crap-tacular is the new "bad"

wow.  what a crap-tacular day it's been.  had the soul-crushing experience of visiting a school where passive aggressive posturing wins the day (and lest you think i am being overly dramatic, i defy any one of you to spend time there and leave unscathed).  forget about the kids, they're just in the room.  it's one of those places where you see it on your schedule and just wonder how you'll possibly make it through the experience with your optimism in tact.  now, there are a few bright spots in that building but not enough to redeem the overall situation.  i am telling you, after a few hours there even orphan annie would wonder if the sun was coming out tomorrow.  so there was that.  then came the two hour journey home through the squalls, around the closed bits of the highways, and avoidance of the trucks barrelling by at 130km per hour.  oh, i could really go on and on.  and indeed i have i suppose.
ended the day with a highschool visit for dd1 and so glad i did.  not only does her choice of school seem engaged with their community and committed to a camp-style sense of inclusion, there were some pretty cool electives to choose from.  it was really exciting to see her have a discussion with the enriched english teacher about novels and to hear her discuss getting a credit for a swim-gym course.  it seems like a perfect fit.  thank goodness.

Grown ups Behaving Badly

Spent the day (four hours of it anyway) volunteering in the canteen at the swim club's "Under 12 Celebration" swim meet.  This is a wonderful meet for all the younger swimmers where each child gets a plaque at the end with engraved plates of their races and best times to affix to it.  Usually so much fun.  This year DD2 is too old to swim in this meet but DH and I both have a few (22 but who is counting really?) credits to earn before the end of the swim season and so, we were both at the pool this afternoon.  And to be clear, each four hour stint of volunteer time earns one credit.  You can do the math to see just how much of a "family" sport swimming becomes.  Usually I do not mind (so much) as we've made some pretty good friends there and the parents of the competitors are generally good folk.
It must've been the day after Friday the 13th that brought the crazies to the pool today.  And come in droves they did.  With their attitudes.  With their lying.  With their all around childish behaviour.
Now I would just like to say that when someone buys a psych sheet (schedule of the races, heats, and lanes that your child will swim in--pretty much essential to knowing what the heck is going on since they mostly look when you can only see their heads) only to return 30 mins later saying "i don't need this anymore, my child isn't in it",  I pretty much know they are selling me a bill of goods.  That's just about enough time to scour the booklet and record all the relevant information.  After the third person attempted this I started to get a little testy.  Is $7 really a life or death situation?  But they were only the tip of the titanic sized ice burg to come.  The canteen, where we sell food for the swimmers and their supporters, is generally set up along the rail so that we can see people coming and going and, if we are lucky, see our child swim.  There were a few parents who were upset that we were "using up the good spot by the rail" for our canteen.  So be it.  Get to the swim meet early and get a good spot next time.  However, there was one woman who was not to be deterred and decided she would stand in our canteen.  Near the money boxes and generally, in our way.  Plus, it irritated me that she felt she could do as she wished.  When asked to move, she became immediately irate and abusive (classy) dropping a few f-bombs (even classier at an under 12 celebration right?) and finally shoved a table in to me.  Seriously.
Those of you who know me well probably have a mental picture right now of how the rest of the story went down but you would be wrong.  I know, can you believe it?  I kept my mouth shut (really and truly I did-- and that was no easy feat I'll tell you) and ignored her tantrum.  I know!!!  It just about killed me (really and truly it did).
God bless the swim friends in the kitchen who got to listen to my venting about it and thank goodness I played soccer today and had a chance to kick something hard.  It does wonders for the soul.  But that is a post for another day.

Sweet Sabotage

While trying to buy healthy grocery items today I encountered a new chocolate bar (why do they place these displays amongst the healthy goods?  sabotage indeed.)--Cadbury's Dairy Milk Pretzel and Peanut Butter.  Now it's no Choxie bar (Target rules) but it was pretty delish.  And, you know, I had to eat several pieces to fully determine it's worth.  DO NOT BUY this item unless you are okay with eating half the bar in one sitting (okay, two thirds of the bar if I am being truthful).  My plan B here?  Perhaps I'll just finish this little goodie off and pretend the whole thing never happened.  Best. Plan. B. Ever.

Latte Love Affair

You know you enjoyed a little too much holiday indulgence (creme brule lattes anyone??) when you can't button your sweater for fear of exposing the rather large appendages growing horizontally from your torso.  And that was just day one of back to work in non-pyjama style clothing.  While I have no desire or time to join a gym, I thought it might be helpful to try to track what I am eating (and a friend inspired me to try with promise of a "happy"--as in the clothes i want to wear fit me--shopping trip in the spring).  In the past I've found this helpful to avoid binging on my favourite foods (clearly I am willpower intolerant as well as dairy intolerant).  In this spirit, I recently joined a site named Fat Secret.  Honestly.  Poor name choice I know but it has its redeeming qualities, sort of like Spark People but less labour intensive.  And even better, they have a great App that lets you scan barcodes on what you're eating and presto, all the nutritional information magically appears on your file.  Love.  Or not love.  Depending.

Knitting Tutorial for Beginners- 2. Knit Stitch, Bind Off in Knit Stitch

this post is for you jen--just so you know or have a link when you are ready to learn.  after several attempts at learning, she is the only one i could follow (sad but true).  hope it is helpful.

Family Fun

Well, we finally got our act together around here and left the building as a family unit (prying pyjamas off of the kids was no easy feat but the lure of movie popcorn is strong).  After much debate (or what passes for debate around here) we set off to see We Bought A Zoo.  I knew the premise but I don't think I was prepared for the balance of fun to serious of the movie.  It was well done but a little too much reality and not enough escape if you ask me.  And DD2.  She must've cried her way through a good deal of the second half of the movie and seemed to be struggling with teary eyes as we walked through the parking lot.  When I asked what was the matter the dam broke and she stood and sobbed; "I miss Aunt Catherine".  Ouch.  Guess my family fun ripped the scab right off of that wound.  I am definitely losing my Julie McCoy clipboard over this one.

This Round Goes to Me

Found a learn to knit web series on You Tube for Teens--guess I just need instructions given really slowly and at the most basic level to succeed.
Here is my cast on (independently), knitted and purled tiny scarf.  Think I will finish it for DD2's favourite stuffy.

Resolution Number Two

For years I have been wanting to learn to knit.  And while I have completed a couple of very irregular scarves, my goal for the year is to learn to knit well enough to make something somebody will actually wear.  Flip flop socks in particular.  Found a cool pattern while milling around Michael's last night waiting for DD1's cake decorating class to finish and figured I'd better learn the basics before attempting something of an "Intermediate" nature.  See, already changing my attitude....this time last year I probably would've just tried it anyway figuring I'd learn as I went along.  Hence the unwearable scarves (which says a lot since it's got to be pretty bad for a scarf to be unwearable, right?).
Today I sat in front of the computer and learned how to cast on and while it seemed awkward, I am sure it will improve with practice.  For now, I've unravelled it to try again later.  Again, something I wouldn't have done this time last year.  I am learning the benefits of restarting to do things properly--knitting projects, recipes, relationships....it's amazing how this old dog can learn new tricks.

And This Round Goes To.....

Well, it looks like it might be pastry 1: gill 0
However, the turkey pot pie still needed to be made.
A little creative work was required but sufficient pastry was fashioned into something resembling a covering for the pot pie.  The hearts in no way reflect my feeling about the whole process.

and to rub it in, the picture did not maintain the proper rotation in upload.  of course not.

Year of the Pie Crust

Another year dawns....so far in 2012 I have managed to ignore my family to read the Hunger Games Trilogy.  For those that haven't picked it up yet, it is quite riveting and while written for teens, it is still a pretty good read.  As I emerge from my warm bed, clear away the empty mugs of tea, and brush aside the mountain of foil candy/chocolate wrappings, I am determined to do at least one productive thing today.  DD2 now has a ipod touch so I've essentially lost her to technology.  DD1 is at swim camp.  Pup is chewing a marrow bone (and thank goodness for that as he nearly lost a life today running through the house like a crazy dog with my very dirty front door mat in tow).  Fridge is full of turkey from three days ago that must be managed.  Soup seems easy i suppose but the lure of finally conquering pie pastry is too much to resist.  Break out the kleenex, there will be tears but 2012 is the year I successfully master the "no fail" (if i had a penny for every time i swore while turning a no-fail recipe into a complete failure) pie crust.   Keep Calm and Make Pastry.  Indeed I will.