Picture Meme

Tagged by Glacia. Here goes.

1. Age you will be on your next birthday. (really tempted to say 29, but no)

2. Place you would like to visit.

3. One of your favourite places:

Estes Park, Colorado. Gorgeous scenery and the feeling this is the place time forgot.

4. Your favourite object.

Well, one of. Currently am into knitting a lot. Also love books, movies, music.

5. Your favourite food.

Hard to choose. I think this would be one thing I would find it hard to be without.

6. Your favourite animal.

Round, yet strangely graceful. Who could forget the dancing hippos in Fantasia! Need I say more?

7. Your favourite colour.

Red, red, red!

8. Name of a past pet.

OK, this was a hard thing to find a picture of. I had a hamster named Georgiana (not the hamster, of course, the name was hard to find).

9. Where you live.

TO, ON. Not that it looks like this most of the time.

10. First teacher's last name. It was Szybisz. Krystyna Szybisz. And she did not like me. Ah, well.

I don't know what this is supposed to be. It came up when I searched the last name.

11. Your middle name. Don't have one, but I always wanted to be Dorothea.

There you g0 - restless spirit - that's me.

12. Bad habit of yours.

Love, love, love jewellery. So, buying it is definintely a bad habit and costly. It serves no practical purpose at all and yet, I can't stop!!!

13. Your favourite flower.

14. Your favourite holiday.

I hate to sound corny, but it was my honeymoon. Mexico, the Mayan Riviera. Blue water, golden sand, swim-up bar.

Resolutions

Really have not had enough time to think of many, but here is what I came up with so far:

1. Learn to meditate. (What the heck, I can do it!)
2. Spend less money. (No more spur of the moment/emotional buys, this is it, I am cut off! This includes yarn.)
3. De-clutter. (Not sure I can do this one.)
4. Finish the mister's sweater. (OK, it's been over three years, this is getting ridiculous!)
5. Travel, travel, travel! (Mr.P and me on a beach)
6. Figure out the meaning of life, existence of a higher benevolent being, and how to save the world from itself.

There, that ought to do it.

No weight loss, you ask? Well, if I get all of the above done, I think the weight will take care of itself.

Happy New Year! Champange wishes and caviar dreams (or whatever). What is Robin Leach doing these days anyway?

New Year

Christmas was nice albeit quiet. Apart from having to take Alex home from my parents' house at 9:30 at night on Christmas Eve, that is. He just would not sleep there and he did the quiet sob that just welled up inside him. So, I said "we're going home!" We were all in jammies at this point. Mr. Pengirl was a great trooper. I'm sure he was not impressed, but pulled his pants on and picked up Alex's stuff and off we went. My baby is just like me when I was little - dinner, potty and bed were at home. I did not want to eat, go to the toilet or sleep anywhere else until I was a lot older. Then of course, that is all I wanted to do.

I got some lovely things under the tree - a star necklace from the hubby, some cool books, a gorgeous carved head that hubby made in secret, a bag, choccy, ice wine, my fave green pomengranate tea. It was gooood!

I had to work most of the holiday break. Bleah. And now I am super tired both psychologically and physically. And the work is far from done. And I just don't want to do it. I just want to rest and cuddle in Mr. P's arms. Oh, yeah!

Hey, Santa

Watched Miracle of 34th Street last night. The one with Richard Attenborough. I love that movie. I especially love that moment when the guy leans out the window of the courtroom and says "Santa Claus wins!"

I'm sure I already mentioned that it was my own mom who told me there was no Santa. But as I got older I kind of half believed there was, at least some sort of benevolent holiday spirit that made magic happen. I really want Christmas to be a magical time for Alex so he has those nice Christmas memories. The magic seems to be taking its time this year though.

I remembered when we were in Algeria. Many of the contractors had small kids and they got together and had a kids party. They asked my dad to be Santa, complete with a white beard and big belly (which he does not normally have) and the red suit. Some of the six year olds were just starting to doubt, I think. All the parents were good about not mentioning to their kids that there would be a special visitor at the party. All the kids were playing and suspecting nothing when there was a knock at the door. My dad strode in in full Santa garb. You should have seen the faces on the older kids. It was like "holy crap, he does exist!" I almost believed it myself for a minute.

This is what I wish you all this Christmas or Chanukkah or Kwanzaa or Saturnalia or whatever holiday you choose to celebrate - that priceless moment of realizing the magic is happening. May you all be well and have a table full of food and a heart full of joy.

Paying it Forward

This from the lovely Glacia, who in turn got it here. It's a crafty pay it forward scheme. You make three things for people not expecting anything in return and then those people have to do that for other three people. I am totally on board and may just do that off blog as well. But if anyone would like to be the recipient of my PIF crafts, let me know on or off blog. You in turn will take a part in the PIF movement for others. It's sort of like a chain letter... but good.

Oh, btw, I don't know when these PIF goodies will be available, but definitely in 2008! Promise!

Yas'm

Certain people at work have been getting up my nose. I have the un-fun task (actually, it's mind-numbingly dull and has very little to do with technical writing) of doing layout for a manual. This means no writing, but putting everything in Adobe FrameMaker and making sure things look OK. There is one Research person who sees herself as better than most, at least better than technical writers. She stopped me as I was going to my desk the other day (literally had not yet sat down, had on my outside shoes and handbag). This is the conversation that ensued.

Stuck-up R&D Person: Oh, good morning. We will need to talk about the tables you will put in my chapters sometime soon.

Pengirl: Oh, OK.

SRDP: I don't know what you can do. Can you make them look good?

Pengirl: Well, I guess so.

SRDP: (Reminiscing) I used to have this wonderful technical writer (read servant). I just used to give her things and she made them look good without asking. She just did it! It was Sarah, have you ever met her?

Pengirl: I think I met her once (remembering someone extremely full of herself and rude).

SRDP: Well, I guess I'll come over and explain later what I'd like you to do with the tables.

Pengirl: (sorely tempted to say: tables, I thought those were them things you rich folk eat on) OK, bring some examples though.
(walks away stomping)

Let me explain. Technical communicators write procedural information. In fact, I wrote a chapter for the same manual. We are not in charge of making things look pretty. Graphic designers do that. Unfortunately, at this company, technical writers also do layout. R&D people often think that is the only thing we do. Well, certain R&D people. There is one lady who is great and totally respects the work we do. I suppose I should not be so hard on SRDP. She has a freaky looking daughter, so I suppose her life is not easy. No, really this kid has the face of a 30-year-old on a baby's body. I try not to stare at her picture every time I pass by SRDP's desk.

It's December!

And that means Christmas is near, pilgrims! This year I'm hoping little hands will help decorate the tree and will not make it fall over too many times.

I'm teaching him about Santa. Basically, telling him "Santa will be here soon and bring you many presents, etc." He looks at me with a very philosophical expression on his little face. I fear we will need to take him to a mall to show him "the real thing."

Got my Finnfeelings bling today. 'Tis gorgeous. Mind, I also asked my hubby for some bling for under the tree. I am all about the bling.

So love working at home. Can get bling by mail... enjoy some afternoon delights with my sweet honey... hold my munchkin on my knee as I type. Love it.

Oh, dear...

Not marble, nor the gilded Maggie
Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme.

Which work of Shakespeare was the original quote from?

Get your own quotes:

Winter

Just looked out the window and it was total whiteness outside. Crazy. There are work crews working on our street and I was just thinking that I would not want to have any of their jobs. Mind, their progress seems to be confined to making larger and larger piles of gravel on one side of the road. I worry that I will not be able to get in or out of the driveway one of these days. Out will not be that bad, but in would be worse because the designated parking areas already have people parking on them even when there is no work being done. So, one day, pengirl will just be trapped at home and will be forced to play with her husband and baby all day instead of going in to work. Ah, dear.

Lots of knitting going on. Char's daughter's scarf is progressing. Almost done, in fact. I bought her a pair of earrings that I thought would be totally perfect only to find out she does not have pierced ears. I thought I was safe in assuming she did as she has pierced everything else. Tempted to keep them for self as they are funkeh!

Caved and got winter boots. Well, it was a given that this was going to happen because I threw away my old pairs (two of them) on account of them killing my feet. And what happened on the first snowy day in Toronto? No boots. So I went to Payless and bought mommy boots. Oh, you know the kind I mean, the kind that go with that padded, long Michelin man coat. I am happy to say that I still have not reached the Michelin man coat stage, but now certainly I have the boots for it.

Sooo proud of myself as I went to the mechanic across the street from work by myself and got the oil changed and the wiper blades replaced. Feel so grown up now. Of course, the mr. rolled his eyes at what they charged me (OK, I rolled my eyes a little bit too), but I feel you can't put a price on confidence! He did say that they charged surprisingly little for labour. I know it's not possible, but it feels like the car runs better now.

Brrr!

I know I'm a big woos and that's just because I drive now. It's only about -7 outside and I am freezing! Last year I would have been enjoying the brisk weather.


moar funny pictures

Yesterday I took the TTC and it took forever to get to work. I mean, in a land where forever takes two hours. It would probably have been the same had I driven though, but I got to read, so it was good.

Knitting News

Lots of news on the knitting front. I put a scarf in the United Way auction at work and a girl who wanted it a lot bought it, so that was good. I also offered my knitting services and a guy bought those. I am now making matching hats for him and his daughter who is one. I love small projects.
Also, I have finally gotten to the neck of the front of Arthur's sweater. I so want to finish before Christmas so he can wear it soon, but I'm afraid it won't happen. However, the plan is to finish the sweater before the boy turns four. I started this project before he was born!
Also making a scarf out of cute yarn called Pooch for Charlotte's daughter who likes things black and goth-like. The yarn is black and pouffy, so it should go over well. I also got her a pair of dragon earrings.

Christmas Shopping

... is half done. Haaa haaahhh! Still need to get everything for my dad and something for my mom and for my little Stitch lover too. Oh, and for Simon, Emma's son... OK, am getting depressed now. Sigh. But December will soon be upon us and I can start decorating and stuff. Wooohhhoo hoooo woooohoooo hoooo woohoooo all the way!!!!

In the land of the sick

Still sick and now the munchkin is sick too. We took him to Just for Kids to see a doc because this morning he woke up coughing and crying after every cough. He pointed to his throat. Poor baby, on his birthday too! Yes, pilgrims, three years ago today pengirl was in labour. Well, actually, by this time (2:00 p.m.) I was already on the maternity ward. Alex was down in the NICU because his blood sugar level was too low. So I went down two floors to hold him and feed him, while gingerly holding on to my c-section scar. Yes, a fun time was had by all. I gave the nurses the slip one time (unintentionally) and they were phoning all over the hospital looking for me. I was with my baby, of course. They brought him back to me the next day.

Well, we got drugs for the boy and instructions to not administer them unless he getse worse. Now he's napping, drugged up on Tylenol because he's beginning to get a fever after all this. When he gets up, I'm sure we'll be watching Lilo and Stitch again, while eating birthday cookies. I have to confess that even though I have now seen Lilo and Stitch about a hundred times, sitting with Alex, snuggling him on the couch, I could watch it a hundred times more.

"This is my family. I found it all on my own."

The plague!

Soo sick! I hate being sick! I'm sure it's the flu, but it feels like the plague. My little guy is sick too and seems to find comfort in watching Lilo and Stich all day. Yesterday we saw it four times.

I think I have most of the dialogue memorized now. I let him watch because it is the only time he will sit still. If only he'd stay in bed, he'd get better much quicker, but he's still at an age where bed is not somewhere you want to be. Ah, if only someone wanted me to stay in bed all day! Such luxury and decandence!

Mind you, my parents brought over a chocolate cake on Sunday to celebrate the little birthday and I've been snacking on it ever since, so the situation is not that bad. Of course, Alex won't touch the cake, but does want chocolate cookies and Rockets candy (that's Smarties to all you American folk).

Gee, staying at home makes me want to shop online, which is very dangerous as my credit card balances creep steadily up. I love Christmas, but hate paying for it. Ah, well, am almost half done with my shopping and December is not even here yet. Hah!

Next pay day I am treating myself to a big jar of Nivea cream, which is my absolute fave. It's 15 bucks for the biggest jar in a neighbourhood pharmacy and it's the German made kind, which has a nicer smell than local one. Can't wait.

It's time for the Pumpkin Patch!

Hallowe'en, that is. This year at work we're dressing up at characters from Clue. This is fitting because I have no 'clue' who they are. Well, I kind of do, but it sounded better that way. I am Mrs. White, played by Madeline Kahn in the movie, who was one of my fave actresses. My only exposure to Clue is the movie, actually and I don't remember it very well. I just remember that it wasn't too good.

Pictures may follow. My dress makes me look like a 300 pound elephant, so I may shy away from the camera.

I've been reading the best book: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt. It's not new or anything, but it is to me! I got it at our work book sale for 50 cents and am just loving it. My fave character is Joe Odom, who basically squats in other people's houses, plays piano and hosts an unknown number of guests there. Added to that, he writes bad cheques and is overall totally unreliable and absolutely lovable. I highly recommend.

In other news you basically don't want to know what's been going on in my circle. I feel like I'm in the eye of the storm sometimes.

Oooh, pic of baby blankie at long last!

A whole lotta nothin'

...is what's been going on. Aside from that, I'm sick. Have a nasty cold. Took some Benylin last night hoping it would knock me out. No such luck. Their nighttime formula seems to have something that is a stimulant for me. Spent the whole night between sleep and waking, not fully in either. Got up even more tired than I went down. Bleah. Do not take Benylin. Is Evil.

Waiting for Charlotte to come back from Italy and tell me all tales of trip so I can live vicariously.

In happy news, the baby blankie turned out fab. Will include pic someday, promise. Have started a throw for us in lovely shades of blue and brown. Yes, yes, working on Arthur's sweater too after his many not-so-subtle hints.

Oh, and my shows are starting up again - House tonight, Grey's and CSI on Thursday. Thank God! The summer land of reruns is no more!

Reise Fiber

This means the anxiety of travel, meaning the little shivers you feel before a trip. As I am not about to travel, I don't have reise fiber per se, but I always thought it should mean the anxiety to travel. This I have in abundance, mostly precipitated by the fact that Char is off to Italy. Ahh, la bella Italia! My mom is off to Poland soon. Ahh, la bella... well, you know. Not that Toronto is not nice, it is and now in the fall, all the trees will soon look golden and red and the sky is so blue... just like on the Cote d'Azur. Sigh.

In other news, the Mr. is going under the knife soon, or should I say under the drill. He's having nose surgery to correct a structure there which is not formed correctly and is causing pain, infections and all kinds of unpleasant things like that. Oh, yes, snoring too. Unpleasant for me. He's quite excited that he'll be able to breathe better. I have to take a week off to take care of the munchkin while he recouperates.

In knitting news... I am actually crocheting right now. Making a baby blankie for Heidi, niece in law, who is pregnant and due in February. Will post pic when it is finished - probably tonight. Woohooo. I love making baby things, they are small and easy to finish.

Travels

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Char and I went to Port Perry for a little trip. What a cute little town! It's totally girly though, so all of you of the male persuasion, I suggest letting your womenfolk go with their friends, sisters, second cousins, you get the idea.

This place abounds in cute little shops mixed with really expensive art galleries. We had lunch at a tea-room sort of place. It was small, quaint. I had pierogi. The waitress came back to make sure I liked them after I had expressed scepticism at how good they could possibly be. "I am Polish, you know," I said. She swore people came from far and wide to have these pierogi, maybe not from Poland itself, but that could be attributed to the fact that Port Perry is not as widely known in Poland as it should be. Anyway, the pierogi were OK. The raspberry chocolate tart we had for dessert was divine.

We went down to the water and there was a plane that had just landed. It was idyllic.

On the way back we stopped at the Ocala winery. Bought some nice wine. These people won the silver medal for fruit wines in all of Canada. Rightly so, the ice apple wine was yummy, albeit a little too sweet for me.

Last week on Friday we had our summer outing from work. My manager likes to do one in the winter and one in the summer. We went to Unionville. We had a looooong lunch. As a matter of fact, the restaurant closed while we were there, this is how long this lunch was. Then walked around the little shops a bit, but not too long because I did not want to get stuck in traffic. This is another cute little town (on the way to Port Perry, btw) and has an abundance of crafty/artsy stuff. I realize that I need to go back to both these places.

Ahhh, love day trips!

Issues, people, issues!

It hasn't actually been said right out that we are not to blog at work, but I think it is generally accepted that we probably should not. I am blatantly breaking the unspoken rule. Why, you ask? My nose is out of joint yet again. This time it's a work trip where I was hoping to bring mister. It's New Orlean's for Pete's sake (sorry, Pete, don't know why people keep calling on you)! I mean, if it was Dead Man's Ass, Arizona, I would not want to take him and would have been happy to share a room with Vanessa. Not that I have any problems sharing with V., I just think her and Gus, her other half, and mister and myself all in one room is getting a little too chummy. And he so wants to go too. It's not that it's forbidden, it's that I will now have to pay for half a room, which works out to 100 bucks a night, that is on top of his airfare (700 bucks) and food for us both.

How perfectly typical and a replay of the picnic. So am a little miffed. For 1000 bucks we can go for a week to Mexico! All inclusive! Sigh and sigh again.

Mind, this may not even be an issue as who knows if I end up going in the first place. That would be ironic.

On the plus side, I saw a bunny outside of work this morning, so the world can't be all bad. And am heading to Port Perry with Charlotte tomorrow. Yes!

Ghastly BBQ

We had our annual work barbecue. Now, pretty much everything was done wrong for this. There was a flurry of miscommunication at first - spouses or no, sports or relay games or team building activities. What will the kids do? It was decided that there would be no spouses invited, just kids. Hm. That precluded Alex from coming.

On the day in question it rained. Kids of various ages milled around the office crying, calling to each other, running, trying to fall into the fountain and being, well, kids. My brain stopped working after about an hour of this.

We were supposed to play soccer. It was mandatory. Or was it? Half the office stayed at the office. The other half ran around a soccer field, having a pretty good time, I think. I sat on the sidelines freezing. Had to pull poor Vanessa off the field after 45 minutes because I was her ride and I just had to get in to a dry place. There was water and cold pop for the players. Hot chocolate would have been good.

At least it's over for one more year and that's a good thing.

Bad, bad blogger!

Yes, I know. When I was a teenager, I wrote a diary which mainly consisted of my sighs toward a guy I thought I loved. Once I got over the guy, my diary entries were usually "Have not written in a while. Not much has happened."

Not quite true now. A little has happened. I drove into a fence at the Tim Horton's parking lot. I hit the gas instead of the brake. Luckily the car is OK, a little scratch on the bumper and my license plate has waves in it now. The air bag did not deploy, which my husband says, means that I was going less than 15 mph. "You walked into the fence," he says, "you did not DRIVE into the fence." OK, whatever, the main thing is the car is functioning.

Then Alex's stroller fell apart. The wheel broke off and there was no putting it on again. Great. We have another stroller, but it's a three wheeler that likes to tip over. Arthur put his talents to it and added two more little wheels in front and now it doesn't. Thank God he knows what to do.

And now I have the plague. I don't know what the heck has got me, but my sinuses, ears and now lungs seem infected and full of crap.

On the plus side, my lovely husband gave me a troll bracelet for our anniversary- I love! I gave him an mp3 player, which he loves. No celebratory sex ensued as I am sick. Grrrr!

On the road again...

Yes, possums, we have a car! Happy dance, happy dance. OK, it was easier than I thought. Mind you, we're now 10K in debt, but oh, it's so good to just get in and drive! I get to drive to work and it only takes me 45 minutes as opposed to an hour and a half on public transit. Yes, I know all about saving energy and being green and all, but I get to spend an extra hour with my baby every day! If Al Gore has a problem with that, he can come talk to me.

In other news... Alex had another ear infection. We had to take him to emerg last weekend (in the car). Picture this - the weather was perfect, 25 degrees, sunny. Everyone was out by the lake. We were sitting in emergency. We got banana flavoured Amoxi and off we went. He's feeling better now, but I worry that he'll be more prone to these now. Of course, everyone is offering me sure ways of beating ear infections with no drugs. That would actually work if we knew he had an ear infection in the first place. He was just very feverish and dopey and I worried it was his lungs.

Birthday is coming up. Won't tell you what number, but I will tell you it's not 25. However, feeling pretty good about myself as cute neighbour chatted me up on the stairs. Alex and I were doing his 'rounds' (this is where he has to go up and down the stairs and visit every floor) and we were going up the stairs very slowly. Neighbour was going up too. I made room for him, but he chose to stay behind and said flirty things as we went up. Ha. Still got it.

I've become my mother


So, it's official. How do I know, you ask. Because today I went to the hairdresser and found getting my hair washed totally annoying. This used to be such a treat for me! I loved the head and neck massage and getting my hair fussed over. Now, it's all about time. Sitting, having my hair washed for ten minutes made me want to throw things. Come ON, I thought, why is this taking so long? A sad state of affairs. I shudder to think what would happen if I went for a massage.


In other news, I went to see Charlotte in Newmarket and we went to the barn to see her horses. Let me preface this section by mentioning that I'm a total city girl. It was stinky to say the least. The horses were lovely, but they were big. Oh, boy were they big! And I'm not a small woman, mind. I was made to... I mean, I got to touch a couple of them. There were also very cute donkeys, which I petted with pleasure. One looked kind of like a walking chair. Overall had a great time though and it was nice to see Charlotte happy and in her element. Here's a pic of one of the horses.

Down memory lane

Done been tagged by glacia.

10 years ago: I was still finishing my masters degree in Hispanic Languages. That's a glorified way of saying Linguistics in Spanish. I must have been running around like mad, trying to get all my final papers in (they were due in May) and teaching my classes (TA's for 1st year Spanish) and still attending as many parties as possible.

5 years ago: Working at a software company. It was my first gig as a tech writer. I loved it. Unfortunately, the place went belly up and I ended up losing 4K in wages they never paid me. But, this was also around the time Arthur and I got engaged!!! I actually got my ring in May, but we had started to talk about getting married earlier. So, I would have been quite on a high from that.

1 year ago: About the same as now. Working on editing a huge book with a rather annoying author. Alex was very close to walking on his own. He actually started on Easter weekend last year.

Yesterday: went to a seminar about InDesign, a software we use at work. Got bored stiff after about four hours. Went shopping for a new book (The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier) and some cider for the baked salmon I was preparing for today's St. Paddy's pot luck lunch.

Today: Brekkie at work (a usual Friday occurance) and St. Paddy's pot luck lunch at noonish!!!

Tomorrow: Sleep in in the morning. Yessss! Might take Alex somewhere in the afternoon if it's not too cold.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Luck of the Irish to you all!

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.