Returning to the island this weekend after 10+ years! So excited!
May 16th, 2013 Extra-Ordinary: . Lakes don’t make these lines, only Oceans on sandy beaches on Vancouver Island:
Category: Extra-Ordinary
The Daily EO: May 15th, 2013
When I was a teenager, I lived in a ski town. Most of my friends or friends’ friends were accomplished skiers who could easily navigate an icy slope, expertly sweep through deep powder or carve a beauty line down steep moguls. I on the other hand, could do none of those things.
They mocked me mercilessly. Well, not really, but when you lack the knowledge and the skill – ski conversations get a little exclusive – with me on the outside.
My family did not ski – so my brother and I didn’t get strapped in when i was a baby and thrown down a hill. We both skied with friends and in school programs but when You don’t have a season pass or your own equipment, it makes it more of a costly ordeal. I also have an innate sense of body safety so lacked the drive to really charge a hill.
My friends all owned their own equipment and apparel – from all “the” brands – rossingnal, spyder, Helly Hanson, etc that I did not. And after a while I began to believe that this was important I did not – these are brands that I hadn’t earned yet. I could ski – make it down a ski hill, yes – but I was not a skier.
So – I had good quality jackets, boots and gloves that were more suited to general warmth and than anything for a specific purpose.
To this day, I lack snow pants or ski gloves, goggles, helmet (they make people where these for skiing nowadays…weird), and all the stuff needed for a fun day at the slopes. I am not a skier – just someone that could ski if called upon to do so.
I walked down Granville on Saturday doing mostly window shopping, and some browsing. I was kinda looking for a couple of things, but not intently. I wandered into stores looking, fingering, and enjoying a leisurely stroll down the shopping district.
I found myself in a store with the mos perfect long sleeve – yet aired out running shirt. Pink highlights that matched my shoes, long enough to not ride up and with a half zip. Will it fit, will it make me feel how I want to feel? It was full price – and I hate paying retail – but I tried it anyways.
And it did fit, I loved the feel, the fit and at that point I could care less about the price!
I happily picked up my purchase – fought the urge to announce to the clerk “I am a runner”- and walked out with a little more brisk pace.
May 15th Extra-Ordinary: The long way around but I finally I too have what I thought I wanted then. But I earned it:
The Daily EO: May 14th, 2013
My brother is very much like my parents and in some ways like me, but mostly just like him. He is particular, careful, precise, fastidious, and a planner. He thinks that I am sloppy, careless, chaotic and something like a hurricane or tornado. Those who know me and don’t know him do not understand how someone as plan focused and organized could be considered any of these things. But I must tell you, in comparison it is true. If you want something done exactly and painstaking correctly and carefully, you ask my brother. If you want it taken care of on a well thought out and exacting plan, ask my brother. If you have multiple competing deadlines, chaotic frenzy that needs sorting and a plan for just getting through – you ask me. And don’t complain about the state of my desk in the meantime.
I tell you this because it was my brother Todd who spent hours vacuuming my car when the window was smashed. He spent a lot of time picking out the glass, moving the seats around for better angles and looking for the shining bits. I was thinking “C’mon already, that is enough! Let’s go!” – too much energy was already spent on this smash and grab.
But he persisted. And yet over the last couple of months, I find this every now and then:
I show you this, not because I want to say a careful man did a bad job, but to show how it is impossible to get all the bits of glass out of a car. If the world’s best can’t get it all, nobody can.
May 14th, 2013 Extra-Ordinary: Sparkling memories which are not all together welcome.
The Daily EO: May 13, 2013
I have never really been a plant lover. Plants are mysterious, dirty and annoying to me. Don’t get me wrong, I get sucked in grocery store forced blooms as much as the next person. And I will buy. And proceed to either smother with love or neglect to death. My mother-in-law used to bring me plants all the time. She figured out – or I guess will know for sure now – that I kill plants. I used to try to replace the plant that I killed before she came to visit, but then she – being a plant person – seemed to recognize that this was a new version. I guess they aren’t all the same.
I tend to get gifts of food from her now.
For Easter, she sent us an Easter lily, of whose care was firmly within Emile’s hands. I just looked at it – from afar mind – and enjoyed, but all care was in his hands. Near the end of its life, Emile put it outside on our balcony to get it some fresh air and sunlight. It was promptly eaten by a pigeon.
Now that is not something you see every day. Then Emile “taught it a lesson” with a squirt bottle again.
Anyways, I also don’t like plants because they get dusty, leave water/dirt marks and I don’t have the patience for cleaning up. I especially hate fake plants and flowers because as much as they don’t require care – that is exactly the problem. They are left to get dusty and dirty and to fade in the sun while nobody pays any attention. And they don’t even provide oxygen for us non-plants. Horrible.
Now that I am comfortable at work – yet can still claim that I am “new” kinda, I just do things. Like take the credenza out of the boardroom so you can actually get around the conference table, or throw things out that we don’t need. And recently I decided the faded, dusty and spider infested fake plants (I’m sure) in our lobby needed to mysteriously disappear. And they did.
Late one night they vanished into a holding area to see if anyone needed them. Ahem. Nobody needed them, but people have strange attachments to strange things.
A couple of days passed and otherwise than some comments of “Hey, it’s brighter in here” nobody really noticed. So, into the dumpster they went.
Until the large team meeting when the president recognized the missing “plants” and said he’d solved the mystery of where they had disappeared to. And then he turned to blame my boss.
What did I do? Step up and say “I cannot tell a lie. It was me.”? Well, no. I made no eye contact, I just looked surprised, turned my head towards the missing plant section like everyone else and blended into the crowd. “That’s so weird. I wonder what happened to them?!?”
May 13, 2013 Extra-Ordinary: The president and team clapped about the missing plants. Phew. . .could have been a career limiting move there. . . where is my integrity?
Plastic Plant free. . . and we all feel better.
The Daily EO: March 12th, 2013
I visited a walk-in clinic this weekend to renew a prescription. I found a couple of them downtown that were open on Saturdays. I went to the one that advertised on their website to that they were open at 9:30 am, so I started with that one. What is it with websites these days – update them if your info changes. That is the point of a website – remember the printed word? How expensive and painful it was to change? Turns out that particular clinic was not open at all on Saturdays. So, I walked up to Yaletown – which seems to be my primary location for all things self maintenance – to find another clinic that opened at 10 am. I got there 25 minutes early and found no-one outside, so headed up to a coffee shop to get a waiting tea. I was back at 9:45 am sitting on the stoop out front. While I waited, several other patients arrived to wait.
There was one man with a cast on his leg. And another family with small children. I edged closer to the door so as to ensure that these interlopers – no matter how needy they might look in comparison to me – could not squirm in front of me.
When the door was unlocked – 5 minutes early – I casually leapt in front of the others. Bad leg? I don’t care. Screaming kid? No my problem. You look pretty healthy buddy, you can wait. (the irony of my healthy look is lost on me).
May 12th, 2013 Extra-Ordinary: First in, First on the list, and yet I didn’t see a doctor until 10:20 am.
The Daily EO: May 11th, 2013
For many years, I have said “Emile is chocolate, I am caramel”. No, I am not referring to our skin colours, but instead our preferences for desserts. The chocolatey, the richer, – Emile is all over it. Burnt caramel, butterscotch, brown sugar, anything with that rich carmal taste is my preference. And when it is mixed with heavy cream . . . sigh. . . so good. I haven’t exactly spurned chocolate – but the recent societal love affair with dark chocolate and all its varieties has never been something I enjoy or get really.
So, as of late, my urges for chocolate is mystifying to me. Right now, I would rather a Lindt milk chocolate bar before I’d want a crème brûlée. What is wrong with me? Even Emile wondered tonight if there was something bothering me.
Hmmm.
………
……
…
Okay. . . sorry about that, just had to go and eat part of the chocolate bar in the kitchen. I’m back.
Yum.
May 11th, 2013 Extra-Ordinary: Chocolate – its really working for me right now.
The Daily EO: May 10th, 2013
Recently I attended an Operations Off Site Strategic Planning meeting. This is a meeting where you go off site to plan your strategic direction – just in case you hadn’t figured that out from the name. These meetings can be painful, are usually hot (hotels, please get your thermostat adjusted for goodness sakes) and usually involve a team building function of some sort. Ours was not so bad – and I am not just saying that because my boss follows my blog.
During our meeting, our boss presented us each with headbands with a saying on it that she thought represented each of us on the team. We had some laughs and posed for pictures. Mine was to reflect my commitment to getting it done – and my challenge to the rest of my peers to move beyond obstacles.
Recently, I challenged myself to run/walk 130kms this month and I must tell you I am sorely off target. As of late, I am satisfied when I eat celery instead of chocolate. Which is surprisingly often because I really like celery. There is something about it so crunchy and yummy. Anyways, off topic.
What I am trying to tell you is that I aimed high and I am missing the mark so far. Phew. I feel better already, confessing is always helpful. But it is time to brush off excuses and get moving. I promise myself I will pull myself together and get moving. I am taking a couple of days off next week and I am going to run. I am going to hike, I am going to eat celery despite the temptations of endless tapas.
May 10th, 2013 Extra-Ordinary: I’m going to do it. Though part of me is thinking “What’s with the daffodil?”?
Cumulative May Total = 26.8 kms
The Daily EO: May 9th, 2013
I wake up early. Not as early as some, but early. As the summer season starts to swing into action, tourist season begins. As someone who recently was cruising, seeing the cruise ships sail in and out of the port is pretty cool. They are usually pulling in when I get up. And then pulling out after their port of call in Vancouver when I get home from work.There is something special living in a tourist destination. Sometimes I hate the crowds, but other times, I feel smug that I live somewhere that people pay money to visit.
May 9th, 2013 Extra-Ordinary: I am somewhere people want to be. That’s worth remembering.
The Daily EO: May 8th, 2013
I’ve been struggling for years to control my skin that just doesn’t want to believe that I am no longer teenager. Unfortunately, it is something of a split personality as it thinks it is middle aged as well. Break outs and fine lines. . and I am fooling myself when I pretend not to see more than fine lines around my eyes. Sigh.
I was fortunate not to ever suffer from Cystic Acne and I won’t even pretend I have it that bad. I have breakouts that are annoying normally – more so than horrible or disfiguring.
But annoying enough that I want it to go away. Over the years, I have tried many things – topical and oral, prescription and otherwise and been able to keep things in check. But when I don’t get enough sleep, don’t drink enough water, don’t wash my face and have too much stress in my life – watch out.
It doesn’t help that I am make-up retarded so, unlike those crazy talented make-up people on YouTube that seem to cover over any problem, I go plain faced. Though I do believe that it helps my skin to stay clean and moisturized at any given time.
Like many – I am a sucker for skin care products and will try find beauty in a bottle. And since I am now really trying to eliminate the chemicals that aren’t doing me or the earth any favours, I tend to stick to natural brands. A bit ago, I stumbled upon Eminence and thought I would give their probiotic line a try.
Man – this stuff smells like tea tree oil – strong and spicy but I like it. I washed my face and I love it. Clean, soft, greaseless, supple and well mostly clean.
May 8th, 2013 Extra-Ordinary: New hope in a bottle. Let’s see.
The Daily EO: May 7th, 2013
Tonight we watched a screening of Wrong Time Wrong Place. It is about the massacre on Utoya Island and the bombing in Oslo that happened in Norway in 2011. It was well done. Somehow the film found a way to walk a fine line. It recognized the untellable fear and horror but also the small spark of life that is emerging from the ashes of the survivors and those who love the dead.
Many of those in the documentary told of such small decisions that saved them and left others dead. And as I walked home, I thought of the millions of choices I make each day – most not even consciously considered.
I read stories about soldiers who gained fatalistic attitudes during wartime – coping with their fear by believing that you could not avoid the bullet that had your name on it. So, there was no point in being afraid – that bullet would come no matter your actions. The parents of one young victim argued this point – the mother thought that her daughter would have died when she was 20 regardless (if not on Utoya Island), the father thought this view was nonsense.
I like to think that I have my choice in any given circumstance, but what if my path was predestined? Would I live differently? Take more risks, do more things, eat more heavy cream?
May 7th 2013 Extra-Ordinary: Am I approaching a wrong time and place? Will I feel the different that day? Will I know?
The Daily EO 