.... Hello?
.... .... Hello?
Greetings!!!! Signing into facebook tonight, finding a new posting from a blog belonging to a friend of mine, I thought to myself, "How long has it been since I last SIGNED IN to my own blog?" Ten more days and it would have been a full 13 months since I last wrote. Like a lot of projects that I start in life, I was all fired up at the start, liked how it was going, and then - life happens! One night when I plan to write I am too tired, so I put it off. The next few days, I am hoping to get an entry in, but there's dishes to wash, a husband's lunch to make before bed, and - oh yeah, a baby to take care of. Not complaining, just reiterating the cycle that I am sure MILLIONS of people go through when wanting to accomplish something extracurricular to life. After a while I just forgot about it, and when I did remember, I just felt the shame of defeat that yet ANOTHER one of my life's projects and fallen flat, and I recoiled from the idea of facing it. But no! Not fallen flat. Because one day, I WILL get back onto my blog site, and I WILL continue writing. Just like I WILL finish binding my school work that I have kept since the 7th grade, I WILL make those scrapbooks I've been saving (s)crap for for years, I WILL make up my daughter's Baby Book. I DID NOT expect to log on, let alone WRITE tonight, but look! Now I have. :)
So where have I been this past year? More for easing my own conscience than to share with my 1 follower (Cousin Stacey!!!!), let's recap. In June of 2013, very shortly after my lovely daughter turned 1, I had some 'suspicions', did some 'investigating', and... Surprise! I was pregnant again. I was just getting ready to go back to work, life was finally starting to fall back into a normal rhythm, and it was the very last thing on my list of things I planned for my future. At first I think I was in that state of denial where you just blindly accept what is handed to you because you've gotten so used to life taking you for a ride that you just skip the whole disbelief phase and take it as it comes, but it hasn't truly sunk in. After a few weeks, I will admit, I was a bit angry. I finally had a sense of control again, felt confident about moving forward, and then all the craziness from the passed year just promised to rise up all over again. After that phase subsided and I realized what a gift I had been given yet again, I tightened my belt (but not too tightly), took my pregnancy books from the shelf, and let it all come.
I began working again and had that moment where I had to tell my boss that I'd be taking ANOTHER maternity leave, and oddly, she laughed and said "I wondered when you'd be telling me this." (Huh????) After I got back into the routine of work, in retrospect, that seven/eight months went by FAST. I remember going through days at work thinking 'I cannot wait until this is over' and then when it was over, I was saying 'Wow, it's already over.' I spent a lot of time at home sleeping while I still could, trying to get a 1 year old into a routine (a word that exists in my vocabulary, but not in my reality) trying to keep my house clean enough to keep my husband from saying "What did you DO all day?" and doing all this while dealing with morning sickness, or as I learned thanks to Vicki Iovine is technically called 'progesterone poisoning'. So needless to say, I did not have a lot of time, energy or mentality to dedicate to blogging.
One month ago (TODAY!) my son was born. And I will declare to the whole world with modesty immodestly strewn aside that he is the absolute most perfect little baby in the whole wide world. :) I won't sit and bore you with all the big and small reasons why he is so perfect, but the thing that has blown me away is that my greatest fear, which was "HOW in the world am I going to handle a newborn baby AND my wild, rambunctious nearly two-year-old?" has not turned out to be so rendering after all! I'm not tired, I'm getting all the laundry done, and everyone is happy! I don't feel that helpless, hopeless, drowning in a whirlpool of unfinished chores and pressing needs being unmet feeling that I felt with my first baby. Maybe it's just because I was inexperienced the first time around, and going through that experience primed me for adding another one. Whatever it is, I can honestly say to myself that I feel like I can do this. I can take care of two children, keep my husband happy and my ferret's cage clean. I might even be able to do some things for myself. I am also happy to report that my reading expedition that I began when my daughter was two months old hasn't been compromised or put on pause for anything. Maybe that's a road I've been dawdling down a little too much, but that's a topic for another day. But what I AM saying tonight is that, HOPEFULLY, my writing absence has come to an end. I'm gonna find that list of topics to cover that I made those 13 months ago and see if I can do some new things with it. Something more than just Sandwiches and Baseball. :)
Saturday 26 April 2014
Sunday 7 April 2013
Baseball
Ah... Baseball. If there is but one thing that can always put a little tingle in my fingers, a smile on my face and has me excited for the impending summer, it is the return of the Major League Baseball season. I know that in early April when those games start being broadcasted, not long from now we will be enjoying long, sunny days and warm, inviting weather. Few other things can bring this joy in me.
I am a long-time fan of sports of all kinds, mostly the four major North American sports (Hockey, Baseball, Basketball, Football [CFL and NFL]), but also greatly enjoy others such as Soccer (English Premier League would be my choice), Tennis (I follow some players and enjoy seeing a good match) and Auto Racing such as Formula 1 (I'm not into NASCAR), and though I never sit down to watch a whole tournament of golf, I do enjoy seeing the highlights of the golfers taking swings and sinking close-range birdies. And who doesn't enjoy every second year when one of either the summer or winter Olympics takes place? Being Canadian, I particularly enjoy such winter events as the Bobsled races, Snowboarding and (my typical girlish favourite) Figure Skating. But for now, back to Baseball.
Enormous green diamond fields of grass, red gritty dirt and dusty white chalk; metal chainlink backstops, the smell of leather gloves and the gleam of shiny wooden bats. These mental images of a classic Baseball game bear a certain kind of comfort in mind, whether it be a simple backyard pick-up game between school children or the teeming, exhilarating competition of the World Series. There is a certain optimism attatched to the game that can be felt from the most liesurely pitches to the hardest, bat-cracking hits. Perhaps it is the fact that baseball is always played outdoors, where the air is breathed clearly and the sun or the stars shine brightly. Perhaps it is the fact that Baseball is a long-lived, time honoured game that has grown up from the grassroots of America into the multi-layered, global organization that is celebrated in countries around the world. Perhaps, it is (at least, to me) the complete embodiment of simple fun. Blood on your knees, spit in your hands, dirt on your face fun. And no matter how professional it is, there is something eternal and coquettishly boyish about the baseball cap.
I love nestling myself on the couch getting ready to watch a game - memorizing player's numbers, learning facts and stats, listening to the knowledgeable comentators muse. Every time it has a different dynamic. Sometimes it is a relaxed, afternoon viewing where I just want to watch my favourite team throw some strike-outs and hit some runs. There are fans in the stands eating popcorn, mascots running foot races in the foul zone and the players popping pink bubble gum in the dug-out. Other times, it is more intense. Perhaps they are facing a division rival, and there is some real grit on the field. There are hard line-drives, diving catches and stolen bases. Perhaps the fans will 'boo' a hated player on the opposing team. A coach may disagree with an umpire's call, and the argument elevates until they are literally screaming in each other's faces and the coach gets tossed. And (though it doesn't happen as much any more) every once in a while one can witness a bench-clearing brawl. For some reason these guys think that if one of them is going to fight, they all have to fight. Such a group mentality. Rivalries run deep in Baseball and they bring a certain righteous hatred that adds extra juice to the games.
Some people say that Baseball is a slow, mind-numbing, boring game (I quote Jeremy Roenick who said it was "worse than watching grass grow") and it is filled with over-paid players that can't in all honesty be considered real athletes. They say the season is too condensed and that if a team can play 180+ games in less than 7 months then they simply can't be that significant. They say that a game that is timed by innings rather than periods gives way for it to be tedious, soft and no where near the caliber of a hard-hitting game such as Hockey. To those people, all I have to say is that it is all about what it means to you. If it isn't your cup of tea (or box of Crackerjacks), then just forget about it. If all you care about are the playoffs, then that's fine too. But if you really love Baseball for WHATEVER reason, then all power to you. There have been moments in my past watching Baseball games where I have laughed, cried, jumped around screaming with joy (shout out to my Brother over Johnny Damon's grand slam that lead the Red Sox to victory over the Yankees in the 2004 American League finals) and other times when I have thrown the remote at the TV in rage (MLB does not use instant replay to correct umpire calls, and some times they just did not get it right the first time). Perhaps I base my love on romantic, old-fashioned notions that support a slightly conservative viewpoint, but actually that's the kind of person I am. It is true. But what cannot be argued is that Baseball is a very much loved sport for men, women and children of all ages and nationalities. It a tradition that brings people together, it is a game that helps individuals to reach for their highest potential, and it is a spectacle that captivates masses. Most importantly, it is a cornerstone in the sporting world that will live on for years, decades, perhaps even centuries to come.
I am a long-time fan of sports of all kinds, mostly the four major North American sports (Hockey, Baseball, Basketball, Football [CFL and NFL]), but also greatly enjoy others such as Soccer (English Premier League would be my choice), Tennis (I follow some players and enjoy seeing a good match) and Auto Racing such as Formula 1 (I'm not into NASCAR), and though I never sit down to watch a whole tournament of golf, I do enjoy seeing the highlights of the golfers taking swings and sinking close-range birdies. And who doesn't enjoy every second year when one of either the summer or winter Olympics takes place? Being Canadian, I particularly enjoy such winter events as the Bobsled races, Snowboarding and (my typical girlish favourite) Figure Skating. But for now, back to Baseball.
Enormous green diamond fields of grass, red gritty dirt and dusty white chalk; metal chainlink backstops, the smell of leather gloves and the gleam of shiny wooden bats. These mental images of a classic Baseball game bear a certain kind of comfort in mind, whether it be a simple backyard pick-up game between school children or the teeming, exhilarating competition of the World Series. There is a certain optimism attatched to the game that can be felt from the most liesurely pitches to the hardest, bat-cracking hits. Perhaps it is the fact that baseball is always played outdoors, where the air is breathed clearly and the sun or the stars shine brightly. Perhaps it is the fact that Baseball is a long-lived, time honoured game that has grown up from the grassroots of America into the multi-layered, global organization that is celebrated in countries around the world. Perhaps, it is (at least, to me) the complete embodiment of simple fun. Blood on your knees, spit in your hands, dirt on your face fun. And no matter how professional it is, there is something eternal and coquettishly boyish about the baseball cap.
I love nestling myself on the couch getting ready to watch a game - memorizing player's numbers, learning facts and stats, listening to the knowledgeable comentators muse. Every time it has a different dynamic. Sometimes it is a relaxed, afternoon viewing where I just want to watch my favourite team throw some strike-outs and hit some runs. There are fans in the stands eating popcorn, mascots running foot races in the foul zone and the players popping pink bubble gum in the dug-out. Other times, it is more intense. Perhaps they are facing a division rival, and there is some real grit on the field. There are hard line-drives, diving catches and stolen bases. Perhaps the fans will 'boo' a hated player on the opposing team. A coach may disagree with an umpire's call, and the argument elevates until they are literally screaming in each other's faces and the coach gets tossed. And (though it doesn't happen as much any more) every once in a while one can witness a bench-clearing brawl. For some reason these guys think that if one of them is going to fight, they all have to fight. Such a group mentality. Rivalries run deep in Baseball and they bring a certain righteous hatred that adds extra juice to the games.
Some people say that Baseball is a slow, mind-numbing, boring game (I quote Jeremy Roenick who said it was "worse than watching grass grow") and it is filled with over-paid players that can't in all honesty be considered real athletes. They say the season is too condensed and that if a team can play 180+ games in less than 7 months then they simply can't be that significant. They say that a game that is timed by innings rather than periods gives way for it to be tedious, soft and no where near the caliber of a hard-hitting game such as Hockey. To those people, all I have to say is that it is all about what it means to you. If it isn't your cup of tea (or box of Crackerjacks), then just forget about it. If all you care about are the playoffs, then that's fine too. But if you really love Baseball for WHATEVER reason, then all power to you. There have been moments in my past watching Baseball games where I have laughed, cried, jumped around screaming with joy (shout out to my Brother over Johnny Damon's grand slam that lead the Red Sox to victory over the Yankees in the 2004 American League finals) and other times when I have thrown the remote at the TV in rage (MLB does not use instant replay to correct umpire calls, and some times they just did not get it right the first time). Perhaps I base my love on romantic, old-fashioned notions that support a slightly conservative viewpoint, but actually that's the kind of person I am. It is true. But what cannot be argued is that Baseball is a very much loved sport for men, women and children of all ages and nationalities. It a tradition that brings people together, it is a game that helps individuals to reach for their highest potential, and it is a spectacle that captivates masses. Most importantly, it is a cornerstone in the sporting world that will live on for years, decades, perhaps even centuries to come.
Wednesday 3 April 2013
A Sandwich makes my day!
Around midday, after the relief acquired from a light breakfast has worn off, I begin to feel a slight pang in my middle that tells me it is time for something - specifically lunch. And unlike breakfast - where I browse through the fridge, the cupboards, and the breadbox, trying to decide what would take the least amount of effort to make in my early morning sleepiness, but earn the greatest satisfaction - I always know what I want for lunch. A sandwich. Turkey, to be precise. I know that those lunch pangs I feel will be satisfied by not a single thing else.
Soft, whole wheat bread is the only bed I will allow the fresh shaved sheets of meat to rest upon. I always take three pieces, because 2 are too scanty and 4 are excessive. And a sandwich is simply not a sandwich without lettuce. I prefer the crisp rustic layers from a head of iceberg lettuce, but romaine will do if it is all that I have. I hadn't been a fan of mayonnaise for the better part of my life, until I discovered crab dip. At that point I wondered what I had been ignoring all my life, and now I cannot imagine a sandwich without it. Usually I spread one piece of bread generously with mayonnaise, then I let the two pieces 'kiss' and it evenly distributes onto the other. Then there is the cheese.... The most divine food ever created as a separate entity, is the perfectly harmonizing note in the chorus of my sandwich. Despite the many varieties, classic marble cheddar is my 'go-to' cheese.
Usually, I layer the turkey on the bottom piece of bread, (for having the mayonnaise on the turkey is essential) then the cheese to meet that turkey, and then the lettuce sitting daintily on top. If I really feel like treating myself well (and if I have it on hand) I like to add a few thick slices of fresh tomato. And if I do that, I go ahead and add mustard, and if I do that, I go ahead and add salt and pepper. Tomatoes add a certain element of luxury to the sandwich, and the mustard kicks the whole thing up a few full notches. If I do end up doing that, I place the tomatoes on the bread side where the turkey would be, so that the meat and cheese is nicely hugged between two vegetables before the bread. The mustard atop the tomatoes, the s&p atop the mustard. That is pure eloquence to me.
I don't consider myself a high needs person, but on a day when I don't have my beautiful turkey sandwich, I don't feel quite up to par. Or perhaps the lack of sandwich does not so much make me feel insufficient, but on a day when I DO have one, I feel marvelous. I feel fortified and filled with energy. It hits that spot and I obtain a certain satisfaction that I just can't get anywhere else. It is a daily ritual for me that I look forward to every morning and revel in every afternoon. For some people it's a morning coffee, for some it's an afternoon martini (???), or others still it's an after dinner cookie. But for me, it is a turkey sandwich for lunch. This is my daily joy.
Soft, whole wheat bread is the only bed I will allow the fresh shaved sheets of meat to rest upon. I always take three pieces, because 2 are too scanty and 4 are excessive. And a sandwich is simply not a sandwich without lettuce. I prefer the crisp rustic layers from a head of iceberg lettuce, but romaine will do if it is all that I have. I hadn't been a fan of mayonnaise for the better part of my life, until I discovered crab dip. At that point I wondered what I had been ignoring all my life, and now I cannot imagine a sandwich without it. Usually I spread one piece of bread generously with mayonnaise, then I let the two pieces 'kiss' and it evenly distributes onto the other. Then there is the cheese.... The most divine food ever created as a separate entity, is the perfectly harmonizing note in the chorus of my sandwich. Despite the many varieties, classic marble cheddar is my 'go-to' cheese.
Usually, I layer the turkey on the bottom piece of bread, (for having the mayonnaise on the turkey is essential) then the cheese to meet that turkey, and then the lettuce sitting daintily on top. If I really feel like treating myself well (and if I have it on hand) I like to add a few thick slices of fresh tomato. And if I do that, I go ahead and add mustard, and if I do that, I go ahead and add salt and pepper. Tomatoes add a certain element of luxury to the sandwich, and the mustard kicks the whole thing up a few full notches. If I do end up doing that, I place the tomatoes on the bread side where the turkey would be, so that the meat and cheese is nicely hugged between two vegetables before the bread. The mustard atop the tomatoes, the s&p atop the mustard. That is pure eloquence to me.
I don't consider myself a high needs person, but on a day when I don't have my beautiful turkey sandwich, I don't feel quite up to par. Or perhaps the lack of sandwich does not so much make me feel insufficient, but on a day when I DO have one, I feel marvelous. I feel fortified and filled with energy. It hits that spot and I obtain a certain satisfaction that I just can't get anywhere else. It is a daily ritual for me that I look forward to every morning and revel in every afternoon. For some people it's a morning coffee, for some it's an afternoon martini (???), or others still it's an after dinner cookie. But for me, it is a turkey sandwich for lunch. This is my daily joy.
Tuesday 2 April 2013
Hello World!
Hello World!
Welcome to my little place of thoughts. My name is Sarah, and I live in Calgary, AB, Canada. I have a husband, a baby girl, and a pet ferret named Lenka. That is all I will share about myself for now.
Often times, thoughts and ideas have crossed my mind that I felt would be worth sharing with others. Things that perhaps other people have thought about also, or perhaps never have and might enjoy. So this is where I will bring these thoughts. Thoughts worth thinking. Nothing too personal, nothing too heavy, but things that I hope will do the world some good. Who knows what may emerge from my mind and into words. I have some ideas now but from there, I will have to write to see. TTFN - Ta ta for now.
Welcome to my little place of thoughts. My name is Sarah, and I live in Calgary, AB, Canada. I have a husband, a baby girl, and a pet ferret named Lenka. That is all I will share about myself for now.
Often times, thoughts and ideas have crossed my mind that I felt would be worth sharing with others. Things that perhaps other people have thought about also, or perhaps never have and might enjoy. So this is where I will bring these thoughts. Thoughts worth thinking. Nothing too personal, nothing too heavy, but things that I hope will do the world some good. Who knows what may emerge from my mind and into words. I have some ideas now but from there, I will have to write to see. TTFN - Ta ta for now.
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