Had my good friend over this evening to catch up - she is fourteen weeks pregnant now and eventually our conversation rolled around to the gender of her bebe. She suggested we try an old wives tale - tie a string on a wedding ring and have a friend dangle it over your with-child belly.
So I obligingly dangled it over her belly. The ring immediately started moving despite my hand and wrist remaining absolutely still. It started circling counter-clockwise until we both freaked out and I stopped holding it - it was too creepy. Once we stopped crying out loud at the creepiness, we looked it up online. According to the old wives tale website, if the ring goes side to side, its a boy. If its going in a circle (either way), its a girl.
Its hard to imagine what I would be feeling if I was in her situation - if I was pregnant. But I think I would be happy!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Saturday, May 7, 2011
After marriage...
My recall of my early twenties is that people are letting loose and having fun but also trying to find that special someone to settle down with. Once you find that person however, and you are locked in til death do you part and all that, there don't seem to be any guidelines as to how to commute that energy into something else, besides having babies immediately or becoming a scrapbooking fanatic.
Despite having a ridiculously shy childhood, I have to admit to myself sometimes that I am still a Leo and still tend to seek out that (mostly male) attention even after not one but two fantastic weddings. I hope that doesn't say anything about our marriage or our relationship, but lately when I go out with girlfriends or friends on the prowl I hang back, not wanting to take attention away from them but still wanting to interact, to maybe flirt a little, and to connect. I even find myself digging that left hand with the sparkly giveaway into my pocket while dancing, or wrap my other hand around it as I'm holding my drink...like I don't think anyone will talk to me once they realize I'm off the market.
That particular phenomenon was illustrated in one of my old favorite TV shows, Scrubs. One of the main characters J.D., notices this really beautiful blonde nurse at work, and asks his friend when she started working at their hospital. His friend explains that because she was wearing a wedding ring she had been invisible to him up til now. Of course its an exaggeration but that scene has stuck with me and continues to resonate in my psyche when I'm out and about without my partner.
Something akin to that incident happened tonight as I was waiting for my gal pals to get ready to leave the concert/bar, I was sitting alone at a table by the door and there two guys standing nearby who almost came over to...whatever...but then must have seen the ring...and then decided to leave off. Not that they were all that interesting or good to look at, but it still felt strange to be passed over.
Ah well, I know I will figure it out eventually, but I have to admit that post-marriage nights on the town with girlfriends are infinitely more tricky than for the single girlfriend!
Despite having a ridiculously shy childhood, I have to admit to myself sometimes that I am still a Leo and still tend to seek out that (mostly male) attention even after not one but two fantastic weddings. I hope that doesn't say anything about our marriage or our relationship, but lately when I go out with girlfriends or friends on the prowl I hang back, not wanting to take attention away from them but still wanting to interact, to maybe flirt a little, and to connect. I even find myself digging that left hand with the sparkly giveaway into my pocket while dancing, or wrap my other hand around it as I'm holding my drink...like I don't think anyone will talk to me once they realize I'm off the market.
That particular phenomenon was illustrated in one of my old favorite TV shows, Scrubs. One of the main characters J.D., notices this really beautiful blonde nurse at work, and asks his friend when she started working at their hospital. His friend explains that because she was wearing a wedding ring she had been invisible to him up til now. Of course its an exaggeration but that scene has stuck with me and continues to resonate in my psyche when I'm out and about without my partner.
Something akin to that incident happened tonight as I was waiting for my gal pals to get ready to leave the concert/bar, I was sitting alone at a table by the door and there two guys standing nearby who almost came over to...whatever...but then must have seen the ring...and then decided to leave off. Not that they were all that interesting or good to look at, but it still felt strange to be passed over.
Ah well, I know I will figure it out eventually, but I have to admit that post-marriage nights on the town with girlfriends are infinitely more tricky than for the single girlfriend!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Mind-bending, mind-opening reads...
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan: A plant based diet has been proven to be healthier and better for the environment than a diet with meat.
Food Rules by Michael Pollan: Eat real, actual food. Avoid foods that have chemicals!
Cosmos by Carl Sagan: How the universe came to be, how humans evolved, and how we should and can stop self-destructing our planet.
The New Good Life by John Robbins: The different ways people interact with money, how you can change your diet, housing, and transportation choices to help keep the Earth safe for the next generation.
The Soul of Leadership by Deepak Chopra: How to develop your spiritual soul to be able to lead at home, at work, and in your relationships.
4 Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss: This guy has done it all, and he wants to help you maximize your time on Earth - how to work smarter and spend your time doing what you love!
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell: The author encourages us to see the big picture of those one in a million success stories (Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerburg) and how to think critically about what we see and hear in the news.
If you are interested in having an extraordinary life and making a difference in the current messed up state of affairs, you should read these books!
Food Rules by Michael Pollan: Eat real, actual food. Avoid foods that have chemicals!
Cosmos by Carl Sagan: How the universe came to be, how humans evolved, and how we should and can stop self-destructing our planet.
The New Good Life by John Robbins: The different ways people interact with money, how you can change your diet, housing, and transportation choices to help keep the Earth safe for the next generation.
The Soul of Leadership by Deepak Chopra: How to develop your spiritual soul to be able to lead at home, at work, and in your relationships.
4 Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss: This guy has done it all, and he wants to help you maximize your time on Earth - how to work smarter and spend your time doing what you love!
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell: The author encourages us to see the big picture of those one in a million success stories (Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerburg) and how to think critically about what we see and hear in the news.
If you are interested in having an extraordinary life and making a difference in the current messed up state of affairs, you should read these books!
Friday, April 22, 2011
there! I said it out loud...
Lately I have been feeling rather trapped in my nine to five job as an Occupational Therapist - during our 1-2 year wait for a Green Card (from your friendly neighbours to the north), I am relegated to working strictly as a therapist.
I found out recently that this even applies to extra work on movies and television - on a whim I setup a profile at www.extrasonly.com and was shocked to receive a text and email five days later. I was offered the chance to audition for the role as a featured extra on the film "Gone" with Amanda Seyfried, which is slated to start filming in May here in Portland. I would be paid $250/day and even potentially get a credit in the titles! After hemming and hawing for a few hours I managed to get ahold of an attorney who told me without a shadow of a doubt that I would be deported if I was caught taking a job from an American worker, even if I donated my pay to charity or declined to be paid!
So that was that. Sadly this news only served to deepen the feeling of entrapment I've been having the past few months now that the wedding is over and I am still working in various nursing homes, more than a year after I quit in search for greener pastures!
My husband was very sweet however, and put it into perspective that if I was offered work so quickly I would probably be able to jump into that type of work again once I was legal here in the U.S.
So for now, I am going to try to do more yoga, take more walks, get back in shape...and cross my fingers/toes that our freedom to work as we please is on the horizon!
I found out recently that this even applies to extra work on movies and television - on a whim I setup a profile at www.extrasonly.com and was shocked to receive a text and email five days later. I was offered the chance to audition for the role as a featured extra on the film "Gone" with Amanda Seyfried, which is slated to start filming in May here in Portland. I would be paid $250/day and even potentially get a credit in the titles! After hemming and hawing for a few hours I managed to get ahold of an attorney who told me without a shadow of a doubt that I would be deported if I was caught taking a job from an American worker, even if I donated my pay to charity or declined to be paid!
So that was that. Sadly this news only served to deepen the feeling of entrapment I've been having the past few months now that the wedding is over and I am still working in various nursing homes, more than a year after I quit in search for greener pastures!
My husband was very sweet however, and put it into perspective that if I was offered work so quickly I would probably be able to jump into that type of work again once I was legal here in the U.S.
So for now, I am going to try to do more yoga, take more walks, get back in shape...and cross my fingers/toes that our freedom to work as we please is on the horizon!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
the wonders of HD
For those of you who haven't tried it yet...HD television is absolutely worth it!
Last night we sat down to watch the Galapagos: the Islands that changed the world (thanks to Netflix) and it was fabulous!
It was probably one of the most visually stunning documentaries I've ever seen - sea lions, turtles, albatrosses...etc. I definitely recommend it!
It only costs $2127.48 to take a return flight from Portland to Isla Baltra and the best part is it only takes 24 hours (plus a stop in Ecuador!).
What an adventure...maybe one day when I have no obligations (no doxie) and lots of money to see the world I'll make it happen!
Has anyone out there been to the Galapagos?
Cheers!
Monday, April 11, 2011
i love Bob the dog!
Sometimes the only thing to do after a frustrating day at the nursing home is to look at pictures of your doxie and marvel at how amazing, loyal, cute and feisty he is, all at the same time. Here are some pictures of him from over the years - they are guaranteed to make you smile!
Looking up at my husband with a tiny smile
Bob in his favorite blanket for the day
Bob snuggled up on the couch with me
Here he is showing off at the dog park
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Burning Man on my mind...
Upon moving to Portland we didn't imagine we would ever find ourselves attending the infamous Burning Man Festival - after all, there aren't that many hippies in Northern Alberta and they sure don't travel that far to party!After hearing about it from trusted friends and doing a little research on the interwebs, we decided to take a chance and go in 2008 - little did we know it would turn out to be one of our best adventures yet! It was so good that we went back for more, in September 2010!
The thing about Burning Man is that it is quite an effort to go - you have to get yourself and all your gear to the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, andbring all your own food, water, toiletries and fun - only porta potties are supplied (and you can purchase ice).
So we like to take a year off between "burns" to recover and to go to the beach or mountain...but lately Burning Man has been on my mind.
It is a dream of mine to take a few like-minded friends from the Great White North to a Burn...this manifested itself in a dream recently - somehow we convinced my husband's brother and my sister to come, and it was amazing to see everything through their eyes.
I mentioned this to Tyler and we talked about how great it would be to see this years theme is "Rites of Passage", but that we already had plans to go to Hawaii, Shuswap Lake in B.C., California...etc.
Then I bought two tickets to see Phutureprimitive (a dear friend of ours) play at the Beloved Festival, at Refuge on April 9th. Saturday night arrived and so we found ourselves stumbling down the train tracks towards the venue. Despite the late hour (2 a.m.) we managed to get our tickets through will-call, and headed in to find our friend (who didn't go on until 3:15 a.m.). It was a mini Burning Man, with strong body odor, strange outfits, grungy hippies, and the smell of pot wafting in the air. It was the perfect ending to a great Saturday - surrounded by tripping hippies and friends, we watched Phutureprimitive perform an amazing set of music.
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