I need ice cream. Or chocolate, or wine. Dale finished the ice cream during "junk food turnoff" week. Guess he wasn't playing. I was playing, and I was really looking forward to a bowl of ice cream with chocolate sauce tonight. Oh well.
I finished the wine last night. It was from Valentine's day, so it wasn't like I drank the whole bottle at once. And, as we're heading to the "city" tomorrow, it didn't seem sensible to buy a Hamiota bottle of wine (el cheapo) when we're going to leave right away. Besides, I would have had to go to town.
But, there seems to be a Dr. Oetker sample pack of cooked chocolate pudding in my pantry. And some milk to use up. And I think there might even be a wee bit of cool whip left in my aerosol can. So I'm okay. Just a minute, need to get it from the microwave.
Much better.
Hey, isn't the skin the best part of this? I don't know why people don't like the skin. It's kind of slimy, yes, but it is SO good.
If I go to town tomorrow, I'll pick up ice cream. There aren't many disadvantages to living on the farm, but this is pretty close to a food emergency!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
I wish I were a better conspiracy theorist
I'm getting caught up on the blog before I go away for the weekend. Not that I have a particularly active mind today, maybe I need to have some more sugar.
Anyway, I wish I could believe in conspiracy theory. Perhaps alien landings would help me deal with the following problems of the day:
Why the paperless society will never work.
and
Why particleboard consumer goods are crap.
Point 1. Why the paperless society will never work - because people are idiots. Not persons, most persons are okay. People, on the other hand, especially when "organized" into large bodies of bureaucracy, are idiots. I can't believe that every single piece of documentation I send somewhere is abducted by aliens, but maybe if I could, that would help. Then I wouldn't think that all governments and large organizations convert their workers into mindless droids (sorry Ken) who shred everything that comes into their hands. I'll still continue to take copies of everything, however, just so that I can prove that I have sent the paper, even after it follows Jimmy Hoffa.
Point 2. Why consumer goods are crap - because we are losing the art of making things by hand, and as such, we are accepting crap in our houses and workplaces.
In other words, the robots are taking over everything!
I can't come up with any other explanation on why I would have a pantry in my breezeway that will have to go back to the store. I didn't drop it - obviously someone has, heavily. More than once. I can't blame the store - the thing must weigh 100 pounds. And it is six feet tall! Why would that much stuff be in one package? Wouldn't it make more sense to split the goods into more than one package that could be managed more easily? Of course it would, unless you were a robot with super-human strength! So they must be taking over everything. And they can't measure - otherwise why would every "pre-drilled" hole in a piece of kit furniture be off by 1/8 of an inch?
So yes, I do wish I could believe in the paperless society and in quality consumer goods, but until the mind control bots can find my address (unlike virtually every computer algorithm in the whole universe), I guess I'll have to manage as is...
Anyway, I wish I could believe in conspiracy theory. Perhaps alien landings would help me deal with the following problems of the day:
Why the paperless society will never work.
and
Why particleboard consumer goods are crap.
Point 1. Why the paperless society will never work - because people are idiots. Not persons, most persons are okay. People, on the other hand, especially when "organized" into large bodies of bureaucracy, are idiots. I can't believe that every single piece of documentation I send somewhere is abducted by aliens, but maybe if I could, that would help. Then I wouldn't think that all governments and large organizations convert their workers into mindless droids (sorry Ken) who shred everything that comes into their hands. I'll still continue to take copies of everything, however, just so that I can prove that I have sent the paper, even after it follows Jimmy Hoffa.
Point 2. Why consumer goods are crap - because we are losing the art of making things by hand, and as such, we are accepting crap in our houses and workplaces.
In other words, the robots are taking over everything!
I can't come up with any other explanation on why I would have a pantry in my breezeway that will have to go back to the store. I didn't drop it - obviously someone has, heavily. More than once. I can't blame the store - the thing must weigh 100 pounds. And it is six feet tall! Why would that much stuff be in one package? Wouldn't it make more sense to split the goods into more than one package that could be managed more easily? Of course it would, unless you were a robot with super-human strength! So they must be taking over everything. And they can't measure - otherwise why would every "pre-drilled" hole in a piece of kit furniture be off by 1/8 of an inch?
So yes, I do wish I could believe in the paperless society and in quality consumer goods, but until the mind control bots can find my address (unlike virtually every computer algorithm in the whole universe), I guess I'll have to manage as is...
Does a village raise the child?
I am exhausted. Drained. I have just spent half an hour on the phone with one of those lamprey people. You know the type - it takes all of your energy to get them off the phone, and if you can't, they suck the life out of you by complaining about things so much that you end up in a horrible mood.
This one is the grandma of a girl in my Brownie unit. Her mother's mother. The Brownie lives with her dad & stepmom, so there is a custody issue to begin with. And then there is the whole parental strategy thing. I don't expect my mother-in-law agrees with how we are raising our children. Heck, I don't expect my mother agrees with it! But I think most people think we're doing our best. And the kids don't grumble too much, so it can't be all bad. But this grandma really doesn't agree with what dad is doing, and keeps trying to tell me why. I keep thinking that at least dad is looking after the kid - his parenting might not be perfect, but at least he is there, and he is trying.
I get to listen to this diatribe because grandma volunteers to help in the Brownie unit. More power to grandma, I appreciate the help. I just get frustrated by the idea that I get to listen to the family bickering because I'm the Brownie leader. When did it become okay to air family laundry to teachers and youth leaders? And really, short of having a bit more understanding of the issues in one Brownie's life, what am I gaining by hearing this? Maybe I can help the Brownie learn to become more independent and happier, but I try that with each girl I have in my unit.
It is amazing how complicated life can be when parents aren't together. I have yet to see a "good" separation. How easy it is for a child to play one parent off the other - and how much power it gives the kid. My kids can do this while Dale & I are in the same house, and we still like each other...I can only imagine how much this is done by children who are learning the fine art of manipulation through the divorce process.
So I'm left wondering how I can help this little girl when the adults in her life can't manage to act maturely enough to be adults. This seems to be a theme with me. Why should it have to fall to the village (or the teacher, or the Brownie Leader) to teach these kids responsibility and maturity? And as my sister points out, can we change the people who are perpetuating the problem? Or is this yet another exercise in futility?
I had better go and do some laundry and put things away. Like a grown up. I'd much rather leave them lie, but I guess I'd better try to be responsible too...
This one is the grandma of a girl in my Brownie unit. Her mother's mother. The Brownie lives with her dad & stepmom, so there is a custody issue to begin with. And then there is the whole parental strategy thing. I don't expect my mother-in-law agrees with how we are raising our children. Heck, I don't expect my mother agrees with it! But I think most people think we're doing our best. And the kids don't grumble too much, so it can't be all bad. But this grandma really doesn't agree with what dad is doing, and keeps trying to tell me why. I keep thinking that at least dad is looking after the kid - his parenting might not be perfect, but at least he is there, and he is trying.
I get to listen to this diatribe because grandma volunteers to help in the Brownie unit. More power to grandma, I appreciate the help. I just get frustrated by the idea that I get to listen to the family bickering because I'm the Brownie leader. When did it become okay to air family laundry to teachers and youth leaders? And really, short of having a bit more understanding of the issues in one Brownie's life, what am I gaining by hearing this? Maybe I can help the Brownie learn to become more independent and happier, but I try that with each girl I have in my unit.
It is amazing how complicated life can be when parents aren't together. I have yet to see a "good" separation. How easy it is for a child to play one parent off the other - and how much power it gives the kid. My kids can do this while Dale & I are in the same house, and we still like each other...I can only imagine how much this is done by children who are learning the fine art of manipulation through the divorce process.
So I'm left wondering how I can help this little girl when the adults in her life can't manage to act maturely enough to be adults. This seems to be a theme with me. Why should it have to fall to the village (or the teacher, or the Brownie Leader) to teach these kids responsibility and maturity? And as my sister points out, can we change the people who are perpetuating the problem? Or is this yet another exercise in futility?
I had better go and do some laundry and put things away. Like a grown up. I'd much rather leave them lie, but I guess I'd better try to be responsible too...
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
One more stinking receipt
Oh, tax time. How I love tax time.
Insert expletive string here....
Tax time leads to a period of introspection and questioning.
Why, oh why, do I have T4's not matching my cheque stubs? They come from the same place. And why, when I call the government program office that has issued all of the above, does the lady on the other end of the phone treat me like a simpleton? Really, if you have two cheques, which total $564, why would you get a T4 for $508? Just wondering.
And why can whomever sits at the desk in Winnipeg where I send my cheques to pay my agricultural program fees on December 17th not manage to put those same cheques through a bank until January 7th?
Where did I file that charitable receipt I got in March?
And who invented an interest rebate? What a pain that is. We have interest levied on input accounts, and then, if you pay on time, they rebate the interest to a completely different figure. So if you are correctly adding on the interest each month, when you go and pay the bill, the number is just plain wrong. That's fun too!
I'm sure I will have forgotten something very important before we go to see the accountant - it is always something on the personal tax side - which always seems so funny. I can account for the thousands of dollars on the business side, but then my charitable donations will be off by $10. And it will bother me.
Oh well, I need to try and figure out whether or not I have finished accounting for another loan here - wish me luck!
Tax time leads to a period of introspection and questioning.
Why, oh why, do I have T4's not matching my cheque stubs? They come from the same place. And why, when I call the government program office that has issued all of the above, does the lady on the other end of the phone treat me like a simpleton? Really, if you have two cheques, which total $564, why would you get a T4 for $508? Just wondering.
And why can whomever sits at the desk in Winnipeg where I send my cheques to pay my agricultural program fees on December 17th not manage to put those same cheques through a bank until January 7th?
Where did I file that charitable receipt I got in March?
And who invented an interest rebate? What a pain that is. We have interest levied on input accounts, and then, if you pay on time, they rebate the interest to a completely different figure. So if you are correctly adding on the interest each month, when you go and pay the bill, the number is just plain wrong. That's fun too!
I'm sure I will have forgotten something very important before we go to see the accountant - it is always something on the personal tax side - which always seems so funny. I can account for the thousands of dollars on the business side, but then my charitable donations will be off by $10. And it will bother me.
Oh well, I need to try and figure out whether or not I have finished accounting for another loan here - wish me luck!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
The death of writing
It goes without saying that if I'm able to publish my diary in a semi-public forum that writing is dead. My education in this art is limited to High School and a course vaguely titled 4.120 - English. Should have been called torture by making you read "great art" - most of which I would never pick up again, even if I were on a desert island with nothing else to read.
But, why is writing so hard? And for that matter, is reading becoming a lost skill?
I have just come back from listening to Joelle's class read. I do this once a month, and every month, I am amazed at how little some of these children improve. The one reading at the lowest level has improved some, I will give her that, but a lot of the kids are at exactly the same level as when I went in October. The books are repeats. At least I didn't have to listen to the "late" story again today, but why would any early childhood author write a story about "Little Bulldozer"? Have you heard six and seven year olds (who don't have fabulous diction) speak those words? It gets even better when "Big Bulldozer" comes on the scene to make "Little Bulldozer" feel bad. I can't give you the sound I hear - something like if you put your lips together tight, blow as much air as you can between your teeth and your lips and then let it all out in a "B" sound. Then say uh-doh-ze. Don't worry about l's or r's - the kids don't. I would love to hear each of them read a whole sentence without skipping words - did the authors have any idea that they were writing things that children would only read half of?
So I'm traumatized again.
However, I wouldn't want to write a children's book, so I suppose I can't complain too much. I don't really write anything, except what you read here. Apparently my lack of ambition in this subject has transferred to my eldest. Joelle will read anything you ask her to (and a lot that she hasn't been asked to...) but to get her to write- well, that's another problem.
I wonder why that is? Is it because we're both lazy perfectionists? Probably sounds like a dichotomy in terms, but we both like to have things perfect, even though neither of us wants to work too hard on anything. So for writing, where, of course, there is an art form, there is a way to format, you should try to use correct grammar, there are a lot of rules - is that just too much work? Should it have to be?
Anyway, I should run. Hopefully the piano tuner will be here in a few hours and I'd like to have my house a little bit cleaner by then. And maybe I should think about supper too...
But, why is writing so hard? And for that matter, is reading becoming a lost skill?
I have just come back from listening to Joelle's class read. I do this once a month, and every month, I am amazed at how little some of these children improve. The one reading at the lowest level has improved some, I will give her that, but a lot of the kids are at exactly the same level as when I went in October. The books are repeats. At least I didn't have to listen to the "late" story again today, but why would any early childhood author write a story about "Little Bulldozer"? Have you heard six and seven year olds (who don't have fabulous diction) speak those words? It gets even better when "Big Bulldozer" comes on the scene to make "Little Bulldozer" feel bad. I can't give you the sound I hear - something like if you put your lips together tight, blow as much air as you can between your teeth and your lips and then let it all out in a "B" sound. Then say uh-doh-ze. Don't worry about l's or r's - the kids don't. I would love to hear each of them read a whole sentence without skipping words - did the authors have any idea that they were writing things that children would only read half of?
So I'm traumatized again.
However, I wouldn't want to write a children's book, so I suppose I can't complain too much. I don't really write anything, except what you read here. Apparently my lack of ambition in this subject has transferred to my eldest. Joelle will read anything you ask her to (and a lot that she hasn't been asked to...) but to get her to write- well, that's another problem.
I wonder why that is? Is it because we're both lazy perfectionists? Probably sounds like a dichotomy in terms, but we both like to have things perfect, even though neither of us wants to work too hard on anything. So for writing, where, of course, there is an art form, there is a way to format, you should try to use correct grammar, there are a lot of rules - is that just too much work? Should it have to be?
Anyway, I should run. Hopefully the piano tuner will be here in a few hours and I'd like to have my house a little bit cleaner by then. And maybe I should think about supper too...
Sunday, February 24, 2008
My office
My house is in disarray, as usual. Laundry room is still under construction - well, maybe it will finally be done after 3 years. Or is that 4? Dale is thinking I'm being mean, but no, really, it has been without a ceiling, for good reason, until this year. I hope. If the snow doesn't melt too fast.
I'm getting a dirty look.
I wanted a bathroom, I wanted a sauna. I'm just repeating the commentary here...maybe Dale should get his own blog...
But, really, we're trying to prioritize the renovations. I really do need an office. Smushed up beside the fridge is working for now, I'm able to manage here, but someday (preferably sooner than later) I will get a kitchen that isn't circa 1970. This space is going to be cabinets. And a space for my stoneware, I think - that isn't all planned out yet.
We could convert Dale's side of the garage (the woodshop) to my office. That would require taking out the overhead door, putting in windows, redoing the entire inside and probably residing the house. Oh, and building Dale a new woodshop. Awfully expensive for an office.
Since the 5th wheel is here for seasonal accommodation, the guest room could be made into a more temporary space, if it had a Murphy bed. But even then, the room isn't quite large enough to have all of my crap in it. And it is in the basement - not sure if I can work without my sunlight.
So, I'm off to ponder the location of my office further - at this rate, I'm going to be stuck in the garden shed.
Until then, I will enjoy my sunny spot, under my pile of junk, smushed up beside the fridge.
I'm getting a dirty look.
I wanted a bathroom, I wanted a sauna. I'm just repeating the commentary here...maybe Dale should get his own blog...
But, really, we're trying to prioritize the renovations. I really do need an office. Smushed up beside the fridge is working for now, I'm able to manage here, but someday (preferably sooner than later) I will get a kitchen that isn't circa 1970. This space is going to be cabinets. And a space for my stoneware, I think - that isn't all planned out yet.
We could convert Dale's side of the garage (the woodshop) to my office. That would require taking out the overhead door, putting in windows, redoing the entire inside and probably residing the house. Oh, and building Dale a new woodshop. Awfully expensive for an office.
Since the 5th wheel is here for seasonal accommodation, the guest room could be made into a more temporary space, if it had a Murphy bed. But even then, the room isn't quite large enough to have all of my crap in it. And it is in the basement - not sure if I can work without my sunlight.
So, I'm off to ponder the location of my office further - at this rate, I'm going to be stuck in the garden shed.
Until then, I will enjoy my sunny spot, under my pile of junk, smushed up beside the fridge.
Friday, February 22, 2008
An expensive Brownie badge
Joey is working on her "Food Power" badge. She started last night, after Brownies.
This week, she has to "Find out what Junk Food is, and eliminate it from her diet for one week", she has to " Visit a local supermarket - how do they handle food to keep it safe & clean?", "Name three fruits or vegetables that you've never tried & try one" and "Donate healthy food to a food bank"
Wow. So, today, I picked her up after school, drove her to Shoal Lake BigWay where my friend Nathalie is the produce manager. I shopped while Joelle learned and tasted. We came home with mangoes and blood oranges and grapefruits (well, that was for Charli who begged for a "pamplemousse" today) and salad, and sprouts, and yams, and peppers, and grapes, and pinata apples and mushrooms and fresh stirfry mix and then the regular tomatoes & carrots etc. You want to eat at my house this week! Tonight's menu included barbequed fresh pork chops, salad, pasta and mango for dessert. I don't know - this badge might be a toughie :-)
Joelle tried (and didn't care for) avacadoes. We did the cereal aisle - she put back the alphabits & froot loops and picked up MultiGrain Cheerios and Raisin Bran after looking over the ingredient lists and nutritional information. Mothers were stopping in the aisle to watch this happen - sad, but true. We had the most colourful cart that I think I have ever had. She picked multicoloured "wacky mac" pasta to have with her spaghetti sauce. We have Rye bread to make yummy toast, new fruit & veggie juice to try (her choice), and she even agreed to keep it to white milk, especially since it is a "healthier choice" than chocolate.
Joelle tried a new salad dressing to go with it all - Granny & Grandpa had left an unopened Asian Silk spritzer - apparently, that's a hit.
Now, to keep me out of the kitchen. I love to bake at this time of year - if I can keep it to multigrain buns and muffins though, I guess we'll be fine.
And I splurged and bought some Knorr frozen easy pasta 'cause it was on sale and it is good and I love not to cook sometimes. Best trip I've had to the store in a long time.
So, to my dear brother, who gets sad when he shops, I have the cure. Be ready to buy some weird and wonderful items, but take a 7 year old (or almost) and see what ends up in the cart. Nice to have some guidelines, of course, but I am quite amazed to see that some of this healthy eating lecturing is sinking in!
This week, she has to "Find out what Junk Food is, and eliminate it from her diet for one week", she has to " Visit a local supermarket - how do they handle food to keep it safe & clean?", "Name three fruits or vegetables that you've never tried & try one" and "Donate healthy food to a food bank"
Wow. So, today, I picked her up after school, drove her to Shoal Lake BigWay where my friend Nathalie is the produce manager. I shopped while Joelle learned and tasted. We came home with mangoes and blood oranges and grapefruits (well, that was for Charli who begged for a "pamplemousse" today) and salad, and sprouts, and yams, and peppers, and grapes, and pinata apples and mushrooms and fresh stirfry mix and then the regular tomatoes & carrots etc. You want to eat at my house this week! Tonight's menu included barbequed fresh pork chops, salad, pasta and mango for dessert. I don't know - this badge might be a toughie :-)
Joelle tried (and didn't care for) avacadoes. We did the cereal aisle - she put back the alphabits & froot loops and picked up MultiGrain Cheerios and Raisin Bran after looking over the ingredient lists and nutritional information. Mothers were stopping in the aisle to watch this happen - sad, but true. We had the most colourful cart that I think I have ever had. She picked multicoloured "wacky mac" pasta to have with her spaghetti sauce. We have Rye bread to make yummy toast, new fruit & veggie juice to try (her choice), and she even agreed to keep it to white milk, especially since it is a "healthier choice" than chocolate.
Joelle tried a new salad dressing to go with it all - Granny & Grandpa had left an unopened Asian Silk spritzer - apparently, that's a hit.
Now, to keep me out of the kitchen. I love to bake at this time of year - if I can keep it to multigrain buns and muffins though, I guess we'll be fine.
And I splurged and bought some Knorr frozen easy pasta 'cause it was on sale and it is good and I love not to cook sometimes. Best trip I've had to the store in a long time.
So, to my dear brother, who gets sad when he shops, I have the cure. Be ready to buy some weird and wonderful items, but take a 7 year old (or almost) and see what ends up in the cart. Nice to have some guidelines, of course, but I am quite amazed to see that some of this healthy eating lecturing is sinking in!
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