Postcards From A Change Of Plans...

Well, due to the HORRENDOUS weather Toronto was having this morning my Uncles flight was cancelled... and by horrendous, I mean a little fog! Bastards.

We were looking so forward to a night out too. We never get to go out, and even more rare is an opportunity to hang out and party with my family. After a half hour of solid complaining and 'woe is us' we tried inviting over a few friends (the few friends we still have that are within driving distance) as we were in a 'party mood'... but alas, we are losers! No dice.

Soooo... we made a visit to the one friend who has never let us down... our friendly neighborhood liquor store! We went in for a bottle of Pinot Grigio, but walked out with the 3 remaining varieties of Novello/Beaujolais Nouveau wines as well as a bottle of Baileys (mint)... and the intended item became an impulse buy as there happened to be a bottle of Grigio left behind at the cash. So we may not have family or friends, but we got booze!

We have big plans too to try and make up for our lack of company... we plan on staying up past 11pm tonight! I know, call us crazy! But all joking aside, this really is our big goal for tonight. We always have lofty ambitions on a saturday night, but by 9:30 we are both wiped and accept our lame ass life and sulk all the way to bed. Not tonight though, hence the coffee we are currently enjoying!

You would think Gordo had a few caffeinated beverages this afternoon as he has been sleepless since his morning nap. Nonetheless, the boy is doing great for only having 90 minutes of sleep today. It will be an early night for him, which also plays well for our 'big plans' tonight, as we typically hold off the sipping of beverages until he is in bed.

And speaking of that early night, we are pretty much there.

So that's that... till next.

Postcards From The Saddle...

... and I was doing so good too at posting everyday!

Excuse: I was very sick. Very.

The boy passed along his cold and it hit me a lot harder than it hit him - or, I'm just a bigger suck because I was immobilized.

Anyhow, not much to talk about other than the headache, the aches, sleepless nights and the ball of phlegm I've collected... ok, just kidding, no sleepless nights!

Speaking of sleepless nights, well actually the complete opposite of sleepless nights, Gord slept in today... it was SO nice. He has been in a habit of waking up around 5:30 - 6am lately and it has been awful. Well today, he decided to sleep in until 7:20!! When we finally went in, he was standing up holding his crib rail, and had a huge and very cute smile on. He started hopping with excitement when he saw us and fell backwards before we had a chance to grab him. Nothing he couldn't shake and he was in a great mood to start the day.

I've been meaning to post some video of the boy however I can't find a good clip... one that can't be used against him later when he decides to run for public office. (You'd be surprised how many clips we have of him getting a lap dance or smoking a joint...).

I would love to catch some video of him when he does something he is proud of. Usually once every few days he accomplishes something that he feels is quite significant. Whether it is turning on a toy, opening a door, or pulling himself up from a difficult position, he gets a sense of accomplishment that puts this smug little smirk on his face that is unique to any other smile. He knows it's something special because he looks around for us all the while asking for accolades. He puts on a piercing smile with his lips closed tightly (in contrast to his huge open mouth smile) and a beaming glow from his eyes that just screams "I am SO cool!"... so cute!

Anyhow, we've actually got some plans this weekend. Some family is coming into town tomorrow for the night and Kim and I are looking forward to getting out and enjoying ourselves. It will be our un/official 11 year anniversary so it's good timing!

And that's that.

Postcards From... The Sunday Son Review Vol. 3

Ahh, Sunday.

This past week Gord has come down with a really bad runny/clogged nose and a cough. It's so sad to hear him coughing and wheezing at night. His nose gets so clogged that he must breath through his mouth - as a result he can't keep his soother in. This causes him quite the dilemma. If he becomes conscious enough and replaces the soother into his mouth it quickly inhibits the breathing so it just ends up frustrating the hell out of him . Very sad.

Otherwise, he is generally happy when awake. He loves to walk. We spend a lot of time with him holding our fingers and letting him guide us all over. His tactic is to lean way forward and have his feet catch up to his upper body. Also his feet point outwards so he kinda walks like a duck... I'm sure the hockey skates will cure him of that.

That was technically a joke, however I am slightly considering making a rink in our back yard. As I realize Gord can't officially walk yet, I think he will be walking soon and I think it would be fun to get him on skates (while holding onto us... or a hockey stick, mwa ha ha). Not to mention it would be fun for Kim and I to skate (even if it is only 30 x 20 ft).

While he has not taken to walking yet, he has however started brief instances of crawling as though he was a real baby! He still spends most of his travel as a wounded soldier, but a few times today he went short distances on the official 'fours'. It was nice to see.

Then there is the obvious around here - Gord is going to be ONE YEAR OLD soon! It blows, my, mind. This year went by so much faster than the '05 pregger.

Unfortunately it will be a fairly low key birthday as far as the amount of people are concerned. It's looking like it will be just Kim and I bringing in Gordo's inaugural birthday as no family is able to make the trek south - understandably with the weather and Christmas and work schedules etc.

Well that's that. Enjoy Monday!

Postcards From 1995...

Though we have been married 4 years, I still like to celebrate our original anniversary... it's so much more impressive. So, this week we will be 'celebrating' our 11 year mockiversary!

As this year happens to fall on the respective days they originally fell on (i.e like November 25th 2005, November 25th 2006 is also a Saturday), so it is very easy for me to be reminded of the events that took place leading up to the 'big day'.

Oh grade eleven... For me it all started, November 17th (a Friday). It was the SCC/MMC school dance. (Kim went to MMC, the all girl catholic school - why does that sound so 'naughty' - and I went to the 'brother' school, SCC.) We had a fairly tight circle of friends and the six of us met up at our friend Nick's house for a little 'preparation'... and yes, by preparation, I mean drinking. A few Jack Daniel's and Russian Prince vodka's later, we were ready to get going.

This dance, the second of the year, was taking place at MMC. I believe it was a 'Much Music Video' dance because I vaguely recall a giant TV screen in the gym. Most of the dance is a blurr (partly due to the alcohol, but also to the fact it's been 11 years). What I do recall clear as anything however is one song/dance in particular. Kim and I had been flirting quite heavily not just that night, but the weeks leading up to it.

(Flashback within the flashback - the Saturday earlier Kim and I had spent the night at our friend Melinda's house where wrestling, 'king of the castle/bed', human blankets, and flirtatious shenanigans were a plenty.)

So it was nearing the end of the evening, and I guess I don't recall it as clearly as I thought because I can't remember the actual name of the song, but it was a Bon Jovi song that started playing. Definitely not as a result of the song itself because really, it's Bon Jovi, but nonetheless, Kim and I started dancing. Something was different and it was this exact moment I realized that I wanted to be with Kim. While I may not remember the name of the song, I remember how tightly we both held each other. It was clearly obvious to the both of us that the other didn't consider this just another dance. It felt right. She fit in my arms so perfectly and it's amazing that I didn't ask her to marry me right there. The song ended, we vacated the dance floor, and shortly there after our group left for the night.

I remember there was a fresh layer of snow on the ground as we made our way back to Nick's to wait for our parents to come pick us up. The only other part of the night that sticks out in my mind is running/gliding down the street in a playful race with Kim when suddenly our friend 'fish' came gliding by and 'took' the race. For some reason it sticks out in my mind as a particularly humourous moment, yet I don't understand why. Had to be there, in the moment I suppose.

The next day (being 11 years today) I reflected on the previous night, and knew I had to ask Kim out. Melinda's house had been a regular Saturday night 'sleep over' for the four of us (including Mel's boyfriend Nick), and we made plans to meet there that evening. That afternoon after informing my mom of my new found feelings, to which she was ecstatic, I conspired with Mel and Nick on how it was to go down.

Mother Nature had other plans however and caused Kim's mom to throw a wrench in the plan. As a result of the snow falling, she stopped Kim from making the trek to Capreol. (While the map doesn't show a road, there is in fact a road to Capreol - maybe it was a mistake to do so, but yes, they built a road to capreol...).



So, I was forced to wait a week. As Kim and I went to different highschools we only had the weekends to see each other. That is unless one of us skipped class, and Kim being Kim, that meant I would have to be the one to skip class. Though she did drink and did say the occasional curse word, she would never skip school. (Even in university, she didn't miss ONE class - except that one before Easter weekend in third year and she ducked out of class early so we could make the trip north... wanker... I wonder if there is any correlation to her winning the award for the highest graduating average in her University Class..?...).

So, Friday November 24th rolled around. It was a friend of Kim's birthday so the girls were out for the night while the boys came to my place for what so happened to be the last night of my being single. For anyone who has had the privilege (and I use that term loosely) to see the 'We Suck' videos*, that night was the night that started it all.

*We Suck - our lame attempt at a comedy sketch show, with such classics as:
- The Christmas Story: What really happened
- Ninja Tooth Fairy
- "Treat Me Right - C'mon on Girl"
- Ninja Santa
- Eating Vegetable Thins with Steve
- Father Zeke
... and the long time running, "This is..."

Anyhow, Saturday arrived and Kim, Nick and Myself converged at Mel's house once again. After a homecooked spaghetti dinner we were whisked away by Mel's parents to Church. I couldn't tell you a single thing about Church as my mind was usually elsewhere (which years earlier had been the catalyst to me 'evaluating' the value of 'religion') but I do recall, once again, the walk home. During a playful snowball fight, Kim progressed beyond the 'snow' and 'ball' concept of snowball fight and proceeded to heave a giant chunk of ice, although covered in fresh fluffy snow, on to my arm, nearly crushing the lower half of my humerus. After careful consideration, I decided to continue with my intentions for her even after such a violent assault...

Warning: Extreme Cheese Beyond This Point
Disclaimer: I was 17, this is how I thought one woo'ed a girl.

So when we got back to Mel's I told Kim I needed to talk with her and we went into a room upstairs, where I inconspicuously placed a cd player with (as I hang my head in shame and type this next part) a CD ready to play. We were asked to move downstairs which worked out well for Mel as she, and this I only found out on our wedding night, spied on us through a hole in the wall.

With the cd player once again all ready to go, I babbled briefly to Kim about recent times and handed her a letter/poem I had written the previous Saturday. She began reading a poetic explanation for why I haven't asked her out previously and as she transitioned to the matter at hand I began track 2. At a precisely planned moment in the song, Kim read the line "...wear this ring" and looked up to see me holding my school ring (please review warning above). She took the ring, and in a moment that amazes me to this day, made a move on me. She came right in and kissed me - I did not object.

The night progressed fairly little from there resulting in a few movies (mostly watched) and some harmless kissing. We still laugh and wonder how we were able to just kiss for such extended periods of time. Now we have to remember to kiss each other sometimes as we fall asleep at night.

Anyhow, after parting ways the next day we continued contact by spending the night on the telephone planning our lives together including the "3 Kids".

Next thing I remember is sitting down at a computer starting to write a 'postcard' about a pivotal moment in my life 11 years earlier that all happiness can be traced to...

Postcards From Gordon's Day... Vol 49

11-17
Gordon was busy playing with the juice lids today. He was putting them in the big red bucket and tapping them together to make big noise. Lots of fun, Gordon!

Postcards From Gordon's Day - Vol 1 - 43 + 48

Here are the notes from Gordon's Day Care 'Daily Report' starting from his first day...

8-30
Gordon spent a lot of time exploring today. The other babies brought him things to explore. He seemed to really like the duplo caterpillar. He pushed it around for a while.

8-31
Gordon spent a lot of time with our musical instruments today. He especially liked the shakers and the string of bells.

9-01
Gordon seemed to enjoy our walk this morning. He looked quite happy & relaxed as we toured around. While inside he showed interest in the cars, bells and the swing too.

9-05
Gordon has done well this morning. Once again he really seemed to enjoy our morning walk. He also spent some time up in the swing and on the floor with the sensory bottles, cars, shakers and balls.

9-06
Gordon thought the exersaucer was quite cool. He liked making the wheels spin. We played peel-a-boo from there too.

9-07
Gordon enjoyed hanging out in the window seat for a little while this morning. He watched closely as the cars, trucks and people passed by. He also had fun looking at himself in the mirror and got excited... smiling at himself and banging on the mirror.

9-08
Gordon was quite entertained by the musical telephone today. He liked pressing many of the buttons to hear the different sounds and make the music play.

9-11
Gordon had a great time outside this morning. He enjoyed his time in the swing watching all of his friends. He had lots of big smiles for everyone!

9-12
Everytime I called Gordon "Gorgeous Gordy" today, he gave this cute little grin. (As if to say "that's what my mum and dad call me). It was very cute!

9-13
Gordon was quite interested in the camera kit today. He was touching the camera and flipping the camera around to look at the other side! Way to go Gordon!

9-14
Gordon was flying high in the airplane swing today. He enjoyed being pushed. He was full of giggles and smiles. He was also very chatty up there :)

9-15
Gordon was very interested in the bath kit today. He was especially fascinated with the rubber ducks and rubber frogs=)

9-18
GORDON REALLY LIKED THE SWING TODAY. HE REALLY ENJOYED IT WHEN WE PUSHED HIM BACK AND FORTH. HE ALSO WAS VERY INTERESTED IN THE BALLS AS WELL. HE HELD ONE IN EACH HAND AND BANGED THEM TOGETHER.

9-19
GORDY WAS TRYING TO GIVE PATTY (OUR BIG DOLL) HIS SOOTHER. PATTY WASN'T TOO INTERESTED BUT GORDY KEPT TRYING AND THEN HE POPPED IT BACK IN HIS OWN MOUTH.

9-20 Gordon enjoyed sitting with lydia, while she read books. Gordon also tried to help turn the pages.

9-21
Gordon was having a lot of fun with the beachball today. He was holding it and rolling it and giving it a big squeeze. Lot's of giggles, Gordon!

9-22
Gordon spent some time exploring the lady-bug exersaucer this morning. He enjoyed pulling/shaking the antenna(s) and turning the other dials.

9-25
Gordon was having lots of fun with the bath kit today. He was exploring all the bath toys and he especially liked the turtle with the spinning legs. Lots of giggles!

9-26
Gordon was having fun with the furry teddy bear. Our student Amanda was showing Gordon the bear and he was laughing out loud! Lots of fun, Gordon.

9-27
Gordon was having a great time with the flashing lights cup. He was trying to take a "drink" and when the lights started flashing he laughed out loud!

9-28
Gordon's been scooting/creeping along the floor on his belly... exploring the bath toys, rattles, bracelets, velcro rollers and of course the beach ball! He has been telling us a lot of stories too!

9-29
Gordon loved his time up in the window seat this afternoon! He was getting so excited ~ watching all the cars, trucks and people go by. His arms were flapping about & he was chatting happily!

10-02
Gordon really liked the colourful race car. He was watching it roll along the floor and he had fun spinning the wheels!

10-03
Gordon had fun with all the colourful bracelets today. He was trying to get them on his arms and he laughed when they were spinning on the floor!

10-04
Gordon liked the little piano today. He pushed on the keyboard and laughed when it made a noise. He started kicking his feet to the beat too!

10-05
GORDY WORKED HARD TO TAKE THE BLINKING NOSE OFF PATTY. HE WORE IT TOO FOR A LITTLE BIT BUT THEN HE WANTED IT BACK ON PATTY AGAIN.

10-06
Gordon was having fun with the little cell phone. He thought it was funny when we pushed the buttons and the phone made all different noises/ Lots of giggle, Gordon!

10-11
Gordon was creeping around all over the room today, He was trying very hard to pull himself up onto the couch, but kept getting stuck in an awkward position. He did enjoy looking at his reflection in the mirror though.

10-17
Welcome back Gordon, we sure missed you! Gordon had lots of smiles and cuddles before Heading off for something else. He can really move now=)
Way to go Gordon!

10-18
Gordon wasn't too sure what to play with this morning. He enjoyed the rattles & shakers, juice lids, wooden blocks and of course a cuddle or two=)

10-19
Gordon spent some time exploring the gourds after lunch. He was rolling it from side to side, feeling the bumps with his had and telling his "Da-da-da" all about it!!=)

10-20
Gordon has been very interested in the shakers & other musical instruments. We sing "shake it Gordon, shake it" and he smiles and laughs=)

10-21
GORDON WAS BUSY MAKING A NICE PICTURE WITH THE BINGO DABBERS. FIRST HE JUST LOOKED AT THEM AND THEN HE PUT SOME DABBER ON HIS PAPER.

10-24
LINDSAY WAS SINGING "BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP" TODAY AND GORDY KEPT "BAA-BAA-BAAING" LONG AFTER THE SONG WAS DONE. HE WAS VERY CUTE.

10-25
Gordon has been working really hard at pulling himself up to standing. He really seems to be enjoying standing up at the gate=)

10-26
Gordon has spent lots of time exploring the wooden blocks today. He holds on to one and turns it around and around to inspect all sides!

10-27
Gordon was really interested in the musical instruments today, He especially liked the "star" shaker. He worked hard to shake it while trying to move around!

11-02
GORDY HAS LOTS OF STORIES TO TELL ALL ABOUT DADDY, DADDY, DADDY. WE'RE WORKING RALLY HARD ON MUMMY, MUMMY, MUMMY. AND HE SAID "HI" VERY CLEARLY WHEN CYNDEE CAME IN OUR ROOM.

11-03
GORDY WAS HAVING LOTS OF FUN WATCHING HIS FRIEND TO RING A ROUND THE ROSY. THEN WE PLAYED RING A ROUND OUR GORDY AND HE SQUEALED WITH DELIGHT.

11-06
Gordon really enjoyed doing "Row-Row-Row" this afternoon. He got right into it... pulling & pushing himself back and forth as we rowed. He was full of smiles & kept wanting to do it again & again!!=)

11-07
Gordon spent quite a while exploring the bin of juice lids. He'd put both hands into the bin... mixing all the juice lids up and making lots of tinging sounds!!=)

11-08
Gordon just loved being "tickled" with the big fluffy duster. We tickled his arms, legs, neck & cheeks; he laughed & smiled!!=) He enjoyed swinging the brushes around & feeling them too.

11-09
Gordon loves our blow up pumpkin ball! He'll rest his upper body on top & rock back and forth. He also enjoyed squeezing/banging on it or pushing it away & creeping after it.

11-16
Gordon really liked the big fire truck today. He was pushing it along the floor and he thought it was fun to put the ladder up and down. Good job, Gordon!

Postcards From Gordon's Day... Vol 47

"Gordon was busy doing all kinds of things today. He enjoyed the balls & shopping baskets, banging on the drums and swinging in the airplane!"


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Postcards From Gordon's Day... Vol 46

"Gordon was very fascinated with the mactac. He crawled right over to it and started touching it. He wasn't too sure what to think at first!"


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Postcards From Gordon's Day... Vol 45

"Gordon was having fun exploring the musical kit today. He was shaking the bells and the noisy rattles. Lots of giggles, Gordon."


.

Postcards From... The Sunday Son Review Vol. 2

Ok, Gordon eh...

Well, I have definitely noticed a change in him this week - and I'm not just making something up so I have something to 'Review'. He has really improved in his motor skills (in the larger and more literal sense of the word... he really "motor's" around now).

As I mentioned last week, Gord goes through stages where he learns a new skill and is happy in perfecting this skill. However soon after he gets restless and wants/needs to move to the next challenge (all the while driving us a little crazy as he can't be satisfied for long playing by himself before getting frustrated at his lack of this new and wanted skill). Well, it's been nice these last few days because he is quite happy with his 'surfing' along the couches and coffee table.

Our new furniture (upstairs living room) is set up so that Gord really has access to a wide variety of areas. He typically spends most of his time however circling the coffee table. He LOVES to be chased around this. He gets a kick out of being frightened and all I need to do is get on all fours, growl/snarl a little and he takes off around the table. He starts giggling, and the closer I get the harder he laughs until it erupts climactically as I eventually engage him. It's cute when he wants to be chased more, because he gets the look on his face that just screams (come chase me... chase me... chase me... and he takes off around the table).

He's really developed a concept of 'falling'. He knows that if he doesn't hold on to something, he is going to fall. While holding onto the table, or couch, he bends down to grab something at his feet, and it is SO cute to see the concentration on his face. He plants his feet, secures a grip on whatever surface he is next to and bends down with such seriousness on his face. His little arm extended to the ground while the other is holding on with all his strength. Most times the item is out of reach so he needs to pull himself back upright and reposition himself. He's become good enough at it that we don't worry about the few falls that inevitably happen. Very rarely does he take a large enough spill that warrants a consoling hug.

It's amazing how some spills that look fairly harmless bother him, while others that look horrendous are not all that bad. Yesterday he was playing by the piano when he thought it would be a good idea to try and scale it. He held firmly to the side and literally lifted himself off the ground where only one toe made contact with the surface under him. This surface ended up being a toy that didn't provide the best stability which resulted in him slipping back down to the ground. Not exactly straight down, but rather down and to the front. His head luckily found its way into the only space in proximity which happened to be just slightly wider than the distance from ear to ear - his shoulders prevented him from falling flat on his face as his head poked through the gap between the back base of the piano and the decorative 'pillar' on the front corner.

(Gord however is unscathed compared to his little buddy who he played with yesterday. This little guy, as a result of his older brother, has some serious tumbles that amazingly do nothing to break his spirit - or his bones. I witnessed this little guy get pushed backwards down the one step into the sunken living room and land on his head! After a very brief pick up and hug from his mom, he went about his business. It explains the few bruises that were present on his forehead.)

Other than that, all is well. We are still in the honeymoon phase of him sleeping all night, and feel guilty about complaining when he wakes up early (5:40 - 6 am). This is much better than waking up a few times throughout the night. We've noticed that regardless the time he goes to bed, he will still wake up around 6. Either way, he goes down consistently between 6:30 and 7:30pm, so it gives us a nice evening to ourselves. Every night though I still think to myself, "this could be the night... the night he doesn't go to sleep and decides to stay awake". Luckily I haven't been right yet.

Ok, he's been down for a nap for 40 minutes now, so I should take advantage of the little time I have left... I'm not even going to proof read... oh the insanity.

Postcards From The Play Date...

Today Gord had a play date. Kind of a last minute thing, but Gord got to hang out with the 2 sons of some friends of ours. The one boy is the same age as Gord, while the older brother is 3. It was really fun to see them interact together. Gord had a lot of fun (based on the fact that we went almost 2 hours without whining, and even survived a few tumbles) - it really goes to show that he needs some more (age appropriate) toys at home... that or a big dog that is super friendly with kids. Gord would laugh into hysterics whenever she would come around, especially if she would get real close to him.

Seeing the other two boys playing and fighting really made me think about what the dynamic is going to be when (provided things go as planned) we have more kids. We have been talking for quite some time that we want 3, but I'm sure it will be something to re-evaluate after the second one shows up.

Having 3 kids is quite different than what we knew growing up, so we thought it would be an interesting dynamic for us. We would have nothing to compare it to, so every experience would be new. We aren't tempted to try and shape our family from a mold that only exists in our memories.

Some things will be unavoidable however as I'm sure we both want to introduce a few of the good moments and traditions we had growing up. Likewise, there are a few new traditions I'm sure we are going to start. While I am anxious to find out what they will be, I'm very careful not to spend too much time looking forward - I actually make it a point to avoid the "I'm looking forward to...". Kim and I have done a really good job of enjoying each and every stage with Gord, and even so we find ourselves realizing how quickly time passes.

We find ourselves already worrying about Gord out in the real world, raising his own family, living his own life. It makes us sad.

Speaking of sad... I'm tired and this took way to long to finish...

Postcards From Gordon's Day... Vol 44

As written in the 'notes' on Gord's 'daily report' from day care today:

"Gordon was chatting away today... telling all sorts of stories!!:) You could tell when he was excited about something because he'd get louder & louder."

Postcards From a Non-American Opinion Holder...

So I have blood running down my chin. I have been biting my tongue so hard for so long that I need to relieve a little of the pressure.

Some who have been unfortunate enough to be around me whenever there is mention of Sept. 11 have an idea of what I am capable of getting into... don't worry, I will try and keep the flailing, botched bush impressions, dramatic re-enactments and interpretive dance to a minimum.

I really just want express my glee for the recent turn in US politics. I knew, and I mean I KNEW that something horrible was going to happen if Bush won the 2000 election (just I like I predicted this - well I didn't come out and say the shuttle was going to explode, but I did mention the day before to Kim that I had a hunch a big plane crash or similar incident was about to occur. She woke me up that morning in awe of my amazing psychic abilities telling me the ill fated news). Anyhow, Kim and I both expressed our fear of things to come when Bush won the election. We had no idea the extent to which our fears would play out.

I have very strong opinions and beliefs. Believe it or not, I do try and formalize my opinions based on fact (and I do consider this to be fact as well). I do however keep the juicy stuff for the right situations. Some of this stuff goes into a great amount of detail , and while I say it is plausible, I do have to draw a line somewhere... Kim stopped listening to me when I tried to take it a little farther and started a theory of how the US Government took the people that were on the original planes to a deserted island and are running wild experiments on them.

Anyhow, for the last 5.5 years I have been complaining and wondering how the people of the US could let this president and his cronies get away with so much bullshit. So, needless to say I was quite happy when I heard the Democrats won the House majority, and a good hold on the Senate. What blew my mind (yet should not have been a shock) was Rumsfeld resigning.

... and I finally get to the point of this post... As much as I loathe Bush and as a result the US political landscape, I tip my hat to them. Democracy actually works. I never would have guessed it was a democracy after all the stolen elections, but the response to the latest election should go a long way. In all honesty, it is way too little and way too late... but the fact that the administration responded so swiftly to such a loud and undeniable statement of disdain that the american people have for the way things are being ran, is worthy of note... Even if it was a well planned (yet obvious) political move to try and pass the blame to the democrats.


"A dictatorship would be a heck of a lot easier, there's no question about it." -George W. Bush, July 27, 2001

Postcards From An Agnostic Diety...

What does it take to start your own religion? Can just anyone decide one day to start one up? Do you have to register it, and if so, where do you do that? What's the difference between an 'organized religion' and a 'cult'? If you want to start up your own religion does that make you crazy? If so, call me crazy!!

Ok, well, maybe not start a religion in the interpreted sense of the word... but a 'religion' none the less.

I was just thinking about what defines a 'religion' and after a little digging (well, the dictionary) I understand it to be, "a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects". Ok, that makes sense to me, but...What is the 'number of persons' required and is there criteria to the 'set of beliefs and practices' that must be agreed upon?

Does 158,984 people count? What about 2? Do the wife and I count? Do we have our own religion because we both "believe":
- Gord is the bestest baby ever
- Bush is an idiot
- That SUV commercial where the doctor tells a woman he can save her life, but yet he can't find the 'edge', is the stupidest commercial ever
- Telemarketers who can't pronounce our last name don't deserve to talk to us

...???

When Gord becomes the age where we need to start laying down some laws, or commandments if you will, does that make it any more official? Should we carve them in stone, or can they be written in crayon and hung on the fridge?

We've actually been discussing lately how we plan on raising the little heathen (and the depraved dependants to follow), and while the prospect of starting our own religion is attractive, I don't think Kim would be up for the challenge -– well with all the public speaking, scriptures needing scripting, and subsequent book tour that goes along with it. So where does this leave us? To this point we agree that trying to follow what our parents did with us would be the best route.

As I've mentioned before, while I don't consider myself religious, I was at one point a very religious kid - recall the whipping? I survived and one day I began figuring things out for myself and I think I turned out alright.

While I may not believe in the rubbish that defines 'Christianity', I think it does a good job of explaining the 'be good' in terms a 4 year old can understand. Where I think our part as parents will come into play is to make sure the words themselves are not taken literally.

Sending Gord (et al) to a Catholic school is not nearly as exciting as officially starting our own religion, but then again, based on the definition, we may already have.

(Wow - this post really went in a different direction I thought it was going to. I was hoping to plant the seeds for my new religion and allow it to blossom... I even developed my own set of 'commandments' but then I realized my last canon debunked the ones that preceded by claiming any formal organization or tenets will be strictly forbidden. Egh...It's probably a good thing, I wouldn't want to be the cause of any new wars.)

Postcards from a lost belief in the virtues of love...

NOOOOOOO!

Where did Cupid go wrong??

Postcards From Myopia...

Earlier this afternoon I was on campus chatting with a few profs. I was on my way from one office to another when I began approaching a prof I knew (more so through Kim as he is one of the Prof's she works with). Well, Dr. T as I shall call him, was talking to someone (young girl, brown hair, pony-tail, nice butt,). As I passed behind them, (her backside, with him facing me), I said hello to him and quickly went through the stairwell door thinking to myself "too bad I didn't run into Kim".

Moments later my phone buzzes...
Me - "Hey, where are you?"
Her - "Just going to do 'the moths'
Me - "I was just there"
Her - "Oh, I was just talking with 'Dr. T'"
Me - processing, processing, ding

...

Moral of the Story - you can still consider yourself happily married if you don't recognize your wife, as long as you think the 'stranger' has a nice butt.

Postcards From... The Monday Me - Vol. 1

Blink, Blink, Blink... the flashing cursor on the blank space taunts me. Well, that's better, 1 line down. Look at that, and another...

Ha ha... this is SO hilarious! I really wish there was a way I could capture in words what is going down.

As I sit here scratching my head trying to put words down in my "Blog", I have 'Corner Gas' on the tele. (vision that is, not phone). Anyhow, I'm sitting wondering how to offer something of value here and Corner Gas just happens to be about Hank who starts a Blog. As I'm only a couple minutes in I can assume this will result in Hi-Larious consequences. (The long and short of it is, people have a permanent excuse not to talk to him because they claim "Oh, I read it on your blog"... when in reality, they haven't - ha, get it... Hilarious!).

But now I'm miffed. Hank went and stole my intended topics for tonight. I was planning on doing an in depth analysis on what would happen if Vikings came to the future - but then I just look like a copycat... and no one likes a copycat blogger!

... But I can't resist forging forward with my second intended topic. My super power of choice. Kim and I have actually spent quite a deal of time lately talking about this (as Heroes is quickly gaining ground as our new favourite show). While flying is an incredibly attractive power to posses, I could never resist freezing time. Combine that with time travel and/or teleportation, and whoa, sign me up.

I have always thought of how cool it would be to freeze time.
You could sleep in EVERY day!
You would never be late.
You could take a nap anytime you want.
You could sneak into the girls change room.
(Ok, I came up with this list when I was 14, but it is still relevant I think. By the way, that last one also works with 'Invisibility' and 'X-ray Vision'.)

Needless to say, freezing time would be super-cool. Compare that to flying. All you can do is Fly! Go hand-gliding or jump out of a plane if you want that experience. And it's not like you could do it openly. People would think you're a freak. Scientists would want to dissect your brain (or whatever they do). And are you able to carry people? Cause that would be pretty lonely. Flying everywhere by yourself would suck.

...well, Heroes is about to start so I should wrap this up. If only I had my super power to freeze time... or maybe I do? I do have a PVR after all.... mwa ha ha ha. World domination can't be far behind.

Postcards From... The Sunday Son Review Vol. 1

Gordon, Gordon, Gordon. Where do I start?

Gord has become increasingly, well how do I say it, oh yeah, stubborn. Um, I can't forget demanding... and of course whiny. Did I mention whiny? Just in case I didn't, he is very whiny. Ok, I did mention it, but I didn't mention it in BIG BOLD LETTERS: WHINY! Don't get me wrong, he is still the cutest thing that I have ever seen, but let me put it this way... I LOVE BEDTIME! (His that is).

Again, I don't want to be misinterpreted - I love the kid to death, and I absolutely love every second I am with him... It's just that lately he whines a lot. It's very exhausting. So, when 7:30 (or the rub of the eyes) rolls around I start getting excited. Following his bath, we attempt to get his diaper on (which is quite a challenge lately), and as I pack up the bedtime supplies I am just short of giddy. The workday is over, and it's time for the mice to play. (And by play, I mean make dinner and go to bed - we always have these huge ambitions about what we are going to do at night, but we are SO exhausted that one of us usually falls asleep by 9). (And by one of us, I mean Kim).

Other news... With every new ability comes a new phase in Gord's life. Right now, he is creeping (walking while holding onto something). So, while this liberates him from the static life he has been used to up to this point, it frustrates him as he can't exactly get to where he wants... and he falls very easily. He sometimes forgets that he can't walk or stand by himself, so he takes a tumble. While it makes for a great opportunity to hug him, it is very sad.

He is ALWAYS on the move. Not ADD style, but very curious about the world around him. We often joke that he hates being home because he is so limited in what he can do here. At daycare he has friends and lots of toys (and new activities every day). Considering he spends more time at daycare then at home, this is actually a good thing in my opinion.

What else... well, he has just finished popping out his 4th tooth. The two on the bottom are old news now, and a couple weeks back he got his top right fang, and just yesterday his other fang finally made its way out. Wow, what a teething session that was! He was biting everything.

Of course with all the 'sensitive' moments over the last few weeks, there were the moments that make it all worth while. Just as his whining has increased lately, so has his laughter. He is getting such a great personality/sense of humour. His laugh is incredible intoxication - a deep rolling belly laugh that makes him lose his breath and subsequently the noise of the laugh itself until it's just his mouth open, eyes squinching tight and shaking his head in excitement.

The weirdest things make him laugh. A measuring tape (bright yellow). A hand approaching underneath his highchair. A coaster turning from side to side. Being startled. The picture of Georgian Bay (from Burnie & Chris). He is also quite ticklish. Especially at bed time.

Speaking of bedtime - the boy is now down (this post took a few hours!) and there is a glass of wine waiting for me on the table. Cheers.

Postcards For The Sake Of It...

I'm happy. I just found a blogger that went missing...

Enjoy.

Postcards From A Rule Breaker...

Ok - what Dave said.

I don't think that Kim should be too quick to call me out - after all her post was really just a statement about me missing my post. That shouldn't count, and certainly isn't entertaining. Sheesh.

Anyhow, yes, I was out last night. Wow - 2 nights in a row. I almost have a social life. Hmm, except Wednesday night I was having a few beer with a Prof... and last night was watching my boss play a charity/benefit show.

On a side note - I don't know why some people have cell phones. It's such a pet peeve of mine when I try and call Kim and she doesn't answer her phone. The second she drove out of the garage this morning I tried calling her (to tell her some crazy potentially exciting news that I CAN NOT believe I forgot to tell her this morning*). For the last 30 minutes - Ring Ring.... Ring Ring.... Ring Ring - "Hiiiiii, you've reached Kim, bla bla bla..." If I can steal one of my mother-in-law's lines - NO I have NOT reached Kim... If I reached Kim I would be TALKING with Kim. (Kim and I always laughed at that as it was a standard answering machine message from her for a few years, oh so cheezy... but now I find myself constantly holding back from saying it). Come to think of it, there are a few lines of hers that I find myself saying. Just this morning I told kim not to 'slip' after she said she was going to 'jump' in the shower... ah, zing!

* So, I can't really say what this news is because it involves some fairly confidential information. Basically, my company was recently put up for sale (for around $5billion), and I just found out last night who has expressed interest... and let's just say (even though it may be a long shot), that I've never been so excited about something so seemingly lame! Like I said, it is probably a long shot, and they are one of a few companies putting their name on the bidding block, but holy cow, I would love nothing more than to say I work for this company. As I don't want to be 'dooced', I can't address this any further - I've already said too much.

So, I think this counts as a post. I do have some catching up to do though...

Cheers.

Postcards From A LIAR...

Ok, well the circle of life continues... born, die, born again, and, well die again (That's for all you Buddhist bloggers out there. For the christian bloggers, it's more like, born, die, and if you didn't 'post' every day, well then you rot in hell for all eternity)...

I didn't exactly live up to my commitment to post more. I promise to make more of an effort though. However, I don't need to make more of an effort to write, I just need to make more of an effort to POST! I have a few zingers in my drafts, but for some reason, I just can't get around to publishing them.

I've given a lot of thought to my lack of posting, and I think I have come down with blog-fright. I have an idea, I get some words down, but then get all 'thinky' and analyzing why I might be writing the selected words and start thinking about how people will read into it... and that's when the 'SAVE as DRAFT' comes into play.

Soooo, I need to get back in touch with my inner-blogger. I'm not normally one to follow the 'trends' but if November is International Blogging Month, well heck, call me "International"!

See you tomorrow!