Granny's in the house

Wednesday night was the big Metric concert. She was absolutely amazing, she was, and so was the band... but there was one major thing happening that night. Somehow since I started listening to them they have become the big and trendy with the Ashlee Simpson wannabe crowd. I have never seen so many fashion-conscious 16 year olds in one place in a long time with the exception of the mall. Ed cracked a joke that he couldn't wait to see all the mini-vans parked outside at the end of the concert waiting to pick up all the kids... and he was right. I nearly died. SO, while I enjoyed the music, I felt like gramma cramping some party - I was pretty tired, could only manage to drink one beer without feeling like I was going to fall asleep, and felt slightly annoyed every time some tiny little girl (yes girl) stepped on my toe or started swinging her hair in my face. Oh well. It was fun and gramma will be back next time, don't you worry.

In other news, I have a TON of work to do at school so that's where Ill be living most of next week I think. IPPs and report cards are coming up (don't expect anyone to care but just know it's a lot of work) and I just need to spend some serious time planning for the next couple of weeks. So I'm going to kickstart that today with a a delicious Eggs Benny breakfast at home, and now for a walk on 17th ave...

Also now I have super powers

Because I just made a super-fantastic cape for my "PATHS Kid of the Day" lessons for baby problem solving and conflict resolution and whatnot, which we are starting Monday. But I might steal it and just wear it around the house, just for fun. Really, I'm considering it. One size cape really does fit all.

Californiaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh

I have a problem, and that is that Ed has me hooked on the O.C. now and I can't stop watching it. When I was hooked on Six Feet Under at least I know it is quality programming with a lot of amazing script-writing and is also visually very good as well - that being said I felt like a slob if I watched more than 2 episodes in a row.

SO Now I am entering a new chapter. I have become hooked on a show that has phrases like "he was all up in my grill" and has synopses with lines like "After work, Seth drops by to hang with Ryan. But our boy's already made plans to hang out with Donnie and a couple of dolls. Seth gets the blow off. The next morning, Seth and Ryan share some tension with their cold cereal. Ryan punches the clock again and again runs into Marissa. He confesses that he did ask her out on a date and tells her to prepare for it to happen again. Marissa is making cheese & macaroni tonight when she babysits. How about then? It's on!" Wow. And I'm all over it like a fat kid on a smartie now trying to DOWNLOAD the next episode so I can watch it. Because apparently I can't wait to borrow the freaking DVD from Ed tomorrow?! This is scary.

I am taking a poll. Please help me to decide what to be for Hallowe'en. If I didn't teach Kindergarten I would probably try and be more original but for now this is what I am thinking.

Choice A - Bunch of grapes - dress up in one colour and blow up lots of purple balloons, tie them to my body. Could be potentially problematic due to all of the crouching/kneeling that I do throughout the course of my day. Also could be difficult/embarassing if the kids think it is funny when the balloons pop - i.e. could become a bunch of raisins by the end of the day if it doesn't go over very well.

Choice B - An elephant - I have these ridiculously large grey pants, I could wear those with a wrinkly grey top, concoct a trunk out of a hose of some sort, wear fake eyelashes... etc. Am having difficulty figuring out how to construct the hands/feet component of the costume. Any ideas?

I think my neighbour is drunk again. There is lots of giggling combined with loud shrieks and then yelling. This seems to be the usual Saturday night routine.

Okay I'm out. Time to sew a silver cape for my class. Long story.

She's singing to herself....

Okay, so today's the big day. I've been pretty relaxed and very happy the last few days, but today I go back to work. Wish me luck. I want this to last.

Oh, to be in a Big City Again

If you look carefully in the picture of downtown Vancouver you can see the mountains in the background, just peeking out. I wonder if the people who live there forget about it or get blazé about having these huge rocks in their view all the time... The other pictures are of the lovely Granville Island markets, where I could eat everything and just want to smell all the flowers, literally, all day long.

From Vernon to Vancouver

We finished off the day with an adventure in Japanese cuisine and a cool dip at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver (ooh lala, I feel like Eloise!).

Nakusp Hot Springs... My New Favourite Hangout

Do you see how blissed out I look? I should have one of these in my back-yard!!!

Day Two

Photo #1: A Most Glorious Clifftop Picnic
Photo #2: North America's Longest Free Ferry Ride, The Osprey 2000
Photo #3: The Story of a Mum and Her Daughters, aboard the Osprey 2000

The Beginning of the Big Family Trip

This is the first part, beginning with us driving from Calgary to Creston B.C.... undocumented is the visit to the glorious but slightly over-chlorinated Radium Hot Springs......

A Thanksgimme Day

It's Sunday afternoon, my ma and little sister are hanging out in my all-of-a-sudden-very-cramped condo, with an air mattress on the living room floor and the smell of the stuffing on the oven. My fingers still smell like the fresh rosemary I just prepared. The new Broken Social Scene is playing but I have a feeling mum will ask me to turn it off soon when it gets, for lack of a better word, busier. I'm still revelling in the beauty of last night's concert, in my pyjamas though I should probably shower soon... but it is, after all, still the holidays. WHOOPEEE!!!

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'm making a list (a work in progress, of course) of things I am thankful for. I did this with my kids earlier in the week in their journals and most of them consisted of: "Thank you for my cars" and "Thank you for Lego" with a few girly "Thank you for the beautiful flowers".... I'll try and look a little deeper than that.

I'm thankful for:
-the autumn colours
-the crisp blue sky
-family that loves me, despite all my faults, and that i love too
-friends from near and far that don't feel so far (even if I miss their hugs and smiling faces)
-a roof over my head, warmth and down comforters
-good music, many minutes of the day
-a picnic lunch i have to run off to!

xo

Did I / miss out on you?

So I just got back from seeing Feist (Leslie Feist) JUST NOW and I have to write something or else I might just explode!!!!! Not only was she absa-fucking-fantastic but her lyrics are so phenomenal and my brain was just whirring all night with thoughts about my current state of affairs. Her words... aaahhhh, her words.....

I realized I have become a bit of a grump lately. I can try to explain it but I don't expect for it to come out very clearly. My work is nothing short of exhausting every day, and although I still love my job and the kids it's exhausting! I'm not smiling as much as I feel I should be, or would like to. And it's hard to let go of it at the end of the day. I dream about it, and I need about two hours after work to stop thinking about what happened that day at random moments and to get my OWN life back. Anyway I know I'm not usually like this so I'm trying to start making a conscious decision to stop letting it seep into everything else. Maybe I'm worried I'm turning into one of those people who talks about her job all the time, and who thinks about nobody but themselves. Or maybe I just need more of my own life so it doesn't become so hard to do. I know I'm exaggerating a little bit (at least I hope that I am) but that's seriously how I feel. I guess the good thing is maybe I recognize it? So I can stop this dead in my tracks and be better somehow?

Feist was so, well, FEISTY, and she makes me want to get up and shout about everything good in my life. I hope I can turn over a new leaf somehow (oh, how autumnal) and start shouting on a daily basis. Not literally, mind you, but when things are amazing, or even when they're just beautiful or delicate. I don't want to stop admiring all the wonderful things in my life. Of which there are many. You know who you are...

I'm going to leave it at that, maybe I'll figure out a better way of explaining this and get back to you soon.