No Pressure Today

It seems odd having nothing to do and nowhere to go. After such a hectic four months, I find myself rattling around. Oh, there's always housework or cooking I suppose, but that's not something that I find particularly fulfilling or enjoyable.

I received a call last night that our hospital shop is flooded. It's suffering from flat roof syndrome. Great. There goes my shift today and my extra one tomorrow. Store is closed. So, what to do?  I've already cleaned the storage cupboard during my great ice captivity of 2013-14. I've put away all evidence of Christmas except for a few candy canes which were pointed out to me by a photographer who was here recently. What's wrong with leaving out some candy canes anyhow? You never know when you might have a sudden need to freshen your breath or urge to stir your hot chocolate with something other than a spoon.

As I sit in my office, I think about the plans that I had for this and every winter since my retirement. I stare at the canvases sitting in the corner and wonder whether I should now delve into painting, not the walls of my vast experience, but pictures. Perhaps, considering my non existent skill level, abstracts. I look at the boxes of photos which I've been meaning to downsize and sort. Is this the day? What do I do with these paper recipes, collected before the days of the internet and cooks.com? I look at my pile of columns and newspaper clippings. I could organize those. Maybe I will. A bag with macaron making supplies sits in the corner. I haven't mastered the art of the macaron. Should I give it another try?

If I've learned anything in my lifetime, or in my more mature years, it's not to waste time. Don't take anything for granted. There's an athletic company that uses the logo "Just Do It". I think I'll make that my motto too.

First, I'll go to the gym. Then, I'll do something that I've wanted to do or meant to do. Let's see how it goes. I shall report back.

So what is it that you've always wanted to do and have for various reasons put off? Just do it.

My Expanded Vocabulary

I  learned a lot in 2013. My personal dictionary has expanded yet again. Although I seem to pick up some of the latest language fads on my own, I also like to peruse Aaron Peckham's Urban Dictionary in an attempt to keep up with the newest buzz word, or perhaps I should say sweet or rad word.

There is some language in existence that doesn't become commonly used until there is an event which triggers the need. For example, bailout. Whereas this might have once referred to leaping from an aircraft and hoping that the parachute opens, it has taken on a new meaning in this century.

In 2004, the word of the year was "blog". I didn't participate in this phenomenon until a number of years later. So today's blog is about new words or at least some which have been unfamiliar to me.

I believe that there have always been weird invented words. Dr. Seuss made an extremely good living creating words. Just a few that instantly come to mind are snoods, sneetches and the now all too famous grinch.

It's whether words catch on and become commonly used which determines if they end up in any type of dictionary. Some have fallen by the wayside. After all, who uses sardoodledom or pecksniffian in their everyday speech? Even my spell checker doesn't recognize these and is currently underscoring them with hostile red squiggles. On the same note, I haven't heard a lot of people saying the 2004 word of the year, "w00t". Although I don't participate in a lot of gaming events that would require this word, I have seen it used in written form on Facebook.

With the almost daily advances in technology, we are constantly adding to our vocabulary. Who knew what apps, hashtags and tweets were a few years ago? When I wrote a column using the word "selfie", hubby said, "Change that because nobody knows what you're talking about."

I now gladly rub his nose in the fact that selfie was the word of the year for 2013. Of course, had Miley Cyrus created the now infamous Robin Thicke dance display a little earlier on, twerking might not have been such a distant second choice.

I think that previously existing words that have become part of many people's vocabularies this year revolve around weather phenomenon. I for one have certainly experienced more than my share of shocking night time awakenings from ice quakes or as scientists term them cryoseisms. I have also learned that a large pocket of cold arctic air is termed a polar vortex. It seems many have been affected by the shift south of the cold air this year and this has caused people to easily use this now very common expression.

So, like it or not, the language is changing. Whether we opt to keep up with it is sometimes our choice and other times simply a necessity.

You've Got Mail

I love getting mail. I'm not talking about electronic mail. I'm talking about real mail...the paper kind that has actually been sent by someone. Sure, there are often a lot of bills, flyers and assorted junk, but every now and again there are pleasant surprises.

Today I picked up the mail at our community mailbox. It's that super mailbox on the corner that is being proposed for all Canadian citizens because, how does the quote from the CEO of Canada Post go?  "Ending home delivery and shifting millions of Canadians to community mailboxes offers at least one unintended upside - more exercise for seniors."

Found this on Facebook "Meanwhile in Canada".

The truth is, it's cheaper. It's a cost cutting option. There'll eventually be less service costing more money. I believe that Canada Post is downsizing itself into extinction. With the increased use of couriers, email, texting, Zoom and the like, paperless everything and other technology, physical mail will one day be a thing of the past. Sad really. By the way, has anyone noticed that our stamps have now gone up to over a dollar?  You'll know you're really special if you get a Christmas card from me next year. But alas, I digress.

We have actually had the good fortune that has been afforded only a quarter of the population to this point. We're in a newer neighbourhood and therefore have had a community mailbox all along. As my 84 year old neighbour can attest, she was particularly appreciative of the opportunity to walk several blocks and get her exercise during the recent ice storm, power outages and fallen/falling trees.

Just as it's sad to see the disappearance of cursive writing, I think it will be even sadder not to see any personalized handwritten mail.

I have a small collection of postcards which I have saved. My grandpa sent some to grandma during the war. Mom sent some to dad after he first came to Canada and vice versa. I sent a few to my parents at some point. I suppose postcards were a quicker way to reach the other person than a full length letter. They were also a way of sharing an experience and they usually arrived in less than a week. How wonderful is it to have these memories?

A friend asked me to send her a postcard while I was away last year...an unusual request. I had fun being silly and writing them and I sent not one, but six. I dated them and mailed them on different occasions and from different places, hoping that one would arrive on her doorstep every few days. I was gone over a month. The postcards arrived two weeks after I returned and all at once. I'm not certain when and where the postal service broke down, but the fact remains that even with faster travel and frequent air service, sending mail is not efficient any more.

So for now, as we check our community mailboxes, we might still see some surprises. In the future, there might be nothing more than ads and the occasional bill or magazine. There'll be no urgency to go to the superbox. Then where will the seniors get their exercise?

Missing Canada, Missing Curacao

My parents came to Canada when they were very young. By very young, I mean twenty and twenty one years old. They didn't know the language. They had no idea how and where they would be living. They just wanted a new start in a new land. It was a great decision for them and for me.

I have come to realize that there are choices we make in our lives that affect us dramatically. Where we opt to live is often such a choice.  As it turned out, the climate in Canada was not so hugely different from Germany. There was at least some common ground. After a very short time, my folks discovered the multi- cultural nature of Canada as they made friends with people from many parts of the world who had also moved here with their hopes and dreams. They all faced similar struggles.

Sometimes, we like places because they are beautiful, have mountains, water, beaches, glaciers, cacti, wide open spaces, cities, farmland, art, music and culture. How amazing is it that we live in a safe land that has all of that? How lucky are we to have all the benefits this country affords us?

Lately, I came to appreciate Canada even more. When I was away visiting my daughter prior to Christmas, I didn't realize how much I missed the whole "winter scene" that goes along with the season and the preparations leading up to the event. I came home to discover that many things that I enjoy had passed me by. In fact, I wrote about it in my column.

Northumberland News columnist asks, is Christmas really too commercial?

Unfortunately, the terrible winter weather, ice storms, the freezing cold and power failures did not pass us by. The darkness at 4:30 and the inability to go anywhere and do anything made me feel like a bear in hibernation. It didn't take long before I'd had enough. Besides all that, I have come to dislike having to wear real shoes and boots. Perhaps it wasn't the "winter scene" I missed as much as my friends, family and the snow globe type images I had in my head of what I thought November and December in Canada were about. Don't get me wrong. I love this country, just perhaps not as much during this particular season as I once did.

It's interesting how different life is in a country where everything is the same. In Curacao, the weather is always the same...warm, sunny, 28-30 C. with occasional rain. Daylight hours are always the same 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Holidays are not celebrated as they are here...no cupids, Easter bunnies, Santas or Halloween...Christmas, carnival time and Easter. That's it. Although it seems bland, everything from buildings to clothing to flora and fauna is beautifully vivid and colourful. As a bonus, most people speak a familiar language.

My daughter was home recently and commented on the clothing as soon as she got to the airport. "It's depressing," she said. "Everyone is in gray or black. I miss the orange pants they wear in Curacao."

I laughed. The funny thing is, that I miss the orange pants that they wear in Curacao as well. I think that before this winter is over, I'll go back.

New Year, New Toys - Part 2

Well, I have my e-reader going (January 2, 2014 blog). It took some effort on hubby's part, a few hours to co-ordinate everything. He's so smart. I have purchased three books from the internet and am giving it a chance. This is fun. I could buy books all day. They have my credit card info. All I have to do is point, click and it shows up on my e-reader...a shopaholic's dream. It doesn't even feel like spending money. Fortunately, I have some self control.

I am now giving this technology a fair chance.

First book is kind of strange I thought. It made no sense. How could it make no sense? Then I realized I had in fact started part way into the story. Hmmm....how to get back to the beginning? No amount of clicking on the buttons gave me any clues so I started to scroll backwards on the back up little lever thingy. I wondered what page I was on, I clicked and I clicked and scrolled and scrolled until about 10 minutes later, success, a title! I figured out how to enlarge the font for senior eyes and I was off to the races. Wow...I've never read whole pages so fast before. It sure goes quickly when there are only twelve words to a page. Interestingly enough, the book still makes no sense even though I started at the beginning. ***Note to self - Do not recommend this book to anyone. Perhaps when I get to the end I'll figure out what it was about. I wonder how many chapters and pages this book has. Is there some way of solving this mystery or does one just read until it runs out?

I have learned some things. Here is a comparison of e-reader reading and paper book reading.

1.  If you fall asleep while reading a regular book, it falls on your nose and you lose your page. If you fall asleep while using an e-reader, it shuts itself off and retains your page before falling on your face. Advantage - e-reader.

2.  Taking a book into the tub can be a bit risky. Pages might buckle, particularly if it's a hot bath or a steamy novel. Falling asleep is a potential problem which could cause the book to fall into the tub. Place book on rad to dry out pages and except for a bit of warping, it's good to go. Taking e-reader into the tub is no problem. There are instructions on what to do if it gets wet. I have decided not to take the chance. I read my Kindle whilst perched on my left rib cage and holding e-reader over the edge of the tub. That way, if it drops, there's nothing but the toilet nearby. ***Note to self - Make sure toilet lid is shut while bathing. Advantage - neither, unless you happen to be two years old reading one of those vinyl paged tubby books.

3. Books have those annoying unrealistic colourful covers. They are a distraction. If it's a love story one feels compelled to go back and stare at the title page just to burn the image of the unrealistic, half clothed characters into one's head. The male hero is almost always shirtless. The e-reader provides no such opportunity. It has a screen saver or something similar, in my case, slanted gray lines with alphabet letters on them. Going back to review the potential image of the protagonists is futile. Instead, it requires using one's own imagination. Challenging, but probably a good thing since there's no unrealistic, preconceived notion.  Advantage, unsure.

4. Books have pages and page numbers. I love page numbers. You can tell how far into the plot you have gone and how much more of the book there is to read. Sometimes it is satisfying and gives a feeling of accomplishment. It's also convenient to see how many more pages in a chapter and if it's possible to complete those few pages before falling asleep and said book results in problem #1 above. With the e-reader, there may or may not be a page feature. I have not yet discovered one. Besides, when there are twelve words on a page, there's probably a long way to go in a chapter. Advantage - real book.

5. Books can be easily given away or traded with a friend. If you have read something which you've particularly enjoyed, for example, "The Help" or "The Hundred Year Old Man..." , you can pass it along to someone else. I am unclear what happens to books on the e-reader once they've been read. Do they stay there ad infinitum? Do they disappear once you've gotten to the last page? Do you give your e-reader to a friend and hope you get it back once they've read and perused your collection? Advantage - real book

6. If you are in public, on transit and the like, everyone can see what you're reading if it's a paper book. Using the e-reader, is more private. Apparently, that was the reason given for the record numbers of "Fifty Shades of Gray" (Sept. 5, 2012 blog) downloads. The only thing to worry about in public is theft. Who would steal a paper Harlequin Romance? Technology on the other hand is always a big ticket item. Advantage - unsure

7. If you are stuck indoors for any length of time, because of weather conditions or poor health, and you are unable to get to a thrift shop or library, you can easily order books for your e-reader. That is, provided you have electricity, know how to use a computer and internet, have a credit card, have an e-reader and so on. Advantage - e-reader.

8. If you are left handed, you have little choice but to turn the pages of a paper book with your right hand. If you own an e-reader, you can move forward and backward using the buttons on either the left or the right of the reader. I discovered this last night when I must have accidentally tapped the left buttons and the story became even less sequential than before. Advantage - e-reader.

So there you have it. These are my conclusions thus far. Now I'd better get back to my e-reader. I'm on page ? of the story, chapter? with ? sections to go. On the bright side, I am fully able to visualize the characters without a cover picture. I saw the first two installments of this book as movies and I have no problem imagining Hugh Grant shirtless. Can you guess what third book of a series I'm reading?
                                                                          

Undecorating and Reminiscing

A lot of people love decorating for Christmas. Although some enjoy it so much that they begin the day after Halloween, I prefer to wait a few weeks longer until Advent. Once Christmas is over, however, the complaints begin. "It's so much work putting everything away."

I don't think that way. I like to decorate for Christmas. I do find that I am often rushed to get everything set up. Because of that, I like to take my time removing all the trinkets and decorations. I organize them neatly, wrap them carefully and daydream.

Today was dismantling day. Since I was more or less forced to hibernate because of weather unfit for man or beast, I made the decision to begin. I took down some of my more modern and recent additions to the tree, items I had won along with the tree last year. 

Then I got to the good stuff. There were the special things which had belonged to, or reminded me of each of my children's grandparents.....dad's train, mom's tiny Christmas hymn book, grandpa John's favourite spinning ornament, and grandma Rose's miniature cookbook. There were my yearly purchases of fragile, usually gold decorations. I afforded myself the gift of one magical ornament a year even during my more financially challenged times. To me, the gold colour represented the wealth I had in my life, not financial wealth, but rather the blessings.

Another bauble shaped like a school house with a little bell is my only work related keepsake. It was engraved with my name, Merry Christmas, Anne-Marie and 1977. I recalled the student who gave me the ornament. She'd probably be about 43 years old now. I had also taught her brother Elvis. Yes, indeed, Elvis, a bold choice of name. I remember them well. I wonder what they're doing now.

I removed this year's new, recently purchased acquisition. I saw it in a small gift shop in a town near here. I put it in a special place on the tree. It was a bell shape, glass, white base, fluff to represent snow and the Eiffel tower inside. How does the quote go? "Paris is always a good idea." No, I've never been there. I bought it after I decided that my collection should take on a new direction. I wrapped it carefully and put it away.

Hubby and I chatted about the trees we had when we were kids. "I think my sister has some of our old decorations," he said.

"Really? I think we should go visit and see their tree next Christmas." I responded with curiosity. I'm hoping we get to do that.

I had seen some Chinese lanterns similar to what my parents had when at an antique store. No light cord, just the lanterns. My parents loved those lanterns. If I recall correctly, the cord was kaput before the lanterns burned out. Either that or it was one of those situations where if one bulb burns out nothing else works. They also had the candles. Ah yes, the multi-coloured electric bubbly candle lights which contained some kind of substance to make them bubble when they got hot. I remember several of them, mostly the blue I think, didn't ever bubble. No matter, they lit up and they were pretty. I loved them.

So now my bin, marked "Hilde's best and most fragile ornaments" is filled and ready to be put away. I can't believe I won't be able to enjoy these treasures again for another whole year. Perhaps I too should plan to get them out the day after Halloween.

My Mission

This is going to be one of those rambling stream of consciousness blogs. I just know it. Here goes.

This will be the year. I am determined. It's now or never. I need two chairs.

The chairs must be 50's style chrome and vinyl. I prefer black, gray, red or white. Any combination of those colours would also be fine. On the other hand, I could recover them...wait, not recover but re-cover. Is that the same? Anyhow, it wouldn't be the first time I've delved into the realm of re-upholstery.

I have made a feeble effort to find some chairs to go with a little kitchen table in the past. Hubby has had this cute table for awhile. It once belonged to inlaws. I've checked Kijiji and Craig's list. I have emailed a company in Detroit. They make the chairs to order...colour and fabric...all new, but don't ship or have an outlet in Canada. It's occurred to me to order the chairs, ship them to American relatives and either pick them up or have them visit and deliver. The thing is, what if I don't like them? What if they're too large and disproportionate? They'd be made to order and the wrong thing. Besides, they're kind of costly and I'm cheap.

I am going to try harder. I like the size of this table. It has good fengshui, rounded corners. It's for a small kitchen or for seniors who might eventually move to lesser grounds.

I'm off to a good start. On Sunday, I posted on Facebook on our local buy and sell page. One lady offered me some chairs but they don't quite fit the bill. Another said they have the exact chairs, red seat, some kind of logo at Canadian Tire. I wonder if it's a Canadian Tire logo. I wonder if the chairs are meant as seating for employees. I rushed to Canadian Tire...no chairs. I wonder whether I should have looked in the automotive lounge? What good would that do? Perhaps if I try a larger store.

It's going to become my mission....chairs and also last year's mission of perfecting macarons. This will be the year. Once I accomplish these menial goals, I can move on with my life. Perhaps I should create one of those "possibilities" boards. Is that even possible at my age? Yes...that's what I'll do. Then I can visualize my goals and achieve them more clearly. Then I'll quit procrastinating. I'll definitely make one of those boards....tomorrow or next week, when I'm not so busy.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty & A Coat

I used to go to movies frequently. I can't say I've attended too many in the past few years, although the ones I have seen were generally good ones. I made up my mind to partake of a few now, since all the best movies seem to be released in December.

My friend posted the following on Facebook, along with a trailer. Just to clarify, it wasn't a camping trailer but rather a trailer for a movie. The movie was "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" based on a short story by James Thurber, written in 1939.

" What a great movie! Went to see it this week. I enjoyed every bit of it. Messages on so many levels. I really really would suggest seeing it."

I went on Saturday. The story has been updated to include modern technology. I wasn't certain whether I was seeing a comedy, a drama, a very long online dating commercial, or a travelogue, but I persisted and watched it to the end. After seeing this updated film, a remake, I think I'd like to read the original short story. I liked the underlying message as it fits with my view of life.

Here's the plot sans spoilers. Walter Mitty works for Time magazine. He spends much of his life daydreaming about himself as an adventurer and hero. (If you can survive the first 20 minutes of ridiculousness in this movie, you might make it to the better parts). His life seems to have quit moving forward after the death of his father. Walter imagines being a hero and impressing women, one co-worker in particular. When he misplaces the photo for Time magazine's final cover, he travels in search of the photographer (Sean Penn, brilliant) who sent him the original negative for the cover picture. At this point, his life becomes more fulfilled and his fantasies disappear. As an added perk, I noted that he also becomes handsome.

I must say, I loved the scenes in Iceland and Greenland. Those were interesting and contained some humour. There were however, many parts of the movie that fell below my tolerance level. The silicone face and Abe Lincoln-esque black weird beard on the character of Ted Hendricks was laughable and not in a good way. I've been trying to scrape the creepy off myself ever since.

There are threads which are recurrent throughout the story and help to connect the movie segments. These include a dangling piano (probably some kind of symbolism), a cell phone (works even after being submerged in frigid Arctic sea water. I neglected to take note of the brand), a dating service (enough said), and mom's clementine cake.

As I was leaving the theatre I noticed that everyone else remained in their seats. Had they fallen asleep? I searched the screen for a reason but found none. Perhaps they were expecting a recipe for clementine cake to show up following the credits.

My final verdict - It was ok and a bit better than I expected. I like Ben Stiller. I enjoyed the movie more than anything that's likely to be released in the early months of 2014.

Best Part - On the way out of the theatre, I walked past a store and spied a $200 full length coat on  a one day flash sale for $49. I also got a $5 off coupon code on my cell phone by joining the store's club (which I immediately unjoined after buying the coat).

By the way, should anyone be interested. Here's Nigella Lawson's clementine cake recipe. Looks better than the movie.

http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/clementine-cake-2559

My Latest Winnings

I don't know what it is, but I seem to win things. I don't win huge things, but smallish prizes. I also seem to attract winnings at this time of the year. For example, last year, I won a fully decorated designer Christmas tree.

Before Christmas, I was at a dinner with a number of women who attend the same gym. I arrived a few minutes late because I had to return home to pick up a gift which I had forgotten for an exchange. I spied Santa Claus and decided to get a photo. After all, how often do we get our picture with Santa anymore? I think he was the real one too.

It was announced that there'd be a 50/50 draw, I dutifully purchased my three tickets for five dollars. While sitting at the table having dinner, a friend mentioned that she never wins anything and that she wouldn't be winning this draw. I told her that's the wrong attitude. "You need to be positive. I am positive I will win."

When the numbers were read aloud, I thought I had missed winning by one digit. Then I viewed my other tickets. I won! Hurrayyyyy....half the draw amounted to $120. I paid for my dinner and martini, received a gift of a bottle of wine, and left with money in my pocket.

While going on a shopping trip with a relative recently, we filled out ballots for a draw at a jewelry store. The prize was a Swarovski crystal necklace and earrings with a platinum over gold chain. It was red and not the most attractive set I'd ever seen. I didn't care whether or not I won. Nonetheless, I received a call Christmas eve and told to come pick up my prize. Eventually, I did. It looks like this.

 I have since tried it on and it actually looks pretty good against my skin. I plan to wear it soon with a new jacket of a similar hue, black shirt and pants of course.

 Good fortune, just like bad is supposed to come in threes. Can winning the lottery be far behind?

A Stranger Called Today

My days of making new year's resolutions are long gone, or so I thought. After all, how many times can you try eating less and exercising more? What does the new year have to do with it anyhow? For the smokers, drinkers and others with such habits, same issues, different addictions. Then there are other types of resolutions, clearing clutter, getting out of debt/saving, having more fun, learning to make macarons and so on.

I didn't make my resolution on new year's day. I didn't make one until today. Although I've thought of this in the past, I've decided to make a conscious decision and a deliberate effort. After all, I believe that most of what we do in life, most of our behaviors, wise or unwise are conscious decisions. We choose whether we want to obey laws, be kind to one another, get tattoos (ugh), be jokesters, dye our hair purple (yet to come), be upbeat, be a jerk or use foul (not fowl) language.

This morning, hubby brought me the phone and told me it was a man named (insert random unknown name here) wanting to talk to me. Since I didn't recognize the name or very odd looking number, I spoke into the phone in an abrupt manner. "Who are you?"

Imagine my surprise when the gentleman on the other line, was not a telemarketer as I had feared. He was in fact, a person renting the house of someone I know. He was calling from Florida to suggest that I save my Christmas card and postage money in future. The owners were no longer there. He told me he had passed along last year's card, but that the snowbirds had now decided to remain in Canada because of health concerns. I thanked him and wished him a happy new year although he seemed to want to continue chatting. We exchanged tidbits of info and I made certain that my voice was much more congenial.

Upon further consideration, I realized what a thoughtful thing this man did. I wondered whether the phone call cost more than the postage I'd spent or whether he was on some kind of plan. I also thought about the amount of courage some people (me) would need to make such a call and I appreciated it even more.

So what is my resolution? Since I'm already trying my best not to turn into a grumpy old woMAN, I guess I am going to try to be more tolerant and upbeat with telephone strangers and not assume that they're all trying to sell something. I'm already nice to service people since I'm aware that my issues are not their fault. But now I realize that we never know who might be at the other end of the telephone line.

Oops....the phone is ringing, I'll test my new strategy now since I don't recognize the number.

"BALONEY! I HAVE NOT WON A FREE CRUISE TO THE BAHAMAS!"  Click. I guess I'd better begin my new year's resolution with the next caller.