Circus family

Last Friday, my sister's store, Riot, held its annual spring fashion show. The theme was the circus, and it was an amazing show. Models twirled batons, did acrobatics and gymnastics, whipped thingies around on the end of strings, hula hooped, while wearing some of the groovy stuff available at Riot.

My brother, Mike the circus strong man, was the M.C., my nephew Ryan tended bar. My sister, Robin, blew up a lot of balloons; my nephew, Henry, was behind the scenes directing the spotlight. Steve and I gave away door prizes, and my niece, Leona, modelled clothes and demoed a cartwheel. A family affair.

Me the Ringmaster, Lightning Robin, Brenda and Strongman Mike

Ryan and Brenda

Acrobatic Leona & Mike

I'm pretty sure I wore this in the 80s -- less the clown nose.

All photos: Rod Frew

We Tube

So.

I and my sisters and their daughters are on YouTube. Isn't it great to have creative friends?

Warning: there is brief nudity (no, not me!). It's nothing you haven't seen in pretty much any movie you've rented recently, but if you don't want to see it, close your eyes when you see the caption 'Hairdresser by day' and count to five slowly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFX4mRSwe1g

And speaking of YouTube, I love Joan Jett's cover of the Mary Tyler Moore show theme.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nizTZlwN7Iw

Tragedy!

We had some computer work done, and I've lost all my favourites on Google. Some are not a problem to have lost, because I can Google (yes, it's a verb) them again, but I had garden plans, health facts, decorating ideas, kids' games and education sites, recipes, music & lyrics, entertainment links, my friends' blogs(!), hairstyles, grammar rules, all SORTS of useful and little-known tidbits, and now they're GONE, all gone.

Ooooh, the pain.

Help me! What are your favourite sites?

International Women's Day

So many important milestones pass right by, and I'm too busy looking at my feet to notice.

But my friend, Ali, gave me the heads up on this one.

My Dad is cool

I spent most of this week hanging out with my Dad at VGH while he was waiting for surgery. He was released today; he's good. I'm tired.

The picture tells you of my Dad's enjoyment of gardening (10' tall sunflowers) and of his practical fashion sense (he took a pair of scissors to his shirtsleeves one hot summer day).

Super Noah

You know those irritating parents who think that their kid is so smart, so cute, the first kid ever to (insert childhood milestone that every kid routinely achieves)? Who can only talk about their kids and how fabulous they are?

Whatever. Get over it.

I've been saving up a few of my darling boy's cute-isms, just for you.

Career aspiration: Superhero.
Should you be interested, he is happy to speak at length about the powers he'll possess when he's a grownup (resistance to earthquakes, bedtimes, naps and doing things himself).

Super-creative:
When we queried Noah as to whether his creation was a flower or a cat, Noah put both hands out, in a clear demonstration of frustration and stated, "It's just art, Mama. It's just ART!"

Super-smart:
At speech therapy, he mis-identified a hexagon as an octagon. The therapist counted the six sides, and asked, "Are you sure?" Noah paused, looked thoughtful, then counted aloud, one to eight, then said, "No. That's not an octagon. Sorry. I don't know the word for that." (The assessment revealed he has the vocabulary of an average teenager.)

Super-philosophical:
Noah was expressing his irritation with having to hurry so he could get to daycare and me and Steve to work (a new thing for us), he stopped, sighed and said, "Oh well. That's the way it is. It's just a new life for us."

Isn't he super?

(Costume courtesy of 'Superhero Starter Kit' from Uncle Brian and Aunt Ann.)

Here it is

I know you've been desperately waiting for a picture of Brenda's bathroom.

Ta da!



New lighting, new taps, and plenty o' elbow grease and paint. (The wall tiles were hidden under the 70s cedar panelling.)

Love, love love

Last year, I posted a list of some of the things I love.

And I still love all those things.

Plus . . .

I love fingerless gloves. I love my new ring (it was my Mom's). I love that Steve lets me put my cold feet on him to warm myself up. I love a soft scarf on a cool day. I love slippers that keep my ankles warm. I love Spanish champagne. I love Brentwood Bay Lodge & Spa's "Simply Amazing Spa Getaway" (where we spent last weekend!) I love a good massage. I love Steve's triceps. I love goat cheese and pear.

I love that my five-year-old son uses the word "appendages" correctly. I love that Noah can choose his own clothes and dress himself. I love it when Steve packs my lunch. I love that it's February and my daffodils are up. I love that my friends volunteer at Gather & Give. I love that I'm going back to paid work with an organization that does good.

I love Wake Up Rosemary shampoo. I love Hungarian champagne. I love sipping champagne with Steve while we laugh our heads off at a movie (even if it has a dumb ending, which serves only to reinforce cultural stereotypes).

I love that you take the time to come visit.

And there's always champagne.

What do you love?

She says it's her birthday

Saturday was my sister, Brenda's birthday. She threw a barn-burner party not just to celebrate the successful passage of another year, but to give herself the deadline of completing a renovation of her main bathroom.

Meeting the deadline kept her up until 2 or 3 a.m. for the three days before her party, and required the help of a few cheerful volunteers, but met it was, even if the paint was barely dry. When B gets around to sending her pics, I'll let you see the room's fabulousness.

I'm sure most parties don't start with a bathroom tour, but B isn't most people. Her party was attended by folks ranging from age 15 to 60, and included family and co-workers, a local politician, a few musicians, an ex-husband and his girlfriend, an ex-boyfriend, Commercial Drive business owners, a film editor, a home stager, a lawyer, an actor, and an office administrator, just to give y'all an idea.

B and I sang "Landslide," accompanied by Ed on guitar and Abby on drums. We rocked.

I really do have a great bunch of siblings, but since it's B's birthday, let's make it all about her. She's fab. She's funny. She's flirty. She makes a wonderful cup of tea. She's fun. She's a great cook. She's addicted to cel phone games. She's a good mother. She's uber-stylish. She's so smart. She's an exceptional dancer. She's a successful business owner. She's irreverent. She's honest. And (not that looks are important) she's beautiful.
Go B!

Re-org

Sorry about the news gap from November to January. I had no idea that being sad would take so much energy. But since I have enough work trying to keep current news posted, I doubt I'll go back and fill in the gap.

For the past two weeks, I've been working like a rented mule at the Burnaby Hospice Society Thrift Store. Up from my normal Tuesday shift, I was at the store every day last week except Saturday. What started out as packing up toys and Christmas accoutrements escalated into a full-scale clear-out, cleaning and re-merchandising of the housewares and kitchen sections. And at the same time, other volunteers were beautifying the clothing section.

It may not sound like it, but it was a ton of fun. It was a lot of work, but the joy I get from creating order out of chaos made up for it.

In the hopes that good information will help maintain the new orderliness, I’ve offered to produce a volunteer training manual and an as-needed volunteer newsletter. The Thrift Store’s been operating for almost a year, and lines of communication are jagged at best. It’s been a learn-as-you-go training program, and I think it’s time to record some of the learned lessons.

(As much as I’d like to believe that a couple of good communication tools will ‘fix’ everything, I understand it’s not necessarily the case. In work situations, when faced with a client who thinks an ad or brochure is a magic bullet, I note that if an education campaign was all that was needed to cure society’s ills, the entire western world would be non smoking.)

I’ll let you know how it goes. In the meantime, stop by and check out the new order.

This could explain a few things

I was secretly hoping to be Zoe, but this could explain why I find Ernie so incredibly irritating.

You Are Bert

Extremely serious and a little eccentric, people find you loveable - even if you don't love them! You are usually feeling: Logical - you rarely let your emotions rule you You are famous for: Being smart, a total neat freak, and maybe just a little evil How you live your life: With passion, even if your odd passions (like bottle caps and pigeons) are baffling to others

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

Happy Birthday

Noah turned 5 today. He really is a lovely, happy, funny, thoughtful, cooperative lad. As evidence of his new maturity, for the first time, Noah did not cry after we sang him Happy Birthday.

And if I could find my digital camera (this gives you some idea of the state of my office) you'd see what a big, happy boy he is.

But just in case you'd forgotten, he was once a small, happy boy.


Daddy, Mama, and Noah
October 2002

And here he is last year on his 4th birthday, post-tears.

My Mom

Mary Raechel (Chalifoux) McGuire

April 17, 1934 - November 14, 2006

Paris fashions

Y'know my sister, Brenda, owns Raya, a groovy clothing store on the Drive? So when we were in Paris, we were keeping an eye out for fashion trends to help her keep up to date.

I have always enjoyed Vancouver's casual style, but seeing so many well-dressed, well-groomed Parisians made me wonder if there isn't room for a little less Goretex and a few more blazers in the local wardrobe.

The key question would be: If I stop wearing all knits, who is going to do my ironing?

I'm pretty sure that's the dilemma these three were discussing.

Zion says

Our friend's son (Jascha, 14) and daughter (Zion, 12) were over this evening, at Noah's invitation. Zion tells this story (paraphrase).

I have never been so embarrassed! We were playing Simon Says, and Jascha says, "Simon says, do obeisance."

So I said, "Jascha! C'mon. What does 'obeisance' mean?"

Then I looked down, and Noah was kneeling on the floor with his arms stretched out towards Jascha. "C'mon Zion. You're supposed to bow."

My baby's growing up

A few weeks ago, Steve pointed out to me that Noah had a loose tooth. I'm such a sap, I almost cried. And last evening, while we were at a movie, Noah gave his tooth a final wiggle et voila, it came out.

These waypoints sometimes give me premonitions of future days when Noah doesn't want a hug from Mama, wants me to drop him a block from his destination, and when the longest conversation he'll want to share is to ask, "Can I borrow the car?"

One tooth, one emotional trauma.

Out of office replies

Someone sent me these in an email, and I just couldn't let them just languish in my 'archive' folder.

Best Out of Office Auto Replies:

1. I am currently out at a job interview and will reply to you if I fail to get the position. Be prepared for my mood.
   
2. You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I was in, chances are you wouldn't have received anything at all.
   
3. I will be unable to delete all the unread, worthless emails you send me until I return from holiday on November 5. Please be patient and your mail will be deleted in the order it was received.
   
4. Thank you for your message, which has been added to a queuing system. You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply in approximately 19 weeks.
   
5. I've run away to join a different circus.

-------

And since I'm in a sharing mood, go check out 'Monk-e-mail' (click the link in the sidebar). Steve and I gutted ourselves recording a birthday message for friends. I think it's most fun for the sender, so go dress a monkey and send someone a goofy message. You'll like it.

The cupboard is bare

Donations to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank are at an all-time low. Yikes. While they've normally raised around $150K by this time of the year, they've only raised $22K this year.

Scary.

Especially since I had Noah, the thought of hungry children breaks my heart. (See, I'm tearing up just writing this.)

The food bank can turn a dollar’s cash donation into three dollar’s worth of food through bulk discounts and corporate matching.

If you donate only $10, that's like a $30 donation of food for a family. And $20 makes $60, and so on, and so on...

I'm an arts major; you do the math.

Jardins de Versailles

One of my favourite days in France was spent walking around Versailles with David and Jen.

We had a picnic of bread, cheese and wine (but of course) under the trees, and Steve was much moved by the experience.

I enjoyed this series of shots Steve took, because with the aid of the zoom function, they give you an idea of what it would be like if one could actually walk on any of the grass throughout the grounds, which, of course, one couldn't.

While I played paparazzi to the garden's bees. . .

David and Jen passed the time en garde. (I wish I could post the video of their fencing match, ending with Jen's near puncture and dramatic response.)

I am not particularly interested in classical statuary, but as Versailles is practically over run with hunks of marble, I felt compelled to represent that. This tortured soul called to me.

FMS setback

We left Paris on Wednesday. On the following Saturday, David (Steve's brother) & Jen (Dave's darling) were going to an art opening. Guess who else was invited?

I'll bet Johnny loves karaoke.