that make you go hmmm?

2010-02-08T11:25:00.000-08:00

Frustrating facts about blogging

2010-02-06T14:11:00.000-08:00

Talk about annoying!! I keep getting weird spam comments to my posts. Advertising websites or investment products or .. something somewhere. Luckily I moderate comments on my blogs so the inappropriate stuff doesn't get posted, but it is annoying.

Talk about a new way to do spam. If it isn't your email, they find a way..

CAKE!! A party and more Cake!!

2010-01-31T18:20:00.000-08:00

.. I am getting older.. but is that why I did that?

2010-01-28T10:35:00.000-08:00

I had a "senior moment" today. I have joked that I have been getting old since I hit 23, as I noticed that my "senior moments" are increasing. I would put down the pen and not be able to find it despite hunting my entire desk for it, where I am sure it was "just a minute ago. It didn't grow legs..." I then later put it off as scatterbrain-ness, or the fact that I work with the elderly, most of whom have dementia. To paraphrase a mother's day card that I once gave to my mother, "dementia is contagious, you can get it from your kids." I have used "dementia is contagious..." followed by " you'll go crazy after working here a while, or maybe I already was" ...

So the "scatterbrain" moment of the day is the fact that there is some work being done at my house. The Kitchen will get the final seal put on the counters, hnece I had to make sure it was cleaned off and empty the sink. So I did this, and it threw me off. I FORGOT TO PUT ON MAKEUP TODAY. and I didn't realize it until I was at work for an hour. So now I have to spend the day with no makeup on. I am not used to this, and sure I can't see myself, but I know!! AND I brought the camera as it is someone's last day tomorrow, AND I get cake as it is my birthday tomorrow (and I am taking the day off to go to the spa.) No makeup tomorrow I understand... maybe I was hoping today was tomorrow and jumped the gun..?

what was i thinking? another blond moment

2010-01-26T21:55:00.000-08:00

Every few months, hubby and I clean out our bookshelves and purge. I discovered that he was getting rid of the book "Mists of Avalon" which I never read but have watched the movie. So I have been reading the book, which is quite thick but remember that I loved the movie. So I asked him to download the movie for me. Which he did. Today, I found the DVD of said movie that I own... on the shelf. What was I thinking? (or not. LOL)

2010-01-19T20:36:00.001-08:00

Out with the Old.. in with the New

2010-01-16T14:41:00.000-08:00

So 2 days before Christmas break, the washer/dryer up and died on us. Complete with a "magic smoke show" as hubby puts it. There was smoke coming from the side of the dryer and the smell of burning... metal, I guess it was. Well that was that. I figure the old machine was as old as the house .. so.. 13 years old.
Guess it was a good thing that hubby hadn't yet bought me my Christmas present, so on Boxing Day, when we returned from the in laws, we drove to Home Depot and bought the new set. As you may have read in my previous posts, we were less than impressed with the service when we changed the delivery day and even got a response from some Home Depot rep from Atlanta, complete with email correspondence.

So a week later, our in laws came through on their way to a trip and helped put in a new floor. We ripped up the vinyl floor (that was curling away from the walls) and put down a hardwood floor. Father in law works at Habitat for Humanity thrift store where contractors dump scraps and people bring furniture and what not. So our "new" floor cost $2 total, plus labor (*wink*).

I LOVVEE my new washer set. After we figured out the stacker kit, I dumped in my laundry that weekend and after figuring out the dials and settings, was sooo happy to pull out fresh clean smelling laundry.

Now I should go down stairs and see if hubby needs help with my actual Christmas present. IKEA furniture to go in the area vacated by the piano. I look forward to having a place to put my linens again, as the table cloths and place mats get strewn around or mixed with sheets on another floor.

Hats!! What a life...

2010-01-06T21:41:00.000-08:00

The other day, hubby was flipping through the channels and we found the "World Chocolate Championship 2009". When we flipped through, it was mostly over and the contestants were making hats!! out of chocolate! The WHOLE THING! The contest was set in Paris, and so the theme was "Couture", hence the hats.

Movie rave...

2010-01-06T21:27:00.000-08:00

Forget what I said about Sherlock Holmes. It was an action movie more than the versions that I grew up with. My mother did NOT like it as well as Jeremy Brett's protrayal. BUT I so recommend the new Disney movie The Princess and the Frog.

This is a delightful story with such good messages. It is not necessarily the fluffy everything works out in the end type move. There is honesty. There is the villian. There is heartbreak. and of course, the girl kissed the frog... and turned into one herself!! as opposed to the typical frog turns to a prince and they live happily ever after.

One of the songs had the lyrics about thinking not about what you want, but about what you need. There is a difference between what we need and what we want. For most people, it is hard to separate want from need. Such as when I go shopping, and the 3 questions to ask when shopping: Do I want it? Can I afford it? Do I need it? Often the answer is no, I don't need it, and it is a bit pricy, BUT I WANT IT... and usually the last one overrides my good judgement and I buy it. I will expand on this need/want issue in my other blog. But I SOO recommend this. It is not a just a kid's movie regardless of it being a cartoon.

Annoyed at Home Depot

2009-12-28T18:55:00.001-08:00

So.. the annoying saga continues. We went to a different Home Depot and got a stacker kit. so then we went to the first Home Depot to get them to change the delivery date from the 23rd to the 6th so that I can do laundry sooner rather than... a month later.

So we get a stacker kit for the washer/dryer and go to the first store. Drive far. far.. didn't get lost as we did the first time we went (saturday evening as we were coming from the #1 highway) and get to the store. Same department, new person to deal with. Very nice person but... did not really do what he said he would. Long story short, we still have no confirmation about delivery of new washer/dryer. In the meantime, we cleaned up the first floor and parts of the second floor just because it was needed, and because I don't really know where everything is, and because we need room to put things from when we rip up the laundry floor.

In all of the excitement (sarcasm to be noted), hubby woke up this morning thinking that it was Sunday and nearly freaked thinking we would be late for church, that we obviously did not get to yesterday. Luckily we have no obligations this week as the holidays have suspended choir, bible study and any other groups we are in.

Christmas Holiday wrap up

2009-12-27T16:25:00.000-08:00

We began the holiday weekend by trying to sort out the mess left from the kitchen counter installation. We have been waiting for the final sealant to be applied. The person who does this is not committing to a date as his wife was due to give birth. So while I have cleaned up the other 2 floors, the 1st floor is still in disarray.

So while we were packing to go away for the weekend, the washer/dryer, that has likely been in the house for 16 years, decided to give us a smoke show and died. So it's a good thing that we hadn't bought anything major for Christmas as now we have to replace the laundry. We however need to get a stackable due to the space that we have for the laundry. Ugh. Living in townhouse complex can be annoying. I hope that when we buy a house, a stand alone house, that it will have a good layout. One that makes sense.

So we have ordered our new set, but can't get it delivered til later than I would like. Actually the set can be delivered, it is the stacker kit that the company is out of... irony eh?
You would think that they would have had more foresight than this.

A grittier Sherlock for another decade

2009-12-27T16:09:00.000-08:00

This weekend we went to see Sherlock Holmes, directed by Guy Ritchie, starring Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, and Rachel McAdams. Mark Strong was a formidable villain in Lord Blackwood, reminding me of Al Pacino in some aspects. Just when I thought the plot was wrapping up, it expanded and surprised me.

I haven't see Downey Jr. in anything since Ally McBeal (the days before his plummet to addiction and waking up in a stranger's house after a evening of stonedoutofhismind time) and I know that he has been in some flicks since, but man... he was good. I have watched Sherlock on TV starring Jeremy Brett. I wasn't overly thrilled at the time, but this rendition of Holmes was fabulous!! The dialogue was clever and there was certainly a lot of action including Holmes fighting in what would now be termed UFC.

2009 - A life in pictures

2009-12-21T22:53:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

2009-12-19T17:26:00.000-08:00

Wahoo! the kitchen is finished. Well it has been finished since.. the 11th, last Friday. But I haven't had time to even clean up enough to enjoy my new counters. The day after the counters were installed, I had piano movers come and take my piano that was sold a few weeks before. Then we went to Costco to buy food for a church function, made vegetarian lasagna, then the next day I cooked for 60 people. Now the kitchen people are coming back again this week (we hope) to apply the permanent seal. Still I have no idea where some things are, so I've started to put the kitchen to rights.
Only to discover that the dishwasher was not "reinstalled" properly, as water pooled at the bottom. Hubby and father in law figured out what as wrong, not before I nearly flooded the floor.

Anyhow, we will have to work on this some more tomorrow.

Snag in kitchen renovation

2009-12-06T15:14:00.000-08:00

So... hubby and I decided to replace the kitchen counters. We picked the stone and had it ordered. That was... 3-4 weeks ago. Now we have been told that the granite has been shipped, but is stuck at the border. This is the stone that we picked. It is called New Caledonia. However... this is not the stone that we are getting. We were given the option of waiting until mid January, but really I just want this done. I just realized that the tax rebate would not be valid if we didn't do it this month. So... we went with option 2 and looked at another stone that is a variation of the same stone at a local place.

So... December 17th, here we go. I'm told it takes 2-3 hours for installation. Including removal of the old one, and installation of the sink. Wahoo!!

Rude greeting in the morning email

2009-12-04T20:04:00.001-08:00

Talk about a way to start my day... I realized this morning that my hotmail was hacked... They used my vacation status and signature to send this

Dear sir/madam:
Please forgive us to disturb your valued time.
This is a big wholesale company in china, sell electronic products to all the world,such as laptop, camera, phone and so on. We can offer the low price and high quality to you. If you have free
time, please take a few to visit our official website: XXXXXXXX
Then any questions, please contact us freely.
Email: *********************

Temporary use your e-mail, I am sorry

Like... What the heck is this??? So I called my hubby at work, who works for a computer company. (helps to know ppl eh?) who told me that I was not the only one. He said that it was likely a program that hammered my account until it guessed my password, and likely don't even know... but I changed it anyhow.

EERRGGH!! If I have to change my email yet AGAIN.. I will be be freaking UPSET!!

Life Ennuyeux

2009-12-02T17:44:00.000-08:00

So yesterday I lost my pager in the alley between work and the local businesses when I stepped out at 10 a.m. to finally get my breakfast. I didn't notice until 11:30 a.m. Some wonderful person found it but did not take it to the hospital, instead they took it home. The person had been to an appointment and took it to the other end of town... luckily it was closer to my house than I thought. Still annoying. So .. they gave me the on call pager. The pager fo the whole building. Joy!!

Irony #876509

2009-11-18T15:37:00.000-08:00

Retail Therapy

2009-11-17T22:19:00.001-08:00

I remember the first time I heard this term.. one of my former colleagues used it 3 years ago as her stress relief from a hard day at work. Retail therapy.... applies to the splurge on the big ticket item... or even a small trinket. Perfect for me as Hubby coined the term "shiny" for me upon taking me to the mall. His family saw "shiny" whenever I saw hats at DisneyWorld on our first family trip post wedding. The thing that I have had to learn about "retail therapy" over the years is that I had to prevent my impulsive nature from kicking in. It doesn't always work, but I am not as bad as Kinsella's character, Rebecca Bloomwood, in Confessions of a Shopaholic. The book is way funnier than the movie, but then movies screw things up all the time as she doesn't come to America until the sequel, Shopoholic takes Manhattan. Anyhow, my sister taught me to ask 3 questions before purchasing an item: Do I want it? Do I need it? Can I afford it? If your answer to any of these is no, then do not buy it. or amend to put it down and come back if you REEAALLLY I have also learned that if and when you find something you like, particularly clothing, you should buy it in all colors that appeal as it is likely you will never find this fit or style that works for you again.(This is a tip that I learned from someone's Facebook status when she posted that she found a shirt that she liked SOOO much that she bought it in 14 different colors!!! Oh my. I won't go to the length of 14 colors, but I do remember buying 3 colors of the same shirt in the past 6 months.)

I plan to hunt down my current favorite pair of jeans. I typically shop at Reitman's, and Additionelle. So I had to figure out the brand name and who sells it. Hoepfully I can find another pair. I bought them because I wanted another pair of jeans that worked, but weren't really blue denim, you know. There is sort of a dress code at my office. While other departments wear jeans whenever, specifically blue jeans, my department is understood not to wear them except Causal Friday. Well, I have invested in various colors of comfy denim over the years, Forest Green, Purple, Beige, and the quinessential Black. My favorite black jeans are actually from Walmart, but I seem to have gained weight yet again, (probably from pre-halloween and post halloween and inbetween indulges) and so they aren't the same anymore.

So tomorrow I will go to the store to buy groceries, mail an important letter and stop at Reitmans to see if I can find another pair of comfy "Tall, boot cut" dark blue denim jeans. Do I want them? yes Do I need them? Of course!! can I afford them? How can I not??!

Wish lists again...

2009-11-15T16:07:00.000-08:00

Ah yes, it is Christmas time yet again. My mail has brought the catologue for Precious Memories a store from my hometown. I have bought some china related items for my mother in the past and so they send the catalogue every November. The other catalogue that I have been skimming is the Hallmark dreambook from which I have bought a few 2009 gifts already. And some for me. I went to the store in September when most had come out. If you don't go ASAP, you get nothing. Last year, I had been hunting for the shoe tree ornament for gifts and left it to last minute... dumb thing to do.

I will have to work on the wish list for the 2009 season while I finish up the gift list/shopping for the year.

Irony about Holidays

2009-11-14T17:24:00.000-08:00

So I saw on Facebook that one of my friends has her tree up for I guess the past week, and another is starting to put her Christmas decor up this week. So I thought about when/if I will pull out the Christmas decor and tree for this year, and realized that it is easier to unpack Christmas decor than it is to put it back.

Meanwhile, I recalled my recent holiday/vacation trip where it was easier to pack than it was to repack....

so the irony of it all eh?

Choir

2009-11-13T12:37:00.001-08:00

This is the choir's performance on November 8th.

movie

2009-11-01T16:38:00.000-08:00

What a fun movie!!! Hubby said that it had allusions to various movies and things... minesweeper, star wars, but it was still fun.

stigma? hmm

2009-10-30T15:34:00.000-07:00

I just saw the weirdest thing. Well considering it is Halloween soon, not so weird. So I am home due to a head cold and it affects my hearing. Hubby says it is stress. Any how, ironically I was watching a new talk show by Dr. Oz, of Oprah fame. He is answering questions about various health issues. One woman was on, she is probably 30, and lost hearing in her 20's. She was complaining about the difficulty to adjust and the stigma associated. They fitted her with this device, called an extended wear hearing aid. Forgive me but I'm sceptical. This is obviously for a certain type of hearing loss. But they literally put it IN THE EAR CANAL. and she could hear without wearing the aid.

I have never seen this before. It is something wow, but I got a kick out of the way it was presented. It is true that hearing loss can be a stigma, but I don't think it is that much of a stigma. (This after 30 years ... hmm.)

Scenes from Another World

2009-10-03T04:43:00.000-07:00

As you can see from the history, I have not posted a while. I went on a much anticipated and much needed vacation. Usually once a year, we (hubby and I) go on a "big trip", meaning far away from our place. This involves alternating between visiting my family who are on the other end of the country, and the cost of airfare is tres tres $$$$, or somewhere exotic, meaning I haven't been there before. (You know, Disney, Hawaii, the mountains..)

So I asked hubby earlier this year about vacation and his suggestions. He decided on Rome. He wanted to see it, and I wanted to go somewhere that I had never been before. So we went on a cruise that started in Barcelona!! (Spain) and the ports of call landed us in France, Italy, Croatia and Greece, returning to Barcelona. 14 days of foreign soil, foreign languages, foreign foods, foreign currency and interesting customs when it comes to traffic (people seeming to drive or walk wherever and whenever they want), hours of business, history and architecture.

Here are some points that I realized while on my trip:

1. There is more to the world than the North American view. Life does exist outside of our walls with a far different viewpoint than just that of the dominating American view, and our quaint Canadian adaptations.

2. Traffic is everywhere. Talk about confusing cues. In Barcelona, where spent the first 2 days prior to our cruise departure, we stayed in the heart of downtown close to the action. The first thing we noticed was our cab ride to the hotel. The cars of choice are small, like Yaris
SMART, and Minis. I think that the largest vehicles, aside from delivery vans, would be a minivan usually seen as a cab. And there were tons of scooters.

3. A crosswalk, traffic light, or intersection is not a given. Just because it is there, does not mean that the scooters or pedestrians will stop. Pedestrians, especially, run risk of getting run over. Scooters tend to go wherever they want, parking on sidewalks, going in the opposing direction of traffic, and my favorite, if there is a gap big or small enough to slip through, they will and so will 10 other people.

We were on a touring bus. The Hop on, Hop off type when you tour the city and can get off at whatever stop interests you, and then return to continue the tour at your leisure, your timing. We rode on top as it is a "double decker without the second lid" and were at the front.
There were times when we wondered if the driver ran someone over, not because we felt a bump or screeched to a halt, but because we saw someone walking or a scooter and then we didn't see them. In one city, we were at the front, on top, and the bus stopped due to the fact that cars park on both sides of the road. The driver was waiting for the opposing lane to move so that he could move over another inch to avoid a parked car. While waiting, the gap between the parked car and the bus being about 5 feet was the prime path for numerous pedestrians and scooters racing by.

What I found interesting about the intersections is that most are roundabouts, with a difference. In North America, the pattern tends to be that at the intersecting point there is a traffic light and crosswalk. In Barcelona, the crosswalk is down about 5 metres and in between the roads, there are rows of cars parked, including doubleparking!!

Hat event!!

2009-09-11T10:17:00.000-07:00

Ok so it's not JUST a hat event. I was looking through the paper this week and found an ad inviting women, I assume, to purchase tickets for the 4th Annual Pret-a-Pour Tea fundraiser. A "Mad Hatter" Themed Tea Party. Well, any event involving hats and I am interested. However, it is on a Tuesday in October. So I likely won't be able to go as I have to work. *big pout*

Julie & Julia -Review

2009-09-07T22:11:00.000-07:00

This weekend, we saw Julie & Julia. While it has been out for a week or so, the theatre was still packed. Had we gone later, we would have had to sit apart or right in the front...

I have never seen Julia Child in action, but from what I saw in this movie, she was quite the character. Meryl Streep played Julia, while Amy Adams played Julie. Julie worked for a government agency but had aspired to be a writer. Her friends were sucessful business women while she was an unaccomplished writer. Julie decided to do something that she loved.. to cook. Somehow she decided that she would try to cook her way through the cookbook written by Julia Child, in one year. Over 500 recipes in 365 days.

We also see Julia's passion and rise to fame. The stories are very different, but similar strains. Both struggle to embrace their passions, and find fame while doing so. What I loved and learned is that Julia made hats (my passion) before finding fame at her passion (french food).

I haven't really watched Ms. Streep that often, but she was fabulous in this movie, and brought the character to life. I regret that I did not watch Ms. Child in action while she was alive, but hope to see her passion come alive on screen when I find her old shows.

A wonderful story. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll laugh some more..

Stuff from email forwards

2009-09-05T19:28:00.000-07:00

Photos from Butchart Gardens & the Empress

2009-08-30T19:51:00.000-07:00

New Hat!!

2009-08-30T18:40:00.000-07:00

I am so annoyed with myself. I have been to Victoria 3 other times and this is the first time that I had been to Roberta's hats. It took me all of 5 minutes to pick and buy this hat! That was not annoying but a thrilling find. I look forward to returning there again. ANNNDD it came in this box as the bag.

Relaxing weekend.?? What a start.

2009-08-30T18:27:00.000-07:00

So I totally forgot to mention the BEGINNING of the trip.. that made me wonder how it would go in the end. We went the ferry terminal on Friday evening, and had time to run in and get some food for supper. We had about 30 minutes until they would call boarding. On our way out I got stopped by a woman who looked vaguely familar. "Hi Honey, do you remember me?"
"You look vaguely familiar. How do I know you?"
"Oh you look like someone I know. Do you have a sister?"
"Yes, but she lives in Nova Scotia."
"Oh well did you pass by here earlier?"
"Likely, when we came to get food." answered my husband.
"That's it. That's where I knew you from." (then there was a hard sell for makeup, complete with "honey do you want to change your life?" to which I said, "I already did when I met him." but that didn't seem to phase her. "You are a tough customer. But I like you. I am going to change your life and give you a deal.")

So that was interesting. There was NO way I could get her to stop and frankly I was looking for some foundation, so... it worked out in some way, but I detest hard sells and people telling me that I "HAVE TO " do something. Especially those who do not accept any answer to the contrary. Ugh.

So much for a relaxing getaway

2009-08-29T16:03:00.000-07:00

We are in Victoria, BC for a weekend getaway. We are here specifically for the current featured exhibit at the Royal BC Museum, "Treasures of the World". It is on tour from the British Royal Museum, and is only a snip-it of the London's collection. It was ... enthralling, starting with the origins of civilization, Africa, Egypt, Greece.. and going through the various global regions. I was so excited when we got to the Egyptian exhibit, I nearly cried. I have loved archeology for years, and have devoured various books, but it was a sacred privilege to be near such ancient pieces of history, to see (and in same cases) handle for myself.

The not so relaxing part is that we got here yesterday after cramming ourselves and our car on to a small ferry from the mainland, and arrived at our hotel after 10. I had requested a King sized bed. We got a room on the second floor, which was not the same one as before, it was actually next to the previous room. But the bed was not really a king. It was 2 twins put together. The worst sleep of our lives. Hubby woke up complaining of a sleepless night and a cold coming on. So we requested another room. Now we have a REAL kingsize bed with a "real" mattress. It is soft. It has no seam. So we look forward to a relaxing night of sleep this evening when we return.

So we ahve been to eh Museum, and have reservations for High Tea tomorrow. Of course, I have just the hat, but we still went to Roberta's Hats and bought me another for the collection. So now we are off to Butchart gardens before the day ends..
it is only 4 p.m So much to do...

pictures will be posted later as we need to go...

Time Traveller's Wife

2009-08-18T11:30:00.001-07:00

Last night, some of us went to see this movie. The girls and I were thrilled as it was a book that we loved from our book club. Its screening was delayed a year. While it did omit certain aspects of the book, and changed the ending totally!! it was still a good movie.

It is told from the point of view from the "time traveler". At age 5 or 6, he discovers that he can travel through time. It is genetic and he cannot control when or where he will travel. It showed the passion and love of this couple, and the frustrations that Claire faced when he "disappeared". Such as he did on his wedding day, 5 minutes before walking down the aisle, again on his wedding night, and various other times.

There are some very funny moments as well as tears. Hubby said that while it didn't focus on the time travel too much (he likes Sci-fi), it was a good movie and he liked it. (Even if you might call it a chick flick!! hehe)

Smile of the day

2009-08-18T11:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the mail brought one envelope addressed to me from one of the para-church organizations that I donate to. It was empty.

I sent them an email comment this morning. Thanks for the smile of the day was the subject.

Yesterday I received your mailing. It was not odd that I received a letter from you, but rather that the mailing was an empty envelope. Hope this did not happen to very many of your letters."
or something to that effect. What I refrained from saying was this. "I assume that it was likely a mailing to request funds. Either, this was a waste of resources, or an ingenious way to impress upon us your need for funding.."