Monthly Archives: June 2014

Let’s relate…Spincycle Country

Posted in Uncategorized by

This week I’m taking a break from my usual in order to address a very much appreciated nomination for a blogging award called the Liebster Award.  For the non-bloggers, there exist a number of “blogging awards” that bloggers bestow on each other and I am very honoured and grateful to have received these nominations…though you wouldn’t know it given my sheer laziness!

I was nominated a number of months ago by a fellow blogger, Jolene, who has a great blog called, Valley Girl Gone Country.  Jolene, I am honoured and thank you very much.  Upon receiving this nomination, writer of a very candid blog called Witless Dating After Fifty, Robin, nominated me for five more awards!  Thank you again. I am taking forever to get to these but here’s the Liebster response to start…

Jolene asked the following 11 questions to her nominees which I’m supposed to answer.  After which I nominate 11 other bloggers (with under 200 followers but I’m going to adhere loosely to this rule…or perhaps not at all?)  Then, onto 11 interesting facts about me, which I will put forward in a separate post.

1.  Describe your blog in five words.

Funny, witty, silly, thought-provoking (ok that’s not quite a single word…), emotive

2. What inspired you to start blogging?

I was returning home on a train ride following an important work meeting where I was, once again, the “#2” at the table. Frustrated at not having my voice heard, I wrote a facebook post about my day.  I had forgotten that I could actually write…a friend told me I needed to start blogging and the rest, as they say, is history!

3. Do you ever want to throw your hands up in the air and stop blogging?

YES!!  Especially when I feel like I’m boring my followers!

4. Are you currently in love and with what or who?

Yes, absolutely…Mr. Niceguy, of course.  And the almost 8 (!!) year old and now 4 year old.  My family, especially my mom, dad, sister, and all the extensions and accessories ( you know who you are!) are the loves of my life.

5. How many times have you been in love?

CORNY ALERT!!!  Love is an absolute intoxicating feeling…isn’t it?  So definitely many times.  But as for the kind that really grips you, and makes you feel like you are in an absolute state of euphoria – 3 times:  (1) Mr. Niceguy…though that was a love that built slowly (2) when the 7 year old was born, he was taken away immediately to be cleaned up and then was brought back and handed to me…my BFF was there and I knew I was in love and finally (3) in the still of the night, when everyone else was asleep at the hospital and it was very, very quiet…while I stared at the now 4 year old and wondered if I could be a mom, one more time.

6. Do you identify as carnivore, vegetarian, pescatarian, vegan, or something I haven’t mentioned on here?

Nope.  Having said that, I’m not at all adventurous with my food – unless it’s cheese.  And I will not eat anything that calls its home the water as I believed it to be cannibalism when I was much, much younger, being born under the Cancer zodiac sign.  Don’t ask!!

7. Does internal health or external beauty influence your healthy food choices more? and if you don’t ever choose healthy, tell us why.

No.  Not really.  Having spent the better part of my teenage years on yo-yo diets, I have come to learn that moderation is key and to take the opportunity for decadence every once and a while.  Though as I mature, I’m amazed at just how much a part food plays in our overall emotional and mental wellbeing.

8. When you get two spare hours, do you chill or play?

Hmmm…I don’t believe I get very many spare hours…but I do love TV!

9. What is your favorite activity? Go ahead, say what you want.

Weird to say but being on vacation.  Any opportunity to try and see new places and cultures I welcome.

10. Sexting, yay or nay?

Hmmm…I’ve always had this strange fear of being screened by the CIA…and as a rule, never put in writing what can later be used against you.

11. One wish is granted to you – what do you wish for?

The ability to enjoy every moment – to really relish in the present and leave all the worrying behind.

 

Now for the next part…here are the 11 facts about me!

1.  I never thought that I’d be a stay-at-home-mom even though I always knew that I would never leave the raising of my children to someone else.

2.  I at the same time love being the centre of attention, while I can be extremely shy to grab the spotlight.

3.  Following from #2, some of my greatest moments have been when I’ve had to make speeches or perform in front of large audiences…the bigger the stakes, the better I perform.

4.  A “Euro-trip” just before I started my MBA would impact my life forever…

5.  As would the MBA that followed for that is where I found Mr. Niceguy (rather, where he found me).

6.  I am a huge supporter of education and higher education – but I believe that sometimes the best learning comes from just DOING!

7.  There’s a line in a song by One Republic, “I feel something so right, doing the wrong thing” which I think is the key to MY life.  Fear equals paralysis.  There’s nothing like getting out of your comfort zone, or box, boundaries, whatever you call it to make you REALLY feel alive.

8.  I absolutely love the game of soccer.

9.  I have always, always admired people who can think on their feet.  I always seem to come up with the greatest comeback after the fact!

10.  Sometimes, I fear, I am far too nice…and unfortunately, in this world, sometimes you have to get aggressive to get where you want to go.

11.  I am one of the moodiest extroverts I know…a tough combination to be around so thank you to my friends and family – and especially Mr. Niceguy – who stay riding on my roller coaster…

As for the nominations…check out the following blogs:

Rambling Rooby (super, super talented!!)

Girl on the Contrary (very funny)

Write Note Reviews (thought provoking)

Talin Orfali (so genuine)

Imperfect mommy (you’re preaching to the choir!)

True Confessions of a Working Mom (repeat!)

Yoonanimous (repeat again…!!)

The Dimwit Diary (hilarious)

The Office Inbetweener (very hilarious and extremely explicit!!)

Grumpy Comments (droll!)

A Collection of Musings (funny, witty and thought provoking!)

 

Liebster

Advertisement

WANTED: The rest of my eyebrow…

Posted in Uncategorized by

When one starts to egotistically indulge, the universe finds a way to “right-size” their ego…

Part of my eyebrow went missing and I honestly can’t remember where it went.  What’s worse?  I can’t even remember when it was last there…oh, what the rest of my eyebrow must be thinking of me.

Did I tweeze it away?  Did I pull at it?  Did it simply rub off while I slept?  I can’t say…  Perhaps it is a new kind of facial baldness?  Is this the symptom of another affliction?  A side-effect of aging that gets overshadowed by the soon-to-arrive-at-some-point “Big Change”?  Quite frankly, if so, then womankind, fellow sisters, you have done me a great disservice by keeping me in the dark on this one.

I had to figure out what it was like to first kiss a boy and what it meant to get to “all the bases” on my own – and while child labour was a mystery (not to mention the notion of parenting in its entirety), no one, and I mean, NO-BODY ever said anything to me about the possibility of losing part of my eyebrow, an essential feature on my FACE!

It’s absolutely no wonder, then, that the sun’s been shining brighter from “the west” – my God given (and now taken away) natural parasol is missing an arm.  Yet, how could I have not noticed before?  Did I become so intoxicated by the sun’s kisses?

I could’ve done something about it had I first noticed its departure. I should’ve done something about it when I first noticed it was missing…but what?  I suppose I could’ve been more proactive…it’s been some time now…only, I don’t know how long as I’ve been avoiding my face (well at least that region).  When I first caught a glimpse I was so appalled!  I went into denial…I just thought if I didn’t think about it, it wouldn’t be true.  I blamed it on the light and shadows.

I blamed it on the relentless winter and undulating weather (although we are now in a much more steady summer-ish pattern, it seems to me that one can almost always be justified in blaming the weather for virtually anything).

Oh!  If only I could recall the moment.  My brain is trying to preserve me…to keep me from finding the real cause…and ergo, the true culprit!  I know I should’ve been more concerned about my appalling diet…but I’ve been good!  I bought the fancy blender, I’ve had my near-daily smoothies and powered through the detox headaches.  Overall, I’m living a much more clean lifestyle when it comes to eating and drinking (ok, minus the three beers at a friend’s house but it’s World Cup and that only comes but once every four years and so I could be given some leniency, could I not?)

Oh.  My.  God.  That could very well be it!  Perhaps it was all part of the detoxification.  Perhaps that part of my eyebrow was actually toxic and the rest of my body did what it needed to survive…like gangrene?  Had that part of my eyebrow succumbed to necrosis, and was the rest of my eyebrow just undergoing euthanasia?  Well, if that’s the case, do I give thanks?  No, that’s insane.  I’m going off the deep end.  I must recall how it happened.  WHY CAN’T I JUST REMEMBER?!

Wait.  Maybe if I stare in the mirror long enough I’ll get a flashback.  Like in those movies or crime dramas when they have temporary amnesia and then all of a sudden, lightning strikes…FLASH!!  OK, here goes…but wait.  What if I focus and stare at it and I get nothing?  And what if it never comes back?

No. Be brave.  S – t – a – r – e…….and THINK!  I see it…baby blue with white polka dots….a tweezer…oh, and I’m going in…STOP!!!!

And that’s how my day started just yesterday…it ended in the emergency room – not because of anything to do with the trivialities above…but because the four year old experienced an allergic reaction to a cashew.  Which really put things in perspective.

Now my four year old is happily sitting on the couch, watching one of his favourite movies, eating his favourite indulgence…one that he rarely ever gets.  And I’m grateful…missing eyebrow and all.

missing eyebrow

An egotistical indulgence…

Posted in Uncategorized by

Forgive this next entry, but my speed train has almost pulled into the station and I refuse to just travel patiently!  I’m trying to relish these last few moments before I have to disembark…

As spring turns to summer all I can think of is how can I relish these last few weeks – days – hours before I have to give up a decade that has shaped me so much?  It saw my confidence grow which in turn, gave me a better sense of self.  It saw me turn (more like bumble) into motherhood, not once, but blissfully and blessedly, twice.  It tested my every boundary and forced me to accept some very hard truths and change.  And yet, through all of the upheaval, it was kind as it surrounded me with great friends, a wonderful family and some of the most amazing opportunities and experiences that were beyond imagination…

And so you can see why I’m panicking?  Why I’m having trouble letting go?

It’s been just over a quarter of a year (good effect and makes things sound longer and more significant) since “the departure”.  The identity crisis is starting to take a back seat to this glorious weather and I’m starting to find my groove.  I knew it would take some time to get over the routine of career and that I would be overwhelmed with all sorts of emotion (again, dramatic effect but deservedly so).  I was certain in the fact that I would have to respond to the same questions over and over again…all while not knowing the answers myself.  Yet, stepping out of my boundaries has been good.  I say this cautiously because for the first time in almost forever the future is an empty canvas that I can paint however I like…and I must say, I am enjoying the vastness of it all.  And as one of my very dear friends said, being “unpredictable” – perhaps a word I would never, ever use to describe myself.

Just a couple of weeks ago, my biggest challenge was getting through homework, ensuring we made it to my son’s end-of-year school concert and finding a blender.  With my newly acquired wisdom – acquired because there’s now a little room to think about things other than spreadsheets, industry trends and interest rates – I decided that I should seek to become more healthy and stop avoiding entire food groups by blending them all together into a delicious smoothie.  We’ve all seen the commercials and the demonstrations…I was finally converted.

For three mornings in a row I had the following:  kale, spinach, swiss chard, strawberry, banana, pomegranate seeds, cherries, blackberries, blueberries, mango and pineapple all whipped up with greek yoghurt.  To my surprise, an absolute delight.  And yet on the first day, a massive headache.  Was it because I was sipping on this smoothie for most of the day?  I couldn’t get over this migraine!  It came and went for the first three days!  After some googling I found that I had put myself into a state of DETOX.  My smoothie was cleansing my system!  And all the toxins were bubbling up to the surface!

I blame these toxins…I believe I may have been in a drunken haze for in that migraine-induced, dizzyingly hyper-energetic state I decided that staying true to change was of the utmost importance and the key to life.  And in that inebriation, I decided to take yet another risk: after all they’re addictive, get my adrenaline going and make me feel A-L-I-V-E!!

While booking an exciting upcoming vacation, after much research into where to go and where to stay and what to see and what to do I decided to roll the dice!  There was Mr. Niceguy, the absolute voice of reason that with a smile on his face said, “You?  You’re really going to do that?  You’re going to take that chance with the hotel?  OK.  I know what I would do…but go for it!”

Was that a dare?  Did he not think I could go through with it?  And of all the words he said, why did I cling onto “but go for it!”  Did I miss the, but?

As the smoothie haze began to wear off, my old habits bubbled to the surface:  what if I’ve made a HUGE mistake? What if this place is horrible and I’ve ruined our family vacation?   And why won’t this headache let up???   Ugh!  To win big you actually have to get in the game and play.  But the frustration and the tears and the upset that ensued over the outcome…well surely I must have been a fool!  Surely I should’ve known better!

The duality was driving me crazy!  On the one hand, a wild-eyed thrill-seeker, and on the other, a tip-toeing super-planner afraid of regret.  It was time to end it.  For my remedy, and to restore balance in my universe, I popped open a Diet Coke (the nectar of life and I won’t hear otherwise) to accompany some ketchup-covered onion rings and you know what?  After a little recalibration…I think I’m quite pleased with the outcome.  While these final miles on the train are making me giddy, I can handle this next leg of my adventure…

Featurette.Smoothies