The baby is sleeping.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Workspace
Sometimes I'll sit in front of my computer for hours thinking of something to blog about. I'll get up to clean something in hopes that a thought will magically pop into my head. I'll read facebook and other blogs. I'll shower and do some actual work. But sometimes I got nothin'. So today, because I can't think of something to write about, you'll be treated to a list of things on my desk (besides my computer equipment):
3 pencils cups - one actually came full of pens, one is a vase that used to have a flower floating in it, and one is a wooden block that Twin B made in school. My kids, by the way, both received C's in construction. They have never gotten marks that low. But I let it slide because I'm kind of ok with them not having the aptitude to build stuff. It's like the scene in "Breakfast Club" when Brian was going to shoot himself with a flare gun because the elephant light wouldn't work and then John was all upset because Brian thought he could totally float that class. Anyway, I love John Bender with all my heart, but in life I think Brian will be more successful and I'd rather my kids have Brian's brains than John's.
5 of my favourite books - The Writer's Guide to Queries, Pitches & Proposals (not that I've ever actually used this one, but I plan to one day), A Canadian Writer's Reference (this one comes in handy when I'm proofreading essays), The Canadian Press Stylebook (this one comes in handy more than you might think). And the two most read books on my desk: a thesaurus and a dictionary.
A cup that has shoes on it and came with a lid. I don't really get why. But I don't drink hot beverages so rather than using it for a drinking vessel, it sits on my desk and holds random money for the boys (from recycling bottles or selling something on kijiji).
A candle that came from somewhere but I don't remember where and I'm not really sure why it's there.
A tape dispenser in the shape of a shoe and a sticky dispenser in the shape of a purse. I also have a shoe calendar. Someone seems to think I like shoes. I wonder why.
A set of TableTopics in a large clear plastic box. These are cards that are said to start conversations. They say things like: "describe your most scenic drive" or "which is more important: intelligence or common sense?" Hey! Maybe I should use those as things to blog about when I can't think of anything else.
A couple of baskets to hold all my papers. One basket consists of all the projects I'm currently working on, organized with clips and staples and neatly in folders, and the other has all different sized notebooks (all with at least one page written on), scraps of paper, photocopies of important stuff that I'll need someday, and the notes, from at least one course I took years ago, held together with random bits of yarn.
And a daily desktop calendar complete with scribbled notes and a checklist of what I'd like to accomplish each day.
--
3 pencils cups - one actually came full of pens, one is a vase that used to have a flower floating in it, and one is a wooden block that Twin B made in school. My kids, by the way, both received C's in construction. They have never gotten marks that low. But I let it slide because I'm kind of ok with them not having the aptitude to build stuff. It's like the scene in "Breakfast Club" when Brian was going to shoot himself with a flare gun because the elephant light wouldn't work and then John was all upset because Brian thought he could totally float that class. Anyway, I love John Bender with all my heart, but in life I think Brian will be more successful and I'd rather my kids have Brian's brains than John's.
5 of my favourite books - The Writer's Guide to Queries, Pitches & Proposals (not that I've ever actually used this one, but I plan to one day), A Canadian Writer's Reference (this one comes in handy when I'm proofreading essays), The Canadian Press Stylebook (this one comes in handy more than you might think). And the two most read books on my desk: a thesaurus and a dictionary.
A cup that has shoes on it and came with a lid. I don't really get why. But I don't drink hot beverages so rather than using it for a drinking vessel, it sits on my desk and holds random money for the boys (from recycling bottles or selling something on kijiji).
A candle that came from somewhere but I don't remember where and I'm not really sure why it's there.
A tape dispenser in the shape of a shoe and a sticky dispenser in the shape of a purse. I also have a shoe calendar. Someone seems to think I like shoes. I wonder why.
A set of TableTopics in a large clear plastic box. These are cards that are said to start conversations. They say things like: "describe your most scenic drive" or "which is more important: intelligence or common sense?" Hey! Maybe I should use those as things to blog about when I can't think of anything else.
A couple of baskets to hold all my papers. One basket consists of all the projects I'm currently working on, organized with clips and staples and neatly in folders, and the other has all different sized notebooks (all with at least one page written on), scraps of paper, photocopies of important stuff that I'll need someday, and the notes, from at least one course I took years ago, held together with random bits of yarn.
And a daily desktop calendar complete with scribbled notes and a checklist of what I'd like to accomplish each day.
--
Monday, February 13, 2012
My First Love
Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. There are some people that love that day, love the love and pinkness and presents and fluffiness. And there are some people that hate it, claim that it's a commercial holiday, that it's only for couples, and why do we need one day to celebrate our love for each other when we should be celebrating that every day.
I fall into the indifferent camp. I really don't care about it one way or the other. It's kind of like St. Patrick's Day or April Fool's Day; some people live to celebrate these days and I barely notice them.
That being said: in honour of Valentine's Day, allow me to tell you about my very first real boyfriend.
I loved him in the way that a 15-year-old loves: truly, madly, deeply.
He played football but I never watched him play. It occurs to me now that he wore a Northstars (local bantam team) jacket, but I'm not sure if he played high school.
He was shorter than me. He was a lot shorter than my very clumsy 6-foot-tall friend. He sometimes would piggyback her and she could almost reach the ground.
He loved me.
One time we were laying on a couch in his basement (fully clothed) flipping through a catalogue and discussing what our kids would be like. I noticed his mom standing in the doorway; he did not. Awkward.
He would let me use his car to practice driving.
He was exactly three weeks younger than me.
We broke up because I fell in love with someone else. That guy eventually went back to his ex-girlfriend.
He came to one of my dance competitions.
Before he came to high school, he went to the junior high where all the bad kids went. He ended up there because he was giving someone a hot ass (where you light you lighter behind someone's back and wait for them to feel the heat) and when she jumped her shirt lit on fire. Probably that wasn't the only reason.
He was a better person than a lot of kids that didn't go to the badass school.
My parents loved him.
His mom and sister were not fond of me. Probably because of that time on the couch and also because I had weird hair.
Our song was "Angel" by Aerosmith.
Part of me would like to see him and catch up but another part of me is glad he's left in the past. Knowing him now could take away all of the memories of then.
--
I fall into the indifferent camp. I really don't care about it one way or the other. It's kind of like St. Patrick's Day or April Fool's Day; some people live to celebrate these days and I barely notice them.
That being said: in honour of Valentine's Day, allow me to tell you about my very first real boyfriend.
I loved him in the way that a 15-year-old loves: truly, madly, deeply.
He played football but I never watched him play. It occurs to me now that he wore a Northstars (local bantam team) jacket, but I'm not sure if he played high school.
He was shorter than me. He was a lot shorter than my very clumsy 6-foot-tall friend. He sometimes would piggyback her and she could almost reach the ground.
He loved me.
One time we were laying on a couch in his basement (fully clothed) flipping through a catalogue and discussing what our kids would be like. I noticed his mom standing in the doorway; he did not. Awkward.
He would let me use his car to practice driving.
He was exactly three weeks younger than me.
We broke up because I fell in love with someone else. That guy eventually went back to his ex-girlfriend.
He came to one of my dance competitions.
Before he came to high school, he went to the junior high where all the bad kids went. He ended up there because he was giving someone a hot ass (where you light you lighter behind someone's back and wait for them to feel the heat) and when she jumped her shirt lit on fire. Probably that wasn't the only reason.
He was a better person than a lot of kids that didn't go to the badass school.
My parents loved him.
His mom and sister were not fond of me. Probably because of that time on the couch and also because I had weird hair.
Our song was "Angel" by Aerosmith.
Part of me would like to see him and catch up but another part of me is glad he's left in the past. Knowing him now could take away all of the memories of then.
--
Friday, February 10, 2012
Belize and Cozumel
It's Friday. That means Friday Five. Here are five things we did in Belize and Cozumel:
1. The day we were in Belize was the boys' 15th birthday. And nothing says happy 15th birthday more than kayaking through the jungle. We had fun.
We saw this guy. He was just a little guy so he wasn't overly intimidating. Also, some bats flew over my head.
That's pretty much all we did in Belize. I would like to go back there to experience more of it.
2. Cozumel was a little more action packed. First we rock climbed. I've never rock climbed before. I climbed a 60-foot wall. Because I'm awesome like that.
5. And then we went shopping. I didn't really get anything. Twin B bought a whole outfit made of bamboo. And this from the kid who didn't even want to take his wallet because he is saving up for a laptop.
1. The day we were in Belize was the boys' 15th birthday. And nothing says happy 15th birthday more than kayaking through the jungle. We had fun.
That's pretty much all we did in Belize. I would like to go back there to experience more of it.
2. Cozumel was a little more action packed. First we rock climbed. I've never rock climbed before. I climbed a 60-foot wall. Because I'm awesome like that.
5. And then we went shopping. I didn't really get anything. Twin B bought a whole outfit made of bamboo. And this from the kid who didn't even want to take his wallet because he is saving up for a laptop.
--
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Honduras
I've realized (since Malison's comment yesterday) that not everybody comes from a family that knows everything about football. Therefore, perhaps you're not all getting the joke about the pose that my kids strike every time a picture is taken.
Allow me to introduce Tim Tebow. He is the quarterback for the Denver Broncos and well known for his thankfulness every time he gets a touchdown...specifically to a higher power. Tebowing has become the new planking.
Now that we've got that cleared up. Let me tell you about my next home. Roatan, Honduras was probably our favourite of the stops we made. It was beautiful, fun, and the people we met there were really nice (granted they were all in the tourist industry, but still).
While we were there, we visited an eco park called Gumbalimba. We hiked around, went into a cave, and ducked when the bats flew at my head.
Then we came upon a bird enclosure. Every morning the birds are let out of the cage and every evening they find their way back home. Mostly the birds are parrots and macaws. I let a macaw sit on my shoulder. I hate birds. This one seemed nice though; it didn't try to eat me.
And to add further to my bravery (because when it comes down to it, nothing makes me braver than trying to teach my kids that new things should be tried and not shied away from no matter how much I don't want to do something), we hiked a little further to the place where they let their monkeys play.
It is not enclosed. And we were prepared with a warning to let the monkeys do whatever they want. Because if you try to grab them or swat them away or run from them, they will think you are playing and they do not play nice.
There were monkeys sitting on my shoulders. And climbing up my legs (not all at the same time), and hanging out upon my body. It was pretty cool.
Our next stop was a beach called Tabyana. It was beautiful. The boys had never played in the ocean before...it didn't take them long to realize that they don't like the taste of it. My reply: why are you drinking it?
--
Allow me to introduce Tim Tebow. He is the quarterback for the Denver Broncos and well known for his thankfulness every time he gets a touchdown...specifically to a higher power. Tebowing has become the new planking.
Now that we've got that cleared up. Let me tell you about my next home. Roatan, Honduras was probably our favourite of the stops we made. It was beautiful, fun, and the people we met there were really nice (granted they were all in the tourist industry, but still).
While we were there, we visited an eco park called Gumbalimba. We hiked around, went into a cave, and ducked when the bats flew at my head.
Then we came upon a bird enclosure. Every morning the birds are let out of the cage and every evening they find their way back home. Mostly the birds are parrots and macaws. I let a macaw sit on my shoulder. I hate birds. This one seemed nice though; it didn't try to eat me.
And to add further to my bravery (because when it comes down to it, nothing makes me braver than trying to teach my kids that new things should be tried and not shied away from no matter how much I don't want to do something), we hiked a little further to the place where they let their monkeys play.
It is not enclosed. And we were prepared with a warning to let the monkeys do whatever they want. Because if you try to grab them or swat them away or run from them, they will think you are playing and they do not play nice.
There were monkeys sitting on my shoulders. And climbing up my legs (not all at the same time), and hanging out upon my body. It was pretty cool.
Our next stop was a beach called Tabyana. It was beautiful. The boys had never played in the ocean before...it didn't take them long to realize that they don't like the taste of it. My reply: why are you drinking it?
--
Monday, February 6, 2012
Sea Days
So many times during every day I'd think: this should be my facebook status. But with internet being a whopping $.65/minute and the fact it would take about 10 minutes to decide it had ever heard of facebook in the first place, I saved all my updates to blog about instead. You are welcome!
[Lily Starlight] was concerned when she saw the sea of grey hair and leisure suits.
Before you can get on the ship, you have to check in. There is a long line up of people wanting to check in, and as the boys and I were standing in that line we couldn't help but notice how OLD everyone seemed. We began to wonder if, perhaps, we had chosen the wrong cruise line.
[Lily Starlight] experienced her very first ever flash mob.
On the first night, there was a welcome show in the ship's theatre. Before the show started, a couple of people in the audience started dancing...then a couple more and a couple more until there was about 30 people. It was the coolest thing ever.
[Lily Starlight]'s boys ditched her and have yet to be seen.
As expected, the boys disappeared the second we settled in. On the ship, there were a lot of teen activities and I was not invited. That's ok; I found other stuff to do.
[Lily Starlight] learned how to fold napkins.
I also worked out, got my manicure fixed, rested, read my book, watched tv, watched a juggler, went to a parade, napped, ate, and solved a Murder Mystery.
--
Getting to Galveston
I just came back from a seven-day Caribbean cruise. I'd never been on a cruise before. We had fun. I'm going to tell you about it. But not all at once.
Technically, this post describes our trip to the port city, so, if you're going to be all picky about it, this one doesn't even count as a cruise post. However, it was still action-packed with stories, so I'm totally counting it.
We woke up early Saturday morning to a story told by Twin B. "Mama," he said, "where we're going today there are leaves on the trees and the snow has melted for miiiiiiles around." Twin A and I marvelled at this magical place that Twin B described.
We drove to the airport, flew to Seattle, sat there for a couple of hours, flew to Houston, and caught a cab to Galveston where the leaves were on the trees and there was no sign of snow. (One of these is the Seattle airport and one is Texas; they're pretty easy to guess which is which I think.)
Randomly, with no warning, she deemed us Christian. "I know you are Christians," she declared. "Uhhh...thanks?"
We were discussing weather at one point. She didn't know Celsius and we don't know Fahrenheit so it was a little like we were speaking totally different languages and trying to translate with little knowledge of what the other language was. So, she figured out, and no matter how gently we tried to tell her otherwise, she was insistent, that if 32 degrees F is 0 degrees C, then 64 degrees F is 1 degree C. Uhhhhh... Eeshk!
We stayed overnight in a hotel in Galveston. It was pretty uneventful.
--
Technically, this post describes our trip to the port city, so, if you're going to be all picky about it, this one doesn't even count as a cruise post. However, it was still action-packed with stories, so I'm totally counting it.
We woke up early Saturday morning to a story told by Twin B. "Mama," he said, "where we're going today there are leaves on the trees and the snow has melted for miiiiiiles around." Twin A and I marvelled at this magical place that Twin B described.
We drove to the airport, flew to Seattle, sat there for a couple of hours, flew to Houston, and caught a cab to Galveston where the leaves were on the trees and there was no sign of snow. (One of these is the Seattle airport and one is Texas; they're pretty easy to guess which is which I think.)
Randomly, with no warning, she deemed us Christian. "I know you are Christians," she declared. "Uhhh...thanks?"
We were discussing weather at one point. She didn't know Celsius and we don't know Fahrenheit so it was a little like we were speaking totally different languages and trying to translate with little knowledge of what the other language was. So, she figured out, and no matter how gently we tried to tell her otherwise, she was insistent, that if 32 degrees F is 0 degrees C, then 64 degrees F is 1 degree C. Uhhhhh... Eeshk!
We stayed overnight in a hotel in Galveston. It was pretty uneventful.
--
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