Thursday, September 29, 2005

Tagged By Cat....

Yikes it has taken me all day to get back on the computer to do theese one. Thankfully it is a tag that is pain-free and quick and fun. (Most things only dream to be like that.)

Here are the instructions:

The Rules:
1. Go into your archive.
2. Find your 23rd post.
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.
5. Tag five other people to do the same.

So mine was from

Monday March 29, 2004

"Moot Question. No answer is satisfactory."

Done! And because everyone has used up mostes everone's nameses, I tag Tracing, Jen, Christy, Jason, and Linda.

Night!
A.

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Reason 11,546 why I love my mother.

Because I go in her purse to get something and she has this bookmark in there.

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A.

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Ice Cream on Campus

I meant to post this a while ago. It's a pic I took when me and the kids went to McMaster U in late august. I had to register for my course so we went and hung out on the campus for a couple of hours, and it was the nicest day. It was quiet and beautiful and of course no traffic is allowed in there, so the kids could run around without me worrying.

We had lunch in the cafeteria and then we got frozen treats and walked around. Here are cousin Meg, Sam and Monty.

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Soon the wind will be howling and we'll be pulling our jackets tight around us and I will come back here, and remember this day.

A.

Monday, September 26, 2005

Sunone be messin' wit me.

The gremlins in my computer can vamoose at any time. I did a whole post today about worrying, and then hit 'publish post'. Then waited for the 'your post has been published.' Then checked.

No post. It wasn't a great post, but it was okay, but you will never know, will you? Because it did not, in fact, publish.

But I am not going to worry about it. The whole thing was about how I think I am not a worrier type but I actually so utterly am.

Hubby home late from work? It's cause he be lying in a ditch at the side of the road, his cell phone just out of reach, calling my name as he looks up at the night sky.

(Geez that's kind of romantic, isn't it?)

Kids quiet upstairs? Well that is because they are being strangled by the cords in their hoodie sweatshirts, or have swallowed a piece of lego, or have drowned in the 1/2 inch of water that was left in the bathtub.

Headache? Brain Tumor.

Leg Ache? Aneurysm.

And that's how it goes. Who needs extreme sports? I have an extreme brain.

And yet, it all mostly works out okay in the end. This is what saves me. Thinking hard and fast about eventually. About next week. About after its over. Even when I was a kid, and in trouble, like the time Sandy and I got caught doing the summersaults on her three story house roof and Marnie Blizzard saw us from across the street and pointed and we knew she would tell her mother, who would call Sandy's dad. Who would call my dad. That feeling of dread. Ugh. I could barely walk home, I was so desperate, knowing my dad would flip his lid. But thinking about the next day, or the next week, when it all blew over, helped. Still does.

Hey, I meant not to write the same post and i pretty much almost did.

And there you go.

A.

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Lookin for soul food an a place to eat

Whew.

All is restored. Except my address. Now it has a number 1 on it. So if anyone else wants to use this blog name, you must know that I be the ho who be numero uno.

I was a bit sad when I thought I had lost all those posts, all that complaining and rejoicing, all those hour by hour accounts of existence. All that me. But actually, I was kind of excited when Kristine suggested I just start anew. It was like, losing all your possesions in a fire. And then you get say, a fork and knife and plate. And a blanket. And a pair of shoes. And life is well, simple for a while.
Except, of course, it was not like that at all and I have absolutely no clue what someone goes through who really loses things that matter. Thinking about all the people who might be affected by Rita tonight.

Makes our little issues like high gas prices seem pretty petty indeed. You won't catch me complaining.

Monty went to karate for the first time tonight. Not sure if he is ready for it. He was a little silly and the sensai was scowling a bit at him. We are going to try again though. Lucy was a riot. She sat at the back of the room with me and yelled, "Sammy FIGHT! Hi Ya!" over and over.

And now I must go and do some chores. We don't need no hurricane round here. The place already looks like it.

A.

Thursday, September 15, 2005

Hey Hey Whaddya Say

Started my History of Slavery course on Tues. Not sure if I'm gonna like it, though. The prof seems a bit over-professional, with the big words and the throat clearing and the belittling of anyone who dared put their hand up with a comment.

And I thought it was a one book course, but it's like, six books. Six dry history books. Six books full of maps and legends and dates and facts. All that stuff makes my poor little artsy-fartsy-floaty-up-in-the-treesy-head-in-the-cloudsy-remembering-skads-of-lyrics-and-celebrity-dating-news-but-unable-to-retain-anything-academic brain.

But I will press on. Because it's the only night that works.

Is it September 15 already. When did that happen? Monty started school today. He was all depressed by the striped navy and red polo shirt that Gramma got him for his first day. I guess I made too much of a deal of it being handsome. So he went the other way, which is what you do when you are four, I suppose. But he did well at school, looked back at me a few times, with these big eyes like ball peen hammers to my heart.
Oh that kid, with his blonde brush cut and his bruised knees and his cassette player that he keeps in his room and listens to in the middle of the night. We only have a couple of tapes kicking around here, but no matter. So I get up to go to the bathroom in the wee hours and walk by his door and I might hear a little Sam Cooke, or Canadian Brass Christmas, or Arthurs Best Tape Ever.

And now, since tomorra is Stuff Portrait Day and I haven't played in ages, I will post one of the things. It is "Something Random".

Love This. Not sure where I got it from.
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And that is all.
A.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Tag-o-rama

10 Years ago, I was doing the last few shifts as a waitress at the Lost Parrot Cafe in Chester, Nova Scotia, getting ready to have my first babe.

5 years ago, I was taking that babe to senior kindergarten, and getting ready to have my second babe. And I was scared as hell.

Yesterday, I got jay off to work, Sam off to school, then babysat my friends two kids,Cleaned in the afternoon, supervised Sam and his laughing buddy doing their homework for two hourswatched INXS with Jay, went to bed. Couldn't fall asleep for ever.

5 snacks I enjoy are nachos and guacamole, choc chip cookies, Mrs Field's style freshoutta my oven, Hickory Sticks, veg and dip, spring rolls, big shrimps, butter pecan icecream on a sugar cone...sorry, is that more than five?

5 songs I know all the words to: WAY more than five! I know the whole soundtrack from Sound of Music, Hair, A Chorus Line, and the Big Chill, to name a few. I know all the words to all the songs on Thriller,I know a hundred hymns, I know Air Supply and Prince and The Temptations and White Lionand Bon Jovi. Just for starters.

5 things I would do with a million dollars. Buy a cottage on a lake tucked in the trees.Pay off everything. Pay off my loved one's things. Put a porch on my house. Buy a full bonafide matching real wood (but not pine) bedroom suite. Hire a house cleanerto come in once a week for a year.

5 places I would run away to: Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, where I would open a little gift shop/tea room/pumpkin carving place. A remote little village in Italy where all they make isolives and cheese and wine. Iceland. Maine. My bedroom.

5 things I would never wear. Acid wash anything. Super high heels (de pain boss, de pain!)Nose/eyebrow/nipple/otherweirdplaces ring. Big real fur coat. (little one is okay, though?)A meat dress.

5 shows I love: Medium, Without a Trace, Laverne and Shirley, Backyardigans, Rock Star INXS.24, So You Think You Can Dance!

5 bad habits: procrastinating, not cleaning enough, exaggerating, being too self centred,and eating way too much sugar.

5 biggest joys: my kids, my family, spaghetti and meatballs, reading, going to school, going to church and singing, thrift store scouring, helping people.

5 fave toys: computer, TV, cross stitch stuff, that's all I can think of. Guess I am a grown up or something.

I shall tag Tracey, my sister Jen, and Mrtl. If you guys are up to it, that is.

Cheers!A.

Monday, September 12, 2005

Ebay cracks me up

Here is a description for bracelets,
"You are bidding on 12 brand new alpaca silver Bracelets. Beautiful bracelets that you will be able you enjoy in any occasion, in this awaited appointment, with which you will be able to impress it, you will be the envy of your friends, or that such in your night of holiday. Prove you!!!!"
It almost sounds impressive, then it gets funky. Prove you!?
I am sure if I tried to write something in say, hindi, using a hindi/english dictionary, it would sound very much the same.
I do like the expression, 'night of holiday', though. I'm stealing it. I want a night of holiday!
Don't we all.
Saturday I went to a street festival and bought myself a bracelet.
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And three packs of these night of holiday paper plates.
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Yesterday we had a family picnic. My boys spent the entire time in the creek catching crayfish. And my darlin' baby niece was looking goooood.
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Okay I better go, babysitting this morning. This post was started at 830 am and its quarter to eleven.
Toodles!
A.

Friday, September 09, 2005

Slacker

I am. I just haven't felt much blog inspired. Hey, I been pretty steady for 19 months at it. Just gotta recharge my batteries or something.

Tonight we are off to my neice's 2nd birthday party. Happy Birthday Maddy! Luckily I picked up the gift last week, so I am prepared for once and there will be no need for a lightning quick trip on the way there to find something.

I am in love with a new perfume. It is called "Promesse" and it's by Cacharel.

Here is a picture of Lucy having a fling with a cup of yogurt.

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Chiaahh, she looks like Gene Wilder.

One kid back to school, one starts next week, for the afternoons only. But it will be nice nice nice.

And I am taking the Slavery course. Starts tuesday. Looking forward to it.

gotta go! MIL needs a ride somewheres.

Promise to be more prolific next week.
A.

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

And She Returned

oops, took a little blogging break, a bleak if you will.

Just a bloody busy week last week. Jay was not home before nine thirty pm all week. And I babysat my neice plus my friends little guy in the mornings. By Thursday when it was just my own three kids in the living room after dinner I looked in there and it looked like, empty.

And then my friend whose toddler I watched repaid me by taking Lucy and Monty for the night. And my other friend took Sam. And I was ALONE. For HOURS and HOURS.

It was awesome. If you don't stay home with your kids for a couple of years you don't get this, that feeling like you are a giant squid with tentacles hanging and kids hanging off the tentacles, that you have to drag wherever you go. That you have to listen to and feed and cuddle and threaten (I mean, discipline! honest!) and break up fights between and run after and clean up after and nine million other things after. ALL. THE. TIME.

So that when you actually amazingly get to be completely by yourself it feels weird. To be in the car and listen to whatever you want on the radio. To sit and eat dinner with your hubby and not have to get up once. To go to the bathroom without someone needing you to tie their shoe. To sit on the computer without someone yanking at your pant leg or smearing yogurt in their hair behind you because for that two minutes you weren't paying attention.

I get it, that these years go by fast and then the kids are gone and all that. And I feel lucky to get to stay home with my kids that I had and be there with them for everything. But sometimes....

And then I feel guilty for complaining! Because of Katrina. Because of Rwanda. Because of Sick Kids all over the world. Because of the Holocaust and 9/11 and all the people on Oprah who tell their terrible stories and make me cry. So I will shut up now. Because I have to! Middle child wants to go on PBS kids website.

Have a good one,
A.