another ending

NaBloPoMo ends
thirty days of posts - woohoo!
I am very tired


It was a good run, people, and not as difficult as I thought it would be - what with being back at work and all - it's over. I may try and keep up this daily thing for a bit [yeah...now that I've said that...].

It brought me to some great new blogs once again and that, alone, was worth the thirty days! But tomorrow? A guest post for the December Blog Exchange. No rest for the wicked weary around here!

withdrawal, I tell you! withdrawal!

Where is Grey's Anatomy?? [the tv show, not the text book] A new episode is supposed to be on this very second. Instead, an old episode started a half hour late. Last week, I was left with betrayal, death and blood - oh, so much blood! - and this week I have nothing. I am now the the one betrayed for reasons unknown, though probably monetary or sports-related in nature. Or both.

I'm not one of Those People who is addicted to tv. In the grand scheme of things, I think I watch very little. But, damn it, what I do watch, I want to watch! And that is Grey's Anatomy. Now.

Apparently, TiVo is coming to Canada soon. I may be adding it to my Christmas list. [bah! Christmas! don't get me started...]

See? Even though I was going to be blogging through the hypothetical new Grey's episode, I could have come up with a coherent post, because all would have been right with the world. But now? You get this.

Complaints or concerns for my sanity may be directed to ABC.

YouTube: you, too, are assholes??

Oh, hell.

As soon as I go back to YouTube for my Sunday Editions because Blogger video is acting all sketchy. As soon as I convince myself that it's okay to pull the facebook sucks banner, because it all seems to have died down a little. As soon as I'm discussing breastfeeding with my pregnant co-worker and mourning the existence of rabid lactivist nurses degrading new moms who are having difficulty trying to nurse.

YouTube has banned the breastfeeding montage put together by the League of Maternal Justice - the one that was formerly available in this QR post. Please note that this QR post has my photo that appeared in the montage. It's posted and still quite viewable here, on Blogger. Owned by Google. Who also owns YouTube. Incestuous and inconsistent...

What are these YouTube people thinking? Do they pull stuff down after x number of complaints, regardless of content, context or common sense? Are they willing to provide a reasoned response? Okay, for the answer to that last question, keeping checking in with the League. In the mean time, think about having a say: [pillaged from the League's site, with their blessings]

1. Email congressional reps (link to http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ - enter your zip, and it returns all three addresses/home pages for your location) and Parliament members (link to http://www.canada.gc.ca/directories/direct_e.html - enter your postal code, and it returns addresses/home pages of Parliament members) and ask them to tell YouTube/Google that removal of the video is socially and legally unacceptable.

2. Create a short video (not breastfeeding) that is tagged and titled "Message to YouTube" (feel free to include any other tags, including League of Maternal Justice, Breastfeeding, Health, etc). and tell them what you think about this. Tell them that breastfeeding is NOT obscene.

YouTube is calling for these videos and we're more than happy to oblige. Make sure to send us your YouTube video link!

3. Write a post and include these same directions on your own blogs and send us the permalinks (or leave them in the comments).

4. Return to the LMJ call to action post (where permalinks will be linked up) and post/vote for others' posts on bookmarking sites.

5. Submit our press release to online media outlets and social bookmarking sites (Reddit, Stumbleupon, etc.), get your message boards involved, send to your local reporters, or any national news contacts.

That video response? I've a Sunday Edition coming up ... well, this Sunday. That'll be that, then.

a little heartache in the dark at the end of the work day

Today was going along alright. The weather was shitty, but, hey, it's November. I was waiting for a call from the veterinarian that won't come until tomorrow. And Mr.Q actually managed to cross a car off our list of Vehicles We Might Be Interested In.

And then I asked how daycare went.

There was only the briefest of whimpers this morning when Mr.Q left her there: no tears, no shock, no hurt at the blatant rejection and abandonment. And, as a result, there was much rejoicing. Never have we had such an uneventful drop off, in our three weeks of dropping off! She is settling in!

But, the rest of the day was not to joyous. She was sad when she woke from her nap this afternoon. She went to the wall where the family photos are posted and took down the laminated house that has me, Mr.Q, her puppy and kitty looking back at her. And she was sad. She hung on to her mama and dada, Shiba and Meow and carried us around the daycare for an hour or so. And she was sad.

And the staff let her carry us around for comfort. And let her be a little sad, because it's okay to be a little sad if you're missing someone(s).

By the time Mr.Q picked her up at 4, she was thrilled to see him, but no longer sad and no longer carrying around her memories in the form of a laminated pink paper house with crooked photos taped on it. But, when Mr.Q told me of her sadness, it was just about the saddest thing that I'd ever heard.

And, dammit, I'm trying to take public transit, here, people. Even knowing that she was perfectly okay was not good enough. My baby had been sad. Tears may get you a seat on the bus, but it doesn't make you any less sad. Especially if you're missing someone.

Sunday Edition

pigskins galore




Okay, Blogger, you're done. Your video formatting takes forever and you're dong sketchy things with posting it, so I'm back on the YouTube bandwagon for now.

Relevant links:

• the Grey Cup
• NFL? Could have been college football... Who knows? Who cares?
• better yet, we just added TSN for the next month....more football.
  

of aging and loss of bladder control

Not me, despite a series of post pregnancy bladder infections and a penchant for coffee and lots of water, my bladder is holding up just fine.

My dog's isn't.

We had the second indoor accident this morning and there would have been several more in the intervening days had we not been so paranoid about taking him outside at the slightest indication. So, this morning, it was off to the vets. The one-off has become an issue. It's either a bladder infection or a progression of his kidney disease. Or a bladder infection because of the progression of his kidney disease. And, when taken in the context of a weight loss, a dramatic increase in shedding and apparent constant hunger, the kidney disease creeps up to the top of the list.

He's on antibiotics - he does have a slight fever. He's to take his emergency pain meds regularly for a few days to help with his discomfort and he's adding omega-3s to his vitamin regime. He's been poked in more places than anyone - puppies included - deserve to be poked and, after all is said and done, he's no worse for wear, but Mastercard has 350 more reasons to like me. But we'll know more of what we're dealing with come Monday and most of his test results come back.

We'll know even more in a few weeks after his ultrasound for his heart and kidneys is done. Did I mention he has an arrhythmia too?

Poor bugger. This getting old thing sucks.

5-7-5 and a heating pad

little old cat and
little old dog sleep near me
all our joints are stiff

does the past always come back to haunt?

In the past few weeks I have been subjected to my past. Repeatedly. I have, at the oddest times, run into former co-workers and heard news of people I haven't even thought about in years.

It's enough to be weird.

How is it that all these people are coming out of the woodwork - and randomly showing up in elevators - at once? Though I work in a common enough field in a large enough city, we are still a tight knit community. And one that gets around. Even across western Canada, everyone knows someone who knows someone who you know. Went to school together? Had the same supervisor once upon a time? Knew so-and-so back when they were a product rep? So, really, it shouldn't be surprising that two old friends end up working across the street, a third works down the block or my current co-worker met my former through their fitness instructors. But, when it all happens in a short time frame, my conspiracy theory coincidence bells start going off.

It's almost like I have a network or something...

mid week photo op

So, this is the photo that Mr.Q took today for the 365 project we're doing on flickr.

They went to go for a walk around the lake after daycare today.

On a gorgeous, sunny [cold] day, after a nearly tearless daycare 1/2 day - including a long nap with no soother - they went and visited ducks and walked the boardwalk and took photos.

Why am I at work, again?

a strategically placed chair covers the spot that needs cleaning

After all that I'm told happened today - spilled milk, baby baking sessions [that's the baby doing the baking] & gravy at suppertime - it's not the baby who has created the mess that requires the most clean up. It's the dog.

The dog. The dog who, because of his progressive losses of hearing of vision, gets stressed out more easily. And the dog who is progressively losing his kidney function.

We've had it easy - he's had it easy - this past year and a half because either I or Mr.Q has been home to cater to his every whim. But, this evening we were otherwise occupied with baby bath time upstairs and, for whatever reason, Leo did not see fit to make his way up the steps to find us to inform someone of his need to go outside. Could be his progressive, severe arthritis in his hips. So, he peed on the carpet.

Now, it's carpet that I want to desperately replace anyway. And it's carpet that needs a good clean anyway. But that's not how I wanted to spent my evening - on my knees, blotting up puppy pee. At least our carpet spot cleaner states that the carpet has to be completely dry before using.

That means Mr.Q gets to do the scrubbing tomorrow morning when I'm at work.

dangerous admissions

Are you kidding me? Who has time for reading when there is a toddler running around with a runny nose, 3 1/2 molars and a distaste for any scrap of floor not covered in toys or books? Yet I still grabbed the chance to read Dangerous Admissions when the Parent Bloggers Network offered it up. Because I love reading. And I'm delusional.

But this is not my general genre; chick-lit esque murder mystery ain't my thing. I'm normally into one of a select few magazines, something educational or full of quirky funny bits, or novels with a more ... fantastical bent. But, hey, I'm willing to expand my horizons and take on death and conspiracy in an upscale New York private school. And I am glad I did.

The characters are quirky, fault-filled and likable [except for the ones you're not supposed to like]. There are some leaps of faith that need to be taken [would she really do that?] along with plenty of red herrings and some obvious 2x4s over the head. But these are no more to swallow than the events of any evening drama and they're not so large that you can't move past them. The teens are angsty, the adults have full plates of work, dating, kids and secrets. And you get to read it all from several points of view.

The author did a great job of flipping back and forth between several characters throughout the book - it kept things interesting and was never confusing. Everyone was brought a little more to life with better views of their logic, their irrationalities and their needs. And that made for a great read.

I liked:

• what do you need for any juicy little bit of fun? Sex, drugs and rock and roll. [um, okay, a little tiny mention of rock and roll, but it's in there!] Add in murder, put it in New York and you've got a nice little escape.
• I really got to the point where I wanted to keep reading - forget that I had said I was only going to read two chapters, one more couldn't hurt and maybe it would settle a theory I had.

I disliked:

• the setting, while making for that escapism, is a little too far removed from my Small Town High School or even my Current City for me. I never bought into 90210 or the OC as even being vaguely realistic and I had the occasional similar issue with the private school in the novel. I'm sure these places to exist and these events really do happen ... I just don't always get it.
• okay, this is minor, but the cover kind of bugged me. And the subtitle.
  

The verdict:

• this really is a great little read. It's not heavy and it won't change your world, but it will make for a great way to take a little me-time, or make that commute on the bus go a little faster. But, careful, you may find yourself keeping tabs on a few of the regular riders. You know, just in case ...
  

Sunday Edition

technology passes me by [and sometimes - coughBloggercough - slows me down]




Relevant links:

• Second Life
• Clearer Writing - via the recommended WriteRight site
  
• the instructor

**********
note to self: Check required computer specifications before downloading third party software and launching it. Computer may crash. Repeatedly, because though you thought that the first time may just have been a fluke, it wasn't.

damn it

Okay, so I'm trying to put up my Sunday Edition post - really I am!

If Blogger ever gets its ass in gear and finishes processing the video.

So, my apologies. There will be a real post there. Soon. I hope.

I mean what I mean and I know what I mean, so why doesn't everyone else?

How's that for clarity and simplicity?

I attended a Clear Writing course today; a co-worker of my husband has been organizing a series of daily writing workshops for those in the company who may be interested and those of us who she knows are interested. While this workshop was geared more toward the technical writer [which is applicable to my work], I was curious to see how it might also be applicable in my journaling and creative endeavours.

Now, I have no delusions. I am wordy. I have been accused of verbosity since I began writing in the workplace. I think, in my shorter reports, it's a cover-your-ass kind of thing: the more info I put down, the less likely it is that it will come back to haunt me later. There can be no questions. Apparently, more words doesn't actually make for more information and a clearer document. Sadly, it appears to make things more convoluted and more unattractive to the reader.

Sigh.

But I'm still not quite certain how to - or even if I should - apply that here. There are certainly some tactics that would be useful, but there is simply no way to treat my journaling like a technical brief and cull it down to the nitty gritty basics and leave it at that. It does me no good to post like that, and I'd be really, really surprised if that kept my [oh so many!] readers engaged.

A lot of my posting here is written on the fly. Not all, but most. I may put thought into the topic, I may contemplate how I want the thing to flow, and I hit the spell check, but I have yet to revise something as critically as I would have in high school or university. And I have never consciously removed redundancies or filler phrases to aid in clarity and conciseness.

So, it begs the question: how far do you go in your editing of the daily posts?

it's Friday - let's haiku!

darkness on the train
at the end of a week’s rain
tomorrow is sun

Okay, so this is a cop out. I post my poetry over at my other blog, and that includes Haiku Fridays. But, in the interest of Nablopomo, tonight I post it here too!

I may as well pack up my things and go live a solitary life in the wilds of Scotland

I have been replaced. Brushed off, cast aside and flat out rejected.

When I went back to work, there was a couple of weeks where the Magpie was upset: upset when I left and upset with me when I returned. She was extra clingy while I was around and followed me everywhere. But, now that Mr.Q has been home with her for five months and has started taking her to - and leaving her at - daycare, she has become permanently attached to his person.

She wants to be in the same room as him. She wants to sit in his lap at the dinner table once she's done. And she gives him random hugs and kisses all the time. Oh, sure, she'll give me a hug and a kiss if Mr.Q asks her to. And they're sincere enough.

But, as soon as the cursory hug and kiss are through, she then turns to me and waves her little hand and says buuuyyyye.

mid week photo op

New acquisitions of mine. I've always had it in the back of my head that I should get a set of Tarot cards - a curiosity, an appreciation of the artwork, a meditation. But, I never have.

Until I found myself with credit at a couple of places that sell such things and I would up with two decks for me [and one for my sister for Christmas - one gift down, too many more to go]. On the left is part of my Tarot deck and on the right, part of an oracle deck.

Can't go into the full details about the differences yet, because I've only started reading up on the Tarot deck...

Both decks are completely visually inspiring and getting into the whys and wherefores of the presence of each little item in each card. But, don't expect to see me advertising card readings here anytime in the near future - or any future.

That's my official prediction.

blogging while distracted

Pushing Daisies is on.

I am in love with the Pie Maker. Loooove. As much as Hawksley Workman? That depends on the day. Okay, so Pushing Daisies deals with death, murder and unrequited love, but it is now my new favourite.

I am also supposed to be getting a lunch and snacks ready for the Magpie's third day of daycare since I've decided that it's not a good idea to leave these things until the morning. But you can see how well that's working....

But, fortunately, you get to look around here at the new facade, thanks to The Blog Cafe! I won a template from Ciao! My Bella a while ago, right before the owner decided to change tacks and create The Blog Cafe. Take a look around here, and take a look around there - it's always good to have a new look!

I'm being forced into domesticity

Okay, so remember the arts and crafts? I did it. It looks pretty damned good, for a little cardboard house with a few photos stuck on it, too, thank you very much!

But, now, things are getting out of hand. I've been made to iron. Repeatedly. Using little strips of label, and attempting to line it up nicely on little tiny clothes, most of which explicitly state: Do Not Iron.

Like crafting, I do not iron. However, the labels appear to be stuck and rumour has it that they stick well, so I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that this process does not need to be repeated until spring when I must prepare new clothes to send to daycare.

How am I to reconcile all this? Part of my pro-daycare rant was that the Magpie would be introduced to all the artsy and craftsy things that Mr.Q and I do not subscribe to. And yet, here I am, doing them! Not well, mind you, but she's not even a year and a half - what does she care? God, the next thing you know, I'll be sewing something like a button or [gasp!] hemming a pant!

bahahahahaha.... okay, not really, but the hyperbole was effective, no?

But, really, this is getting serious. Mr.Q has to head out and pick up a few things for the Magpie's daycare kit tomorrow and I may have him also purchase a glue stick. For me. I have the feeling I'm going to need one.

**********
Yep, things, they are a changing around here! More about that tomorrow!!

Sunday Edition

It's Remembrance Day...



Relevant links:

• the Royal Canadian Air Force
• Flander's Field
• take a moment...