just updating

Today a friend emailed me and asked me how I was doing and what was happening. For anyone else who might want to know, this was my reply:

How am I? Right now I feel stressed, I’m having trouble sleeping. Some of it swirls around the inevitable move. I worry about the finances of it all. A bigger house means a bigger mortgage, and ultimately we will have to cut back somewhere. It IS necessary for us to move, this house does not contain 5 people well, and eventually Conor needs his own room. As well, there is much work that needs to be done on the house, which Rob is doing a great job on. What that means for whiny me is doing more household chores and living with the consistent renovation mess and bother. Not a bad deal, but I do find it stressful.

Our new home is in East Kildonan. Have you ever seen those 2 big hills that kids love to toboggan down near the Elmwood pool? We’re not too far from there. I called the school that is nearest. The secretary did not sound very warm or inviting. I calmed myself by saying that it’s the personalities of the principal and teachers that matter. I worry about the move. What are we giving up, what are we gaining, and how will it balance out?

You know I applied to do a Master’s degree, yes? I was recommended for acceptance by the department I applied to, and was offered a wonderful studentship, but the Faculty of Grad Studies turned my down as they would not recognize my degrees as they are from faith-based, smaller institutions. I appealed that decision and found out last week that I lost that. I was told in the letter that I could appeal to another committee, but in a phone call with the person who turned me down, he said that he didn’t think I had a chance in hell, that he would be opposing me and defending his actions, and that the studentship I was granted was just about the department “sitting on a pile of money and looking for a warm body.”

School is going well for the girls. Ashlin seems to be adjusting well to Kindergarten, and today she noted the differences between her nursery school teachers and her K teacher by saying that, “Mrs. J, Mrs. D and Mrs. P were silly and they really liked children.” I asked her if she thought Mrs. M didn’t like children or liked them a little bit. She thought a little bit. One does get that impression from her. But it doesn’t seem to bother Ash.

Taryn reported getting picked on by some boys – punched in the back, grabbed, that sort of thing. I’ve asked for a meeting about this. The principal went to observe what typically happens and noticed that Taryn aligns herself with other girls who are provokers, who goad the boys on, and then gets caught in the crossfire. So we talk about choosing friends and choosing activities quite a bit.

Conor, meantime, likes to tell us, “I fowted!” (I farted) and is taking very, very slow steps to toilet training.

That’s life.

My favourite boy in my favourite shirt

Dang he's cute

what do you make of this

With a move now imminent I posted a few items online for sale that I don't want to drag with me to the next house. This morning I got a call about Rob's old bike - the man came down and got it. We talked for awhile and he shared that he and his family were in Winnipeg for a year from Quebec to enable his son to take advantage of a great training opportunity.

Later that afternoon I was at Kildonan Park with my younger 2 kids. A woman sitting nearby mentions that she is new to the area and asks if there is someplace around to buy slushies or the like. I let her know where the restaurant was in the park and asked where she was coming from.

"Quebec."
"You're the second person I've met today that moved here from Quebec. I just talked to a man this morning who said he moved here Sep. 10"
"That's when we moved here. Maybe you met my husband."
"Did your husband buy a bike today?"
"Yes!"

She pointed out that out of a city of 750,000 people, what are the chances of her happening to meet the same person her husband met that morning. We both had a kind of "Is this more than coincidence?" feeling, and talked about getting together sometime.

Any opinions? How do you tell what is chance, and what is divine?

Funnies quote of the week

"Hey, I'll tolerate 'em when they stop being freaks and act like me."

Bucky Katt

my purpose

Today was one of those "I love you but I want to kill you at the same time" days with the kids. At one point I said to me daughters, "I'm not your slave. I am not here just to clean up after you." To which Ashlin replied, "What are you here for, then?"

New development

Conor has a pretend friend.
His name is Pretend Friend.

Swimwear

For those of you who follow comics regualarly - okay, nobody I knows follows comics regularly. Apparently most of you out there can take 'em or leave 'em judging by the confused looks I received when I once said to a group how great it was that Opus was back in the coloured funnies.

Anywho...

In Opus, Lola Granola has become Muslim, and in yesterday's comic she appeared wearing a head to toe swimsuit called a Burqini.

Well apparently these actually exist. Check out the website.

I have often seen Muslim women at pools and water slides just looking on as their husbands and children enjoyed themselves. I think it is so cool that someone was forward thinking enough to provide them a way to have fun plus maintain their values.

Now if someone would just manufacture some swimwear for those of us who are a bit less modest than the average muslim but still do not appreciate plunging necklines and backs that ride up. And while they're at it, something that will support a double D cup.

Politics

I'm reading The Last Word by N. T. Wright and came across a quote I just love...

The left/right spectrum (which many assume to be part of the fixed order of
reality, but which was in fact inherited merely from the French Revolution)
compels parties, commentators and voters into an inappropriate "package deal"
mentality where it is assumed that once you decide on one issue you are
committed to a particular position on lots of others as well.

On Facebook I've been amazed at how many people I know who identify themselves as "conservative" in political views. I couldn't choose. There is no one party or platform that I think could capture my views and beliefs about policy and ideology. But 6 years ago, I guess I might have also labeled myself conservative, although I had little idea of what that really meant.