Blog Challenge - How have I changed in the last two years?

I've decided to participate in a blog challenge this month, just for fun and to get myself back in the writing groove. Since school's been out and I've cut back on dance, I've really been enjoying reconnecting with myself - time to create again, time to relax and sit in the sun. I  won't quite dance completely but for fall I will cut back, opting out of the performance classes and dropping in where my schedule allows. Maybe a bit of a break will be good for me. Besides I'm still figuring out my muscle pain and trying to heal that dang heel spur pain.

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Now back to the question :

(1) in the past two years I've changed a lot in my dance. I've been to several workshops, I've tried different teachers and I've done several performances. Although I still get the backstage and preparatory jitters, I have since realize that nothing bad will happen if I do make a mistake. For my last big performance in June, I worked very hard on learning the pieces, I took two days off work to sew my costumes and I had a meltdown backstage that only my instructor could bring me back from. But on stage I think I did pretty well. However, to date, I have yet to see a photo or a video and that's very frustrating to me. In fact this past year*, I had promised myself I'd work harder than I ever had and I would take all the workshops that I could. I even applied for - and won - a dance scholarship. Unfortunately at all the performances I did this year, I somehow managed to be completely in the wrong spot for the photographers. I was cut out of one whole video and two far from the lens in another and still waiting for the June videos. Photos were pretty much the same, due to space constrictions and the fact that I'm a nice gal, I took to the back row a couple of times - unfortunately that meant I wasn't visible for photos. Since no family or friends (non-dance friends) were at my performances, I have no real feedback on how I did. And that's a deal breaker for me.

It was a real lunchbox let down. And it's changed my approach for this upcoming year.

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(2) As with most people, I've evolved with my crafts - I look back to things I've put up in my shop over the past couple of years and I wonder about my thought process. I hope that I'm making much nicer items and better choices for the products now.

(3)With age, I've mellowed. Or I'm trying to mellow. See my previous posts on 'occupational burnout'. I'm trying to relax and not let work stress me out so much. I do like my work, but my employer doesn't have the best way of dealing with people and some customers are absolutely hellish - but the bottom line - I like my work.

(4) I'm struggling with my aging body and accepting that I can't do the things I once did. I'm letting go of more of the past, realizing something's are fruitless to hold onto. And have even let go of many future hopes realizing my life really hasn't turned out at all the way my younger self thought (or hoped it would). I've accepted that my life seems to be unorthodox compared to most, in fact, at times it had been almost predictable that its turned out different than expected (now that's a paradox isn't it?)

That was a good question.  Perhaps I should ponder it more in my personal journal as I know I could drone on and on but don't want to scare you away (again) LOL

* I tend to think of dance in school year - not

calendar year i.e. Sept 15-June2016. So this

school year is coming to an end with my big

3 day dance retreat in the next town over. 

Nothing Changes

Yesterday was a rainy Saturday, Jp was at the dentist and I was madly trying to finish (start and finish) another Christmas present. I ended up watching Turner Classic Movies most of the day:

-The Clock   - romance, 1945
- Suspicion - Hitchcock, 1941
- Here Comes Mr. Jordan - comedy, 1941
- Heaven Can Wait - comedy, 1943
- A Matter of Life and Death - romance, 1947

And you know what I noticed? Not much has changed in 60 years - we have many of the same problems, we say many of the same things - even the dogs look and act the same.  Oh sure there are so many things that are different, but there are still so many things the same. I think we forget that - with our smart cars and our smart phones - but really when it come down to it - we're still the same. Wouldn't you agree?

The High Cost of Paradise

I heard on the radio that the gas in Vancouver is the most expensive in North America at $1.33/litre (a litre = .2642 gal or 1 gal = 3.785 litres). Apparently the most expensive place to get gas in the US is Los Angeles and that still equates to only $0.75/litre Canadian. $0.17 of every litre goes to pay Translink for the transit which the majority of us are not able to use due to a lack of network and efficient schedules.

Combine that the super high cost of real estate and it's surprising how any of us can get through the year (and maybe we're not). I have many friends who are "house rich and cash poor".  I wonder how long it will be before we all have to leave this town and soon it will be taken over by tourists and foreign investors. If I lived anywhere else I'd have 3x the house I have now and probably money left over to travel. Here's a Cost of Living Calculator - see if you could afford to live here.

It's no wonder my community apparently has the highest number of problem gamblers in the province. People are becoming more desperate everyday. Where will it go? Will we all move away? Will we all move in with each other? Higher crime rates? Looting ? Pillaging?

Oh and I didn't even mention alcohol - we have very costly booze too (no Costco wine for us)

Why do I stay? Because this is where I grew up, because Jp's son is here, family is here. It's home. But I'm starting to wonder if 'home' is over rated. How much can wonderful, mild weather and amazing scenery and an abundance of amazing wildlife trump the costs of living?

Next time someone says they are from Vancouver - will you say "poor you"? (because they probably are) or "lucky you" (because they are able to survive in the most beautiful super expensive place)? Do you think Vancouver will be like New York - if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere?

Where's summer?

We had the most amazing June and July this year in Vancouver (weather-wise) -which is fabulous because we just had several not so good years. And me, being a summer baby, enjoyed every sunny, hot moment of it. Many others complained about the heat but I was very happy.

But now, we're back to grey skies - some days so dark I have to turn the light on my keyboard or all the lights in the room. It's still August, I want my sun back! Summer's not over!!

Okay, enough of my childlike temper tantrum - the grey skies keep me in the house so I can get house work and some other projects done. Being an adult, there's always work somewhere isn't there? If I could go back and tell something to my 15 year old self - that's what one of the things I'd say, "Don't be in such a hurry to grow up".  Really - work and responsibility are not what I was thinking about. I thought it meant FREEDOM. But that can't be farther from the truth - with a mortgage and other bills, what freedom? LOL. Oh the things that are wasted on our youth!

My Thinking Place

For some reason I come up with the craziest George Carlin type of questions in the bathroom. Perhaps because I am the least distracted in there without TV or music or even a window. I'm just standing there flossing my teeth or putting on make up when things occur to me.

Sometimes I've gone over recent events and the come out of the bathroom to ask him about something someone said, or an inconsistency to their story but other times I have questions and I really should write them down. Like this one, why is that as people get older they lose pigment in their hair turning it white, but then they'll have hair growing out of strange places that's black? That's a really weird question isn't it?

My husband's begun to fear when I suddenly come out of the bathroom, often still with a toothbrush or floss in my hands and ask him a "how come" question. Sometimes I have to remember the question all the way through my shower - that can be a tough one too. Here's an article about why we have our best ideas in the shower. And here's another one on creativity.

I wonder where old Sherlock Holmes best place to think was?  Probably everywhere!

Freaky Friday Switcharoo

This was sent to me by one of my readers, unfortunately I can't credit the source(as soon as I know, I'll post it), but it's a good topic for discussion.

Today’s TOTD is a bit different a friend and I were talking recently about Freaky-Friday’ng

something who’d we want to switch with and what we’d want to do (surfing like a pro was high on my list). Maybe something we want to do, or someone we’d want to be or maybe someone who you want to help, and if you could be them for a day, you could do something for them you wish they would do for themselves

So, for today’s Friday TOTD, I want you to think about this no need to tell me (or the

body-switcher) but it’s an interesting exercise

So what would you do? I think I'd love to switch with one of the creatives at a clothing design house or yarn manufacturer or maybe even a sheep shearer or see what it's like to deliver a baby or save a life or be  Anna Wintour for a day or maybe Angelina Jolie, or  a Buddhist Monk in Thailand or my dog (she can follow me around for a day and pick up my poop and hair)  or Ewan McGregor's wife (especially on the day he's wearing his kilt)... hmm, so many things to explore... who or what would you trade with?

Is it Naked Day today?

Okay this is really odd, first I see a naked man standing in the doorway of his house during this morning's walk, then a couple of hours later Jp drives by a topless chick on the by-pass - are we missing something? Is it Get Naked In Public day today? It's not that hot out there, is it?

Additionally - a friend of mine just sent me this message, " that's interesting because I just got off the phone with my sister - she was commenting that she can see her neighbour going to the toilet because his doors are fully open, yet at the same time she's telling me this, she's topless because she's too hot, go figure!"

Did you see (or have) any unexpected nudity today?

Getting better with age?

When I was in my late teens, I was in pretty good shape. I was on the high school track team, tennis team and grass hockey team. I also did some bodybuilding and even worked at Gold's Gym for several years. In my 20's I worked in offices and believed I could climb the corporate ladder. I gave up fitness and spent my days working overtime and on weekends and traveling for work for extended periods of time. I lost all that muscle definition I had in my teens and even went to doctors for sore knees and back. I couldn't wash my face without holding onto the counter, and bending over to brush my teeth also hurt. I was quite thin because I never had time to eat. I lived on several cups of coffee and some cigarettes.

In my early 30's I experienced three significant life changing situations and lost who I was. I gained weight and had trouble going up and down stairs - we'd take the elevator at the shopping mall because my knees hurt so much.

But by the end of my 30's things changed - I got myself together. I regularly did pilates and then yoga, and then I started dancing. And once I got a labrador puppy I committed to walking every day  - every day except if one of us is hurt or injured.

Now I feel like I am in really good shape. I'm not skinny but I'm healthy. I have energy. I feel strong. I can run up and down stairs without knee pain, my back rarely hurts (usually only following something silly in the garden).

And minor issues seem to have subsided as well - I was diagnosed with a heel spur and was told it would never go away. I bought orthotics and wore them daily for a year. Now I only wear them during my dog walks and don't feel that pain.  And, for years I suffered with sore throats and mouth ulcers. A diagnosis told me that they were caused by a reaction to things I've eaten - not an allergy, so not to bother with allergy pills for this symptom. I decided I'd notice the pain but I would also ignore it. And also not bacterial. I haven't gone to the doctor or antibiotics for my throat in several years.

I thought the best health in our lives was our twenties, but for me it seems like now is pretty good. Is that what they mean by middle age? Am I at my peak now and will I decline from here on out?

There are lots of inspirational stories on the internet about people that are in fantastic shape and going strong in their 70s and 80s and even nineties. Can we get better with age? If we put our minds to it, how much control do we really  have? If we don't go 'overboard' and wear ourselves out how much illness can we prevent?  What do you think?

How do you see yourself?

Wow, this is a very powerful message. For some reason this 

brought tears to my eyes: 

You can see more here. 

Returning home

Today I will be flying home from  a week long visit with family in Alberta. It's been an animal filled week with several dogs, two skunks and lots of deer. Although it's been colder than what I am used to and even snowed a couple of times, it's been sunnier and brighter than a week of Vancouver rain and so I am grateful for that.

I hope my flights aren't delayed as I would like to be home tonight. Jp didn't walk Eco at all this week but tells me they played frisbee with her, so that would give her some exercise and outdoor time.

My mom provide a nice place to stay and I appreciate the many yummy meals planned just for me. It wasn't without drama but I'm not going to dwell on the events and just look forward to one last morning and afternoon before I return to my little house and family. Hope you had a good week, I hope to catch up on your blogs this week as well.

Nothing's Fair

Boy we sure have a mixed up world!

Story # 1 - Today on the radio they were talking about a lady that had to go to the bathroom really badly and used a restroom in a restaurant in Tennessee. There was a sign on the wall that said that the restroom was for paying customers or pay $5 to use. However after she used the facilities, she walked out. Someone tried to stop her and told her she needed to pay $5, she apparently shrugged it off and left. Then apparently a sheriff was given her licence plate number and tracked her down to give her a bill for $5.

Story # 2 - Jp and I were at the mall on Labour Day weekend, when we returned to our car a crappy POS was parked beside us and it was so close I couldn't really open the door. I was waiting for him to back out so I could get in but Jp thought I was having trouble opening the door so he reached across the car from the inside to open it, and gave a little push; I tried to catch the opening door but it ended up touching the car beside us. A month later we get a call from the insurance company telling us to come in. Some old guy sitting in a shop reported our licence plate to the insurance agency, telling them it was a 'hit and run'. The girl who owned the car was given our licence plate number. The insurance company determined that we had chip of paint missing from the edge of our door that exactly matched a mark on another car and we owed $900 for her the repair of her door. Six months went by without a word from anyone so we assumed the POS car owner had decided not to bother fixing the minuscule door ding. NOPE. A letter arrived in the mail yesterday telling us that we owed for the repair and we'd receive another letter with the final cost. Are you kidding me???

We have murderers that get through trial without a jail term and chronic drug offenders hurting people or stealing property but we're going to use a sheriff to track down someone to pay $5 to pee, or put several hours of labour chasing down the tiniest door ding? I tell you the next time I see some mom unloading her car full of kids who lets her door hit mine (and it's happened a lot over the years) you bet I'm going to call it in to the insurance company.

Why Complicate Life?

I'm keeping it simple today, so I'm just going to post this photo for now. 

Merry Christmas to you

Hope you're having a wonderful day and hope you spend it exactly the way you want it. So many people torture themselves (unless they secretly like it, but just want to complain) by filling their days with family commitments. I've heard many say they wished they could spend the day by themselves  - although to me that's pretty much what most of us do everyday and shouldn't Christmas be different?

For the past couple of years I've struggled with the Christmas season because it has changed so much from what I knew growing up. While contemplating this during a dog walk, I realized similar to the first rule of Fight Club,  my Christmas Tradition is no tradition (or non-traditional). You see my family doesn't live near me and Christmas traveling isn't always possible, and Jp's family always goes to their in-laws,  The Kid is always at his mom's for Christmas and Jp's not much of a Christmas guy.  This means that without those traditions, I have to find a way to make it meaningful and memorable on my own. I guess you wouldn't really be surprised to know that right now besides typing on my computer,  I'm doing the laundry because 1) it needs to be finished and 2) I don't know what else I'm supposed to be doing on Christmas morning. And later today I'll roast a chicken since a whole turkey is too big for us and I wanted more than just turkey breast this year.

I know not everyone celebrates (if they even celebrate at all) the way TV or the movies show it happening, at least I'm pretty sure it doesn't happen that way. How do you spend your Christmas day?

And now for some Trivia:

The first recorded celebration of this now biggest Christian holiday took place in Rome, Italy, in 336 A.D. The first Christ Mass was officiated by Pope Sixtus III in 435. The first three states to declare December 25 a legal holiday were Southern states: Louisiana (1831), Arkansas (1831) and Alabama (1836). Six other states would follow and by 1870, Christmas was declared a U.S. Federal holiday.

Hurry up and wait

Today I am crocheting some boot toppers (not exactly these ones, but you get the idea)  - which is basically an accessory  that goes around the top of your knee high boot for decoration, so you don't have to necessarily wear a heavy sock in your boot but it looks like you do - kinda like a dickie for your leg (I wonder how many people still wear dickies or for that matter how many know what one is?)

My work in progress:

But I'm in a weird place today because it seems so slow going - it can't be done quick enough. I have so many things I have to do and want to do but can't get them all done. For personal projects and for my little shop.

Perhaps this is because of some recent events -two of which are personal stories of my brother - a friend with inoperable brain tumours is suddenly not able to work and no longer able to take care of his children; my brother's closest friend and business partner just suddenly died last week; my dance instructor was re-ended by a drunk driver at a red light(severe whiplash); a co-worker who's 22 year old daughter who was a busy model and semi-professional volleyball player, lost her battle with cancer just after graduating from university; as well as other tragedies currently on the news - it seems to serve as a reminder that life is very short and we can't delay anything! And I am so far behind.

No, I'm not having a panic attack but I do feel that I need to expedite things. And then it's the holiday season so I'm torn between "hey, relax, it's Christmas" and "there are so many things to do!"
How many batches of cookies do I want to make? and how many kinds? And how many more presents can I afford to buy? And "who did I forget?" And, and, and...

Eeep, are you feeling it as well?

 Any solutions? Suggestions? 

And this song has been going through my head for the past 24 hours:



I was taught this song in elementary school, why did it pop into my head now? Is it a Christmas song as well?

There IS an "I" in Team

Oh this is positively brilliant. 

Fortunate or Unfortunate? or both?

At the end of our meal in a  Chinese Restaurant our fortunes were placed on a little tray with the bill - but strangely, one package had no fortune - only a puffy air filled bag. Laughingly we  showed our server who grabbed a bag from the bowl to replace it, and then we got two-in-one!

As William Shatner would say "Weird or What?" 

Oh and what did the fortunes say? 

One said: Now is a good time to try something new

and the other: If you go fishing, your catch will be plentiful

One man's garbage...

Today is garbage day in my neighbourhood and during my walk with Eco it's kinda fun to see what types of things are in people's recycling (in this community, we combine all our recyclables in transparent blue bags to be sorted elsewhere) - the types of pop people drink, or brand of coffee, or the number of fast food containers, etc. But there's another thing that often ends up at the end of the driveway -usually several days before garbage day - and that's other unwanted items that I assume people put out there in hopes that someone else will come along and take it. Now in cities this isn't a new concept - there are plenty of stories around the internet about terrific scores people have found in their alleys -  in downtown New York or LA or other high density living areas  -  and how they take these unwanted tables, chairs, dressers etc and clean them up and repaint them and voila - a beautiful decorating item for the cost of a can of paint!!!

But it never used to occur in the suburb, or does it? Is this common in your neighbourhood too? Do you often see  boxes of items at the end of people's driveways - or living room chairs, or cat scratching posts or coffee makers etc? Or is it just some embarrassing situation that happens in my neighbourhood only?

London Olympics- I just want to say this

[Oh oh, here I go again. Okay, just so you know I have no interest in turning this into a political blog, nor do I have any desire to run for politics, but I just feel that I need to say this too, and then I promise I'll go back to my light and fluffy content.]

The 2010 Olympics were here in Vancouver and there were many stories that came to light related to the advertising and rules related to the Olympics. For example, a restaurant who, for many years, had used the name "Olympic" in front of some neon rings for signage was ordered they must change their name and log as they were not allowed to use the word or the coloured rings without the proper approval. And they were told they had to make this change immediately or face large fines. (a bit heavy handed don't you think?)

Who are these committee people that travel around the world every two years dictating and controlling advertising and business? That get wined and dined on tax-payers money while they 'think' about where the next best location may be. 

Did you know that two weeks prior to the Olympics there is a ban to prevent advertising containing athletes that are promoting products not officially approved by the Olympics? And now there is talk that you might not be allowed into an event if you're wearing branded clothing that is not an official sponsor?  You've paid hundreds of dollars to get into the event and then you're banned because you have a Pepsi t-shirt and Coca-Cola is the official sponsor? I understand the concept and see where they are coming from but I really think they are controlling waaayy too much, and worse yet - we're letting them!!!! 

Tickets for the Vancouver Winter Games were absolutely out of this world, and people raced the clock to buy up all that they could. Why? I don't understand. I guess I need to be a sports fan to understand that everything else much come in front of someone skiing down a hill. No, they didn't find the cure for cancer or vaccinate children from Polio - that doesn't make big business money, does it? 

Who do these people think they are? And why are we giving them so much power? It really concerns me that they can control so much, and that we just let them. Cities pay thousand of dollars just to bid, and big business thinks that when the Olympics come to their town it will yield millions in revenue for tourism and related trades. But they never seem to remember what it costs a city.Vancouver displaced hundred of low-income people because they were living in an area that someone  decided was going to be an Olympic Village.  In the Province of British Columbia, the Olympics was funded largely by making huge cuts to Education and Medicine. Sadly the people most affected by these cuts do not have big enough voices to stop the machine. 

Has the Olympics been to your city and how did it affect the average person? Do you think they're going to ban me from using the "O" word so many times without proper approval?

Edit - Friday night  was the opening ceremonies, but the 11:00 news show  I normally watch, couldn't show anything because it was illegal. That's even how the newscasters said it. 

mankind is confused

We live in very confusing times - on the one had people are bombarded with silly pranks that win them money or fame or other things from TV or radio or internet, and along with that we really don't know what is what.

For example:  the shooting Thursday night in Colorado - a very tragic event indeed. I understand the shooter was dressed in a costume and had what theatre staff was replica guns, sadly that was not the case. And sadly 12 people who were doing nothing but sitting in a theatre lost their lives. Reportedly many people thought that the smoke bomb which started the tragedy was a publicity stunt - and really, how could they think otherwise? Too many times they've been shown that a failure to be curious has cost them the prize. That the furry thing that brushed against them in the dark was a doll head and if they completed the correct sequence of behaviours, they could've won something. Or if they only poked that person on the street they wouldn't have been embarrassed by a hidden camera, etc. By the sounds of it, this 24 year old man didn't look so out of place as he walked into and around the theatre - how could anyone have known what fate lay ahead?

Sure con-men and crooks have existed as long as man, but there was a time when a 'gentleman's handshake' stood for something. It's no wonder that there is such a prevalence of anti-anxiety medication being taken by not only young to old, but also our pets. Society has bombarded everyone and everything with so many inputs - SOUND! COLOUR! MUSIC! VIDEO! FLASHING LIGHTS! and on and on. In general, it seems that most people don't really know how to relax. And they also don't know what's expected of them and surely this is all leading to a very anxious and nervous and stressed out society. And not only do these factors take a toll on the body but they result in other things such as weight gain, or loss of sleep and the negative impact just snowballs from there. The way things are going, it's not looking so good for the humans. Forget that we're overpopulating the planet and depleting it's resources as we (in North America at least) tend to live a very wasteful lifestyle. Forget threats to humanity by nuclear war or germ warfare or the West Nile Virus. No, it almost seems like we've just going to implode ourselves, self destruct as it were - unless the vast majority of us can learn to take responsibility for ourselves, and slow down on the consumption of everything and learn  to meditate and learn to be still, and to communicate with one another face to face instead of hiding behind little electronic devices to practically communicate for us.

Forgive me if I sound all 'doom and gloom' but I'm worried for mankind, and perhaps that's what needs to happen as complacency only leads to our downfall, does it not? I remember whenever I had a test in school or college - the times I thought I'd ace it, I didn't and the times I thought I failed, I did much better. So maybe enough people's eyes will soon open and they will take charge or their lives and perhaps we can get a handle on these situations that shouldn't happen at all. But how many wake up calls do we need? Man has come so far in evolving and civilization and knowledge, but yet, in many ways we are more out of touch with our bodies, ourselves, our planet than we have ever have been.


If you had to assign a letter grade to the human race, would would give us? 

The Blurry Line of Right and Wrong

Recently I was talking with a mom who took her kids to the movies for her son's birthday, when the movie they paid for was over they 'snuck' into a second theatre and watched another movie. Her justification was "well if I have to pay $13 per kid I'd better get my money's worth". And I know of another mom who sees nothing wrong with getting copies of bootlegged movies because she feels she doesn't have to pay for them - that the movie companies already make enough money and it's not wrong. Her son has tried to reason with her, he's tried to tell her that it's stealing, but she's better at arguing than he is and always finds a reason to justify it, much to her son's frustration.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not down on mothers and I understand how expensive it can be to pay for all the things kids do, but I am concerned with these issues. My father once told me about "Little Johnny" who was in trouble for stealing a pencil and the parent said "don't steal pencils Little Johnny, I'll bring you some home from work". I am concerned most about the examples that parents set. Again, I acknowledge that I am not perfect and have made errors in judgement just like other people but these parents weren't acknowledging an error they were expressing 'getting their money's worth'. Parents have been known to say their kids are younger than they are so they can get in for free, or pay the kid's fare and not the adult's fare and plenty of other examples .... so do you think this gives kids the wrong lesson or do they learn their lessons in other places so this isn't a big deal?