No Resolution

Last year's New Year's resolution was so good that I am just going to keep with that. I can't imagine what I would come up with after the past year we have had. 2020 was just such a crazy time - a global pandemic, unemployment, pregnancy, lockdowns. I just want to see it all fall behind us and have 2021 bring health and hope to everyone again. (I also want to go out and get a job as soon as this baby is born.)

My mom suggested that we open our front and back door to 'blow 2020 out of the house' which I thought was a cool idea and possible New Years Day tradition that we could start at Casa Verde.

Happy New Year!

Can't believe that it is 2020! Managed to stay up to truly ring-in the new year at midnight. Feeling very old when being awake that late feels like an impressive achievement. Kristen and Noah came over and the last few years we have gone to Fresh and then hung out together playing board games. We switched it up and get Swiss Chalet take away, which was easier and cheaper. Played a number of rounds of Spender, which I really enjoyed and need to remember to ask for next year.

Soup Selfie!

One of my Christmas traditions has always bucked the material/consumer driven holiday trend - Christmas Soup. More than a decade ago, while I was still living in Ottawa, Teri got together with a couple of her friends to make French Onion Soup. Since it is a dish that takes a long time - lots of cutting onions and boiling them down - they decided to make a day of it, hanging out together.

Every year since that start they have gotten together for an afternoon/evening in December to make soup together and then eat it afterwards. I joined the tradition a few years in and over time the group has grown with spouses and even a baby now. We just got together yesterday for Christmas Soup 2019 (see photo), made a delicious green minestrone one.

Christmas Changes

I like that my Christmas traditions are slowly adjusting to be less material/consumer driven. Don't get me wrong. I love buying, giving, and receiving gifts - remember giving gifts is one of my main Love Languages! However, with a tiny Toronto house, I don't have room for a lot of stuff, and I have always valued experience more anyway.

This year Kristen and I went to a play together instead of doing gifts - with the added bonus of a dinner at my favourite vegetarian restaurant Fresh a head of the show. (We saw a musical parody of the TV show Friends.)

The lists that get sent between family members each year and leaning more and more towards consumable items - we ask for our favourite foods, household items we need, fun treats of one type or another that we wouldn't necessarily buy for ourselves but really enjoy. These types of gifts bring such joy and at the same time don't add to clutter.

Somewhere Changing

Back from a weekend in Niagara Falls with the following:

- Joy from three straight days with great friends
- A Massive headache
- Guilt from keeping Tessa awake

- The sound of Kristen singing Kesha stuck in my head

- Reminders from Taylor to do a safety check
- Sweat drenched clothes from the humidity
- A lavender plant
- Memories of the 45oz blue margarita
- Plans to go out on the Friday night next year

Journey Behind The Falls has ponchos too!

I never know where to look when I am the one taking the selfie

Me, Tessa, Taylor, and Kristen

After skipping a year because of my wedding, we are back with tradition. Third time is the charm.

The BC Agreement

Jason doesn't like to start celebrating Christmas until after his birthday, which is on November 29th. This isn't a new thing for me, as I grew up with a similar rule because Mike was born on November 30th. However, it means late publishing of Christmas lists, delayed logistical organization of family visits, and less time enjoying pretty festive decorations around the house.

Last night we went out to buy a Christmas Tree, since fake ones were on sale at Micheal's. We got a lovely 7" pencil tree which is normally $150 Canadian and we picked it up for $60. Its shape and size does make it look like a penis, but it is perfect for our small Toronto home. I have decided to call it a 30-year tree. Jason frequently states how long he expects to keep certain household items. He insists we currently own a 10-year shower curtain because we spent $25 on it at Target - this is not very likely but we can try to keep it that long. I think he wants the mattress and West Elm frame to be a 25-year bed - we will try for this too. The Yaris is a a 5-year car that is already pushing 7. So I will declare that this Christmas tree must be kept until at least 2046, then it will have cost us $2 a year, though it should have been $5, a savings of $3 every year!

Besides the anticipated longevity of the tree, I also didn't want to have to wait a month to set it up. Jason and I have created The Birthday-Christmas (BC) Agreement. I have promised to always do a good job of celebrating his birthday (which I have always done and has in the past involved trips to NYC and dog sledding.) but I am allowed to put the tree up and start celebrating Christmas as early as November 12 (waiting until after Remembrance Day.) The only caveat is that I have to wait until December to put the star on top.

And The Tradition Continues, Or Starts

Jason and I are spending the weekend in The Finger Lakes region of New York State. This marks the third time we have spent Thanksgiving in the USA.
- New York City 2014
- Chicago 2015
And now exploring Northwest New York, it is really becoming a tradition. The actual definition of 'tradition' is a bit more complicated but I think the second occurrence suggests a tradition and the third solidifies it.

We considered staying home, especially because the Canadian Dollar is particularly bad at the moment, but decided that it was a fun pattern to have and we could do it cheaply. Instead of flying we drove and we aren't taking any extra days off of work so it will be a short vacation.

Today we drove around the orchards found in the area between the Finger Lakes and Lake Ontario. We found a map that detailed a Apple Tasting Tour so had fun visiting eleven different locations, mainly farms or local produce stands but also a winery, a distillery, and a couple of cider breweries.

Then we headed west to Rochester. I wanted to go to The Strong, which includes The National Museum of Play, the Toy Halls of Fame, International Center for the History of Electronic Games, etc. Basically it is a 'children's museum' but that didn't phase me. We had a good time!

Jason and I - Virtual EtchASketch

The Strong - The Toy Halls of Fame - 2016

Rochester, NY 

Before heading back to the hotel in Newark (not the airport, the town) we decided to grab some dinner. Dinosaur Bar-B-Q is a small chain that we remembered having great reviews when we were staying in Harlem during our 2014 NYC trip; they only have nine locations, mainly in New York State. It turns out they had a restaurant in Rochester so we went there. It is super popular! There was going to be an hour and half wait for a table but then we noticed that they have a big area doing take-out, so we grabbed a sandwich to go! I had brisket, my favourite thing to have barbecued, it was delicious.

Wonderland

Keeping up with tradition, Jeska and I went to Canada's Wonderland today and rocked the park! Even though there was a midday thunderstorm we didn't let that deter us from sticking around, waiting it out, and continuing with our plans to do every ride in the park

Jeska and I

Swing of the Century - Canada's Wonderland

Photo by Andrea

Breaking with tradition, we brought other people. Both Andrea and Joe turned out to be true 'ride warriors' as Jes would say. It was so much fun, always an amazing day.

This Is My Fight Song

Weekend trip to Niagara Falls and I returned with the following:

- Shin pain from dancing
- Promises of Journey Behind The Falls and Wizard Golf next year
- A bottle of wine with my art on the label
- Chocolate covered beer nuts
- A losing mini putt score but joy about a hole-in-one
- Rachel Platten in my head, still with incorrect lyrics
- New definition for Liquid Gold (breast milk)
- A killer hangover that lasted for 3 days

Hornblower Again - I take a good selfie

Me, Tessa, Kiyomi, Taylor, and Kristen in front

We are making it an annual thing, this is the second year in a row.

A List About Dad

Sunday Mornin' Coming Down - A post about my Dad each Sunday, named after a song that he loved.

Foods That Remind Me Of My Father:
- boiled hot dogs
- Taco Bell soft tacos
- red licorice
- Chapmen's ice cream from a box
- cream of wheat porridge
- homemade apple sauce
- french toast
- mashed potatoes
- chicken wings at a bar
- cantaloupe
- jube jubes

Trophy Sneak Peek

Sunday Mornin' Coming Down - A post about my Dad each Sunday, named after a song that he loved.

Last week I mentioned that a sailing award has been created at our local yacht club in memory of my dad - The George Sweeton Memorial Award - For Outstanding Crew Member

My mom commissioned the top of the trophy for this award to be made by a friend of my father's who does soapstone carving. He finished it last week:

George Sweeton Memorial Award

Sunday Mornin' Coming Down - A post about my Dad each Sunday, named after a song that he loved.

----- From a recent eBlast to members of the Port Dover Yacht Club - Sailboat Racing Group. My mom, along with my aunt and uncle, have decided to fund an award each year in honour of Dad.

In November of last year we lost a cherished member of our family and a dedicated member of our sailing community. In his sailing career he was both skipper and crew, and in honour of George Sweeton we have commissioned an award to dedicate to the, more than 125, people who trim the main, grind the jib, hang on the rail, ride the tiller, gybe the pole… and in the deep dark sewer…re-fold the spinn. We would like to present the first award for outstanding crew member this year at Sailor’s Night, Oct 25, 2014.

If you feel you have a crew member that you would like to nominate, please fill out a nomination form. Deadline for receipt of the nominations is September 28, 2014 (last Wed night race is on Sept 24)

 If you would like to nominate one of your crew to be recognized publicly for:
Education, Community, Civility, Corinthian Spirit 
 This season, have you noticed that a member of your crew has been:
- Contributing to the positive environment of the boat
- Mentoring new crew members
- Improving performance
- Finding innovative and effective boathandling ideas
- Taking initiative to improve safety
- Enthusiastic about recruiting

Why I Don't NEED An Engagement Ring

JennD posted the following video on Facebook, and in her lead up stated, "I hate the commercialism culture so much that tells us what we have to buy, how much to spend, yet people truly believe the lies of advertisements." In a sense I agree with her, and I have never wanted an engagement ring. However, it is not really for the reasons shown in this video:

(For a highly researched, well written, interesting, and comprehensive article about the issues touched on in the video, read Diamonds Are Bullshit by Rohin Dhar.) I have heard these explanations before. In fact, Teri and Greg have detailed most of this for me; they even go further into the issues of diamond mining itself - something a lot of people are taking to heart. With the concept of a 'blood diamond' in mind, Dave was sure to get a Canadian diamond for Steph, and the two diamonds in Teri's ring are conflict free as well.

But it isn't the diamond aspect that bothers me, it is the engagement ring itself. I have very vain and personal reasons why I don't want one, which I don't have time to detail in this post. However, one of my main concerns has always been what it symbolizes. A point that this articles handles better than any I have ever read before. I find it hard to communicate my position or find others who have done it nicely for me - but this is close.

Diamonds Are A Girl's Worst Friend:

The Trouble With Engagement Rings

By Meghan O'Rourke

It is a short article, and it does cover a lot of the De Beers stuff mentioned in the video and discussed at length in the other article that I mentioned. It does also talk about "what the ring might actually signify" and "what it means." Why would this matter? I agree with O'Rouke when she explains, "Part of the reason could be that many young women, raised in a realm of relative equality, never think rigorously about the traditions handed down to them. So it's easy to simply regard a ring as a beautiful piece of jewelry and accept it in kind." But something with that much cost and that much fuss made over it, I want to really want, need, and believe in it.

I want to pause and make a differentiation between wedding bands and engagement rings - my thoughts on wedding bands are also for another post. I have always been bothered by the fact that only the women get an engagement ring, I like the idea of an engagement watch because it seems to even things out a bit. I am not a big fan of traditional gender roles and I try to challenge them in my own life as best I can.

Further explanation from O'Rourke, "Until the 1930s, a woman jilted by her fiance could sue for financial compensation... As courts began to abolish such actions, diamond ring sales rose in response to a need for a symbol of financial commitment from the groom... To be marriageable at the time you needed to be a virgin, but... a large percentage of women lost their virginity while engaged. So some structure of commitment was necessary to assure betrothed women that men weren't just trying to get them into bed... (Implicitly, it would seem, a woman's virginity was worth the price of a ring, and varied according to the status of her groom-to-be.)

On the face of it, the engagement ring's origins as a financial commitment should make modern brides-to-be wary. After all, virginity is no longer a prerequisite for marriage, nor do the majority of women consider marriageability their prime asset. Many women hope for a marriage in which housework, child-rearing, and breadwinning are equitably divided. The engagement ring doesn't fit into this intellectual framework. Rather, its presence on a woman's finger suggests that she needs to trap a man into 'commitment' or be damaged if he leaves... Nor is it exactly 'equitable' to demand that a partner shell out a sixth of a year's salary, demonstrating that he can 'provide' for you and a future family, before you agree to marry him. For those who aren't bothered by the finer points of gender equity, an engagement ring clearly makes a claim about the status of a woman's sexual currency. It's a big, shiny NO TRESPASSING sign, stating that the woman wearing it has been bought and paid for, while her beau is out there sign-free and all too easily trespassable, until the wedding."

I agree she gets a bit harsh and heavy handed. (More than a bit actually.) Though the symbolic root of it is there, I would never think of a woman wearing an engagement ring as being 'bought and paid for' - that is horrible! Not true at all in my experience. For me it still goes back the basic equality of image. In my case, I always think, "You wear that around for a year or two before your wedding, silently announcing to everyone that you are engaged; but what does your fiance have? How come they don't have any symbol of engagement? How come they choose when and where to discuss that aspect of their life but you are displaying it to all?" If he doesn't need it - than I don't need it.

Super Stars

Steph and Dave's photographer (from their wedding) just posted a year-in-review list on her blog. Gen, from fifteen:fifty one photography is a very busy photographer, I am sure that she does hundreds of shoots in a year. (Well maybe not hundreds but trust me it is a lot, this is what she does and she is sought after for it.) Anyway, Steph and Dave's engagement shoot made it into the number two spot for the year, based on readership stats I think. Super Stars!!

Personally, I don't like Engagement Photos. They are really fake, "Lets get photos of us hugging while we walk down a wooded path, that we are only at because the photographer thought it would look nice." However, I get my photo taken all the time - usually in shoots that are completely designed by the photographer. So why would I begrudge a couple for doing the same? I think it is because it has become so mandatory, a check mark in the box, a milestone that is captured and promoted. One more consumerist/capitalist based tradition with minimal individuality.

Steph and Dave's is different though. I looked back and it turns out that I only briefly mentioned their engagement shoot. It deserves way more than that! They made a concept and told a story. It is fun, interesting, cute, funny, and beautiful. See it here: Love Conquers. What is also so great about it is that it truly reflects who they are - Steph and Dave love movies, dressing up at Halloween, picnics, romantic stories, Ottawa bridges etc. This shoot, which Steph turned into a beautiful photo guest book for their wedding, is my absolute favorite couple series ever!

Photos: Copyright © 2012 By Genevieve Georget/Fifteen:Fifty-One Photograph http://www.fifteenfiftyone.ca/

If you are interested in seeing the Wedding Set as well click: Here

A Cute Christmas Cat

---- from an email forward

NOTE: This year, Two was caught drinking from Santa's glass of milk. Because of this, and the fact she is evil, I was sure that she was going to get put on the 'naughty list' but Santa left her a little toy anyway.

Great Monarchy Metaphor

---- from The Walrus, magazine Postscript, "Survivors: Revisiting the wedding of the love rat and the adulteress"

"I'm not a revolutionary, and I like the Queen. She seems just the sort of person one would elect as queen if one were given the chance. Canada is a constitutional monarchy. I accept that. It's like wallpaper I wouldn't have chosen in a room with a lot of bookshelves, in a house with a lot of history, and I've adjusted my tastes accordingly. After all, the bookshelves block most of it, Lord knows what you'd find behind them, and moving them would be too much work."  

By Tabatha Southey

Years Of Christmas Lists

I am prepping this year's Christmas List and will have it posted tomorrow. However, I was wondering what my previous lists looked like. The first two years of Always Standing I didn't post my list online, but since 2008 my list has gone up publicly onto the internet each year.

Take a look back at previous years (they are surprisingly similar):

2008 Christmas List
This marks the first public appearance of 'Cordless Drill'. Last year Taylor got me one!

2009 Christmas List
The Christmas before I went on my big 'around the world' trip. Asked for a lot of travel stuff.

2010 Christmas List
I didn't want enough apparently, and I had a late post for list additions.

2011 Christmas List
Last year was a bit focused on the car, that sadly I then crashed a few weeks later.

Christmas Song Showdown

Every year, the WOTS office plays a game with Christmas songs - they listen to CHFI (an easy listening station in Toronto that plays exclusively Christmas songs around the holidays) and keep track of the number of times certain songs are played. If the song picked gets played the most over the duration of the season then that person is the winner; each empolyee has a dedicated song.

Last year was even more intense with a 'special work-out song' that when played the first person to jump up and start working out (lunges, squats, jumping jacks, etc.) got an extra point put on their song tally. Also the whole office would then work-out for the duration of that song. This year that isn't happening since the players are too scattered and some of us are in offices where jumping up randomly would not be as appropriate.

Other specific rules include a two person verification and a specific version of the song declared. Kristen, from her office downtown at her new job, and I are playing by proxy and just hoping that those in the WOTS office a properly keeping track.

Here are this year's songs:
Nicola - "Do They Know It's Christmas" by Band Aid
Cailin - "Jingle Bell Rock" by Bobby Helms
Kristen - "All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey
Me - "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" by Bruce Springteen

Happy Holidays!

I hope you have started to listen to Christmas songs too...

Introducing: Locklan!!

* Lochlan David N. *

Born: Tuesday July 24th, 2012

Proud parents: Taylor & Mark
Proud godparent: Kristen

 Welcome To The World Little Baby Boy!!

Taken by me with Kristen's cell phone

(He is about 26 hours old in this picture.)

SC - A Private Health Club

We stole this idea from Heather, but had been tossing around similar concepts for a while - The WOTS girls and I have created a 'Salad Club'. Each one of us takes a day and we make a large salad to serve at lunch for everyone. It is such a fun and healthy idea. (I have Thursdays, starting next week. I need to start thinking of fun salad ideas.)

This is also going to be the start of a new feature on Always Standing - each Thursday I will post the recipe for the salad that I make for SC (Salad Club). Stay tuned!