Month: July 2012

The Daily EO: July 19th, 2012

When I wrote my GMAT exam to gain acceptance into an MBA program, I didn’t do a very thorough job studying.  Well, actually, I spent a whole bunch of time reviewing practice exams from books I purchased from the UVic Used Book Store.  But I neglected to consider that perhaps the GMAT people had changed the format of the exam and the exams I was reviewing were down level.

Because it turned out it was so – the GMAT people added in a whole new section – 2 written essays.  The GMAT is a long exam, I think I had to write 5 sections that counted and then 1 section that would possibly be used in the future exams – assuming of course that it tested appropriately.  And you don’t even know which section doesn’t count!

There is a section on the exam that you could fill out to ask GMAT to NOT score your exam.  In the face of a total meltdown, you could just pretend like you never took the exam – but no refund of course.   Just fill out a couple of bubbles, and sign your name.  Voila!  It never happened.

The exam was so long that you got a break part way through.  I was nearing the meltdown stage – the questions weren’t as easy as they seemed at home with the answers in the back of the book.  And those damn essays!  I overheard a couple of conversations about how easy everything was.  OMG!  If I don’t rock this exam, then I am not going to business school.   And if I don’t go to business school, I don’t have a plan.  If I don’t have a plan, the world will end.

I returned to the room and finished that exam.  My pencil hovered for several minutes above the opt out section.  But my very competitive nature would not allow me to not find out how well I did – I needed to know even if it was terrible.

I left that room feeling defeated and over the next couple of weeks came up with a back-up plan to get a second B. Sc. in Economics/Statistics to go with the one I already had in Psychology.  What?  What good would that do me?  And people think one is capable of making good decisions in your 20s.

I got my scores and honestly, I cannot remember what they were precisely.  They were pretty good, higher than average, but nothing amazing though enough to get me into McMaster University.  But what I do remember is the essays I hadn’t even considered until I walked into the exam room – on those I scored in the 99% percentile.  What did I write about?  Well, I cannot remember the subject of one – but the other asked you to write for or against progress.

I about how progress is important in many aspects (ie, medical treatments), but in others, we need to consider what we have before we progress on the next stage.  I used the example of the old Post Office building here in Cranbrook – it was a beautiful building (as most turn of the century buildings are) with a tower at each corner.  It was torn down to make way for a more modern – read ugly – post office building.  But then we realized what we were missing.  The Rotary club fundraised and built a replica tower in our town square so we could remember.

Each time I see the clock tower in the town square, I remember:

July 19th, 2012 Extra-Ordinary:  Progress is good, but consider what you’ve got.  (And study the current revision of the exam)

(Photo Credit Emile)

The Cranbrook Clock Tower – a replica of the original ones

The Daily EO: July 18th, 2012

My brother doesn’t like people to play around with things that are not broken or already good.  “Just leave it alone!”, he’ll growl at you.   When I prepare food, I am always screwing around with things.  He hates it.  He always tries it, and often will eat it, but happily watches me get back on a plane or in the car so he can just eat food how it should be.  No “hippie” food, no vegan crap, just left alone.

I made dinner tonight – a stir fry with marinated tempeh and chicken served on grated cauliflower.  Todd ate it.  Said he could have done without the tempeh, but ate it.  Dessert?  Well.

July 18th, 2012 Extra-Ordinary:  The look on my brother’s face when he took his first bite of chocolate banana/avocado pudding sweetened with honey.   Mom and Emile shared an extra portion.

 

The Dail EO: July 17th, 2012

After my Dad died, my mom decided to create joy in our backyard and so she had a large in ground pool installed.  All during the 80s, my brother and I, our friends, and our family enjoyed long summer days in the pool.  Days were spent in bathing suits, food was served poolside and we swam our summers away.  Summer didn’t end when school started – it ended when we finally put the winter cover on in late September.

When we grew older, our interests changed, and fewer and fewer days were spent in the pool.  I left home to attend university, and the aging pool needed more and more maintenance.  Seven years ago, the pool didn’t open for the season for various reasons.  It was jarring to all of us.  Mom especially – this was her haven, her children’s summertime spot, and symbolic of active decision to create a positive life despite loss.  Several years ago, the pool needed major investment to open and it didn’t.  And each year since, there has been a reason the pool couldn’t or didn’t open.

Some decisions cannot be made quickly or without deep consideration.  This place was our place – our newly healing family place.  A major investment, a great love, the echos of our childhood.   Do you repair something that isn’t being used any more?  Do you fill it in so easily?  And for five years, my mom has not been able to come to a decision that she felt good about.  And so she left it because she could.

Last year the final decision was made – the pool would slowly be removed.  The log fence taken down, the pump house emptied out, and the pool itself likely filled in.  The work started slowly – first the slide and ladder were removed and given to friends we grew up with for their lake property so new memories could be created on it.  The pipes were blown out, the gas line disconnected.  Today, my mom and I tore down the heater to take to metal recycling.  The filter disconnected and taken to the dump.  And with a couple turns of my ratchet, the pump house is empty.   There is still lots more work in the pool area, but we’re marking the milestones.

July 17th, 2012 Extra-Ordinary:  Using the tools Mom taught me to use and she getting to walk a few more steps in culmination of our pool.

The Pool Slide Circa 1983. Fun with friends. Which one am I?
The Pool Slide at Tie Lake. Photo Credit Loree Duczek 2011

The Daily EO: July 16th, 2012

Feed your children something that makes you feel a little guilty.  Occasionally something they clamour for, something they love, and let them eat as much as they want.   Make it a special occasion out of nothing.  It’s part of childhood, it’s part of growing up and it will form the basis of a memories that they will hold dear for life.  The rest of the time, feed them chickpeas, quinoa, organic fruits and vegetables, homemade meals, or whatever you believe gives them the best start at life.  But don’t forget to satisfy the kids in them.

When we were kids, every summer we spent one week at Christina Lake at a friend’s house.  During that week, we were allowed to eat anything we wanted – as long as we ate a good dinner and drank a glass of milk.  I ate creamsicles, sugar cereal, cans of pop, potato chips, bugles, corn chips, cookies and anything else I could get my hands on.  During the rest of the year, we didn’t have ready access to such abundances – it was carefully monitored and often not even purchased.   Frankly, I spent so much time swimming in the lake and running around the beach that I probably burned all those calories anyways.   And the joy it brought my brother and I!

I’ve told you of our wiener roasts before.   Today we had another one.  We gathered our new roasting sticks, fried onions and white hot dog buns and cooked them over an open flame.  Yes, I know that hot dogs have terrible things in them, I know that white bread has little redeeming value and that marshmallows are sugar bombs.  I don’t eat like this normally, and so I let myself savour the taste memories.

July 16th, 2012 Extra-Ordinary:  Ordinary food made extraordinary with layered memories over time.

(Photo Credit Emile – no post processing)

Another Wiener Roast Memory. Aurora Borealis in the Fire Pit.

The Daily EO: July 15th, 2012

(In Cranbrook, BC)

Last time I was home I told you about my parents house, decorating and building their home.  I didn’t ever mention the landscaping projects they undertook.  The entire yard had a plan, and all the gardens were trimmed with logs standing upright.   The average diameter of each log – depending on the area in the yard – was about 12″ and each was securely placed in position with at least 12″ underground.  Cedar and Juniper shrubs dotted the front yard and the gardens featured my mom’s favorite geraniums and marigolds.

Shrubs are attractive when they are small, contained and the roots haven’t yet gained the strength to break through concrete and sewer pipes.  Once they – sorry for the pun – lay down their roots, watch out.  That sucker is not coming out without a fight, and even when you manage to win the shrub battle, the roots remain to make gardening projects harder.   When I move into a new house – I tear out the shrubs and plant flowering bushes.   (ask anyone about having their house foundation/pipes damaged by invasive roots and you’ll maybe understand why I do).

Cranbrook gets a fair amount of precipitation and cold winters.   Pavement and outdoor landscaping features face harsh conditions.  Logs – even treated ones – are going to start to wear, crumble and eventually need replacing after 40 years.  But thanks to the asphalt flush against and the shrub roots, our logs grip the earth.

In addition to the other things she’s passed on to me, my mom has passed on an allergy to sulpha drugs and juniper shrubs.   While the yard is low on sulpha, it is ripe with juniper shrubs.  Wearing my brother’s gardening gloves, flip flops and no wedding rings, I pounded and shreded those half fossilized decorative logs with a crowbar.

As I sweated, broke out into a rash from Juniper, and worried about removing a toe with a misplaced swing, I considered the effort my parents must have put into planting these logs.  And I cursed them.

July 15th, 2012 Extra-Ordinary:    While placing the logs, did my parents consider that 40 years later their children may be ripping out all of their work?

 

The Daily EO: July 14th, 2012

(in Cranbrook, BC)

Stereotypical Jewish mothers want their sons to be rabbis or doctors, or their daughters to marry rabbis or doctors.  I wouldn’t recommend either in a husband.   I mean – doctors, what tradeable and practical skills do they have?  I guess if you need someone to drive all night on a road trip.  But it’s not like he can simply pull out a scalpel and remove your appendix at home.  Do you want your husband telling you what that bump on your back could be?  And a rabbi would be useful for a direct conduit, but it’s not like that gets the roof repaired.

I married well.  I thought ahead, considered my and my loved ones’ needs of the future and set out to land me a computer expert.  It took me five years, but I finally got that proposal.  And what has that gained me?  A fully integrated home network, friends who believe they owe us a favour because of a computer fix, ultimate employability, and barterable skills.

Mothers – tell your daughters to look for the men who can do things – plumbers, electricians, hairdressers, carpenters, drywallers, computer technicians, landscapers,  golf course back shop managers, mechanics, car painters, etc.  It really will make life easier later.

July 14th, 2012 Extra-Ordinary:  A new computer for my mother built by my husband.  No maternal guilt on this trip!

The Daily EO: July 13th, 2012

Greetings From Cranbrook, BC and the Levang Motor Inn!

Hours Door to Door:  15
kms travelled:  1525.3
Money Spent:  $124.56

We had a plan – we were going to sleep in, enjoy the gym at our fancy hotel, eat breakfast, then hit the road for day 3.  That all changed when Emile woke up early feeling refreshed – and with a thin wallet – and said “I think we can make it all the way today”.  It wasn’t a bad idea, we had about 1.5 days of driving left and it felt silly to stay the night 4 hours away from our destination.  So, plans changed – out of bed, in the shower, stop at McDonald’s, fuel up and head out of Winnipeg with a song in our heart.

Just a note here – for anyone who hasn’t had a McGriddle in a long time (like me) – they are as wonderfully terrible as you can remember a sandwich made with syrup pitted pancakes to be.  And the Higgins and Burke Earl Grey tea was excellent.

There are those that will tell you driving the prairies is boring, but for me, I love it.  The vast expanses, the fields of yellow and purple, the multiple tiny towns gathered on the highway’s edge and the land filled with grain elevators, silos and even small oil pumps.   I also love that as a province, Saskatchewan refuses to change their time for Daylight savings – if it is 11:00 am in January, it’s good enough to be 11:00 am in July.   They just opted out.  I didn’t know you could opt out of Daylight Savings time. – I should try it in the Spring ahead and get my extra hour of sleep.  Just like the city of Creston, BC who as a town refused to change their clocks – they are right on the timezone line, otherwise that could be problematic.

I also love that Western Canada seems to have an end to their cities.  There isn’t outskirts for even most of the major cities – suddenly its upon you and just a quickly you are through.  In Ontario, we stretch and spread beyond the city limits, and now it seems that Barrie to Niagara Falls is one unending path of human construction.

We stopped at a little bakery in Indian Head outside of Regina.  I ordered 3 “jam jam” cookies and savoured them as we continued our drive.  Actually, I didn’t savour them at all, I ate them as quickly as I could.   Emile’s Long John – and I am talking about his chocolate covered pastry – disappeared pretty quickly also.

We missed any restaurant that appealed to us in Lethbridge, so ended up at Jimmy’s Drive Thru in Bow River about 40 kms past.  Type of place that really doesn’t care about the service levels – just takes care of business.   We ate our burgers on the go as we continued our trip through Alberta.

Do you know the speed limit in Saskatchewan and much of Manitoba is 110 km/hour?  You’ve got a four lane divided highway with 5 km visibility.  I wonder if they ever have accidents there?   In BC a twisting mountain narrow 2 lane highway speed limit is 100 km/hour.  I think one of these provinces need to consider adjusting.  As Emile was passed several times by the locals, we enjoyed the reemergence of the mountain ranges, and I felt the familiarity of home.

This is where we’ll stick for some time now before carrying on to Vancouver and returning to Huntsville via the United States.   It’s not very often that you take a picture of the welcome sign for three provinces in one day – it’s nice to have a break from driving.

July 13th, 2012 Extra-Ordinary:  Photo Credit Susan – that’s right! Not Emile!

Sunset in Big Sky Country

The Daily EO: July 12th, 2012

Greetings from Winnipeg, Manitoba and the Sheraton Four Points!

Hours door to door:  13 hours (Wawa to Winnipeg)
kms travelled: 1212.9
Money Spent:  292.89

After training in the hills of Huntsville, running 4K through the flat streets of Wawa felt pretty easy.  Well, for the first 2 kms, anyways.  But I ran further than I ever had before without stopping.   Yeah me!

We had a later departure after partaking in a leisurely breakfast at the Empire.  The perfect small town diner replete with aging waitresses, casual service, and fried bologna.   (Emile says it just tastes like hot dogs – I didn’t need the experience)

The views yesterday were lovely, but there were more of the same of the sun shining over Lake Superior.  We stopped in Terrace Bay and listened to what I associate with the ocean – the tide.  It took us nearly 10 hours to drive half of Lake Superior’s rim – a large lake for sure, but dwarfed when you think of the grandeur of own country – Canada.

Our cell phones both were out of range and it was a liberating feeling to feel so far from our lives in Huntsville.

We purchased the most expensive per litre gas in Marathon 142.9/liter.  (we didn’t fill up – just a half a tank – we showed them!)

Emile and I were both embarrassed to lack details of Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope.  We couldn’t remember if he started on the East or West coast.  Emile claimed to remember pictures of him running through the prairies, and I couldn’t tell him he was wrong.

We discussed him and Rick Hansen during our drive on the 100 km Terry Fox Courage Highway coming into Thunder Bay.  We tried to think of others of any nationality that have made such a worldwide impact in bringing medical issues to front of mind – and couldn’t.

We stopped for an urgent pee break and to educate ourselves at the Terry Fox memorial near Thunder Bay where he had to end his run shortly before he died.  In reading the plaque, it crystalized in my brain that he was running a marathon every day.  And I barely able to scratch out 4 km with two good legs.

Driving through Kenora and into Manitoba, we were treated with my favorite scenic view – dark blue sky just after dusk with black silhouette landscape.  Those skies were lit up with showy lightning, and we spent 10 minutes driving through an intense rainstorm reducing our speed to 30 km.  It was exhilarating.

We tested our odometer just outside Winnipeg and discovered that for all practical purposes it is accurate.  Seems like a strange government program to put signage up for.  Well, a load off our minds.

Our arrogant Ontario-centric selves thought finding a room in Winnipeg would be easy – but the first four hotels were sold out.  And we wondered if we should have brought the tent.  No matter, we found a wonderful newly renovated place – more than we wanted to spend though – and crawled into a fluffy dream bed.

July 12, 2012 Extra-Ordinary:   Emile and I both being so moved at the Terry Fox Memorial that we needed to pause our conversation to get a hold of ourselves.  (photo credit Emile)

Terry Fox statue near Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada

The Daily EO: July 11th, 2012

Greetings from Wawa, Ontario and the Algoma Motel!

Hours door to door:  10
kms Travelled:  797.4
Money Spent:  $131.92

After a relaxed departure at about noon today, we barely made it 10 minutes out of town when the car (by itself I’m sure) turned into The Windmill Bakery.  It’s a wonderful bakery that is run by a Dutch woman out of her house.  Yes!  Another Dutch Bakery.  In Huntsville! That I had never heard of!  Wow.

We purchased 3 items for $5 and we got a free loaf of “mystery bread” – made with leftover dough.  Emile immediately ate his butter tart and declared it “one of the best he’s ever had”.  I managed to save my “blueberry star” until after dinner.  So Good. Windmill Bakery – We’ll be back.  Especially for mystery bread. (which was torn apart as we ate it in hunks during the day)

The roads are quiet with it being mid week, so it was an easy and relaxing drive.

July 11th, 2012 Extra-Ordinary:   (photo credit Emile)

Clouds over water in Lake Superior Provincial Park

 

The Daily EO: July 10th, 2012

I hit town today with a list of 14 items to get ready for our journey – slowly crossing off items.  It takes a while sometimes – as nothing I needed could all come from the same store.  And after a while I was tired.  Tired of searching through stores and driving to different places.  So, I got everything – except shampoo.  I wanted to purchase organic natural shampoo at a reasonable price and that would require another stop.

Heck.  I’ve got 1/2 a bottle at home.  We aren’t going to the desert – I’ll buy something on the road.  When I got home, I was getting vitamins out to pack and found exactly what I needed – a bottle of shampoo.

It was like a gift from myself.  I am not kidding, I will shout out “I love myself” when things like this happen.  Like when I found pumpkin chocolate chip loaf in the freezer.  Or when I find half done meals in the back of the fridge just when I trying to figure dinner.  Why am I so good to myself? 

July 10th, 2012 Extra-Ordinary:  A love letter from myself in the form of shampoo.