Help Wanted

Friends of mine have recently had to deal with the aftermath of a house fire - the actual fire wasn't in their unit, but the contents of their's are completely ruined by smoke damage.

I'm collecting & arranging for delivery of any goods...furniture, clothing...etc.

Their 3 kids, 2 boys & a girl, are sizes 6x & 14 (the boys) and their daughter is a 7-8.

If you're local to me - London, Ontario - and would like to help, leave me a comment and I'll make arrangements with you to get those things to this family in need.

I really did it

One month has passed since I quit smoking. I really thought it was going to be much harder than it has been, but with the Champix it's been less difficult than I'd anticipated.

And yeah, I AM really proud of myself...but sometimes it's a struggle so I try to keep it in perspective...I smoked for 23 years, it's been great so far but if I do stumble I just have to get back up and keep right on going. :)

I Quit!

When I encountered my boss in the hall this morning and told her that my quit date was June 13th, her eyeballs kinda bulged outta her head...*snicker*

I was in to see MaryEllen, my doctor's nurse this morning. She's an ex-smoker...it took having a stroke to convince her to quit, so if she can quit I sure as hell can.

There's a medication out on the market, called Champix. It's supposed to be a wonder drug; works by either blocking the nicotine receptors or some such thing...check the link, there's lots of info.

M.E. said that of 14 she's started on it, 12 have successfully quit.

I'm off to the pharmacy right *now* to pick up my prescription.

Right after I finish this cigarette....LOL

My baby is growing up...but just a little!

I took Ben to his first concert last night. We went to see Avril Lavigne at the JLC; the opening act was Boys Like Girls - a rockin' boy band. Apparently they're hot...at least according to the young ladies that were standing next to us...I mentioned to them that I'm old enough to be their mother. Eyes got big and jaws dropped just a little...lol

And yeah, standing...we had "general floor admission"...which meant for 3 hours of blaring, bone jarring music (omfg I sound OLD...LOL) that left my ears ringing, we stood. My back & legs were killin' me today, not to mention my hearing was a little off!

Early on, Ben was complaining that he couldn't see (he's only 11 - he's short!) & asked if he could go up to the front closer to the stage - I have no idea how many people were there...but the venue was pretty much full to capacity, save for maaaaaaaaybe 250 of the eleventy thousand seats. While I'm generally pretty protective (think mama bear) of him, I didn't think much could happen what with all the security & crowd control...so I let him go. It was pointless for me to try and keep an eye on him - he was out of my sight instantly like he'd gone into a corn field.

I worry more about those he might encounter than him really - I asked him once (of many conversations we've held on the subject) what he'd do if someone ever tried to take him or touch him inappropriately. His response encouraged me in that he's capable of at least attracting plenty of attention to himself (like I didn't know that...lol) if he found himself in a situation he was having difficulty in controlling...he told me that he'd scream, fight, kick, bite & scratch...whatever! And if that didn't work..."I"d kick him in the balls Mum!" I asked him what he'd do if it was a woman who tried to grab him...and he said..."she'd get one right in the crotch too!" (Hehe...that's my boy! ;) )

At the end of the show, when the house lights came back up I started searching for him...and that's when I got the tap on the shoulder. I turned to face a burly security guard..."are you Christine?" he asked. I nodded and he said that they had Ben - he was ok, but he was worried because he couldn't find me. Ben had told them that we'd gotten separated when I left the floor to go use the bathroom and he just got pushed up through the crowd when security found him and took him under their wings. So the end result was he had his own JLC staffer sitting with him in nearly the best seats in the house watching him while his irresponsible mother had just wandered off! He'd had a grand time dancing his little heart out and wasn't a bit concerned that they hadn't found me...

So...while I'm not ready to send him out into the big, bad world all by his lonesome...I am confident he's growing up to be a capable, self-reliant young man.

RIP

Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, quite likely the world's best known writer of science fiction passed away peacefully at his home in Colombo, Sri Lanka where he's lived since 1956.

A visionary, he was the first to propose satellite communications in 1945. One of his short stories inspired the World Wide Web, while another was later expanded to make the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, which he co-wrote with director Stanley Kubrick.

You can see reflections on his 90 orbits around the sun here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qLdeEjdbWE

Rest in peace, Sir Arthur.

Dear Jane...

Not being a quitter...I thought I'd give another potential suitor a shot.

Dave & I exchanged email back & forth for a few days then set up a coffee date. He'd already proven himself articulate and amusing - two big bonus points in his favour! He picked me up (AND opened my door for me) and we headed to one of about eleventy seven thousand Tim Hortons here in town. Not once were we ever lacking for conversation, whether it was about my life with Ben and work and school, or his with his kids, his separation (for the 2nd time & for good this time?)...anything...it just seemed all very comfortable. After a couple hours he asked if I wanted to get out of there and decided that we'd grab a couple more coffees to go and head back to my place. We continued to talk 'til well into the wee hours - it was like chatting with an old friend that I hadn't seen in a long, long time...

Eventually, when I couldn't help but yawn...he decided it was time for him to go. Eddie (my beastly dog for those of you who'd forgotten) needed to go too...so while I took him out, Dave got his coat & shoes on and when I returned to the house, he gave me a very platonic hug and a quick kiss on the cheek and told me that we'd talk again soon.

I wasn't sure what to make of the hug & peck on the cheek, so the next morning, I sent him an email...just a short note thanking him for the night before...and also to invite him back. I had plans for that evening, but I wasn't expecting to be too late and if he felt like it he could call my cell and we could hook up again after my other engagement. So he did...call, that is...and we got together again.

Just to keep this PG, lets just say...he left with a smile...lol

Turns out he wanted to as much as I did the first night, but he was trying to be a gentleman...awwww!!

Sooooooooooooo...

The following morning, with due diligence I write him an email and in response, I received this:

Hi Chris; I too had a wonderful time as well. Don't know when, though. Today was a disaster. Too much on my separation plate I'm afraid. I have a lot to take care of in the next six weeks.

Our time together has me feeling bad as well. I feel like I have cheated. Got lots of mental and emotional issues to deal with. So Chris, but this is probably the last time I write. Hope you understand. You are a great woman. I am on the rebound I guess, and that is not fair to anyone. Thanks so much for sharing. I really hope I don't hurt your feelings either. Very Sincerely, Dave

I give up...(yeah right lol)


**note to readers - invest in battery stocks...they're about to go up again...you know - Duracell...Everready...

Selfish asshole

To say that my life is hectic is an understatement on occasion...

I'm a divorced single parent, a full time employee at one of the largest universities in Canada and a part time student at the same university.

I date...infrequently...more often than not, the potential candidates just don't meet my criteria for one reason or another or they'll say something that just sets my teeth on edge and I eliminate them from any possibility of being date-worthy....EVER....lol

One such troll pissed me off today...we've conversed via email off & on over the past couple weeks and while I was leery (much of his email was sexually laden) I thought, well...I'll give him a chance...he's a guy, afterall...*smirk*

That was until this morning when I received an email from him stating "haven't heard from you for few days so i guess you aren't interested..thanks for talking anyways"

Well! I have a life...one that does not revolve around him or any other man except the one I gave birth to almost 12 years ago...so I replied...

"It's always nice to get an email from someone who presumes to know what's going on in my life or in my mind when in fact they have absolutely no fucking clue...

Thank you so much for reinforcing the stereotype of the selfish asshole."



*mental note to self: buy more batteries

yer gonna give me a heart attack kid!

My son is prone to giving me fits...I swear, he thrives on it...or perhaps it's just the way of children...I seem to recall being a bit challenging when I was his age...*smirk*

It is my custom to call him after 3:30 pm just to make sure he got home ok. He's old enough now that he can be alone after school for a couple hours 'til I get off work. He enjoys the responsibility...and it has done wonders for his confidence as well. On Wednesday's though, I have class in the evening so I have a sitter that will pick him up on her way home from her job and take him home with her 'til I'm done school.

For half an hour straight I tried calling him...to no avail. I called the school to see if he'd been kept behind for some reason, but no. I called his dad to see if he'd gone there instead, but no. I called the sitter on her cell phone and she was on her way to the house but still a ways away so no help yet. In between these other calls I was calling the house again and again and was getting quite frantic stuck here at work, feeling extremely helpless. I called his father again (who drives me NUTS I tell you...I was stuck across town and he was so fucking laid back about shit like this...'oh he's probably just outside with the dog or something'...)

FINALLY - dufus calls me at work - Ben's fine. He couldn't get in the house because the lock was frozen and he couldn't get in. He was quite chilled by the time Nancy got there to pick him up despite being bundled up in his coat. It's been extremely frigid in these parts these past couple days and we'd had some rain on warmer days previous to the extreme cold snap.

So, I get off the phone with my ex and I start bawlin'...my co-worker says go take a walk and breathe...he's ok now Mom...

He knows now, that if something like that ever happens again he's to go to his dad's house which is only a couple blocks from our house.

When I picked him up after class, I told him "I was SO worried about you!" and right away he says "it wasn't my fault!!"...lol

God I love that kid!

I miss you

My best friend Laura died 25 years ago today.

I was 5 days shy of 13...and it felt like my whole world caved in around me. Indeed, when her mom called to tell me that Laura had been taken to the hospital and it's bad...I collapsed to the floor sobbing, clutching the receiver and that's where my mother found me when she returned home from town. Laura died that night in spite of all heroic measures taken to save her life.

I don't remember when we met...I felt like I knew her forever. Our families attended the same church in Mitchell. We didn't go to kindergarten together; coming from a rural community and living in different townships we alternated days in school. We farm kids went full days to Upper Thames, every other day (and had nap time!) whereas the town kids went half days every day to Mitchell Public. From then on though, we were inseparable...when you saw one of us the other wouldn't be far behind.

I spent many nights at her house...called her parents "mom" & "dad"....she truly was like a sister to me and I miss her every day. I often wonder how different my life would have been had she lived.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year folks!

My celebration was personal and reflective.

Ok, so it was my year with the boy and he was in bed by 10 pm....I stayed up playing Scrabulous online (via Facebook).

Ayup...I sure know how to have a good time. ;)

I think I'll go shovel snow...I've been inspired by the god damned plow guy and an insatiable need for Timmies.