Freezing!

C'est un froid syberique! Or something like that. It's bloody cold out there again, pilgrims. Thank God for working at home.

The little munchkin has new rain boots (two pairs of them) and forces us to walk around the halls and up and down the stairs with him in our building. He exhausts himself. He exhausts us. He won't stop. OK, I know it's good exercise and all to go up four flights of stairs a few times in a row, but it's bloody boring.

Been watching the BBC version DVD of Pride and Prejudice. Love it! My friend Charlotte lent it to me and I'm watching it for the second time already. When I first saw it on TV, I liked it a lot less than the 1980 version with Daniel Rintoul and Elizabeth McGarvie, but now I think I like Colin Firth best. Ah, those were the days when one could run around the countryside in a bonnet and empire waist dress. There are just not enough balls to attend these days. As lady Catherine de Burgh said, it is all very vexing. I am quite put out.

Kiddie Land

So, the little one is a fiend when it comes to throwing stuff. He's very accurate with the ball and unfortunately carries that over to throwing other things. He hit another kid with a book at the drop-in center today. Hello time-outs. I was hoping to not have to introduce him to those until later.

In other news, my friend Charlotte is already feeling the effects of her chemo. She's starting to lose her hair and feels weak and nauseated. She has sores in her mouth. Boy, this chemo is nasty stuff. I hope it really helps her to fight her cancer. She also says that she's gaining weight, which makes her feel depressed as well. What a stupid disease cancer is and boy I wish we had better treatments, ones that would actually make the patient feel better, not horrible.

It all makes me kinda blue.

You Are: 60% Dog, 40% Cat

You are a nice blend of cat and dog. You're playful but not too needy. And you're friendly but careful. And while you have your moody moments, you're too happy to stay upset for long.

Are You More Cat or Dog?

This that and the other



Most of all, it's cold! Real January weather is upon us. This morning, with the windchill it was -21 C. Brrr! Time to take out winter boots and such. I know, I know the weather has been extremely warm up to now and it has lulled me into a false sense of security.


Must say that I am totally addicted to CSI Miami. Now, I know that Horatio Caine has the most cliche lines, but it's just the way David Caruso says them. He is so full of gravitas. I see he does not speak like that in real life. The blue eyes and red hair don't hurt either.

















Also, there is something about all the gorgeous people on beaches and whatnot and Emily Procter, whipping her hair around all over every crime scene. And the cleavage and heels that must be oh, so practical in every murder investigation. Me likey.

Ghetto Princess

I am sooo enjoying getting songs onto my mp3 player. I love it. Also it turns out I really like Fergie, Missy Elliott and Mary J. Blige. I've been dubbed a ghetto princess at work. They just make me wanna dance honey, honey, dance, dance!

My new LL Bean jacket came today. Love it. It's light blue and has a shawl collar.
I also got a new jacket for Mr. He really wanted a jean jacket with lamb fleece lining. Well, I got him one, with sherpa fleece (not the real animal kind) and he was over the moon. He immediately put it on and vowed not to take it off for the rest of the day, but was luckily persuaded to take it off long enough to eat our tuna and sundried tomato sandwiches for lunch. The jacket is a light beige colour and red stains would show.

Happy 2007!

We did not stay up until midnight. I was fine with it, unlike other years. We are all tired enough as it is.

New year's resolution? To eat healthier snacks. I am not attempting to diet because that is doomed from the start. Really, I could maybe keep that up for a week. I will try to exercise more, but that is not a resolution, that is what I want to do all the time. Mind you, I bought new pants on Saturday and they are a size smaller (and are loose in the waist). Ha!

It was quite an ending to 2006 - James Brown passed away and Saddam Hussein was executed. There are some figures that you just do not imagine ever leaving this world. I suppose it will be Castro and Bin Laden next. Pretty soon the US will run out of despots to overthrow or terrorists to hunt. The sad thing is that new ones will emerge. I wish all this could be making the world safer. I expect some day Alex will study all this in history class and will ask me what it was like when... When telephones were rotary and people used typewriters and lp records or even CDs for that matter. I bet when he's a teen everything will be digital. When I was a kid we had a black and white TV set. And two channels. We did not have a telephone at home. Now I have a phone in my purse. And an mp3 player! Aha, aha!

Merry Ho Ho Ho!

Merry Christmas to all you Christians out there. For you non Christians, happy Kwanzaa, Hanukkah and any and all other things you wish to celebrate.

And get your pencils ready to write down your wishlists for next year and your new year's resolutions. Mine is to snack healthily. That said, I better finish all the chocolate before the 31st.

May you live in interesting times!

The times certainly do seem to be interesting, that is around me. Friends seem to be getting sick, collapsing unexpectedly. Others seem to have dropped off the planet. Others still are pregnant. I am grateful that so far, there seems to be no big changes in our lives, apart from Alex learning new stuff.

Charlotte is scheduled for surgery tomorrow. I am nervous. I know there are thousands of mastectomies done all the time, but still, I'm nervous.

Christmas is fast approaching, in fact, it's less than a week away. The weather is truly balmy, sunny and plus temperatures. I have all my shopping done, but as usual, keep thinking I missed someone. Did lots of laundry today, but still need to do more before the New Year. Now just the cleaning, the cooking, the wrapping, the decorating and I'll be done. Wondering how to keep little hands off Christmas ornaments. It will be interesting to say the least.

Leon, Leon

Yes, yule time is coming up soon. Am half done with the shopping. Must wait for pay day though. Really, all this hoopla for a few minutes of tearing paper. Santa did promise an mp3 player though.

As usual am going overboard with stuff at work - decorations, stockings, Advent calendars, cards. But it's just once a year... or in my case at every holiday, even some invented ones.

The little one is sick yet again. I think this will be the winter of snot. This time his nose was so runny that he had to wipe it literally every minute. He coughed so much he couldn't lie down and sleep. Poor little baby! I wished it was me and not him and of course, got my wish, am now getting sick too. Bleah!

First snowfall

Yes, pilgrims, it snowed last night and some of it is still left on the ground. There was lovely sunshine in the morning too, to complement the lovely scenery, but now it's gone. Boo.

Very excited because my mom gave me some neat yarn. It's olive green and has a sparkly thread in it. She gave me three balls. Now, I wanted to make a shrug, but now am contemplating going the usual scarf route. I could make a matching hat. Of course, this needs to wait until I finish my poor husband's sweater. Mr. has been waiting for two years now while his wife went slumming with scarves for herself, auctions and people in general, baby hats and the like. Enough, I say, get your needles back home, woman!

It's been a while

I've been here, just not in a writing mood. My good friend Charlotte has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She is such a great lady and so does not deserve this! Anyway, there is no fairness with this disease so I won't even attempt to ask why her because it could just as easily be any one of us.

Not much else new has been happening. I have clearly not learned my lesson about getting involved in charitable activities because I am organizing Christmas bingo at work to benefit Toy Mountain. Well, it's Christmas and it's for kids... Now people seem to be turning to me for advice in organizing activities. How has this happened?! I am the worst organizer in the world.

In other news, my little munchking is now a full blown two-year-old. Oh, the whining when he doesn't get his way! Oh, the testing of boundaries! I only hope that it will only last one year and not too much longer. My poor husband bears the brunt of it all, being the stay at home dad. Yep, would switch with him in a minute. Maybe that will be my Christmas wish.

Sunshine

Ahh, what a balmy sunny day. I love these golden days of fall, before the frosts of November.

Took the munchkin to the doctor today to check on his little ears and all is well. The infection is gone. He did not take kindly to being listened to with the stethoscope.

Things have been insane at work with the United Way campaign and work itself. We had a pot luck last Friday. I was organizing it because "you like pot lucks." I don't. I was not about to force people to bring stuff either, so we had food, but not insane amounts like last year. There was grumbling on the UW committee that there was not enough, and I should have told them so they could call for pizza. Interestingly, other people complimented me on the lunch, the selection and were generally stuffed with food. I really think I will not participate in the United Way committee next year.

I love fall

Now that said, it's been bloody cold in this city. This is not a usual October. They are even talking snow today.

The United Way campaign is on at work. This is usually a lot of fun because we play games and have activities. This year, the first prize for email bingo is an iPod! Yesss, come to mama! Unfortunately, it's almost been a week and I only have five numbers so far. I'm not losing hope.

Here's a view from my balcony, for your viewing pleasure.

About knitting

I finished the scarf I am donating to the United Way auction at work. It came out quite good. Now, imagine the softest thing you ever touched. Yes, it is that soft. When I was working on it, I would occasionally bring it to work and knit with Wendy and people would stop by my desk and just stroke it. Hm. Here 'tis.

Lost Friends

Sometimes you meet people who touch you deeply. Sometimes they touch your heart, but for whatever reason you lose contact with them. Maybe it's my innate Taurus-ness, but I just cannot walk away from certain people though I suspect they would rather I did. There I am, hovering in the background, sending friendly vibes. Hoping for I don't know what. Because though once I did love, I can't again. All the same, there is a soft spot in my heart for these friends who were once a little more than that. One of these lost friends has given a sign of life and I am happy and sad at the same time.

Oh, brother!

Sickness has come upon us! Alex has an ear infection. Arthur and I have sinusitis. Fun. Between taking care of very fussy and unhappy baby and running to the doctor, pharmacy and bank, I managed to write the test in my copy writing course. Quite sure I flunked it though. I mean how good can you be with a 38 degree fever? Little bit of stress. AARRRRGGGGHHH!

September

The fall is sneaking up on me. Thanksgiving is just a month away and from there the next holiday is Christmas! I have already been thinking about what to get people and all of a sudden shopping now does not seem like such a crazy idea. Leaves are beginning to change colour. Geese are getting ready to do something (although I don't know what because they hardly fly away anymore). And to make it totally official, the heat came on in our building last night.

In knitting news, am almost at the end of the throw for Jen's grandma! Hurrah! I have about 20 more rows to go. This is good because I have about ten projects waiting for me, including a funky pink scarf, a red lacy scarf from a mohair yarn(!), a possible wrap, and of course, Arthur's sweater, which I began before Alex was born, so about two years ago. I have given up on buying knitting magazines and books because I know I will find something I will love and want to make it, but just don't have the time.

Oh, yes, must comment on this. Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter is dead, killed by a stingray. I say, the animals have gotten their revenge!

Not too much to report

August seems to be much kinder than July temperature-wise. The nights are cooler and I'm loving it up.

I am on a quest to buy a sewing machine. I saw one made by Kobe at a little sewing machine store two subway stops away. When I went back for it, all sweaty from walking, with baby and husband in tow, it was gone. Today I went to Wal-Mart to see what they had and there is one possible one. I still need to check out Sears. I know they have Kenmore and it's supposed to be second best. I don't need hundreds of stitches or anything, but I do need it to sew through denim and have some basic stitches, wind the bobbin automatically, etc. And I'd like it to last me a few years. I got all jealous of Glacia making her own dress.

My friend Emma came on Sunday, with her son Simon. Simon is almost four and very lively. We took the kids to a park. This was a major production as we had two kids, a kite, a stroller, snacks, a backpack and two purses. Alex rode in the stroller, though he was not happy about it. He fussed all the way there. Simon needed to be carried some of the way, especially up a hill. After a few years of wandering, we got to the park, where there was swinging, flying of kites, making bubbles and major fussing from Alex because I would not let him go into freezing cold wading pool water. We went back the same way we came, part pushing, part carrying, laughing ironically at what is called maternal bliss. It was good to see her though. Simon is big. He's going to school next month. It feels like yesterday he was a baby. It feels like yesterday Alex was a year old. And now look at them both... sniff. I'm so proud.

Lest you thought I was bluffing...

About the knitting, that is. Here is what I have been working on for the last few months. It's a throw for the grandma of a co-worker of mine. I pledged my knitting services for the United Way and this is what she chose. The pattern is my own invention. Feast your eyes.

















I am about 2/3 done. Now, Jen's grandma is coming the third week of this month and I would dearly like to be finished, but I don't have a lot of hope. Because it's a 100cm across, it takes time to do one row.

In other news, we saw a meteorite Sunday night. OK, I still call them falling stars, but only to myself, to avoid a roll of the eyes from my lord and master. I think they are falling stars though and I think it's a good sign, even if it did happen so fast that one did not have a chance to make a wish.

Feeling hot, hot, hot!

Yes, my friends, it is a record breaker in Toronto. 36 degrees Celsius, with the Humidex in the high 40s. I thank God for a/c and hope there is not another blackout. It's bloody hot. I got no sleep last night because on top of the heat, I caught my baby's cold and was sniffling all night. Finally Arthur took pity on me, took the little one into the living room so I could get a few hours' sleep.

Today my brain is just melting. Alex had a 3 hour nap and is still fussy and crying. I understand. Weather like this should be against the law.

They were crying on the news this morning that they have cooling centers open all night and nobody is using them and that it costs $ 30 000 to do that. Well, one needs to GET to the cooling center, does one not? And how to do that with half the buses and all streetcars with no air conditioning? They would be better off handing water out to the homeless and ensuring all seniors are in a cool, airy place.

In other news, Castro has TEMPORARILY relinquished power to his brother Raul. People in Miami are celebrating. Hold on there, people, this is a temporary measure. This man is made of titanium and will even rule from the grave.

Dog Days



















Quite pissed at work now. Was supposed to get raise. Raise will not happen. I got an "let's see in three months, shall we?" No, let's not! Also have two people I have to work with who know absolutely everything about everything. I suppose it must be quite comforting to them to know so much and have nothing to learn. It drives me up the wall. One of them reminds me of my sister, which is annoying enough. If she has my sister's characteristics too, things will be quite difficult. I suppose it's looking like it's becoming time for pengirl to sharpen her resume and hit the boulevard. Motivation to do stuff at work - ZERO!

Things seem to happen in bunches in my life lately. I've been thinking about my friendships and how they've changed over time. I worry that one especially may have and it makes me sad.

But really, my brain is melting from all this heat. Toronto is sweltering. My poor husband and baby are at home in our hot appartment. Hopefully they have turned the a/c on.

GRRRR to it all!

Rainy afternoons

There have been changes at work. These changes were not good for 12 people who got to leave. I am in a new department. Feeling quite insecure. I have not felt like this since I left Evil Corporation. I suppose it will all fall into place eventually.

Had lunch with Charlotte. What a lovely, sweet person she is. We found 40 bucks on the street in the rain. Well, she spotted it, so I should say she found it. We split it. I felt like we should have looked for the person who lost it, but it was on the pavement, not even on the sidewalk, and there was nobody around in the pouring rain. We could hardly ask everyone at the restaurant if it was theirs, besides which everyone would have said "yes." I can't say it's not a God send. I need to buy diapers like today and had very little cash. Thank God for Charlotte as well. If I were not meeting her, I would not be on that street in the rain. And I would have just kept on walking and not looking at the ground either and not seen the money.

This is a bit of a trend. We won a portable radio in the Sick Kids Lottery. I wish it were a car, but I'm glad we won something and besides, the main thing is that the money will go to research and hopefully make a difference in treating diseases in children.

It's Wednesday, the middle of the week and a rainy one. My mood is rainy too.

Happy Canada Day!

Yes, 'tis July 1 tomorrow. The day of Canucks. We will be saying aboot all day. Each sentence will be followed by, eh? A grand time will be had by all. Beer will flow (not at my house, mind, only milk flows at my house). Life will be all maple leafy.

Ahh, Chinese buffets!

Arthur and I went to Mandarin Palace for our anniversary/father's day dinner. Oh, the food. I mean literally there are troughs of the stuff. Arthur likes the seafood and this is the only place where he can have lots of it and I can have something else. We got to sit in the room with a little pond and huge golden carp or some other fish swimming in it. It was nice. I got to piggy out on dumplings and chocolate dipped strawberries that I love so much. It was good.

I got a carved elephant that totally rocks as a present. It's been a good three years. :)

Bleah.

All is not well in pengirl's world. Fierce Project Managers are breathing down her neck and tearing at her rear end, demanding nearly impossible editing tasks. Hours long commutes in the rain, on smelly buses and subways are zapping her energy. Adorable 18 month olds who do not want to fall asleep on time are eliminating her free time. Disheartened and tired husbands are moody and silent. OK, I exaggerate slightly, but only slightly. Not enough hours in a day? TELL me about it!

Frann's earrings

These are the Cinnabar earrings I made for Frann.





















I really need to get an actual website for these.

In other news, we went to the doc for Alex's 18 month appointment. The doc was disappointed that Alex does not point at things. Well, he does not point beacuse we do not point. And that he does not say he wants something. He does not say it because if he wants it, he goes and gets it. This conversation ensued after we left the doctor's office and were commiserating at Mickey D's.

Arthur: I would like to know if there will be one time we go there when he does not say I'd like to see him do this or that.
Me: He doesn't point because we don't point.
Arthur: By the time he learns to point, we'll have to un-teach it.
Me: Next time we go there, the doctor will be asking why Alex is still not doing compound fractions.

OK, this child follows directions. He comes when called, looks for lost balls and brings toys. I think he's developing quite well. I think pointing is rude.

Hot Wheels!

You Should Drive a Saturn Sky

You're sleek and smooth, and you need a car to match your hot persona. Besides, sometimes you want your top up - and sometimes you want it down.

What 2007 Car Should You Drive?

Fun Times!

Pengirl and Charlotte's excellent adventure is on tomorrow. We were going to go to Niagara Falls and area, but it's supposed to pour (of course!), so it may have to be the ROM and then on to lunch at Hazelton Lanes. Oh, yes dahling, the high life. Either way, I am hoping to relax a bit and not think about author or his work. I have had a constant tummy ache for the last week. I so want to make the Friday deadline. I think I may have to burn some midnight oil. Sigh.

I made Charlotte a necklace and would have included a picture, but the camera ran out of juice and I don't know where Arthur has spare batteries. Anyway, it's pretty nice, with pink quartz and aventurine. What am I saying? It's so gorgeous that you'd want to tear your eyes out! There, that's better.

Bored...

It's a boring Wednesday, so Theresa and I have decided to call it Blackadder day and celebrate with a cake. She's a woman after my own heart.

Anniversaire

Da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da it is my birthday!
Da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da Happy Birthday to me!

Miss home

A pic my mom took in Poland. Ah, I miss it.

Sunny days

Had a bit of a heart to heart about work with Fran on the way home last night. She gave me a lift to the subway. Seems all is not wine and roses in her department. I am so lucky to be in mine. Wendy is really a good boss.

Been reading Oscar Wilde's short stories. I guess fables would be a more accurate way of describing them. They're quite spiritual and full of descriptions of physical beauty and jewelled interiors and whatnot. Makes me nostalgic for the fairy tales I used to read as a child.

You Are a Frappacino

At your best, you are: fun loving, sweet, and modern At your worst, you are: childish and over indulgent You drink coffee when: you're craving something sweet Your caffeine addiction level: low

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

Diet is blown

Unless of course, someone calls it a chocolate diet, then it's very much on. Cannot stay away from the stuff. I better get back to taking my thyroid herbs. I stopped for a bit to see what would happen, if I would see a difference of any kind. Well, yes, I eat more choccy. On the plus side, I had a chicken salad for lunch, with a small amount of dressing. If I get desperate enough, I might pull Dr. Phil's book out again. At least he says things like "losing weight is not about self-dscipline." Good. Clearly I have none.

In other news, my mom is back from Poland. She came back yesterday afternoon, but I won't see her until the weekend. She told me to bring a big bag to their place so we can take all the stuff that's for us. She's so sweet.

OK, time to blow this joint soon and go home. Must still pick up choccy bunny for husband and baby, though baby will not get to eat it. I don't want him eating chocolate until he's at least two. Oh, yes, a sugared up two-year-old is much better than a sugared up one and a half year old. :)

It's a secret!

I have begun a secret diet. That is I am on a diet, but am not telling anyone about it. Well, except for you, of course, gentle reader. That way there are no expectations and if I slip up and have a piece of cake, like this afternoon, nobody will raise any eyebrows. My diet consists of trying to cut down on my sugar. It really should not be that hard because there is lots of sugar in all kinds of foods, but yet, it is hard. Sugar is such a comfort.

A day of friends

Yesterday Emma came unexpectedly at 11:00 and we had an impromptu coffee. It was lovely. Then I had lunch with Delia and at the restaurant I met Lenin, Hernando and Luis. Days like this warm my heart.

Craziness downtown and other stories

So, weirdo downtown decides to either torch a Tim Horton's or kill himself in a really gruesome manner. OK, I'm no fan of Tim Horton's, but that's taking a statement a little too far. Sticking to Starbucks and 2nd Cup now, let me tell ya!

In other news. Sold a pair of earrings! My first pair! Am now bona fide jewelry designer. Should call myself jewel girl instead of pengirl. Or maybe just Jewel. No, wait, that's been done. Anyway, here they are.












Poor little baby has been sick. He's had a fever for three days now. I hate those three day fevers! Missed a deadline because of it, but I'd miss ten just so he would get better. Mom life that's what it is.

1. Which movie character is most like you?
Hard to say. So many appeal, but honestly, I don't think there's one that fits all of my personality. I'm all Dory from "Finding Nemo" most of the time. Yes, I'm a natural Blue!

2. Which TV character is most like you?
I really want to say Rachel from Friends, but I think I'm actually an amalgamation of Phoebe and Monica.

3. Which literary character is most like you?
Becky Bloomwood, aka the Shopaholic. Oh, I came close!

4. Which song describes you?
"Sailing"


5. Which animal is most like you?
A dawg. Trusting, friendly.

I knew it!

Your Theme Song: "Daydream Believer", The Monkees 'What is your theme song?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Time and money wasters

There are days that leave me very unsatisfied with things in general, but mostly myself. I just bought something I should not have. Something I really and truly do not need. Now I'm having buyer's remorse, but it's too late. On the plus side, my order will help 13.5 children. My confirmation email says that and it makes me feel better, but I know I should not have bought it. Before you ask, it's more bling. Yes, gentle reader, pengirl should really be called magpie.

On that subject, Cristina, Emma's MIL, really liked my pieces and said she would wear the ones I left her. Maybe I might sell a necklace or two. That would rock.

Wendy, my boss, and I just had a conversation about food, involving cheese and olives. Guess what I'm SO craving now - goat cheese and big fat green olives. I think I might have to shop for yum yums tonight. Oh, and wine; oh, yes, wine!

Oh, yes, am very spoiled and should be saving money, but a girl's got to live!

International Women's Day

And for all you men, who will immediately say, "When is men's day?" It's every other day of the year!

We have come a long way. We no longer need to work in poorly lit, non-ventilated rooms for 12 hours a day. We no longer need to either marry or go into servitude to earn our keep. Our children now belong to us, not to our husbands. We can vote. We are persons under the law. We can be pretty much anything we want.

However, we still do not get paid the same wage for the same job as men. We cannot be Catholic priests. We are still marginalized and "feminist" is still a dirty word.

Still, all in all, in the West, we have it pretty good. I would now like to salute our sisters in other countries who: cannot vote, can be thrown out of their homes and are only allowed to take what they are wearing, are burnt or stoned for not producing sons, are thought to not have souls, must work in dangerous conditions and are abused by their bosses and often their husbands as well, and have a whole other litany of misery, humiliation and unhappiness simply for being born women!

Sometimes I feel creative

And then I do things like this:

Love, love this!

Check out Brawny Man!

Ahh, balm for the woman's soul.

Yes, we do get to see some nice things
















There are some spectacular sunsets in Toronto.

Mom time

A couple of weekends ago I got really sick. I mean, crawl on the floor sick. Now, I'm a grown woman with a husband and a child, but what did I really want? My mom. Well, I ended up getting mom time, though not what I had imagined. I had to go to the ER and my parents came to take me. My mom stayed with me in the waiting room and harrassed nurses to take me ahead of other patients (a totally pointless exercise, but I would have done the same in her place). I was in pain and nauseated and all kinds of yucky stuff, but I had my mom with me. We had some alone time and it was nice. Once they sent me home with a very uninspired diagnosis (it's a virus), I felt better, though tired and wanting nothing more but to lie down. My parents left immediately, but even though I had felt sick and had to wait for hours in the ER, I had a warm glow inside from mom time.

A meme from Glacia.

List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they are any good, but they must be songs you are really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they are listening to.

OK, my seven do not blog. Well, one does, but she hasn't in like forever.

Hmm. OK, this is really hard. I have not listened to music in a while and the music I listen to is generally a canned tune played by a stuffed dog.

Ou sont tous mes amants - Vanessa Paradis and some other chick
Beacause sometimes you want your past lovers to assemble and sing your praises and of course, lament the fact that you have left them. But it rarely happens.

Blackbird - Sarah Maclachlan
I am so sorry, I have clearly no idea how to spell this woman's name, but the first verses of her voice singing this song just give me shivers.

I need you tonight - INXS
The old version. Somehow I just don't like the new guy. Often want to sing it to Arthur.

That new Madonna song.
I don't even know the title, but I like, yes I like.

Feeling Good - Michael Buble
Just sooo mellloooowww.

That song from Oh, Brother Where Art Though.
Soggy bottom boys, man! And it's because I have a soggy bottom boy at home.

Beyond the Sea - Frank Sinatra
Yes, I know, but it's also my little pumpkin's fave.

I tag Emma, Frann, Maria, Vanessa, Carol Ann, Wendy, Lorena

A to Z Meme

Accent: Toronto Canuck with hint of Eastern European.
B - Breakfast Item: Cereal du jour
C - Chore you hate: Laundry
D - Dad's Name: Matthew
E - Essential everyday item: lip gloss
F - Flavour ice cream: Vanilla with chunks of fudge
G - Gold or Silver?: Both!
H - Hometown: Warsaw, Poland
I - Insomnia: Not lately, but yes, before I had a kid
J - Job Title: Technical Writer and Instructional Desiger
K - Kids: One, very cute one
L - Living arrangements: Husband, child
M - Mum's birthplace: Warsaw, Poland
N - Number of significant others you've had: hm, must I say?
O - Overnight hospital stays: One over night a few day surgeries
P - Phobia: Hate bugs
Q - Queer: Oooh, no!
R - Religious Affiliation: Catholic, but not very practicing
S - Siblings: One half sister who is incommunicado most of the time
T - Time you wake up: 6:00 am, sigh
U - Unnatural hair colours you've had: Too many to number
V - Vegetable you refuse to eat: Spinach
W - Worst habit: Bad money management
X - X-rays you've had: Knees, lungs and teeth.
Y - Yummy: Oranges and cherries and chocolate
Z - Zodiac sign: Taurus - bull in a China shop!

Hump day

We woke up to a Conservative government yesterday morning. Not that this was unexpected, but still, I am not a happy camper. And to boot, they will likely call anothe election within two years to try to get a majority government. Ugh. What a waste of time and money. There are way too many elections in this country lately.

Alex has a cold. The poor mite is coughing in a very deep and ugly way. I just want to hug and hold him every time this happens, but he's off happily in his little world, exploring, pulling things off the table and other baby things. The latest is that he has learned to jump. He stands on the sofa, holds on to the back and jumps. Does the same on my lap, which can get a trifle painful.

Arthur is sick too. He sneezes and coughs all over the place and of course, I worry that it will go into his lungs. I've been knitting his sweater and am almost done the back. I have 7 inches to go.
I also bought some gorgeous yarn for a poncho and even began last night, but realized that I need larger needles. The yarn is sort of fuzzy and it's hard to work the pattern on it and it was the devil to take apart. I think this poncho will take a while or will become something else altogether.

Reflections for a Monday

Time is very relative. Right now on my computer, the time is 3:34 p.m. On my phone, it is 3:33 and on my old phone it's 3:31. My watch shows 3:32. This all shows very plainly that I am ready to go home and am watching the clock. Still an hour and 15 minutes to go though.

I have realized yesterday, as I was rocking my boy to sleep, that my life is about food. There is just way too much food in my life. The problem is that I like food, good food that is. If I can change the focus to something other than food, I bet I'll lose weight. But what? Of course, I can't remove food from my life completely or else I'll get very weak and die. It's a dilemma.

It's been cold as heck in TO the last few days. Today the temperature in the morning was -13 C, but it felt like -19. Brrr! For all you Fahrenheit folks, that's VERY COLD! There's a biting wind and even though it's sunny and beautiful, it's not fun to be outdoors. I'm sure I will feel that even more, as I wait for the bus later on.

And this brings us to 3:44. Still an hour to go.

Friday!

Ah, love Fridays. And it's pay day to boot. This means that I might be able to get the wools for my bag project. I have this felted bag pattern I got free from Bernat or some place and it only takes a four balls of wool to make. The pattern is very complicated, but this bag looks SO good! I really want to try it. Arthur's sweater is taking me so long and I need a break so I can make something that can be completed in less time.

Alex slept last night! Well, that is, slept relatively well. He woke up a couple of times, but went back to sleep in his crib, allowing his exhausted parents to get some sleep.

Had to conduct a training session this morning and it went well. Now just waiting for lunch and I will go off to the bank, unless it's raining. Hope it's not because I want to stop by the new Japanese store on the way back. They have gorgeous bowls and I know I'm not supposed to buy them, but if I did, I could throw away those blue cheapie ones, that I'm afraid are lead glazed. Really, I'm doing it for our health! Really!

What a difference a few years makes

Yesterday when I came home and was playing with bebe while listening to my hubby prepare dinner, I was thinking how different this same scene was three years ago. Three years ago, I was single and would have come home probably late, having stopped on the way to do some shopping. I would have been sitting on the couch, maybe eating some sort of dinner (probably steak and egg), maybe not, depending on what my stop on the way entailed. I would be watching some sort of TV show, reclining on the pillows, relaxing. Maybe I would do some bike riding on my stationary bike.
The scene today: rush home from work, curse if there is a delay on the subway. As soon as I arrive, tear my work clothes off and put on house clothes. Wash hands twice and rush to be with my little man. Then tickle, kiss, hug him while Arthur is making yummy smells in the kitchen. The TV may be on, but I can only hear about half of what is being said and therefore only get half of every news story. Eat dinner, do dishes, give Alex a bath and put him to bed. Collapse on the couch in a state of exhaustion and mental fog. Thank God for every moment and for the fact that knitting does not require thinking.

Good times...

In response to glacia's meme. Have you ever:

smoked a cigar: no
crashed a friend’s car: no
stolen a car: no
been in love: yes
been dumped: yes
dumped someone: yes
taken shots of alcohol: yes
been fired: no
been in a fist fight: no
snuck out of a/your house: yes
had feelings for someone who didn’t have them back: yes
been arrested: no
made out with a stranger: no
gone on a blind date: no
lied to a friend: yes
had a crush on a teacher: yes
seen someone die:no
been on a plane: yes
thrown up in a bar: no
miss someone right now: yes
laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by: yes
made a snow angel: yes
played dress up: yes
cheated while playing a game: yes
been lonely: yes
fallen asleep at work/school: yes
used a fake id: no
felt an earthquake: yes
touched a snake: yes
run a red light: yes, but, but... OK, yes
had detention: yes
been in a car accident: yes
hated the way you look: yes
been lost: yes
been to the opposite side of the country: that depends which country. This one, no
felt like dying: yes
cried yourself to sleep: yes
played cops and robbers: no
karaoke: sigh, yes
done something you told yourself you wouldn’t: yes
laughed till some kind of beverage came out of your nose: yes
caught a snowflake on your tongue: yes
kissed in the rain: yes
sang in the shower: yes
made love in a park: no
had a dream that you married someone: yes
glued your hand to something: no
got your tongue stuck to a flag pole: no
worn the opposite sex’s clothes: yes
been a cheerleader: no
sat on a roof top: no
talked on the phone all night: no
ever too scared to watch scary movies alone: don't watch them at all!
played chicken fight: what the hell is that?
been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on: no
been told you’re hot by a complete stranger: yes
broken a bone: no
dipped snuff: what the hell does this mean?
lived overseas: well, I was born overseas, so technically am living overseas now
ever passed out/fainted: yes

My past life

Your past life diagnosis:
I don't know how you feel about it, but you were male in your last earthly incarnation.You were born somewhere in the territory of modern South China around the year 1700.Your profession was that of a trainer or holder of fine animals, such as birds..
Your brief psychological profile in your past life:Revolutionary type. You inspired changes in any sphere - politics, business, religion, housekeeping. You could have been a leader.
The lesson that your last past life brought to your present incarnation:You are bound to solve problems of pollution of environment, recycling, misuse of raw materials, elimination of radioactivity by all means including psychological methods.

Find yours at:

http://www.thebigview.com/pastlife

'Tis a time for looking back

At the end of each year I try to take stock of what I have accomplished. This year is not bad though it does not compare with the last (had a child last year!). This year I got a new job. I got my full G drivers' license. I got into debt. I got to attend some very cool psych training and meet some very interesting people. I got to spend four months taking care of my baby full time.

Things that will be transferred from my 'to do' list for next year:

• get a car
• get a house

Those pretty much make it on the list every year, but there were many years when 'get a good job' was on the list and voila, this year I did. I am hopeful.

And now for something completely different...

You know you are bored out of your tree when... you learn how to see auras on an internet site. I'm not kidding. I've been indexing a book for a few days and feel that my inventiveness is draining so I am off in the pursuit of something new, weird, different. Well, I managed to see an aura of a red circle, but have not had the opportunity to practice on a person yet. I am quite intrigued though.

Post Christmas Thoughts

It was a good one this year, possums. The food was yum, the gifts were nice and a good time was had by all. Alex cleaned up, as expected. I think his favourite so far is a talking dog that when poked in various places says things like 'blue ear' and 'hand' and 'hug me'. We were a little spooked when the dog, left aside for a few minutes, said 'I can see you!' Can you say horror movie?

I got lovely things, a work basket and a cute mug from Arthur. I immediately put all my wool in the basket and it all fits! Love it! The mug has Eyore on it. :) I got him some nice Dolce & Gabbana cologne and a South Park t-shirt. My friend Charlotte gave me a gorgeous Roots leather bag and some lovely Fruits and Passion products. I still have to redeem my Sephora gift certificate that I got from my not-so-secret santa at work.

Now I need to shop for Arthur's birthday, which is on the 2nd of January and for Emma's, which is on the 14th.

Slowly getting back into the swing of things at work. That is, not really. Just basically putting in the time. I have to work two days this week. Well, really. No point in starting anything big.

Thinking about New Year's resolutions, I think I will carry over last year's - to clear up clutter and add to it. Will keep you posted.

Ahh, love the hols.

It's Christmas time...

Christmas at the Burdick home (the young Burdicks that is) means sleeping an hour later than normal. Oh, how I relish ... but I am being very practical.

Seriously though, Christmas has always had a mystique about it for me. I just love this holiday. This year we will be going to Oakville once again. So, it will go something like this.

Christmas Eve

11:43 a.m.
Board train for the ville, after an hour on the subway and bus. Alex's carriage filled to capacity and us carrying his gear (which seems to be the most bulky) and pressies, pressies.

12:30 p.m.
Arrive Oakville and stuff everything and everyone into my dad's car for the 15 minute ride from the station.

12:45
Arrive at parents' home to find mom in the kitchen with a wild look on her face, trying to prepare the Christmas Eve feast (no other way of describing it). There are 12 courses in the traditional Polish Christmas Eve dinner. We have cheated along the years by calling each piece of dessert a 'course' because seriously, who can eat 12 courses! We throw ourselves into helping. Alex romps on the carpet in the living room, tearing any and all papers that come into his hands.

4:40
We can't sit down to the table until the first star appears in the sky. So, much time is spent on looking for said star. Luckily, Venus usually shows up pretty early.
We have a special Christmas wafer (note to self, go and buy wafer) that we share before dinner. Each person breaks off a piece and then goes around to everyone else with their wishes. Then you break off a piece of their wafer and they break a piece of yours. That ensures that the good wishes come true.
We then sit down to dinner, which is vegetable salad, hot sauercraut, cod or some other such fish, herring, mushroom soup. While we have an apple compote, we open the presents. Then there are cakes - cheesecake, poppyseed loaf, babka, and of course, chocolate. There is wine with dinner and then brandy or whisky after.

7:00
Happy laziness after a filling dinner, the trying on of gifts, playing any new CDs or DVDs, leafing through books.

10:00
Bedtime.

Christmas Day

8:00 a.m.
Christmas breakfast, with ham, veggie salad, eggs and all kinds of goodies.

3:00 p.m.
TURKEY!!!

Now, all this said, things might be completely different this year because of Alex.

Glacia and I remember...

Well, there was that time we went to see Mamma Mia. We had had some vodkatinis before that at Zoom so we were in a great mood. We sang and danced to all our fave ABBA songs. There was a man with a beard sitting next to us. He just sat there and looked on. We were pretty sloshed and demanded to know why he was not participating in the greatest musical event ever. He turned to us and we realized it was Bjorn Ulvaues! He thanked us for our enthusiasm and asked that we perform a cameo in the next performance. We did. Unfortunately, by then we were sober. There ended our career as musical performers, but it was GOOD TIMES!

Trouble

I am having a lot of trouble posting lately. Something in Blogger doesn't like pengirl. Very sad. Also sad and also trouble - our ferret, named Trouble is sick and will possibly not see the spring. She's losing hair down the back and is sluggish and sometimes doesn't eat. Poor little thing.

Now, about the election foolishness. I already made my views known about the fact that it's a waste of time and money, however, the opposition parties seemed not to have heeded what I said because there was a vote of non-confidence last night and the election will be officially called this morning. Hello, another minorty government! I feel for Emma whose hubby will be in the midst of it all, being a party employee.

In knitting news... yes, you thought I gave up, didn't you! I finished soft fluffy scarf for me and made small scarf for baby and now back to Arthur's sweater. This will take a while because the wool is pretty thin and the sweater needs to be big. Hopefully he can wear it next winter. :)

7 Seconds

We watched a documentary on the Passionate Eye last night about a man who has almost total amnesia. He can remember things for 7 seconds. This is as a result of a virus that attacked his brain 20 years ago. He used to be a brilliant orchestra director and now cannot remember anything. He can't go out because he would never be able to return. He doesn't know if he saw his wife that day or his children. It's a kind of death and a horrible way to live. Makes me very grateful that though I don't have money, I have lots of other blessings - my wonderful husband and lovely boy and all my faculties intact.

365 Days

52 bags of diapers, 200 cans of formula and I don't know how many boxes of baby cereal and baby food later, we have a one year old! Alex celebrated his birthday yesterday. We had my parents over as well as Emma and Simon. Alex was SO excited all day that he would not nap. As a result he was so tired after Emma and Simon left that he fell asleep as I was feeding him cereal with pears and mango. He got lots of toys, two new outfits and a snow suit. Of course, he played with the cardboard box his Barney came in the most.

I can't believe it's been a year already. It doesn't seem possible. He's so adorable. I'm sure every mother says that, but in my case it's actually true. :)

Rememberance Day

To all the Veterans: Thank you. We remember.

Snow White


The Traditional Princess

You are generous, graceful, and practical with both
feet planted firmly on the ground. You tend to
be a little on the old-fashioned side. You
value home, hearth, and family life and love to
be of service to others.

Role Models: Snow White, Maid Marian

You are most likely to: Discover a hidden talent
for spinning straw into gold.


What Kind of Princess are You? - Beautiful Artwork (Original Music is BACK!!!)
brought to you by Quizilla

Hah!

The author I'm working with sent a message to my director saying he likes working with me and I am doing a good job! Yay me! This guy is really nice too and I don't mind dealing with him though it takes 150% of my time.

Glacia is in Norway, lucky girl, and I am beginning to feel restless and would love to travel somewhere. Now here is yet another way that mothers are torn continually. I want to travel, but could not bear to be away from Alex. Even if we go to the conference in Vancouver next year, I am already scheming a way to take him and Arthur along. Good thing babies travel free.

Am planning Alex's birthday get together. Can't call it a party really because it will be just us, my parents and Emma with Simon and possibly her husband, unless there's an election. Mr. Peel is an activist in the Liberal party.

OK, time to rant. What idiot calls an election before Christmas. Not that I want one anyway. OK, so we all know that they all steal in one way or another. The Liberals got caught. Big deal. Accept the shame with a red face and hung head and get on with it! There is nobody else to elect! So what if we have an election. It will be the same bloody result all over again - a liberal minority government. Otherwise, it might be a conservative minority government and that would just be too cruel to contemplate. Harper should not be allowed any power whatsoever.
End rant.

The problem ...

with having given out my blog addy to people is that there is a chance, small though it may be, that people I know will actually read my blog. This means I can't vent properly. So here is a toned down version.

Damn, damn, damn! Shoot, blast, damn!

Am in serious need of a personal day. There are just days that I want to be totally irresponsible. Dye my hair purple (you thought I forgot about that one, didn't you?), get a tattoo (washable, I don't need gratuitous pain) and hang out at Queen East, scaring the natives. Or better yet at Yorkville. It's just that it's been a while since I've been to the Beaches. Yeah, and eat chocolate. Cake. Chocolate cake.

Am totally freaked out about the flu pandemic. Don't know whether to get a mask or gloves or just go around in a bubble or stay home and order food through Grocery Gateway.

Arrrgghhhh!

Friends rock!

Talked to Emma yesterday. I don't know how, but she always makes me feel so much better about everything. Oh, yes, pengirl has been down in the dumps lately. Why, you ask? No money, no time, media panic frenzy about the flu pandemic, hurricanes and earthquakes, so the usual stuff.

Still not finished reading the first key in Dr. Phil's grand scheme of weight loss and had no time to do any of the exercises, so can't say I should be surprised that I have lost no weight. Did watch "The Biggest Loser" on TV last night though. That has to count for something. OK, so I did have a bowl of chocolate pudding while I was watching it, but hey, a girl's gotta eat.

Your Monster Profile

Lethal Goblin You Feast On: Bananas You Lurk Around In: The Backseats of Cars You Especially Like to Torment: Lawyers

What's Your Monster Name?

Hair

Glacia posted a pic of her pink hair on her blog and I love it. I now want to add purple to my hair. I thought I'd do it for Halloween, but as we are dressing up, it would not go with my costume. Oh, but I so want to do it!

In other news... there is no other news. I have to say that I love Fridays. At work we get breakfast every Friday - bagels, mini muffins, fruit and yogurt. I love bagels even though they do evil things to my tummy. Together with breakfast there is this Friday morning leisure. People sit and have brekkie together, talk. Work gets going slowly and everyone is in weekend mode. It's good.

In diet news, I have bought Dr. Phil's book. He guarantees weight loss if you follow his seven keys. Well, we'll see. Key number one is to set realistic goals for weight loss. So, for me, that means going down to 180 pounds. I would like to do it in 18 months. I guess I won't be having too many breakfast bagels in the future!

What Maggie Needs

Go to Google, search for your name and 'needs'.

Maggie needs an alibi.
Maggie needs to teach ethics to this lame professor of ethics. (apparently regarding Terry Schiavo)
Maggie needs a home. She is 10 and is a people dog.
Maggie needs to be near Mom. (clearly is having problems with pet aggression)
Maggie needs immediate help with the implementation of organizational tools.
Maggie needs help understanding possible future pitfalls that could arise.
Animal rights advocates say the last thing Maggie needs is a treadmill. (could not agree with you more. Mind you, Maggie here is an elephant)
Maggie needs your help to get to her pet, Didi.
Maggie needs to learn how to respond to, or not respond to, people, dogs andother stimuli

Is it just me or are there a lot of dogs named Maggie?

Nothing special

It's just another drizzly day in the city and it took me two hours to get to work. Grrr! It was all about construction trucks parked in the wrong lane, school crossings and hordes of teenagers. Don't ask!

The United Way campaign is on at work. I am part of the committee, much to my surprise. Usually I stay away from those things as much as I can. I can see now that there will be no spending money left what with candygrams, silent auctions, Bingo and whatnot. It's all for a good cause though, so I suppose I will forgo the usual chocolate treats. It will be better for my figure as well.

Am in a bit of a creatvie funk with things I need to do at work. There are days when I feel like I know nothing. I work in a bit of a bubble sometimes, where I have these huge projects that I work on and then have people look at them later. Am I doing it right? I don't know. Am I being innovative, creative and all kinds of other ives? I don't know. Should I go shopping? Oh, yes! That is one thing I do know. :)

Goodbye Gail

Our Director of HR had an anneurism two weeks ago. She passed away last Thursday. Yesterday we all went to a service in her memory.

I did not know her that well, but yet her death brought home to me a few facts that only events like this make plain. Gail was a very alive, vibrant person. She was one of those people who are ever active and cannot keep still. If she was waiting to speak with someone, she would do this little dance step instead of standing still. She was funny and loved to laugh. She was only 53. She had battled breast cancer 9 years ago and won! She had a large, very loving family and she really seemed to be torn away from their midst. Well, here are the lessons I learned: you never know when it will be time to go; if you feel something, think something, want something - say it! Time is so short. All of Gail's friends and family knew how much she loved them because she made sure to say it every day, not just on special occasions. Clearly she was much wiser than most of us.

Goodbye Gail. You touched my life very briefly and I am sorry I did not know you better.

Like a leaf on the wind
You were torn from us
Too quickly, oh Lord
Too quickly.

Food

Lately it seems that I've been writing about food a lot. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I need to lose 20 pounds and I have begun to feel guilty about pretty much everything I eat. I have come to realize that to achieve the 20 pound weight loss I need to stop eating. Yes, I know what you're going to say, just get a little more exercise. The thing is that I have no time. And I mean that. My commute takes 3 hours a day. I'm at work for eight hours. When I get home, I take care of baby until about eight p.m., at which point he goes to sleep. Then I have two hours relax time, at which point, a. I can't leave in case bebe needs me, b. can't do anything loud so as not to wake bebe, c. am utterly exhausted and sit-ups are the last thing on my mind.
So, diet is pretty much the only way I can lose weight right now.

Last night Arthur made these super delish green peppers stuffed with chili. Oh, they were yummy, and of course I immediately felt guilty because we know that yummy foods are the bad, fat producing ones. It has gotten so if I enjoy something, I immediately feel guilty about eating it. I think I will have to stick to carrot sticks and celery for a while. And chocolate, of course.

Chocolate Madness

Read an article about cravings in Scientific American on the weekend. Apparently opiate based drugs suppress food cravings. Fabulous. Now I just need to get myself hooked on pot and I will no longer crave chocolate and will be as slim as a willow. Strangely enough, Latin women who eat more chocolate, crave it less and by the same token do not pig out on it as much as deprived North American women who are always on a diet. Hey, I see possibilities here! Have chocolate means don't crave chocolate, means eat less chocolate! I like that plan! (sipping on her cup of hot chocolate)

Further on the subject, I would like to say, that I love the Cadbury Thins chocolate bars. It's 100 calories of yummy, smooth fulfilling choccy. Mmmm!

Yes, I am weak!

I got the latest LL.Bean catalogue and had to get these cute little moose slippers and reindeer pj's for Alex. I am a weakling. No wonder I have no money! Not to mention that I found things I would just LOVE to have myself and get for Arthur and my mom and dad... Well, I suppose I can justify it if it's Christmas shopping. Yes, that's it and of course, they all have their birthdays coming up soon too. Ha!

Had lunch with a friend from Evil Corporation and am sooooooo glad I no longer work there. They had yet another round of lay-offs. We went to Crappy Chinese Buffet and unfortunately it was more crappy than ever. I was only able to eat a mouthful of each dish. Of course, mango ice cream was dessert, and frankly, if I could have limited myself to that, it would have been better. Delia put half the amount of food I had on her plate and also picked at it and left some. Well, I guess that's why she's so svelte and I'm ... not. Now I'm all full and sleepy. Sigh.

But apple crumble makes things better...

Had left over apple crumble for dessert after lunch today. Lovely, lovely Emma Peel made it and brought it over yesterday and Arthur generously let me take it all to work. He even packed it for me. Maybe because he knows that I absolutely LOVE it! It is the only item I piggy out on at Frankie Tomato's. Yum!

And Amazon sent me an email to let me know that they would refund my money for the package that did not get to me. That means I can spend it on wool or beads now. Hah!

Not the best of days

It's raining cats and dogs in TO. Hurricane Rita has got to us at last, though here it's only in the form of lots of rain and muggy, warm weather. Well, thanks to all the rain and the oh, so efficient TTC, it took me over an hour to get from the subway station to work, which normally should take about 20 minutes. Growl. There was disembarking of buses and boarding other buses and finally walking in the rain for ten minutes. So compared with the devastation the hurricanes caused in the States, small potatos and basically a pleasant walk in the park, but in my little world today, not what I needed. On top of that, my latest Amazon purchase went to the wrong address. My fault entirely because I did not check the shipping address and did not realize that just because I had shipped all of my packages to my home addy for the last year, Amazon would decide to ship this one to work. And not just that, to the work where I no longer work. So wondering now if I will ever see it.

Alex did not sleep again last night. We tried rocking, we tried changing the diaper, we tried bottle and nothing. Well, correction, he would fall asleep like a little angel in my arms, but as soon as I would put him in his crib, he would wake up and cry. Finally, at 1:30 a.m., I gave up and decided that I at least needed a nap and put him in our bed. He immediately feel asleep and I dozed for the rest of the night, supremely uncomfortable, and trying not to wake him as I adjusted myself to keep from falling off the edge of the bed. Who would have believed someone so small takes up so much room.

So now, I am bleary eyed, miffed at the TTC and Amazon and all in all in dire need of a treat.

Oink!

I would just like to say that I LOVE the Peponi Grill. It's this little place across from work. They have an eclectic mixture of Indian and East African food, with a waitress who could not be more Canadian. I had the chicken masala wrap with fries and oh, oh, heaven! And the fries! I mean, what can be better than that deep fried, bathed in fat, crispy goodness! Of course, staying thinner can be better, but well, a girl's gotta live. Really, after that meal I should not eat for the rest of the day or I should spend a week eating only grapefruit. Not very likely. So, I say a triumphant Oink! and prepare to embrace my curvy shape.

I'm such a mommy!



Take the 100 Acre Personality Quiz!

In latest news, my little Roo has two more teeth! That makes eight in total!

Money

OK, I actually was not going to complain about it until I talked to my mom who claims that my dad supported the three of us on 18K a year. So she can't understand why I'm having trouble supporting the three of us on my salary (maybe not having trouble, but we certainly aren't saving for a Caribbean vacation). Well, let's start for a moment by realizing that in 20 years prices for goods have risen slightly. And that she worked too at the time. Sigh. I personally don't remember him making 18K. I remember me making 17K when I started working after high school and before university. "Ah, yes, I remember it well..."

As we know, there are two ways of having more money - spend less or make more money. Since my whole plan to win ten million dollars is not working out. And my other plan to write a best selling novel is taking longer than expected. Ah, well, it's only money.

Finally!

My greatness has been recognized.


Your angel is trying to tell you that...you're
intelligent. Wise-eyed and smart, you have a
way with swaying people into following you. You
are the quiet leader who will some day make big
changes in the world.
Song: World On Fire- Sarah McLachlan


What is your angel trying to tell you?!?!?
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New Orleans...

the horror!

Ukrainian Fest

On Saturday I had to go to a photographer to get a couple of passport pictures - one for me, one for my bebe. I completely forgot about the Ukrainian festival that went on in Bloor Village. Well, here I am, with the small stroller, hauling my poor baby through parades of ex PMs, dancing folk groups, beating drums and Falun Dafa members. Though what Falun Dafa has in common with the Ukraine I have no clue. I think they just take advantage of any old festival. Alex was super good and he did not cry even though there was a lot of noise. People were walking like idiots too, nearly smashing into us and I had to give some very stern looks and a few choice words here and there too.

Finally got to Black's and got my photo taken. Then it was Alex's turn, which was a bit tricky. As soon as he sees a camera pointing at him, he breaks out into the biggest grin. Apparently, for passport photos you're not supposed to smile. Had a time getting him to be serious and look straight ahead. Finally did, but he had his lips parted and the lady who was taking the picture seemed very unhappy with that. Apparently, for passport photos you're supposed to have your mouth closed. But he's nine months old! I protested. " Well, maybe they will accept it," she said. I guess we'll see.

Overall though my little guy and I had a great time at the festival. We wandered around while our pics were being printed. I embarked on a semi hearted search of a colourful flower head dress that I saw women wearing. It reminded me of my days as a kid in Poland and all the church fetes in the little villages I attended when on holidays. They always sold little paper flower tiaras for girls and there were raffles too where for a small fee the child drew for a prize. In one of those I won a small ring with a red stone. It was base metal and the 'stone' was actually plastic, but to me it was a treasure and now I wish I had it. I went to that one with my mom. We were on vacation in the mountains. Anyway, I could not find a flower tiara and the cute Ukrainian pattern mug that I was going to get for my hubby was $16 bucks, so I did not get that either. I did get a cute toy for my boy though, so it wasn't a complete shopping washout.

Rainy

It was Alex's nine month well visit yesterday and the poor mite cried as soon as he saw the doctor. No shots though, so that was a blessing. Once again, he is in the 100th percentile for length at 79cm and 73 percentile for weight at 9730 grams. That's almost 22 pounds for all you imperial measure people. He's sitting up by himself and will crawl given half a chance. Pretty soon he'll be a baby no more but a toddler!

I was coming home on the subway from my doctor visit yesterday and there was this lady on the subway who just sat there and laughed and sang to herself. Of course, everyone was looking at her like she'd lost her mind and I thought, how sad. She may have just been happy and of a different mind set than the rest of the grim faced subway riders who sink their nose in a book or stare at a wall in an effort not to make eye contact with anyone. Then again, she may have been nuts, but the same can be said for all of us. Just because someone doesn't quote the bible at random at all the fellow passengers does not mean that he or she is 'normal.' The BTK killer seemed normal to all intents and purposes and he is far from it. So to all of you who find the need to communicate with yourself aloud or sing or do something else that is not normally accepted subway behaviour, I say, you go!

Hmmm...

May,
Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and highly
motivated. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered.
Attracts others and loves attention. Deep
feelings. Beautiful physically and mentally.
Firm Standpoint. Needs no motivation. Easily
consoled. Systematic (left brain). Loves to
dream. Strong clairvoyance. Understanding.
Sickness usually in the ear and neck. Good
imagination. Good physical. Weak breathing.
Loves literature and the arts. Loves traveling.
Dislike being at home. Restless. Not having
many children.Hardworking. High spirited.
Spendthrift.


What does your birth month reveal about you?
brought to you by Quizilla

It's just a Tuesday

And I am not being very productive at all. Have been poking at a series of slides I have ato prepare for our training program and I just have zero inspiration.

Have not talked about knitting in a while. I have finished the sweater! Yesss! Now I have to sew it together. Bleah! I hate that part. I can knit forever, but putting the stuff together is the yucky part. I think I might have to though, because I did the shoulders and put the furry grey stuff around the neck and it looks good. I know it will tickle when I wear it though. I might just have to take a sidestep and make a crochet teddy for my little guy. A girl at work brought a book for fun patterns and he was one of them.

So now eagerly awaiting some distraction while willing time to go faster so I can go for lunch. I don't know if I can stand so much excitement.

Good news!

I am now a fully licensed driver! Woohoo! Last week I passed my G2 exit test and so now I have a full G license. For our international friends, we have a weird two tier system in Ontario - it takes two years to get your full license.

On the very same day I took my driving test, Alex got two more teeth. This time it's his upper front ones. They're not completely out yet, but very visible when he laughs and sharp when he bites his mommy.

Mmmm, mmmm. Just tried the new Tim Horton's fruit and yogurt cup and am in heaven! It's delish! I'm sure it's loaded with fat, but who cares. It's so tasty! I normally don't like Tim's at all and only go there when there are no other choices around. This time it was because I was on my way back from the bank and had brought no lunch. I see now I will need to visit them more often.

Grump

The abundance of comments on this blog shows me clearly that nobody reads it (except for Glacia, who rocks). This gives me license to write what I want! Ha! Beware, ye of little readership!

We had our version of a big media event on Tuesday, which is the Air France plane crash at Pearson. I totally salute the crew of that plane who actually got 300 people out to safety in about 90 seconds to 4 minutes. Wow. I think that is the best commercial for flying Air France, even if we crash, we will save you! I just hope the crash was not caused by pilot error.

Actually, this is bizarre. I was outside on Tuesday at four-ish and looking up at the sky, watching the huge clouds and wondering when it was going to begin pouring when I saw a plane pass by quite low, heading for the airport. It was flying a bit funny, leaning over to one side and I had a fleeting thought of it crashing, but quickly dismissed it. When I got home, I learned that a plane did crash and around four o'clock. Am clearly psychic.

In a bit of a grump today. I examined all the recent events and decided that it was not due to anything in particular, just a yucky mood. Of course, my notorious lack of money might have something to do with it. Can't even go shopping to make myself feel better.

I have about five centimeters left to knit on my sweater sleeves and then I can put it together! Yay! I will be SO happy. I started this sweater last year, before Alex was born. Next project, funky scarf.

Having kids teaches you a lot about your parents

Alex is a pretty happy kid, but he has days when he's sad, tired and fussy. It's only to be expected, but when one of those days comes, I'm all aflutter, trying to find out why he's not his usual giggly self. Because he can't talk yet, I can't ask him what's wrong (though I do) and expect an answer. A couple of days ago, he had one of those days and I told my mom about it later on the phone.

Me "I HATE it when he's sad. It makes me feel so sad!"
Mom "I used to hate it when you were sad."
Me "And the worst is that I can't ask him what it is. I try all these things and nothing helps."
Mom "I know what you mean. That's why when you were sad, I used to bug you about what was wrong."
Me "Oh!"

Turns out she wasn't just bugging me for the hell of it.

What sad irony. We learn our parents' true intentions when we are no longer children.

Alex is a Christian!

He is in fact a Catholic. We had him baptized yesterday at the Our Lady of Sorrows church. It was lovely and I was very proud. Afterwards we had a little do at our place. Had a great time. I hope other people did too. It had been too long since I had a party. Glacia and Lyle came and both looked fab. Emma, Steed and Simon were there too. Simon is turning into a big boy.

I should have another party again soon. The only thing is that poor Alex was just exhausted at the end of it all. He went to bed at six and pretty much slept until six a.m., with breaks for water and being rocked.


And now this:

Your Sexy Brazilian Name Is

Janaina Pereira

What's Your Sexy Brazilian Name?

The rebel in me

Wants to go shopping on the way home. Of course, the sensible girl in me knows that she better not spend any money.

It's stifling hot in this city. It has become apparent that we need to move away from Toronto. The hot hazy humid smog days are just insane this summer. I guess if it was only us, it would not matter that much, but I find the thought that Alex suffers under the heat unbearable. The poor little one gets so hot and sweaty and he gets a bad heat rash on the back of his neck, which does not go away with just kissing it. Don't know what's up with that. :( I pile zinc cream on it and that helps a little.

Been feeling slightly blue lately, for no particular reason other than I have no time whatsoever for anything. I wrote a letter to my aunt and uncle and it's been waiting to be posted for a week. I just don't have the time or the energy to put it into an envelope and send it out. And I have been meaning to write to Lorena since Easter and still have not done so. I got no money and no time. Sux.

TTC stories

Let me just say a few words about the TTC (that's the Toronto Transit Comission, for all you non Torontonians). The more money seems to be thrown at it, the more service sucks. Yesterday, two buses in the schedule on my route home did not show. They just didn't come at all. Then two came at once. One of which promptly short turned. I was on that one.
Lately, in the mornings my regular bus that comes at 7:15, has been showing up at 7:25. That's quite a change. Since there were no announcements of service change, I thought they were just late. On a hunch however, I checked their site. Sure enough, they changed the schedule without telling anyone. I ask you: is that good customer service? If you were running a business and your hours of operation changed, would you not tell your customers? Sigh. And this is a company that has the temerity to threaten a strike every few years. I say there should be a rival transit comission, one that offered better service at lower prices. See if they went on strike then!

Not a newlywed...

Arthur and I have been married two years now! It's crazy how fast that went. I remember when we were just married two months and thinking wow, six months that's a milestone. Meanwhile, it's been two years and feels like five minutes.

I am just in a Thursday afternoon slump now. Brain is fried. I am working on yet another project and I'm starting to burn out a little.

Still hoping I might go away to Europe for work for a few days, though the guilt connected with that would be humongous. As it is, I hate leaving every morning and waving bye-bye to my little angel. Sigh. But Europe! And alone time. I would love some of that. There, I am a selfish beast, but I am dying for a day just for me. A day to sit idly at Chapters and leaf through books. To get my hair done and have a coffee at Starbucks. To window shop leasurely. To just wander around the city, sit on a bench somewhere and not hurry. Ahhh, the luxury.

Been a long, long time

Yes, I know, but have been busy like a little bee. Work is goooood! I had to attend a three day tanning session (oh, yeah, poor me!) and have a course to go to this week at U of T. Ah, to relive those good 'ol student days! It's at FIS, where I never had classes, so kind of not reliving, but I did have class at Robarts my MA year, so that's close enough.

We are baptizing the little guy in early July. He is super cute and has two teeth! The teeth came in rather unexpectedly and he fussed very little so we were clueless that it was happening until I felt a sharp point poking through his gum! And lo and behold, he has two lower front teeth. He still bites everyone, so it's kind of painful.

Crap with this hot weather! I hate it. Can't wait for the cooler days. I resolved to finish my sweater in time for fall and when it's so hot, there's just no knitting. I miss it. Now of course, I keep seeing designs for cute little cotton tops and want to knit or crochet one for myself, but who am I kidding. By the time I get Alex to sleep, it's nine and then Arthur and I have an hour to ourselves before our bedtime. Sigh. Where does all the time go?

I like my job!

OK, so the new place is gooooood! These people actually care what I think and they want innovation. Rock on! And I get to do some instructional design! Rock on and on!

On the flip side, the commute is really getting to me. We need a car. We need it now. Today we had to take Alex to the doc for his six month visit with shots and all (sniff, sniff) and now I need to make up the time at work and the thought of being home so late... OK, it breaks my heart. I just want to be with my husband and baby! All you stay at home moms, you have it so good! At least in that respect. When I leave here, it's an hour and a half commute. :( Speaking of which, I better pack up.

Back to work!

I can't believe it's been six months. Leaving Alex at home all day will be the hardest thing in the world. Luckily, he will be with Arthur. I wonder how many times a day I will call home that first week.

Also luckily I will work shorter hours at my new job. Now here is the downer. We are all sick, sneezing and coughing and I can't even take anything for it because I am still feeding Alex. Also, must go to work Monday no matter what because it's my first day at new job. And Wednesday is my birthday. There, I said it. And it's got a five in it, so I suppose it's kind of important. And because of new job and everything, I can't take a day off or anything. I might buy myself a piece of cake at lunch though. Chocolate. So there.

Je le savais!

Your Inner European is French!

Smart and sophisticated. You have the best of everything - at least, *you* think so.

Who's Your Inner European?

Got a new job!

Woohooohooo! I don't have to go back to Evil, who frankly lay people off every quarter and generally treat them like slaves. I will still be in the same geographic area though, the ends of the earth.

How appropriate is this!

I knew there was a reason I came here!

You're Canada!

People make fun of you a lot, but they're stupid because you've
got a much better life than they do. In fact, they're probably just jealous.
You believe in crazy things like human rights and health care and not
dying in the streets, and you end up securing these rights for yourself and
others. If it weren't for your weird affection for ice hockey, you'd be
the perfect person.
Take
the Country Quiz at the Blue Pyramid

Hmm, not quite sure I agree...

You're Anne of Green Gables!

by L.M. Montgomery

Bright, chipper, vivid, but with the emotional fortitude of cottage
cheese, you make quite an impression on everyone you meet. You're impulsive, rash,
honest, and probably don't have a great relationship with your parents. People hurt
your feelings constantly, but your brazen honestly doesn't exactly treat others with
kid gloves. Ultimately, though, you win the hearts and minds of everyone that matters.
You spell your name with an E and you want everyone to know about it.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

A sad day

The Pope is dying. What sadness.

Goodnight sweet prince,
There is no sweetness in the sorrow of this parting.