The Best Part of My Day(s)

I've been having a rough few weeks, so I decided this week to name one thing that was the best part of my day.  This is what it was this week:


Sunday
Taking my bike out for the first time this year.  Loved it.  


Monday
My shower.  I had a really emotionally draining day, but my shower at the end of the day seemed to wash everything away.  Plus, I was shiny and clean.  Actually just clean, not really shiny.  


Tuesday
Getting tickets to see the musical Wicked, with really great seats: 1st row, second balcony.  I'm definitely looking forward to a night out with a group of fun ladies.


Wednesday
Green Grass.  The first thing I noticed when I left the house in the morning was how green the grass looked after the storm.  It turned out to be a rough day for me, so I'm glad I picked this days "best part" so early in the day.


Thursday
Getting Kings of Leon tickets.  I'm so so excited to go to this concert.  I could go on.  But I won't.  Except maybe to say that I love Kings of Leon.  So so excited.  


Friday
It's Friday, what could be better than that?  Also, that my friend phoned me just before work to have a quick chat and wish me a Happy Friday.  We have been phoning each other to wish each other a happy friday for over 3 years now, I love it.


What was the best part of your day?


~b~

Incredulous . . .

Is how I felt when I took this picture:

False Alarm


Almost every evening around suppertime I hear the faint urgent beeping of a fire alarm going off in small staccato bursts.  It gives me a small smile, for some reason, to know that someone on our floor has burnt their supper - again.


Last weekend I came home after spending a nice evening out enjoying a good conversation and eating steak paired with a nice Melbec.  I was looking forward to enjoying the apartment to myself when I heard the fire alarm going off.  With no smell of smoke and no activity in the hallway I ignored the endless droning sound that conveyed no sense of urgency.  That is, until I heard the building manager running down the hallway banging on apartment doors and yelling: EVERYBODY OUT!!  


So I did what any sensible adult would do: I grabbed a backpack and filled it with my prized possessions.  Which happened to be my Nikon d90 with lenses, and my MacBook Pro.  I glanced at the Xbox 360 and hoped it would perish in the fire.  I pictured it melted into a puddle on the floor.  I also decided to wear my black spring jacket - it looked better with my outfit.  A vain mistake I would soon regret.  


I headed outside and milled around the doors of the building trying to find out what had happened.  A small baby was crying.  He was only wrapped in a small blanket, so I suggested he and his mother join me in my car to keep warm.  The nights events were pretty anti-climatic after that.  I watched steam billowing out of the vents of the laundry room and people in apartment units who peered curiously out at us.  The fire department never showed up and we were eventually allowed back into the building.  I went to sleep in my clothes, just in case.  Color coordinated, of course.


Crazy Lady Steals Fire Extinguisher? or The Story Behind My Wall Post


This week I went to see a specialist at RUH with my son.  We ended up having to park in the exorbitantly priced parkade.  We took our time leaving, looking at photos of Saskatoon on the walls of the walkway and getting out of the way of the train when it honked its tiny horn at us.  We soon desended down the stairs and made our way to the pay station with our parking ticket.  A lady was in front of us.  As we reached the bottom and took our place in the queue, I watched as the lady in front of us noticed the fire extinguisher located in a box on the wall across from us.  Walking over to the fire extinguisher, she first tested the handle to see if the door would open.  It did.  So she proceeded to slowly open the door and tentively touch the extinguisher.  She then took if out from its case, eyed the extinguisher up and down, even testing out its weight.  It must have been to her satisfaction because she proceeded to rejoin the queue, right in front of me.  


I couldn't believe my eyes, so I decided to take a picture.  She noticed that I had my phone out and decided to put the fire extinguisher back.  My son was so embarrassed that I would take a picture and I could hear him muttering in protest behind me.  Later, when I asked him why he would care what a stranger (and a would be thief) would think I me taking a picture, he angrily retorted:  She's obviously ill, Mom.  I definitely can't disagree with his statement.  I decided to phone RUH, so they could check that they still have a fire extinguisher, but I can't help but wonder what else she has in that big black backpack of hers.


~b~

Birthdays

For anyone who gets to know me well they will probably realize that my dorkiness and lameness is proportional to my mood and energy.  They also probably know that I like to celebrate birthdays with cakes and cards.


On Thursday (March 31st) I thought I'd celebrate the birthdays of two people.  I also wanted to eat cake and visit with my friends that evening.  


So even though Robert Bunsen (the chemist behind the Bunsen burner) has been dead for many many years, and my brother is in Mexico City right now, I thought I could still celebrate their birthdays.

Check out the accompanying video:

I don't know what I liked more about this video: that I yelled at my friend to SING, that they actually start to sing, that I "zoom" into my brothers name for visual interest, or that it ends with the one candle being blown out.  


I've decided to start the reminders for my birthday early this year:  June 1st is in less than 2 months!  


I'm debating whether I should send out special reminder cards again.


~b~

Little Things

Sometimes I get so focused on wanting to accomplish big achievements that I forget that to get anywhere, you have to start small.


This post is a list of all the little things that I have accomplished recently.


Early Mornings 


This year, I've been working on self-discipline.  Since the beginning of February I've been going to bed at a decent hour and getting up early to read and think and write and enjoy my coffee in solitude.  It's slowly becoming my favorite part of the day.  Lately, my computer has been acting wonky, so this morning I finally backed up my hard drive.  I ended up having to google a few things but I think I did pretty good trying to figure out the best way to partition my external hard drive at 6:30 this morning without a full cup of coffee in my system. 


Lent


I'm pretty ignorant about what Lent is so I thought the best way to learn was to participate.  It didn't start off too great (I forgot to eat pancakes) and it was really tough in the beginning.  I found myself glowering at people who gave something easy up like Facebook or television.  I was so cranky, I thought I would lose some friends in the process, so I put myself in a self-imposed exile for a week.  But it's been getting better and I definitely see the value in learning through doing.  


My Son


As a parent I get wrapped up in my son's obstacles.  It's been a tough year being a parent.  But last Friday was awesome.  In the afternoon my son helped out at my mother's work.  Not only did he spend the afternoon helping to move furniture and boxes, but he worked with people who are intellectually disabled.  I am so proud of him for working so hard without complaining and especially for being so accepting of people who are different.  (This isn't really an accomplishment on my part, I just don't brag about my son very often).


Money


I've been trying to approach my spending and lack of saving in a more disciplined way.  My immediate goals are to get out of my line of credit and to save enough money to go on a trip this summer.  But more importantly, I just want to approach my finances in a more consistent and discipline way.  I've been following Gail Val-Oxlade money jars system.  It is easy and simple.  I either have money to spend or I don't.  




Thoughtful Tuesday


I'm lazy when I think of names and titles, and tend to use alliteration.  Thoughtful Tuesday is an example of this.  Thoughtful Tuesday is something I started a few weeks ago.  It's basically engaging in an act of kindness or giving to others and sharing what I've done, in order to inspire others to engage in their own acts.  Last week I made three Kiva loans and posted it on Facebook.  I don't participate every Tuesday, mostly when I remember (or have money), but it's a really easy and simple way to focus outward.


What small thing have you done lately?


~b~

Tattoos

I met a friend for lunch at Amigos on Friday and had the most amazing lunch I've had in a while. 

We ate Black Tiger Shrimp with Peppers and Onions in a Zippy Santa Fe Sauce with Coconut Rice and BBQ Black Beans.  YUM!!!

While we were there I mentioned that I thought it was time to get another tattoo.  I would love to get a tattoo on my wrist, but I wasn't sure I want to commit to getting a tattoo in spot that can't be covered up.  My friend thought it was a great idea and told me if I went to ROP that afternoon, she would buy me a coffee.  I was excited by the impulsivity of the whole idea and decided I would grab a ride home to change my jacket before stopping in at ROP.

I've know my friend for 23 years and as I was at home getting, I remembered the time we had a sleep over and she convinced me to stick my head through the railing and tie me up with a bunch of rope.  I think we were re-enacting a Houdini stunt of some sort.  Anyway, I just remember being tied up with my head stuck through the railing and I think I may have ended up crying.

I decided to not get a tattoo that afternoon.

On Sunday at church, my favorite little person showed me her stickers that were all over her arms and legs.  She then proceeded to transfer them onto my arm one by one.  

Each sticker was placed on an empty spot on my arm, and smoothed down so they remained stuck.  It took a painfully long time to complete this process, but I couldn't say no to such a cute face.

And now I know what I would look like if I ever decide to get a full sleeve. 

Those smiley faces are definitely me.  What do you think?

~b~

Robbie Burns

The only thing crazier than the weather (from -33 yesterday to -3 today), is the fact that I never seem to get around to posting my blog posts.  Here is a blog post I wrote last week, but never got around to posting:

Besides loving the Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon, and drinking Irn Bru pop, I really don't know a lot about Scotland, let alone who the heck Robbie Burns is.  However, I wasn't going to let that small detail stop me from attending a Robbie Burns Supper the other week.

I spent better part of the night trying to figure out who this Robbie Burns character was.  Robbie Burns likes women.  Robbie Burns seemed like a philanderer.  Robbie Burns had 11 children.  

We ended up sitting at a table with some older ladies.  They were retired teachers that come every year to the supper together.  They were very proud of their heritage.  One lady informed me that her grandmother came to Canada from Scotland.  Another lady at the table could trace her roots back to the 1600's!  They were very friendly.  In fact, I was informed that I sounded well read and was then recommended some books to read: The Kings Speech, and How Scotland Invented the Modern World.  I will have to have to put them on my books to read list.  

There are so many customs to a Robbie Burns supper which I found delightful.  Carrying the haggis up to the head table by an official Haggis Carrier, followed by an ode and then a toast to the haggis.

This year was the 250th annual Robbie Burns supper.  It is a way to celebrate scottish heritage through dance, music, and food.  I would definitely go back next year to celebrate and sit with people I don't know just to meet people and hear stories about their heritage.

~b~

Monday Musings

This past Saturday I attended a workshop that was put on by a local church and Food for the Hungry Canada.  It was a time that gave you the permission to dream by brainstorming how to bring hope to people through ideas and actions.

The biggest thing I took away from that session was the impact of simply acting on one small idea.  Here are some other thoughts that I came away with:

When you look at the overall picture, at the end goal, whether it is running a marathon, implementing a budget, or trying to change your lifestyle, it can seem overwhelming to the point where it can hinder you to start at all.  However, everything starts with one small idea that is then turned into an action.  FH was founded in 1971 and now works in over 26 countries that work towards sustainable community development through a holistic approach of addressing physical, spiritual, social, and educational needs.  It started, however, with one man buying one very hungry child a bowl of soup in the streets of Saigon.

Passion.  It struck me that this organization was a product of someone's passion.  Passion is something I lack, and it is something I definitely notice when it is present in others.  It made me wonder if getting to that place of having a passion starts simply with an urge or desire to do something, or change something and then simply taking that first step of action.  It is through this process of acting, that passion grows into something that is noticeable to those around you.

While I am a planner by nature, and like to see the big picture and end goal, sometimes I just need to start by taking one first step and then being open to looking for further direction from there.


~b~