Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Seriously, this has GOT to stop.

(1) It's VERY cold out here these days.
(2) I like baths.
(3) I'm a cold person at the best of times.
(4) I've been bathing way too often lately.
(5) It's drying out my skin.
(6) Frankly, my skin has gone past the point of being itchy.
(7) It now HURTS.

Sorry, Becky, I thought 7 was a bit of a stretch. I really couldn't see myself going to 10.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Wednesday: 2/5; Sunday: 5/5

Those of you who know me in RL already know how much I love movies. Those of you who don't: Well, now you learned something new about me.

I love movies.

No, I don't think you get it: I LOVE movies.

I know it's probably unhealthy and I know there are probably those of you who shake your head at the amount of time and money that I waste when it comes to movies. Frankly, I think the person who spends the most time with me of anyone might even do that. So be it. He knew going in.

And, for those of you who didn't know: The Oscar nominations came out this past Tuesday. (Actually, there's a perfect example of how obsessed I truly am: I had that written on my calendar.) For the past 10 years now I have made it a goal to go and see the 5 best picture nominations before the Oscar telecast. A goal I've accomplished every year. This year when the announcement came out? I'd only seen 2 out of 5! I don't think it's ever been that low. Crazy baby, taking me away from my movies. But, thankfully, that's all been righted now. 5 out of 5. Whew!

Now comes the fun part, planning the menu for the Oscar party. But that's a whole different post.

How you can tell when something's important to you

When your husband uses FF in an email and you immediately think "hmm, how does Folk Fest relate to this?" when he's really meaning fast forward.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Thursday Thirteen

This one's for my sister-in-law. One of the easiest TTs I've ever written.

Thirteen Things I Love About Sue.

1) Years ago I was in a really bad place (and lived with her and her husband at the time) and she loved me anyway.

2) She’s got probably the world’s best giggle.

3) She loves Pearls Before Swine.

4) She is not in any way shape or form shallow. She’s like one of those kids in high school that everybody wants to be like and be friends with and yet still strongly claims that’s she’s uncool.

5) She can form some of the best sentences it has ever been my pleasure to read.

6) She is funny. Delightfully funny. You only have to read her blog for a short period of time to realize that.

7) When we were trying to get pregnant she wrote me a letter about the struggles they’d had. I still marvel (and tear up) at her ability to see outside her own searing pain to help me through my minor inconvenience.

8) When she thinks positive things about someone she says them. I’m trying to learn this from her.

9) She married into a GREAT family. (Hey, I had to throw that one in there.)

10) She has this amazing ability to talk to absolutely anyone graciously. I admire this gift and wish I just had a tiny touch of it.

11) She gives great (translate: thoughtful) gifts:

  • When I was a lot younger (hey, she’s been in our family some 26+ years) she made me a birthday card from pink and blue paper that had several pages and told a story about an elephant. I still have it.
  • When I was in my early 20s she knit me a blue sweater. I still have it.
  • When Abby was born she sewed her a Curious George quilt. Thinking about this makes me cry. Her first quilt for my first daughter. Abby will have it forever (I’ll insist).

12) She is unbelievably kind.

13) She is beautiful. Her smile lights up a room.

Bonus: There is no need for the “il” in sil. She is my sister and one of my best friends too.

Monday, January 22, 2007

I know what you're thinking: AGAIN with the shoes

But, seriously, I think this might be the last post about infant shoes. Why, you ask? Well, guess what! We found some! (I know, you've been waiting with baited breath, haven't you?) And we didn't need to give up on any of our ideals OR spend all day Saturday looking for them (they were in the second store we walked into) OR spend a lot of money (they were on SALE in an already reasonably-priced store). Yes, we were nearly giddy the rest of the day.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Thursday Thirteen

1. On the way home from the theatre (ooh, I sound so cultured saying that) last night I let 6 people in front of me. 6 different cars. And not ONE of them waved me a courteous "thank-you" wave. Is it too much to ask? A quick little wave of thanks?

2. We are already at the stage where we "have" to spell things out in front of Abby. There are so many things she understands already and so many things that if she can't have them immediately she'll be bummed. At this point I'm rather pleased with the ones we have to spell out: walk (as in, do you want to go for one?), nap, cookie and bath. As I've said several times before: That's my girl.

3. Serious question here ('cause I honestly can't remember). What did we do before things like "lol" and :-)? How did we convey in correspondence that the reader was to find the previous sentence funny? Did we just assume (gasp!) that they might catch on all on their own?

4. Jesus Christ Superstar: What fun. Incidentally, Ted Neeley has been playing the part of Jesus longer than Jesus did. [Insert appropriate emoticon here.]

5. My coworker is leaving on 2 weeks holidays starting this Saturday. (Yes, my Jim of a previous entry.) We're very busy with 2 of us here. I don't know HOW things will work with only one of us and that one being me - the new girl. I vacillate from thinking everything will be okay and I'll just do what I can do to panicking in an extreme manner.

6. The weather seems to have turned around finally. It's amazing how warm -14 C can feel coming out of a stretch of -30 C.

7. Still no luck on the shoes. Sigh. We're now at the point of scratching some of our ideals off the list.

8. Speaking of the shoes: I cracked a funny one the other day without even trying. (Frankly, this is quite something for me. I'm not really all that funny - trying or not.) A little background: Abby's nickname is Little Joe. And the "Little" has been replaceable with other adjectives. When she was a baby she was Pukey Joe. She has been on occasion Farty Joe. And so on. Can you see where this is headed? J-L and I were talking on the phone the other day. He asked about the shoes and if I'd had any luck finding any yet. My reply: "Nope [sigh]. Apparently she's just going to be Shoeless Joe."

9. I'm an unnaturally cold person. (Hopefully only physically.) During the winter I am quietly pleased with my space heater at work kicking in every now and then, warming my feet.

10. Crap. Now I'm at 10 which is really so very close to 13 so I have to keep going which will be tricky since I have zero ideas of random stuff left.

11. I am currently enjoying a bag of peanut M&M's. (THEY put the apostrophe there. I never would have. It's plural, not possessive.) I think it may actually be years since I've eaten these. Why did I wait so long? They are truly delicious. I love the way the candy shell cracks as I suck on it, presenting the lovely milk chocolate underneath.

12. The Scrubs musical is on tonight. I may be looking forward to it a little too much. It's surely not going to live up to my expectations.

13. My husband has apparently rubbed off on me. He has this slightly ocd habit of looking at the insurance stickers on car license plates and announcing if they need to renew their insurance soon or if their birthday is close to his or the likes. Yeah, guess who was doing that on the drive home today?

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Yup, we're teaching her tricks. Who needs a puppy?

(Wendy, this one's especially for you.)

1. Sit down to eat.
2. Please.
3. Thank-you.

The last little hand to the face in sheer embarrassment of her parents is her own special addition.

Stay tuned for "heel" and "lay down".


Let the fun begin.

Over the next 6.5 weeks I have tickets for 6 different events seen with 7 different people. I don't think I can easily describe what this means to me. You know that anticipation you feel as you open a gift from someone you love? You know that pleasure you feel as a delicious meal makes its way to your mouth forkful by forkful? It's a bit like that for me.

And I have 6 of them. 6! That's nearly one per week. Ahh. Blessed.

Update

She's learned! She's learned! And there was much rejoicing and clanging of cymbals in our home last night.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

So soon?

They grow up so fast, don't they?
Just hanging.
Yes, one WOULD think this was a set-up (and yes, I did put the headphones on her) but seriously? that cookbook is probably her favourite book to page through. That's my girl.

Monday, January 15, 2007

Shoes

After two afternoons wasted, I am done. I am weary and I am willing to offer a lovely prize or some money to anyone out there that can find a size 4 infant running shoe that meets the following criteria:

- Does not look as though it was made in 1960.
- Has shoelaces rather than velcro (she undoes the velcro on one shoe before I've even put on the other shoe.)
- Is not covered in princesses or Barbie or Dora or some other pop culture icon.
- Isn't black.
- Doesn't cost an obscene amount of money.

I seriously don't think I'm being unreasonable with my criteria. And yet, after approximately 483 stores (yes, I tend to exaggerate when I'm frustrated) AND ebay being scoured perhaps I am.

Friday, January 12, 2007

2007: Expanded

Since I can't really think of much else to write about at this moment I thought I would expand on my previous post. The fear might not be for what you think it is.

Fear of buying a house: I graduated high school 19 years ago this year. Since that time I have gone on a trip nearly every single year. There may be one or two exceptions but they were rare. Some of the trips were small (Jasper/Banff), some medium (San Francisco, Vermont, Boston, NYC twice) and some were major (Australia, Europe twice) but all of them were good. Frankly, having a trip to look forward to is like a drug for me: addicting, euphoric and something I would do at any cost. I don't know of many people who can say that they've been on a trip nearly every year. And, of those that have been, very few own a house. Do you catch my drift here? I am terrified that those two items are mutually exclusive. That you either travel or own a home. And, that, my friends, is why I am one of those slightly pathetic people that still live in an apartment at the age of 37. I would pick travel over home ownership any day. But, alas, now I have a child. And, it's not all about me. And, I desperately want her to have a backyard to run around in. Here's hoping (and praying) she can have both that and see the world with her mom & dad.

Fear of trying for a second child: Yes, labour was rough and horrible and lasted far too long. But that's not the scary part for me. Not even close. Pregnancy was just so very hard on me. So very, very hard. Emotionally, physically... the whole shebang. Frankly, I'm sitting here crying right now just remembering it. They say you forget. I haven't. I wonder if I ever will. And the thought of actually choosing to go through that again makes me nearly sick to my stomach. So, if anyone wants to start up a collection for me to fly to Africa to adopt a baby I will be the willing recipient.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

2007

Within the next year there is a good chance we will buy a house and start trying for a second child. It's hard to know which of those terrifies me more.

Thursday, January 04, 2007

The Sound of Music

We did not have a television growing up. This was not always easy. There were a lot of times kids at school would talk about shows and I would ache to know what they were talking about. But, it certainly made the times we DID get to watch television that much more special. One of those times stands out very clearly in my mind. The Sound of Music. It was on every year (still is) close to Christmas. And my mom liked it. And so we would pack up and drive to our neighbour's house to watch it. These are such pleasant memories. Gathered in their living room with a family we loved dearly to listen to Julie Andrews sing and to watch The Hills Come Alive.

Yesterday morning at 11:40 am the patriarch of that family died in a car accident. Yet another connection with my youth and my father severed.

Goodbye, Mr. Bateman. I will miss you. But, I will think of you every time I see Captain von Trapp standing quietly on stage strumming the first few chords of Edelweiss.

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Honey, I know the feeling.

Just now, as I put Abby down for a little post-work nap she started to giggle in anticipation. Now THAT'S someone who enjoys sleeping.

That's my girl.

Oh no, not already.

Pretty much every year I get the winter blues. (Last year was an exception. I think being home with Bug helped to suppress them.) Normally they come in February. I think it's the realization that winter is still not over combined with no long weekends combined with little to look forward to.

It frightens me that I can feel them coming on already. Does this mean they're going to last that much longer? I hope not. I hope it's just a fluke, that it's rather just a minor post-Christmas thing or a little pms or something.

Sigh.

Perhaps I should spend some time making a "stuff to be happy about" list.