spring

spring break fun

We spent some time at Exploration Place in PG - definitely one of favorite places in Prince George. We highly recommend it to any families and if you get a annual membership you can use it at science facilities all across North America - which is definitel worth it!


The staff at Exploration saw that we were (me mostly) interested in the bearded dragon so she took it out so we could touch her... it was AWESOME!

a small political statement

my first swap

So this is what I sent to my sister who agreed to swap craft things with me :)

rain

I've been going to reiki for a few months now. Reiki - well I don't even know how to describe it - initially I was pretty meh about it... mostly meh... and then during my second session I just let myself relax and then it started, my mind just kind of drifted.

During my most recent session I had this sensation like it was raining and I could see the drops of water hitting the surface of a puddle or lake and how calming the entire experience was. It was about as far away from 'meh' as you can get. On top of the calming power of reiki I'm really digging the song 'fix you' by coldplay right now. The torch relay is using this song in their promotional marketing (not sure if it is all public or not... I just know I've seen the 3 minute torch relay commercial at meetings and it usually doesn't leave a dry eye in the house - I see Terry Fox and I just cry now...). So I'm driving back from PG tonight and it starts to rain - just slightly - and then it starts to come down a bit and then my ipod starts playing 'fix you' and I just had one of those extra calming/soothing moments. ahhhhaaaahhhhhhhh - and those are the moments I'm desperate for.

I was sad to see the rain stop. Watching it hit my windshield made me thirst for more. I'm so glad spring is here, or at the very least trying to make an appearance.

Happy First Day of Spring - may all the days ahead be happy, loving and calm for all of us.

slurpee heaven

So this nice lady at 7-11 has made it her job to make me laugh every time I stop by - now I am a regular - for sure - I'll admit that much - but in the last two weeks or so she's started to give me free slurpees every time I go in - tonight she had a joke ready for me - (why does the easter bunny not want people to know that he lays eggs? because he doesn't want everyone to know he sleeps with chickens) so I have a good laugh and then I come up to the counter with my slurpee and she tells the other guy - no we don't charge her for slurpees... I love the people in our town - ok and it isn't just because I get free slurpees - people are friendly, happy and I love that...



oh and Happy Hump day - thank god the weekend is approaching - I've had enough of work this week - more than enough...

Happy St Patrick's day

This morning we talked about wearing green for St Patrick's day. Kyle dressed pretty much in green today - head to toe. Michael wasn't interested in the green. He picks his outfits every day and isn't very interested in having someone even suggesting what he should wear. Tonight we are talking about the green stuff and I kind of made a comment about Michael not wearing green today and he stops me. Mom I'm wearing green - rolls his pants down to show me his green undies... priceless... I can just imagine that he was doing this same thing at daycare this morning... gotta love them :) How can I worry about anything - this part of life is all that really matters...

what happens after a long day

Tonight we went grocery shopping and that is always a joy with the kids... stop doing that, don't run, don't touch that, no you can't have that, yes we have to buy vegetables, please stop (please being used in the presence of other shoppers)... so we do the aisle thing and I say I'll take the kids to the car while you pay.. ok - so we go outside... and that was the mistake - I'm so busy telling Michael to please hold hands that I just walk out into the parking lot - click the "alarm" off and open the door. The door opens and my first thought was... "we've been robbed" and then I hear someone laughing behind me and these two women are having a great laugh at me trying to get into their car... I turn and laugh along but feel like a giant ass... and try to make a quick escape - exit stage right... thank god at least it was the same car - as I turned and walked off to were we parked Kyle is providing me with notes on how the cars were different - and really the only striking difference is the roof racks - I'm so used to are car not having them that I honestly thought I was at the right car... so there you go - just another maniac monday

because I am the fashion police

Now I am not super into fashion. I like to wear a lot of the same stuff and like to be comfortable. I also know that sometimes it is better to just stay in the house if you can't find clothes from the last 10 years.

I was getting a yummy slurpee (I know they aren't great for me... put that aside for a moment) and come out to find a woman standing by a pay phone (yes those still exist) wearing a big winter jacket - fine... but then she is wearing the biggest pair of hammer pants I've ever seen. I don't think clowns even wear them like that. They were fitted around her waist but the pants flared out like she was smuggling people in them. On top of that they weren't just plain old black or blue hammer pants they were blue with giant stars on them.

My plan tonight was to draw a picture and load it up to give you a clear idea of just how terrible they were but I instead worked on cleaning up my basement - which was very valuable - I will work on my drawing for tomorrow...

Happy weekend to all and to all a good night...

sleep -my old friend

I've started reading a good book. That's right - after months of nothing overly appealing I've found something to read. I'll share it once I've completed it. I'd hate to suggest you go and buy something that sucks at the end... but what I didn't expect last night was that I'd sleep. I closed my eyes and then woke up to Kyle looking at me at 6:45. I said - ok - come and cuddle for a few minutes. I slept for another 15 minutes and then we got our day started... and I can't tell you how much better that made me feel all day.

On a sports note - Carmen - did a great write up on curling which lead to me actually watching curling on TSN tonight while I worked out.

where the sleep went

Dreaming (a rarity) and then with a snap I'm awake and not really alert... what woke me? The dreaming wasn't scarier or worrying... the cold... it is minus twenty after being warmer during the day and the house is just creaking and cracking... ARG - the problem is that I couldn't help but get up anyway and just take a look around and see - just to make sure. Of course now I'm pretty much all awake and the house can't help but creak in this cold - but it isn't stopping or getting quieter.

The whole thing just makes me sad because I really need my sleep. Sleep is so important and yet here I am - up typing on here, watching tv and hoping to catch a break and get back to sleep. Ok - I'm off to try.

a swap

Alright my crafty friends - I've read on a few of your blogs about a craft swap. I'm interested in what that means and how I can do one.. I'm not super crafty, but I'm interested in doing a swap - it sounds like fun... I'm more of a paper/scrapbook kind of swap versus a clothing, craft - that said I can make toques, slippers and scarfs...

So tell me - what needs to be done...

home

I made it back to Q-town this morning. The time change has definitely left me in a fog plus flying this morning wasn't really great... I mean it wasn't that bad - better than the flight in, but I'm still just trying to get over it. Terrible.

So the photo I loaded last from the inside of the plane was the only photo I took on this trip. I did manage to get my photo taken with the Olympic torch but I don't get a copy of the photo for a couple of weeks - and to be honest I'd be shocked if it was any good. I was smiling like a dork because I was pretending to stride in to take the torch from the last person getting their photo taken... I do that - feel all ready and posed and the photographer says he can't see the damned olympic logo... right - cause that's what matters - so then I made a face - and that was it.

I'll share once I get a copy.

Now I'm home with the boys and we are just playing and hanging out. Well they are having a snack and I'm blogging right this second... and now time to get back to fun :)

another flight

Last night I flew to Vancouver for another work thing. Before we left I got to have a great dinner out with Andy (well really the food was not great but the company was) and tried to ease my anxious body onto the plane. For some reason I was able to visualize better because it was night time and I could just think about it being a bus... well actually more like a mini van...



As you can see - this was a little plane - 18 seats total - only six of us actually paying - yup - that is the cockpit you can see. I'm sitting in the second to last seat... no washroom, no in flight anything - just loud propellor blades rumbling us to Vancouver. I got to Whistler and you could see Vancouver in the distance and then the plane got bumpy - it was pretty much like being on a tilt-a-wheel as we descended into Vancouver and that didn't really bother me. I had my tunes, BNL with Steven Page (I still love you), and I just took it easy. I had a nice ride from the airport to my hotel with this cabbie who made good conversation - well until he started to give me an update on all the shootings - it was like he had memorized the details of every shooting that had taken place in the last week... he giggled a bit and asked if Quesnel (Ksnel) had those kinds of problems... nope.

Now I'm preparing for some free time this morning which may include a walk to Pacific Centre and then into conference sessions. More photos to come... I'm heading out for a night on the town with Paula in t-minus 10 hours.

Vancouver Cityscape from Stanley Park

home for a few days

So I worked in Vancouver a couple of days last week and I'm back there again on Thursday for more work.
I had a bath, which was actually hot - HOORAY! And now I'm just going to relax.

Back to the office tomorrow and I need as much time as possible to unwind for that ;)

When we left Vancouver this morning the crocus is my mom-in-laws "garden" were blooming. They were beautiful but it made me sad to think that that is months away for us in the north... we arrived to warm weather (plus 5) but still a couple of feet of snow on the ground...

one more thing

And this morning I was walking with a newspaper and didn't really look at it and then all of the sudden it the title hit me...
"A new chapter without Page, Barenaked Ladies Ed Robertson says singer's split was 'amicable'."

WHAT!

I mean I guess if that is what needed to be done - then that's what needed to be done.. but it just makes me want to cry... in fact I nearly did cry when I read it.

When I was born, they looked me at and said,
What a good boy, what smart boy, what a strong boy
And when you were born, they looked at you and said,
What a good girl, what smart girl, what a pretty girl

We've got these chains that hang around our necks
People want to strangle us with them before we take our first breath
Afraid of change, afraid of staying the same,
when temptation calls, we just look away.

I love you Steven Page! The naked ladies won't be the same without you.

response...

So lipton got back to me and reported that the pomegranate is listed under natural flavors... please feel free to scroll down to the photo - you'll see that it just says natural flavours... they apologized for any confusion... what it left me wondering was what else was going into natural flavours... if you don't have to spell out what is in there than why even have a label.

I also wanted to report on a close talker that I had to deal with today. No kidding - there was all the space in the free world and she felt compelled to stand as close as she could to - in fact she was so close that she motioned her hand to something and smacked me in the boob - like WTF! So I kind of shuffle back and she continues to press in on me. It was awkward and very weird and it wasn't like it was just once - she spoke with me multiple times during the day and repeatedly had to stand with me... go away closer talkers - I don't like you.

ok - and to top that off with a bowl full of cherries - how is this for first impressions. I had the pleasure of meeting other people in my field of work and we had just met. We are talking for a moment about the chocolates I've brought (custom made in Quesnel) and I get this - yes, that's good - but is there anything special in them. This leads into a conversation about hash and how hash gives the best body high, to which one quips well what is a body high and this other person goes on and on about it - including how well he performs (yes, that kind of performs) on it... I'm like - WTF is wrong with you people... I proceeded to pretty much avoid the freaks for the rest of the day... my plan is to avoid them again tomorrow and just get away from all these crazy people.

Plus my anxiety is terrible. So roll all that up and tie a ribbon on it. Good times, good times.

um... I think something is missing

So while on my visit to Nazko today I had a few cups of tea with my mom. She usually has a few that I've never had and usually they are pretty yummy. Today she shows me this tea that looks very expensive.



The tea bags were in this fancy little sash bags and shaped like triangles. The tea tasted ok, but it needed honey to make it taste good. Any way I'm always curious about what goes into tea because I've tried making a few teas and like to "borrow"
recipes. So I go to the label on this one...



Hmmm, green tea, white tea, blueberry bits, dried apple, rosehip... but wait... where is the pomegrante? Apparently not in the tea bag and only on the box. With that I decided I better cut up some of the box and put it in with my tea, because I was going to have some pomegrante and they weren't going to keep it from me by only putting it on the box. Asses.

Follow up - so I went to lipton's website and found more promotional information on this tea - "tantalizing blueberry and pomegrante pieces is the perfect compliment to an active, healthy lifestyle." So now I'm going to contact customer service and see what's up

Dear Customer Service: I bought some of your blueberry/pomegrante pyramid tea and found that the label did not note any pomegrante in it and was just wondering what was up with that? It doesn't taste like pomegrante so I guess that's why it isn't an ingredient, but wonder how you can call it pomegrante tea when it isn't an ingredient.

now this is weird...

Ok - usually I watch a few minutes of the Oscars and feel disappointed and don't want to watch because man - it just goes on and on... but tonight I really liked what I saw. I didn't sit here and watch the whole thing and missed seeing if Heath Ledger won or not - need to google that after this post... but I really enjoyed the past winners presenting to the current nominees - that was great - and they also gave people time to speak. For award shows they did a good job - and that's tough to say since I remember watching it some years and being left thinking - what the hell was that - and why on earth did I sit through it - tonight I've been left thinking - man there are a bunch of films I want to see... I'm even interested in seeing the benjamin button movie and I've never wanted to see any of Brad Pitt's movies. I'm definitely going to see the Reader (I love Kate Winslet) and Slumdog Millionaire.

Ok... so Heath did win... I guess I need to add the Dark Knight to the list of films to see too