I haven’t been posting much, albeit I have a lot on my mind. The biggest thing is when Eric is going to find out if he’s getting posted to Kingston or not which could be anytime between now and the end of May. The more I think about it, the more I want to move there. Not necessarily for the place itself but for the location and the fact that we could buy a home!

For $137000 we could own something to the minimum of our requirements. (3 Bdrm, and a basement/rec area if it’s a townhome called a condo in Ontario??) Our mortgage would be cheaper than our rent out here. Crazy.

I really like the idea of being close to other parts of the country and United States I want to explore. Montreal, Ottawa, NY State, New England and all of the eastern United States and parts of the Maritimes I haven’t yet explored. I know for a fact in the spring/summer on a weekend I will be in my car with Aaron exploring. I am a little tired of Victoria and if we ever do seriously want to own out here our mortgage will be a) unbelievable or b) we’ll have to settle for something we really don’t want. The weather out here is great there is no denying that but despite that I want a change.

Other random thoughts are we’ve decided if were not posted back east were moving. We tired of living in such a dated place and are landlord won’t put any work into this house unless necessary. This time we can be picky as were not in a rush to move.

Aaron will be 2 in less than a month! How the hell did that happen? I have a birthday party to plan and an impending visit from the in-laws for Easter. God help me.

I don’t know when it happened, but I’ve lost my spirit. The Canada vs. U.S.A. Men’s Gold Medal Olympic hockey game was today. If you asked me at the start of the day if I cared my answer was no.

Eight years ago that wasn’t the case. It was another Sunday which I happened to working as I did today. I work on the food court at the mall. (An appropriate job for a 19 year old college student) The mall was dead. There was hardly a soul in sight. I remember listening to the game on the radio and some people watching the game on the TV’s in the food court. After the game some revelers came through the food court one had a Canadian flag draped over his shoulders like cape. He was happy and shouting. What I don’t remember, but he was happy for his country. Security kicked him out. I couldn’t’ wait to get off work to go celebrate. I went to my favorite bar. It was a good night.

Fast forward eight years and I’ve lost my spirit. I don’t know what happened between 19 and 27, maybe I grew up. I used to love the Olympics. I used to pay attention to figure skating and new who was who and made a point to watch the big events like Skate Canada, Skate America and the Worlds. I just learned who Joannie Rochette was this past week. Sad I know. In between being a young adult living at home, to being an adult, with an adult job (speaking in the past) to being a parent, I’ve lost sight of who I was.

I had this realization as all my co-workers and customers couldn’t wait to watch the game or were complaining that they had to work and couldn’t watch the game. That used to be me. Now I don’t care. I wish that Eric and I could’ve been in Vancouver watching the game downtown at one of the Live City events or be in the streets cheering on out country. I’m glad that I went to Vancouver last weekend to take in some of the Olympic action.

My tune changed when I came home to Eric and Aaron watching the game and when we were driving people were celebrating downtown in Canada gear hooting, hollering, and honking there horns. Some people were evening riding around the back of a pickup truck. (As Eric was 8 years ago.) I just wanted to grab out flag and join them, but I didn’t.

My only thought at work today was I can’t wait to get off so I can get my errands and shopping done. I don’t even have to be at work tomorrow, I don’t know what my rush was. I want the old me back. I don’t want to live my life full of regrets.

I watched part of the closing ceremonies and am glad I did. I know the world will be ripping Vancouver a part for our fake snow in BC Place. To them I say Screw you! Who else can boast being able wear nothing but a sweatshirt and jeans in the middle of February?

I think Vancouver did a great job hosting the 2010 games, albeit I may not agree with how the government went about spending my tax dollars, They did it and survived Canadian Style!

It is 20:10 and I’ve just put Aaron to bed. I soon hope to follow. But it all depends on how long it takes The Boy to go down. The other night the kid didn’t fall asleep until near 11. He was in bed before 9pm and took 2 hours to go down. I hate it when he does that.  I work early in the a.m. I opened today and I open to tomorrow. How I do love working in customer service.

We’ve had a busy week around here which hasn’t left me with much time to post. We took a day trip out to French Beach which is 20 minutes past Sooke which was a success! And I had a procedure yesterday that I had to prep for.

This particular procedure didn’t allow me to eat from 8am Thursday until yesterday around 3:45. I was only allowed clear fluids. I did okay right up until I got to the hospital. This particular procedure didn’t require sedation to my horror. Similar procedures I’ve had in the past gave me a local anesthetic. The booking clerk suggested I take some Ativan. I’ve never taken it before and took one 45 minutes prior to my appointment and I felt nothing so I took another one.

Did I feel it. I felt in the way of light headedness and nausea. I’m not sure if it was the no eating or taking the 2 Ativan or a combination the Ativan and an empty stomach but I had to lie down before my procedure and not sit in the waiting room like everyone else.  

After my procedure was done I figure I should get something to eat. So I headed to the snack shop and got a soup (cream of potato and bacon) and Five-Alive. These choices so did not agree with me. The second I got Eric picked me up and I got home, I went to lay down, grabbed a bucket and actually used it. I promptly made myself some chicken noodle soup had some apple juice and slept for 2 hours.

I’ve got a lot of random thoughts going through my mind. In no particular order:

* We’re waiting to hear back on Eric’s application. We need to know a) If he got accepted into the program and if so b) Are they sending us to Kingston or do we stay put? The more Eric’s has looked into it seems if he is accepted into the program that us being posted to Ontario is more of a possibility. I hate not knowing. We will know between now and May and we would be moved between June and August most likely. I am ready for it, I just want to know where I will be in 6 months.

* I’ve decided to reenter to workforce and am concentrating on finding the right job. Come May, Eric’s work schedule will not permit me to work part-time at my craptastic job. I’ve applied for another job at Reputable Company that I didn’t get the job for in November. My interviewer told provided me with the feedback that I interviewed well, but wasn’t the most qualified candidate which translates to: internal transfers (Why hire an outsider when you’ve already got the trained bodies?) This information came courtesy from an unnamed source. I was more than qualified for this position. So I’m giving it another shot.

Ugh but what if I do get the job and then were posted to Ontario. That would be bitter sweet and suck because I’d just have to go through the process again in Kington.

* I’ve come across a job posting that I am under qualified for but really want the job. My background is perfect, I just need some training. Unfortunately, there are no entry level positions. My MIL used to work for this company and is still on great terms with many people there and I’ve contemplated asking for her to pull some strings but I’m not going to. I want to get this job on my own merit and don’t want to be in her debt. I just need to write a kick ass cover letter which isn’t too hard for me, but I’m drawing blanks on how to convey that my background makes me an ideal candidate. 

I only am considering applying as the job posting has been up for a month which means a) they haven’t filled the position or b) they have but are too lazy to take down the post.

30 minutes later Aaron is still laughing in his crib full of piss and vinegar. All I want to do is go to bed. Since it will be awhile yet before he’s asleep I might as well post some pics from our trip.

Aaron was laughing hysterically about something so I went in to check on him to see what on earth could so amusing and I have no idea what it is. He was laying in his crib with his blanket and soother. Often when he won’t settle if he hasn’t drank his evening bottle I’ll go in and rock him while he drinks it. It usually settles him. While drinking it tonight we had many breaks so Aaron could laugh at whatever he’s laughing at. There is nothing better than when my boy is laughing. Maybe it’s the bugs I have mounted above his crib? I have idea but I dimmed his light further.

Aaron leading the way!

Somewhere near Sooke.

I can still hear Aaron calling out a bit. It’s 9:30. (’ve been sufring the net while writing this and waiting for him to go to sleep.

I did go over to Vancouver on Saturday Night to take in some of the Olympic spirit. All I can say things over there ARE crazy. In a good way. The crowds were crazy. Mardi Gras crazy. I got right into the thick of things downtown on Robson and Granville. I did a lot of walking. I took in the Quebec House, The rings in the water, the torch and Robson St. There were people zip lining across Robson Square, loud music, light displays, public drunkenness. You name it, it was there. Most people were in good moods. Almost everyone was decked out in some sort of Canada gear. It’s a good time to be Canadian, and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect. Vancouver has been enjoying sunny skies and crisp nights. The only disappointing part was when my friends and I got to Quebec House they were out of poutine. Which was the only reason I went to Quebec House. I don’t know what was the most wild part of the evening the topless girl on Granville or the colourful gentleman (featured above) we met on our journey.

The time has come for Eric and I to purchase a new set of pots. The ones Eric bought when he first set out on his own aren’t cutting it anymore. We’ve lost all the handles to the lids, and I’ve burned myself one too many times. I don’t want non stick pans (We currently have T-Fal) because eventually no matter what utensils you use on the them eventually the coating will scratch.

I found some KitchenAid pots in sale at Canadian Tire. There discounted greatly and look like a good deal. But I don’t know if there any good. Can any of my readers reccomend some good pots? I don’t want to spend $500 and I am not a fan of Lagostina. My dad has them and everything seems to stick to them.

So to all who like to cook please shed your wisdom.

At the moment I am disgusted to admit I hail from Vancouver. Not 24 hours after the Olympics kick off and an ugly protest ensues downtown Vancouver I’m all for freedom of speech and peaceful protesting but it isn’t necessary to vandalize public and private property. These vandals spray painted cars and broke the windows of They Bay in downtown Vancouver.

If that were my car, I’d be livid. No, I am livid. A private citizen’s car shouldn’t be vandalized just because it happened to be parked in the wrong spot at the wrong time. A hit and run deductible from ICBC is $300! Not everyone has $300 laying around. People use their vehicles for transportation and day to day activities. I wonder how many of these protesters turned vandals opted to take public transit instead of drive. I wonder how many of them have $300 kicking around. I wish there was something I could do to stop these idiots. I doubt writing a blog entry or tweeting about it will do much.

I was able to find a list of planned events through a simple google search and clicking a few links from some websites. I am hesitant to link to them, not as though I have a lot of readers but I don’t want my website linked to any anti-Olympic protests or provide info for some wing nuts out there. I simple googled “01ympic R e s I s t a n c e N e t w o r k” as cited in the CTV news article. This is exactly why I most likely won’t be taking in any of the games activities. I’ve been toying with the idea but don’t need to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The Olympics are pretty much here. It’s very weird and surreal at the same time. There has been all this hype and build up and it’s just around the corner. Being from Vancouver, I happy but ambivalent at the same time.

I remember how proud I was when Vancouver won the bid. Now I’m not so sure. They’ve been butchered from what they’re meant to be. With millions or billions of dollars spent on athletes villages and infrastructure for 4 weeks (Paralympics included) seems like a waste of money to me. Olympics are about amateur athletes competing in a sport they are passionate about that is their life.

I don’t agree with NHL athletes competing in the Olympics. They’re professional athletes who are PAID to do what they do. Not amateurs who need to be funded and scrape to get to where they are.

Someone asked if I was going to take in any of the events of the Olympics and I said I wasn’t sure. On one hand it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity on the other by going am I supporting something that ought not to be supported? I have friends who attend protests that are vehemently opposed tot the games; on the other I have an 87-year-old grand father who is insuring his scooter in the winter so he can have access to good parking at the free venues.

On one hand I want to take in some of the action and say I was a part of history on the other I don’t because my tax dollars will be paying for them for decades to come. One thing the back of my mind is the threat of terrorism. Who’s to say that I won’t be at a free concert venue and somebody decides to blow the place up? It’s pessimistic but it happened in Atlanta. One thing that is almost certain I won’t be taking Aaron to any of the events.

The security is pretty tight. There will be military personnel in the bush surrounding the venues on the mountains. A far cry from the lack of security at the Calgary games in 1988.

The Olympics are like a dream to me. I have fond memories as a child and teenager watching my favourite sports on TV. Part of that enthusiasm is buried deep down and wants to surface but part of it is crushed due to the harsh realities of today’s world.

If you had a chance would you take in the Olympics or watch from afar?

I’ve been kind of quiet the last few days. Eric is away for work and Aaron and I are over at my dad’s cat included. We’ve been keeping busy and seeing family and friends.  Aaron has good days and bad days with the tantrums. Yesterday my dad and I walked with him down to a park that I used to play at as a little girl. Never in a million years did I think that Aaron would be playing in and around the same things I did as a little girl. I have happy memories of this place and now he will too.

At this park I saw a former friend of mine with her kids. She has a son a few months younger than Aaron and a baby. It wasn’t a reunion of “Hey how the heck are?! Are these your kids? They sure are cute.” It was a glare/glance across the way. Thankfully, Aaron never migrated to where her kids were playing and we didn’t have to interact. She wasn’t a good friend, at the time I thought she was.  But she wasn’t and a whole sleugh of memories came flooding back.

She was never a happy person and was always complaining about every little thing and she liked to talk behind peoples back mine included. (Of course there is always run of the mill gossip that is normal between teen girls, but she was pretty bad and would always laugh while talking behind someone’s back.) She took it a step further with me and if I showed interest in a guy she’d usually go for him or make her rounds before I got a chance too. 

Seeing her just brought back all the old memories some good, most bad. She succeeded in taking a couple of friends too. Even into our 20’s she still had stuff to say that got back to me. I don’t know what I ever did to her to make her spite me, but she is a hateful and unhappy person. To this day I still don’t know if she slept with my high school boyfriend. They both maintain they didn’t but there is something about a look that can give you away. After Eric and I were dating a few of us were hanging out one night and the numbers game up. As in how many partners we had all had. The look that they gave each other had guilt written all over it. And the events of the time it made sense. For him it would be getting back at me for my transgressions, for her it would be having something of mine.

I dont’ know why I am writing this. I wish I could just forget her. Even at the park she kept looking at me and as my dad pointed out as she walked away she kept looking back at me as if she was gossiping about me to the mommy friend she was with. I can let sleeping dogs lie, she can’t.

Today Aaron and I met some friends at an indoor climbing place. It’s the same structures that they have in the McDonald’s play place. This place has a rule on weekends parents aren’t able to climb with thier kids.  I don’t particularly like this rule.  I was hesitant to take Aaron as he is only 22 months old and a little young for it. My friend convinced me that he was old enough and his son went there at the same age.

I was worried that he would be bowled over by bigger rougher kids or would get stuck. So when we arrived I ushered him to a climbing hill with bumps and watched him climb up. Within minutes he was up the first level while I worriedly watched like a mother hen. He immersed himself in the structure. Later he came down a slide with a little girl who was about 6 who took him under her wing. After that he wandered around and found a water fountain to play with. Oh what great fun this was.

I again showed him where to climb up but this time he wanted to go up a level and I watched as kids kept passing him while he motioned that he wanted up because these plat forms were waist level and beyond his climbing capabilities.  I thought he might cry, but he just went a different route.

I’ve been in these structures with him once before when we were over in Vancouver and it just bothers me so much that I wasn’t able to help him go where he wanted to. It’s not about being with him every step of the way, but not being able to help him do something that would bring him joy. I know had he been able too, he would’ve gone down the triple slides over and over again. He missed out on an opportunity due to a rule. I really don’t understand why parents can’t be up there when it is busy it’s not as though 20 adults are going up there for their own pleasure but to help their kids.

When did I go from being a new mom wondering if I’d ever smell like anything other than breast milk and baby vomit to letting Aaron climb in a play structure unaided? 2 years ago Aaron looked like this:

and