Crazy is as crazy does

Here it is 10:30 Wednesday night. My had hasn't hit the pillow before 11:45 p.m. (and that's early) for over six weeks now.

I'm currently rebuilding/reposting pictures to the Arts for Autism web site because of another denial of service attack on the hosting provider. FRACK!

And, lets not forget that Hallowe'en is in a couple of sleeps. CU-2 is going to be crowned the week of procrastination. We went through multiple costumes already - the only chick with a name from Astrisk, then it was James Bond, then ... Madonna when she painter herself silver (for an album cover). (Let's not forget that I started to pull these costume parts together for the silver-spoon princess!) Tonight she decided on a maid. She's French, so it will be a French Maid costume ... it's amazing what I can do with a curtain and a prayer. I'll be stitching something up tonight, and here's hoping a run to the local Dollarama is fruitful. (Where else am I going to find doillies, ribbon and a feather duster??!!)

And I'm still not done the cat costume for CU-3. Thank small gawds that CU-4 hasn't expressed an opinion this year. I'll break it to him Friday morning that he's going in Spiderman pjs.

Timing flies

I really can't believe how quickly time flies between posts. Maybe it's that my life isn't that exciting. (Or maybe it is and I'm just distracted ;-)

This week was a lot of full ofs ...

My aunt passed away Tuesday and I've been communications manager for my mother, where possible. I wished I could have gotten away to the States and had accompanied her on the trip, to help out and run errands and what not for her. That was not possible. My brother drove the eight hour trip in and was very helpful I hear.

Back-to-back and stacked meetings had me on the treadmill. As Grandma C pointed out, with me, it doesn't rain, but floods a la Kanata. Backwash and all.

I did get the installation up Tuesday afternoon (it already feels like a million years ago that this was done). Now it's to let travelers know there is something to be seen at Gate 14!

Though my to do list is growing, I've been able to pull of some long days and scrape stuff off. The level of satisfaction is huge. HUGE I tell you. It makes feeling running on the spot so less mundane. (Packing four to six lunches a night is just nothing to write home about unless it's a box lunch for Julia Child's cook book.)

One thing that I have been able to squeeze in again is reading. I've got the regular pile by the bedside. Most of the titles are lurching towards the return date without a page being turned. There is one that I've been dragging around with me, just because. It's one of those books where I'd buy one for every woman friend and man friend if I could afford. It's "I'd trade my husband for a housekeeper: loving your marriage after the baby carriage". Run run run to the library and request a copy. I feel, frequently as I read this book, that I am talking to one of my girlfriends who's being straight-up with me. There are many OMG moments that may help me with other relationships I struggle with. I guess that's all to say - it's worth a look-see, if you are in any type of relationship, and if you care of my opinion of books.

I'm back

After 28 hours in the car, I've touched the Eastern part of Canada. We crossed through four provinces and didn't once want to come to blows with one another.

That's not to say I'm going to do another trip with my compatriots. It was a learning experience.

Even before we left I had a dreaded feeling. Passive-aggressive comments. Whining. I thought I was leaving the kids behind for a three day road trip with The Divas. Well it was a trip.

To highlight some of the fun stuff:

Mrs. Dunster's Donuts - they haven't changed in 20+ years. Just as yummy.

Greco Pizza's donairs - we snuck out the first night there after tucking in The Diva's. I couldn't wait and had to get one into my system. OMG it was good. Beyond good. Excellent and I miss it already.

Louis' Excellent Used Clothing - a experience in and of itself and the whole reason for the trip. 10 full outfits later, plus a dozen t-shirts for Child Unit 4, a half-dozen pair of pants for the same child, six dresses and a pair of shoes for Child Unit 3, a hoody and dress for Child Unit 2 and a pile of clothes (including an Issac Mizrahi jacket) for the weekend caretaker goddess. I do believe it was a good haul and justified the trip.

Now, the hard part. Back to reality.

The Huz starts school tomorrow which should be the crowning glory for a "Better eat my Wheaties" day. Back-to-back-to-back meetings not just tomorrow but all week that extend to my evening time. I don't usually schedule my life this full. Things just sort of happened. I think I need to get some one else to arrange my dance card ...

Anyway. It's not bad. Just busy. And a bit busier then I'd hoped for. It's just that kind of September.

Here is one thing that is on top of the pile, and might be of interest to some of you in the area:
Autism Ontario Cycle of Autism is a fun fundraising event spent bicycling around the city. If nothing else, come by and say "hey". I'll be there, some where!!

Sigh

I don't know what to call this post. I started off with "Phew" then switched to "On the road again" then "Fried".

I'm all of these things.

I just finished reframing about two dozen or so photographs for a solo show I'm mounting at the McDonald-Cartier International Airport next week. If you're passing my gate 14, drop in and take a look.

I haven't begun to pack for a weekend-long jaunt East. Earlier this summer a friend had again suggested taking a road trip East to shop at her favorite store, Margolians. Apparently it's like a Frenchies, but better??!! So, we made plans, which expanded to include another friend and The Huz as driver. The time has come to put things in motion. This time tomorrow we should be approaching Montreal, the children should be fast asleep under the watchful eye of a dear friend, and well, everything should be in it's place for the kids to line up and shoot out the door to their perspective places for the day and weekend. Here's hoping.

It's a crazy trip - 14 hours one way, not counting stops. We expect to be back Monday mid-day, I hope 'cause the show's installation is Tueday afternoon.

I'm not yet excited because, well, possibly because I'm too tired. I had to start in on Grade 7 home work tonight, review Grade 6 homework, and try to deflect a senior K melt down because some one keeps thinking she can stay up later then she should.

Anyway. I'm out here. I'm trying to get out there more often. If I survive this weekend, it's my goal to start posting twice a week so that at least grandma C gets some decent conversation fodder with her son ;-).

See y'all when I get back.

I once had a simplier life

I consider myself a Luddite by persuasion.

I'd prefer not to have a cell phone (though it is handy when The Huz has gone off on a 7 a.m. grocery run and has left the list behind).

I like reading books made of paper. I don't own an iPod and wouldn't really know what to do with one. My five year old knows how to work the TV and time shifting better than me. The 2.5 year old knows how to program the VCR! Both my mother-in-law and mother are on Facebook now. I'm slipping farther and farther behind in my knowledge of technology.

The goofy thing is that I worked in hard core Technical Writing for over 12 years.

Today, well, tonight, I just figured out that I had yet another email address associated to an organization for which I am volunteering. I hadn't checked the email since it was established for me 2 months ago. There was/is a lot on my to do list now ... urg.

What really kicks my can though is that I now have collected no fewer then six email addresses. I really don't want that many and don't want to have to manage them. (The email function I looked at tonight didn't advise as to how to forward emails to my work address ...)

How do you all stay on top of your technology?

August

So, it's like been almost the entire summer, like since I posted.

Like, I feel like such a dork.

Ok. I never was a Valley Girl (being from New Brunswick I wasn't sure what that meant. Since moving to Ottawa, I've got a better understanding ;-).

The throw back is possibly a result of a lot of flash backs I've been having of late. I found THE HORRIFIC PICTURE of me and my date, Doug (who was a bit of a big boy, though taller, dark and handsome at the time) and I at our Junior-Senior prom. Funny the coincidence of it all, I'd been talking to my senior daughter the previous week about boyfriends in high school, and that she'll have NOooo problem finding some one to like her for her looks, plus ...

When the subject turned to me, well, lets just say I was the ugly duckling. I brought swans into this world.

So, what a way to start a blog entry from being away for a while. It's been, well, been.

At the begining, I was suffering from flu-like symptoms and general malaise that just seemed to grow and grow into a big grey mass. I figure I might have been suffering from fatigue. Maybe a bit of burn out from a transitional June. Maybe grey-day syndrome, as I seem to have picked up again now that we've had a bit of sun.

During that time I survived two more reno projects - one is an extension of our kitchen into the former glorified hallway / study / computer space which involved three walls being some what removed, and a lot of fine wood working craftmanship (thank you Robert). The second reno that's coming to fruition is the replacement of windows that have been sealed for six years. Thanks to a timely pot of funds that I wasn't expecting, I was able to replace the windows with garden doors and screen in my porch to expand the living space. It's glorious to have air again.

Also during the time away I've been working on boosting the bottom line for local businesses through a post card project. So far it's had mixed results. I'm thinking that unsolicited help and a gift to a business would be a good thing, however, every one is looking for a catch. Oh well. I did obtain a grant to continue the work, which will just about cover the costs of printing.

Then there's the arts show I coordinated at the begining of August over in Quebec. That was well received and I would hazard to suggest that it was a success with all the artists making a sale or two.

There was also the fun and fabulous 5k run through the neighborhood. I had two runners in the event this year. Both doing quite well for, well, for no training. Basically they walked out the door, to the starting line on race day and went at er. Senior girl ran the 5k in about 29 minutes. The Huz covered the same distance in a respectable 35 minutes. I've been told the expectation is for me to do it next year. I'm thinking I'll put Junior girl in the 1k and _maybe_ escort her. Though, there's always a need for barrier wardens ...

The last three weeks of my away time was part of my summer "staycation" holidays. I took first and third week of this period, while The Huz took the middle week. The first week was a bit bumpy, but not too bad. I had seven or eight in tow and they were able to mostly play well with each other. My second week was harder as, for the most of the week I just had "the twins". My 2.5 year old, and my neighbors 3+ year old. Man the threes are just not a kind year on responsbile adults! Let me tell you, going back to work IS my vacation. Kudos to those women and men who's calling is to stay at home and/or care for the wonderkins. I don't know how you do it.

I'm expecting to try to be around more, now that the weather is cooling off a bit and school starts (for my kids next week). The routine is going to change a bit with three kids in one school and the eldest starting at the high school (Grade 7 gets quarintined from the 9 through 12s, they share walls though.)

This fall should be interesting. I'm trying to cut back on some activities and sort out others, to get the time to read again, and maybe stop teasing PC that I'm going to take up drawing again. Maybe ...

I think what is really triggering that is a project that junior daughter and I are participating in at the locale community centre. It's working with clay, and it's about making our community ... for the last two Tuesdays we designed our house in clay. It will be dried and added to a larger, city-wide display. Kind of neat.

Also creatively, I'm currently working on organizing an event at the Patrick John Mills Contemporary Art Gallery for November - Arts for Autism is the name of the event. It's a fund raiser. I'll be putting out a call for arts on ArtEngine shortly. That being said, feel free to spread the word. There is a receipt-in-kind for artists who's work is accepted.

And, I may have another solo show in the making. I need to confirm with the currator of the space tomorrow.

I'm also not loosing hope of finding another space for a group show ... I figure that one will come together in good time.

Alas, it sounds like I'm dumping a lot of things on my plate again. I'm trying not to, unless, of course updating here is one of the things.

Which reminds me ... we got a dog. Jasper is his name. He helps me out a lot. Smart thing. Never had a dog before that could fetch. One of our rituals has been that before he's crated for the night I throw his dog toy and he watches while I go get it for him. It's highly entertaining for both of us.

On that note. It's later then I need it to be and it's time to sign off.

Happy reading.

I'm still here

I just needed a break from technology.