Little Miss Teen had a dilema last week. Seems that she spelled the word "colour" well, "colour" and the worlds meanest science teacher marked her wrong. But of course Little Miss Teen is right; "colour" IS spelled "colour" in Canada, Great Britain and other countries in the commonwealth. It's just not spelled that way here; in the good old US of A. But that doesn't mean that it's right to mark her wrong on it. Especially when dictionary.com considers both right. In fact there's a line in a song about "just because I'm wrong doesn't make you right." It's not about right or wrong; it's about educating a teacher to be aware of different spellings of words.
Wikpedia has a lengthy and complicated article on why and how there are differences in American and British spellings. Let's see if I can simplify it (Pause, scan the article, 1 hour later still scanning....... Nope, can't simplify it) . Turns out that the English language is not defined by just one dictionary (who knew?). British English uses "Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language. American English uses "Noah Webster's An American Dictionary of the English Language." Not easy to pick out why and how there are differences but here are a few examples of them.
Other than the "U" thing which I'll get to in a minute, turns out there are a few other differences that I've never considered before. There are obvious ones like "mummy' vs "mommy" and aeoroplane vs airplane. Less noticable ones like moustache vs mustache, speciality vs specialty and aluminium vs aluminum. Those ones I would have to recognize by sight to figure out how I spell them. My favorite is carburettor vs carburetor. I've NEVER spelled that word one way or the other mainly because I have NO idea what it does and only a vauge idea of what it is. Do you need to know the meaning of a word to use it? Apparently not because lots of people use lots of words they have no clue of the meaning. Isn't that right Little Miss Teen?
So here's the scoop on the "our " vs "or" thing as not so eloquently put by Wickpedia: Most words ending in an unstressed -our in the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada and Australia (e.g., colour, flavour, honour, neighbour, rumour, labour) end in -or in the United States (e.g., color, flavor, honor, neighbor, rumor, labor). Wherever the vowel is unreduced in pronunciation, this does not occur: contour, velour, paramour, troubadour, are spelled thus the same everywhere. Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah.............
Interesting note here on Commonwealth usage: Commonwealth countries normally follow British usage. In Canada -or endings are not uncommon, particularly in the Prairie Provinces, though they are rarer in Eastern Canada.[26] In Australia, -or terminations enjoyed some use in the 19th century, and now are sporadically found in some regions,[26] usually in local and regional newspapers, though -our is almost universal. New Zealand English, while sharing some words and syntax with Australian English, follows British usage.
So basically Little Miss Teen's science teacher, in our house we spell "colour" with a "u" because that's the way I did it and that's the way my British mother did it before me. (Someobody cue the "Tradition" song from Fiddler on the Roof.") The fact that my dad is from a Canadian Prairie Province and probably spells "color" with an "o" will not be held against him. The point is that it's really no big deal (although somewhat of a deal if I'm blogging about it).
Besides, think of it, life without "U." You wouldn't be able to go to *niversity. And on a rainy day yo* wo*ldn't be able to r*n to those *undergrad classes with the cover of an *mbrella. Yo* wo*ld have to go *ndergro*nd. There yo* might just meet a s*bway attendant wearing a *niform. If yo*r team was in the bottom of the *nderwater polo standings you wo*ldn't be able to cheer for the or *nderdog. And if yo* co*ldn't cheer, yo* most certainly co*ldn't chew g*m. It wo*ld be *gly I tell yo* j*st *gly and it wo*ld make yo* very *nhappy. So *nhappy in fact yo* may j*st sit aro*nd in yo*r *nderwear thinking of yo*r *ncle B*bba who once gave yo* a toy *nicorn and that made yo* tr*st him a lot. B*t of co*rse yo* wo*ldn't be able to tell him that yo* loved him witho*t the lonely letter *. Boo hoo!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
And now for a moving story about: books.
I'd like to tell you that I've never met a book I haven't liked. However, that's not ennnnnnnnntirely true. Off the top of my head I can tell you that I hated "Phantom of the Opera," I strongly disliked most things by Jane Austin (yawn) and I most certainly pick Margaret Lawerence over Margaret Atwood. The problem is that I'm loyal, loyal to a fault in fact hence my difficulties in leaving even hard situations. This loyalty extends not only to relationships but to all books and most movies; even the bad ones. What I mean is that I even if they are truly awful I must see them through to the bitter end. Someone once tried to convince me that life was too short to be stuck with a bad book. Give it a few pages and then move on if it's not good. Yeaaaaaaaah but? Wouldn't that be betraying the fictional characters? Isn't not completing something a sin? Besides, surely the book will get better right? (please God!). So basically since I don't dislike any books it's fair to say that I like them all.
I do not, however, like moving books. I've mentioned before that my family has moved a lot in the last few years. Like every year in the past 6, sometimes more than once a year and that doesn't count my pre-marital treks to Asia....... Finding English books in Asia is a whole different story for a different day. But English books in Asia is part of this story because I did lug my favorites with me. Then I lugged them back home. Lugged them through a move at home; then put them in the mail and let the postman lug them down here to the US. Like I said, I've lugged them to and from 6 or 7 houses down here. Sometimes they haven't even gotten unpacked before it's time to go again and often the same moving box does more than one move. All that work and that's just for MY books.
My huggyband was a clergy person in a former life (no! not THAT kind of former life, just the life he lead BC (before Cass) say 7 years ago.) Apparently part of being a clergy person involves having a decorative library. Decorative because we have 4 floor to ceiling bookcases full of books that I have never seen the man read. In fact, in 6 years of marriage I have never seen the man read 1 dang book! But I sure have packed them. Again, and again. It's almost become a tradition in my family that at some point in every "fliting" (the British word for move. As in "A Saturday flit is never a long sit" I'll tell you that story sometime.) I will call my mom and wail "I HATE MOVING HUGGYBANDS $#%&** RELIGIOUS BOOKS!!!!!!!! (As if cursing them makes them easier to lift. Isn't everything easier to lift if you curse it first?) No amount of pleading or making him pack them up himself, or pointing out that he has NEVER, EVER opened the books, makes the man want to get rid of any. He insists on moving them from house to house. Have I mentioned that in all those moves we've never once had professional movers? Except for the very rare occasion when we have managed to bribe friends and family to help, it has been Huggyband and I who have done all of the packing.
And you know what I learned from all that packing? BOOKS ARE HEAVY! Which is why I may be loyal to the plot and characters of a book but not the actual book itself. I downsize, frequently and often and especially if I'm sensing a move is in the air. WHICH IT IS NOT I AM REFUSING TO MOVE EVER, EVER, EVER AGAIN! So books are easy come easy go for me. Much like my kids toys that eventually return to the thrift shop from which they came (good grief I just made books and toys sound like spawning salmon!). I think of the 25 cents for a book or 29 cents for a rescue hero as a "rental fee: " the cost to use something that I'll eventually return. Occasionally there are books that don't get returned but like I said that's pretty rare.
There are a few books that I have kept for sentimental reasons. Books that will become heirlooms or that tell the story of me. Books like the copy of "Tarzan" that has an inscription with my grandfather's signature. There's a well worn and highlighted copy of "Motherless Daughters." A couple books on women travelling alone; some Judy Blume books on puberty. There are a few Canadian social studies textbooks and a few medical sociology ones as well.
The textbook that is obviously absent although no less loved is "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare." Technically it IS present, but only in it's $9.99 softcover version not the $100 Cadillac version as a college professor told me I'd need. My Yugo version of Will has done me very well over the years as has the Cadillac version done one of my friends. In fact this friend insists she uses hers every day: to fix a broken table leg with. Besides we're talking about a guy who's been dead for 394 years (yes Lisa I did have to look that up and then use a calculator to figure it out: English major YOU do the math!); it's not like he's going to write a new edition........
Other books that have made the "cut" or in my case more the "pack" include: Heidi, Gulliver's Travels, The Red Tent, The Robe, This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness. There are a few Chicken Soup for the Soul books. I had briefly thought of collecting them but they are quite literally a dime a dozen so I kept a few favorites and donated the rest. If I see something interesting I'll pick it up. There are cookbooks of course which is another story, so is the collection of Christmas books and some very old Dr. Seuss.
The good news is that Little Miss Teen has also developed a love for reading. The bad news is that she collects books and like her daddy she rarely gets rid of them. I have packed and unpacked countless boxes of "Boxcar Children" books for her. However the very best news came this Christmas when Little Miss Teen received a Kindle!
From now on there's a new rule in my house: you are welcome to accumulate as many books as you want, as long as they are E-books!
I do not, however, like moving books. I've mentioned before that my family has moved a lot in the last few years. Like every year in the past 6, sometimes more than once a year and that doesn't count my pre-marital treks to Asia....... Finding English books in Asia is a whole different story for a different day. But English books in Asia is part of this story because I did lug my favorites with me. Then I lugged them back home. Lugged them through a move at home; then put them in the mail and let the postman lug them down here to the US. Like I said, I've lugged them to and from 6 or 7 houses down here. Sometimes they haven't even gotten unpacked before it's time to go again and often the same moving box does more than one move. All that work and that's just for MY books.
My huggyband was a clergy person in a former life (no! not THAT kind of former life, just the life he lead BC (before Cass) say 7 years ago.) Apparently part of being a clergy person involves having a decorative library. Decorative because we have 4 floor to ceiling bookcases full of books that I have never seen the man read. In fact, in 6 years of marriage I have never seen the man read 1 dang book! But I sure have packed them. Again, and again. It's almost become a tradition in my family that at some point in every "fliting" (the British word for move. As in "A Saturday flit is never a long sit" I'll tell you that story sometime.) I will call my mom and wail "I HATE MOVING HUGGYBANDS $#%&** RELIGIOUS BOOKS!!!!!!!! (As if cursing them makes them easier to lift. Isn't everything easier to lift if you curse it first?) No amount of pleading or making him pack them up himself, or pointing out that he has NEVER, EVER opened the books, makes the man want to get rid of any. He insists on moving them from house to house. Have I mentioned that in all those moves we've never once had professional movers? Except for the very rare occasion when we have managed to bribe friends and family to help, it has been Huggyband and I who have done all of the packing.
And you know what I learned from all that packing? BOOKS ARE HEAVY! Which is why I may be loyal to the plot and characters of a book but not the actual book itself. I downsize, frequently and often and especially if I'm sensing a move is in the air. WHICH IT IS NOT I AM REFUSING TO MOVE EVER, EVER, EVER AGAIN! So books are easy come easy go for me. Much like my kids toys that eventually return to the thrift shop from which they came (good grief I just made books and toys sound like spawning salmon!). I think of the 25 cents for a book or 29 cents for a rescue hero as a "rental fee: " the cost to use something that I'll eventually return. Occasionally there are books that don't get returned but like I said that's pretty rare.
There are a few books that I have kept for sentimental reasons. Books that will become heirlooms or that tell the story of me. Books like the copy of "Tarzan" that has an inscription with my grandfather's signature. There's a well worn and highlighted copy of "Motherless Daughters." A couple books on women travelling alone; some Judy Blume books on puberty. There are a few Canadian social studies textbooks and a few medical sociology ones as well.
The textbook that is obviously absent although no less loved is "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare." Technically it IS present, but only in it's $9.99 softcover version not the $100 Cadillac version as a college professor told me I'd need. My Yugo version of Will has done me very well over the years as has the Cadillac version done one of my friends. In fact this friend insists she uses hers every day: to fix a broken table leg with. Besides we're talking about a guy who's been dead for 394 years (yes Lisa I did have to look that up and then use a calculator to figure it out: English major YOU do the math!); it's not like he's going to write a new edition........
Other books that have made the "cut" or in my case more the "pack" include: Heidi, Gulliver's Travels, The Red Tent, The Robe, This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness. There are a few Chicken Soup for the Soul books. I had briefly thought of collecting them but they are quite literally a dime a dozen so I kept a few favorites and donated the rest. If I see something interesting I'll pick it up. There are cookbooks of course which is another story, so is the collection of Christmas books and some very old Dr. Seuss.
The good news is that Little Miss Teen has also developed a love for reading. The bad news is that she collects books and like her daddy she rarely gets rid of them. I have packed and unpacked countless boxes of "Boxcar Children" books for her. However the very best news came this Christmas when Little Miss Teen received a Kindle!
From now on there's a new rule in my house: you are welcome to accumulate as many books as you want, as long as they are E-books!
Friday, January 29, 2010
Dirt: old and new....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6hz_s2XIAU
Cool video eh? Today's lesson is about gardening; about being re-planted at the end of January.
It would seem that we are being very silently asked to leave a certain institution. No one will have the guts to say it but where we stand is obvious; especially since that's on the outside looking in. I'm trying to grasp that we were at that institution for a season and now it's time to move on. Ecclesiastes speaks of there being a time for everything and a season for every activity. Apparently it IS our time to uproot. Apparently is IS our time to tear down. Apparently it IS our time to throw away. "Apparently" is being used sarcastically here because despite all the indicators to the contrary I'm really not sure that it IS our time to move on. Or maybe I feel (ok, who am I kidding I KNOW) that moving on isn't God's will. So that brings me to my time to mourn. I've read an article that says that mourning in a situation like this IS the appropriate response. That's good because in case you haven't noticed, I've been known to respond INappropriately....
Soooooooooooooo? Apparently we move on. Matthew 10:13-15 says:
13If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. 15I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
The same story is told in the gospels of Mark and Luke. My favorite part is the word "town" since in our case said institution is an a town about an hour away.
Not the first time we've been in a religious institution for a relatively short time. We were moved on from the last one about a year and a half ago. Such moving makes us look (and honestly feel sometimes transient.) Interesting to note that we've also moved houses some crazy thing like 7 times in 6 years. It's not that we intend to move on; we usually start at a place with the best intentions of putting down roots. In fact that's what I crave. Growing up I lived in the same house in the same community for ???? years? So did my parents friends. When one of them left the property they had lived on for years even I cried. And I cannot begin to imagine what I will do when a cherished aunt and uncle ever leave their house. For so many reasons I've wanted the stability one house, one job, one church would provide to myself and my children. This gypsy lifestyle kind of catches me off guard.
Yet for some reason we do move. Better job opportunity, lack of a job, better house opportunity. Harmful words. All legitimate reasons.
Reasons to make songs like the theme song for the "Littlest Hobo" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=banXT6azA-4 or this one from the Rankin family: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvpZPb11uEU or Willie Nelson's cliched "On the road again" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TD_pSeNelU our theme songs.
Like I said I"m trying reaaaaaaaaaaaaal hard not to see this latest move as rejection or failure. Trying to focus on the idea that rejection may be God's version of re-direction. (Honestly God I didn't know that I needed to be re-directed.) But I do know that "Human beings, like plants, grow in the soil of acceptance, not in the atmosphere of rejection." (John Powell.)
I'm making the choice to see the events of the last 6 weeks as a catalyst. You know, I don't think I've ever used that word before. Actually I'd never have used it at all if I hadn't watched a re-run of Touched by an Angel the other day. (Do you remember that I told you that my Huggyband doesn't do sports? Well he DOES do "Touched by an Angel" repeats every night. Go figure. Anyways.......... according to dictionary.com a "catalyst" is: a person or thing that precipitates an event or change." As in "His imprisonment by the government served as the catalyst that helped transform social unrest into revolution. " Or as in: "being let go from a certain institution was the CATALYST that...................? (Lead to bigger and better things? Honestly I have no idea at this point. I can just hope that it leads to better soil.)
So I guess today was all about dirt. About shaking off the dust and being re-planted in to new soil. And I thought the end of January was the wrong season for gardening.
Cool video eh? Today's lesson is about gardening; about being re-planted at the end of January.
It would seem that we are being very silently asked to leave a certain institution. No one will have the guts to say it but where we stand is obvious; especially since that's on the outside looking in. I'm trying to grasp that we were at that institution for a season and now it's time to move on. Ecclesiastes speaks of there being a time for everything and a season for every activity. Apparently it IS our time to uproot. Apparently is IS our time to tear down. Apparently it IS our time to throw away. "Apparently" is being used sarcastically here because despite all the indicators to the contrary I'm really not sure that it IS our time to move on. Or maybe I feel (ok, who am I kidding I KNOW) that moving on isn't God's will. So that brings me to my time to mourn. I've read an article that says that mourning in a situation like this IS the appropriate response. That's good because in case you haven't noticed, I've been known to respond INappropriately....
Soooooooooooooo? Apparently we move on. Matthew 10:13-15 says:
13If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. 15I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
The same story is told in the gospels of Mark and Luke. My favorite part is the word "town" since in our case said institution is an a town about an hour away.
Not the first time we've been in a religious institution for a relatively short time. We were moved on from the last one about a year and a half ago. Such moving makes us look (and honestly feel sometimes transient.) Interesting to note that we've also moved houses some crazy thing like 7 times in 6 years. It's not that we intend to move on; we usually start at a place with the best intentions of putting down roots. In fact that's what I crave. Growing up I lived in the same house in the same community for ???? years? So did my parents friends. When one of them left the property they had lived on for years even I cried. And I cannot begin to imagine what I will do when a cherished aunt and uncle ever leave their house. For so many reasons I've wanted the stability one house, one job, one church would provide to myself and my children. This gypsy lifestyle kind of catches me off guard.
Yet for some reason we do move. Better job opportunity, lack of a job, better house opportunity. Harmful words. All legitimate reasons.
Reasons to make songs like the theme song for the "Littlest Hobo" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=banXT6azA-4 or this one from the Rankin family: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvpZPb11uEU or Willie Nelson's cliched "On the road again" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TD_pSeNelU our theme songs.
Like I said I"m trying reaaaaaaaaaaaaal hard not to see this latest move as rejection or failure. Trying to focus on the idea that rejection may be God's version of re-direction. (Honestly God I didn't know that I needed to be re-directed.) But I do know that "Human beings, like plants, grow in the soil of acceptance, not in the atmosphere of rejection." (John Powell.)
I'm making the choice to see the events of the last 6 weeks as a catalyst. You know, I don't think I've ever used that word before. Actually I'd never have used it at all if I hadn't watched a re-run of Touched by an Angel the other day. (Do you remember that I told you that my Huggyband doesn't do sports? Well he DOES do "Touched by an Angel" repeats every night. Go figure. Anyways.......... according to dictionary.com a "catalyst" is: a person or thing that precipitates an event or change." As in "His imprisonment by the government served as the catalyst that helped transform social unrest into revolution. " Or as in: "being let go from a certain institution was the CATALYST that...................? (Lead to bigger and better things? Honestly I have no idea at this point. I can just hope that it leads to better soil.)
So I guess today was all about dirt. About shaking off the dust and being re-planted in to new soil. And I thought the end of January was the wrong season for gardening.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
When you've got to go............
When I was a child my mom worked at a movie theater. As far as cool mom jobs in the 70's and 80's went working at at movie theater was at the top of the list. I mean it's not like she could have worked at Nintendo or Chuck E Cheese or anything.
Better yet when I was really little she worked at a drive in movie theater. Now my Little Miss Teen would argue that drive ins aren't so cool because after all you need to be able to DRIVE to get there and they only show movies at night and not even year round. True, but the nostalgic part of me remembers seeing Star Wars for the first time in my PJs in the back of a station wagon. I remember my mom hand breading the fish for fish and chips. Meals at a movie theater now aren't so unusual as last week I noticed ours was offering egg rolls; but you know those aren't home made. I remember speakers on a post that you had to roll down your window to put inside your car and then remember not to drive off with.
I also remember the controversy when the first Muppet Movie played. Controversial because some lady called the manager and complained that the movie was not appropriate for children as Miss Piggy made some sexual advances towards Kermit the Frog. The manager, my dad and a few other people all sat through the movie many nights in a row trying to see what the lady was complaining about. Wow! If all I had to worry about my kids seeing on screen was a puppet pig being flirty with a puppet frog my life would be a whoooooole lot easier!
Eventually they paved paradise and put up a parking lot; or at least a mall with a parking lot. Must put in the musical reference here for Little Miss Teen. www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvtJPs8IDgU
Across town they put up a 4 plex! Take my word for it, it was the 80s in a small town and it was very exciting. My mom worked behind the candy counter there allowing me to see any movie I wanted as many times as I wanted (However I was NOT allowed to watch "Porky's" or "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas." but for some reason I got to wear their promotional T shirts. Like I said those were the days...) . It was the early 80's and I remember great stuff like "The Empire Strikes Back" "Gremlins" and "Cannonball Run." Is Burt Reynolds even still alive? My favorite movie of that era was "E.T." Not only because I thought the movie was great and I got to see it as many times as I wanted (I think my record was 15) but to promote it came a HUGE box of Reece's Pieces that sat on the managers desk and I was allowed to have it all! I had just turned 10 years old and I had free access to a box of candy that was bigger than my head! Enough said!
Even in Asia I watched movies; (English with Korean sub-titles). I remember being the only person laughing at a joke in some movie. There must have been a cultural reference that was unique to western society and I learned that humor doesn't always translate. I also remember watching Pearl Harbour in a Korean movie theater and the Koreans stood up and cheered when the Americans bombed Japan. (There's no love lost between the Koreans and Japanese. In fact Korea was occupied by the Japanese for 40 years.) Nothing humorous about that. In fact I was honestly just a tiny bit scared to see such anger. That's apparently one of those "walk a mile in my shoes and you'll understand" things. That's probably true about a lot of anger.
Last year I nursed Little Bunny Foo Foo through a whole summer of free movies thanks to Regal Cinemas free summer movies. There's also a great "$3 a seat/every movie" theater downtown.
The point is that I've seen A LOT of movies in my time. And in all that time and all those movies I've probably gotten up to use the bathroom many, many times. And in all those times it never occurred to me that there might be an ideal time to "go." Until now. Ladies and gentlemen may I present to you my very favorite new website:
http://runpee.com/
It is EXACTLY as it sounds. It's tag line is "Helping your bladder enjoy going to the movies as much as you do." Thanks to this ingenious site you will never have to do the potty dance waiting for the end of the movie, or worse yet bothering your neighbor to find out what you missed when you come back from a biffy break.
Basically they review every movie you'd ever want to see and tells you when the best time to get up and go is. For example look up the movie "Tooth Fairy" and you can see that you should "runpee" 36 minutes into the movie when -----. And, you'll have 3 minutes to do it. You can either check out the movie at home before you go (go to the movie that is, not go-go although it's always advisable to go before you go) OR you can download the app to your iphone. Set the timer just as the movie starts and it will vibrate a few minutes before pee time.
Because you know, when you've got to go.....................
Better yet when I was really little she worked at a drive in movie theater. Now my Little Miss Teen would argue that drive ins aren't so cool because after all you need to be able to DRIVE to get there and they only show movies at night and not even year round. True, but the nostalgic part of me remembers seeing Star Wars for the first time in my PJs in the back of a station wagon. I remember my mom hand breading the fish for fish and chips. Meals at a movie theater now aren't so unusual as last week I noticed ours was offering egg rolls; but you know those aren't home made. I remember speakers on a post that you had to roll down your window to put inside your car and then remember not to drive off with.
I also remember the controversy when the first Muppet Movie played. Controversial because some lady called the manager and complained that the movie was not appropriate for children as Miss Piggy made some sexual advances towards Kermit the Frog. The manager, my dad and a few other people all sat through the movie many nights in a row trying to see what the lady was complaining about. Wow! If all I had to worry about my kids seeing on screen was a puppet pig being flirty with a puppet frog my life would be a whoooooole lot easier!
Eventually they paved paradise and put up a parking lot; or at least a mall with a parking lot. Must put in the musical reference here for Little Miss Teen. www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvtJPs8IDgU
Across town they put up a 4 plex! Take my word for it, it was the 80s in a small town and it was very exciting. My mom worked behind the candy counter there allowing me to see any movie I wanted as many times as I wanted (However I was NOT allowed to watch "Porky's" or "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas." but for some reason I got to wear their promotional T shirts. Like I said those were the days...) . It was the early 80's and I remember great stuff like "The Empire Strikes Back" "Gremlins" and "Cannonball Run." Is Burt Reynolds even still alive? My favorite movie of that era was "E.T." Not only because I thought the movie was great and I got to see it as many times as I wanted (I think my record was 15) but to promote it came a HUGE box of Reece's Pieces that sat on the managers desk and I was allowed to have it all! I had just turned 10 years old and I had free access to a box of candy that was bigger than my head! Enough said!
Even in Asia I watched movies; (English with Korean sub-titles). I remember being the only person laughing at a joke in some movie. There must have been a cultural reference that was unique to western society and I learned that humor doesn't always translate. I also remember watching Pearl Harbour in a Korean movie theater and the Koreans stood up and cheered when the Americans bombed Japan. (There's no love lost between the Koreans and Japanese. In fact Korea was occupied by the Japanese for 40 years.) Nothing humorous about that. In fact I was honestly just a tiny bit scared to see such anger. That's apparently one of those "walk a mile in my shoes and you'll understand" things. That's probably true about a lot of anger.
Last year I nursed Little Bunny Foo Foo through a whole summer of free movies thanks to Regal Cinemas free summer movies. There's also a great "$3 a seat/every movie" theater downtown.
The point is that I've seen A LOT of movies in my time. And in all that time and all those movies I've probably gotten up to use the bathroom many, many times. And in all those times it never occurred to me that there might be an ideal time to "go." Until now. Ladies and gentlemen may I present to you my very favorite new website:
http://runpee.com/
It is EXACTLY as it sounds. It's tag line is "Helping your bladder enjoy going to the movies as much as you do." Thanks to this ingenious site you will never have to do the potty dance waiting for the end of the movie, or worse yet bothering your neighbor to find out what you missed when you come back from a biffy break.
Basically they review every movie you'd ever want to see and tells you when the best time to get up and go is. For example look up the movie "Tooth Fairy" and you can see that you should "runpee" 36 minutes into the movie when -----. And, you'll have 3 minutes to do it. You can either check out the movie at home before you go (go to the movie that is, not go-go although it's always advisable to go before you go) OR you can download the app to your iphone. Set the timer just as the movie starts and it will vibrate a few minutes before pee time.
Because you know, when you've got to go.....................
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
My secret thrill
OK, I'll admit it there's a certain household chore that gives me a secret thrill even if the words "household chore" and "thrill" seem to be an oxymoron. No I don't get ecstatic over the smell of clean laundry (although we do have a friend who makes his own laundry soap and that makes HIM happy .http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/make-your-own-laundry-soap.html in case you're wondering.)( And it's no secret that the sight of a finally empty laundry hamper DOES makes me feel glad and relieved.) Vacuum lines don't do anything for me (we once lived in a shack with a deteriorating plywood floor that only needed to be shop vacced. Every time I vacuumed part of the floor would splinter and go into the vacuum's bucket.) I don't think my children even know that beds can be made. If cleanliness is next to Godliness (English proverb by the way NOT biblical and besides I like Pigpen's version better "cleanliness is next to impossible) then it's a good thing my family is secure in their salvation. Little Miss Teen once had a teacher who told her that God likes things decent and orderly. Good thing Jesus loves me this I know..........
The chore that I secretly like doing is.........(drum roll please) RECYCLING! I am soooooooo not an environmentalist. I once wrote a paper called "Chop down all the trees you want, we'll plant more." What can I say? reforestation is a good thing and I lived in a region that was supported by timber dollars. Maybe it's because we live in an area that doesn't recycle very much: newspapers, glass, metal cans, plastics #1 and 2 only. The worlds best parents on the other hand live in the best region of the world where of course EVERYTHING is recyclable. Here finding plastics that are recyclable is sort of like a treasure hunt for me. WE NOW PAUSE TO THINK ABOUT HOW PATHETIC MY LIFE IS! Turns out that some microwavable food trays are recyclable. I get really excited when I see the tiny little numbers on my shampoo and conditioner and realize that they too can go in the recycling bag. Boo! Hiss! to things like yogurt containers that are frequently a #5. I think it's because while many other chores are overwhelming; did I mention I have 2 small kids? and who am I kidding, some days LIFE is just overwhelming to me, rinsing out a jar, taking the label off and putting it in a blue bag is something I feel I can handle.
I also get a kick out of making meals that involve a large number of cans or jars knowing that it's all recyclable. And apparently I'm not the only one: Stephanie O'Dea in her amazing blog "A year of slow cooking" http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/ has a great recipe for The original taco Soup. She points out that there are a lot of cans and you should recycle and make Al Gore happy. http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/02/original-taco-soup-crockpot-recipe.html. The Canadian contingent is wondering who Al Gore is and why they should care that he's happy? Who cares, like I said putting all those cans in the bag makes ME happy, and right now I'll take happiness wherever I can get it from.
The good news here is that we have curb side recycling. The bad news is that it all has to be put in specific blue bags. I covet those bags. Pricier grocery stores use them as their grocery bags but since I shop at the cheaper store where you have to supply your own bags therefore blue bags are kind of rare to me. I get really mad when I see people using my coveted blue bags to tote lunches around or line trash bins. Yes you can BUY boxes of the blue bags but that would defeat the point of being frugal.
In Asia all trash had to go in specific bags as well. Of the 1 zillion cultural rules they had that was one of the few I followed (except for when I was too lazy to which is the case for most rules). They were green I think. And as I recall you could buy them off the shelf at larger grocery stores but in the smaller markets they were only sold behind the counter; therefore you had to ask for them. Well....... obviously I didn't ASK for anything. I just kept a garbage bag in my backpack and pulled it out and pointed when I needed more. Brief "discussion" on the size that I wanted and I was good to go.
For a couple of years we lived in a neighborhood in this city where my recycling was frequently stolen. I guess they were after the cans? That was the same neighborhood where grocery carts from the drug store around the corner would often get stolen then abandoned in the street. Somehow I appointed myself the neighborhood cart vigilante and would yell at kids if I caught them in the act then I would walk the cart back to the drugstore. Little Miss Teen once cringed at me yelling at the boys and I made her walk the cart back with me. My name means "defender of man" although the context of that had better mean "mankind" not "male gender" because right now there's a man in my life who I most certainly DON'T want to defend. Big shout out to my family MY MARRIAGE IS FINE IT'S NOT HIM! Actually I think that Huggyband is relieved that I'm mad at somebody who ISN'T him for a change. Turns out that having a common antagonist has brought us closer together; hey, cheaper than couples counselling. Annnnnnnnnnyyways, I guess I defend mankind and defend grocery carts. Sounds like I need a superhero cape for that.
That's me, Cassie Canuck a defender of grocery carts who gets a secret thrill out of recycling. What superhero cape are YOU wearing today?
The chore that I secretly like doing is.........(drum roll please) RECYCLING! I am soooooooo not an environmentalist. I once wrote a paper called "Chop down all the trees you want, we'll plant more." What can I say? reforestation is a good thing and I lived in a region that was supported by timber dollars. Maybe it's because we live in an area that doesn't recycle very much: newspapers, glass, metal cans, plastics #1 and 2 only. The worlds best parents on the other hand live in the best region of the world where of course EVERYTHING is recyclable. Here finding plastics that are recyclable is sort of like a treasure hunt for me. WE NOW PAUSE TO THINK ABOUT HOW PATHETIC MY LIFE IS! Turns out that some microwavable food trays are recyclable. I get really excited when I see the tiny little numbers on my shampoo and conditioner and realize that they too can go in the recycling bag. Boo! Hiss! to things like yogurt containers that are frequently a #5. I think it's because while many other chores are overwhelming; did I mention I have 2 small kids? and who am I kidding, some days LIFE is just overwhelming to me, rinsing out a jar, taking the label off and putting it in a blue bag is something I feel I can handle.
I also get a kick out of making meals that involve a large number of cans or jars knowing that it's all recyclable. And apparently I'm not the only one: Stephanie O'Dea in her amazing blog "A year of slow cooking" http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/ has a great recipe for The original taco Soup. She points out that there are a lot of cans and you should recycle and make Al Gore happy. http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/02/original-taco-soup-crockpot-recipe.html. The Canadian contingent is wondering who Al Gore is and why they should care that he's happy? Who cares, like I said putting all those cans in the bag makes ME happy, and right now I'll take happiness wherever I can get it from.
The good news here is that we have curb side recycling. The bad news is that it all has to be put in specific blue bags. I covet those bags. Pricier grocery stores use them as their grocery bags but since I shop at the cheaper store where you have to supply your own bags therefore blue bags are kind of rare to me. I get really mad when I see people using my coveted blue bags to tote lunches around or line trash bins. Yes you can BUY boxes of the blue bags but that would defeat the point of being frugal.
In Asia all trash had to go in specific bags as well. Of the 1 zillion cultural rules they had that was one of the few I followed (except for when I was too lazy to which is the case for most rules). They were green I think. And as I recall you could buy them off the shelf at larger grocery stores but in the smaller markets they were only sold behind the counter; therefore you had to ask for them. Well....... obviously I didn't ASK for anything. I just kept a garbage bag in my backpack and pulled it out and pointed when I needed more. Brief "discussion" on the size that I wanted and I was good to go.
For a couple of years we lived in a neighborhood in this city where my recycling was frequently stolen. I guess they were after the cans? That was the same neighborhood where grocery carts from the drug store around the corner would often get stolen then abandoned in the street. Somehow I appointed myself the neighborhood cart vigilante and would yell at kids if I caught them in the act then I would walk the cart back to the drugstore. Little Miss Teen once cringed at me yelling at the boys and I made her walk the cart back with me. My name means "defender of man" although the context of that had better mean "mankind" not "male gender" because right now there's a man in my life who I most certainly DON'T want to defend. Big shout out to my family MY MARRIAGE IS FINE IT'S NOT HIM! Actually I think that Huggyband is relieved that I'm mad at somebody who ISN'T him for a change. Turns out that having a common antagonist has brought us closer together; hey, cheaper than couples counselling. Annnnnnnnnnyyways, I guess I defend mankind and defend grocery carts. Sounds like I need a superhero cape for that.
That's me, Cassie Canuck a defender of grocery carts who gets a secret thrill out of recycling. What superhero cape are YOU wearing today?
Monday, January 25, 2010
So, what color ribbons are YOU wearing today?
"Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle." The first part of that quote is attributed to J. M. Barrie of "Peter Pan" fame.
The idea of being kinder than necessary is something we should all be doing all the time anyways. The unknown battle part resonates with me these days even more. I'm battling depression these days. Most days it and I just co-exist and it doesn't bother me; but lately has been. I'm not sure that I like the word "battle" as that implies that I'm doing something active against it, which I'm not, when it comes I usually just surrender to it. Maybe I prefer the word "flare." As in "please be gentle with me today my depression is having a flare/my depression/the depression is flaring?"
I'm sure that medical sociology would tell you that there are visible and invisible ailments. Some things are obvious to see and get sympathy others aren't. I know a guy who fell off the top of a silo (I'm not even sure I know what a silo is, but I know he fell a long way and lived to tell the tale.) He was in a full body brace and everyone knew to be gentle with him. I get up every day (getting dressed is a different matter but that's another blog for another day), get the kids fed and dressed and for the most part function well. Except for the times that I burst out of meetings because I feel that people are being unfair to me. Except for the times I cry for an hour straight over a slight that nobody agrees is offensive. Except for the times I blame myself for everything that's wrong in the world........ I need people to constantly remember that when they're dealing with me. Not that I'm using it as an excuse but I need it taken into consideration. Or at the very least people need to be warned. At my worst I need a sticker that says "Warning! Does not play well with others," or "Contents under pressure may explode!"
On the outside I'm a strong, usually happy, mother of 3 with a great life. But on the inside I'm a mess (aren't we all?) On the inside I'm fragile. One of my friends said that she wishes she could put a "caution, handle with care (or in our case handle with prayer) sticker on me so everybody knew to be gentle with me. Like the friend with the neck brace I'm injured too, we all are. We ALL have current battles or past battles that we need others to be mindfull of.
I got to thinking about awareness ribbons. You know the colored ones that signify a cause?
Hmmmmmm looks like historical reference points on these include the black mourning bands worn in Victorian times and yellow ribbons for veterans immortalized by Tony Orlando's song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TSq-XvpVaE (In case Little Miss Teen reads this and as usual has NO idea what song I'm referencing.)
For extensive lists of all the colored ribbons and the causes they represent please go to: http://www.craftsnscraps.com/jewelry/ribbons.html and http://www.personalizedcause.com/
Here's some quick ones though:
BLACK: Accidents; Amish, gun control, melanoma, mourning, sleep disorders, anti terrorism and gun control.
BLACK AND BLUE: Loss of a Brother, Mourning a Brother, Loss of a Male Child, Mourning a Son
BLACK AND PINK: Loss of a Female Child, Mourning a Daughter, Loss of a Sister, Mourning a Sister
BLUE
a. Dark blue: alopecia; colon cancer, Huntington's disease, water safety
b. Light blue: pro choice, prostate cancer, spay/neuter pets
c. Periwinkle blue: anorexia, irritable bowel syndrome, stomach cancer
d. Teal blue: anxiety disorder, ovarian cancer, sexual assault
e. Turquoise blue: addiction recovery
BROWN: Anti-tobacco, colon cancer
BURGUNDY: Disabled Adults, Headaches, Hospice Care GREEN: Cerebral palsy; depression; kidney; leukemia; stem cell
GRAY: Asthma, brain cancer, diabetes, mental illness
ORANGE: ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), kidney cancer, cultural diversity
PINK: Birth parents, breast cancer, nursing mothers
PINK AND BLUE: Baby Safe Haven, Birth Defects,Breast Cancer (Male), Infant Loss, Infertility, Miscarriage, Pregnancy Loss, Premature Birth, SIDS, Stillbirth, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
PINSTRIPES: ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), Lou Gehrig's Disease
PURPLE: Alzheimer's, cystic fibrosis, domestic violence, pancreatic cancer, homelessness
PUZZLE: Asperger Syndrome, Autism
RED: Aids, high blood pressure, lymphoma, MADD, stroke, tuberculosis
WHITE: Adoption, bone cancer, osteoporosis, peace, right to life, scoliosis
YELLOW: Amber alert, bladder cancer, liver cancer, obesity, Troop support, suicide
Of course recently (2010 Golden Globe awards) we've seen the color combination of red, blue and yellow to signify Haitian relief.
Wow! Lots to choose from. If I were to make my own top 5 list denoting the things that I myself have gone through directly the colors across my chest would go: blue and black, burgundy, green, pink and blue and yellow. Then I would have a second row of pinstripes and purple to support friends and family.
I like the idea of a row of ribbons across my chest; they remind me of military medals. (My mom was very fond of asking me if I wanted a medal or a chest to pin it on? when I bragged of something. That kind of ruined it for me.) Colored ribbons would not only remind people in a non verbal way of what I'm dealing with, and to be gentle with me because of that , (like being human isn't reason enough to be gentle?) but medals would also remind them of my survivor ship. They would say "Respect me because (like we need a reason?) I have survived the loss of a child. I have survived suicide, etc, etc." These ribbons/medals, colors whatever ARE something to be proud of, no bragging intended. I wish we could all see the ribbons each other are wearing.
In researching this I also discovered that rubber bracelets (think Lance Armstrong's "Livestrong" campaign) basically denote the same thing. Different colored bracelets meaning different things. Like the hospital bracelet that reminds people that I have a drug allergy and for my own health I need to avoid that med at all costs, my domestic violence bracelet would remind people that someone I love died under those circumstances, and I'd appreciate it, if for my own well being if you would be gentle with what you say to me.
Be gentle with each other. Everybody has their own set of imaginary ribbons begging you to be mindfull of their battles they are going through and to recognize the ones they have won.
So what color ribbons are you wearing today?
The idea of being kinder than necessary is something we should all be doing all the time anyways. The unknown battle part resonates with me these days even more. I'm battling depression these days. Most days it and I just co-exist and it doesn't bother me; but lately has been. I'm not sure that I like the word "battle" as that implies that I'm doing something active against it, which I'm not, when it comes I usually just surrender to it. Maybe I prefer the word "flare." As in "please be gentle with me today my depression is having a flare/my depression/the depression is flaring?"
I'm sure that medical sociology would tell you that there are visible and invisible ailments. Some things are obvious to see and get sympathy others aren't. I know a guy who fell off the top of a silo (I'm not even sure I know what a silo is, but I know he fell a long way and lived to tell the tale.) He was in a full body brace and everyone knew to be gentle with him. I get up every day (getting dressed is a different matter but that's another blog for another day), get the kids fed and dressed and for the most part function well. Except for the times that I burst out of meetings because I feel that people are being unfair to me. Except for the times I cry for an hour straight over a slight that nobody agrees is offensive. Except for the times I blame myself for everything that's wrong in the world........ I need people to constantly remember that when they're dealing with me. Not that I'm using it as an excuse but I need it taken into consideration. Or at the very least people need to be warned. At my worst I need a sticker that says "Warning! Does not play well with others," or "Contents under pressure may explode!"
On the outside I'm a strong, usually happy, mother of 3 with a great life. But on the inside I'm a mess (aren't we all?) On the inside I'm fragile. One of my friends said that she wishes she could put a "caution, handle with care (or in our case handle with prayer) sticker on me so everybody knew to be gentle with me. Like the friend with the neck brace I'm injured too, we all are. We ALL have current battles or past battles that we need others to be mindfull of.
I got to thinking about awareness ribbons. You know the colored ones that signify a cause?
Hmmmmmm looks like historical reference points on these include the black mourning bands worn in Victorian times and yellow ribbons for veterans immortalized by Tony Orlando's song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TSq-XvpVaE (In case Little Miss Teen reads this and as usual has NO idea what song I'm referencing.)
For extensive lists of all the colored ribbons and the causes they represent please go to: http://www.craftsnscraps.com/jewelry/ribbons.html and http://www.personalizedcause.com/
Here's some quick ones though:
BLACK: Accidents; Amish, gun control, melanoma, mourning, sleep disorders, anti terrorism and gun control.
BLACK AND BLUE: Loss of a Brother, Mourning a Brother, Loss of a Male Child, Mourning a Son
BLACK AND PINK: Loss of a Female Child, Mourning a Daughter, Loss of a Sister, Mourning a Sister
BLUE
a. Dark blue: alopecia; colon cancer, Huntington's disease, water safety
b. Light blue: pro choice, prostate cancer, spay/neuter pets
c. Periwinkle blue: anorexia, irritable bowel syndrome, stomach cancer
d. Teal blue: anxiety disorder, ovarian cancer, sexual assault
e. Turquoise blue: addiction recovery
BROWN: Anti-tobacco, colon cancer
BURGUNDY: Disabled Adults, Headaches, Hospice Care GREEN: Cerebral palsy; depression; kidney; leukemia; stem cell
GRAY: Asthma, brain cancer, diabetes, mental illness
ORANGE: ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), kidney cancer, cultural diversity
PINK: Birth parents, breast cancer, nursing mothers
PINK AND BLUE: Baby Safe Haven, Birth Defects,Breast Cancer (Male), Infant Loss, Infertility, Miscarriage, Pregnancy Loss, Premature Birth, SIDS, Stillbirth, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
PINSTRIPES: ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), Lou Gehrig's Disease
PURPLE: Alzheimer's, cystic fibrosis, domestic violence, pancreatic cancer, homelessness
PUZZLE: Asperger Syndrome, Autism
RED: Aids, high blood pressure, lymphoma, MADD, stroke, tuberculosis
WHITE: Adoption, bone cancer, osteoporosis, peace, right to life, scoliosis
YELLOW: Amber alert, bladder cancer, liver cancer, obesity, Troop support, suicide
Of course recently (2010 Golden Globe awards) we've seen the color combination of red, blue and yellow to signify Haitian relief.
Wow! Lots to choose from. If I were to make my own top 5 list denoting the things that I myself have gone through directly the colors across my chest would go: blue and black, burgundy, green, pink and blue and yellow. Then I would have a second row of pinstripes and purple to support friends and family.
I like the idea of a row of ribbons across my chest; they remind me of military medals. (My mom was very fond of asking me if I wanted a medal or a chest to pin it on? when I bragged of something. That kind of ruined it for me.) Colored ribbons would not only remind people in a non verbal way of what I'm dealing with, and to be gentle with me because of that , (like being human isn't reason enough to be gentle?) but medals would also remind them of my survivor ship. They would say "Respect me because (like we need a reason?) I have survived the loss of a child. I have survived suicide, etc, etc." These ribbons/medals, colors whatever ARE something to be proud of, no bragging intended. I wish we could all see the ribbons each other are wearing.
In researching this I also discovered that rubber bracelets (think Lance Armstrong's "Livestrong" campaign) basically denote the same thing. Different colored bracelets meaning different things. Like the hospital bracelet that reminds people that I have a drug allergy and for my own health I need to avoid that med at all costs, my domestic violence bracelet would remind people that someone I love died under those circumstances, and I'd appreciate it, if for my own well being if you would be gentle with what you say to me.
Be gentle with each other. Everybody has their own set of imaginary ribbons begging you to be mindfull of their battles they are going through and to recognize the ones they have won.
So what color ribbons are you wearing today?
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Marilyn and me
I discovered my new favorite quote the other day. (Don't worry I'll reveal it in a minute.) In discovering it I was shocked by 2 things: how relevant it is to my current situation and that it came from Marilyn Monroe of all people.
I haven't spent a lot of my time thinking about Marilyn. I really don't know anything about her. I don't even know enough about her to form an opinion on her one way or the other. At least the part of me that would never admit to making judgements about people without knowing them well would say that I hadn't made an opinion about her. However my own admission that I was shocked by the relevance and profoundness of her quote shows that secretly I do have an opinion. So if pushed I guess I would admit that I think she was amazingly beautiful but I presume amazingly shallow.
A fast google search on Marilyn shows that she did say some silly stuff like "If you can make a girl laugh, you can make her do anything." (group cringe) and "A wise girl kisses but doesn't love, listens but doesn't believe, and leaves before she is left." (say what?)
She had a few interesting things to say about shoes: "Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world." and "I don't know who invented high heels, but all women owe him a lot!" I think I'd appreciate those more if I were a shoe person.
She also said: "We are all of us stars, and we deserve to twinkle." and "All little girls should be told they are pretty, even if they aren't." Those are cool in terms of believing in oneself and ones potential and self esteem.
Other notable and slightly more relatable ones are: "It's better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone." When I was single, dateless and desperate I would have argued with her on that one but the wisdom of the ages supposes she had a point.
"Dogs never bite me. Just humans." Ain't that the truth sister? Speaking as someone who was just bitten by a few humans she gets a big AMEN from me on that one.
"Well behaved women rarely make history." I feel a history lesson on women who broke the rules coming on. Especially when you pair it with her similar quote: "Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition." (Sorry guys!)
Wade through all the fluff quotes and eventually you get to the good stuff. Stuff like: "We should all start to live before we get too old. Fear is stupid. So are regrets." Ok, that one I can relate to. That's why I lived in Asia for 3 years. And while I was there I read a story in "Chicken Soup for the Travellers Soul" entitled "We almost did that" about taking every opportunity life gives you so that you never have reason to say "we almost did that." No regrets right Marilyn?
"I restore myself when I'm alone." I guess that one speaks to me right now because I'm at a point in life, post major crisis, where I need to restore myself. As the stay at home mom of 3 kids I'll be the first to tell you that I relish every single minute I get alone (and that doesn't even happen in the bathroom.) But honestly, the thought of being really alone kind of scares me; (probably strange for an only child to admit.) And yet Marilyn said that it restored her. Well yes, restoration IS the goal, but to be alone to achieve it? Was Marilyn on to something?
And finally my new found favorite quote: "I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." Ok, so I'm not sure that anybody "deserves" me. But I was just burned by people who couldn't handle me at my worst. People who thought that the crisis I lived through was too messy for them. People who said that I was too needy. As my husband says "well, needy people tend to be needy, that's why they're needy." (Does everyone have their Scooby Doo "arugh?" quizzical look on?). Maybe what I'm saying is that if you enjoy and appreciate me at my best then part of unconditional love is that you care for me at my worst. Well said Marilyn. I take back my presumptions about you.
I haven't spent a lot of my time thinking about Marilyn. I really don't know anything about her. I don't even know enough about her to form an opinion on her one way or the other. At least the part of me that would never admit to making judgements about people without knowing them well would say that I hadn't made an opinion about her. However my own admission that I was shocked by the relevance and profoundness of her quote shows that secretly I do have an opinion. So if pushed I guess I would admit that I think she was amazingly beautiful but I presume amazingly shallow.
A fast google search on Marilyn shows that she did say some silly stuff like "If you can make a girl laugh, you can make her do anything." (group cringe) and "A wise girl kisses but doesn't love, listens but doesn't believe, and leaves before she is left." (say what?)
She had a few interesting things to say about shoes: "Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world." and "I don't know who invented high heels, but all women owe him a lot!" I think I'd appreciate those more if I were a shoe person.
She also said: "We are all of us stars, and we deserve to twinkle." and "All little girls should be told they are pretty, even if they aren't." Those are cool in terms of believing in oneself and ones potential and self esteem.
Other notable and slightly more relatable ones are: "It's better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone." When I was single, dateless and desperate I would have argued with her on that one but the wisdom of the ages supposes she had a point.
"Dogs never bite me. Just humans." Ain't that the truth sister? Speaking as someone who was just bitten by a few humans she gets a big AMEN from me on that one.
"Well behaved women rarely make history." I feel a history lesson on women who broke the rules coming on. Especially when you pair it with her similar quote: "Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition." (Sorry guys!)
Wade through all the fluff quotes and eventually you get to the good stuff. Stuff like: "We should all start to live before we get too old. Fear is stupid. So are regrets." Ok, that one I can relate to. That's why I lived in Asia for 3 years. And while I was there I read a story in "Chicken Soup for the Travellers Soul" entitled "We almost did that" about taking every opportunity life gives you so that you never have reason to say "we almost did that." No regrets right Marilyn?
"I restore myself when I'm alone." I guess that one speaks to me right now because I'm at a point in life, post major crisis, where I need to restore myself. As the stay at home mom of 3 kids I'll be the first to tell you that I relish every single minute I get alone (and that doesn't even happen in the bathroom.) But honestly, the thought of being really alone kind of scares me; (probably strange for an only child to admit.) And yet Marilyn said that it restored her. Well yes, restoration IS the goal, but to be alone to achieve it? Was Marilyn on to something?
And finally my new found favorite quote: "I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." Ok, so I'm not sure that anybody "deserves" me. But I was just burned by people who couldn't handle me at my worst. People who thought that the crisis I lived through was too messy for them. People who said that I was too needy. As my husband says "well, needy people tend to be needy, that's why they're needy." (Does everyone have their Scooby Doo "arugh?" quizzical look on?). Maybe what I'm saying is that if you enjoy and appreciate me at my best then part of unconditional love is that you care for me at my worst. Well said Marilyn. I take back my presumptions about you.
The good old hockey game
When you make the decision to leave home you understand that you will miss certain things. There are the tangible things; the nouns like family, that great ice cream shop around the corner and grandmas jell-o "stuff" at Christmas.
In Korea I expected not to have many, many familiar things. And was always overjoyed beyond belief when I discovered them. Much to my surprise Korea did have Walmart (much different than at home) and Costco (eerily exactly the same as at home, right down to the dryer sheets. Problem was KOREA DOESN'T HAVE DRYERS!). Ahhhhhhhh but the scent was familiar.... Turns out it's possible to miss the scent of a laundry room and very, very possible to miss washers and dryers- that's a whole nother post for a whole nother day..........
Things that are available in Canada but not the US is again another blog for another day.
The concrete things you can prepare yourself to live without. You know it's part of the deal of leaving. But then there are the intangibles; the unique feelings and experiences that come with a place. Like eating breakfast on the back deck of your house, or how the sunrise or sunset looks from a certain spot on the road at a certain time of day. Leaving and missing the experiences is a bit harder than leaving the stuff. Stuff can be sent in, stuff can be replicated. Experiences and sensory things can't.
One of the experience things I didn't expect to miss, or maybe didn't even know I'd have to, is hockey. I'm probably stereotyping all Canadians when I say that hockey is part of our cultural fabric, it's part of who we are. I'm sure that there is a great number of Canadians who could care less about the game but we won't talk about them for now. Besides, I grew up in Kamloops BC where Ken Hitchcock once said that "hockey isn't a sport it's a way of life."
It was a HUGE way of life for me for many years. The worlds best dad jokes that he started taking me to games as soon as I was old enough to go to the bathroom by myself. I remember early years in an arena I'm not sure is still standing. Barn like with low glass and freezing cold. It had a lower level that was dark and cavernous, housed the smoking section (thick clouds of smoke) , bathrooms and concession stands. Now that I think of it I was probably a little afraid of the downstairs.
Later (93?) a new facility was built. I don't dare name it because I'm pretty sure it's gone through a few name changes over the years. Like a lot of local places, what people refer to it as, depends on what it was called when they were involved in it. This makes it very confusing to people who are new in town and find that one building or business can have multiple names depending on the age of the person you're asking.
For many years I had a privilege of being a part of St. John Ambulance; an amazing organization that I'm still very proud of. We provided first aid coverage to the local junior hockey teams home games. Not the actual players mind you just the fans who got hurt during the course of a game. And remember those were the years pre-nets. Lead by a much loved first aid mentor, his personality was as colorful as the red socks he wore. The other night I was wondering where an adult man finds red socks?
So hockey is what I "did" every Friday and Saturday night for years. Starting in the very early fall when it was hot outside but freezing cold inside (it doesn't matter if you were wearing shorts before you got there, early season hockey in small arenas means that the ice has to be kept cold so you'd better bundle up.) Running, if we were very, very lucky to Victoria Day. I once missed Easter dinner because of a game that went into quadruple overtime. My mom served dinner without me but a kindly uncle who was a police officer and knew what it meant to miss a family meal because of being "on duty" kept a plate warm for me.
It didn't matter that I didn't understand all the intricacies of the game because really it was less about the sport and more about the social thing. The bad loud music, the even worse arena food. Doing laps around the concourse between periods trying to see and be seen. The little kid thrill of having the local team come to your school. Hockey was a game that everyone knew how to play. Something we could all agree on at recess. I wonder if my kid will ever play floor hockey? Even now I'll pass a farmers frozen pond and expect to see a pick up game on it.
Don't get me wrong obviously there is hockey in the US. It's just that despite all the states we've lived in over the years I've yet to live in an area that truly appreciates the game. Yes there is an NLH franchise 2 hours away and I've heard there's some good junior hockey in the area as well. But since I'm married to the LEAST sports minded male in the United States my chances of going to a live game are nil and none (or as slim as whatever underdog team making the playoffs) . However the other night I caught a game that just happened to pit a former Kamloops player and his former Kamloops coach against each other on TV. Watching it with my 2 boys I found myself answering for the first time the question of "why are they fighting?" Oooooooooh never thought about that parenting dilemma. Hockey from a parents point of veiw. Fortunately there were easily distracted by the hunt to find things to use as hockey sticks so they could re-play the game in the playroom.
The Olympics are coming. Waaaaaaaaaay more on that later. I'm sure that I'll get my hockey fix then Although... I'm the victim of American networks so it will all be with the US slant. Trying to see if I can pick up CBC on line for some live coverage of stuff. Last night I had the good fortune of coming across the following Coke commercial on you tube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vYFIufNoBo Ahhhhhhhh the good old hockey game!
In Korea I expected not to have many, many familiar things. And was always overjoyed beyond belief when I discovered them. Much to my surprise Korea did have Walmart (much different than at home) and Costco (eerily exactly the same as at home, right down to the dryer sheets. Problem was KOREA DOESN'T HAVE DRYERS!). Ahhhhhhhh but the scent was familiar.... Turns out it's possible to miss the scent of a laundry room and very, very possible to miss washers and dryers- that's a whole nother post for a whole nother day..........
Things that are available in Canada but not the US is again another blog for another day.
The concrete things you can prepare yourself to live without. You know it's part of the deal of leaving. But then there are the intangibles; the unique feelings and experiences that come with a place. Like eating breakfast on the back deck of your house, or how the sunrise or sunset looks from a certain spot on the road at a certain time of day. Leaving and missing the experiences is a bit harder than leaving the stuff. Stuff can be sent in, stuff can be replicated. Experiences and sensory things can't.
One of the experience things I didn't expect to miss, or maybe didn't even know I'd have to, is hockey. I'm probably stereotyping all Canadians when I say that hockey is part of our cultural fabric, it's part of who we are. I'm sure that there is a great number of Canadians who could care less about the game but we won't talk about them for now. Besides, I grew up in Kamloops BC where Ken Hitchcock once said that "hockey isn't a sport it's a way of life."
It was a HUGE way of life for me for many years. The worlds best dad jokes that he started taking me to games as soon as I was old enough to go to the bathroom by myself. I remember early years in an arena I'm not sure is still standing. Barn like with low glass and freezing cold. It had a lower level that was dark and cavernous, housed the smoking section (thick clouds of smoke) , bathrooms and concession stands. Now that I think of it I was probably a little afraid of the downstairs.
Later (93?) a new facility was built. I don't dare name it because I'm pretty sure it's gone through a few name changes over the years. Like a lot of local places, what people refer to it as, depends on what it was called when they were involved in it. This makes it very confusing to people who are new in town and find that one building or business can have multiple names depending on the age of the person you're asking.
For many years I had a privilege of being a part of St. John Ambulance; an amazing organization that I'm still very proud of. We provided first aid coverage to the local junior hockey teams home games. Not the actual players mind you just the fans who got hurt during the course of a game. And remember those were the years pre-nets. Lead by a much loved first aid mentor, his personality was as colorful as the red socks he wore. The other night I was wondering where an adult man finds red socks?
So hockey is what I "did" every Friday and Saturday night for years. Starting in the very early fall when it was hot outside but freezing cold inside (it doesn't matter if you were wearing shorts before you got there, early season hockey in small arenas means that the ice has to be kept cold so you'd better bundle up.) Running, if we were very, very lucky to Victoria Day. I once missed Easter dinner because of a game that went into quadruple overtime. My mom served dinner without me but a kindly uncle who was a police officer and knew what it meant to miss a family meal because of being "on duty" kept a plate warm for me.
It didn't matter that I didn't understand all the intricacies of the game because really it was less about the sport and more about the social thing. The bad loud music, the even worse arena food. Doing laps around the concourse between periods trying to see and be seen. The little kid thrill of having the local team come to your school. Hockey was a game that everyone knew how to play. Something we could all agree on at recess. I wonder if my kid will ever play floor hockey? Even now I'll pass a farmers frozen pond and expect to see a pick up game on it.
Don't get me wrong obviously there is hockey in the US. It's just that despite all the states we've lived in over the years I've yet to live in an area that truly appreciates the game. Yes there is an NLH franchise 2 hours away and I've heard there's some good junior hockey in the area as well. But since I'm married to the LEAST sports minded male in the United States my chances of going to a live game are nil and none (or as slim as whatever underdog team making the playoffs) . However the other night I caught a game that just happened to pit a former Kamloops player and his former Kamloops coach against each other on TV. Watching it with my 2 boys I found myself answering for the first time the question of "why are they fighting?" Oooooooooh never thought about that parenting dilemma. Hockey from a parents point of veiw. Fortunately there were easily distracted by the hunt to find things to use as hockey sticks so they could re-play the game in the playroom.
The Olympics are coming. Waaaaaaaaaay more on that later. I'm sure that I'll get my hockey fix then Although... I'm the victim of American networks so it will all be with the US slant. Trying to see if I can pick up CBC on line for some live coverage of stuff. Last night I had the good fortune of coming across the following Coke commercial on you tube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vYFIufNoBo Ahhhhhhhh the good old hockey game!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Well.........here goes.............?
Something? Nothing? I don't know? My Canadian contingent of friends and family, forever more to be reffered to as the CC, urged me to start a blog. They're basing their confidence in my writing skills on a series of emails I wrote to them when I was an ESL teacher in Korea about 7 years ago. Back then I wrote to handle the stress of living away from home. Now I'm writing to? Oh yeah handle the stress of living away from home!
Technically home is an American city that also starts with the letter "C". (Cassie in "C" like that song we used to sing as kids, "S" my name is Sarah and I live in Salt Lake City" and ----). I work really hard at getting through my head that THIS IS home. But really my home is Kamloops BC Canada http://www.tourismkamloops.com/ We pause now while I think of every dang country song about leaving home like the Dixie Chicks "Wide open spaces." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlDPPu53V80 and "Who says you can't go home" with Bon Jovi (happy sigh) and Jennifer Nettles.
Of couse I'm married to Mister Wonderfull (sorry Auntie and Uncle I'm using your nickname). Maybe I'll rename him Huggyband? although he really isn't. When we first met I called him my Sweet Babboo after the nickname Sally called Linus in the Peanuts comic strip. Everyone said that name made them sick to their stomach. I could take the Phyllis Diller route and call him "Fang." And I have 3 perfect children (roll eyes) whom I will come back and dub with cute nicknames later. The youngest is for sure "Little Bunny Foo Foo" after the following badly sung songhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6xKM-H2awE
Ok, that's it, that's all for now while I figure out if this actually works. So far it's a lot of fun. More fun than the laundry I should be doing right now........
Technically home is an American city that also starts with the letter "C". (Cassie in "C" like that song we used to sing as kids, "S" my name is Sarah and I live in Salt Lake City" and ----). I work really hard at getting through my head that THIS IS home. But really my home is Kamloops BC Canada http://www.tourismkamloops.com/ We pause now while I think of every dang country song about leaving home like the Dixie Chicks "Wide open spaces." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlDPPu53V80 and "Who says you can't go home" with Bon Jovi (happy sigh) and Jennifer Nettles.
Of couse I'm married to Mister Wonderfull (sorry Auntie and Uncle I'm using your nickname). Maybe I'll rename him Huggyband? although he really isn't. When we first met I called him my Sweet Babboo after the nickname Sally called Linus in the Peanuts comic strip. Everyone said that name made them sick to their stomach. I could take the Phyllis Diller route and call him "Fang." And I have 3 perfect children (roll eyes) whom I will come back and dub with cute nicknames later. The youngest is for sure "Little Bunny Foo Foo" after the following badly sung songhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6xKM-H2awE
Ok, that's it, that's all for now while I figure out if this actually works. So far it's a lot of fun. More fun than the laundry I should be doing right now........
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)