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.

Things I haven't been doing lately

• Blogging
  
• Reading anything longer then three paragraphs
  
• Going to the library
• Thinking creatively
• Feeling well
• Not loosing things on a regular basis
• Reading other people's blogs
• Exercising patience
• Cleaning the house
• Taking care of the overgrown garden
• Listening to the radio
• Thinking
• Under reacting
• Eating appropriately
• Laundry
  

And what do I have to say for myself?

This will not be a Michael Jackson post. Nor a Farrah post. And yes, I'm still alive.

We had a wee bought of maladie at this end, folllowed by a larger bout of construction (three walls to be exact). Followed by end of school activities, a CPR assessment, more school (professional development for me), a weekend out of the province (not that big a deal, it was to get my fill of guilt visiting the mothership at the cottage).

I had been meaning to post about all those things, but I was a bit disconnected for a while (see second subject in second paragraph.) Kind of hard to do bloggy stuff when your computer is scattered across three rooms.

How have you all been?

You know you've got a bad case of insomnia when ...

or, it's 4 o'clock and all is well ...

You know you've got a bad case of insomnia when ...

• you willingly scoop the cat box at 3:30 in the morning, just to have something to do
• you decide that 3:35 a.m. is a reasonable time to start tackling the mountain of laundry you've been eye balling for the past week
• you're contemplating doing gardening work, but don't because a) you might wake up the neighbhors, and b) it seems a bit creepy poking around in the garden at 3:45 in the morning\
• you make to do lists for the day that you know are going to be impossible to complete because of the fatigue that is bound to set in, ... and you do it any way
• you've been absent from regularly posting to your blog and you're posting at 4 in the morning!
  

The end of the world as I know it

Spent the weekend tending to Child Unit #1 who has a suspected case of pig flu. That part wasn't bad. The reintegration of food into a stomach that hadn't seen anything for the better part of a few days - now that was bad. Add divadom on top of that. I heart sleep, even in those stolen moments in the washroom, though the creases on my face are a bit hard to explain.

Though I'm not in full-blown panic (I might very well be in another hour or so), I write my French grammar exam for the third time tomorrow. This time I think things have stuck. Or something has shifted, (or it's the cold and flu medication,) 'cause I'm doing much better on my practice exams. Let's see if we can apply it tomorrow morning at 8:15 a.m.

Tomorrow is also Child Unit #2's birthday. She'll be 11. My baby. My former angry baby is 11. She's a lot less angry and is probably my favorite blue-eyed daughter. Lots of talent. Lots of patience. Lots of gerbils running upstairs. She's going to do something pretty darned interesting in this life time - write stories, help little old men cross the street, sing at the National Arts Centre (she's already done that one). You go girl.

So, her ice cream cake and gravy is ready to go for dessert. She's already received one of her birthday presents. (I think that makes it WebKinz #53 or #54 - hey she gets them from her friends for presents too!) She'll get a bit more attention at school tomorrow, then some more from us. It'll be a nice day. A good day for her. Maybe I'll stop by the liquor store after we get her birthday pictures for a bottle of Dan Acroyd's label. I'll freaking need it after the last couple of weeks I had.

For any of you who happen to be looking for an update to the Gallery side of things. It's coming; it's just really really really late. So late that it might be July by the time I get things up. In the mean time, swing by for tea or walk around the parameters of the house. Though the garden hasn't got any attention this year (no seeds have made it to ground yet), I am starting a public art display.

BTW - for any of you in my area that are looking for a cool way to volunteer, Nat is looking for some road supervisors for the upcoming race in July.

Apparently I am falling off the end of the world

Or so it feels like.

I'd like to blame it on having to prepare and write for my third wack at French grammar exams. It's a deficit. It's my huge deficit. Alas, it's not the only one.

End of year stuff has got me a bit tied in knots. Three of my kids only have three weeks of school left. On one side, that's very good. On the other, I need to come up with a transition plan for the one who needs it to reduce anxiety. It's going to be a bad September. I'm just saying.

I also have the change of the month kind of things. I'm behind posting the new exhibition on the Kitchen Wall. Physically it's there, virtually (on-line) it isn't. Maybe I can get my act together tonight after the Arts Committee meeting. Though there's also getting ready for The 'Burg's Best Bargins sale this weekend. (An attempt, though albeit a bit of a weak one of trying to give the Great Glebe Garage Sale a run for its money.)

I think things would be a hell of a lot better if I could throw open the windows and not feel like I have to put a polar fleece on (thank small gawds for that invention though!).

Or maybe I just need a clone. I've got another friend working on that. She said she'd ordered hers. I'm waiting to find out where she got it, and if she likes the model. I might just request a clone of hers if everything works out.

It helps if you remember your password

So life is in full swing. The last few weeks have been running, running, running. Few fatalities, except for reformatting a memory stick that had some information that's not replaceable. Ugh and oh well.

But things are going to get quieter, maybe.

All I need now is some sleep.

For the last couple of weeks, sleep has been fleeting. We made it past the wild weekend of people traffic.

Friday night was pizza night and we fed, oh, about 28 people. Fun. Entertaining. No biggy. Looking forward to the next one too.

Saturday was a bigger then life day though. Not one, but two birthday parties. Child Unit 3 was first up to bat with a handful of five year olds. A home based party was held. It was good. Easy. Incredibly easy. Too easy.

With a one hour break, most of the kidlets were picked up except for one. Again, no biggy, except that this child was feeling the affects of not seeing his parental units for 24 hours.

The hour of respite passed quickly and the second wave of older kids came through. Eight girls were shuttled into the upper regions of the house, with their personal items and gifts for the birthday girl. Giggling ensued while they realized we'd kept the surprise party a secret from Child-Unit 2.

We all went off to the artistic activity. Coordinated the drop-off of Cu-2. And SURPRISE!

It was a beautiful thing.

We trucked back through the hood. Upon hitting the door, I was confronted by The Huz who's temple veins were throbbing. He was ready to skin some children.

As the lore that will be told in the future goes, one of the "little people" got into the guests' room and TRASHED it. And I mean trashed it. It was a neighbor who spotted one of the kids smearing something white (turned out to be yoghurt) on the window. Gifts were open, nothing was left untouched.

That wasn't pretty.

Funny though, it's like the universe was conspiring; I was totally calm, with a real laissez-faire attitude. What should have been a screaming match turned out to be manageable, no big deal, particularly in the face of nine potentially hysterical kids. We made it through. All was good.

It's got to be one of the weirdest events that's happened to me. I'm never calm, at least not like that.

Good stuff that I was back to normal my Monday!

Long weekends

Long weekends are just opportunities for me to do a bit more work, but taking it in a different direction.

This weekend was good for that. First there was the intervention where two girl friends and I went for breakfast, followed by several hours of torture, but fun torture, if bra shopping can be called fun. I'd never been sized (apparently it's not much more then I dreamed about), and hadn't had that much attention given to my frontal apparitions EVER. It was interesting.

As the klingons were out at the cottage with The Huz, I had part of the afternoon to myself. So I goofed off, folded laundry, and watched home shows until my shift at the Great Canadian Theatre Company for a Third Wall production of Henry V. OMGoodness, what a fantastic production. Their use of lighting, sets and movement. Wow. If you're in the 'hood and get the chance ... GO! Fan-freaking-tastic.

I got a late late pick-up from The Huz and got trucked out to cottage country where life is slower and people are a lot more relaxed. Well, all except for me, which the mothership regularly pointed out. (Mind you my stress level may have been a bit high as she held back for a full 20 minutes before deciding to pick at me. Thanks Mom. That just might be a record!)

Sunday was spent on photographing other artist's work to get ready for a show I'm organizing for the long weekend in August. It was a working weekend, which, I have to say to some degree, I enjoy.

For fear of turning this blog entry too much into an itinerary (again, thanks to Mom for claiming all my conversations turn out like those with her ex-husband (my bio-father) - an itinerary, I'll say that Monday was not a day of running around after artists (just because they'd not shown up in the community yet to open their cottages ;-). Instead, I stormed out of the house a couple of times because, in trying to have a conversation with The Huz, I had to field getting advice about my body language and word choice from interested parties who shall remain nameless.

A funny anticdote for those who know of some of the trials we've been having with CU-4 ... the child who never sleeps: I took him out with me on a long long walk, to tire him out. The Huz decided he needed to follow me, for what ever reason (I think it has something to do with him watching A Street Car Named Desire one too many times). So we're walking along, with CU-4 between us who stopped chattering a long time ago. The kid is walking and sleeping at the same time. How do I know this? His eyes are closed, and, when we get back to the landing pad, and tuck him into a cozy bed, he's up 10 minutes later.

Man. I'm buying cheaper replacement batteries for this kid next time.

Happy birthday child unit three

Yes baby girl. You're five!

I'm not dead yet

I've got what feels like a crushing schedule of things to get done, sprinkled with last minute requests from the children. It's all ok though. A lot of one-of things. It's the long term stuff, like grocery shopping and folding of laundry that are such suck holes of time.

Happy belated M-day to the women of the world. In all capacities, I see all women as needing to be marked that day in that we all take care of the world and it's members. Don't be too concerned gents, your day comes next month, and you'll probably get better weather for it too.

So, on this end of things, I'm taking a break from the laundry (the mountain is heaped on the kitchen table), and I'm pseudo supervising Child Unit 2 who is making cookies for a after-school spa event, where the girls are going to do each others nails, and put yoghurt on their faces and eat cookies. Pretty empowering stuff. I wish I did that at my after school program. I roughly remember learning to do cross-titch unsupervised. Oh the thrills!

Once I get that unit off to la la land, I'll start in on the laundry, and maybe the French again. Yes, again. Though I passed 2/3rds of the exam, I keep missing the written part by just a few points. 4 points the first time for a pass, 3 points for the second time. I figure I just need to do the exam four more times and I'll get my B-levels ;-).

So, I'm around, just a bit buried. How are you doing?

Amuse you

If you're in the area, the vernisage is May 2 from 2-5!

Delinquants are us

Oh hell, it's been a whole week since I've last posted. It's not like I've been sitting around twittling my thumbs though.

The weather's been crap and I've been trying to work around that. My attitude has matched the weather, though, thanks to Xup I've finallly shaken the ridiculous Spring cold.

In between I've been wearing out my Keds.

In my part-time job, I've lined up three exhibitions of my photography. All for the month of May. Talk about raining and pouring.

I've also been trying to work through the issues of a neighbor who equates garden boxes with increased grade on the yard which might flood the basement when it rains ...

Then there are a couple of committee meetings that are having activities that are coming to fruition, for which I need to actually show up, and or do something, then there is making plans to check out the Women in Business trade show, the Parkdale Church Spring rummage sale (that's ALWAYS worth a trolling through), running kids to their perspective Saturday morning haunts and jaunts, as well as some tag-team kid care with a neighbor so that she can have some quality time with herself.

And I can't forget the ill fated French writing exam that I have to repeat. (Apparently trying to learn French makes me angry. Is that a surprise? I like to think so. I just thought it was the real me!)

Mix this all up in a big red bowl and add a tich of a job interview (for The Huz, not me, not yet), planning a couple of birthday parties (one is a surprise party for an 11 year old), a newly-teenaged boy who smells way to "spicy" for his own good, and winning tickets from J, life feels like it's headed for a worm hole! But in a good way.

I wouldn't be Canadian if

I wouldn't be Canadian if I didn't complain about the weather.

I've had a freaking head/sinus/allergy attack for what feels like three months. Last weekend I was hoping to set out the hammock, wrap myself up in a blanket, and let the child-units go free range while I bake in the sun and burn off the infection and soak up some vitamin D.

But NooooOOOooooo. Freaking wind was drawing a cooler wind off the water and I had visions of pulling out the itchy red woolen underwear again.

It was only by 4:30 Monday afternoon that it had warmed up enough for me to pull out a plastic lawn chair and sit, facing the mud-trodden space of yard that I dream will some day be a romantic garden space lush with flowers and vegetables to watch as the child-units trudged and trampled and packed the earth down just a bit firmer. I love my garden elves. Pack away dear ones, the garden is there for you to enjoy too.

Sigh. Child hood. There are several days where I wish I could go back and do some things over again.

Things I learned Easter weekend

We have rats.


Wine and laundry are an excellent combination.


If you can't find the youngest child unit, CHECK THE BEDS!

I also learned:

• Helman's Salad Spritzers CAN be used as a pre-tanning application. It gives such a glorious yellow pre-glow to skin.
  
  
• Bumps on the chest of an adolescent girl do not automatically mean she's got Cancer. (Yes, that was a pre-wine jump to conclusion when the said child mentioned it.)

Finally, happy Easter from Child Unit 4. (It was a busy day.)