Brain Waves

When I have a hot bath my brain seems to work on overdrive and I have tons of great themes for writing. When I am driving along the highway first thing in the morning I also get multiple ideas. Jumping out of bed and preparing breakfast, not so much. I need a little notebook chained to me to write notes but I suppose then I would get a warning about being a distracted driver.

Yes, they are telling us that between now and September drivers who are caught on phones or who are grooming themselves will be stopped and warned that the law is coming into force in September. The fact that they have actually put in the stuff about grooming leads one to believe that there are a lot of women out there putting makeup on in the car while driving. I think I’ve seen it once but the car was stopped at a light. What I am really wondering about is Tim Horton’s. Will drinking a cup of coffee and eating a donut be considered distracting? Is this going to affect Timmie’s business? Perhaps the delay in bringing the law into effect was because Timmie’s and Starbucks lobbied for tweaking. Or perhaps it was all our fine officers in blue who said “Hey, wait a minute. We need our donuts.” Okay, I am joking about our policemen. (in case you didn’t realize that was a joke – I love our cops).

Despite the warnings coming off the radio people are still phoning and texting. My carpool buddy was on the phone for several minutes, and not at a stop, yesterday and I was very uncomfortable. I don’t like it and I never do it myself. I don’t believe there is anything in the world that is critical enough that it cannot wait until the driving is over and done with. Even if someone has died, what are you going to do about it that can’t wait until you are home or pulled over? Safety first, but then let’s talk about the rudeness of it when other people are in the car with you. Why would anyone use their cellphone when they have a passenger in the car? First of all just to let you know Neal has only done this the one time so he is forgiven but my ex-carpoolers did it all the time, both of them. People do it in meetings or lunches, the phone rings and they take the call. You are with someone, you should not be taking a call during a social meeting. I don’t even answer my telephone when I have guests in the house! That’s what voicemail is for people.

For some reason people are lured away by the ring of a phone as though this piece of equipment is the boss of them. Think about that. Technology may be running your life. I look at technology as a convenience for me when it is convenient for me. I don’t jump because the phone rings. I answer it when I am in the mood to answer it. Sometimes I am in the middle of eating my dinner and I am appreciative that I have voicemail that can take a message for me so I can call my friends back when my dinner is eaten. If someone calls when I am watching a video and I want to talk to them I appreciate the pause button.

As you can see the cellphone can push my button every time – just look at how long this rant has gone on for. I am aware I have repeated myself in other blogs. And will again, no doubt. Stay tuned for one in September when we hear how many people are getting fined. That should be a record for the books! Oh, one last thing, I didn’t see that many people in San Francisco on their cellphones whilst they were walking on the sidewalks. Let that be a lesson to you, Calgarians!

Volatile or Loyal?

I’ve been sitting in front of this screen with my mind dodging about for a subject other than the one uppermost in it. So here it is. Middle aged women.

It is apparently a well known fact that middle aged women go through a volatile period where there temper is uncertain. Really? Can you hear the sarcasm in my voice? If you know this about us perhaps it would be safer for you not to elude to this fact. Some eight years ago my sister happened to say something to this effect while I was in the car with her. Fortunately we were in a parking lot because i lost my temper and demanded that she stop the car immediately and let me out. However I don’t know that this rise in temper had anything to do with menopause because when I was 20 my other sister and I had a quarrel and I got out of the car and walked the last 3 miles home. I have a temper and I lose control every 30 years or so and get out of a car. It could happen to anyone.

I think most people try to be somewhat tactful with their friends and colleagues but every once in a while there is a slip up and something indiscreet may slip out. I don’t think it’s on purpose. People are human and to err is human. If something is said that is rather out of character why do people get angry and upset? Why don’t they cut the person some slack and question what could be going on with that person for them to hurt your feelings by saying something awkward?

I believe that generally people look at the negative side of anything. You hear complaints about the weather more often than the joy of a terrific sunshiny day. You hear the negative about a colleague more often than praise about somehow who did an outstanding job. So when something negative comes out of a person’s mouth one jumps to the conclusion that she is a jerk rather than remembering all the times she’s brought you coffee and donuts or has held your hand when you’ve had to cry on her shoulder. Now why is that?

As Luigi said “You want loyalty, get a dog.”

The Beat Goes On

I’m not sure when we first realize that the world doesn’t revolve around our own lives and for some people the realization never occurs. Perhaps after high school when we get into the working world or university where the professors don’t take a personal interest in their students the lightbulb goes on. In school we are always thinking everyone is looking at me that I’m pretty sure we could all be diagnosed paranoid. I’m not sure when I first asked the question “whose looking?” but I was at least in my thirties!

This paranoia doesn’t have anything to do with vanity. I simply think we are born with the feeling that we are the centre of the universe. Ego. Slowly over time we realize that this isn’t the case, but it is an unconscious evolution and eventually we are mature enough to know that we aren’t being scrutinized for every little mistake we make.

Now we have this technology called Social Networking. We can blog, we can Facebook, we can Tweet and it seems overnight we have again become narcissistic. We are the centre of our universe again. I watched Julie & Julia a while back and didn’t understand what she was doing when she would rush to her computer every morning to look at the numbers. She was looking for the hits on her blog and nothing was happening and she was feeling devastated. I know how she feels now except she had a purpose in writing. Well, I suppose I have a purpose also but still . . .

And then there is Facebook. How many millions look at their Facebook and hope for a comment from someone when they’ve written something witty, weird or wild? In a way these people are being very brave because they are putting themselves out on the line. Brave? Foolish? Optimistic? Hopeful?

What I know for sure is that this technology is allowing many people who otherwise would be silent quiet little mushrooms an opportunity to express themselves and while most of what goes out there may be drivel to most of us to the author it generally has some kind of meaning. It will be interesting to do a study some years hence on the evolution and consequences of this self expression. I suspect this generation will be interesting to watch.

Restless Night

I had a restless sleep last night worrying about my condition and the endless water on my property and in my basement. Now that I am awake I feel a bit better but I don’t know why since I am still sore and achy and have no resolution about the problems I am facing. Why is that I wonder? Do things bother us more at night simply because it is night and there really is nothing a person can do because everything is closed, so to speak?

Perhaps it is partly because I am a morning person and everything always seems better and brighter first thing in the morning. No doubt when I call the MD at 9:00 this morning my day will go south because I will not get the answer that I want and frustration will set in once again. But for a few hours I have the optimism that things will get better.

Yesterday I had a visit with some new friends and we had a discussion on God, religion and belief. During the night I felt bad that I was perhaps too negative about religion and that I might have shaken my young friend’s spirituality. It is wrong to be so adamant about a subject when the truth is that I am simply a doubter not a disbeliever. So I was also lying awake worrying about that. While I am at it why don’t I try to solve the question of world peace.

Yes, it is not fun when you get a restless night. I slept the sleep of the just (thanks to Robaxicet) for several hours and then bang 1 p.m. rolled around and I was awake ever since. Fortunately for me this doesn’t happen very often but it is going to be a very long day for me today!

Skipped Out

I’m afraid I skipped over Saturday due to my housecleaning frenzy but it was worth it to have a semi-clean house for my friends. I wore an icepack for nearly 2 days and it seemed to help a bit though it was and is still painful and I note that I am still walking like a rocking horse. Can a bad habit develop in 24 hours? I fear so. A good habit takes 3 weeks but bad habits pounce on you out of nowhere! Why is that?

Rain is pouring down. It started as a gentle rain but I can now hear the pressure is harder. It is so discouraging but I have surrendered to the inevitable. More floods, more hayfields instead of lawns, more mosquitoes. I expect we will have cholera or black plague soon. J

Our elevator at work has those little televisions where we get hits of news updates most of which are useless bits of information. On Friday they had one about the cost of the royal family on taxpayers the number of which I cannot remember but it was naturally in the millions of dollars range. But for me on Thursday afternoon I was hit with another inconvenience of the upcoming royal visit. I was caught on Deerfoot in slowed down (call it parked) traffic because the police were doing a pre-run of their security convoys or whatever they called it. Despite the fact that I was going south and they were way up in the north end the south flow of traffic was slowed down because they were rubber necking to see what was going on in the north lanes. Nothing was going on except they were stopped. People, why do you look over on the north side when it isn’t affecting us? Keep moving please. Do you know how many times this happens. For no apparent reason south traffic will slow down just because people are slowing down to see the accident on the north side. It blows me away that adults are so curious to look at heaven knows what (because I do NOT look, I do NOT even GLANCE over that way, I do NOT want to see anything, twisted metal, bodies, nothing. Spare me the pain please). The 2 ladies I used to car pool with did it too. I was astonished.

I am the kind of person that has rather a pragmatic view of certain events. For example, I am pretty darn sure that if someone who murdered a member of my family was going to the electric chair I would NOT be one of the family sitting there watching it. Are you crazy? I don’t think I would get any satisfaction in seeing this criminal get fried. I wouldn’t be in court listening to the evidence and hearing this, that or the next thing. Of course I want the justice system to catch the criminal, try him and convict him. Would I be angry and want to kill him (or her) myself? Of course, in the heat of the moment we are all passionate for the kind of brute justice that the uncivilized feel. However, once sanity sets in I feel pretty sure that I would prefer to have the justice system work without my presence. I’m not sure what the law requires but I don’t think the family members are required to be in court and for sure they aren’t required to be at the execution (talking about the USA now as we don’t have capital punishment in Canada, thank God). It really surprises me when I hear the mother of the victim was one of the ones at the execution and I wonder what she was thinking or feeling. I do understand why most families are at court, at least they are only hearing things but even that, I don’t think I could bear hearing it even after a year or two since the crime was committed. Nothing I would hear would bring my loved one back. On the contrary it would bring back all the horror of the time.

That’s just my personal feeling. I want to avoid the ugly things in life.

Friday Funk

Who doesn’t love Fridays? I believe I see more smiling faces on Fridays than any other day. The weekend is upon us, there are social lunches, drinks after work or perhaps it is movie night with The Boyfriend. The stress of the work week is almost behind us so we simply feel happier. This morning I am not feeling quite as overwhelmed as I was yesterday. I gritted my teeth and slugged it out last night, cleaning up the living room, office, and guest room. Erik helped by hauling out the junk in the sunroom and vacuuming for me (that was beyond my abilities still). Tonight I tackle the kitchen and bathroom and then tomorrow i just have the bedroom and sunroom to do before my guests arrive. I can do this. The grass will have to wait. There’s only so much of me to go around.

To spare myself any added grief I have declined to get on that stupid scale. It beckons me but I resist. I don’t need additional depression to bring me down.

So yes, I am have a Friday Funk on me rather than the classic smile.

This is where I should be counting my gratitudes to pull me back to the land of the normal Friday people. Let’s see, my girlfriend Gillian always makes me smile with her wit; I am having lunch with 3 girlfriends who have the best hearts in the world; I have a terrific new boss in Anne who compliments me on my style at least once a week; my NAOSC colleagues are fantastic, loyal people. Hey, what in the world am I blue about? I have a fantastic circle of friends and colleagues; my family loves me even when I am cranky and fault-finding (I fondly hope); I have 2 little critters that adore me (feline yes, snooty no). My carpool buddy is always there to encourage me; I have a reliable vehicle, staid but true; my buddy Blaine can always come up with a wisecrack to make me smile; let us not forget the cousins half way around the world who stay in touch with me and make me smile; my two best friends since high school have children who stay in touch with me and send me notes; Marsha will always lend a sympathetic ear as will my darling FF girls; my book club friends will give me the social stimulus I need and close their eyes to the dust on the picture frame so why I am I so worried about Presentation? Good grief, my house is paid for what more could anyone ask?

Yes, my friends, my cup runneth over. The funk is gone. Gratitudes do work. Count your blessings, they are more plentiful than the pain!

Chiropractic Medicine

There is a lot of conflicting advice out there regarding chiropractic medicine. I had my first treatment in approximately 1996 and I went fairly regularly until 2004 when I began doing yoga. My back would go out around my shoulder blades which seemed to be caused by holding the phone on my shoulder for so many years. Naturally I’ve stopped that practice and my back only goes out once in a while in that area.

The chiropractor that I went to used the little gadget that gently pushes the bones back in place over a period of time. It is not very invasive and I was comfortable with that method. I believe that taking care of your bones is important to your health and that chiropractic medicine can help with that. However it is even more important to take up the practice of yoga to strengthen you muscles since they support your bones. With yoga you can limit your attendance to the chiropractor but I have learned, to my cost, that you shouldn’t give up chiropractic help completely. Whenever you do repetitive things or strenuous things you will inevitable hurt you muscles and bones to some extent and eventually things will go “all wrong”.

I went for emergency chiro treatment yesterday but the area is so inflamed that I will have to go back today. I am in as much pain as I was yesterday and the doctor said it was a mistake for me to do any running. Walking yes, running no. Not while it’s so inflamed. Not a problem, I can walk until the sun goes down, leaning on my trusty lawnmower heavily will get the grass cut shorter. No problem. And I will get lighter simply because the mosquitoes are draining me of blood by the galloon. I’ve probably lost 6 lbs to that alone! Seriously, it’s a jungle out there and as I walk I pretend I am Joan Wilder seeking her sister and the treasure (from “Romancing the Stone” in case you don’t remember who Joan Wilder is). It’s just an adventure and there’s no use complaining about it.

Hush, was that a bird or a wild animal lurking in the bush?

Internet Down at Home

Just a note to advise that while the blog has been written the internet was down at home this morning so shall have to post it tonight. Suffice it to say I was wailing again this morning!

Determination

Despair has turned to determination. I did get on the treadmill yesterday despite the turmoil in my head and despite the pinched bones around the tailbone which was probably not a good idea as I am in agony this morning. Yoga is the course for me today which I hope will straighten out this limp of mine.

I was out there cutting my grass last night for about an hour and every step was painful but at least the front and back yards are cut. Tonight I will tackle another section before this hayfield I call a yard is beyond the scope of my hand lawnmower. This has happened to me before I had the riding lawnmower (yes it is still not repaired) and it is awful to try to get through such high fields. One begins to wonder why grass lawns were ever invented since they are such high maintenance. Most of my east lawn has actually turned to swamp because there is so much saturation that the water is now lying on top of the ground. This is not a good thing. Mosquitoes are breeding like anything and I was wishing for one of those bee hats to protect my face though the rest of me was covered head to toe.

With all the walking done in San Francisco and the careful eating I will venture on the scale today. Regardless of the result I will stay determined and on course. Yesterday Richard spoke about how people had set goals in January and yesterday being the first day of summer, how far had they come? So I set my goal for December and I don’t want to disappointment myself when Christmas comes around.

No more excuses and no more setbacks. If my back continues painful I will go to the chiropractor and get myself fixed up but I will continue with the workouts and the food plan. I plan to stay healthy and fit for my longevity. So here we go!

Despair

I am sure I am not the only woman on the planet who has fantastic good intentions to exercise, diet and get fit. But how many women come home from a great trip to find disaster in the house? Approaching the house I see a huge puddle of water in the driveway and before this completely registers I see a forest on the boulevard. In normal days this would be a lawn. I open up the garage door to discover planks stacked there. Walking towards the back door I see dirt piled on the driveway and then my eyes are assaulted by the sight of my back lawn scarred by tire tracks, criss crossing the whole back yard.

At this point I fear to open the back door but I have bags in my hands and they are heavy so I fumble for my keys and step across the threshold. My fear is not unwarranted; clothes are strewn everywhere and going up the few steps to the next door, more clothes and bigger shoes. Erik. I’m now in the scullery where dirty towels, socks and who-knows-what is lying across the counter along with newspapers and flyers (how many times have I asked Erik not to bring flyers to the house?). At the same time my nostrils are filled with the musty smell of water coming from the basement. Oh great, still flooding down there? Did I mention that the lawn is also a jungle because it has apparently been raining so much that it’s had the chance for a real growing spurt despite the fact that I cut it just 5 days ago? Oh no, it was 6 days ago.

After discovering all that, barely being able to close my eyes to sleep because I was trying to figure out how to make the house decent before my book club meeting on Saturday and this morning as I went about the house discovering more disasters (bathroom, kitchen, living room and I don’t even want to look in the family room) who can possibly gather the energy to take a run on the treadmill, shower and wash my hair afterwards and try to look like a fashionista to impress my colleagues? After all, I’m not Superwoman.

In fairness to Erik, he has started cutting out the dirt in preparation for making my deck so there is a reason for the dirt on the driveway, the stacks of lumber and the criss crossing (groan?) of the back lawn. I should have called Charlotte to keep an eye on things and I have a feeling I may need to make that emergency call today because I can’t do it all, contrary to popular belief!

I ask you – would you still get on that treadmill this morning?

On the Fly

This is being written rapidly at the airport because we have a limit of 45 minutes free wifi. But so much better than Calgary, Dallas or Miami who wanted to charge an arm and a leg. Come on, don't we pay enough without having to pay for communication?

Loved our trip and I hope we are bringing this 26 degree weather home with us.

We enjoyed coffee and croissants at Union Square this morning after paying our Macy's account - which was pleasantly low (helps when you pay as you go - why do they even give us credit, so called?) and felt proud that we had not overspent! What good shoppers we are. Barbara is a professional, looking for the best prices and best quality. It is easy and fun to shop with her. We will have to do it again.

Next trip? Could it be Poland? Kula Lampur? Paris? Hmmmmmmm Let me think for 6 months until I accumulate more vacation time! I will find a plan, I am sure. I do love to travel. Especially when the places speak English. International Language of Shoppers. :)

SayonaraSan Francisco

Time Flies in San Francisco

Goodness but it’s hard to believe that we are in the fifth day and we are going home. We have had fabulous weather the whole time, but I must say I was surprised to discover the evenings get chilly just like in Calgary. Around 6 p.m. a cold breeze starts blowing in and you better have a jacket or sweater with you.

Yesterday (Sunday) we went back on the Hop On Hop Off bus so we could go to Union Street for the shopping but we didn’t find anything to get excited about. Then we went to Chinatown which is very huge with shops everywhere. Our big excitement was the linen shop which had fabulous linens for reasonable prices. We walked the rest of the way back to our hotel when we discovered we were on Grant Street. San Francisco looks confusing at first with the streets segmenting off rather than going on normal criss cross ways but once you figure that part out it is very easy. And the blocks seem smaller than Calgary city blocks so it is not as far to walk as it looks on the maps.

Saturday we did the Hop On Hop Off and stopped at both the Golden Gate Bridge and again at Fisherman’s Wharf. I would say we really experienced the highlights of the city.

Summing up the trip:

Best buy, my Arcopedico shoes (2pair) – they are so comfortable to wear all day long

Best food, Swordfish and crab potato cake at Grandview (restaurant in the Hyatt)

Funniest horror moment, the door to our room at the Hotel des Arts

Regretted not buying, the Nancy Drew postcard pack (thought I was too mature for them)

Surprise Cheapness, the Hyatt charges for internet access

Disappointment, Wells Fargo museum was closed on the weekend (weird)

Favorite City, still have to say NYC for the shopping but I do love SF too. Friendly and helpful people. Would I come back – for sure!

Moving Day (to the Grand)

Moving day has arrived. Last night after an eventful evening at Fisherman’s Wharf, shopping and booking our bus tour we stopped again at the Grand Hyatt to ensure our reservation and Barbara made the comment “I feel like I am home.” I thought that was so cute. It’s true, it felt like a normal hotel whereas this Hotel des Arts is like a hostel in Ecuador. They actually should have posted it as such on the internet. This is definitely not a normal hotel! But once again, I have to say that the concierge has been excellent. They were all friendly and very helpful even though they are aware of our early checkout and the reason for it. Therefore I can recommend for more flexible and imaginative people than ourselves this hotel. The rooms are clean, the bed is comfortable and there is a lot of hot water! Go for it twenty somethings.

This old body of mine is creaking with age however. I think my back was already out before we left on the trip and all my bones are aching. I find that if I stop walking I need to sit down for a few minutes. I will definitely have to visit the chiropractor on my return. And here I go again, major diet time on my return as well. How many times have I mentioned a diet in this blog? Out of 250 some posts I would guess at least 25 times so I am sure you are all thinking “when is this girl going to get serious and do something?” Just as soon as she stops travelling and feeling obliged to eat the cuisine of the locale. Okay that is the story of the moment and I’m sticking to it. J

Are we enjoying ourselves? Absolutely. The weather is fabulous and the people are friendly and helpful. As we tried to catch a cab on Grant street a fellow saw our lack of success and came up to us with the tip “you will have more luck up on Stockton by the hotels” and he was correct. We got a nice big black vehicle for $20. When we managed to get a cab on the return it cost $8. However, we did not care about the cost. One thing I have noticed, there are a lot of white taxi drivers here and I have not see one East Indian one yet. In fact I haven’t seen any East Indian while out shopping either. I wonder why that is?

Another thing we commented on last night – San Francisco seems quite dirty. Compared to Manhattan it seems like a dirty city. The houses are grimy and the streets don’t look as though there has ever been a street cleaner across them. Today we will take the full bus tour and I will see if it is better outside this area but I am surprised that the tourist area wouldn’t be cleaner. Having said this please don’t get me wrong, I love San Francisco and especially Macy’s. No doubt we will check it out again. Now we will be closer than ever with this new move!

Friday in Frisco

We were up so late last night that we slept in and we were startled to discover our “small continental breakfast” also meant the room was a sardine can! Oh my but we had to get out of there fast, it was so crowded with people pushing and shoving. We had a small bad coffee and a small bad bran muffin which ultimately did it’s job at Macy’s.

We were off to Macy’s by 9:20 and got stopped right at the doors in the Fashion Accessories department. Between Barbara and I we have cornered the market on belts, winter hats and gloves! Just too good of a bargain to miss. But just before we got to Macy’s we strolled around Union Square and took pictures. What a beautiful park and I would very much like to have breakfast there. I am not sure what the temperature is but it must be around 24C at least. Just perfect, though going uphill with lots of bags can be hot work.

The sales people here in San Francisco are as helpful and nice as the ones in NYC but on the street I find a very mixed bag of people. A lot of pushy people, but I believe they are foreigners as I hear a lot of different languages spoken on the street. In other words I do not think it is the Americans who are the rude ones but the other visitors. I’m not sure but I think there were some Germans who seemed particularly rude.

So far we have been mostly around Macy’s and the Westfield Mall but this evening we are headed towards Fisherman’s Wharf to have dinner and take a look around the markets there. Our plans for tomorrow are soft but I believe we will go to Chinatown and perhaps back to Fisherman’s Wharf. Sunday the plan may be Napa Valley box stores but we have to figure out how to get there on a bus tour first.

At this point I cannot say that San Francisco is my favourite city but I certainly am enjoying myself. Barbara and I are very flexible and compatible together so everything is working out very good!

Stay tuned for more.