Last day of January 2005!
Yippee!!! Now I just have to get through February which is the shortest month in numbers but the longest month of winter psychologically (for me anyways). But this year I am breaking up the longest month in the year by heading to San Fran for 10 days! That should speed up the month. Then it's on to March and I can start to daydream about spring, tulips, crocus, daffodils and lots of gardening-flowers, herbs, vegetables and pots, lots of pots everywhere, full of colourful flowers. I can't wait!
In the meantime, I think I have finally narrowed down a doable 2005 resolution. I'm not a traditional resolution maker. Usually I just try to make a more concentrated effort to work on some of my faults-like to be more patient, more positive, to listen more-that type of thing. But I never really pick one exercise or specific skill I want to work on that will help me with the other things-until today. Today, after a busy few days full of some turmoil, drama, stress and then fun, I realized that I have to pick my battles. And by realized I mean that I have to actually do it-pick my battles- instead of just saying that I will. Sometimes it's just not worth the energy, the fight or the repercussions (sometimes negative) that often follow after battle. And for me, realizing this and actually doing it has been invigorating and freeing. Now the challenge lies in remembering to focus and be disciplined in this regard. Wish me luck!
January 30, 2005
It's Winterlude in the Nation's Capital and it's all about skating on the canal (world's longest skating rink), munching on a beavertail (yummy fried pastry with brown sugar and cinnamon-many try to copy this creation around the world) and taking in the many snow and ice sculptures that are scattered around the various Winterlude parks and on the canal. There will be snow sculpture contests and sophisticated ice sculptures made out of plain blocks of ice from craftsmen and women from around the world. It's especially magical at night. There's three weeks of Winterlude with most activities taking place on the weekends and it's so much fun.
Even more fun for me are some of the indoor activities in Ottawa that are available year round like High Tea at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel. I went there with some girlfriends yesterday afternoon and had a fab time! Dainty sandwiches, scones, desserts and lots of great tea! Sometimes it's nice to comb your hair and put on some nice clothes and have some 'me' or 'us' time. The Chateau offers 13 types of tea so I have decided to go once a month and twice one month in order to try all the teas. There is also a Champagne High Tea and since Champagne is my middle name (okay not really but I do really enjoy the bubbly), I have to try that one soon!
January 29, 2005
How many more sleeps until San Francisco....too many!
Good news is that our week of pox quarantine is over!!! The bad news is that my son called me two minutes after he got to school to say that he fell and broke a tooth on Friday. This protective mother was very upset first off because I think that an adult should call to let me know how serious it is and whether we need to look for a tooth and put it in milk etc. Yes, it was a permanent tooth and my job with my son should be to comfort him during this scary and painful time. He shouldn't have to answer 20 questions about how badly his tooth is injured. So, I comforted him from 3 blocks away, still in my pj's while my husband, who had decided to work from home (very rare) went to pick him up. I hung up with my son after reassuring him that everything would be okay and then I called the dentist and said they were on the way. So, $300+ later (thank you hubby's dental insurance) and a bit of modern technology, I can't even tell that it happened. I am still upset with the school and I am, much to my son's chagrin, being even more overprotective than usual! Parenthood is often stressful and tiring but the joys do outweigh the pains (most days anyways).
January 25, 2005
It's raining pox here. Yup, my youngest has the chicken pox! Surprising? A bit since technically she already had them just before she turned 2 (2 years ago). But she only had a few so....now she has more. At least she gets them over with and we can check that childhood ailment off the list. Getting pox as an adult can be more serious so it's all good in the end-I hope. We might play connect the dots in the morning...When I was little, everyone got the chicken pox and their tonsils out before age 10. Well maybe not everybody but a heck of a lot more than today.
Btw it's still freaky cold here but I would like to direct all sympathies sent my way to those people in places like Boston where it just won't stop snowing!
January 21, 2005
-41C with wind-chill!
I'm going to the Home Reno show tonight with visions of hot tubs and awnings dancing in my head (I do a lot of dancing in my head, yes). I think my 'handy' half is a bit concerned about me heading out to this event with a girlfriend and a big bag to put lots of brochures in - full of things I thought I could only dream about...like the floor to ceiling bookcase spanning the entire length of the wall, complete with the swinging ladder, the double oven in the wall in the kitchen, the distressed and wide planked hardwood for upstairs and the flagstone influenced pond in the backyard and the turned cobblestone walkway out front complimented by the 3 foot wrought iron fence around my front yard, barely containing my wildflowers and signature red poppies that I get from the Wildflower farm in Vermont....
January 20, 2005
Still really cold and a 'no recess' day at school! It's a day for sitting in the window seat with a good book and some toast and tea.
I should be writing right now but instead I am making cards and listening to music and writing this...more fun right now. Plus, my brain seems kind of frozen with the weather. Pretty lame excuse right?
I will get my brain in writing mode though as I have a few magazine pieces and my regular newspaper stuff to get to work on.
January 19, 2005
Ice cream, a lola (a frozen freezie treat from my childhood and yes, that's really what it's called), an ice cube! None of these things are as cold as it is here! -30 without the wind-chill yesterday and over -40 with the breeze! It's too much! Just too much! I know that I'm writing way too much about the weather but it literally takes over my life in January. Can't wash my crazy head of hair as it won't dry in this weather-instead it will freeze. And who wants to wear jeans or other real clothes that aren't flannel lined? I am living in what I lovingly refer to as my 'J Lo' velour pants and three layers of tops and a toque covering up my dirty curls! Well, not quite but you get the picture. The dog ate oatmeal and rice yesterday (probably better for him anyways) because I refused to get into the cold and hard car to go to the store and have to get in and out of the hard car again just so my mountain dog could eat! And speaking of eating, I seem to be on overdrive and I can't find the off button! I've already gained my 5 pounds for January and the month is only half over. Now I have to spend the other half of the month losing 10!
Things to look forward to during this month include:
Television-finally some shows to tide me over until the new season of 6 Feet Under which include Desperate Housewives and Lost
Movies- I recently watched 'The Village,' The Door in the Floor and a Pilates video (watched not participated)
Yoga class-yes, I'm back on track
San Francisco-going in a few weeks for 10 whole days-no laundry, no tubs to clean or beds to make and absolutely no cooking. Can you say Ghirardelli?!?
January 15, 2005
Amazon is Amazing! This album reminds me of my Daddy and my Auntie Brenda and for years I looked at replacing the sorry taped copy of a copy that I had of these wonderful Christmas songs performed by Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme. It was an 'import,' no longer made, not available etc for years until now and although I received it after Christmas, it is now one of my most prized possessions as it holds memories of my father and my life with him that didn't last nearly long enough. He died when I was very young.
We had family reel to reel tapings
of my dad and other family members including me and my sister, singing the
'Steve & Eydie songs' in the 'Steve & Eydie' way. To this day, to hear this
album is magic for me. Magic and loveliness and a bit of happiness!
January 11, 2005
Bon voyage, good luck, have fun, seize the day, enjoy the adventure, don't second guess, don't look back, look only forward and live for the day. Embrace your family and this adventure. This I say to my friends as they embark on an adventure many thousands of miles away. I will miss you and look forward to seeing you again!
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of
life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into
acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity...gratitude makes sense
of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."
--unknown
January 10, 2005
I think that I've been writing 2004 on my cheques, cards and other print correspondence so far this year...
Just finished watching ABC News with Peter Jennings (my Nanny had the biggest crush on him-even had a picture of him on her fridge, bless her soul) and I cannot believe the wickedly wacky weather. It started with the Tsunami devastation and continues with out of the ordinary, extreme weather around the U.S. Lake Tahoe getting over 300 inches of snow since December and as one homeowner is shoveling the snow off his roof, it is landing just as high as his roof in a pile all around his house. He has literally run out of places to put the snow and as the reporter signed off on the story, it was snowing again and still with another 40 inches expected overnight. Then there was the footage of Los Angeles and San Diego and all the rain and mudslides. It's almost like paradise has a price... A lot of beautiful places that experience mostly positive and consistent weather conditions are now being pummeled by the forces we sometimes fondly refer to as Mother Nature. It's almost like things have been building up, weather-wise and can no longer be contained and are now bursting at the seams, wreaking havoc and causing massive destruction in numerous places at the same time. War, acts of nature or acts of God, it's all so much right now. Too much.
January 8, 2005
The other day I was wearing one of my favourite t-shirts. It has a rabbit on it, holding his hands over his ears and the caption says, "Make the stupid people shut up!" I love this shirt. Some of my friends think it's a little risqué. Please! Have you seen some of the shirts out there today? Anyways, my 4yr old daughter told me that she really liked my red shirt and asked what it said and so I told her (in four yr old speak) that it says, "Make the silly people be quiet." She liked that.
I'm excited to get an Emily t next. Maybe something like' Emily doesn't play well with others and neither do I."
It's all just fun and games right. A play on words, silliness and such and gosh knows we could use some silliness these days.
Speaking of silly, I watched a hilarious DVD last night. It's called Napoleon Dynamite and it has something that other movies don't. Even the credits are funny! All I will say is that if you loved the 80's...rent it and watch it. I'm not sure why I liked it so much. I can't really describe it-go watch it and let me know what you think.
January 3, 2005
It's warm out today! No wind-chill and only -1C! And the snow is shrinking, shrinking, shrinking. I know it won't last but for now it makes me happy. When I kick my Christmas tree to the curb, the snow should follow. Anyways, I know that this weather and lack of much snow won't last. It is winter and I do live in a place that gets a 'healthy' winter (whatever that is). But if the majority of snow can just hold off until I go to San Francisco in February, that would be great! Yes, I am going to San Fran. It's one of my places. It's just so darned expensive to live there but I can dream while I visit. One day I will travel around to favourite bookstores, including City Lights and the one near Berkeley. Then there's 826 Valencia, the home of yoga journal magazine and the head offices and stores of many of my favourite retail establishments. OH, and the Cheesecake Factory. I love cheesecake. The vanilla bean is really good. The last time I was there, I stayed at the Westin St. Francis (in the old part) in a big old room with really high ceilings and the Cheesecake Factory was right across the street in Macy's. Heaven or what?!?!? Cheesecake to go, to eat in bed at the Westin! To die! This time I will be staying at the W. Going modern and with a pool!
January 2, 2005
"If I write a book, will they tell me when it's published?" Marge Simpson
January 1, 2005
So, who are 'they' and are they related to 'them?' Because it seems that 'they' are making a lot of the decisions about things and no one really seems to know who 'they' are. They just refer to them as 'they' and 'them.'
Something to think about anyways-or not.
Well, it's a new year and with a new year comes new promises and expectations and goals and such. I have decided not to get wrapped up in this, ultimately setting myself up for feelings of failure and inadequacy. I will not promise to go to yoga more often (although I want to) or to write so many words or pages a day or week (but I am going to try to focus on my writing more) or to lose 5 pds (it's just not going to happen with my sweet tooth and love of 'the real thing'). I will just say that I will work on myself and things about me that bother me (I know that nothing I do bothers anyone around me, ever:) and I will leave it at that.
Happy '05 to everyone. May it be what it needs to be for you and may we all be thankful for what we have right now!