Inadequate Materials

I dropped the kids off for a few hours yesterday morning and had a solo trip into Booming Metropolis. I spent a bit too much money at our new Bulk Barn and had the single greatest customer service experience I have ever had while exchanging my broken satellite radio at Future Shop . Then I came home to find a message on my machine from Future Shop saying that after 3 weeks of shuffling my computer from one place to another, they'll need $650 from me before they can fix it, thereby returning the universe--and my opinion of Future Shop--to normal. I tiptoed up to a couple of doorsteps like the tooth fairy to leave homemade baby gifts at the doors of some new parents I know, and had a blissful browse around Fabricland . And yes, I know I just told you to stay out of the stores. I promise, I don't make a habit of this. Today marks the one-year anniversary of my car crash . So I was thinking about this as I drove from one part of the city to another yesterday and noted that the warm...

Happy Earth Day! Yes, I know I'm a week past deadline. I blame it on all the craziness around here of late. Add to that the stomach bug I picked up last Tuesday that hung around for nearly a week, and I figure I kind of have an excuse. No, it's not swine flu , but I HAVE lost 8 lbs. Never let it be said that I can't find a silver lining. So, as many of you know, I like to reuse and recycle things. But, for once, I'm not going to force you to look at some crazy thing I've made out of an old milk jug. Plus, I still haven't figured out how to get pictures onto the Captain's laptop. So I'm saving my recycled milk jug project for another day. Try not to die from the suspense. Today I want to talk about that other very important, but often ignored, "R". That's right, I've been thinking about some of the strategies I've used to reduce my ecological footprint. Now, before I begin, I should point out that there is nothing more obnoxious th...

When I was in high school, my friend Dee and I used to rush home every day to watch General Hospital . We'd grab a snack before sitting down in front of the TV, calling each other on the phone and discussing how much we loved Jack Wagner for an hour. At the time, I think we firmly believed that the things happening on that show could actually one day happen in real life. But, of course, that was never the case. And now I wonder if future generations are being set up for disappointment in their adult years by soap operas that seem to become more ridiculous and far-fetched with each passing episode. So, in the interests of keeping young viewers' feet firmly planted on the ground, I've compiled a list of suggestions I think will help soap writers create a more balanced and believable plot: 1. Women walking around looking like life-sized Barbie dolls should sometimes get zits. It's only fair. 2. After a popular couple has kids, every single romantic candlelit dinner should ...

I've missed yet another family wedding. With the Captain away, dogs to deal with, Firstborn in school and Rosemary's Baby...well, Rosemary's Baby, sometimes it's just impossible to be at all the important family celebrations I'd like to be. And it does make me sad. I have four sisters, all married now, and I have managed to make it to exactly one wedding. Sometimes military life just isn't fun. Those days following a family wedding, the photos start trickling in. It's the family photos, the ones of our side of the family, that tear me up a little inside. I am always the only one missing. Sister #4, the last of the girls in our family to walk down the aisle, may one day experience this for herself. Because now she, too, is a military wife. But it's not all bad. The Captain is out in a field in Alberta, riding around in a tank, eating processed, chemically-preserved army rations that have been sitting in their dusty, sealed foil pouches for the better pa...

I apologize for my sudden disappearance. 10 days ago, I woke up to find my computer wouldn't start. The Captain took his laptop on exercise with him, so I have no backup. It took Future Shop until yesterday just to LOOK at it, and now they tell me it'll be another two weeks before it's fixed. Groan times ten... It always happens when he's away. It must be a character-building thing. I'm typing this from the computer of my most wonderful friend, the Karaoke Queen. She has cheesecake for me, so I must go, but I'll be back eventually, but maybe a little more crazy. Just bear with me here.

In my recent feverish state, I've had some weird dreams and some weird memories. Yesterday, I remembered a job I once had that I'd forgotten all about. The memory made me laugh and cringe at the same time. When we were newly married, the Captain and I left our home in the Armpit of Ontario to seek our fortunes out west. We moved to a place I like to call Big City and proceeded to look for work. For two months that summer, before landing my first teaching job, I found steady work as an office temp. One Monday morning I got a last-minute call for a week-long job. That job was simply described as "reception". I figured I could handle that, and made my way, fresh-faced and smiley, to the industrial park in Big City, on the lookout for a large furniture factory (read: sweatshop) with a small office attached. When I got there, the tone in the office seemed a little...off. The pleasant smile and attempts to seem friendly that I'd used to such positive effect in my previo...

The Captain and the kids have shared with me one of those nasty end-of-winter colds. So I thought I might be hallucinating from fever when it came to my attention today that I was chosen as a winner for my response about inspiration from a few days ago on one of my favourite blogs, the One Minute Writer . What an honour! And now my blog gets to sport the One-Minute Writer winner button! I have bragging rights! There were a lot of really great responses to that prompt, many from teachers like me. And it made me think that perhaps those of us who work in those "front line" kinds of jobs actually have a bit of an unfair advantage when it comes to being able to talk about inspiring others. Not that I'm apologizing for that. Teaching is a hard job, and we take our perks where we can get them! However, I think this would be a good opportunity for me to recognize those who inspire me for things other than teaching. Those Who Have Kids... : To those of you who are parents, adopti...