Friday, September 30, 2005
Misc
I've got the kids home today, due to a strike with the support staff, or the teachers, or someone. I'd like to grab Jean Charest by the hair and shake him 'til he coughs up a few billion dollars for education. Not because my kids are missing school, y'understand, but because it would be fun.
In other news, I've signed up to do the driving lessons so that I can take the test and, inshallah, get my license in November. I'm still of two minds about driving, 'though I'll be happy to be able to. I just sort of like being a non-conformist and not driving a car everywhere. I like my lifestyle and it's based around walking, biking and public transit, to some extent. I have a feeling that won't change much when I get my license, as we will still have only one car and D. will take it to work most days (but he has been biking to work a lot lately. Go D.!).
We are getting new neighbours tomorrow. Apparently it's a couple and their two daughters, age 19 and 20 (the daughters are 19 and 20, not the parents). The mother is Russian and the Dad is Franco-Quebecois. D. joked about hoping to see a hot Russian chick sunbathing in the backyard and I said to him well she might be a lot older than us, you know, to which he looked puzzled and said -- say it with me, ye males of the species -- I was thinking of the daughters, not the mother. I was shocked for about one second, until I remembered that I spent a lot of time at the pool this summer enjoying the unobstructed views of my 17-year-old neighbour boy with his shirt off, working as a lifeguard. Talk about yer Desperate Housewife.
I hope the new neighbours are nice. And fat.
I've got the kids home today, due to a strike with the support staff, or the teachers, or someone. I'd like to grab Jean Charest by the hair and shake him 'til he coughs up a few billion dollars for education. Not because my kids are missing school, y'understand, but because it would be fun.
In other news, I've signed up to do the driving lessons so that I can take the test and, inshallah, get my license in November. I'm still of two minds about driving, 'though I'll be happy to be able to. I just sort of like being a non-conformist and not driving a car everywhere. I like my lifestyle and it's based around walking, biking and public transit, to some extent. I have a feeling that won't change much when I get my license, as we will still have only one car and D. will take it to work most days (but he has been biking to work a lot lately. Go D.!).
We are getting new neighbours tomorrow. Apparently it's a couple and their two daughters, age 19 and 20 (the daughters are 19 and 20, not the parents). The mother is Russian and the Dad is Franco-Quebecois. D. joked about hoping to see a hot Russian chick sunbathing in the backyard and I said to him well she might be a lot older than us, you know, to which he looked puzzled and said -- say it with me, ye males of the species -- I was thinking of the daughters, not the mother. I was shocked for about one second, until I remembered that I spent a lot of time at the pool this summer enjoying the unobstructed views of my 17-year-old neighbour boy with his shirt off, working as a lifeguard. Talk about yer Desperate Housewife.
I hope the new neighbours are nice. And fat.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
The minor frustrations of modern life
Technology always seems to be a "two steps forward one step back" sort of thing for me. A case in point: My c.v. and writing samples are on the hard drive of my old computer. That computer is no longer connected to the internet since I got high-speed. I could download the documents onto a floppy and transfer them to my laptop, but my laptop doesn't have a floppy drive. Rats! So I have to call on my long-suffering friend to get them off my floppy and e-mail them to me. This means a walk up to his place to deliver the disk, which isn't bad in itself, but doesn't this seem like an awful pain for something so seemingly simple? My documents are trapped!
Speaking of high-speed, a note to Bell: If you want to call me and "ask a few questions" about my high-speed connection experience, don't insult and infuriate by expecting me to converse with a recording. Use a real person to actually talk and listen. Then I might not hang up immediately and you might actually find something out. It's called customer service, you fuckers, and it works for you as well as your hostages, er, customers.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Every moment I'm awake, the further I'm away...
Had the most vivid dreams last night. One was super scary, where I heard someone coming into the house through the garage in the night, and couldn't make sleep-addled D. understand what was going on until I could see someone standing outside my bedroom door. It was so real! Fortunately, so was a dream later on in the morning, where Jon Stewart was telling me that he "really wants to get with me." Hee! Unfortunately, as soon as he said that, the baby started to cry and woke me up. I tried to get back to the same dream afterwards, but never even managed to fall asleep. Oh well, I guess I'll have to fantasize instead. Y'know, I never even knew I found Jon Stewart attractive, and today he's all I can think about. Maybe a need to get a real job.
When I went for my walk last night I saw an election poster with, I think, George of Souvlaki George running for City Councillor. What? What experience does he have to qualify him for that position, I wonder? Hmmm... Warren Allmand or Souvlaki George... I've got some thinking to do...
Had the most vivid dreams last night. One was super scary, where I heard someone coming into the house through the garage in the night, and couldn't make sleep-addled D. understand what was going on until I could see someone standing outside my bedroom door. It was so real! Fortunately, so was a dream later on in the morning, where Jon Stewart was telling me that he "really wants to get with me." Hee! Unfortunately, as soon as he said that, the baby started to cry and woke me up. I tried to get back to the same dream afterwards, but never even managed to fall asleep. Oh well, I guess I'll have to fantasize instead. Y'know, I never even knew I found Jon Stewart attractive, and today he's all I can think about. Maybe a need to get a real job.
When I went for my walk last night I saw an election poster with, I think, George of Souvlaki George running for City Councillor. What? What experience does he have to qualify him for that position, I wonder? Hmmm... Warren Allmand or Souvlaki George... I've got some thinking to do...
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Ignorance, or just not caring to know, really
My mother is a bit of a character. I love her, of course, and like her a lot most of the time, but I can't seem to shake the feeling that she just doesn't care to know me particularly well. There are lots of examples I could give, but here's one from last weekend that' s rather amusing to D. and me:
We went to her house for a little surprise party. There were a couple of casseroles, one with meat and one a tuna casserole. As everyone (except me) was chowing down, I heard my mother ask D., Does Becca eat tuna? No? Well, what will she eat then? This after I've spent 21 years as a vegetarian. D. and I crack up about this because she asks this question about twice a year, and of course the answer is always no, and of course she's always completely surprised. Kinda makes you feel special to know that your mom knows you so well, ya know. *sniff* It gets me right here.
My mother is a bit of a character. I love her, of course, and like her a lot most of the time, but I can't seem to shake the feeling that she just doesn't care to know me particularly well. There are lots of examples I could give, but here's one from last weekend that' s rather amusing to D. and me:
We went to her house for a little surprise party. There were a couple of casseroles, one with meat and one a tuna casserole. As everyone (except me) was chowing down, I heard my mother ask D., Does Becca eat tuna? No? Well, what will she eat then? This after I've spent 21 years as a vegetarian. D. and I crack up about this because she asks this question about twice a year, and of course the answer is always no, and of course she's always completely surprised. Kinda makes you feel special to know that your mom knows you so well, ya know. *sniff* It gets me right here.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Checking in...
Been super-busy the past few days, not really with my work, although there has been some of that, but just with the kids, the house, the kids' school. Boy, when you volunteer to help out at your kids' school, you'd better be ready to help out, because they're gonna call ya', yes sir! I'm going to hand out pizza tomorrow at "pizza day", a monthly treat that also raises money for the Home and School. As usual my timing is bad: I got a notice saying that this year they've changed things and the volunteers will no longer be allowed to eat pizza after the kids have been served. Hmph!
I also went down to McGill University yesterday so that the baby could be tested as part of a study they're doing at the bilingual language acquisition lab. The testing was very weird but harmless and the baby had fun afterwards with all the stuffies in the testing room. She even got a tiny t-shirt that says "research assistant" on it as a gift. Too damn cute! We had a blast downtown, cruisin' around and checkin' out the sights and sounds. It was so much fun I've decided that I'm going to try to go downtown once a week and do something fun with the baby.
Been super-busy the past few days, not really with my work, although there has been some of that, but just with the kids, the house, the kids' school. Boy, when you volunteer to help out at your kids' school, you'd better be ready to help out, because they're gonna call ya', yes sir! I'm going to hand out pizza tomorrow at "pizza day", a monthly treat that also raises money for the Home and School. As usual my timing is bad: I got a notice saying that this year they've changed things and the volunteers will no longer be allowed to eat pizza after the kids have been served. Hmph!
I also went down to McGill University yesterday so that the baby could be tested as part of a study they're doing at the bilingual language acquisition lab. The testing was very weird but harmless and the baby had fun afterwards with all the stuffies in the testing room. She even got a tiny t-shirt that says "research assistant" on it as a gift. Too damn cute! We had a blast downtown, cruisin' around and checkin' out the sights and sounds. It was so much fun I've decided that I'm going to try to go downtown once a week and do something fun with the baby.
Monday, September 19, 2005
Emmy lowlights
Boy, was it just me or was the writing for the Emmy awards absolutely horrible? Stilted and stiff and every joke fell with a thud, except when Ellen DeGeneres was workin' her magic. The tribute to Johnny Carson delivered by Letterman was so obviously done by a different writer and well-written that it served to highlight how awful the rest was.
The Emmys are never very interesting to me (I was working on the laptop while they were on.). It's annoying the way they attach some unknown actor from a new show to a well-known one to present the awards, and the "Emmy Idol" gag was a total non-starter. Embarrassing. And Hugh Jackman hosting the Tonys wins over the Daily Show? Shah. There are so many categories that don't belong there -- How does one guest appearance compare with a recurring guest role?
Best looks? My back was turned some of the time, but I liked Debra Messing looking classic and well, I always have a bit of a hard-on for Teri Hatcher. It's an old story.
Boy, was it just me or was the writing for the Emmy awards absolutely horrible? Stilted and stiff and every joke fell with a thud, except when Ellen DeGeneres was workin' her magic. The tribute to Johnny Carson delivered by Letterman was so obviously done by a different writer and well-written that it served to highlight how awful the rest was.
The Emmys are never very interesting to me (I was working on the laptop while they were on.). It's annoying the way they attach some unknown actor from a new show to a well-known one to present the awards, and the "Emmy Idol" gag was a total non-starter. Embarrassing. And Hugh Jackman hosting the Tonys wins over the Daily Show? Shah. There are so many categories that don't belong there -- How does one guest appearance compare with a recurring guest role?
Best looks? My back was turned some of the time, but I liked Debra Messing looking classic and well, I always have a bit of a hard-on for Teri Hatcher. It's an old story.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Update: Working From Home
Well, it's been two months since I made the decision to try my luck at freelance writing, and things are going remarkably well. I've had pretty regular work from one source and occasional work from another, though two potential steady editing jobs have fallen through on the other ends. Considering I haven't done any work marketing myself, I feel like I've managed to get a decent amount of work.
I'm still working out the kinks of working from home, though. I haven't yet learned how to work when I get a little time alone (when the baby naps), because there are just so many other things that need to be done (housework, phone calls, bill-paying-type stuff). So I'm still doing most of my work in the evenings when, let's face it, I'm f---in' tired.
The boy next door takes the kids out for an hour after school a couple of days a week and that allows me to make some calls and send some e-mails, but I'm going to need someone to do that for more than an hour with the baby earlier in the day. After school is just so close to supper time that I usually end up spending most of the "free" hour preparing for that.
The wonderful things about working from home are really great though, and make the odd late-night work session worthwhile: sitting in the back yard with the baby looking at bees on the flowers, going to the children's library and surrounding the baby and myself with books and taking our sweet time, talking with the older kids after school and helping them with their homework, and just not rushing all the time. It's a sweet, sweet deal.
Well, it's been two months since I made the decision to try my luck at freelance writing, and things are going remarkably well. I've had pretty regular work from one source and occasional work from another, though two potential steady editing jobs have fallen through on the other ends. Considering I haven't done any work marketing myself, I feel like I've managed to get a decent amount of work.
I'm still working out the kinks of working from home, though. I haven't yet learned how to work when I get a little time alone (when the baby naps), because there are just so many other things that need to be done (housework, phone calls, bill-paying-type stuff). So I'm still doing most of my work in the evenings when, let's face it, I'm f---in' tired.
The boy next door takes the kids out for an hour after school a couple of days a week and that allows me to make some calls and send some e-mails, but I'm going to need someone to do that for more than an hour with the baby earlier in the day. After school is just so close to supper time that I usually end up spending most of the "free" hour preparing for that.
The wonderful things about working from home are really great though, and make the odd late-night work session worthwhile: sitting in the back yard with the baby looking at bees on the flowers, going to the children's library and surrounding the baby and myself with books and taking our sweet time, talking with the older kids after school and helping them with their homework, and just not rushing all the time. It's a sweet, sweet deal.
Monday, September 12, 2005
A Desperate Season
The end of summer is in the air: the cool nights, the first of the changing leaves, the insane wildlife...
As the weather cools, things are heating up in the animal and insect kingdoms, methinks because they sense the end of their gathering season (or their lives, in the case of insects).
We've all noticed the wasps have grown increasingly daring and "in-your-face" lately (I seem to use that expression a lot on this blog.) But in recent days I have had a bird in my kitchen, sitting under my table eating crumbs and a squirrel sauntering around my house looking for food while I did my crossword in the morning. Now, this home invasion is partly my own fault: I like to feed the birds and squirrels on my back porch, just outside the kitchen. I feed them good stuff, nuts and sunflower seeds and stuff, and the baby and I get a little nature show while they get a nutricious snack. But it has emboldened the little buggers!
Yesterday was the proverbial straw that broke, etc... I had baked a beautiful banana-walnut bread and took it out of the oven before we sat down to our lunch. I put it out on the porch railing to cool, something I've been doing for years. When we'd finished eating I went out to get the banana loaf and lo, there was a squirrel straddling the loaf pan, clawing at the top of the bread and extracting the walnuts! Of course I didn't take all this in at the time. What I saw was a squirrel humping my banana bread and so I screamed very loudly.
The family came running and we all laughed heartily, if a little nervously. Then we discussed what we should do, because, you know, we really wanted to eat that banana bread. The following conversation ensued:
Daughter: "I guess we could cut the top off, the part that touched the squirrel's, um...."
Me: "Undercarriage?"
Daughter: "No. His little hands, or paws or whatever."
Me: "Oh. Yeah."
Daughter: "What's an undercarriage?"
Me: "Never mind." (Thinking: If you'd seen what I saw, you wouldn't have to ask.)
Me: "Let's just eat it."
Everybody: "Okay."
The end of summer is in the air: the cool nights, the first of the changing leaves, the insane wildlife...
As the weather cools, things are heating up in the animal and insect kingdoms, methinks because they sense the end of their gathering season (or their lives, in the case of insects).
We've all noticed the wasps have grown increasingly daring and "in-your-face" lately (I seem to use that expression a lot on this blog.) But in recent days I have had a bird in my kitchen, sitting under my table eating crumbs and a squirrel sauntering around my house looking for food while I did my crossword in the morning. Now, this home invasion is partly my own fault: I like to feed the birds and squirrels on my back porch, just outside the kitchen. I feed them good stuff, nuts and sunflower seeds and stuff, and the baby and I get a little nature show while they get a nutricious snack. But it has emboldened the little buggers!
Yesterday was the proverbial straw that broke, etc... I had baked a beautiful banana-walnut bread and took it out of the oven before we sat down to our lunch. I put it out on the porch railing to cool, something I've been doing for years. When we'd finished eating I went out to get the banana loaf and lo, there was a squirrel straddling the loaf pan, clawing at the top of the bread and extracting the walnuts! Of course I didn't take all this in at the time. What I saw was a squirrel humping my banana bread and so I screamed very loudly.
The family came running and we all laughed heartily, if a little nervously. Then we discussed what we should do, because, you know, we really wanted to eat that banana bread. The following conversation ensued:
Daughter: "I guess we could cut the top off, the part that touched the squirrel's, um...."
Me: "Undercarriage?"
Daughter: "No. His little hands, or paws or whatever."
Me: "Oh. Yeah."
Daughter: "What's an undercarriage?"
Me: "Never mind." (Thinking: If you'd seen what I saw, you wouldn't have to ask.)
Me: "Let's just eat it."
Everybody: "Okay."
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Go Onion!
The Onion has done it again. After 9/11 they nailed the perfect satirical approach, and I think they've scored again with hurricane Katrina. Some people see things clearly, at least.
Isn't it time Americans gave Bush the bum's rush out of Washington and put someone up there who at least knows his ass from his elbow? Now the whole world knows the truth about the Third World inside the US.
The Onion has done it again. After 9/11 they nailed the perfect satirical approach, and I think they've scored again with hurricane Katrina. Some people see things clearly, at least.
Isn't it time Americans gave Bush the bum's rush out of Washington and put someone up there who at least knows his ass from his elbow? Now the whole world knows the truth about the Third World inside the US.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Oh, that Labour Day weekend
Got back last night from a couple of days up north at my sister's. It was truly beautiful. We sat in the sun and talked, went down to their beach, had a bonfire and looked at the star-filled night sky, and had a little ride in the boat. What a way to wrap up the summer. Labour Day weekend is such a treat.
Time with my sister, her husband and their sons (their daughter lives in Mtl) is always great. Being with my sister fills some sort of gap in my life that I forget is there until I see her.
The baby wasn't at her best; she was a bit sick and out of sorts at being in another place. Even the chickens made her cry, and she was very difficult during the night, something that's really never happened before. This put a bit of a damper on things for me (exhaustion, ya know?), but the kids and Dave had a great time and, as I said, I just love spending time with my sister J.
Back to the grind today! Mind you, I didn't get out of my PJs 'til 11:30, so I guess "the grind" is all relative, eh? Sorry, working stiffs!
Got back last night from a couple of days up north at my sister's. It was truly beautiful. We sat in the sun and talked, went down to their beach, had a bonfire and looked at the star-filled night sky, and had a little ride in the boat. What a way to wrap up the summer. Labour Day weekend is such a treat.
Time with my sister, her husband and their sons (their daughter lives in Mtl) is always great. Being with my sister fills some sort of gap in my life that I forget is there until I see her.
The baby wasn't at her best; she was a bit sick and out of sorts at being in another place. Even the chickens made her cry, and she was very difficult during the night, something that's really never happened before. This put a bit of a damper on things for me (exhaustion, ya know?), but the kids and Dave had a great time and, as I said, I just love spending time with my sister J.
Back to the grind today! Mind you, I didn't get out of my PJs 'til 11:30, so I guess "the grind" is all relative, eh? Sorry, working stiffs!
Monday, September 05, 2005
The Silver Lining
Sure, the CBC lock-out is a travesty, a mockery, a cryin' shame! But I just realized as I was doing the dishes tonight: No more "Promo Girl Mysteries"! Woohooo!
Sure, the CBC lock-out is a travesty, a mockery, a cryin' shame! But I just realized as I was doing the dishes tonight: No more "Promo Girl Mysteries"! Woohooo!
Friday, September 02, 2005
Sniff!
Yesterday was the first day of school for my 2 older children. Although I 've been looking forward to their return to school and a return to some kind of structure in our family life, I felt a little pang watching them go off with their new teachers. Kids are so brave; we're always asking them to do new things and change and they go into the unknown over and over, giving us a small, wide-eyed smile over their shoulders to reassure us.
Well, my kids do, anyway. I saw plenty of sad and crying kids and felt my heart twist watching them cling to their mothers. So sad! My children have never really done that; they are pretty independent and confident by nature and they both said to me on the first day of kindergarten: "Okay mommy, you can go now." This after about 5 minutes, when I wanted to stay and look around and meet all the other kids!
They were both excited and eager to start school again, and they seem to be happy with their teachers and their classmates. I'm happy for them; another year of learning and fun and new experiences. It's definitely a cliché, but they grow up unbelievably fast -- grade 1 and grade 3 already!
Yesterday was the first day of school for my 2 older children. Although I 've been looking forward to their return to school and a return to some kind of structure in our family life, I felt a little pang watching them go off with their new teachers. Kids are so brave; we're always asking them to do new things and change and they go into the unknown over and over, giving us a small, wide-eyed smile over their shoulders to reassure us.
Well, my kids do, anyway. I saw plenty of sad and crying kids and felt my heart twist watching them cling to their mothers. So sad! My children have never really done that; they are pretty independent and confident by nature and they both said to me on the first day of kindergarten: "Okay mommy, you can go now." This after about 5 minutes, when I wanted to stay and look around and meet all the other kids!
They were both excited and eager to start school again, and they seem to be happy with their teachers and their classmates. I'm happy for them; another year of learning and fun and new experiences. It's definitely a cliché, but they grow up unbelievably fast -- grade 1 and grade 3 already!
