One of my goals this year is to introduce myself to new music. There was a time in my not-so-distant past where I was a real music junky and was on the up and up re: new bands and local shows. These days I’m lucky if I remember to turn on the stereo. So, starting today I am going to turn on the stereo (or iTunes as the case may be today) and spend the week visiting music I haven’t listened to before. This week’s pick is:
The Supreme Genius of King Khan and the Shrines.
There is a bit of a back-story with this pick.
Stretch /strech/ def: (verb) to draw out or extend (oneself, a body, limbs, wings, etc.) to the full length or extent.
photo by i love trees on flickr
I won’t lie - it’s been a rough day. This sinus cold is kicking my posterior and I’m trying hard not to let the cough settle into my chest. Our party last night was great and even though I was feeling pretty ill I had a really good time. I was hoping to wear my pretty dress again it was definitely a night for jeans, sweaters, warm socks and my hands firmly wrapped around a hot drink when they weren’t reaching for a box of tissue. It is, after all, a very casual affair we throw. Moira slept through it all in a playpen in our bedroom (we used her room for coat collection and additional space since it is beside the living room) - she’s a trooper that one.
2008 was nuts in so many ways. I’m only realizing now how stressful it was for the Mister with all the changes he had to make, jobs interviews he had to go through, temporary jobs, a wife giving birth/going through major surgery and a new baby. We went into 2008 unemployed, pregnant and facing a world of unknowns. Moira will insure that our life stays nuts for decades but we face 2009 with a bit more stability and a bit of parental experience behind us. I’m optimistic about 2009 and, thankfully, not the type of person who thinks how you spend New Year’s is indicative of how the rest of your year is going to be. I have a cold - big whoop, these things happen. Nor am I particularly upset about being so sick on my 33rd birthday. I wouldn’t have been doing all that much today other than recovering from the party - although I did have a couple crying fits which had nothing to do with turning older and everything to do with needing to lay down and rest my achy body and throbbing head. It would have been nice to go for a walk but sitting here on the couch eating pie and drinking tea is pretty damn nice too. Moira is asleep and my next task is to take a really hot shower and steam up my lungs. My resolutions don’t start on the 1st anyway - my birthday gives me a days grace which is why, if you want to know the truth, this is my second piece of pie.
And the first two don’t count.
Remember how I said I was sick. Well, I either jumped into the past tense too soon or I am sick again. Either way I spent 3 1/2 hours at the walk-in clinic yesterday to get some antibiotics to combat the tonsils of doom and hope that this sinus infection goes away.
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Here, in all its glory, is the end of year survey to give me a hand summing up this past year of which so many of my memories have been lost in a sleep deprived haze.
1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?: I think this one is pretty obvious - had a baby.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?: Knowing what was ahead of me I only made one real resolution: Have a baby. I didn’t even bother with my 32 in 32 list. One of the things I really wanted to do was knit the Wrackspurt (remember how we used to call her that?) a blanket and I did - but after I finished it I didn’t really like it anymore AND it has a hole in it that I need one of my super adept knitting friends to fix for me. Yes, I will make more for next year - although I am wondering about the whole 33 in 33 thing, the number just keeps getting higher as I get older - who would have thought? I don’t consider that I list of resolutions though - just things I would like to work on.
One of my resolutions for this year will be to NOT get pregnant.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?: Last year when I found out I was pregnant I knew NO ONE else who was having babies or who had babies (who wasn’t related to me and/or who lived in town - and even those children aren’t babies anymore). Since then my friends Jen, Melinda, Danielle and Stacy have given birth. The funniest/saddest (?) part is that I probably know Jen and Melinda better than Danielle and Stacy and I met them both through the blogosphere (our Diaryland days oh-so-many years ago) and neither of them live in town.
4. Did anyone close to you die?: Hamish.
5. What countries did you visit?: Well, Nova Scotia seems like another country…
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?: Sleep. Energy. Smaller boobs. Tighter ass.
7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?: April 8th (obvious)
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?: Well, Moira is still alive and kicking (and biting) and I think we are doing a pretty good job with her. Starting up my other website was a pretty big achievement too.
9. What was your biggest failure?: Not going swimming often enough.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?: Okay, please don’t hate me for saying this but I had never been so healthy in my life as I was when I was pregnant. I know everyone gets sick and spends all of their time puking but maybe it was because I spent a lot of time being sick before getting pregnant that I got a break. So no, nothing serious. That being said, this December has been rather rough on me health-wise.
11. What was the best thing you bought?: Food? Nursing bras that fit properly? I didn’t buy much this year.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?: My Mother! For coming over every day (almost) for the six weeks after Moira was born, for driving me around while I healed, for bringing me food, for watching me cry Every. Single. Day.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?: I’ve been living in a bubble and staying away from politics and the news so I can’t think of anyone right now.
14. Where did most of your money go?: Rent, food. At least for most of this year we’ve had money and haven’t been living off of handouts.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?: If by excited you mean excited and totally freaked out my answer would have to be having a baby.
16. What song will always remind you of 2008?: Manic Monday by The Bangles- except we sing “Just another Manic Moira” because that girl can get seriously manic.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?: Happier.
b) thinner or fatter?: Seeing as I am not pregnant - thinner.
c) richer or poorer?: Last year at this time we were both unemployed - now only one of us is! Yay us!
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?: Cooked. Swam. Sex.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?: Worried. Stressed about things I couldn’t control.
20. How did you spend Christmas?: Quietly. We celebrated with both sets of parents early because they were both going away so by the time Christmas Day came about all the presents had been opened (mostly). We didn’t make a big deal out of “baby’s first Christmas” either - sometimes I feel a little guilty about that but I know she doesn’t care and, well, I’ll do better next year.
21. Did you fall in love in 2008?: Over and Over again.
22. What was your favorite TV program?: X-Files. That was the only TV program I watched this year.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?: Who has the energy to hate anyone?
24. What was the best book you read?: As For Me and My House by Sinclair Ross. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. The runner-up would be Late Nights On Air by Elizabeth Hay.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?: Searching out new music wasn’t high on my priority list this year. Hopefully that will change in the coming year.
26. What did you want and get?: A baby.
27. What did you want and not get?: A baby who naps!
28. What was your favorite film of this year?: Wall-E.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?: I do the same thing every year on my birthday - recover from the party we host the night before. This year I turned 32 and we walked/waddled around the neighbourhood. In two days I turn 33.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?: A stable job for the Mister earlier on in the year - particularly him not get jerked around by companies and making him doubt his worth - but whatever, you know? We can’t do anything about it now and with the economy the way it is our mantra now is “at least you have a job!”
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?: Post partum. (Yikes!)
32. What kept you sane?: How about who - The Mister.
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?: Who has time for this either?
34. What political issue stirred you the most?: Obama getting elected was pretty fascinating. Still, I didn’t pay that much attention to politics this year.
35. Who did you miss?: My parents, my sister and her family.
36. Who was the best new person you met?: Moira.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. Everything they tell you about babies is wrong.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. I can’t think of one.
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Tomorrow is going to be busy busy with me trying to exhaust myself tidying the apartment before our annual New Year’s Eve/Birthday Party and the Mister trying to get me to relax and not wear myself out before the guests come. Don’t you love traditions?
See you in 2009.
I feel like I don’t have much to say these days. Things have been busy with Christmas parties, a Christmas wedding in Banff (so beautiful!) and me still feeling under the weather. Only yesterday did I finally feel like I was over the sickness hump - I think it took me three weeks (off and on) to get there. The year is winding down and with the impending New Year/Birthday I am spending time reflecting on what a crazy year this has been. The Mister has been off work and we are camping out in the living room having pizza picnics on the floor and watching the Christmas classics: Die Hard 1 & 2 (as well as the Harry Potter movies). It is just what we needed.
Scenes from the Christmas wedding:
I’m usually not the palest out of the three of us - I was feeling pretty rough that day.
There is a story behind Moira’s Christmas outfit and when I am feeling better I will share it.
I was a little nervous about bringing Moira to the wedding but, as usual, she was her charming self when we were in public. She slept all the way home from Banff too but then made me pay for it later that night by being over tired and super fussy (read: screaming). We only had to quiet her down during the ceremony because she wanted to talk too.
The photos of the three of us were taken by my friend Dave, the wedding photographer - who I will have to hit up for a photo of the bride and groom since I didn’t have the energy to take many photos that day.
I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday.
Moira’s whining reached a fever pitch today and so we ventured out in the -24oC temperatures (-33oC if you factor in the wind chill) and walked around the neighbourhood for an hour and a half popping in and out of the shops. We got a lot of walk-by smiles since she was bundled up against my chest and underneath one of the Mister’s coats. The pointy hood of her red coat making it look like I was carrying around a precious gnome. She fell asleep against me for a while and I was tempted to sit down in the local teahouse and treat myself but we had too many layers on and would have over heated in a matter of seconds.
Things have been busy lately. Well, I’ve been under the weather and Moira has been busy. I’m supposed to be at a dinner right now celebrating a friend’s upcoming wedding (Sunday, out of town, Moira is coming, am I crazy?) but the tonsils of doom started swelling up again last night and even though I have been gargling with salt water all day I don’t trust myself to not make it worse by talking all night in a loud restaurant. Also, who wants to be the person who gets the bride sick before her wedding? I thought it best that I stay home.
I have been using what free time I have to work on my other website since CBC caught wind of my Book Challenge and has been linking to me. In fact, they are going to be featuring my site in an upcoming blog entry of their own which is, to put it mildly, really freakin’ cool. For you American readers the CBC is the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - kind of like our version of NPR except they are also a TV network. This means the apartment and the Mister are being sorely neglected. The Mister is being very supportive of this venture and as long as I don’t forget to eat too often and don’t stay up too late he doesn’t care that the rest is falling by the wayside. We haven’t even gotten our Christmas tree yet but that has to do with the weather more than anything. The Christmas baking hasn’t been done either. Let’s not talk about the Christmas cards.
The Moira is like a cross between the Energizer Bunny and the rabbit from Monty Python’s Holy Grail - the one that will rip of your face with its teeth. She just keeps going and going and chewing and chewing.
I had a mild flu all weekend and felt the need to be hopped up on copious amounts of acetaminophen and ibuprophen so I could keep the chills and aches away. However, I still managed to spend the entire day yesterday cleaning the apartment - at least those parts of the day when Baby Fang wasn’t whining at me or clinging to my breast with her teeth. Most notably I finally finished her room and hung pictures and an old quilt on her wall (the Mister hopes this will dampen the sound). We are slowly going through the process of shoving our crap into places where she can’t reach organizing the apartment so Moira has more floor space with which to drag herself around.
Moira’s whining has reached new heights lately. This leads me to suspect that she was/is also feeling flu-ish, going through major milestone, (she is on the verge of crawling and is chattering up a storm these days, first words are going to be Dada, translation: Dada thank gawd you are home!) and gets bored of me really easily. When we are at home during the day her interests are: chewing, chewing, chewing, nursing, chewing, chewing, nursing and nursing. Today her whining got so bad I decided we would do two things I can’t stand: 1) leave the apartment when it is -30oC out and 2) go to the Mall in December. I put Little Miss in her crib while I went to warm up the car, came back, calmed her down from being abandoned for five minutes, bundled her into this Valley of the Dolls snowsuit…
Bundled myself up, got to the car… and realized I had locked the car with the keys in it. The car that was currently running. Don’t ask me about the extra keys - that is a sore spot right now. Let’s just say the car ran for an hour until I realized I could pull the driver window out a little bit and thank goodness for skinny arms with no muscle tone.
We never did get out of the apartment. (I’m sure Moira is sick of my whining.)
I have been trying to post this entry since Friday - unfortunately my previous template and dozens of other ones I tried seem to be intent on screwing up the photos and text in such a way that drove me crazy. I even cried a little - but that could also be due to the fact that I have had the flu. Anyway, this is - yet another - temporary template that will be up until I get someone to design something for me that works the way I want.
The Mister’s company Christmas party was at a swank restaurant with a chic 60’s feel to it last night.
What a cutie.
I loved the lighting in this place.
Immediately after this photo was taken the table we were leaning against collapsed. Someone had taken all the screws out from under it. There was an open bar and only appetizers (and the party started at 6 p.m.) which is kind of a recipe for disaster. I’m surprised only the table got hurt (at least as far as I know.) The swanky restaurant with the “fusion cuisine” - while very pretty - wasn’t the best choice for this company. To me Oil Men (and women) = steak and potatos not little sushi rolls. I should know, I grew up in this city.
Here I am trying to get a decent shot of my dress in the bathroom mirror. I was feeling super self-conscious of taking photos of myself in the bathroom but most of the women who came in were staggering drunk and probably wouldn’t care/remember anyway.
I’m thinking I should have tried on the smaller size because the top kept opening up and exposing me. However, these days when I try on clothes all I can see are BOOBS. Boobs everywhere! (Ridiculously lopsided ones at that.) I think what I’ll do is get a nice camisole to go under the dress so I don’t have to worry about showing Moira’s property to the general public. As it was I kept my sweater on and done up over my chest for most of the night. At least my hair is looking awesome these days and has stopped falling out - I’m glad I didn’t chop it.
My other site, RoughingItInTheBooks.com is being featured on Canada Reads Web Redux this week because of the reading challenge I am hosting. I found out about this earlier in the week and spent some time in a panic trying to make the site look prettier plus whipping up that fancy blog button you see in the sidebar. My dream of creating a living making fun of (whilst loving) Canadian Literature is coming to fruition - except for the actual money part. Who needs money when you have books?
I’m feeling like death warmed over today. I’ve been fighting something all week and I think I’ve lost. My throat is sore and scratchy, the tonsils of death are swelling and my knees and back ache - all of which happens when I get the flu (because I’m 80 years old, right?) This sucks on all sorts of levels. The apartment is a disaster and I was hoping to get the Christmas tree up this weekend (and need to clean/make space for it). The forecast calls for temperatures around -25oC until at least Monday and I have been sitting her watching the numbers drop on Forecast Fox. This means we are going to be stuck inside and holy crap Moira is whiney these days. I don’t know if she is getting what I am getting or if tooth #10 is about to rear it’s ugly, extremely pointy, little head but someone please make her stop. Luckily she is down for a nap - I tried to lay down too but visions of TOO MUCH TO DO were dancing in my head.
Would someone please expunge the song Knees Up Mother Brown from my head?
The new Martha Stewart Handmade Holiday magazine is out. I wish I had picked up a copy months ago and, you know, had time to make stuff. Now I have two copies (the new one and the older one from about four years ago) to obsessively thumb through and not make anything from. This blog has some great photos from the magainze. I’m coveting that pig.
Damn it - she’s awake!
Foto Friday is coming up as soon as I can get the photos from last nights Christmas party edited.
What tell-tale signs do you have that you are getting sick?
My place to talk about life, literature, photography, daughters, dogs, and the healing properties of a good cup of tea and a ginger biscuit.
My other website is: 