Time is Relative

Isn't it interesting how our feelings about time change with the event? For example:

• It's been almost 10 years since my younger older brother, his family and I drove to Alberta in a weekend to celebrate my older brother's 40th birthday - it feels like a long time
• I've been employed at the same company for 11 years -sometimes it feels like a long time, sometimes it feels like it went fast
• My dad passed away 13 years ago - it feels like a life time, way too long
• My step son just turned twelve - time flies, seems like he was just a little kid yesterday
• Jp and I have been together for 10 years - it feels just right (really!)
• We've lived in this house for 12 years - time flies, I never expected to stay here that long

Kids definitely grow up too fast, dogs are only puppies for a few short months, the passing of a loved one can feel like a long time even if it's only been a short time.

What events do you feel happened 'only yesterday' or 'seem like it was forever ago'? 

Is this a mid-life crisis?

Man, more and more these days I don't seem to fit anywhere. I don't seem to understand why people do the things they do - am I alone in this?

My job frustrates me- but I can't talk about that here because people get fired because of stuff posted on the internet. Let's just say that things don't make sense, but no one seems to care - and I have to keep reminding myself 'who the hell am I? who's going to listen to me? why would my opinion matter?' I just need to do my job and keep my mouth shut. That's how to survive.

Now I know you're thinking, gee lady why don't you just quit and go elsewhere, but the thing is I work from home. Yes, I am a paid salaried employee who gets to work from home. That may sound all great, but it means that finding a new job can be difficult - I won't get into it here though.

I need a change, but  I don't know what to do. Oh sure you say, go on a vacation   - but I can't afford to do that, so my life stays the same.... whine whine whine, I know.

If you feel the same and have any comments for me, please let me know. I can't believe I'm this old and still trying to find my place in the world.

Is something happening?

Normally in my belly dance classes we have between 8-10 people who sign up, a couple drop off and some drop in from time to time. Imagine the surprise last night to see 24 people! That's almost three times the usual attendance!

Chatting with the instructor she had no idea why, and says she doesn't take it personally which I suppose is good  thinking, especially for the times when no one shows up; and chatting with some of the other 'regulars' they had no idea why either - no articles in the local paper that they knew of. Is it a Halloween thing? Did something happen on "So You Think You Can Dance?" I may never know the reason unless I go up to each of the women and ask.

What's your theory for the sudden interest?

Canine Profiling

Tonight's news told a story of a 6 month old puppy that had to be put down after a pit bull attack in a park. The puppy was on a leash and being trained by his owner. He asked the pit bull owner if the dog was safe to play with and that owner said it was. Sadly it wasn't and it critically mauled the puppy. "Men couldn't pry the pit bull's mouth open after it locked onto the puppy."

A blue tick coonhound puppy was so badly injured in a prolonged attack by a pit bull terrier that it had to be put down.

Three men used a baseball bat in an attempt to pry six-month-old Jet from the jaws of his attacker, but the pit bull only gave up when bear spray was blasted in its face.

By then, Jet was bleeding from the mouth, "had a tear in its back leg, a bad gash down the front and its left shoulder broken in two places and torn open," said Jim Scott, father of Jamie, the puppy's owner.

Police are investigating Thursday evening's attack, which happened after Jamie took Jet, his first dog, to Rudd Park in Saanich. He was holding the puppy on a 10-metre rope to practise basic commands.

Jamie noticed another man throwing a ball for a pit bull.

"I asked him is yours safe to play and he said 'yes'," Jamie, 27, said Friday.

The two dogs sniffed. The other man threw the ball and the pit bull retrieved it and brought it back. But when Jet picked up the ball, the pit bull lunged on him.

"He was submissive because he doesn't know how to fight," Jamie said.

"The other dog grabbed onto his chest and was pulling his chest off. There was a five-inch by four-inch gaping wound on his chest."

The owner of the pit bull laid on his dog trying to unlock its jaws but to no avail.

Jamie tried kicking the dog, then a neighbour brought a baseball bat.

Jamie called Jim, who lives close by, while others called police and the pound.

Jamie got Jet away from the other dog, but because the pit bull was not wearing a collar, it slipped out of its owner's grasp and attacked again.

"It grabbed my dog's front leg and broke it, then went for its face and neck," Jamie said.

A motorist stopped to help, taking the baseball bat.

"But the jaw was so shut, there was no way to get the bat inside [to pry it open]," Jamie said.

"There were three grown men trying to get a pit bull to break its grip and it just wouldn't."

Jim arrived with bear spray, which he blasted into the pit bull's mouth and nose.

"It let go of my dog and my dog started walking away on a broken leg but he didn't get far — he collapsed in front of the pit bull owner's van," Jamie said.

The pit bull was muzzled and taken away by staff from Saanich pound.

Jamie took Jet to a veterinarian but the dog's injuries were extensive and he was put down.

"He's really playful and was never away from me," Jamie said. "He was starting getting into his role as a dog, turning into a really loyal, good dog."

The pit bull was put down late Friday afternoon with the owner's permission, Jaimie said after receiving word from pound officers.

The same dog was involved in a previous attack earlier this year in Victoria, said Sgt. Dean Jantzen of Saanich police.

Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/life/Puppy+euthanized+after+attack+Saanich+park+bull/3678892/story.html#ixzz12V5KmZUT

This story saddens and horrifies me. And I think if something so horrendous happened to me, I'd probably need sedation for a couple of weeks. But let me tell you that I have long been cautious of where I take my dogs and that times that I'm out with them. After 20+ years of dog ownership and daily walks, I have have seen a lot and have plenty of stories about being ambushed by loose dogs during daylight hours and often while the owners are present. As well, many owners feel no need to even apologize for the inconvenience and trauma they have put me or my dogs through. And like Kim Rossmo or Gavin de Becker, who have developed criteria for criminal profiling, I have developed my own rules for canine profiling. For example, the other day as Eco and I we were walking I saw a lady with a husky wearing a halti (or gentle leader). Now in my experience, the huskies I have met have been very nippy dogs and at first I wasn't sure if it was a muzzle or a halti, so Eco and I pulled off to the side of the path, and let them past. The owner assured me her dog was safe, but there were enough little signs to cause me to be cautious. Maybe her dog was safe, but I am going to do everything I can to keep my dog for as long as I can and without unnecessary wounding.

Fellow dog lovers, I hope that a situation like the one above never happens to you, and I hope that it never happens again. I am not going to ban the breed, as it were, but I will continue to maintain that bad people have bad dogs and I hope that one day people can become more responsible pet owners.

And maybe one day things like Stephen Colbert's March to Restore Sanity will really do just that.

My Lesson for the Week

In yoga philosophy we are to practise "ahimsa" which means nonviolence. Not only physically but in regard to the body, speech and mind. Usually I don't have an issue with this, but earlier this week I had an eye exam where my Optometrist put some drops in my eyes. The drops were painful and I was surprised that my first reaction was anger. I wanted to punch him in the head. Really! I even told him that I no longer liked him and he replied that he would not take that personally.

After my exam was over with the Optometrist I was sent to a technician who was to take a photo of my eyes. This was after the pupil enlarging drops which made me very light sensitive. Kaboom!  A large flash of light in my right eye and instantly I wanted to curse and punch her in the head. Kaboom! Flash of light in my left eye and same reaction. I never noticed before, probably because I'm not frequently in these situations, that when someone else hurts me, how I react. I was a bit surprised with how quickly this emotion came up and what I wanted to do to that person. I can understand how a person can be 'driven' to react when they or a loved one is hurt or being hurt.

So not only do I need to practice nonharming in my own mind, but I will also need to practice refraining from harmful thoughts about others. Thankfully, I don't think I'll have to be in too many situations where others inflict pain on me and for that I am grateful.

Have you had a similar situation? What was your first reaction?

Money - a touchy subject

I know that people have very specific feelings about money and varying definitions of rich and poor. But I'm going to write about money anyway.  For example, when I'm broke, I don't spend money on anything other than the necessities, as in food and shelter. But other people have a very different definition of broke.

For example, one friend of mine complained about being short of money and having to drive an old car. It's only 7 years old (mine is 30 years old - not that we're in a competition or anything, but still). Second she still had a bottle of wine every night and a pack of smokes everyday - which must be around a  $20/day habit. And she seemed to always be shopping for new clothes. I guess finding bargains at Cotton Ginny is very different from shopping at Holt Renfrew but when I'm short on cash, the first thing I stop buying is clothes and alcohol.

And then there's a guy I know who's got 5 kids, including a 5-year old they adopted who has some issues they are dealing with - with is very admirable I agree. He was complaining about being short on cash and having to move to a neighbouring community due to their financial situation and I was thinking about 'angeling' his family at Christmas time with an anonymous gift of groceries or something - until I ran into him in STARBUCKS where he told me he his whole family just returned from a vacation in Las Vegas!

Ok! I'm done. Oh I know what you're thinking - who asked me to help in the first place? who asked me to feel sorry about them? Well, actually they did by complaining to me about being so broke. Why did they tell me about their woes unless they wanted me to commiserate, right?

So tell me, am I completely way off base on this one?

No Human Contact

As I was washing my face yesterday before bed, I realized that I didn't see one person yesterday. As I walked my dog in the morning, I did see three people out for their morning walks to which we waved and said "good morning" to each other from across the street but that's the closest I was to them - 25' or so across the road. It's not like I laid all day on the couch watching TV. No, I went to work, I wished my mom a "happy birthday", I  mowed the lawn and played ball with the dog - but all day long not one person looked me in the eye.

Does that seem odd to you? I mean nowadays people are so into their own thing that they often have their own music plugged into their head via headphones or are carrying on a conversation everywhere they go on their phone/bluetooth - so maybe my experience isn't even that odd.

It seems we need people to create the things we need/want/desire such as music or food or art or buildings, but otherwise we don't need people, do we? There's an old saying "no man is an island" but does that still apply today? We seem to becoming more and more isolated from each other as time goes on. My brother commented the other day that as he drove by his local highschool all the kids were walking down the road single file. Yes single file! Why? Because almost everyone had their head down and was either doing something on an iPod type device or texting someone - who knows - they were probably texting someone 10' behind them on the sidewalk! Do you remember when the majority of kids would leave school walking in big clumps? Groups of kids would walk together spilling onto lawns and on the road all so they could keep up with each other. Stragglers could be targets for teasing. But now, we don't have groups anymore.

And do people still go out for after work drinks? I've worked from home for so long I have no idea. I see my co-workers in this province once a year - maybe. Back in the day, a group of us girls would all go take a coffee break toghether and have lunch together and then meet at the trendiest restaurants to have after work drinks. But everyone's so busy now and people don't drink and drive like they used to (thank goodness) and everything's more expensive so maybe that doesn't happen any more either.

So when you go to bed at night, count the number of people you looked in the eye that day - and tell me it's more than 5 at least, okay?

Summer passed..

Have you ever been part of a production like a play, or trade show or perhaps even a wedding where you spend months waiting and planning and working and then suddenly it was all over in 1 day or a couple of days? And you're happy that the event went well, but it was so fast compared to all the preparation? Well that's how I feel about this summer. We had a wet and miserable spring that lasted all the way up until the end of June. Two glorious months that seemed to slip by so fast and then by September it was back to cooler temperatures and rain again. I didn't even get all of my garden ornaments out and some plants didn't even get much of a chance to grow like they normally did. I never even sat outside in the evening with candles glowing, enjoying the cool summer evening after a long hot day. It all went so fast. Do you feel that way too?

Monkeys in commericals

When I was a kid there were commercials for a Western US car dealer "Cal Worthington and his dog Spot" except spot never a dog and was instead a tiger, a seal, an elephant, a bear or a monkey. Ever notice we don't see monkeys or other animals in commercials like we did in the 70's and 80's? Is that because people are bored with animals, or that society doesn't like animals doing tricks for products or because there are less animals around to use on film, or they actually cost less than people actors?

I'm curious, what do you think?

"If people concentrated on the really important things in
life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles." - Doug Larson

I've often said the very same thing about sports fans - and I've been criticized (heavily) over my opinion. But I'm going to stand by it. I really believe that if people spent as much time on self improvement or advancing their lives and/or careers, their health, their relationships etc as they do memorizing sports scores, team trades or other statistics, they and the economy might be in a better position. I have nothing against people participating in sports, but those couch potatoes who waste their whole Sunday on Football  - how is that making their lives, or the lives of others better?

I'm curious, what do you think about this?

How insecure is your load?

I was reading the paper this morning and there was a story about a woman who's car was hit by a runaway Jeep. Apparently it had come loose from a tow truck and freewheeled across the street until it hit something. The paper reported the tow truck driver was charged with an 'insecure load'.

Now to me, the load should be 'unsecure' as I'm sure the load doesn't have low self esteem. However, so far I haven't been able to find out how the actual law is written but it seems both are used.

I'm curious, what do you think it should be?
Do you know the correct wording?

The Evil Shopper

So I'm at Safeway in the express lane around 9pm on Wednesday night. I put my few items from my basket on the belt behind a big buff guy who's next to go through the cashier. As she's processing his stuff a young 20-ish girl swoops in front of me. First I assume she's with the guy - they looked like they belonged together, so I don't think anything of it. Then because she's got her back to me and is leaning towards the cashier, I think she just wants a price check on a pair of glasses which were in her hand. Then she tells the cashier that my goods which are about to be run through aren't hers, so I think she's either wanting a price check or she's a Safeway store employee who quickly needs to run something through the cashier.

Nope.

She was actually purchasing 3 items! I asked the cashier when she had left if the girl worked at the store, and the cashier confirmed she had never seen the girl and an employee should not do that.

So yep, you guessed it.

She just brazenly butted in front of me and bought stuff. My mind went through a gamut of emotions and I tried to be Zen about it. And maybe those who are used to shopping in the big cities are used to this kind of stuff. But this was a new one for me in this little town, on a quiet weekday night at a sleepy little grocery store.

After I finish typing this I will let this story go from my mind, but I just wanted to tell the story and prepare you so you are not surprised by this kind of behaviour as I was.So I'm curious, what would you do? How would you react?

Driving Me Crazy

During my many dog walks, I have the opportunity to pay close attention to how people drive. Did you know that when turning right, even onto a busy street, you don't have to stop? I did not know that. It must be a new rule because I see too many people doing it that they can't all be bad drivers can they?

Also, pedestrians no longer have the right of way. Did you know that? Especially if it is the morning and people are on their way to work, then forget about a pedestrian at a crosswalk. And, if they are also turning right, then well, see the paragraph above.

And finally, my favourite - we had to made a special rule about driving while distracted and made people wear cordless headsets for their cell phone and had to officially ban people from texting while driving-but everyone forgets we already had a rule; all along we've been told "driving without due care and attention" will get you demerits or even fines.

Oy! It must really suck to be in law enforcement some days.

Dangerous Dating

I was watching a commercial the other day for e-Harmony and it got me thinking - what if both people in a happily married/secure relationship both went on the site to see if they were a match for each other? And what if they weren't? What if they found out based on their profiles that they were a bad match?

Hmm, maybe that will be a movie plot? What do you think?

Butt Cleavage

I didn't realize it at the time, but when we were growing up, we were rather modest. The taunt "I see London, I see France, I see [insert name]'s underpants" was still heard occasionally. Us girls didn't even like our bra straps to be seen (and I'm not that old). And there were jokes aplenty about 'plumbers butt'.

But somewhere around the early 2000's when low rise jeans went really low (advertisements read "home of the 4" zipper" and the like) that it all went out the window. Chicks would squat down to look at something on the bottom shelf at the grocery and expose not just a bit of crack, but A LOT! It also became fashionable at this time for girls to show off the fancy little straps of their thong underwear.You'll never hear a guy complaining - but remember it's not always the young pretty little things, it's the big ol' hairy guys too that don't seem to mind letting the cool breeze tickle their backsides, or the skanky chick shuffling along with a ratty pair of sweat pants half on her ass - what is that about?

And so, not a day goes by when I see a minimum of 3 butt cracks a day! Just walking my dog at 6am will yield at least one as some guy gets in or out of his car. So, I'm curious - how many do you see each day? Do you notice? Do you even care?

The Wind Down

As our yoga studio prepares to shut it's doors in two weeks, each visit seems to present something new. Piece by piece the studio is coming apart. Last night there was no more internet or computer so no more scanner to sign in, and we had no candles for our night class - correction - we had ONE candle which was placed on the floor in the middle of the room.

As a customer, I didn't think it would affect me, but the studio isn't like other businesses. We become comfortable and familiar with the other people that attend the same classes and they seem to be going through different emotions as well.

I'm curious, have you ever been through something like this?

Stealing Movies

My step-son's mother thinks it's perfectly okay to illegally download movies from the internet and tells her son that it's not stealing because she's not selling it. I suggested we should steal her car and tell her we're not going to sell it so it's not stealing.

I just can't wrap my head around this reasoning. It reminds me of the quip my father once told me where "Little Johnny's" dad says "Don't steal pencils from school son, I'll bring you some home from work."

I don't want to say anything further to the kid because it's his mom, but I'm curious, what advice would you give when dealing with someone's justification to a child about how stealing one this is bad and another is okay?

(Besides, telling me that "it's not of my business" and "why am I getting involved?" - I'm just curious to hear your answers, and I won't be saying anything to the kid).

Cats

I think cats are beautiful animals. They move in such a way and have such fluid graceful bodies. However, I would not live with one.

I don't think it's fair for your neighbours to have your cats loose to roam the neighbourhood screeching at all hours (for mating I assume) and defacing your property by peeing, spraying and pooping all over your yard. And the one I had most is when they sit on my car - or when they've slid down my windshield and leave muddy smears full of grit on my glass.

I also don't think it's fair that as a dog owner I'm required to pay the city up to $100 for an annual dog licence, when we rarely have a loose dog walking around but there are as many as 12 loose cats on my street that I have to brake for when I drive down the road, I have to pick up their poop from my driveway and there's often a puddle of something on one of my garbage cans,  etc. Why don't we have cat licences? 

And most cats don't even seem happy to live indoors. When I walk my dog early in the morning, I see house after house with a cat looking out the living room window while the rest of the house sleeps. They just sit like little statues staring out the windows. They look like they want to run free and are not happy being indoors. If you have a large property with acreage or a farm, I think a cat would be wonderful for your property, but they really don't seem happy to be indoors all their lives.

I'm curious, how wrong is my opinion about living with cats?

By-Laws

On the weekend, I was walking my dog and ended up cutting our walk short because I had a full bladder,so I cut through the school yard walking past a sign that has a red line through a picture of a dog and a by-law number under it. As I was approaching the entrance to the school field, I saw a woman hanging out of her house with a camera with a large lens on it. It appeared to be pointing right at me as there wasn't really anything of interest behind me. I'm going to assume she was taking my picture because I was breaking the bylaw by entering the school field.

I accept that this is true. However, I just wanted to take a short cut home because of my poor bladder and my dog wasn't off leash and she didn't poop on the school field, but I guess none of that matters. I broke the law, correct?

But here's what  bothers me. The bylaws in our community are not enforced. I once called the bylaw officer (we seem to have only one) because of a very large race car engine that rattled our whole house, and you couldn't hear anything but this 100+ db engine coming from the house behind me - it was a definite bylaw infraction, and I had their name and address as well. I called the bylaw office in August and he returned my call in OCTOBER! He said  "oh sorry, I was on vacation for a week and I'm just getting caught up" It made no sense. Twice since I've been to city hall and filed a written complaint about a neighbour with NINE cats that she lets roam the street to mate loudly at all times of the day, sit on our cars, spray my garbage cans and poop in my gardens, including inches below my living room window. As well, there are two people on the street that have left unlicenced, uninsured vehicles on the street for over a year. The bylaw officer has done nothing.

So in my opinion, our bylaws mean nothing and are not enforced. But if for some reason I do get 'caught' for walking on the school field, none of the above will matter will it? The law doesn't care how many other people break the rules, only if you did and were caught.

So I'm curious, how are the bylaws in your community, and do you break any of them?

Tweeting an abortion?

Please check out this . I'm curious, what do you think of this idea?

Writing

When I was a little kid, I had trouble falling asleep. I think it was because my mom thought I needed 12 hours sleep like many other kids, but I just needed 8 hours. Always have. So I would play in the dark, or sneak down the hall and watch the Johnny Carson Show through the reflection in the hall mirror so I wouldn't be detected by my parents sitting on the couch. (I was never caught). I would try counting - by 5's seemed to work the best for me, and sometimes I would write stories. When I was older, I'd compose business letters for the next day at work. And now sometimes I compose blog posts. I have some great subjects laying in bed at night but I don't write them down because I'm all snuggled in bed and at that time my reasoning is 'if I had the thought once, I'll have it again'. Except in the morning too much is going on already and I can't seem to recall what I had mentally written last night.

My brother has told me that he's laid in bed writing novels, but I don't  believe he's ever attempted to put pen to paper for any of them.  I think he just does it as a way to calm his mind down so he can sleep as well. In fact, I did see 'make up a story in your head' as a hint for falling asleep on a couple insomnia websites.

So I'm curious, do you do your best writing in your head while trying to fall asleep?

Diabolo

When I was a kid, one of my favourite toys was a diabolo. I didn't do any tricks with it and I wasn't very good with it, but I sure liked it. And it probably wasn't even my toy, it was probably one of my brothers. When I was really little I loved my 'elephant shoes' and my tricycle but unfortunately I had to give those up as I got bigger.

I'm curious, did you ever play with one? What was your favourite childhood toy?

Heritage Horns

I have been living in the Vancouver suburbs almost all my life and spent 4 years working in the downtown core. For many of us, the sound of the 12-noon horns, once on top of the BC Hydro Building either meant 'time for lunch' or time for the "Electric Lunch" to start on CFMI - Rock 101 radio station (back in the day).

I can't believe that it took all the way until the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics to learn that the tune  the horns play are the first 4 notes of our National Anthem - "Oh Canada" and that they have been moved to the top of the Pan Pacific Hotel at Canada Place.

And I'm not the only person who grew up around here, NOT to know that fact. I'm curious, did you know this?

Drivers

We place a lot of trust in other drivers. We trust that they will follow the lines on the road and not cross the centre line and they trust that we'll do the same. Sadly this occasionally does happen, with often tragic results.

There are plenty of other situations where we can put ourselves at risk. The other day while walking the dog, I was walking on the sidewalk across a driveway for an apartment complex and a lady was walking her dog towards me. We were about 10 feet from each other when a car drove between us - luckily it wasn't that close of a call, nor was either dog hurt, but it could have been a bad situation. As the car proceeded into the complex I saw the "L" on the back of his car indicating he was a learning/student driver. Well that explained a lot! I sure hope the driver that was with him taught him the mistake he made, if not maybe the fact that he scraped his car on the driveway incline due to the fast left turn he made will be a good reminder of what not to do.

I'm curious, have you ever had a close call with a car as a pedestrian?

Rain

My husband used to joke that if so many girls love long walks in the rain on the beach then every time it rains they should all be bumping into each other - but that never seems to happen does it?

Yesterday it was raining, as it's apt to do in February in the Vancouver area - and when Eco (my dog) and I were out walking, we saw no one. Not one other person who likes long walks in the rain!

So, I'm curious, do you like walks in the rain and if so, do you ever take one?

Africa

While flipping through the March 2010 issue of In Style magazine, I noticed yet another Hollywood celebrity - this time Rachel Bilson - in Africa promoting her charity. I wondered, do you think the people and children in some parts of Africa think all Americans are drop-dead gorgeous? (I realize though, that their definition of 'gorgeous' may vary greatly from ours, but I'm sure you get what I mean). Do you think they have a skewed idea of what we look like since so many beautiful celebrities are flying in to start schools and feed children? Would they be surprised if they came to America and saw what the average person really looked like?

I'm curious, what do you think?

Secrets

Part of my Sunday ritual is reading the posts on the Post Secret site. The secrets are often so loving and kind, although sometimes they can be revengeful.  Sometimes they express love, sometimes a wrong doing or a hurt experienced. If you're not already reading it, perhaps you'd like to try it. I find the creativity with the secret is almost as interesting as the secret written.

Today, I found this one the most stirring. In case it's gone when you link to it, the writer said they asked someone to write their secret as they didn't want their handwriting recognized but the person they asked couldn't write the secret down and admitted she had the same one too.

We all have secrets don't we - I don't think there's a human on this earth that can honestly admit they don't. And one of the things that seems to make us feel better is knowing that we're not alone, that we're not the only one experiencing such an issue. I  guess that's why talk shows in the 70's became popular, TV was a way to share secrets and the viewer felt a bit better knowing they weren't alone. The internet has helped and harmed this as we are able to better connect with strangers around the world, but often can't communicate to the people in our lives, sometimes in the same room.

I'm curious, have you ever anonymously shared your secret and were your relieved or did you regret it?

Gifts

Last night the kid was here for dinner and I asked him if he bought anything for his mom last weekend for Valentines. As he told me about the gift he bought, his dad was laughing and his face was getting redder and redder as he ate his dinner; and when the kid told me the price ($5), his dad was laughing pretty hard by that time.

You see, Jp gave me the same present for Valentines (although it was coupled with a gorgeous pair of diamond earrings) but it was funny. Kids only seem to be observant at the wrong times. Even though they were together and in the same store at the same time, this time the kid didn't notice that his dad bought the same present, so he happily and honestly told me all about it, looking over at his dad and wondering as he told the story why his father was laughing so hard.

Wife + ex-wife getting the same present for Valentines = BUSTED (although I actually don't care what she got)

One time I was at a Christmas time party and a guy there took a bunch of us into a room to show us a leather jacket he bought his girlfriend. When we all came out of the room, she was very curious as to what it was. Stupidly I said "oh it's beautiful, it'll look so nice on you!" And then everyone tried to cover up my mistake by throwing other hints at her and pretending that I was just leading her on.

So I'm curious, have you ever spilled the beans and ruined a present surprise?

Dog Clothes

In life there are many 'fine lines' and one that I find interesting (but trivial) is the subject of dressing up a family pet. My last 4 dogs have been bigger, working dogs that didn't need clothes for protection or warmth in our climate save for a few days a year. When we suddenly had a snow fall, I'd put on a winter coat to keep their tummies dry. And since I walk Eco (my chocolate lab) daily, she wears a rain coat so she doesn't get that stinky dog smell and it reduces the amount of 'road spray' on her tummy - this is more for cleanliness since she's an inside dog. And this is really the only times I put anything on her. They are practical pieces. My mom lives in a snowy part of Alberta and I sent her dog some Muttluks - this is also practical as road salt can wreak havoc on dogs foot pads.


In this article, they answer the question - do dogs like wearing clothes?

So I'm curious - do you dress your dog up? What does it wear? What do you think of people who dress up their pets? What is too far/too much?

Unseasonably Warm Weather

This year, in the Vancouver area, it's been rather warm for January and February. For me this is a good thing as we don't have a furnace and have single paned windows. For the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver - it hasn't been so good. I saw on the news last night that they've been trucking in snow from Manning Park! Can you believe that? Dumptrucks full of snow driving about 3 hours to deliver snow to Cypress Mountain (behind North Vancouver) and they've had to cancel some of the spectator events because of the mud.

Tickets for the Olympics went on sale last year and are very costly. Many people have been waiting anxiously to be part of the Olympics and suddenly their even has been cancelled? Ouch. If I was a sports fan and really wanted to go - I think I might just put up with some mud so I can watch this 'historic' event.

I'm curious - what would you do?

Advice

My brother recently informed me of a quote that advised not to give advice (I know...) it said that smart people already knew and "the others" didn't want to know. (I love the part of "the others" - who are these people?)

To me, this is really good advice, for you see - I am a problem solver. In fact, my husband recently 'yelled' at me that he just wanted to tell a story and didn't want me " to solve the problem'!!!

A good friend has posted dog behaviour problems on her blog. Now I agree I am not a dog behaviourist, however, I have 'rehabilitated' 3 troubled dogs. But I'm not saying anything. Okay, fine, I'll offer her support with her problem - but not advice. You see, I don't think she'll like my advice. I've tried in the past before but although she poses problems to the world on her blog, she still resolves it on her own (or what her husband tells her what to do). I've tried that so many times and it never seems to be received well, so I'll keep my mouth shut - unless I am specifically asked for help.

I'm curious - what do you do when someone poses a problem, but doesn't specifically ask for help? Do you offer advice?

The Naming of Things

As you may know (or not), I am a yarn crafter - that means I do knitting and crocheting and other crafty things.

When we knitters/crocheters set about picking a project, we carefully select the recipient, the pattern and yarn. For example, I recently knit my mom a pair of socks because I really wanted to try the intricate lace pattern. Pattern designers often give their patterns unique names so that we don't have to deal with 7 hundred billion patterns called "scarf". The socks I knit were named "Hedera" and I referred to them as such the whole time I was knitting them .

You see, we are a different breed - by just mentioning the name, the pattern, yarn details and other memories return to me. Just say "Monkey" or "Jaywalker" to a sock knitter and many would be able to tell you in great detail all about the socks. Some knitters even say that their thoughts get knitted into the fabric and when they look at a project, they can recall the parts they knit when they were angry, or who they had a conversation with or even what they were watching when they made certain project. We have formed a relationship with this project and truly know every inch of it, as we've made every stitch along the way.

And when I give my project away, I still think of the name. But the non-knitting recipient has no idea about these details. They just know they like the blue/green socks or the pretty purple lacy ones. And that's okay, as long as my work is being enjoyed.

I'm curious, do you feel the same way about your hobby, craft or art? How much of a relationship do you have with all the little parts of your project?

Journals

A friend of mine just received her mother's journals and has spent the past several days reading them. I asked her if she read anything interesting and she said her mom only wrote about which garage sale they went to and which restaurant they ate in. Rarely there would be an entry about someone coming to visit.

My mother, like me, has used her journals as a way of saying what she couldn't say to others; a way of working out problems and frustrations especially when dealing with others. My mother told me recently that she has burned many of those writings as she didn't want her kids to read them 'when she's gone'.

I respect her decision. They are her writings after all, and maybe I just don't want to read about how I disappointed her when, or how I made her angry. On the other hand, I'm hoping there may have been good writings and memories that are now gone - although I tend to write only when I'm upset so if you picked up my diary/journal I'm sure you'd think I was miserable and hated everyone always - and perhaps she wrote that way as well.

Some people use their journals for ideas - for writing or creating with little sketches and swatches and all sorts of things. Some use it to keep track of their lives.

I'm curious, do you keep a journal or diary and how do you use it?

Dream Weaver

Last night I dreamed that I was (the late) Britanny Murphy's personal assistant. First of all - I don't know why.

But in my dream I was stuck with the dilemma of correctly fulfilling my employer's requests - a soft boiled egg - but how soft is soft? Or a glass of chocolate milk - how chocolaty does one like it? In my dream every request was fraught with questions of proportion or strength or other criteria. Suddenly things I was confident with were now put into question.

In the end, my employer lost respect for me because I was so busy taking care of her, that I didn't take care of myself.

Okay, lesson learned - the one in the dream and the one behind the dream, since I'm sure a dream interpreter would point out the obvious - that I need to take care of myself first.

How much weight can you put on a dream's meaning? And are there other lessons to be learned?

I've been able to wake up and then go back to sleep to continue my dream, but I have not been a lucid dreamer. Can you force your dream to come out the way you want it to?

Bittersweet Anniversary

Today is my 10 year anniversary at work. Wow. That's quite the thing these days isn't it? The same old job for 8 of those years. There is definitely lots to reflect on - it's definitely a bittersweet moment for me.

I received a quick email from one of my managers, and another took the opportunity to joke about something I don't particularly find funny (I haven't told him NOT to say it, I kept thinking it would go away, but he keeps bringing it up, so I'll have to either accept it, or tell him how much it bugs me). Allegedly a 'service award' with some cash is to come, butnothing has been received or mentioned yet.

I know if I ran a company, I'd certainly make a bit bigger deal out of an employee staying for 10 years, however, I suppose since there are several managers and sales reps who have been with the company for 20+ years, maybe they think ten years isn't a big deal. But still don't you think it's some sort of accomplishment that should be rewarded? What do other companies do for employees 5 or 10 year anniversaries - please tell me if you know, I'd love to hear.

Oh and by the way, I'm not dwelling on it, after 10 years with being in this company I am well aware of 'how they roll' and have accepted the moment as it is.

The Mysteries of Food Cravings

I lived on my own for most of my twenties, and although I usually had a boyfriend or friends to have dinner with, I had many meals to myself. During that time, I didn't eat very well, and survived on some pretty sad meals.

When I was really poor, I would eat spaghetti noodles and ketchup, with a sprinkling of Kraft Parmesan cheese - that was my spaghetti. Or I would make a type of sloppy joe using up some stale bread for the bun. Or a double batch of Tuna Helper Au Gratin was what you served when some friends came over.

Fast-forward several years and there are a couple more people in my house, and a bit more money and much more food on my shelves, but you know what? I still crave some of those foods. My husband thinks I'm insane but I'm sure I'm not the only one. Isn't that what comfort food is all about? Food that you ate when times may not have been good but they were certainly memorable?

Like the time I ate spaghetti in a glass that was heated on a BBQ. Sure it was 3am at some university student's house and we had all been drinking, but still... those were good times. Good times.

In Search of.... Me!

For years I have been searching for 'my passion'. I've looked in so many places. I've done so many tests. Family encourages me to find it or to keep looking, but admittedly I'm getting a little tired of The Search.

In a recent Success Magazine interview, I listened to the speaker talk about how successful people don't have good golf or bowling scores because they spent their time focusing on their success. And as I thought about this, coupled with the idea of downsizing, I debated giving away all my craft supplies. That would clear out a lot of room, plus I'd have more time to focus on "ME".

But as I was crocheting this afternoon, I was pondering my future and I thought - what if my crafts lead me to my passion? What if this is what I am supposed to do? What if I keep doing my crafts and one day I develop the one thing that makes my heart sing and I become famous (and prosperous) for it?

Some life coaches tell you to "do something, anything, just pick and do!" In the absence of a better idea, do I remain doing my crafts? Maybe if I turn off the TV or stop listening to my iPod and continue to think about my life while crafting, I'll come up with the idea.

I'm curious - how do you know what to do?

The Dog Days

Years ago, a boyfriend taught me that there are two things you can never criticize or talk negatively about - people's dogs and people's kids. And although I'm no expert on children, I do know a thing or two about living, loving and training dogs.

I currently have a 10 1/2 month old chocolate Labrador who is becoming a very wonderful little girl. She's eager to please and loves training and really hasn't been a problem at all except for the shedding (that's another whole post!).

One of her daily routines is to play fetch in our backyard. - and being a retriever, we're outside a couple times a day. During this time I can observe the neighbour's daily activities. They have a 9 month old shepherd lab cross who seems to be a terrible little trouble maker; she's chewed up patio chair cushions and plant pots and she's dug all over the yard. And she's been getting in trouble from her owner and his friends as they play with their RC cars on his backyard track.

And what I want to say to them, but can't, is that there dog is the way it is BECAUSE IT'S BORED! Plain and simple. This young dog doesn't get enough attention. Just because he sits on his balcony smoking doesn't mean the dog is getting an activity at all. As I'm throwing the "ball" (it's actually a fat squirrel toy) and my dog is happily returning it to me, this poor thing is getting yelled at for entering the track and chasing RC cars. Poor thing.

I was so tempted to go over to the fence and say, "here, let me take her for a while" and play with her.

What needs to happen before people take the time to understand and care for their animals? Will they ever realize that a little bit of extra attention in the beginning will give them a wonderful companion? Why do some people get dogs in the first place?