Retro

My kids were visiting my dad and his wife in Medicine Hat last week. Their spare room (and the tiny attached room that was once used as a kitchen) is a total throwback to another time. He has an old bread box, a camera, toaster, box of laundry soap, and dishes all from around the 1950s to make it a cool, retro space. He also has a rotary-dial telephone, which the kids used to call home.

They had no idea what it was or how to use it. It occurred to me how many thing from my past will be totally lost to them.

They will have to offer a nickel for your thoughts because they will have completely forgotten what a "penny" was.

The idea of having to reheat leftovers in the oven is absurd.

They will never have a super-long phone cord that gets all tangled up, so once a week you have to hang the receiver upside down to let it spin wildly until it is untangled again.

Forget LPs and cassette tapes, they will barely remember CDs by the time they are teenagers.

On road trips we looked out the window, made up car games, talked, read, played games, or solved riddles in the invisible ink workbooks my mom would buy for us for the trip. We didn't have a DVD player in the car or an iPad for video games to pass the time.

To research a school project we had to go to the library, search the stacks, and collect information. There was no wikipedia or google, with its instant and copious amounts of information, to find it for us.

We had to watch commercials and some of us even had to get up and manually turn the channel on the television. No PVR. No remote controls.

Our kids' lives are easier in many ways I suppose but not necessarily better. Everything is expected instantly. Instant gratification. Instant results. Instant access. I love my iPhone, of course, but there is something to be said for a simpler time. A time when you used your imagination and got out and played and explored rather than staring at a screen where a virtual version of you played and explored. And I shudder to think about all the things that my kids will be thinking nostalgically about when their children stare back at them blankly at the mention of an mp3 or a paperback book. Today's technology is amazing and I'm sure I'd be lost without it, but I wouldn't trade my rotary-dial phone or my slower-paced childhood for anything.

Moving Forward

For the past month, there have been a lot of tears around here. Carmen is sad to leave her elementary school and a bit nervous about moving up to middle school. She is excited about it, sure, but sad. She'll miss her teachers and the school, and she has loved her time there. She had big plans for the last week of classes and we had counted on that time to ease her into graduating from elementary school and looking ahead to middle school.

Then the flood hit. We stayed home from school Friday. Then again on Monday. And now we don't go back until Thursday and then only for a half day to gather belongings, get report cards, and say goodbye.

The tears started in earnest last night. She was very upset by it all:

They didn't get to do activity day, which was a crushing blow not because she loves the activities but because she and the Leadership Club spent a lot of time planning the stations and making it fun for the rest of the kids.

They didn't get to do the year-end wrap-up party for Leadership Club.

They may not get to do the Grade 4 Farewell assembly, which they have been preparing for over the past month.

Her soccer city finals were at best postponed but likely cancelled outright.

In short, she's upset that all of the things she was looking forward to, all the rites of passage for the exiting grade fours, were taken from her.

She sat in her bed last night and wept about the injustice of it. She was so disappointed and it was heartbreaking to watch. She is not a fan of change at the best of times so this was all too much for her to handle.

We tried to put it all into perspective for her. She has her bed to sleep in. She has a dry house. Her belongings weren't washed away in the flooding. We and all of our friends and family are safe. Carmen and I had gone with our friend Tania to deliver some donations to NeighbourLink, which is a great organization that collects necessities and disperses them to the various communities that need them. Carmen got to see the amount of stuff that is required and how much is shipping out to help these people affected by flooding. And we tried to explain how much more would be needed in the weeks and months to come.

She gets it. And as she sat on her bed, cursing the flood and all it had taken from her, she acknowledged that she was lucky. She knows that she is fortunate while many others were not this past week. But it doesn't make her feel any better, doesn't make her feel less sad and frustrated with how the end of the year has turned out. I told her it was out of our control and we'd have to make the best of it. We'll go to school and spend the final half-day enjoying the friends and teachers that have made the last five years such an incredible experience for her.

She'll cry a little. I probably will too. We'll say goodbye and we'll move forward. Then we'll spend some time this summer helping victims of the flood move forward too.

Did it For the Money

I think it's time to come clean. Before I go any further, remember this happened a long time ago. I was in university in Toronto, which is an expensive city, and I needed some extra cash. I only did it the once and wouldn't do it again, probably. Okay. Here goes.

I sold my body for money.

There. I feel so much better now. It happened over the course of a couple weeks -- I spent pretty much the whole day, three or so times a week, laying there. When it was done I took my money and I never looked back.

I guess maybe I should rephrase this. I actually sold my body for science. Money too, but I was a guinea pig. I answered an ad posted through U of T, completed some preliminary medical tests, and I was up and running. I had to lay on a chaise all day hooked up to monitors, and every hour or two I'd puff on an inhaler. Some days it was a placebo and others it was a new asthma medication being tested on healthy non-asthmatic people to see if there were any adverse affects. I sat and read, watched TV and got paid a couple hundred bucks for my trouble. It was a university student's dream gig!

Sure, I could sure tell when I puffed from the real inhalers. Sure, my heart raced and my hands shook like crazy. And sure, I don't think that product ever made it to market. I'm guessing asthmatics wouldn't appreciate dealing with a thundering heart rate and hand tremors in the middle of an asthma attack.

But, hey, being a medical test subject was a rite of passage for a broke university student far from home. I took my money and ran, thankful to get out of there with the same number of digits and no side affects that required excising, drainage, or special creams.

Sick of Sports

I am a big supporter of keeping kids active. Getting them moving. Ensuring they are fit. But there is a downside -- or at least in our family. That downside? My house. It gets taken over by sports gear. Frankly, it's driving me crazy!

 

I hit the wall today. It started when I went for groceries this morning. I opened the back of the van to pile my bags in and there is a HUGE lacrosse goalie stick and bag of goalie gear for tonight's game (Ben is in net so we have the team gear). I had to wedge my groceries in around all of the stinky lacrosse stuff.

Then I got home, put groceries away, and set out to get an article finished for my deadline tomorrow. En route to the office I was tripping on soccer cleats and lacrosse sticks (which are often propped in the corner by the dog's food dish where the hockey sticks are for the rest of the year -- I fear for that dog every time he goes for a drink, expecting those precariously balanced sticks to crack him on the head as they crash to the ground). We also have a giant lacrosse bag of hand-me-downs from a friend sitting in the office waiting for us to go through it. Then there are golf bags sitting by the door ready for the next lessons or round and baseball mitts and footballs by the backdoor in case there's a game or skipping ropes handy for a quick jump. And the water bottles. God help me for the water bottles on every flat surface so they can always find one before a game. ARGH!

At least the hockey stuff (and most of the lacrosse gear) is downstairs, out of sight. This happened only after I freaked out. I was tired of the first thing you saw when you walked into our house being a stinky hockey tree drying out gear. It really didn't go with the beautiful WWI piano.

I guess I should be thankful my kids are exercising regularly, making friends, learning teamwork and keeping healthy. I just wish they would find a better place to store their stuff!

Squirrel Mind Games

There is a black squirrel that lives in our neighbour's tree. Okay, I'm not POSITIVE that it lives in the tree but it hangs out there a lot at any rate. It also likes to hang out on our back fence. I'm quite sure the reason for this is to torment our dog.

This squirrel sits on the post at the half-way point of the yard and waits. It stares at the back door, stock-still, and waits. Farley must have some kind of radar because he will jump up from a dead sleep and race to the door to be let out. He has a special bark that we all have come to associate with squirrel invasion. We let Farley out, the squirrel swishes its tail a few times and scampers across the fence and into the neighbour's yard. But it doesn't leave it at that. It then sits just beyond reach and listens to Farley's crazed barking and looks at him smugly, as if to say "Sucks to be you, stuck in your yard."

Perhaps I am giving this bushy-tailed rodent too much credit (yes, I know squirrels are mammals but this one is an honorary rodent for certain). Perhaps its pea-sized brain doesn't remember there is a dog in this house that will chase it off as soon as it's spotted. Perhaps it just likes the look of our yard and that is why it chooses to stop there for a rest after a busy day of squirrel activities. Perhaps it is a very kind and decent creature who helps underprivileged squirrels build nests and gather acorns.

But I don't think so. I think this squirrel enjoys the mind games. It enjoys getting Farley riled up and frothing. In fact, I expect it to bring its squirrel buddies with it one of these days to taunt him even more. Maybe Farley likes the chase, likes getting his 14-year-old heart pumping over this interloper. Maybe the squirrel is his buddy. Who knows? All I know is that the urgent yapping bark to get out and the quickness with which that 14-year-old body moves to charge at the squirrel suggests that the visitor is far from welcome in Farley's yard. So we'll continue to let him out when he yaps and watch the squirrel torment him, and wonder if it will ever get tired of the game and move onto a new target. I doubt it - given the squirrel's daily visits, it seems that Farley is entertaining it just fine.

Being the Other Half

It was in the plans for a year and now it's over. I can't believe it! But I'm sure the stories (and the blackmail pictures) will float around for years to come!

My good friend Nic celebrated her 40th birthday with a girls' weekend in Palm Springs this past weekend. Her boyfriend, Doug, planned it all for her and endured all the female craziness, which shows that he's a real keeper! He even hired a couple bartenders to come to the house for an afternoon and serve drinks (shirtless of course) and had a chef come another night to make us a fantastic dinner. We went clubbing, which I haven't done in decades, out for a fancy dinner, and hit the outlet mall hard.

Nic (in red) planking Doug 

Oddly enough, this was the first time I've gone away with girl friends and it was amazing. I knew about half of the ladies going and became fast friends with several of Nic's friends whom I didn't know. We were spoiled rotten all weekend, living like the "other half" lives -- the half without bank account worries or lunches to make or bills to obsess about. We shopped, flopped around the pool, enjoyed the sun, ate incredible food, and laughed. A LOT. With 17 women under one roof, there is bound to be a bit of drama but it really wasn't anything serious and certainly not enough to interfere with our good time. We all relaxed and enjoyed being away from jobs, kids, and whatever other responsibilities occupied our minds. It was awesome to just decompress with some of my favourite people.

I came home to a long grocery list on the fridge and overflowing laundry baskets, and I was so exhausted after the late nights and early mornings (the 'other half' must have a staff to keep their lives going and scheduled nap times or they wouldn't be able to function!). But the kids were so excited to see me (and to receive the fun TicTac and gum flavours you can't get here) and my husband did a great job getting everyone where they needed to be all weekend. I had a great time but it sure is nice to be home!

Maybe we'll do it again when we turn 50. I wonder if we will have slowed down by then.... I hope not! Happy 40th, Nic. It was a riot!!

Double Digits

I can hardly believe it. Carmen is 10. Double digits. I remember how exciting it was when I turned double digits so I wanted to do something a bit different for her to mark the milestone.

She didn't have any gift ideas other than books so I decided to buy her 10 smallish things, all wrapped separately and numbered, and have a little verse for each to guide her from one to the next. Here's how it went:

1) You have always stood out in a crowd

Cuz you’re bright and sweet and kind.

This gift will make you stand out more

As it’s the brightest that you’ll find!

(2 neon t-shirts)

2) This monstrous thing is helpful

Not a little fright,

It will help you safeguard

The masterpiece you write.

(a flash drive that looks like a monster)

3) Pretty girls like pretty things

That she wraps or twirls or ties,

This is something pretty that

You use to accessorize!

(scarf)

4) We know that you love music

But ear bud wires are a pain

Always tangled or missing--

THESE won’t drive you insane.

(retractable ear buds)

5) If you want to be a writer

You have to follow every rule

This will help you be your best

And write something very cool.

(grammar book)

6) It’s never fun to hear us yell

“It’s time to go to bed”

And now even before your chapter’s done

You’ll know how far you’ve read.

(fuzzy character book mark)

7) The possibilities are endless

As there’s no such thing as pairs;

Left or right, striped or bright

It’s great cuz no one cares!

(mix-and-match socks)

8) I am sorry to drag you to the rink so I gave you something to make it more fun. Happy birthday! Love Ben

(a to-go mug and a book)

9) It’s fun to read a story

About someone just like you

Here’s a book that fits the bill

Cuz the heroine is TEN too!

(book called "Ten")

10) It may be a year early

But you’re off to your new school

And now you’ll have the uniform

And will be looking VERY cool.

(a Harry Potter acceptance letter with a Gryffindor t-shirt)

She had so much fun opening each one and fitting the gift to the poem. And it was fun to watch her enjoy the attention. 

She's growing up so quickly and while this birthday reminded me of that fact, it also highlighted how young she is too. Ten was a fun one! Happy birthday Carmen!!