Saturday, February 28, 2009
Soon to Come....
Today is Nadia's birthday and I was planning on doing her update, as we were planning to do a lot of things today, but she is simply too sick, and we are too tasked so it will have to wait. At the moment, there doesn't seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel, she seems to be worse every day. Sigh. Happy birthday moop.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Un Bacio
Miss N discovers that the floor lifts up....today's photo brought to you by the letter, or rather, lack of letter, "E."
A few months ago Signora B started trying to teach Nadia how to blow kisses, putting her hand to her mouth before shooting it out, exclaiming, "un bacio! un bacio!" A few weeks ago miss N did it spontaneously and I almost died from the cuteness. Now she does it all the time when people get ready to leave ie. put their shoes on, after they have left and the door has shut, and anytime I say "un bacio!" So yes, she does know an Italian word, but no, she hasn't made the parallel to the English equivalent. This is evident when I ask for a kiss and she still opens her mouth and licks me. (This is happening more seldom these days though, now such a request is often met with a violent head refusal.......maybe my makeup tastes bad.)
My excuse for looking beat-up is that I was wearing my glasses and it mussed up my face paint. The reason I post this picture is because it is the first pic taken of us without the moop in I don't know how long. This was taken at our Vday date. Happy belated Vday to y'all!In other news, I am back running after a two week injury hiatus. And it seems I'm still injured. I only ran 3 miles yesterday and while I wasn't in excruciating pain, I could tell that were I to push the speed and/or distance, I would be right back to where I started. Fortunately I am seeing a physiotherapist this week so I can get on track to healing. The running doc I saw a couple of weeks ago said running a half in April would be optimistic, and I certainly shouldn't try to do it fast. Sigh. But the past 2 weeks on the elliptical have been made less boring by a weight training regime my new friend K taught me. I love it!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Goof
I hope this posts. Anyway, if it does, this is miss N doing one of her favourite tricks.... making the annoying music/drum beat ball go crazy by sitting on it repeatedly instead of doing what normal people do, pressing on the buttons.
Monday, February 09, 2009
25 Random Facebook Peer Pressure Inspired Things About Me
1. I am currently a SAHM partly because I think it's important in the early years, partly because of this jobless overseas situation. I hate when feminist types criticize women for choosing to stay home, stating it's because they are either uneducated or wasting their education. I feel neither of these things. I applaud people that decide to be at home with their kids and am in awe of those who are completely fulfilled by it. I, however, am not. While I am happy we can afford for me to be with Nadia, I absolutely need to find some sort of part-time playing/teaching/gigging opportunities ASAP.
2. I have discovered that since living outside of my element, ie. not working as a musician, not being known for this, I am very insecure and feel like I have lost my identity. I hate this feeling.
3. I work in the arts, but do no consider myself an artist, nor do I think that because I am schooled in one branch of the arts, I automatically have a higher capacity for understanding, appreciating, or performing in other branches. I am extremely annoyed by people who do. It's like me saying, "because I am a musician and like to read books, I am a good writer." See how ridiculous that sounds? But strangely this seems to be the thought process a lot of artsy types adopt.
4. I hate how when people find out I'm a musician they feel the need to tell me about their former or current amateur instrument playing, or sometimes, that of their relatives. When I meet an accountant do I say "funny you should mention that, I happened to have added two numbers in my head today to figure out how much money I would have left if I bought an apple." Or better yet, "oh, you're an obgyn? What a coincidence! I had a baby last year!" Ridiculous, no? So why do people seem to feel ownership of music? Just because everyone listens to it?
5. I'm getting all riled up as I type this. See? This is what happens when you have no life.
6. I find that the people that are out trying to save the world, trying to get everyone on board with their causes, are often guilty of treating the people closest to them like crap, sometimes even neglecting their children. For this reason, I am extremely suspicious and wary of advocates for any cause and don't join groups or express my views in public forums very often. I try to treat my friends and family and even strangers the way I would like to be treated and have decided that taking care of my own backyard is my small contribution to a better world.
7. Before high school, my family moved a lot while my dad bounced between being a music teacher and a lawyer so I don't have childhood friends. The friends I have made since high school, however, are very dear to me and I try very hard not to lose touch.
8. Though it was not the case in childhood, most of my friends made in adulthood are male. There are probably many "deep" reasons for this but I don't care what they are and neither should you. I generally prefer their company and conversation. Older men especially (like 10 years older, not geriatric.) Now that I'm married and living in the military/American society, I realize I will have to try harder to seek out cool females to be my friends. I am trying/will try.
9. I have no time for excuses. I don't care why you are overweight, why you behave badly, why your children behave badly, why you hate women. One of the reasons I married my husband is because he has the right to every excuse to behave badly in the book and yet he doesn't. So I did. (Marry him, that is.)
10. Back in university and then in my professional life, I took pride in always being well-attired and made-up. Spending back-breaking hours in high heels, with a viola on my back. These days, however, I am most often in gym clothes because I am most often at the gym. I hope this will change when we move to Virginia and I have more places to go besides the gym.
11. I hit puberty early so was taller than my peers until junior high. (Since 7th grade, however, most people have surpassed me as I stopped growing.) The closest thing I have to a sister is my cousin and she was always/still is little. I was often compared to her, sometimes even being referred to as a "horse," so I have HUGE size/weight/body issues. I'm constantly trying to get over them though. I guess that sounds like an excuse.
12. I am sometimes a hypocrite.
13. I brag too much about my athletic endeavours. This is for two reasons: 1. Growing up I was the worst phys ed. student. The last kid picked for a team. The only C on a report card of As. So when I discovered that I didn't totally suck at running I was both delighted and shocked. 2. I was led to believe by some natural birthing fanatics that having a c-section was the end of the world. That I would be bed-ridden, fat, and unable to do a sit-up ever again. Though I am obviously far from advocating any unnatural birthing practice, it did happen to me. So I guess I feel like I have something to prove to all of those naysayers. Like, look, yes, I was cut open, but I can still run and even win races.
14. I think my daughter is beautiful, bright, and special. But I realize I'm biased. I wish other parents/parents of students would also realize this and stop bragging about how smart/talented/awesome their kid is. I don't care and usually don't agree.
15. I think french (or any other) immersion is a great idea, in theory. Being a product myself, I have observed countless students slip through the cracks and graduate with "bilingual" diplomas while having no concept of proper grammer or a decent accent. This can only get worse as some of these same students are now teaching french immersion. (Shudder.) I think in order to teach in such a program, one's first language should be that of the "immersion."
16. Having done a semester in education, I think an education degree is the most useless and ridiculous degree out there. I find teachers to be generally quite ignorant and annoying. I am petrified of sending Nadia to school, especially in America. This is not to say they are all like this, obviously. Some are fantastic.
17. I am very opinionated and judgemental, but am trying to be less so with regards to parenting. I realize most people are doing the best they can so I try to remind myself that I don't know their situation.
18. I am the most impatient person I know.
19. I am very OC but also very lazy. This provides a nice balance I think.
20. I like a relatively neat and organized house, but not crazily so. I am not a thorough organizer as is evident my my cupboards, drawers, purses, etc..... This drives my husband nuts.
21. I have a really hard time sitting through classical recitals/concerts as I would rather be on stage. I usually leave at intermisison.
22. My biggest pet peeve is when people, especially supposedly educated people, use apostrophes, ie.the possessive, when they mean to pluralize. Argh.
23. I am a night-owl, but pregnancy and baby-rearing have curbed this instinct for the time being.
24. I hate being pregnant but may do it again for Nadia's sake, so she is not an only child.
25. I had many dreams before Nadia was born that she would come out 5-10 years old, as well as dreams in which I forgot to feed her. In many ways, both of these came true. Because of the former, I think I often expect too much of her.
2. I have discovered that since living outside of my element, ie. not working as a musician, not being known for this, I am very insecure and feel like I have lost my identity. I hate this feeling.
3. I work in the arts, but do no consider myself an artist, nor do I think that because I am schooled in one branch of the arts, I automatically have a higher capacity for understanding, appreciating, or performing in other branches. I am extremely annoyed by people who do. It's like me saying, "because I am a musician and like to read books, I am a good writer." See how ridiculous that sounds? But strangely this seems to be the thought process a lot of artsy types adopt.
4. I hate how when people find out I'm a musician they feel the need to tell me about their former or current amateur instrument playing, or sometimes, that of their relatives. When I meet an accountant do I say "funny you should mention that, I happened to have added two numbers in my head today to figure out how much money I would have left if I bought an apple." Or better yet, "oh, you're an obgyn? What a coincidence! I had a baby last year!" Ridiculous, no? So why do people seem to feel ownership of music? Just because everyone listens to it?
5. I'm getting all riled up as I type this. See? This is what happens when you have no life.
6. I find that the people that are out trying to save the world, trying to get everyone on board with their causes, are often guilty of treating the people closest to them like crap, sometimes even neglecting their children. For this reason, I am extremely suspicious and wary of advocates for any cause and don't join groups or express my views in public forums very often. I try to treat my friends and family and even strangers the way I would like to be treated and have decided that taking care of my own backyard is my small contribution to a better world.
7. Before high school, my family moved a lot while my dad bounced between being a music teacher and a lawyer so I don't have childhood friends. The friends I have made since high school, however, are very dear to me and I try very hard not to lose touch.
8. Though it was not the case in childhood, most of my friends made in adulthood are male. There are probably many "deep" reasons for this but I don't care what they are and neither should you. I generally prefer their company and conversation. Older men especially (like 10 years older, not geriatric.) Now that I'm married and living in the military/American society, I realize I will have to try harder to seek out cool females to be my friends. I am trying/will try.
9. I have no time for excuses. I don't care why you are overweight, why you behave badly, why your children behave badly, why you hate women. One of the reasons I married my husband is because he has the right to every excuse to behave badly in the book and yet he doesn't. So I did. (Marry him, that is.)
10. Back in university and then in my professional life, I took pride in always being well-attired and made-up. Spending back-breaking hours in high heels, with a viola on my back. These days, however, I am most often in gym clothes because I am most often at the gym. I hope this will change when we move to Virginia and I have more places to go besides the gym.
11. I hit puberty early so was taller than my peers until junior high. (Since 7th grade, however, most people have surpassed me as I stopped growing.) The closest thing I have to a sister is my cousin and she was always/still is little. I was often compared to her, sometimes even being referred to as a "horse," so I have HUGE size/weight/body issues. I'm constantly trying to get over them though. I guess that sounds like an excuse.
12. I am sometimes a hypocrite.
13. I brag too much about my athletic endeavours. This is for two reasons: 1. Growing up I was the worst phys ed. student. The last kid picked for a team. The only C on a report card of As. So when I discovered that I didn't totally suck at running I was both delighted and shocked. 2. I was led to believe by some natural birthing fanatics that having a c-section was the end of the world. That I would be bed-ridden, fat, and unable to do a sit-up ever again. Though I am obviously far from advocating any unnatural birthing practice, it did happen to me. So I guess I feel like I have something to prove to all of those naysayers. Like, look, yes, I was cut open, but I can still run and even win races.
14. I think my daughter is beautiful, bright, and special. But I realize I'm biased. I wish other parents/parents of students would also realize this and stop bragging about how smart/talented/awesome their kid is. I don't care and usually don't agree.
15. I think french (or any other) immersion is a great idea, in theory. Being a product myself, I have observed countless students slip through the cracks and graduate with "bilingual" diplomas while having no concept of proper grammer or a decent accent. This can only get worse as some of these same students are now teaching french immersion. (Shudder.) I think in order to teach in such a program, one's first language should be that of the "immersion."
16. Having done a semester in education, I think an education degree is the most useless and ridiculous degree out there. I find teachers to be generally quite ignorant and annoying. I am petrified of sending Nadia to school, especially in America. This is not to say they are all like this, obviously. Some are fantastic.
17. I am very opinionated and judgemental, but am trying to be less so with regards to parenting. I realize most people are doing the best they can so I try to remind myself that I don't know their situation.
18. I am the most impatient person I know.
19. I am very OC but also very lazy. This provides a nice balance I think.
20. I like a relatively neat and organized house, but not crazily so. I am not a thorough organizer as is evident my my cupboards, drawers, purses, etc..... This drives my husband nuts.
21. I have a really hard time sitting through classical recitals/concerts as I would rather be on stage. I usually leave at intermisison.
22. My biggest pet peeve is when people, especially supposedly educated people, use apostrophes, ie.the possessive, when they mean to pluralize. Argh.
23. I am a night-owl, but pregnancy and baby-rearing have curbed this instinct for the time being.
24. I hate being pregnant but may do it again for Nadia's sake, so she is not an only child.
25. I had many dreams before Nadia was born that she would come out 5-10 years old, as well as dreams in which I forgot to feed her. In many ways, both of these came true. Because of the former, I think I often expect too much of her.
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