So it's been quite a while since I last posted and many things have happened. I got married, twice (to the same man) and went to a couple weddings for friends and family, a niece was born, another niece graduated...many more things that I can't remember but I'm sure they happened.
This post is... something of a different one I guess. A bit of a rant if you will.
I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I feel that I'm a decent vocalist, and a passable piano player (I can chord decently...and read music, I just choose not to) - but I feel like a bit of an underdog most times. Actually "a bit" would be an understatement. Friends of mine are incredibly talented, and I'm all for showcasing talent and giving credit when/where it's due, but COME ON. There is no need to ONLY showcase those talents, and none others.
I don't mean to be a diva, or hog the spotlight - that's not my thing. But fairness when it comes to things like that would be a bonus. You can't give someone the spotlight and then yank it away to give it to someone who already HAS spotlight... especially when there are people with none. I know that sounds like a horrible explanation of the issue, but think of it this way:
Every kid gets a puzzle, some get better and harder puzzles, and some get mediocre or super easy puzzles. Now, one of the kids with the hard puzzle is REALLY good at them, and another kid with a hard puzzle is also good at them, maybe its just not as noticeable. Now, take the puzzle from the second kid, and give it to the one that is REALLY good and has a hard puzzle already, give the second kid a mediocre one instead. What's left? The kids with the crappy puzzles. Those kids - they're smart too, they've got puzzle talent, no one notices though, cause they never get the challenging puzzles. Is this fair? No. This is called stacking the deck (in my opinion). What if these kids were all in a puzzle tournament (for the sake of my argument, these exist), kid A with the TWO hard puzzles, kid B who HAD a hard puzzle and now has a mediocre one, and kids C and D who have craptastic puzzles. Kid A is CLEARLY going to look awesome because they've been given the opportunity, kid B - mediocre and kinda...ehh. Kids C and D are basically going to go unnoticed. BUT WAIT - there's actually a FIFTH kid. Yep, Kid E. No one even THINKS to offer kid E a puzzle because they're just not sure about their puzzle solving abilities, and frankly, they don't want to try the kid out at a tournament and have them fail. So we leave kid E on the support team and let them be second fiddle to kids C and D who are playing second fiddle (but only slightly) to kid B - who is playing back up second fiddle to kid A.
What is wrong with this picture? Everything. Jeepers! If I were in charge of things, they would be WAAY different. Kids A, B, C, D, and E would be given equal opportunity. If they didn't WANT the hard puzzle, they could choose at that point to go with a mediocre or crappy one. They wouldn't be forced to do it without a conversation about it. Kids A-E would get to "audition" per se for the chance to 'lead the way' in the puzzle tournament. Better and more challenging puzzles would be awarded to those who wanted them and felt comfortable completing them. Maybe kid A actually only wants a mediocre puzzle - likely not, but maybe that's the case. Maybe, just maybe, kid E wants the HARDEST puzzle, they want to 'lead the way'. Maybe kids B, C and D want really hard puzzles but are unsure about how to ask for them, maybe they want hard puzzles but no one has ever given them the chance to try them. In my world, they would get the chance to find out.
So many things are wrong here - the fact that kids B-E aren't saying anything to the puzzle leader, the fact that kid A isn't stepping down to offer the puzzle to someone else, the fact that the puzzle leader is fine with the way things are going.
Now - imagine kids A-C are really good friends, and good friends with the puzzle leader. Kid B wants to say something, but knows that it'll either get misconstrued, or won't remain anonymous. What should kid B do? B knows that kid C likely doesn't feel the same way, and can't confide in them, and they're not as close with kids D and E so it would be a bit weird to go to them to see what they think - never mind that, what would they even do with the information gathered?
If you know what kid B should do - by all means, feel free to comment and let me know. If you have any ideas at all - aside from leaving the puzzle group (at this point it's not an option) let me know. Kid B would be happy to hear your thoughts too.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Monday, May 30, 2011
"is too poopy for you?" ...excuse me?
This past Saturday, I went with two of my bridesmaids to check out the wedding dress scene. I was a bit apprehensive about it all because it had yet to feel like I needed a dress yet. Of course, I know I need a dress... it just didn't... feel like it...? Ridiculous, I know. Anyway, two of my girls and I went on the search for "the one". (I guess, it's really not "The One", seeing as that would be reserved for the fiancé, but I think it'll be fine if I just leave the capitals off.)
Back to the story - our first stop, after finding parking, was Booster Juice...we needed some breakfast and heck, a booster in our smoothies sure wouldn't hurt. After procuring our delicious, boosted fruity drinks, we headed off to Stella's Bridal Galleria. Alas, it was not open quite yet... so we waited. What else were we supposed to do. Doors opened, and we set our sights on the wedding dresses. It didn't take long for someone to approach us and sense our fear and confusion, we got our helper! I had ABSOLUTELY no clue what style, or shade of white (betcha didn't realize THAT was an option too), or cut, or how much lace or bling I wanted. After a few excellent questions from the staff, we had a rack with about 6 or 7 dresses on it. Hurrah, we were on our way, we were making progress. After trying on the first dress, it felt like I was waaay behind on the dress shopping. Second dress was brand-new to the shop. I was the FIRST to try it on. It felt so cool to be the first. The dress happened to be (if you're my fiance, avert your eyes... skip down to the next paragraph...or about 3 or 4 lines down) a knock-off of Kate Middleton's going away dress. Oh, it was gorgeous. I put it on, walked out and the general consensus was that it was AMAZING - and that it needed pockets. I agree... it needs pockets. It was simple, yet glamorous. The train - oh gosh, the train was amazing. There were buttons all the way down the back, to the bottom of the train (a plus - they were decorative, no one would have to button my WHOLE dress up). Gor-geous.
Next was a "Hollywood" style dress - as my friends dubbed it. It was strapless (all of them were), rouched diagonally to the right with a bit of bling on the side. The back laced up, with a bit of bling on each side of the laces. It was so pretty. Following that was one that's harder to describe... a bit of rouching on the bodice down to the hips, where it fell into layers of semi-rouched/pleated partial layers, creating a full-ish skirt. A bit of bling on that one too.
Moving on from Stella's - two styles marked down on my card, we went to Theresa's. It went SOO far down hill from Stella's. We walked in, and I wanted to walk right out. However, it's one of those places where you are descended upon as soon as they catch any sort of "I'm outta here" vibe from you. I had to describe the dress styles I had been trying on by pointing to them. I tried on two, because I felt like I HAD to...and they were both not good. The first one, laced up in the back, but made me feel like a cupcake. It was too poofy, and had to let the lady know. "It's too poofy for me, it's just too poofy" "Is too poopy for you?" Oh, I just about lost it completely. I shot a look at one of my bridesmaids who was also having the hardest time holding back her laughter as she was shaking her head and saying "no, no, I don't like it... it's too poofy". The second dress, is not memorable enough to be described. In the nicest way possible, we all but ran out of there.
The last store for the day was Labelle's. Oh boy, I was quite worried about the status of the dresses we would find in there, based upon my previous visit the year before. About this time last year, we went in to get a dress for my oldest sister, and we were - to put it nicely - quite put off. This time, the people, the dresses and the atmosphere were SO much better. I actually found two dresses I like there, as well as a possible bridesmaid dress that just might suit everyone! Shocking! I tried on probably about 10 dresses at this store, each one fairly different from the one before it. The theme that ran through all the ones I REALLY liked, was buttons down the back of the skirt, and a sweetheart neckline. Pockets, of course were always an added bonus. I would go into detail about these ones, but I can't really remember all the wonderful things about them, and getting at the pictures would take too much time.
I would post pictures - however, my fiance can get access to the blog, and that would take all the surprise out of the big day...and no one wants that. So, I have to go with the rest of my bridesmaids and my mom and sisters, but all in shifts because that is just FAAR too daunting, having 7 opinions, on top of my own and those of the staff. So, shifts of two and myself. We'll get this done eventually!
Back to the story - our first stop, after finding parking, was Booster Juice...we needed some breakfast and heck, a booster in our smoothies sure wouldn't hurt. After procuring our delicious, boosted fruity drinks, we headed off to Stella's Bridal Galleria. Alas, it was not open quite yet... so we waited. What else were we supposed to do. Doors opened, and we set our sights on the wedding dresses. It didn't take long for someone to approach us and sense our fear and confusion, we got our helper! I had ABSOLUTELY no clue what style, or shade of white (betcha didn't realize THAT was an option too), or cut, or how much lace or bling I wanted. After a few excellent questions from the staff, we had a rack with about 6 or 7 dresses on it. Hurrah, we were on our way, we were making progress. After trying on the first dress, it felt like I was waaay behind on the dress shopping. Second dress was brand-new to the shop. I was the FIRST to try it on. It felt so cool to be the first. The dress happened to be (if you're my fiance, avert your eyes... skip down to the next paragraph...or about 3 or 4 lines down) a knock-off of Kate Middleton's going away dress. Oh, it was gorgeous. I put it on, walked out and the general consensus was that it was AMAZING - and that it needed pockets. I agree... it needs pockets. It was simple, yet glamorous. The train - oh gosh, the train was amazing. There were buttons all the way down the back, to the bottom of the train (a plus - they were decorative, no one would have to button my WHOLE dress up). Gor-geous.
Next was a "Hollywood" style dress - as my friends dubbed it. It was strapless (all of them were), rouched diagonally to the right with a bit of bling on the side. The back laced up, with a bit of bling on each side of the laces. It was so pretty. Following that was one that's harder to describe... a bit of rouching on the bodice down to the hips, where it fell into layers of semi-rouched/pleated partial layers, creating a full-ish skirt. A bit of bling on that one too.
Moving on from Stella's - two styles marked down on my card, we went to Theresa's. It went SOO far down hill from Stella's. We walked in, and I wanted to walk right out. However, it's one of those places where you are descended upon as soon as they catch any sort of "I'm outta here" vibe from you. I had to describe the dress styles I had been trying on by pointing to them. I tried on two, because I felt like I HAD to...and they were both not good. The first one, laced up in the back, but made me feel like a cupcake. It was too poofy, and had to let the lady know. "It's too poofy for me, it's just too poofy" "Is too poopy for you?" Oh, I just about lost it completely. I shot a look at one of my bridesmaids who was also having the hardest time holding back her laughter as she was shaking her head and saying "no, no, I don't like it... it's too poofy". The second dress, is not memorable enough to be described. In the nicest way possible, we all but ran out of there.
The last store for the day was Labelle's. Oh boy, I was quite worried about the status of the dresses we would find in there, based upon my previous visit the year before. About this time last year, we went in to get a dress for my oldest sister, and we were - to put it nicely - quite put off. This time, the people, the dresses and the atmosphere were SO much better. I actually found two dresses I like there, as well as a possible bridesmaid dress that just might suit everyone! Shocking! I tried on probably about 10 dresses at this store, each one fairly different from the one before it. The theme that ran through all the ones I REALLY liked, was buttons down the back of the skirt, and a sweetheart neckline. Pockets, of course were always an added bonus. I would go into detail about these ones, but I can't really remember all the wonderful things about them, and getting at the pictures would take too much time.
I would post pictures - however, my fiance can get access to the blog, and that would take all the surprise out of the big day...and no one wants that. So, I have to go with the rest of my bridesmaids and my mom and sisters, but all in shifts because that is just FAAR too daunting, having 7 opinions, on top of my own and those of the staff. So, shifts of two and myself. We'll get this done eventually!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Ba dum da dum...
I hear bells!! They are in the somewhat near future - if you consider May 2012 near.
Let me back it up a bit, last night (Sunday the 20th) my boyfriend proposed! He set up a scavenger hunt, and the first letter of each clue spelled out "will u marry me". YES YES YES!!! Of course!
So, the ring is beautiful. Square cut, diamond, white gold band - everything I wanted. Luckily HE'S everything I want too! I freaked out a little - in the best way - and then had to calm down a little bit before I called my mom and freaked out a bit more.
More details to come - we're still chatting about what to do, where, when, how... all that jazz.
All I know is, I'm COMPLETELY thrilled, and INCREDIBLY happy :)
Let me back it up a bit, last night (Sunday the 20th) my boyfriend proposed! He set up a scavenger hunt, and the first letter of each clue spelled out "will u marry me". YES YES YES!!! Of course!
So, the ring is beautiful. Square cut, diamond, white gold band - everything I wanted. Luckily HE'S everything I want too! I freaked out a little - in the best way - and then had to calm down a little bit before I called my mom and freaked out a bit more.
More details to come - we're still chatting about what to do, where, when, how... all that jazz.
All I know is, I'm COMPLETELY thrilled, and INCREDIBLY happy :)
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
K-town. Kurtis. Kurty.
Ah, Kurtis. The current subject of my blog. A friend like no other. The giver of a good ass-smacking. And the dealer of opinions on all things fashion.
Kurtis Wright. What is there to say about him, other than the fact that he's a diva.
Don't get me wrong, he's a diva in the best sense of the word. Look it up.
*ahem*
di·va noun \ˈdē-və\
plural divas or di·ve\-(ˌ)vā\
Definition of DIVA
1 a : prima donna 1 b : prima donna 2 (a vain or undisciplined person who finds it difficult to work under direction or as part of a team)
2: a usually glamorous and successful female performer or personality <a fashion diva>; especially : a popular female singer <pop divas>
Mind you, Kurtis is not a female... but the first bit, the "prima donna" bit - that one is good.
Ok - that doesn't sound like a good thing... but let me explain. He is a teeny bit vain (adj: having or showing undue or excessive pride in one's appearance or achievements) - and again that comes off as awful - but, to quote the subject himself "More people should be vain, we would have a more confident world."
So - explanations, compliments and definitions aside, Kurtis is great. He's that friend you go shopping with if you want a brutally honest opinion about whether or not those jeans make your butt look fat, or if that shirt suits you at all. It's good. It's brash. It's useful. It's ever so fabulous. It's Kurtis.
Kurtis moved away to Calgary a couple years ago, but keeps in touch through BBM. He checked in often when my dad was sick, that made me pretty stoked to have him as a friend. He's hundreds of kilometres away and still cares, still checks in, still wants to know what's going on here in my life and the life of my family. He's awesome like that.
Everyone needs a Kurtis in their life. I've got mine :)
Kurtis Wright. What is there to say about him, other than the fact that he's a diva.
Don't get me wrong, he's a diva in the best sense of the word. Look it up.
*ahem*
di·va noun \ˈdē-və\
plural divas or di·ve\-(ˌ)vā\
Definition of DIVA
1 a : prima donna 1 b : prima donna 2 (a vain or undisciplined person who finds it difficult to work under direction or as part of a team)
2: a usually glamorous and successful female performer or personality <a fashion diva>; especially : a popular female singer <pop divas>
Mind you, Kurtis is not a female... but the first bit, the "prima donna" bit - that one is good.
Ok - that doesn't sound like a good thing... but let me explain. He is a teeny bit vain (adj: having or showing undue or excessive pride in one's appearance or achievements) - and again that comes off as awful - but, to quote the subject himself "More people should be vain, we would have a more confident world."
So - explanations, compliments and definitions aside, Kurtis is great. He's that friend you go shopping with if you want a brutally honest opinion about whether or not those jeans make your butt look fat, or if that shirt suits you at all. It's good. It's brash. It's useful. It's ever so fabulous. It's Kurtis.
Kurtis moved away to Calgary a couple years ago, but keeps in touch through BBM. He checked in often when my dad was sick, that made me pretty stoked to have him as a friend. He's hundreds of kilometres away and still cares, still checks in, still wants to know what's going on here in my life and the life of my family. He's awesome like that.
Everyone needs a Kurtis in their life. I've got mine :)
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Traffic, parking and road rage... oh %@^$!
So, like many Winnipeggers, I have the unfortunate ability to drive. I say unfortunate because if you've ever been stuck behind that person driving 25 clicks in a 60 zone and are unable to pass due to oncoming traffic, or you're forced to swerve into said oncoming traffic because the person in front of your slams on their brakes and starts sliding on a patch of ice, you know - like most of the drivers out there (if not all of them) - that something unfortunate is bound to happen. You'll end up late for work, school or an appointment, or - if you happen to find that amazingly sneaky patch of ice, you'll end up injured, or extremely frustrated and possibly end up shelling out a pretty penny or two (million) on repairs to your poor, sad vehicle.
This morning, for example, I was driving to work and had the opportunity to travel in a 50 zone, behind someone clipping along at a miraculous 25. That's right folks, twenty-freakin-five. Not only is that far below the speed limit (or suggested minimum as a certain relative of mine would say) but that's HALF of the speed limit, and quite dangerous. Don't get me wrong, it's not quite as dangerous as going double the limit, but still, you force people behind you to take drastic measures (occasionally) to make it to work on time. Do the limit - MAYBE 5 or 10 under/over - and we'll all get along fine. If you can't manage that, maybe you should be re-tested... just saying.
Another transportation peeve of mine - and I know many of you out there have experienced one of these critters - the people who don't know how to park. Be it parallel parking on a street, or parking in a lot (diagonally or otherwise). A little gem I found the other day, was at Safeway on Henderson and Kimberly. A brilliant motorist decided to park HALF in the parking space, and HALF in the driving lane, leaving little more than 3/4 of a car's width for navigating through the zoo that is that lot. On this particular occasion, I was with my cousin who, upon noticing this lovely parking job, pointed out to me that she had encountered a worse parking lot experience. She had started off her day on not only the wrong foot, but the wrong side of everything. That particular day was going downhill fast, like a runaway train. She had gone to almost every hardware/handy-person's store possible, and could not find what she was looking for. Her last stop was Safeway, hoping that they might - on the off chance - have lock-de-icer. When she left the store, she found that not only was she blocked in from ALL sides (yes, front, back and side to side) but there was no one in the vehicle. In to Safeway she went, hoping to page this bright young lad out to his vehicle. Alas, no such luck. As she was leaving, again, she found that he was just pulling away. She ran up to him, and said "you blocked me in, I've been waiting for you for half an hour, and had your licence plate paged through the store". Now, is it asking too much to expect an apology, or at the very least a sympathetic - even half-assed - "sorry"? Apparently. This fella, just said "bummer" and drove off.
Yikes. Parking lots = hazards and should be left to skilled drivers only. Especially only those that know how to park. I'm not saying I'm excellent at it, I know I've had my share of bad parking jobs. I'm just saying we should leave this to the professionals people.
Parallel parking on residential streets... wow. That's another beast entirely. Why, oh why, would you park in a space that is large enough for two trucks - not in the middle, which is bad enough - but with 3/4 of a cars length in front of you, and the remaining 1/4 behind you? Pull up all the way, or tuck yourself in properly so that someone else can use that lovely space, please!
That's enough from me on that... for now.
You know you've got bad road rage when it presents itself on a blog post, or in conversations not even remotely related to anything transportation at all. I need to chill out and get a chauffeur. Jeeze.
This morning, for example, I was driving to work and had the opportunity to travel in a 50 zone, behind someone clipping along at a miraculous 25. That's right folks, twenty-freakin-five. Not only is that far below the speed limit (or suggested minimum as a certain relative of mine would say) but that's HALF of the speed limit, and quite dangerous. Don't get me wrong, it's not quite as dangerous as going double the limit, but still, you force people behind you to take drastic measures (occasionally) to make it to work on time. Do the limit - MAYBE 5 or 10 under/over - and we'll all get along fine. If you can't manage that, maybe you should be re-tested... just saying.
Another transportation peeve of mine - and I know many of you out there have experienced one of these critters - the people who don't know how to park. Be it parallel parking on a street, or parking in a lot (diagonally or otherwise). A little gem I found the other day, was at Safeway on Henderson and Kimberly. A brilliant motorist decided to park HALF in the parking space, and HALF in the driving lane, leaving little more than 3/4 of a car's width for navigating through the zoo that is that lot. On this particular occasion, I was with my cousin who, upon noticing this lovely parking job, pointed out to me that she had encountered a worse parking lot experience. She had started off her day on not only the wrong foot, but the wrong side of everything. That particular day was going downhill fast, like a runaway train. She had gone to almost every hardware/handy-person's store possible, and could not find what she was looking for. Her last stop was Safeway, hoping that they might - on the off chance - have lock-de-icer. When she left the store, she found that not only was she blocked in from ALL sides (yes, front, back and side to side) but there was no one in the vehicle. In to Safeway she went, hoping to page this bright young lad out to his vehicle. Alas, no such luck. As she was leaving, again, she found that he was just pulling away. She ran up to him, and said "you blocked me in, I've been waiting for you for half an hour, and had your licence plate paged through the store". Now, is it asking too much to expect an apology, or at the very least a sympathetic - even half-assed - "sorry"? Apparently. This fella, just said "bummer" and drove off.
Yikes. Parking lots = hazards and should be left to skilled drivers only. Especially only those that know how to park. I'm not saying I'm excellent at it, I know I've had my share of bad parking jobs. I'm just saying we should leave this to the professionals people.
Parallel parking on residential streets... wow. That's another beast entirely. Why, oh why, would you park in a space that is large enough for two trucks - not in the middle, which is bad enough - but with 3/4 of a cars length in front of you, and the remaining 1/4 behind you? Pull up all the way, or tuck yourself in properly so that someone else can use that lovely space, please!
That's enough from me on that... for now.
You know you've got bad road rage when it presents itself on a blog post, or in conversations not even remotely related to anything transportation at all. I need to chill out and get a chauffeur. Jeeze.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
15 years and counting - thanks
So, I've got this friend who I've known since we were "snot nosed little brats" as her father would call us. She and I have fought more times than I can count, and have always reconciled. 15 years of this folks, 15 years.
Anyways, she sent me a letter the other day. A bonafide letter. Hand written, on loosleaf, addressed by hand, stamped and sealed... mailed away. Who gets mail like that anymore? Why have we stopped?! Sheerly for convenience sake, because e-mail is THAT much faster? Well, that's lame. People should bring back the hand-written correspondance. It's much more personal.
Who doesn't like receiving a letter in the mail, addressed personally to them, that isn't a bill, or a solicitation... or junk? What if, instead of a message on your facebook wall saying "Happy Birthday" you got a call, or someone took the time to plan ahead and mail you a card?
Now, I'm not trying to sound like I'm all high and mighty, and I already do this stuff - cause in reality, I'm just as bad as, if not worse than a lot of people out there. I am simply posing questions.
Could society go back to the "old ways" from before e-mail, before texting, WAY before facebook? Remember what cursive writing is folks? It's not where you shove the f-bomb in every six or so words, it's certainly not writing out "bad magic" spells. It's where you wrote, in pen or pencil (remember those big fat red ones?) and all your little letters were smooshed together, and conjoined. I know I remember writing in my little scribbler in grade three, practicing my letters, two finger-widths apart. Line upon line of lowercase 'e's followed by rows upon rows of uppercase 'e's. And then we started with the words, "cat", "dog", "elephant". Oh, those tricky little letters - "zebra", "yellow", "queen".
*side note* has anyone ever wondered why on earth the uppercase Q, when written in cursive, looks like a 2?
Anyways, back to the story about my friend who wrote me a letter. I found it on my bed, where someone had placed it when they brought in the mail, and I got so excited. Mail. For me. Personally addressed, hand written... it's gotta be good! The only way it could be a bill is if MTS or VISA started hand addressing all their envelopes - sneaky little ...
Personal mail. Sweet! I opened it up, and upon reading it, learned a lot about my friend, and apparently, something about myself. She wrote about what my friendship meant to her, why it's so special, and how she felt that it's so very rare to find someone who you can tolerate for this long. And then, the dams broke. She had included a letter that she wrote to my dad. She wrote it the day she found out that he passed away. She thanked him for raising me and my sisters so well, and for taking care of her when she was over at our place. She thanked him. For anything and everything that he did for her. For being him.
When was the last time anyone - I'm including myself in this - sat down and really thought about who they're thankful for, and then told that person? I know it's been an awful long time since I've done that.
I know it's no where close to Thanksgiving, but maybe that's a good thing. We shouldn't have to wait for a certain day to tell people we're thankful for them. Do people wait for a certain day to do grocery shopping, even though the cupboards are long since bare? No, if it needs to be done, people go and do it.
Someone out there needs to be thanked, for all they do, and maybe they just don't know it yet. I'm challenging myself (and whoever wants to join in) to actually think about that. Who in your life needs to be thanked for something? Write it out, or just call them up, or take them out for coffee and say it. I think, as a whole, we all need to be a bit more thankful for people who affect our lives, and make it known to them that you're grateful for what they've done and/or still do.
Anyways, she sent me a letter the other day. A bonafide letter. Hand written, on loosleaf, addressed by hand, stamped and sealed... mailed away. Who gets mail like that anymore? Why have we stopped?! Sheerly for convenience sake, because e-mail is THAT much faster? Well, that's lame. People should bring back the hand-written correspondance. It's much more personal.
Who doesn't like receiving a letter in the mail, addressed personally to them, that isn't a bill, or a solicitation... or junk? What if, instead of a message on your facebook wall saying "Happy Birthday" you got a call, or someone took the time to plan ahead and mail you a card?
Now, I'm not trying to sound like I'm all high and mighty, and I already do this stuff - cause in reality, I'm just as bad as, if not worse than a lot of people out there. I am simply posing questions.
Could society go back to the "old ways" from before e-mail, before texting, WAY before facebook? Remember what cursive writing is folks? It's not where you shove the f-bomb in every six or so words, it's certainly not writing out "bad magic" spells. It's where you wrote, in pen or pencil (remember those big fat red ones?) and all your little letters were smooshed together, and conjoined. I know I remember writing in my little scribbler in grade three, practicing my letters, two finger-widths apart. Line upon line of lowercase 'e's followed by rows upon rows of uppercase 'e's. And then we started with the words, "cat", "dog", "elephant". Oh, those tricky little letters - "zebra", "yellow", "queen".
*side note* has anyone ever wondered why on earth the uppercase Q, when written in cursive, looks like a 2?
Anyways, back to the story about my friend who wrote me a letter. I found it on my bed, where someone had placed it when they brought in the mail, and I got so excited. Mail. For me. Personally addressed, hand written... it's gotta be good! The only way it could be a bill is if MTS or VISA started hand addressing all their envelopes - sneaky little ...
Personal mail. Sweet! I opened it up, and upon reading it, learned a lot about my friend, and apparently, something about myself. She wrote about what my friendship meant to her, why it's so special, and how she felt that it's so very rare to find someone who you can tolerate for this long. And then, the dams broke. She had included a letter that she wrote to my dad. She wrote it the day she found out that he passed away. She thanked him for raising me and my sisters so well, and for taking care of her when she was over at our place. She thanked him. For anything and everything that he did for her. For being him.
When was the last time anyone - I'm including myself in this - sat down and really thought about who they're thankful for, and then told that person? I know it's been an awful long time since I've done that.
I know it's no where close to Thanksgiving, but maybe that's a good thing. We shouldn't have to wait for a certain day to tell people we're thankful for them. Do people wait for a certain day to do grocery shopping, even though the cupboards are long since bare? No, if it needs to be done, people go and do it.
Someone out there needs to be thanked, for all they do, and maybe they just don't know it yet. I'm challenging myself (and whoever wants to join in) to actually think about that. Who in your life needs to be thanked for something? Write it out, or just call them up, or take them out for coffee and say it. I think, as a whole, we all need to be a bit more thankful for people who affect our lives, and make it known to them that you're grateful for what they've done and/or still do.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Ahh... chocolate
A quote I recently found about chocolate has inspired me to get at least one thing done a day:
"Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you'll get one thing done."
-"The Rules of Chocolate"
Ah, such simple rules. Eat chocolate. Easy enough, right?! To make this a lot easier, my dad - amazing man that he was - decided to keep his women happy and create a "chocolate drawer" or what we lovingly call "the medicine drawer". Oh the convenience. My dad would come home, and occasionally skip filling the drawer - take out the middle man - and bring it right to us. There was always a choice too - he'd always buy one or two more than "necessary" so we could choose, and there would be an Eatmore or a Crunchie in there for him (provided one of us weren't eye-ing it) but he'd give it up to make one of his girls happy.
Eat chocolate. Done. I've accomplished at least one thing today. I've eaten some chocolate - courtesy of my big sister. Last night, she hucked a bunch of mini chocolate bars into my purse. A snack for later - Yay!
What's next on my "to-do" list today? Work on my mittens... get at least one done by the end of next week. Hopefully both are done prior to when they need to be given away. Yikes! I've got a grand total of 3 weeks, including today, to have them finished.
Alright - after mittens comes.... dinner?? No, that should come first. Get home, eat dinner then knit mittens. Then soothe my poor little hands by eating some chocolate. There's logic behind that, irrefutable logic, I promise. I just can't explain it. It helps.
So, I've eaten some chocolate, placated my craving for the moment, and I'll probably need to placate it again later. We'll see.
I've lost all sense of where I'm going with this chocolate idea, so I'll end the post here.
Stay tuned for a Mo-vember exclusive. I'll harass my brother-in-law until I get my answers. If anyone wants to participate in the Mo-vember post - shoot me an e-mail or comment with your e-mail and I'll send you some questions!
"Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you'll get one thing done."
-"The Rules of Chocolate"
Ah, such simple rules. Eat chocolate. Easy enough, right?! To make this a lot easier, my dad - amazing man that he was - decided to keep his women happy and create a "chocolate drawer" or what we lovingly call "the medicine drawer". Oh the convenience. My dad would come home, and occasionally skip filling the drawer - take out the middle man - and bring it right to us. There was always a choice too - he'd always buy one or two more than "necessary" so we could choose, and there would be an Eatmore or a Crunchie in there for him (provided one of us weren't eye-ing it) but he'd give it up to make one of his girls happy.
Eat chocolate. Done. I've accomplished at least one thing today. I've eaten some chocolate - courtesy of my big sister. Last night, she hucked a bunch of mini chocolate bars into my purse. A snack for later - Yay!
What's next on my "to-do" list today? Work on my mittens... get at least one done by the end of next week. Hopefully both are done prior to when they need to be given away. Yikes! I've got a grand total of 3 weeks, including today, to have them finished.
Alright - after mittens comes.... dinner?? No, that should come first. Get home, eat dinner then knit mittens. Then soothe my poor little hands by eating some chocolate. There's logic behind that, irrefutable logic, I promise. I just can't explain it. It helps.
So, I've eaten some chocolate, placated my craving for the moment, and I'll probably need to placate it again later. We'll see.
I've lost all sense of where I'm going with this chocolate idea, so I'll end the post here.
Stay tuned for a Mo-vember exclusive. I'll harass my brother-in-law until I get my answers. If anyone wants to participate in the Mo-vember post - shoot me an e-mail or comment with your e-mail and I'll send you some questions!
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