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.

So, We Do Have A Name

Bit of an update on that donut business I mentioned before - we have a name! Full disclosure, I hired a communications company to help with this and they came up with it. They sent a list of suggestions many of which were great. I did a survey, got almost 100 responses from friends, family, and their larger networks. This was the decided upon result - I love it! We have the domain and social media names. Just working now on a logo.

FLIPSIDE DONUTS
- the act of looking at something from the other side, an alternative angle
- originally a reference to the back side of a vinyl music record and the location of less popular/mainstream songs

The name comes from the fact that we are turning the idea of the donut on its head. We shrunk it down and are making it gourmet - using a machine that makes them right in front of your eyes, that automatically 'flips' the mini donuts so they cook on both sides.

Our sweet flavours (raspberry and candied rosemary, smores, hazelnut plantain, etc) bring in unexpected ingredients and heighten what is often considered a common or even boring pastry to a new level of taste experience. These are fun, stylish, delicious, tiny treats! Not only that, but we are going on the flipside of sweet - and offering savory mini donuts too (curry, porchetta, taco, etc.).

The cafe itself will have espresso drinks, coffee, and offer a cozy, casual, but attractive place for friends and family to meet and hang out. And on the flipside of the cafe experience - we are licensed! We aren't a bar but at our cafe you can enjoy a beer while trying out a pile of poutine donuts at the end of a busy night, or throw some Irish whiskey into your coffee on Sunday Morning after bringing your young kids in to enjoy a sugary treat.

The cafe location is also on the flipside of the building itself, with Tank Lane being the main commercial street in The Distillery, we are in the south section of the main building, on Case Goods Lane.

Xmas List 2018

Two
- Treats (Temptations Dental)
- Little mouse toy
- Litter deodorizer (Arm+Hammer)

Joint
- Gift cards
--- Home Depot, Canadian Tire, Cineplex
- Travelling coffee mugs, not plastic
- King Sheets (100% Cotton)
- Help installing kitchen faucet
- Animal safe sidewalk salt
- Shower curtain liner
- Kitchen scissors
- Super large bath towels
- Foaming hand soap
- Steak knives
- Strong fridge magnets

Jason
- Gift cards
--- XBox, Amazon (for Kindle Books), MEC
- Coffee beans
- Sour candy
- Coke in glass bottles
- Craft Beer, not hoppy
- T-shirts, size Med
- Socks, shoe size 10.5
--- black dress, white athletic
- Sunglasses
- Spray sunscreen
- Dove for men shampoo
- Bar soap
- Clear glass coffee mugs
- Franks Red Hot Sauce

Me
- Gift Cards
--- Ricki's, Dollerama, IKEA
- Books (used is fine)
--- Fiction, William Gibson, Jasper Fforde, Gail Vaz-Oxlade (Never Too Late)
- Boardgames
--- Ticket to Ride: Expansion Maps
--- Trivial Pursuit: Bet You Know It
- Epsom salts
- Soap and Glory: Flake Away
- Canned corn
- Martin's Apple Chips
- Compact over-ear headphones (with cord)
- Android smart watch
- Kitchen scissors
- Potting soil
- Basil plants/seeds
- Chap stick
- Black no snag hair elastics
- Bath bombs
- Stud earrings backs that clip
- Travel toothbrush

Summer Solstice

Today is the Winter Solstice, so I thought I would talk about the event I ran exactly 6 months ago! (Though I also ran an event earlier this month, but the summer one was a much larger task.) For 2018 we did a full road closure and at the same time cut almost half the budget. R and I worked very hard and I am so happy with how it all turned out. 

Even though last year I said I had thought the event went well, this year was much much better! I was depressed through most of last summer and part of that was set off by how disappointed I ended up being with the 2017 event. This year's event led into a happy, healthy and enjoyable summer! I am very proud of the 2019 Solstice event that we ran in The Junction.

Jason and Noah were big help as volunteers!

June 23, 2018 - Junction, Toronto

Beginner Drawing - Class 4 of 4

I have been sick and I missed class tonight. The past three nights have really opened my eyes to the joy that pursuing a hobby can bring to my life. That making art and learning, meeting new people and participating in something like this really elevates my day. I am so sad to miss this last class and though my new business will take up too much time to continue with more courses at this time, I hope I don't stay away from art for too long.

Some Of The Things We Missed

During my missing streak, when I didn't post on Always Standing from June to September there was so fairly big things that happened - aside from starting a small businesses (though frequently related.)

Here are some things that happened...
- Got to Long Point a bit, but not nearly enough
- Summer Solstice Event involved a full road closure and wasn't as tiring this year
- I had a big team at the office with three students hired for the summer
- Kristen, Noah, Jason and I went on a road trip, got to do some white water rafting
- Mom and I went to Las Vegas, she did five posts about it on her blog
- We got our driveway re-paved and the roof done at Casa Verde
- Had an awesome day at Wonderland with Jeska, as is tradition

Beginner Drawing - Class 3 of 4

We worked with charcoal tonight and it was really interesting to try the different types. I was scared because you don't have the safety of easy erasing. But I enjoyed it and am happy with my results. Next week we get to pick which medium we want to work it, I think I will return to pencil but this was a nice experiment.

No Time To Spare

I mentioned that I am working towards opening a mini-donut businesses, well from April until September that was done in my spare time. Starting in October I went down to part-time hours at The BIA and I plan to leave that job completely at the end of January.

Since getting a confirmed (purchase agreement in place, but haven't yet officially closed on it) location the workload has really increased. I have chosen to buy an existing business allowing me to skip a large part of the renovations needed for a raw space, and it also comes with some equipment.

I think I naively thought that working part-time in the office might leave a little bit of time to do more writing on Always Standing - but it turns out that starting a small business is more than a full-time job!

Time To Share

I haven't given an update on what is happening in my professional life. Basically I have spent the last 6 months or more working towards opening a mini-donut business. This added element into my life is probably a major component as to why I haven't been posting as much on Always Standing.

I did so well in October, with the intention of spending November sharing information about my new enterprise publicly on this blog. But time slipped away and I didn't know how to explain to the world - using this medium - what was going on. My groups on WhatsApp and close friends over texts get lots of updates. I have sent emails to friends, family, acquaintances and work colleagues. I am using Facebook to share details. But writing about this donut venture here has been escaping me. (I am sure that most of my audience - that is even still around - duplicates from those I speak with more intimately.)

I realize that for me now Always Standing is a bit of a journal. A public repository of what is happening in my life. I don't want to stop writing because I don't want to lose the ability to look back at this time in my life, I love doing TB posts and the chance to see my thoughts from years ago. So the blog is going to continue as a means of documenting my life. There is over a decade of writing, can't stop now!

Beginner Drawing - Class 2 of 4

So I spent Halloween drawing objects, learning how to measure and more accurately reflect sizes and distance between shapes. I am very slow, didn't come even close to completing the shoe last week and this week I was really enjoying the challenging shapes in the second composition but hadn't even finished the vinegar bottle by the time class ended.

Mildly Adventurous

Soooo, you want a low number - I guess that means you are more adventurous. I need to remember some of these for when I play this as part of a drinking game.

I am at SIX. Because I have never...
- Broken a bone (knock on wood)
- Been skydiving
- Had braces
- Given birth
- Gone scuba diving
- Been on a cruise
(Does having braces make you more adventurous?)

Let me know your number in the comments!! 

Go Team Go!

Yesterday was Isaac's Trek for Treats, the annual event held by Jason's sister for her son. I missed it last year because I was running an event for work on the same day. So glad to be a part of it for 2018! Teri and Greg came out, we had a little team going. It was a fun event raising money for Duchenne's research through Jesse's Journey. Looking forward to 2019.

Super Mario Party

It is here!! The new Mario Party!! When we lived together, Kristen and I played A LOT of Mario Party 8 for The Wii. It was so much fun, we beat everything, unlocked everything, and loved it. A few years later when the next one came out (Mario Party 9) we rushed to get it - but it was terrible! Such a horrible disappointment, they changed how the game worked, the mini games within it weren't good, we played it only a couple of times.

Mario Party 10 came after that but it was for Wii U which wasn't a system we had. Everyone had the original Wii though, at one point we had two of them! The latest Nintendo system is the Switch, which Jason got a while ago to play Zelda (I think) since it had good reviews. I have been patiently waiting for a Mario Party to get released for this new console. Even though I think the price tag of $80 is insanely high, I had such high hopes that it would be good like the first one I played.

Jason surprised me by ordering the extra controllers we needed with overnight shipping, so we were prepared when Kristen and Noah came to test it out. I can happy report that is it awesome!! The main section returns to the style of play seen in version 8, the mini games are hilarious, and there are extra things that are super fun on their own. I can't wait to unlock everything!

Beginner Drawing - Class 1 of 4

I am taking a Beginning Drawing class at ARTiculations, in The Junction on Wednesday nights. Here is what I did on my first night.

The image on the right is a recreation from a Degas sketch, we used a grid technique to draw it. This is the remaining aspect of drawing that I can still do, I can recreate when someone else has already taken something and made it 2D, black and white, especially when it is a sketch, even more so if a gird is involved. It was nice to end on that, helped renew my confidence.

Quotes From Alberta

As I mentioned before, Jason and I went to Alberta this weekend. We flew out Friday evening and came back overnight Monday to Tuesday. It was a quick visit but I got to see my GeoConnection girls, their spouses, Mike, Aimee and the babies. Here are some quotes from the trip that I found amusing:

----

Pointing out the car windshield...
Jason: Oh God! How cold is Edmonton? Is that a penguin?!?
Me: Huh? What?
Jason: That black and white bird that is waddling.
Me: Oh! That is a magpie, they are like my favourite! I don't understand how everywhere has them except Ontario.

----

(Said at various different times) Coming out from the changes rooms at the resort spa, wearing the hooded plaid bathrobes provided:
ERin: Ooo, I feel like I am at Hogwarts
Matt: Totally lookin' like a boxer here
Anne: Reminds me of Dementors
Sutik: Is this some sort of Illuminati thing?

----

Me: Are you just the cutest thing ever?!
Maya: I'm Maya!

Happy Weed Day

The day has come - Cannabis is legal in Canada. This has been a long time coming and I totally agree with all the arguments for legalization. At the moment there are still quantity restrictions and edible products won't be allowed for another couple of years, but we are totally moving in the right direction with this.

My one concern comes with driving under the influence. Impaired driving has always terrified me, growing up in a small town it was a huge issue that took many lives. While the breathalyzer is far from perfect it has provided a quick and convenient tool to assess alcohol impairment. It is harder to determine what is going on when someone is driving high. At the moment there isn't a federally approved fluid screening device that can be used roadside for cannabis.

On top of the testing challenges, right now, there's no set limit on the amount of cannabis that you can have legally in your blood or urine when driving. Driving high has always been illegal, and covered under Impaired Driving, but it doesn't get charged as much, even though drugs now show up more often than alcohol in blood tests of drivers killed in crashes. So scary.

I am excited to see the start of legalized cannabis but please - don't drive high!

Oh, And I Have Voted

So, another quick follow-up to my municipal election post: I voted.

Jason and I went to the advance polls, which close this evening so you probably missed them - make sure you go out on election day, October 22!! We got our voter cards in the mail and they had our polling location info on it - stopped over at a nearby community centre to cast our ballots on Thursday. We are away on the main day, doing a short little trip to Alberta.

Fun Fact: There are 35 mayoral candidates in the Toronto election this year and at least two of them are neo-nazis. (Actually, not a fun fact, frankly a disgusting reality.)

Really? That Many?

Decided to check out the statistics for Always Standing since I haven't done so in a while and I was blown away by what I found.

Firstly, I just used the little Stats tab on the Blogger homepage instead of going through the full on Google Analytics route so I don't get as much information as usual.

Secondly, as has been true for the past few years, Puns For Anna consistently gets tons of visits. I don't know how or why people find it but they do.

Alright, onto the shocking thing, in the past week my post about the municipal election got 45 page views! I did post about it on Facebook and in the past that has meant a decent uptake in views, maybe double the normal amount but nothing close to that number.

I have about 244 Facebook Friends (I think I need to cull that down) so does that mean that one fifth of them clicked the status update? I hope they decided to become (or return to being) regular Always Standing readers.

TB - September 2007

Throwback Thursday - Scroll to the bottom of the month and read up. Or click on the earliest post in the month (to view the post and the comments) then keep clicking Newer Post until you finish the month.

SEPTEMBER 2007

Settling into a full-time job, at GeoConnections, and going to school in the evenings (I am going to meet Erin AH and Jenn soon ... pretty sure they are both in the class I mention attending.) Looks like I signed up to help Kristen at The Charlatan and that I quit Subway, did I end up going back to Subway later? I have a hard time leaving that chain.

There is a quote from my dad! I don't exactly remember where or when or the context in which he was saying it but totally sounds like something he would say. Probably was on the phone. Sadly, I can no longer hear how his voice sounds in my head, it left quickly and I hate that it is gone. 

Noted Post: The I Can See!! post describes one of my favourite personal anecdotes, I remember it happening and I still laugh about it to this day.

Just Like Us

Driving home today, yesterday we visited Harvard and MIT campuses in Cambridge, just across the river from Boston. (We also went kayaking on that river and had a picnic lunch in Harvard Yard.)

Harvard Students - They are just like us!
Seen on campus: 
Student with an armful of obviously stolen toilet paper.
Overheard:
"Yo, if a girl matches you on Tindr means she is go to go!"

MIT Students - Less like us
Seen on campus: 
A juggling club practicing in a hallway with a variety of materials.
Overheard: 
"When you amplify the sample size, you decrease the error rate."

Salem In October

Yesterday we went to Salem, which is just north of Boston. (It is actually on their commuter rail system it is so close, but we drove.) The town is really busy in October and was so beautiful. I definitely want to go back. The historic homes are incredible, they have houses dating back to the 1600s. There was a lot that we didn't get to see, just being there for a day. It is a harbor town and we didn't even make it down to the waterfront area. We were mainly there to learn more about The Salem Witch Trials.

If you don't know about this strange point in American history, I really suggest you look it up. The Wikipedia entry linked above gives a decent overview but I am sure there are other sites as well. Both Kristen and I consider this a common knowledge point but there are so many historic events in the USA it seems it isn't as known about as I had assumed. There is also a lot of miss information, and the Salem Trials get confused with facts from those that occurred in Europe.

Here are some things I was surprised about:
- Not as many deaths as I had thought, they 'only' executed twenty people
- Trials are well documented, there are surviving transcripts from witness interviews
- They relied on spectral evidence, which was a thing
- It all ended when the Governor's wife got accused
- They didn't 'test' the women in water, might have been a European thing
- Starts with accusations from afflicted children
- Along with sexism issues, racism was a factor too

Road Trip!

Jason and I like to travel to the US during Canadian Thanksgiving. This year Kristen and Noah were interested in joining us. We have planned out a pretty intense road trip over to Massachusetts. We knew you can get there for a weekend, since we had done it for the playoff game in April. That had been a lot of driving but with an extra day I hope to be able to see some cool things, going to visit Salem and Boston. We are used to being in the car together. Besides the playoff road trip, the four of us have also driven together to Pittsburgh this past summer, well just outside of it, to go White Water Rafting. Road trip!

A Tiny Advantage

I won't get into how horrible it is that Premier Doug Ford, in the Provincial Government, has cut the size of Toronto city council. Basically it is a terrible idea, but on top of that doing it in the middle of an election is unethical. However, because The City is now 25 ridings instead of the previous 47, Vote Compass has been expanded to include city councillor races as well (maybe it was always going to do so for this election but I really like thinking there is some tiny silver lining in the disgraceful city council meddling.) In 2014 they had information for the mayor stuff, but the ward details are a great addition.

Vote Compass is an amazing tool, I love it so much and use it every election. So glad that I used it because the incumbent councillor (from my section of the ward, since there have been mergings) visited the house and I enjoyed talking to her. However, she isn't at all progressive and I didn't fully know her voting record. She voted to cut transit routes! So, good to get an idea of a more appropriate candidate for our neighbourhood. Here are my results:

This didn't tell me anything new for the mayoral race, I knew that I aligned more with Jennifer Keesmaat, she is an urban planner and I thought she was awesome in the role of Toronto Chief City Planner when she did it a few years back. I will be voting for her. However, I think John Tory is doing a good job and I will not be disappointed if (when) he is elected.

Grrrr Two

The cat has cost us over $1,200 this month! That is just medically, not even looking at food or litter.

It started early in September with a scheduled surgery - she has these strange Cutaneous Horns on her paw pads and they had reached a size that I decided to get them cut off/back.

Cutaneous horns are composed of keratin overgrowth. They may affect one or multiple footpads. Often thin and horn-like (hence the name), they may appear like second "nails" close to the nails on the digital pads. If not on a weight bearing surface, these lesions usually do not cause lameness. Cutaneous horns may be spontaneous, and this is often the case on the footpads. If the horns are not causing lameness the lesions are often ignored. The horny growth can removed by trimming, however, the horns will often recur. Horns causing discomfort should be removed and, if it is possible to do so without causing a large pad defect, the base of the lesion should be excised to prevent regrowth. -- DMV360 

They have be growing for years and were never something I felt comfortable trimming myself. This summer they reached a length that was bothering her when we were trimming her claws. I decided to have her into the vet for surgery and get them cut them down (they weren't able to dig everything out to prevent regrowth and they are already regrowing, but it helped). Also had them clean her teeth at the same time. That was $585 and she went in for it about a month ago.

Then a couple of weeks ago, I got concerned about a mark I noticed on her bum, because Binx had an abscess issue once that was awful. After a $85 examination it was determined to just be a scratch and I was told to watch it for the next couple of weeks but that it would just heal up and go away - it did.

Last night she tore a claw - another trip into the vet. She did it back in December too but I don't think we caught it right away back then because the fur around it was all clumped together. In December the vet had a hard time determining the issue, having to cut back the fur first. Last night we noticed it quickly (just by chance because both times she was walking fine) and I took her in this afternoon. They treated it and it cost $610. In December, it had been $470. The difference was that they didn't sedate her last time. I guess by the time they had trimmed and cleaned the fur she was in enough distress that they just cut back the claw, cleaned it up and gave her antibiotics. We weren't given a choice in the method at the time, she was taken to another room and treated. This time the vet explained that style to be a bit more 'down on the farm' and while it was an option since this time he could see everything and knew what needed to be done - sedation and pain killers were recommended. Of course I agreed, I hate pain why would I make the cat suffer.

Basically this rant isn't about the cost of veterinary services - because while they are more expensive in The City, it is an understandable increase for more expensive rent etc. Across all vet practices I find the costs are almost always worth it - I value the expertise and care. Mainly this is a rant at the fact that my particular cat keeps costing me money, or that it has all been concentrated recently. Luckily she is cute!

Follow Two's life in her own words with photos on Instagram - @twodeecat

One Study And I Added The L

I had read somewhere that including a middle initial on your resume increased the likelihood of being hired and having it in your name of an academic paper could lead to higher marks. It turns out that this has been written about a fair amount but upon review it all goes back to just a few studies by a couple of social psychologists.

Still, I wanted as much help as I could get so during my last job hunt I added the middle initial into my name on the letterhead that appears above my coverletter and resume - Christine L. Sweeton. (My middle name is Laura, after my late aunt.) I then also got it added to my business cards for the BIA.

There are a lot more studies related to gender bias in hiring (compared to the small studies on middle-initial-inclusion.) It is a complex issue but I suspect the fact that I have an easily understood as female name might have minuscule negative effects, but this is too depressing to think about. For now I will continue to take whatever leg-up my L. gives me!

New Look Too!

For the past two and a half years, Always Standing has looked like this:

Before making the design change to the basic burgundy appearance above, the blog was purple and had a pretty filigree-ish pattern.  I think this new one has humming birds in the background - I am almost always using a split screen on my computer so the window for the blog is too small to see much of the edges. What do you think of the new peach-coloured look?

It's Been A Long Time

I have been meaning to get back to posting on Always Standing for a while now. And I have known that I wanted my first post after this break to link to the Aaliyah (featuring Timbaland) song from 2000, Try Again. This is for the beginning section that says... It's been a long time, we shouldn't have left you (without a dope beat to step to, step to.) Well, maybe I shouldn't compare the writing on this blog to a 'dope beat' but the phrase 'it's been a long time' always brings to mind that song.

Also, it really has been a long time! My last post was at the end of May and I am now returning after four months. I looked through the archive and I have never even missed one month, let alone a streak. But I am back! Do I bother promising that I plan to post more or even try for everyday?

My Babies!

As I mentioned, my mom has been in Edmonton visiting My Babies. This is why she wasn't at The Cottage for the long weekend. It feels like it has been forever since I got a chance to see Mike, Aimee, Avery, and Maya. I think the last time was summer last year, so we are edging towards a year. That is a long time, babies become different people sometimes in days. It is great to see photos when mom goes, which she always puts on her blog. Here are the posts from her recent trip out west to see her grandkids:
- Intro Post, tons of photos, tons of smiles
- Out and About, lots more pictures, you can see how mobile they are now
- Duck Photos, short post, great shot of Maya
- Final Posts, photos really show how much Maya has grown, and Mike (probably Aimee) shows me up by remembering Mom's birthday and getting her a cake.

I may not see them often, and I worry that my niblings don't know or remember who I am, but Mike makes sure she has them say 'Hi' to me whenever I call. We don't talk on the phone often but when we do there is usually a point where Mike is getting the kids to, 'Say Hi to Aunty Chris' which is always adorable because it isn't easy to pronounce. (When we were little Mike called me 'teen' because he couldn't say 'Christine'.) I think 'Ch' part is hard for babies. I miss them so much, it is always adorable to hear them try. Then there was this recent phone exchange with Mike:
Me: Ok, I gotta go. I love you.
Mike: Ok, talk to you later.
Me: Hey! Tell me you love me. (This is a normal thing I do at the end of a call with him, he usually relents and does it. I take my forced affection when I can get it.)
Mike: ...
Me: Tell me you love me.
Mike: (Away from the phone) HEY, KIDS, come here. Tell Aunty Chris she's stinky.
Chorus of two little voices: Aunty Tiss your stinkyyyy.
Me: Ok, fine, that works. I love you. Bye. (I guess I will take forced insults from my babies when I can get it too.)

Motherhood - Epidural

Excerpts from New York Times article 'Get the Epidural' by Jessi Klein

No one ever asks a man if he’s having a “natural root canal.” No one ever asks if a man is having a “natural vasectomy.”

“What are you trying to win?” What was I trying to win? I thought about it and realized — nothing. There’s nothing to win.

“There is science showing all the risks of an epidural!” Well, again, I am not a doctor, but I do have the internet.

There are so many debates in this life in which there is some evidence of one thing and also some evidence of the other. At such a point, you just have to decide to believe in and do what is best for you. So here’s a radical idea: Why not do the thing that makes you happy?

There is so much pressure on women around birth and labor and mothering to do it this way or that way. It’s so easy to believe the notion that having a baby demands complete and total self-abnegation, and anything short of that is not enough.

If you’re worried that skipping the pain of childbirth means you’re somehow cheating your baby, or yourself, you’re not. Because the truth is, life offers more than enough pain that you will not be able to skip. 

Yup, give me the epidural! There has never been any question in my mind, if I am ever giving birth I will be getting the epidural and any other pain killers/drugs they can throw my way. I like modern medicine - I like making pain go away.

I have heard the positives from the other side, friends and acquaintances that wanted/tried/had a drug-less birth or some variation. For the most part their reasons made sense. Rarely are these people conspiracy-theory hippies, or self-flagellating mommy-martyrs, though sometimes. For the vast majority they made (or tired/planned to make) a personal choice based on what was important to them.

What is great from all my conversations on the topic is that this seems to be very much a personal choice and an understanding that there are reasons to make the decision either way. Some pregnancy or parenting subjects have strong reactions, judgement, and opinions about right/wrong, unlike what the article suggests, I don't get the feeling that the choice to get an epidural is one of those.

Those who have been through it: Please share in the comments if leading up to birth, during, or afterwards friends, family or event strangers were sharing strong hurtful opinions about your choice to have or decline an epidural?

I am inclined to say, and have said, to someone planning on forgoing an epidural, "Are you crazy? What about the pain? I would totally get all the drugs!" Which I hope isn't viewed as hurtful, it is the same response I would give someone who is suffering through a headache and not taking an Advil. It is an expression of awe at someone else' pain tolerance and not a judgement about the choice they are making for their body.

In my experience, the most common reason against getting an epidural has been the ability to walk afterwards instead of waiting until the drugs wear off, and with that a faster departure from the hospital. Personally I love hospitals so that reason doesn't apply to me. Also I just absolutely hate pain, I used to take Tylenao 3s (from my high-school wisdom teeth removal) to get my legs waxed. Hit me up with the drugs! But you do you.

Birthday Kittens

ERin and Anne emailed me this for my birthday. 

Makes me want another kitten real bad.

Eeek, Oops

So, forgot Mom's birthday yesterday. It isn't that I forgot that it was her birthday - May 20th is pretty ingrained in my head - it was that I was at The Cottage and didn't know the date. Got back today and oops, it is the 21st. Hope the cute Mother's Day post made her smile and she forgives me.

Away From It All

Escape To The Beach

Long Point, May 2018

Photo by me, taken on my phone

No Enough Of My Mother

After spending the last few months in Spain, and now visiting Mike, Aimee, Avery, and Maya in Edmonton for a few weeks, it seems like I haven't see Mom much since our Africa trip in January. I wanted to make a Mother's Day post and went looking for a photo on my computer - I only have the shots from Africa, and I didn't take many of people. I understand the thrill of the animals and wanting all the amazing pictures of them, but it is sad that I don't have many of us - the time spent together with friends and family is really important and I am just not documenting it as much as I should. (See photo on right that I got - Mom taking photos at Blyde River Canyon.)

So, Happy Mother's Day Mom! I love you and I miss you, and I am so glad we got to spend our first big visit to Africa together. In honour of that, here are some baby/parent pictures from that trip.

Unless noted, photos are taken by me (and not edited) please click to see larger. All from our trip in January 2018:

Parents and Baby African Penguins

The young ones are fuzzy, not as cute as expected, 

fully grown is adorable though.

 Two Little Dassies with Their Mommy

Cute rodent thing found on Table Mountain, closest relative is an elephant.

 Baby Baboon Runs to the Grown Ups (By Jason)

It was estimated that this little guy was only a couple of days old, so tiny.

 Young Impala Nursing (By Jason)

They very violently nursed! 

It did not look pleasant, the mothers were not pleased.

 Mother Peacock Watches Over Her Baby (By Jason)

Never seen a baby peacock before, 

there were a bunch, very interesting and quite cute.

 A Wee Elephant Stays Close For Protection

The baby elephants were the best, most large herds had at least one.

 A Zebra Foal (By Jason)

My Mom has better shots on her blog, he stayed close to his mom.

 Two Tiny Black Velvet Monkeys and Their Mother

These were 'my monkeys' because I often saw them from the bus 

and no one believed me.

AHHHHHHH

My event is six weeks away!

We did get some things done in advance this year, but it doesn't feel like we got enough things taken care of. There will still be a mad rush over the next month and a half to finish everything in time.

Doctor Numbers

Flying home today and I still keep thinking about the intercom call for a doctor that happened on our flight down. It seems like such a strange policy. And for sure it is some type of policy because airlines have procedures for everything. I decided I wanted to look at the numbers:

Cooling My Feminist Jets
So, I had been very happy/surprised that it was a female doctor answering the call. Turns out, not that rare. There is probably still a wage gap, and possibly still a 'senior position' gap, but the gender gap for Canadian doctors has shrunk considerably. 41% are female; 59% are male. Two thirds (64%) of family physicians under age 35 are female.

What About Specialists
Almost half of the over 83,000 Canadian doctors are specialists of other disciples, instead of Family Medicine. Students in medical school in Canada will experience many fields of medicine and decide on their specialty during 3rd or 4th year. After that choice, residency training can be anywhere from 2 years (Family Medicine) to 6 years (Neurosurgery). Most specialties are a 5 year program. So they have the medical base, but a specialist can really be pretty specialized, and there are 37 specialties available in Canada. Would a urologist be that much help to someone who fainted in a plane?

Seems Like A Long Shot
Based on the total population of Canada there is only about 1 doctor for every 500 people. The plane we were in seats 100. That is a 0.2% chance there would be a doctor on board. When looking at people who fly, mainly those who can afford to fly, than doctors would be more likely to be on board a plane while the general population less so - this increases the chance. Often planes would be larger than the jet we were one, increasing the passengers to maybe 200. Huge planes can have more than 600 seats (in a two-tiered class configuration. Actually 800 in single-class, but I have never seen that.) I still don't like the odds, or many I don't like the fact that they are relying on odds.

Improve Your Odds
If they had asked "Is there a doctor or nurse on board" that would really improve the chances of a generally trained health care professional. There are lots of different types of nurses, including those in advance nursing practice, like nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists. There are 4 times as many nurses as doctors in Canada.

Source information:
Look at me citing things like a good girl who went to university and grad school!
- Canadian Institute For Health Information
- The Canadian Medical Association
- University of British Columbia Medical School
- AirBus Corporate Site, Aviation Blogs

Further Reading:
I am like my own Wikipedia article here. If you found this as fascinating as me, the likelihood of that might be small, then these are some interesting international articles on the same topic:
- July 2017 - ABC News (Australia) - Is there a doctor on board? What happens during a mid-air medical emergency
- March 2017 - The Telegraph (UK) - What really happens during a medical emergency at 35,000 feet
- January 2017 - Singapore Medical Journal - What to do during inflight medical emergencies? Practice pointers from a medical ethicist and an aviation medicine specialist
- April 2013 - Quartz (USA) - What it’s like to be the “doctor on board”, and why airlines shouldn’t be relying on them

The Warmest Water

I cannot believe how warm the water is here!! We went out on a sailboat trip yesterday, that included kayaking into a mangrove tree island thing - totally looked like what I pictured the floating island in the Life of Pi book to be. We also went snorkeling but I didn't really like it so took off the mask and just floated/swam around in the water.

I have never been in natural water this warm in my life! (However, after saying that Jason reminded me that I have been to quite a few hot springs, but let's not count those.) The people crewing the boat kept saying it was 27, degrees Celsius, and then everyone else on the boat complained about how cold that was. At the time all I could go by was the fact that it felt like bath water, and I knew that one year we did a Toronto Try-Tri in 19 and the Azores was 16. Looking it up online now, it seems that the super quick swim that Kristen, Noah, Jason and I did in the Indian Ocean near Durban in South Africa probably had water temperatures close 27, but it was very wavy and windy, so didn't feel that warm. I found a website that details sea temperatures around the world - so cool! The great lakes don't ever get much over 20.

Unrelated - Here is a bird photo inspired by Mom's Blog, which now even features bird pictures on her 'at home' posts. Jason and I did a short stroll along a boardwalk in The Everglades named after this bird. There were quite a few of them, some making quite the racket as they did mating displays. I preferred the quiet ones that just hung out on logs near the water. Saw one trying to eat a fish, that I think was way too big for it, greedy bugger.

An Anhinga in The Everglades

Photo by Jason, with his phone, April 2018

A Flying First

My birthday falls almost exactly one month before our major event at work. I don't really feel comfortable taking any time off leading up to it, in fact often I work over the weekends on top of Monday to Friday. So, Jason wanted to plan a surprise for me and the end of April would be the last possible time I might feel comfortable take a couple of vacation days.

I didn't know where we were going, which turned out to be Florida to explore The Everglades and Florida Keys. I found out in the UP Express on the way to the airport. It was a very exciting last-minute reveal.

As any regular reader of Always Standing would know, I have flown quite a bit (it has its own tag.) But last night on the way down something happened on the plane that I have never experienced before - They called for a doctor!

Near the end of the three hour flight, an elderly women a row or two behind us got up to use the washroom and fell down. (What what I heard afterwards it was more of a 'passed out' than a 'fall' so I guess the proper term would be she collapsed.) The man that was with her, a few other passengers and a flight attendant were taking care of her.

I thought it only happened in the movies, but I soon heard someone ask over the intercom, "If there is a doctor on board please identify yourself to the nearest flight attendant or ring the assistance bell." Right away a bell chimed in front of us, in first class. Soon after a woman can striding through the curtain. (I was quite happy that is was a lady-doctor.) I think the doctor was helpful since it wasn't long before the passenger was back in her seat and everything was back to normal with the crew.

I was surprised that they do this, as the population ages it might sense to have at least one attendant on each plane that is also a nurse, so that there is accreditation beyond First Aid and CPR. Also, calling for a doctor is fine, but what is their specialty is way off from general medicine? An orthopedic surgeon is a doctor, technically so is someone with a PhD in Art History.

A Very Toronto Commute

Sat beside a man with no teeth on the bus home today, who was fairly blatantly drinking from a can of Laker Ice. He had a rat on his knee. I had instinctively smiled and said, "Oh, so sweet" before I noticed that most people around him were some variation of annoyed/disgusted. It was really obviously a trained, loved, tame rat - truly very sweet - brown and white.

We chatted a bit about the rat, 5-months old and named Ruby. Then American cities (and their rat populations) and then somehow about hockey. Then had a really enjoyable conversation about The Leafs for the rest of the 20-minute ride home.

Despite the final score, he didn't think that they had played that badly during the game I saw in Boston and we both expressed frustration that the first penalty had been from too many players on the ice. We had different opinions on the new Las Vegas team, but acknowledged how well they are doing. It was one of the best hockey conversations I have had in a long time. He got off the bus a few stops before mine, with the rat tucked up behind his neck (she was snuggled there most of the ride actually).

I hope The Leafs make it to the second round of playoffs so I can keep talking hockey with strangers!

Much Nicer!

Fun staging tip - Use boxes under a blow-up mattress to give the appearance of a bed. (The suggestion online said milk crates, but we didn't have those.) Obviously you can't sit on it, and we used a king-size sheet to cover the boxes. I looked into renting things from a professional staging place but it was all really expensive. I figured that using ideas from the internet and borrowing from friends if we didn't have the right stuff to use would work out just as well. Luckily we have friends with awesome taste and were able to use some really great pieces to highlight our basement.

Also, this picture below is perfect for the end of our demolition photo reel that shows the progression from inspection to the end of the tear-end.

Staged The Apartment -- Posted To Rent

The Bedroom

April 2018

Stage It!

Staged The Apartment -- Posted To Rent

Set up the basement with our stuff, borrowed stuff, and a cheap IKEA couch.

April 2018

Also I re-potted some of my succulents after FINALLY finding the small white stones that I wanted to use. Ended up getting a, very expensive, bag of fish-tank gravel and it looks amazing. I can't wait to move this group back upstairs.

How Hard? Boston Hard

Both the CBC and Toronto Star ran articles recently talking about how hard it was for the public to buy tickets to see the Leafs play in the upcoming first round of playoffs. It was counting the one hundred or so seats that were offered to the Leafs Nation fan club, which is free for anyone to sign-up for,as part of the presale and not the general public. But even with Jason's access to tickets through the fan club the prices were insane, the options limited, and everything sold out almost immediately.

On Monday night we somehow we ended up looking at tickets in Boston, for Saturday's game. The ticket prices were comparable to regular season in Toronto (which is still expensive) and the selection left was varied. We messaged Kristen and Noah. In a rush of hockey excitement the four of us planned a road trip, got 4 seats together, and are off to see the Leafs take on the Bruins at the TD Garden on Saturday.

No one is taking time off work, just leaving as soon as we can Friday evening and heading for Albany to spend the night. A short drive from there to Boston in the morning will give us the day to explore the city, which I visited with Teri a few years ago. The game is at 8pm and we have a hotel booked for Saturday night. Then the eight and a half hour drive home all in one go on Sunday to get back to Toronto for some rest before work on Monday.

Let's hope they win - Go Leafs Go!

Plant Nite!

Succulents In A Fish Bowl

Teri and I, taken by the instructor

March 2018

Part of my Christmas gift from Teri this year was an evening together making a terrarium. I have been to a few of the ones that are for painting a canvas - with both Tessa and Kristen on multiple occasions. I always have issues figuring out what to do with the picture afterwards. Teri had heard me complain about this aspect and thought the plant one would be a good solution. It was! We had dinner together at the pub beforehand, as these things are often hosted at a bar, and then made a little planter. It has inspired me to re-pot my other house plants too!

Also, is it just me or does Ter look the same as she did in 2006 in the photo? Way to not age over the past 12 years. This shot actually reminds me of an exact picture of her from somewhere but I couldn't find it on the blog and I am not heading over to Facebook to see if it is there. Either-way, basically if you just refer to this photo, she is still 22.

Motherhood - Regret

Excerpts from Maclean's article 'I regret having children' by Anne Kingston.

Amy deviates from the maternal script: if she could make that choice over again, she says, she wouldn’t. She never wanted children (“I was very independent,” she says)—her husband did. “It would have been a deal-breaker.” Parenthood put an untenable strain on the marriage; her husband wasn’t as involved as she wanted; they separated. Life is difficult, Amy reports: “Our child has two homes and I’m still doing 90 per cent of it on my own.”

Unsurprisingly, women who express regret are called selfish, unnatural, abusive “bad moms” or believed to “exemplify the ‘whining’ culture we allegedly live in.”

Brown called her children “the best things I have ever done” and assured readers she wasn’t “a monster” before expressing conflicted feelings: “What I’m struggling with is that it feels like their amazing life comes at the expense of my own,” she wrote, expressing remorse for “this life I wanted so badly and now find myself trapped in.”

Feeling trapped or suffocated is a common theme in Donath’s work; mothers felt “as if the metaphorical umbilical cord binding them to their children were in fact wrapped around their neck.” Many women said they felt pressured to have children.

Simultaneously, the demanding, exhausting, self-sacrificing and often thankless work of mothering [...] has never been more restrictive, scrutinized and questioned.

Research debunking the myth that babies have a bonding effect on marriage or that children bring happiness: a 2010 American Sociological Association study found that parents were more likely to be depressed than their child-free counterparts, and that people without kids were happier than any other group.

Parental regret also highlights gendered asymmetry around parenting; while fathers are increasingly active in child-raising, most child care and housework is still performed by women, as data from StatsCan’s 2015 General Social Survey indicates.

Fathers’ regret tends to be expressed with their feet, says York University’s O’Reilly. “They walk away.”

“Men’s identity is never collapsed into their parental one; if you’re a bad mother, you’re a bad woman. If a father is late at daycare, it’s ‘Poor thing, he’s busy.’ A mother who’s late is viewed as selfish and irresponsible.”

“The reality of motherhood is incontinence, boredom, weight gain, saggy breasts, depression, the end of romance, lack of sleep, dumbing down, career downturn, loss of sex drive, poverty, exhaustion and lack of fulfillment.”

Things Jason Does Not Believe In

- Religion
- Astrology
- Vitamins

Cartouche Has Returned To Me

Item Lost: My Cartouche Deck
Time Lost: Some time in Rrunuv Bayit, maybe end of 2015
Last Place I Remember: With other decks of cards on the white bookcases
Place Found: In an old plastic storage shelf which a bunch of sunglasses

Since we moved into Casa Verde a few boxes and plastic multi-drawer storage containers have been kept in our office, waiting for me to unpack them. These are filled with old jewelry, pens, sentimental items and such. They have been driving Jason crazy so I finally decided to go through them all.

I was able to whittle what I wanted to keep down to about a shoe box worth of things that have important memories attached to them, a small bag of office supplies to take into work, and apparently over 100 tampons. We donated a lot of things, including two different point-and-shoot cameras that we came across.

I think the most important thing I found was my Cartouche cards! I mentioned missing them a few months ago. So glad they weren't lost forever, going to start using them again. Let's see what the future holds!

Spring Switch

Today I switched out my winter purse, which is a basic black one - for my Spring Purse. Kristen gave me the blue and white striped bag that I use in the warmer months a few years ago. I can't believe it still looks good, the black ones I use over the winter only last for one season.

Feels good to make the switch, clean things out, reorganize everything.

TB - August 2007

Throwback Thursday - Scroll to the bottom of the month and read up. Or click on the earliest post in the month (to view the post and the comments) then keep clicking Newer Post until you finish the month.

AUGUST 2007

This month saw some considerable shifts, I made the decision not to go back to Carleton full-time and instead took a contract extension with The Department of Natural Resources. I do detail my plan to take two night courses, which I think is where I meet/met Jenn and Erin. (I also feature an adorable photo of the other ERin at the start of the month.) The other change is that Anna and Wes moved out, which I remember being sad about.

Also, I mention Brian and Tina going to Japan, but I can't remember who these people are. Did I meet them at school, or work, if so which work? Were they friends through another friend? The link that I reference in the post is long gone.

When doing these Throwback posts I like to edit them and provide updates, mainly adding in more tags or fixing spelling. Grammar and editing wise I had to do a lot with paragraphs and spacing, what was I thinking? Did I believe that I was writing stream-of-consciousness, and if so that it didn't need to be put into paragraphs?

Noted Post: I don't think the writing is very interesting, but I love the photo of my smile in the Humour post.

Not Really About The Weather

Following in the 'lion, lamb' theme that has shown up in my past few posts, I stumbled upon this painting:

"Una and the Lion"

Painting by Briton Riviere (1840/1920 - 1880)

I like allegorical paintings, though I don't think that is the right word for it. I like when the paintings are realism but the items are symbolic, telling a story. This image was inspired by The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser, an epic allegorical poem about Queen Elizabeth I. In the poem, she trains a lion so well that it doesn't attack the lamb. The lion is thought to represent Queen Elizabeth's power, her elegance and her aristocratic figure.

More Rhymes For March

I am really into this whole March - In like a lion, out like a lamb thing! I keep going back to it. Have to say, it is a much better than my usual internet wormholes that normally end up with me reading long, detailed Wikipedia articles about serial killers.

Here are some other proverbs related to this month:

A dry March and a wet May? 
Fill barns and bays with corn and hay.

As it rains in March, so it rains in June.

So many mists in March you see
So many frosts in May will be.

A Peck of March-Dust, and a Shower in May
Makes the Corn green, and the Fields gay.

March many-Weathers rain’d and blow’d
But March grass never did good.

I can't really get that last one to rhyme. How are they pronouncing blow'd so that it matches good? Also, it isn't a word, the past tense is blew. Really that one is just terrible. Lastly, there is an expansion on the well known one, that includes March:

March winds and April showers? Bring forth May flowers.

One of my favourite jokes as a kid was, "If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring? Pilgrims." Oh, so clever. (And distinctly American.)

A 12-Year-Old Shopping

We pulled out chicken from the freezer this morning to make for dinner tonight. We tend to do this without really thinking about what we were are planning to do. Part way through the day we realized we were feeling lazy and uninspired - but had onions and peppers! We decided on fajitas and while we normally have a kit or two as back-up, there was a chance we were out. Jason mentioned that if we didn't have it he would run out and pick one up at some point.

The day continued, and eventually I had a short nap. Later I was woken up by Jason saying that dinner was ready. While eating dinner I asked if he had needed to go pick up a kit, and if he had gone while I was sleeping. I am always so amazed and how much happens around my while I am sleeping. Such a deep sleeper, nothing seems to wake me up. He said he had gone and I asked if he had also gotten more Cadbury Mini Eggs, which I had asked for earlier. He said, "Yes, among other things."

I was confused. We hadn't really needed anything else so I asked what else he had picked up. Sheepishly he replayed, "Salami, chips, and sour keys. It is like a 12 year-old went shopping." Yes, fajita kit, lunch meat, sour keys, chips, and a $16-bag of mini eggs - that is not an adult's grocery list.

A Watery Weekend

Had a great time at Great Wolf Lodge with Jason's family this past weekend. I love playing in waterparks! Totally exhausted today and jealous that Jason gets to work from home. The damp heat of an indoor waterpark along with hiking up tons of staircases to do the waterslides, add in running after and carrying children -- I am pretty worn out.

I also did The Wolf Tail slide, which is the same design as one of the slides at West Edmonton Mall. Jason and I went to the waterpark there with ERin and Matt last Christmas.

Out Like A Lamb

I decided to follow up yesterday's post with a bit of research on the strange animal proverb used for the month of March:

"In like a lion, out like a lamb."

Turns out it has been around forever! The Paris Review claims that one of the earliest know use of the phrase is from 1732. Here are some theories of where it may come from:

Changing of Seasons
When March starts, it’s still winter, and by the end of the month spring has started. Though technically true, the Spring Equinox (for our hemisphere) is March 20 this year. However, it usually doesn't feel like spring until well into April.

The Balance of Life and Weather
The long held belief that things should balance. So, if a month started with bad weather, it should end with nice, calm weather.

Religious
Jesus's first appearance was as the sacrificial lamb, but he then returns as the Lion of Judah. Like in Narnia! I hadn't heard of the Lion of Judah before, but this theory puts the animals in the wrong order.

Horoscopes and Constellations
At the start of March, Leo, or the lion sign, is the rising star constellation and by April, it’s Aries. Aries is a ram, a male sheep. (And lambs are baby sheep!) This one is my favourite theory.