Thank Goddess for good friends

I really hope all of you have a friend like Kevin, who will listen to you talk about something that's upsetting you (even as you try to be adult and mature), will totally empathize, and will express outrage and sympathy at the appropriate points.

It certainly makes behaving like an adult far less impossible, especially when "pre-Kevin", you would really rather have just thrown your toys and told someone else some unpleasant home truths. LOL

I'm almost THAT tired

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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.

I took this photo of Reece konked out in the stroller two weekends ago when I was in Seattle. The poor kid had a bit of a bruise around his eye when he woke up.

It's been a busy day - though not as insane as yesterday - and I am just too tired to write any more.

Surreality

Today was one of the most surreal days I’ve had in a while:

• A friend of mine (I’ll call her Janie) called me around 4:00 AM because her roommate was screaming death threats at her and Janie was locked in her room and afraid to leave;
• I actually wondered, “What does one wear to a scene of [potential] domestic violence?” (my answer: shorts, T-shirt, and a sweater);
• I had to leave a note for my roommate around 5:00 AM asking her to try calling my cellphone around 7:00 AM, and to call the police with the address of Janie's house if I didn’t answer;
• At Janie’s house, I actually called 9-1-1 for the first time ever;
• Janie walked out of the house, unharmed, a minute later;
• When the police arrived, I actually thought, “If I’d realized there’d be so many cute police officers, I’d have brushed my teeth before I came over!!!”
• We packed a carload of Janie’s things under the protective presence of two police officers;
• The roommate loudly sang "Life is good" over and over to taunt Janie as she packed to leave;
• I found out that Janie likes Tom Cruise AND Michael Jackson (I just thought she was way too cool for either one of them!);
  
• I found out that my own roommate is having a bit of a nervous breakdown;
• I had the most disgusting black veggie omelet and hash browns from the nicest waitress/cook a greasy spoon could ever have;
• I drove to Markham;
• I made Janie laugh;
• I got lost in the suburbs;
• Back in Toronto, I showered and got ready to go to work for the afternoon. On the way to the subway, I saw a rat keel over dead behind the neighbourhood sushi restaurant.
  

How was your day? :)

I'm ready to live right and stop sleeping around!

This morning, when I woke up, one of the first thoughts that ran through my head was, “Boy, I sure am ready to stop sleeping around!” This thought made me laugh to myself.

Let’s recap the highlights of the past month, shall we? I:

• Met with my friend Melissa for a three-day whirlwind tour of New York, New Jersey, and Baltimore;
• Had a photo shoot with Steph and Dom for their engagement photos;
• Drove six hours round trip in a single day for a family reunion;
• Traveled to Seattle for an extended long weekend to visit with my brother, his wife, and my adorable niece and nephew;
• Traveled to my parents’ place this weekend to pick up my cats and to attend the Goderich Celtic Roots Festival;
• Attended a birthday party;
• Went to see “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” performed in High Park;
• Finished up a photography course;
• Worked at my job, aside from weekends and 5 vacation days;
• Etc., etc.

As you can tell, I am really very lucky to have so many dear ones and such cool opportunities. I have had a fantastic time and there is nothing in the list above that I regret. But let me tell you, I am ready for this schedule to slow down. It will in fact slow down because I know I can’t keep up this pace any more.

There are no more trips scheduled for the foreseeable future. I can camp out in my own little bed with my books, my comforts, and my cats. That? Is bliss.

My photography course is finally over, thank goodness, so that’s one night a week I now have back. Just in time, too, because I need to get back into going to the gym; my muscles are weaker than they’ve been in a long time, and my upper back is quite seized up. And let’s not get into how my clothes feel tighter after all the sugar, fat, and other crap I’ve eaten because I was traveling, short on time, or simply too tired.

I don’t mean to whine; it’s just more an expression of how the pendulum must swing back from one extreme to another in order for me to find the balance somewhere in between. Friends and Internet vagabonds, I sure am looking forward to finding my equilibrium again. :)

Another day as a culture vulture

Today, my mother and I spent a few hours at the Goderich Celtic Roots Festival. We both had a great time. Neither of us had been to a Celtic festival before. From what I can tell, the real focus of this particular festival was traditional music - Celtic or "Celtic-inspired".

I was surprised and impressed how many people my age were there performing, playing harps and violins and keyboards and accordions and who knows what else. I thought it was great that people my age are helping to keep these musical traditions alive, and building on them.

When I'm not quite so tired, I'll do some research about one of the performing acts (a young married couple from Montreal) that was outstanding. If I find a website for them, I'll update this post. In the meantime, I hear a pillow calling my name ... :)

Dream in High Park

Oh my goodness, if you live in Toronto or the surrounding area and have not yet made it to the Dream in High Park (an outdoor production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream"), what on earth are you waiting for???????

It is hilarious, it is colourful, totally fun and entertaining, and you will feel like a supergenius for laughing at all the right spots during a Shakespearean play.

It's on until September 2nd, and I am sorely tempted to go back for a second time before then.

Q & A

In case you didn’t know this already, I have sleep apnea. It’s now been two years since I was diagnosed and started treatment. Today a friend sent me an e-mail asking about it as she suspects that she might have it as well. Since I’m all about public service (even to the point of publishing this photo of me wearing my CPAP mask), I thought I’d blog the answers and hopefully there are other people out there who might also seek help.

L. writes:

VERY cute babies!!!! And I'm not just saying that. They're totally sweet.

Heh. That’s not about the sleep apnea, but I liked it so you get to read it too.

I was back in your blog to re-read about the sleep apnea entries you have …

Anyway, my question is, here we are a year after the CPAP machine...

Actually, it’s been TWO, can you believe it???

do you really think it was really worth it or was there just a slight difference in your sleep quality and energy levels. I don't know if I'd be able to get use to that thing on my face or if the machine is noisy, how much that would be appreciated by my sometimes sleep partner... not that he'd ever give me a hard time about it. I guess I'm trying to figure out if it's really that significant of an impact to pursue it with my doctor

Was the cost of the testing covered by OHIP or work benefits? I imagine part of the cost of the machine would be covered by work benefits.

Excellent questions, all! So let’s get started, shall we?

YES, I definitely consider the treatment for my sleep apnea worthwhile. I have definitely noticed that I have more energy since using the CPAP device – although now that I have more energy, I am doing more with my life and therefore not sleeping as much as I ought, but along with my decisions to live a full and interesting life and to balance work and play, I am far more satisfied with my quality of life with the treatment than without. I lug the device around with me when I travel – that’s how essential I consider it to be. Note that I have only mild/moderate sleep apnea. Anyone who has more severe sleep apnea should, in my mostly uneducated opinion, expect even more dramatic results.

There definitely is an adjustment period of getting used to the mask. The straps holding the mask in place didn’t affect me as much as getting used to the pressurized air gusting from my mouth when I happened to open my lips. Eventually I learned to seal off the back of my throat by raising my tongue up against my palate (sorry if that’s too much information for anyone) and now it’s simply not an issue, even when I’m sleeping.

I should also note that there are other treatments for sleep apnea, such as surgery or mouthpieces that are used to keep the airway open. I met with an ear-nose-throat specialist and was told that there was no surgical option in my case except a tracheotomy, which obviously was not even a consideration. I chose not to investigate the mouthpiece option because I already have a sensitive jaw, and I didn’t want to irritate it further. However, I do know someone else who got a mouthpiece to address his apnea, and he was quite pleased with the results. I also recently heard of some kind of pillow that is supposed to position your head to eliminate sleep apnea, but I know even less about this option. Anyway, all this goes to say that no one should let the CPAP device and mask keep him/her from seeking treatment.

Is the CPAP machine noisy? Do you consider the fan you might buy at a department store to circulate air in a room noisy? They’re about the same, or the CPAP is quieter.

The next bit of information is pertinent only to Ontario residents (sorry). Yes, the sleep clinic is fully covered by OHIP, if you are referred by your G.P. Part of the CPAP device, should you acquire one, is also covered by OHIP (about $700 when I got mine, I think). These suckers are expensive, though. Fortunately, my work benefits covered the remaining $1500 or so for the machine and mask. I have no idea what mouthpieces would cost. If you receive a positive diagnosis for sleep apnea, you might want to call your insurance provider ahead of time to see what coverage you have for these kinds of solutions.

Finally, the bed partner business … my attitude is that I’m enjoying life so much more now that I could never go back, particularly not for someone shallow enough to protest my form of medical treatment. (Note that I am not saying L's partner is shallow or would protest, but it's a natural concern that anyone would have about how one's bedmate might perceive the new hardware, and this is the conclusion that I have personally reached.)

Any other questions??? :)

Desperately sad

Gay marriage isn't nearly as frightening as a mother who would prefer her son to be dead rather than gay. (Via Mahablog.com)

Greetings from space camp

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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.

Folks, I am *BEAT* tonight. Once I arrived home last night, it took about three hours for me to wind down (must've been all that sugar I ate while in transit; damn, it's hard to eat well while travelling!), but I still got up and went to work this morning. Even had a couple of successful meetings this afternoon. But as far as blogging goes - the creative juices are a little dry (just be glad you didn't receive the parody of "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon" that I sent to Tracy, Monika, and Lisa tonight ... finally and utterly destroying any of their remaining illusions of my "coolness". Oh well, it was nice being their friend while it lasted. LOL)

BUT! I'm pleased to report that I finally got my card with the Toronto Public Library after work today! I already feel smarter! Not that I actually withdrew any books, as I have about 17 books at home that are open to one page or another, but now I can order a book from any branch, just in case I have an urgent need for a book but don't want to buy it. I know Melissa will be happy with me for this, both because I now have a library card, and because I just used our motto, "Just in Case". I have to nurture my remaining friendships assiduously after the "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon" mishap. :)

By the way, in the last week, I've found out that both my friend Stephanie and my co-worker Stephen are expecting twins (with their respective partners). I'm not sure whether it's just that when you start looking for something, it suddenly appears everywhere (like how I suddenly saw orange tabby cats in one commercial after another after I got my cat Sabrina), but if you're procreational (yes, I just made that word up) and your name is some variant of Steph-, I'd be nervous if I were you!

Okay, leaving you with a photo of my perfect and adorable niece. Look at those scrumptious cheeks and those Reubenesque wrist rolls!!!

Long Weekend Wrap-up: Baby Edition

So another long weekend in Seattle is over. For those Internet vagabonds just recently stumbling onto this site, my brother and sister-in-law (Joe and Lisa) had twin babies (Lorelai and Reece) roughly six months ago. This is my second visit to spend some time with them and for them to get to know one of their loving aunties.

Quite a few things have changed since I was here a couple of months ago. The babies can both roll over now, and lie on their stomachs and hold their heads up (though Lorelai tires more easily). Since they are both eating solid food now, I found I could be far more involved with them during this visit (and had much more fun) and did very little reading compared to the last time I was there.

Reece has become even more active, and is always up for bouncing. He dances with this crazy deep-knee bend bounce with a reckless side-to-side motion, trustingly dependent on either the adult holding him or a “bouncer” in which this kid simply flies, such that I nicknamed him “Mosh Baby”. This time, it felt as though Reece truly recognized me when he saw me and would usually flash a big smile my way when he did. There are no words to say how great that was.

One thing that did not change was the incredible sweetness and sparkle of Lorelai’s smile and personality. It is truly extraordinary, and I hope it never changes.

There was a lot of tickling and goofing this visit. As I told Natalia, I spent a lot of time kissing delicious baby cheeks or pretending to feast on baby belly just to hear delightful squeals and giggles. I don’t know about the twins, but I had a blast.

It’s also such a pleasure to see what amazing parents Joe and Lisa are. They are besotted with their babies yet level-headed, thoroughly attentive yet inclined to teach their children independence when they can. They are both utterly, totally committed to the babies and to each other. Like Lisa’s mom Marcia says, they are great partners. I couldn’t be more proud of Joe or grateful to Lisa.

I’m home now, after a relatively pleasant flight (though I have to find a way to take less stuff with me when I travel!), but I still have my own variation of Michael Buble’s song, “Everything” running through my head:

And I can't believe, uh that I'm your aunt,
And I get to kiss you baby just because I can.

I highly recommend nieces and nephews. Get yourself one or two if you don’t already have one.
:)

Yes, I know Lorelai looks unhappy in this photo, but it wasn't my fault - honest! She was just a little tired and cranky and needed a nap, but I love her anyway! :)

Look at these feet

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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.

Just a little demonstration of my nephew's HUGE baby feet when compared to his [twin] sister's ... This boy is obviously has the Dutch/Flemish genes to be tall (like most of my adult male relatives)!

Gotta pack - leaving this morning - will try to most more details about the visit once I'm home. But overall I can tell you - from my perspective anyway - that it's been a great long weekend with lots of bonding time with the babies and their parents. It's been wonderful.

:)

You WILL post a picture of me ...

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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.

... and I WILL look beautiful!

Where's today's blog entry???

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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.

Visiting the twins has been wonderful, fun, and TIRING! LOL

Lovely bunnies

Lovely bunnies
Originally uploaded by Noisypond.

A teeny-tiny helping of I-told-you-so

It’s already been a great morning with my niece and nephew. I woke up rested and refreshed this morning, ready to cuddle and tickle and otherwise amuse these gorgeous six-month-olds.

When Joe came home this morning from getting his car’s oil changed, Reece, Lorelai, and I were hanging out in the living room while Lisa had a shower. Joe, being such a hands-on and involved dad, immediately got in the action by lying on the floor and working out his arm muscles by moving Reece up and down. “Be careful,” I said, feeling a bit silly telling him what to do with his kid, “Lisa just fed him.” But Reece seemed to be really content and happy with his Amusement Park Dad. Joe really is such a great dad. I finally had my camera out and I was focused on getting some photos of Joe with the babies, like this one:

But suddenly, Joe swore. I looked up from my camera and Joe was quickly sitting up, a stream of curdled breast milk on his shirt, on his neck, in his beard, and ohmigod no, the stream abruptly ended at his bottom lip. Immediately I was convulsing with hysterical laughter, tears wrung from my eyes. “I’m sorry,” I gasped, desperately sucking oxygen into my lungs, “I shouldn’t laugh.” But I could not stop.

“They’re yours,” Joe nearly flung Reece into my hands, and launched himself upstairs for a change of clothes and, I suspect, a shower and a 5-minute gargle of disinfectant.

There are reasons to be a homebody

Okay, just to reassure anyone who might have been worried, I did in fact arrive safely at Joe and Lisa’s place last night a little before 10:00PM. And then was in bed by 10:30. Joe and Lisa were pretty tired, and yesterday was just a little frigging insane for me too.

In fact, let me tell you about yesterday. Yes, I know you might not care because you’re really interested in the babies and where the hell are the pictures of the babies??? But I haven’t even removed my camera from its case yet because I’m not a member of the paparazzi. So travel story it is.

The plan had been for my roommate to care for my two cats while I was away. (I always write “TWO cats” because I want to make it clear that I am not some crazy cat lady who has 16 or so cats.) However, Farzanah had been in Nairobi visiting her parents and missed her flight back due to some illness, so while I’m sure she’ll be back soon enough, I couldn’t be sure, and 5 days is far too long to leave these cats with just a pop-in visit two times a day from a kind neighbour. So my parents came to the rescue … they drove two hours to meet me yesterday somewhere between their place and Toronto to take the cats home, which I appreciate more than words can say.

The stressful part was actually anticipating catching them to get them in the pet carrier. I hate chasing them down when they don’t want to be caught (e.g., when I have to take them to the vet’s). Sometimes I’m good at tricking them, but other times their Spidey-sense kicks in and I’m chasing them around and around the couch and ohmygod what if I can’t actually catch them both and lock them up and drive them to the meeting place in time for me to make my flight???? S-T-R-E-S-S.

This time, however, it wasn’t too bad. Shortly before I was ready to cage them up, they both wanted to go out onto the balcony. Hahahaha suckers! Cornered! From there it was pretty easy, although they figured out what was going on as soon as I moved the pet carriers closer to the sliding doors, and were none too happy about the situation.

The drive to the meeting place, just outside Guelph, was uneventful, and I actually arrived on schedule! A quick exchange of cats, food, cat toys, and written instructions (“Cleo somehow keeps track of how much she’s been fed and will complain loudly if you don’t give her a full 1.5 large scoops [of dry food] in a day”) was made, and then I was on my way to the airport.

I would have been about 4 hours ahead of schedule, but for three things:

1. Dixon and Dixie Roads. Both around the airport. This needs to be fixed for morons like me.
2. Entering the wrong line-up at the airline counter twice. Lady, if you’re going to huff and puff that someone yet again has entered the wrong line-up, perhaps there’s a problem with your signage? Just a suggestion.
3. HUGE lineups at the customs inspection. You may not know this, particularly if you’re an American reader, but hub Canadian airports like Toronto have American customs inspections. I guess there are fewer Canadian airports than American destinations … Anyway, the lineup was in this large warehouse-like room where you walked along a long, snake-like queue on one half of the room, and then you crossed the room for another long, snake-like queue.

Interestingly, yesterday was the first time EVER that I received a stamp in my passport from an American customs agent. She questioned me about the last trip I made to visit my brother (regarding when I had gone there and how long I’d stayed) and then boom boom boom! Stamps on all my documentation, including my passport. Not sure what that means – am I on some watchlist now that I’ve gone to the U.S. three times in as many months?

The flight was interesting too. I’ll try to keep this short:

1. Chatty, childlike-aged middle guy in the next seat. I was tired and kind of cranky, and totally not in the mood for the non-stop chat this guy had in mind. I was resting with my eyes closed and he was trying to ask me questions about whether I’d ever been to Seattle before, etc. It was just friendly, but I was somewhat sleep-deprived and stressed, and all I wanted was a quiet flight with a nap and my book. I managed to discourage him without being too rude in the process.
2. Older lady in the aisle seat across from and one row ahead of mine. A lovely senior citizen who read a newsletter from MSF (Doctors Without Borders), but still managed to annoy my grumpy self by talking way too loud and then picking her nose and flicking her boogers into the aisle when she thought no one was looking.
3. Cute 18-month-old who was fussy throughout the flight. This alone is not a problem for me, as I can tolerate when kids cry – that’s what they do sometimes, right? Except kids around that age, for some mysterious reason, have this tendency to integrate incredibly high-pitched ear-splitting dentist-drill-like screams. Note to self: buy earplugs for the flight home, just in case.
4. The guy in the seat behind mine was pretty short. Yet, based on the constant bumping and jostling that I felt through the seat, he had a hard time getting comfortable.
5. We met up with some bad turbulence right as we were coming in for landing. I’m not a nervous flyer or anything, but I remember thinking, “Well at least if I die, my cats will be looked after.”

Anyway, so it’s been a good day here in the Seattle area with lots of quality time with Lisa, Lorelai, and Reece while Joe’s been at work. But I think I'm still pretty worn out from the last few days, so all those details will likely have to wait until tomorrow. :)

On the road - yet again

Friends and Internet vagabonds, you are a patient and tolerant lot. I've been seriously short-changing you in my blog offerings, leaving mere crumbs of weird photos and random comments, and yet you're still here!

Well I have to tell you that you're also apparently gluttons for punishment, as I must forego the well-considered, witty post that is definitely in my head just waiting for the opportune time to share with you for your enlightenment and edification, yessiree, but I really ought to be packing right now!

Tomorrow, once I cunningly trap and then pawn off my two cats on my saint of a mother, I am flying out to Seattle for another visit with my brother, sister-in-law, and twin niece and nephew. I. AM. SO. EXCITED!

AAAAAAAND! On Saturday (I think), Lisa and I are going to have lunch with the amazingly intelligent, deliciously witty, generously warm-hearted and unbelievably hip Monika and Tracy!!!! WOOOOOOOT!!!!!!

But gotta pack now! Catch ya later!!!!

Question

Would you return a big bottle, recently opened, of no-name mouthwash to the local Shoppers Drug Mart if its smell and taste reminded you of vomit? Even if you only spent about $2 on the purchase? At this point, I'm thinking more of the principle than the money ... ugh.

Interesting graffiti

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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.

So, Melissa, what ARE you hiding??? ;-D

Seriously, nameless graffiti artist, if you're going to develop a conspiracy theory, could you not find anyone more interesting than librarians to blame? (Except for Melissa, of course; she's FASCINATING!)

This photo of a garage door taken in the Leslieville neighbourhood of Toronto a couple of weeks ago.

Summer, Interrupted

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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.

I just thought I'd be contrary tonight and publish a photo of winter weather. This photo was taken on a day in which the snow fell in CLUMPS, not flakes, and clung to trees and buildings like furry spandex.

Just keeping summer fresh, people ... :)

Reunions

Today I drove three hours into the heart of southwestern Ontario for a family reunion.

I know people say that the flat terrain of this part of the world is mind-numbing in its plainness and monotony, but I love it. This afternoon as I was driving the clouds were incredible, and there were no buildings or mountains to obscure the colours and the ever-changing shapes and the light spilling through and what looked like a gentle curtain of rain falling somewhere in the distance. I love the rare big trees that grow along ditches and fencelines in their lonely, stately dignity. Somehow this part of the country makes me feel grounded and inspired at the same time. Maybe you had to grow up there.

Anyway, here’s a picture of my dad with his siblings:

And here’s a photo my Uncle Ted took of me sitting with my aunts Willie, Anne, and Judy, looking through photographs. I like this photo a lot because it really represents to me why I go out of my way to go to family reunions.

And here’s another photo I asked my Uncle Ted to take of me and my Aunt Willie (short for Wilhelmina). As far as I’m concerned, my Aunt Willie’s picture should be next to the phrase “unconditional love” in the dictionary. She is such a wonderful, open person, and while I know everyone goes through hard patches in life, she has always seemed to be more vitally alive than most people I know. I consider myself to be very lucky to be her niece, and I aspire to be like her – both as an aunt myself now and as a human being.

Lucky

Tonight I had my friends Melanie and Jamie over for dinner. A bottle of wine, some music, lots of vegetables with some wonderful hummus, and some chana masala that turned out really well, and it was a great night. But mostly because I am so lucky to have fun and fabulous friends.

No spoilers

Just finished "Harry Potters and the Deathly Hallows"! What an amazing story - an epic, I think. I've cried furtive tears while reading it at the gym. I rabbit-punched the air in the solitude of my own home while reading it. I delighted schoolchildren who saw me carry my copy onto the subway last night. I managed to avoid any spoilers.

I am in awe of J.K. Rowling as a storyteller and as a human being. She must be a remarkable person to deal with the themes she has.

But now ... time to catch up on some sleep! :)

Pardon me while I disapparate

I nearly missed my subway stop while reading Chapter Three of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

See ya when I finish this book - until then, you're on your own!

:)

Eclecta photo retrospective, part whatever

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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.

This is still one of my favourites of me from any point in my life. And it does go to show that I have in fact been more blonde than I currently am. And look at that tan!!!!

It's probably a good thing that no one told me to "follow your bliss" when I was this age, or I quite possibly would still be playing with armfuls of kittens and hanging out in backyard pools all day. Though not, obviously, playing with armfuls of kittens in backyard pools.

Special thanks to my Aunt Anne S. for taking this shot and capturing the wonder and magic in my eyes that is still one of the things that I like most about myself.

Great things about this weekend

Friends

That some photographs turned out okay

Listening to my music collection after a few days away, and feeling like my heart might burst with its beauty

Setting goals

Meditating

Having a clean bathroom (even though I had to clean it first)

Catching up with Jamie, even if it was just by phone

Napping (gosh, that was uber-great!)

Melanie introducing me to the great song “Hey Eugene” from Pink Martini’s new CD of the same name

Delicious breezes

Hanging out with good friends Saturday night and teasing one about boasting of his endurance while at a bar (he was talking about cycling)

Memories of hanging out with Melissa and her family

Rediscovering my "Best of Crowded House" CD

A desperately affectionate cat launching herself into a spread-eagle position over my backpack (on the floor) so I will pet her (this cat was obviously a Catholic nun in a previous lifetime, based on the guilt trips she’s given me about leaving her for a few days!)

Re-reading a Harry Potter book

E-mails with Yoda

Japanese tetris

Many thanks to Melissa for this link - many laughs here as a result.

If I were to judge by this clip alone, Japan is not just another country; it's a whole other planet!

Steph and Dom

Engagement photos taken today (yesterday, actually):


Click here to see the whole set.

Leaving and arriving

Dear friends and Internet vagabonds,

Yes, I am still alive. Very tired, though, after significant delays at the airport caused me to finally arrive home around 2:30 this morning. Fortunately I had the flexibility to go into work a few hours late today, but oy …

I’ve just looked through the photos I took yesterday, and by far this one is the most compelling:

This is Melissa’s son Ethan. He said he was sad that I was going back to Canada. Maybe that’s true. I guess at that age, kids are really needy and quickly form emotional attachments. (Either that or six-year-olds are just moody and he was blaming it on me. LOL)

Ethan’s so smart; sometimes to keep him busy and entertained (!) we did math drills. Without a day in Grade 1, he can add 21 and 42 (though it did take about 5 minutes and quite a bit of finger-counting). Since I always had a problem adding 8 + 5, we did every possible permutation of 5, 8, and 13 – to the point, years from now, he will no doubt think of me every time he subtracts 5 from 13 or whatever. :) I really do wish he lived closer, maybe part of that commune of people I love that I wrote about in my profile.

Chin up, little buddy; I hate good-byes as much as you do.

Day 1 of 1 in New York

We finally made it into New York today – woo hoooooo!!!!

By the time we got the train from Princeton Junction into New York, it was 10:30 AM. It took about 25 minutes to orient ourselves at Penn Station, when we realized that there was no way we could go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (our No. 1 priority), leave for lunch at Norma’s, then go back to the Museum and still see everything we wanted to see. So we had an early lunch at Macy’s, then took the subway to the Met. OMG were the subway stations hot!!! They were like boiler rooms!

The Met was great. A lot of fantastic, beautiful art in a gorgeous building. Melissa said, “We’re looking at art while walking on art [a gorgeous tile mosaic] and walking in art.” So true.

We were there for 5 hours and probably saw less than half (or maybe just a third) of the displays. And near the end we were racing around trying to see as much as possible.

After the Met threw us out at 5:25 (let me tell you – they’re serious about closing at 5:30, and woe betide the dawdling art-lover!), we walked a few blocks (including along Park Avenue) to La Maison du Chocolat. I might just be ruined for any other chocolate after this.

And then, because we are wusses and had walked since 10:30, we took the train back to New Jersey and ate dinner in the same Indian restaurant in Princeton where we ate last night. So yummy!!!! Like Melissa says, sometimes there’s something to be said for a sure thing.

While at dinner, we started planning our day tomorrow, working backwards from when I have to catch my flight. Just to be on the safe side, we would have to leave New York around 11:30 in order for me to say good-bye to Ethan and catch my flight from Dulles tomorrow night. So instead, we’re going back to Baltimore tomorrow and tooling around there, I think. New York was amazing, but the worry about missing my flight just isn’t worth it.

But I cannot wait to return to that exciting city.

Archways at the Met

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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.

The beautiful Metropolitan Museum of Art

La Maison du Chocolat

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Ooooh la la!

Hot and Crusty

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I'm not sure I could eat anything at a place called "Hot and Crusty" ... LOL

Not a sign I see every day!

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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.

Lucas and Ethan

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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.

This isn't New York yet, Toto

So I left for New York this morning (on a 7:14 AM flight – I honestly need to have my head examined) and yet at 6:18 PM, still not in New York … LOL I actually flew into D.C. to meet my friend Melissa, got a whirlwind drive-by tour of Baltimore, spent some time with her two little boys before we escaped the gravitational pull of her family and set off for Newark. (We’re staying in a condo owned by one of Melissa’s friends.)

So early day tomorrow to finally head to New York, and *maybe* another half-day in New York (depending on how Melissa’s husband is coping back home, LOL) before it’s another race to Baltimore to say good-bye to Melissa’s six-year-old (who has seen me only twice before in his life and yet appears as though he'd be mortally offended if I don't at least say good-bye) before I fly back to Toronto Thursday night. Whew! :-> But it’s been really good to catch up with Melissa and see her family again.

Update: I had dinner in Princeton tonight! As in Princeton, New Jersey, where the Ivy League school is. Kinda cool! Lovely town, beautiful architecture. Sadly, no pictures of places whatsoever, as we drove everywhere, barely slowing down to gawk at beautiful places. But Melissa is being great about trying to show me as much of the eastern U.S. as she possibly can! :)

New Yawk, baby, New Yawk!!!

So tomorrow I set out for the Big Apple. I'm leaving at some ridiculous time in the morning because I'm cheap. And not so smart sometimes.

I've never been to New York before, and my friend Melissa has been planning the itinerary, so I have very few expectations. I know I want to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and, based on Monika and Tracy's recommendations, La Maison du Chocolat (chocolate that is better than Godiva's? I so have to check this out!).

I'm not sure whether I'll have Internet access the next few days or not, so don't freak out if you don't hear from me until Friday or Saturday, okay? I know will miss you all, my friends and Internet vagabonds! :)

Bad weekend for blogging, good weekend for living

Whew! What a busy weekend!!!! I:

• took a crew that I organized to do volunteer work with a conservation authority, cleaning up a truckload of lumber someone had dumped in a river in the Caledon area;
• went on a very cool tour with LEAF Toronto, learning about Toronto's urban forest (it amazes me how much information we have about conservation and urban planning, and yet ... stupidity abounds. I highly recommend checking LEAF out though.)
• went to the birthday party of a very cute and much-loved one-year-old
• cleaned my apartment, did 4 loads of laundry, and ran errands
• wrote an article for a newsletter
• actually cooked for myself!
• had a great workout at the gym
  
• caught up (somewhat) with a couple of friends
• made some very cool new friends
• caught up with some acquaintances
  
• processed all the photos I took this weekend (see posts that follow)
  

I feel tired, but blessed.

Happy birthday Audrey!

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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.

Sorry, Audrey - THAT birthday is 18 years from now ...

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Am I the only one to find this funny?

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In the most loving honourary auntie fashion, of course ...

so cute

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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.

Frying pans for children?

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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.

While on the LEAF Toronto tour, Todd (the guy in the green T-shirt to the left) took us to a school ground. “Black asphalt, red brick, and tar on the roof – if we wanted to bake our children, we probably wouldn’t have to do anything differently. We might as well just put them in a frying pan” is pretty much word-for-word what he said. He told us that schoolyards are so much hotter than most other places in cities that they are hotspots detectable from space (or so NASA has discovered).

Trees. They’re necessary for many reasons.

Surreally busy

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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.

Incredibly busy - but good - day today, so instead of writing much, I will let you take a look at this funky photo I took yesterday. :)

Follow your bliss?

I imagine many of you have heard the following phrase: "follow your bliss". But then again, maybe you haven't, or just aren't sure what it means. Let's quote from an authoritative source, the Joseph Campbell Foundation (Joseph Campbell was an amazing professor and author specializing in myth, and "follow your bliss" was initially his utterance):

... it is important to note that following one's bliss, as Campbell saw it, isn't merely a matter of doing whatever you like, and certainly not doing simply as you are told. It is a matter of identifying that pursuit which you are truly passionate about and attempting to give yourself absolutely to it. In so doing, you will find your fullest potential and serve your community to the greatest possible extent.

JOSEPH CAMPBELL: If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. Wherever you are -- if you are following your bliss, you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time

.

Forgive me if I'm not all that forthcoming on this subject, but I'm really interested to hear what you, my friends and Internet vagabonds, have to say on the subject. Do you believe in such a thing as following your bliss? Why or why not? What have been your experiences?

Speaking of parenting ...

Did any of you see this amazing piece on 60 Minutes - years ago - about juvenile delinquent elephants???

Parenting poetry

One thing I've realized about myself is how much I adore kids. (This revelation came as I wondered why I spend so much time reading blogs written by parents of young children. It's the kids and the terrific writing, by the way.)

Do I want one of my own? Meh. But I love other people's kids, and stories about their kids.

If you love reading about kids, you have to check out Linda's "parenting poetry". Lord, she is so funny.

Again

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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.

Sorry to be repetitious, but I am so darned excited about these portraits.

Melody is a beautiful and joyful little girl, but barely sat still. It took a lot of patience to get the shots that I did, so I'm a little proud of 'em.

Why Natalia is my superhero

I love reading Natalia's blog because she exudes confidence and assertiveness. She inspires me.
Take, for instance, this anecdote from when she was at a concert last night (in case you're curious, it was The Police):

A guy sitting right in front of me decided that he needed a smoke. Instead of leaving the venue, he just lit up in a packed non-smoking arena. Everyone around him stared and grumbled, but no one said a word. No one, that is, except yours truly. To wit:

Me: (After tapping on the stranger's shoulders) Hi. Could you stop smoking, please?
Idiot: (Stunned he is being told off, he takes another puff).
Me: Ummm, yeah, when I said could you stop smoking I meant put the cigarette out. This is a non-smoking venue. Besides, just because you are OK with getting cancer and emphysema, it doesn't mean I am.
Idiot: Just give me a few more puffs.
Me: What are you, two years old? Put the fucking cigarette out and save me the trip to security.
Idiot: (Puts cig out and sulks for the rest of the night).

Brilliant and amazing.

On Defensiveness

Someone photocopied this article from "O" magazine a few months ago and handed it to my boss. Who then showed it to me. (Was he trying to tell me something???) Forget whose magazine it's in, trust me - it's a good read.

The title? "Wait—Are You Implying I Need To Read This Article?"

The subtitle: How to Have a Functional, Trusting, Relaxed, Mutually Satisfying Human Relationship with a Highly Defensive Person

My aha moment came with these two sentences:

The first worry ... is "I don't have enough!" Not enough love, money, food, credit, glory—the subject of our deprivation obsessions varies, but the theme "not enough" pounds away like a monotonous drumbeat.

One more

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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.

This is a lame post

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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.

Sorry folks, busy again tonight, but lots of photos of this beautiful little girl named Melody.

Seriously, I wanted to stuff her in my backpack and take her home with me. A totally amazing kid. You'll be seeing more of her photos.

Ouch! Taking method acting too far

From MSNBC’s The Scoop:

Aaron Eckhart is willing to suffer for his art.

The “Thank You For Smoking” star is appearing in a film called “Bill” with Jessica Alba, and he says he put clothespins on his private parts to help his acting.

“I had to pretend that my nuts hurt, so I put a clothespin on my nuts,” Eckhart told Men’s Journal. “Otherwise, you’re just learning your lines and saying them. There’s no art in that. People say, ‘Why do you want to put a clothespin on your nuts?’ You know why? Because that’s what I do for a living.”

He’s joking, right? The Scoop seems to be reporting it straight, but I’m sure that sarcasm is in effect here. Because if a guy can get to his age without ever getting nailed by something or somebody (say, a cute blonde girl in grade school who had some ill-defined anger issues expressed by punching boys in the balls, hypothetically speaking of course) and then act on the basis of that memory, then I think we have a new entry in the Guiness Book of World Records. (World's first testicle-protecting force field or world's worst actor, you pick.)

However, even joking about something like this … Aaron, you just might need some professional counseling. Get some help, honey.

Oh, and about the uh - hypothetical scrotum nailing by that cute blonde girl in grade school? Yeah, she grew out of that. A loooooonnnng time ago - I swear! :)

Genius!

Happy birthday, sweetie!

The gymnast?

In the kitchen at work today:

Eclecta: So this friend of mine was in Toronto over Easter weekend ...
Kevin: The gymnast?
Eclecta: Long pause as she tries to figure out how the hell he ever thought she had a friend who is a gymnast ... then laughs. Kevin, you are so gay. Only a gay man would think of a gymnast. [He really IS gay.]
Kevin: What? A straight guy would say a gymnast, right?
Eclecta: Gives that "give your head a shake" look.

Kevin is a dear and wonderful friend of mine who is accustomed to my blogging about him. I love you, bunny!!! :)

My summer is officially full

I just made arrangements to go to New York for a couple of days with a friend next week. Eeek!!! I have never been to New York before, but this time-limited opportunity (with free lodging in Newark, which isn't so bad a commute, or so I'm told) was too good to miss. Plus, I get to see my whip-smart, well-read friend Melissa, which is awesome.

(I have to take a break here and tell you a story about Melissa, because this is a good one. Melissa and I met in Korea, but the first Memorial Day Weekend after 9/11, I visited her and her husband and infant son in Washington, D.C. They showed me as much of this GORGEOUS city as they could in a long weekend, and then on the way back to the airport, Melissa and I started talking about Bush and American politics. This was before Iraq. And folks, she KNEW that Bush would fuck it up. [Sorry, I can't even ---- it out.] She fretted that he would fuck it up, said she was inconsolable the first time Bush was "elected", and I told her that no, it wouldn't be so bad after all, not because Bush is basically an okay guy [because, DUDE, the writing was on the wall], but I sincerely believed that there would be other politicians and bureaucrats and world leaders who'd be able to keep things from going into the pisser. Well, y'all [Melissa's from Virginia], we all know how THAT'S turned out, right?)

Anyway, after New York, there is a stag and doe that I will attend as the official photographer (please, gods, just a few photographs that I can be proud of), then a family reunion the next weekend, then zoom! I'm off to Seattle for a visit with my brother, sister-in-law, and my niece and nephew. Friends and Internet vagabonds, I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to this! This may involve some middle-of-the-night helping because there are only so many months you can go with a few hours of sleep a night, y'all (okay, I'm getting carried away, I know), and so I will don my SuperAuntie! cape (DA TA DA DA!!!) and insist on helping. Needless to say, the first weekend back in Toronto will have NOTHING SCHEDULED.

And then, the last weekend of August, I have my very first stint as a wedding photographer. So the weekend before THAT will be spent nervously trying to anticipate every possible thing that could go wrong. Folks, please keep your fingers crossed for me, or at least for the poor fools who thought I could photograph their wedding. (I tried to dissuade them, I really did!) Just thinking about this makes my stomach lodge in my throat.

And then Labour Day weekend - which I may need to recuperate from my boss being on vacation the last two weeks of August + the wedding. (This past week was the first time my boss was on vacation that I didn't get sick from the stress of doing my job + whatever I could of his, but I think that's because I slept so much the weekend before and after.)

And sometime in mid-August, songbird migration begins again ...

HOLY CRAP I'M GOING TO BE BUSY!

Holy Cuteness Batman!

Folks, it is entirely unlikely (unlessyouhavekidsofyourown) that you will ever see anything more adorable than twin babies toothlessly, radiantly laughing and interacting with each other. You can see that here, just click on the fourth (also the last) link to see the video. (I was just going to steal the video and post it here, but what kind of example would I set for the children??? lol)

It honestly amazes me - my niece and nephew only have about 25% of my genetic material, and yet share all my charm! Is that a medical miracle or what??? ;->

Another portrait

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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.

... just to be generous :)

Love You Forever

After reading every single archive on Beth’s blog (which I thoroughly enjoyed, Beth, thank you), particularly her posts about lost friendships from bygone days, I finally caved in and signed up for Facebook.

Frankly, I have mixed feelings about this.

Mostly because I feel I am a very different person from the one my university pals or high school classmates may have known. For example, when I was in university, I was a very religious person. I actually considered myself to be a born-again Christian. But a couple of years after university, that was no longer the case. How or why doesn’t matter at this point, and is something I will usually refuse to discuss (hear that shot across the bow?). However, during my crisis of faith, which was one of the most painful excruciating times of my life, one of the worst things about it all (second only to struggling with whether I was actually going to hell or not) was the knowledge that our faith had been the foundation of the relationships I’d had with most of my university/church friends. I knew that things could never be the same. I truly grieved about this because they are amazing, wonderful people whom I still love to this day, and with whom I share numerous fond memories. And because the whole religion thing was so incredibly painful to me for several years, it all had to go. It was an amputation. Boy, was that hard.

It’s been almost ten years since then. Over time, as I’ve become more comfortable and confident with my choices, the mention of religion doesn’t freak me out as it used to.

But I can’t pretend that I haven’t changed, or that my dear friends and I have much in common any more.

So, if you happen upon this site via Facebook or some other means and count yourself as a Christian friend from our school days, know that I adore you. If we are somehow able to cobble together a friendship in the now that is based on what we have in common as human beings rather than religion, no one could be more thrilled than I would be. And if today we are too different (and/or you are too freaked out about my current belief system), know that I will always be thankful for the love, acceptance, and sense of belonging that you gave me when I desperately needed it. And I will always love you.

It's almost midnight and you haven't posted yet today????

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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.

Whoops, sorry!

On god and glassware

Lately, I've been reading archived posts of Beth's blog, which have been quite entertaining. This is vintage!

Dear God

No, I'm not getting religious on you ... but today someone found my blog after using the following search criteria:

Costco KY jelly

Here's why. Totally unembarrassing, and yet - so icky.

This sucks

By far the funniest thing that's happened in a long while took place at work today, and yet I can't tell you the story because I've stupidly given the address to my blog to several people at work (and they gave it to some other people at work) and it might get back to the person involved, and he would be embarrassed. Which is really a shame because as far as anecdotes go, this one is damn comical. Just one thing to say, unnamed co-worker: I told you, but did you listen? BAH HAHAHAHA! Seriously, it was totally harmless and more than a little cute, but the guy is already feeling sheepish.

Blogging about work or events at work is not a good idea. (I know this from experience. This also sucks.) However, I can't restrain myself from writing tonight - and I'm not kissing anyone's ass here, people - there are days when I am overwhelmed by how amazing the guys on my team are. My co-workers as a whole are really good, talented people. Almost anyone with a job has bad days at work from time to time, and we might have pointless dumbass conflicts occasionally, but today is one of those days when something happens (totally unrelated to the anecdote related above) where I am in awe of my co-workers. Not because they can solve a nasty technical problem (although that is really cool too), but because they are such lovely human beings. As extraordinary as they are, it makes me wonder: Are most people this amazing, or have I just truly lucked out in the co-worker department?

So if you happen to be my co-worker and you read this, yes, I'm glad you are here reading my humble blog (even though I'm sure you must have better things to do with your time, like flossing); no, I will NOT tell you the funny story; and yes, you may pat yourself on the back. :)

Control freak

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Yes, my father played the accordion. How Old World is that?

And guess who's personality is just a little Type A?

Yes, it would just be better if *I* could do it, obviously!
______________________________________________________

Okay, despite my sleep festival over the long weekend, I am back to being utterly sleep-deprived and hollow-eyed. So, dear friends and Internet vagabonds, this is all I have for you today. Come back tomorrow. :)

Real quick, like

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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.

All work and no play makes Eclecta a boring girl tonight (yes, I'm still at work), so here's a portrait I took last week for you to look at.

The result of a dare

Friends and innocent bystanders, what you are about to read is both the result of a dare and an exercise in telling my own vicious inner critic to shove the hell off.

My friend Jamie and I were IM'ing and she was sharing that she hasn't been writing much lately because life frankly has dumped a steaming pile of crap on her recently and she doesn't have the same creative impulses that she normally does. So I was encouraging her to write something different, like poetry, to see if that might make a difference. Her response was, and I quote:

haha! i write the worst poetry in the world, the worst.

So I challenged her: half an hour, one poem each, we both post the results on our own blogs, regardless how pathetic they are. So here's mine:

There’s a crease in your forehead
There used to be laugh lines
There’s a hesitance in your expression
That used to be confidence
Life’s dealt you some nasty ones
And goodness you’re reeling

Where did “goodness” come from anyway,
When it used to be bold, angry words,
Conversationally tossed?

Nothing is stable, everything is wrong
Your foundation eroded from under you
While you shook your head in disbelief.

And that’s still part of the problem,
That you can’t believe it, can’t accept it
Ifonlyeverythingcouldgobackthewayitusedtobe.

I have no platitudes, no answers
Just faith in you.

Yes, this poem sucks donkey balls, it's so bad, but when I tried to dip my ladle into the river of the cosmic unconscious, this is what came up. So who am I to question the cosmic unconscious? :) It's not like I'll be sending it to a publisher anyway. :)

Sometimes we are just too hard on ourselves.

So, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to write your own poem in 30 minutes or less, no matter how lame or insipid, and either post it in the comments here or on your own blog with a link to it in the comments.

Truly, your effort can't possibly be worse than mine, can it? And it feels great to tell the inner critic to feck off!!!! :)

Update: Jamie's poem can be found here. It is really far better than mine.

Eclecta baby photo retrospective III

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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.

Since it’s been a long weekend and I sanely (surprisingly) decided to keep my calendar open so I could address some things around here that have been driving me crazy, I’ve finally had a chance to scan the rest of the photos from my childhood. I won’t blog all of them at once, as that would be a total bore, but I will do a couple at a time.

This particular photo is likely the first one taken of me with my brother. Really, the title of this blog posting should read something like, “Boy, THAT sure was awkward!” Maybe it’s fitting; throughout our 36-year relationship, there have been glorious moments of friendship (which you will see in other photos), bitter rivalry, intense mutual embarrassment, and then periods when we have felt like strangers with one another.

I was 17 months old when my brother Joe was born (ironic since my parents tried for about 8 YEARS before I showed up). Not really twins like Lorelai and Reece, but fairly close (and with far more physical resemblance than that particular brother-sister duo!). I hope that Lorelai and Reece will enjoy countless hours together being silly and building forts and biking and playing games and eating cherries like Joe and I did, but I think they’ll also show each other more respect than Joe and I did. Fortunately, it’s never too late to learn. :)

Techie note: Picasa rocks! Picasa is a FREE photo-editing tool from Google that is incredibly easy to use (far easier than Photoshop!) and really helps with image quality. I’ve run all these scans of old childhood photos through Picasa to sharpen them and sometimes to crop them. While the quality of these old photos is generally quite bad, Picasa does make most of them a little less blurry. Definitely worth the minute or two per photograph. I process all my photographs in Picasa first, using Photoshop only if I need the additional tools that Photoshop provides. Picasa will also convert RAW files (the format used in digital cameras that captures all the information possible for every pixel) into JPEG very easily.

Eclecta baby photo retrospective II

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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.

Here again is behaviour that modern-day parents would probably be too afraid to do – and certainly would not allow photographic evidence to be taken!

Dad and I are “riding” Dixie. Based on her ears alone, Dixie isn’t too thrilled about the whole situation. However, as far as I know, no mishap ensued. :)

You heard it here first

It’s been a great Canada Day. I slept in for the second day in a row (GOD I LOVE LONG WEEKENDS) and felt truly reborn when I got up this morning (20 hours of sleep in 48 hours can have that effect. Sorry, Joe – I don’t mean to make you jealous. You’ll be able to sleep in like that once the twins are teenagers – maybe. LOL).

I just came back from a barbeque at my friend Ada’s. She has some of the most interesting friends – I love going to her parties.

One of her friends (whose name I never caught because I am a dork) is an assistant director in Toronto’s film industry. He has also drafted a screenplay of his own life, first as a small child in Nicaragua during the civil war, then for a time in Mexico, and then as a Spanish-speaking teenager thrown into an affluent English-speaking school in Toronto. Friends, when (not if) this movie is made, you will want to see it. It will have some humour, some dark moments too, I think, but overall I think it will have a lot of heart. I’ll try to keep tabs on this project and let you know more as it develops. And when it’s a huge hit I will feel very superior and remind you that I told you all about it tonight. :)

≈ orange...

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Originally uploaded by Jennifer Esperanza.

Amazing photograph!

I surf the Internet so you don't have to

The context would take too long to explain (just read this blog post), but here is a cute little story by DoneMamma (found in the comments of aforementioned blog post):

Well, my 3 year old already thinks I'm an idiot. Yesterday I gave her four pieces of fruit. She said, "Mommy, after I eat this one, I will have three left." and I said, "Good job, that is called subtraction." In THE most condescending voice she replies, "No MOM, that is called EATING."

Re-worked portrait

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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.

Changed to black and white, sharpened a bit, and contrast adjusted. I think it's a lot better, and I'm pleased that I've been able to salvage this portrait. If you're interested, you can see the original here.

A portrait I took a few weeks ago

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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.