Category: Uncategorized

We’re doing OK at the Winter Olympics, probably because the winter games involve a lot of snow and ice, with which we Canadians are regrettably familiar. Take skeleton, f’r’instance – it’s called ‘skeleton’ because the equipment is a bare-bones sled, no bells, no whistles, no design to speak of, which means our team can almost afford new ones. I bet that during the off-season, we send our skeleton sleds to the Canadian military.
So, kudos to our athletes who are willing to throw themselves headfirst down a long track of ice, or strap Katzenjammer Kids skates to their feet, as our medal-hauling spped skaters have done. Congrats also to Jeff Buttle, who stayed relatively upright most of the time and bagged the bronze figure-skating medal.
A big fat raspberry, however, to perpetually whingeing Emanuel Sandhu, who is still bitching about not being selected for the 1998 Olympic team. 1998!!
Here’s an idea – any other Canadian athletes that compete but don’t medal, no matter what the sport, should also place the blame on the ’98 COC and their decision to leave Sandhu at home. Fall down in the downhill? ’98 OC’s fault. Lose the hockey gold? ’98 OC’s fault. Miss the biathlon target? You get the idea.

“Dear Ms. McDonnell:
Although we were not able to offer you any courses in the current semester, we are pleased to inform you that we have put your name on our list of teachers whom we would like to hire in the future. Please continue to apply to postings, and we will contact you when we have courses to offer.”
Yes, to paraphrase Sally Field, Dawson likes me! They really like me!
Of course, I’m still a little peeved at the month of feeling useless, talentless and depressed while I waited for the letter that arrived yesterday.

Yesterday was my second anniversary. Two years, no smoking. To make this occasion even sweeter, I have actually managed to shed the weight I gained when I quit.
Not bad for someone with no willpower to speak of. I think I’ll go shopping to celebrate 😉

One of the benefits of all this time on my hands is that I can try some new recipes. I’ve discovered a couple in the last two weeks that will definitely become part of our regular repertoire.
Last night’s was a lentil and rice casserole (all stovetop, no baking). It’s pretty easy, and the list of ingredients isn’t too daunting (Dr. T. frequently accuses me of making things up to add to the shopping list, just to test him. But I swear, fenugreek exists! So do collard greens! And vegetarian eye of newt… ok, maybe not that last one).
Anyway, check it out, and remember new recipes are always welcome!

This was the culprit responsible for the defeat of our washing machine – or should I say near defeat! Yes! The pump has been replaced, and all is right with the world.
…until next time…
*Alternate post title: Sock it to me!

In my last post I mentioned in passing that the dishwasher is on the blink (literally, since it’s blinking “ER” at us non-stop).
Well, yesterday the washing machine quit in solidarity.
This washer has been with us since before we were us. It’s a basic 3-temperature wash-rinse-spin Maytag that has handled our laundry from the time we were two relatively clean adults through two spat-up-upon parents with poopy babies to our current two-small-but-active-boys + parents household without complaint. But yesterday, our loyal friend stopped pumping water out, and then tried to spin a full load with a tub full of water, thus burning something that smells horrible.
While I have a handle on the dish washing situation – I even bought one of those fancy wooden racks for drying – I am not prepared to flip the laundry onto my head, stroll down to the river and find a suitable rock. There are limits.
So now we wait for another repairperson – and since the blinking dishwasher is a different brand, we can’t do a two-for-one…
It’s only a matter of time before the fridge melts or the dryer decides to burst into flames. It’s no doubt a Luddite conspiracy.

I’m kind of enjoying my imposed vacation. I’m being very domestic – cooking, baking, cleaning, fixing things around the house, knitting – and since the dishwasher is currently awaiting repairs, I’m even handwashing the dishes.
I got a call from Lennoxville yesterday. One of my former colleagues is considering an extended sick leave, and my former coordinator wanted to know if I would be interested in taking over her two courses.
My initial reaction was to agree tentatively, because although it would mean living away from home again, at least I would be working. But after a brief discussion with Dr. T, I realized that although it would mean working, I’d be living away from home again.
I should point out that Dr. T has never been anything but entirely supportive, and he did not ask me to refuse. He did, however, make it clear that he likes having me at home.
I don’t think I could really be a fulltime stay-at-home Mom. For one thing, I don’t think Dr. T’s insurance would cover the cost of all the psychological counselling we would all inevitably need. But I really am enjoying this interim, perhaps because I know that it’s temporary. Last semester was a little too crazy, with the extra course; and the two years prior were definitely worth doing in terms of my career, but I still feel residual guilt about abandoning my children for that period.
Suffice it to say that I called back and said that upon reflection, I had to decline. My family needs me more than they need the money (it helps that two courses wouldn’t pay all that much, especially once we deduct gas and room & board).
I hated having to make the call – I was sitting staring at the phone, and Robert asked why I was just sitting there. I told him I had to make a phone call to give some one bad news, and that I was not looking forward to the call. He said “Ok, Mummy, you’re off the hook – tell me the news and I’ll call them for you.”
Which made the uncomfortable phone call absolutely worthwhile.

Almost every day, one or both of my sons, Colin and Robert, come up with questions that require a lot of thought and/or research. So I thought, hey, why should I do all the thinking?
Tada – a brand new spinoff, What My Kids Want to Know. Have fun!

A special note to the guy in the red pickup in front of me on Decarie during this morning’s bumper-to-bumper adventure: I have to tell you I was immensely relieved when the curly blonde head in the passenger seat – the one the had been bobbing up and down frenetically into your lap – stuck itself out the window and turned out to be a poodle.
Having said that, I have to ask: poodle? in a pickup? really?
Also, to the driver of the fancy-schmancy sedan in the next lane: yes, we’re in slow traffic. No, that does not mean you can read the paper at the wheel. Not even the comics.

Ok, well, my original election prediction was a little off.
The good news is that there’s no way the Harper Valley bunch can do much damage, considering that they’re in an uncomfortable position (for a Conservative party) of having to broker deals with either the slightly leftist Liberals, the all-the-way left Bloc or the so-far-left-left-looks-centrist NDP. So chances are we’ll get to keep our pot and gay weddings, and we’re not likely to be scrapping Kyoto or rushing off to Iraq in the immediate future.
The better news is that the result forced Martin to make an actual decision and step down as leader – so we may finally get genuinely new blood at the Liberal helm. Which means that the party actually stands a chance in the next election, presumably scheduled for later this year (unless the Tories have actually learned something from their last minority fiasco).
The best news? No more campaign!!