Holy Snow!  I don't recall it having been forcasted for today but alas, we got more snow.  It's said that it will be gone again in a few days only to get a HUGE dump on Friday.  Should be loads of fun.
Today the snow wasn't what was so bad, it was the wind that came with it.  Blizzard like conditions this afternoon, it was such a joy.  Thank god I was all snug and warm at home.

These weather posts are kind of dull so I promise to be more interesting the rest of the week.  Unless of course we get that huge dump that's forcasted, then you might actually see pictures.  :)

Until tomorrow...

I seem to be on a roll keeping up with this blog posting.  At least for this week.  Some days I have no problem finding something to write about but then there are the days, like today, that you may see just a lot of rambling about nothing in particular.  It's Sunday. Supposed to be the day of rest but here I am up at 6am as is the norm for Sunday mornings and tired beyong belief.  Everything in me tells me to go back to bed, Julianne did, but there is so much that needs to get done and if I go back to sleep I know I will sleep longer than planned and then the day will feel wasted.  So instead, I sit here in front of the computer, talking about nothing in particular, just waiting to do the laundry.  Being in an apartment, they frown on doing laundry before 8am any day of the week.  Something about showing respect for the other tenants in the building.  And if I don't get in there right at 8am there is a chance that someone will get there ahead of me and then I have to wait even longer to get that part done and that will annoy me all to hell.  When I am ready to do something, I hate for anything to get in the way of it.  Don't mess with my personal schedule.  Ha. 

***Pause***

Not that you would actually know it but I was gone for approximately 5 minutes, putting the laundry in and getting the next load ready.  Not bad timing if I do say so myself.  Only 25 minutes to wait and then another trip upstairs. 

Not too sure what the rest of my day consists of.  I have some ideas, a list of things that ought to get done, but whether they actually will or not is a completely different story.

Well, I think this was a pretty boring post but at least it's something.  Maybe something of interest later today or tomorrow.

Happy Grey Cup Sunday!!!  (I hate football.)  But if I had to choose, Go Roughriders!

And So It Begins...

The Christmas season is officially upon the van Eck household.  Our patio is decked out with all the Christmas lights, there is so much red it could be called an Amsterdam whore house.  But in all honesty it looks pretty good.  Arie is obsessed with Christmas lights.  Says he only gets excited one time a year.  Sad really if that's the ONLY thing he gets excited about but it is something. 

The Christmas tree and indoor decorations will come next weekend or throughout the week, little by little, bit by bit.  The indoor stuff is my territory even if it sounds like Arie is more into than I am.  I really do like this season, but the thought of all the lights makes our patio and apartment the centre of attention.  Something I am not as keen about.  But it is Christmas and you gotta get into the spirit and so it begins.  Will probably add a few photos at a later date.  Maybe when it's ALL done.

It's evening and there is nothing particular to post about today.  Although we finally got the snow that has been forcasted for almost every day this week.  And holy what a mess.  At least for the first little bit of my travel home.  It could have been worse though.  Far worse.  But I made it home safely and without incident.  By Sunday this little snowstorm should be a thing of the past, just a distant memory.  As Grey Cup Sunday approaches, temperatures will rise and alas, all the snow will be gone.  I can't wait. 
I have to admit I have been a little spoiled the last 15 months.  Not daring to go out in miserable weather unless I really had to and the fact is, I never had to, so this was a bit of a shock.  But I remained patient, singing in the car as I slid all over the road in some spots, although I was doing no more than 10km/h in most spots.  But slippery is slippery.  I have to say, I think I am a pretty good winter driver, it's the summer driving that's debatable.  But now that's something I won't have to worry about much until next year.  For now, focus on the winter driving and make sure I make home safe and sound every time.

Ridiculous...

I dreamt last night that someone broke into our apartment while we were sleeping and stole my bathroom cupboards.  I don't just mean the cupboard doors, I mean EVERYTHING.  The sink, the countertops, everything that was underneath including toilet paper and even the separate medicine cabinet and mirror.  What the hell?  Why would anyone want to steal that?  And seriously, how did they manage to do it without anyone waking up?  I am a deep sleeper but not that deep.  It's not like it would just come off the wall with a snap and a pull and a tug.  And to get it out the bathroom door would be another problem.  There is a baby gate in front of it so that surely would have made noise and it wouldn't have fit properly.  I suppose we could have been sedated but there was no evidence of that in the dream.  I went on to phone the landlady to let them know this had been stolen and how I suspected a particular other tenant of having done it.  Really?  What would another tenant want with my bathroom cupboards?  They have the almost exact same one in their own apartment.
As ridiculous as this all sounds, cause it was a dream, I did find some consolation in the fact that they left the toilet.  No toilet paper, but at least I had a toilet.

I know I should write something but I can't think of anything interesting to write about.  There are all the annoying things in the world but who really wants to hear abut the 'o' key sticking on my laptop every now and again.  It's not all the time but sporadically.  I hate sporadic.  Seriously, if you're not going to work, then don't work all the time, don't decide to work only when you feel like it and then when I start talking about it, you work just fine.  Making a liar out of me. 

Or how about the lady that was telling bold faced lies about me the other day?  That's annoying as hell.  I want to call her up and give her a piece of my mind but is it really worth it?  I know the truth and that should be all that matters.

Or what about the people that you just don't  like?  They never did anything to you but for some reason just their presence rubs you the wrong way and the way they talk or seem to look down on you.  Perceptions of certain situations can be very misleading.  As a matter of fact, above mentioned persn (oh there's the o key again) has made an interesting impression on me just recently.  I have had a little insight into above mentioned persons background and suddenly I feel better.  It's amazing what a difference getting to know someone can make even if it's not face to face.

How about the lack of appreciation many people get?  In the work place and in everyday life.  There are those people that go above and beyond the call of duty on a daily basis and yet they are not acknowledged and worse yet, they begin t (ha, 3rd time the o isn't working) be taken advantage of for it.  Not fair at all.
But a fact of life.

But there are good things to fcus (number 4) on as well.  How abut (5) getting into the program you wanted at the price yu (6, see I wasn't lieing) negotiated.  It's great when a plan comes together.  Maybe the future is a little brighter.  Just gotta get past all the garbage and live to the best of your ability.  Shit, I fear I am getting a little too philosophical here.  Whatever.  Have fun in what life has to offer, revel in the good things, learn from the bad and just keep on going.

How's that for a blg for you.  (And again no 'o').  I think I should clean the keyboard.

I was inspired by a dear friend to freshen up my blog page.  As you might notice it's now pink.  Much more suitable for me.  I like pink and honestly if I had seen that template before I probably would have snatched it right up to begin with.  But change is good from time to time.  The format is still pretty much the same although some features are now on the other side of the page and of course the colour scheme is different. 

Julianne has learned to spin in circles and walk backwards.  No not at the same time.  I don't think I could even do that and I have no desire to find out.  She makes me dizzy just watching her.  She spins, falls and laughs so hard, it's so cute.  And the walking backwards, well that's just like it sounds.  She is learning how to walk backwards and doing pretty good at it.  It hadn't even occured to me when she started walking that she would also need to learn to do that.  I figured, ok, she can walk now, not much else to wait for in anticipation.  But alas, she has proved me wrong and shown me that there are still many, many things she has to learn. 

She has the attitude down pretty good.  When she doesn't get what she wants or something is taken  away from her that she shouldn't have, she sceams, borderline temper tantrum without the kicking and punching the floor, although she has taken to hitting her head against the wall when she is angry, or the table.  Then she hurts herself cause she head butts it too hard and then she starts crying harder cause now her head hurts.  Yes she has A LOT to learn.  She does like to share though.  Her food, her drinks, fuzzies on the floor, whatever she finds, she tries to give it away.  It's cute and when you tell her you don't want it, it's hers, she takes it, no worries and goes about her business.  She definitely understands more than we give her credit for.  Ask if she wants a bath she runs squealing to the bathroom, ask her if she wants to go for a car ride she runs to the couch waiting for shoes and socks, then after shoes and socks are in place, she runs for the front door and waits for us to leave.  Ask her if it's time for bed or needs a diaper change, often she will run to her bedroom, although she actually hides in the closet once in there, it's close enough.  Ask her if she's hungry or thirsty, straight to the kitchen she goes.  She even tries to open the fridge but hasn't quite mastered that yet. Ask her for a certain toy and she will go get it.
She is definitely a smart cookie.

Windy in Calgary

Holy toledo!  It's so windy in Calgary today.  Every time a chinook makes it way over the mountains and graces us with some beautiful warm weather, it also brings with it the wind.  Some days are worse than others, like yesterday was nice and warm and there was very little wind, a little but it was livable.  Today however, the wind is gusting, and shrieking through the trees outside and through every tiny crevice it can find.  I was surprised that this didn't bother Julianne because it sure as hell bothers me.  It sounds like ghosts wailing and crying, trying to scare the living bejeezus out of you.
There is this tree right outside our apartment window.  It's a huge tree and looks to be relatively sturdy, but I have my doubts.  Despite it's massive size, it weaves and sways much worse than some of the smaller trees, giving the feeling that at any moment it's going to tumble over, either crashing backwards into the upstairs apartments or taking the tumble forward into my car beneath it.  Not that that would be such a horrible thing.  If it crashed into my car, most certainly it would be a right off, relieving me of the repairs that will inevitably be required before I return the car next year.
But alas, that is just a dream.  Or a nightmare, depending on how one looks at it.  On the negative side, I would be stuck with the inconvenience of no longer having a car, having to make the trek to the car dealership to find another one.  It would cause more hassle than it's really worth, I think. 
But of course I can't control what the wind might do.

Later.

I was walking through Superstore today with Arie and Julianne and out of nowhere I suddenly see Mark coming towards me, in the same aisle.  I won't bother explaining who Mark is, because I am sure that most of the people reading this already know him.  I felt every part of my body tense up and it was like the air was sucked out of my own personal bubble.  I stared forward and tried to not even look at him.  I didn't even turn to see where my husband and daughter were, I just kept moving forward.  I didn't want to turn around for fear that he had recognized me and had turned to confirm.  If I had turned around and he had seen me, it would have confirmed to each other that we had been noticed and I know I sure didn't want that. 
All I wanted to do was get out of that store.  We were already heading for the checkout anyways but now I was really in a hurry.  My face felt flushed and I felt a wave of nausea.  I needed air and quickly.  I hadn't realized it but I must have been holding my breath, for the second we stepped outside the air was released and I felt better as the cool November air washed over me.
When we got in the car, all I wanted to do was tell my husband how much I appreciate him and my daughter and to thank him for the wonderful life I now have. 
I never would have thought that seeing someone that has not been a part of my life in several years would have had such a negative impact.  Even though those were probably some of the worst years of my life, but it's over and I have a wonderful husband and daughter.
Never forget what you have and hold on to it.  Appreciate it.  Love it.

Christmas Is Coming

So Hallowe'en is over and now the next thing we Canadians have to think about is Christmas.  Even though it's less than two months away, I am already making plans and actually looking forward to it this year.  Believe it or not, I have even started shopping already.  I only have one thing but that's one more thing than I normally have this time of year.  Usually we wait until December to do the shopping but I am so tired of spending all that money at one time and then being stressed about the other bills, so not this year.  My goal is to have at least 3/4 of the shopping done by the end of November.

When is the right time to put up lights and the Christmas tree?  Last year we did it the middle of November but I thought that was too early, but Arie wanted to do it so bad.  I have this sneaking suspicion that he really likes Christmas.  This year will be even more fun now that Julianne is a little older and can actually open her own gifts.  I hope. 

So Arie wants to do it early again and now he even wants to wait until 10 or 11 in the morning to open presents.  That's just not natural.  Presents are meant to be opened first thing in the morning.  Well at least the stockings are but it still doesn't seem normal to wait that long.  I guess we will just play it by ear and see what happens. 

As well as the gifts, I am already planning my Christmas dinner.  That is the fun part.  Looking for interesting recipes for different things just to get an idea of what to do.  Looking forward to it.  Maybe I will even share some of my findings. 

Until later...

H1N1: Tensions Rise

Pandemic: a sudden outbreak that becomes very widespread and affects a whole region, a continent or the world.

It's fun to mock a rising pandemic especially when we don't really understand what's going on.  The media has created such a panic, but can you really blame them?  The World Health Organization announced a global pandemic and just the word makes it sound like we are going through a plague.  People are dying everywhere, oh my god, this is serious.  The fact is that more people die every year from the regular (and constantly mutating) influenza.  The difference?  We don't hear about it like we have heard about every single person that has died from H1N1.

Last week in Calgary I watched the steady throng of people race to the 1 of the 4 vaccination clinics set up in a city of over 1,000,000.  Tensions rose as these people waited in line ups upwards of 6 hours to get a shot that hasn't even been properly tested in Canada.  We raced to vaccinate our children, the elderly, the pregnant and any one with chronic illnesses but ended up running out of the vaccine because so many people that could have waited a few weeks were terrified and wanted to get it now.  And of course no one was turned away.  And these people were angry.  Come on, it was YOUR choice to stand in the line up.  No one said you HAD to get the vaccine.  But the media made it sound like if you contracted this virus, you were going to die.

The fact of the matter, like any other illness from influenza to the common cold, if you take care of yourself, practice good hygiene, eat properly, get enough sleep, your chances of becoming ill decrease.

I am not against vaccinations, but there is a time and a place and they should not be administered when not adequately tested.