Teddy Bear Toss Marlies Dec 18 2010

In the Box

For being a season ticket holder for the Toronto Marlies I got to invite a bunch of friends to enjoy a game in one of the suites in the Ricoh Centre. We watched the game, chatted non stop, drank, ate and screamed for the Marlies. The service was amazing. Quinton had figured out that the server was like room service and all you had to do was ask for something. He started off by asking for a drink and a hot dog. I had timed getting the food served an hour into the game but the host seeing Quinton's need for food had the sausages sent up early. We got to see the game from a different view than our regular seats and that was fun. Dan & Bill bought a round of chips and popcorn as well as a round of drinks. I did a stupid dance and hopefully David will be kind enough to erase it off his camera. What an exhilarating night.

Closing the Cottage

Windy, cold and cloudy until the day we left. That was very typical of the cottage season this year. My favourite part, sitting on the swing reading a book and looking at the lake. Least favourite black flies. No explanation needed. This weekend Kevin helped with pulling up the dock. It was nice to have the extra person to get this done. We tried a bit of tarring of the second cabins roof edge but it was so windy we couldn't get much done. In fact the thin tar left a splatter of drops all over my face. I thought I had got dirt or dust in my eye when in fact there was tar on my eyelid. Dad scrambled to get the boat before it floated away. The boat kept getting hit by waves and by the morning it was swamped. I'm hoping that I will be able to get up one more time in November and just savour the weekend.

Things that happen at the cottage

I talked to a person who has a home on the lake where our cottage is and we chatted about things we liked about being up north. One of the things was making toast on the stove. It's better than a toaster, just tastes better. I decided to show a picture of my stove toaster. All was going well, I balanced the camera while posing the bread. Just by my fingers is the ring that closes the toaster. It should be right up against the base of toaster. It's not. The next picture would have shown one slice on the floor except I was too busy swearing.

Fixing the roof made all the ladders multiply. They had to do it because to make me feel safe. I needed this safety in numbers while balancing on small bars of metal or wood. Nothing less would do.

Finally, there was a pillow that Dad hung up on the clothes line. We kind of forgot about it for a week or so. Rediscovering it this weekend there is an interesting couple of stains on it. No religious figures more like a mouse? warthog? frog? with a lady in a large dress. You decide

Energy sucking Work or Relaxing Cottage

Sometimes you plod through the day working on each little project or problem and at the end of the day your tired but you've accomplished something. Other times you do the exact same thing and each project or problem leads into a new set of things that must get done somewhat immediately. Today was a mixture of both. I got work done but it didn't lessen the pile of work at all. When I got home all I wanted to do is sleep. There is one person that even when they are not at work they are draining my life force. It isn't that I dread dealing with this person it is just so tiring. Yes, there is a bit of burnout, yes there is the rut of dealing with the same problems. Solutions ... winning the lotto would help.

The Meeting

Imagine back to back meetings where you have only a small part in and you are working on your laptop and it's a Friday and you only had a cup of tea in the morning. Both meetings were interesting and I followed each without a problem, it was the project I was working on during the meeting. At one point I stared at the screen just thinking how I would work out the database. I must have had the blank chicken stare going on for quite a while, I wasn't listening to the meeting and there was the horrible moment that I could have drooled, had my mouth hanging and I wouldn't have noticed. Deep, Deep in thought ... or looking like a sleep deprived fool.

Windy at Redstone Lake

Trees that Fall

A quick trip to the cottage to see if there was any damage from the latest storm and a quick getaway from work. We had hot and buggy days. There is a huge amount of ticks, never saw a tick ever at the cottage and they were everywhere. The shower tent was crawling with the little bugs, thankfully only on the outside. All my homemade deer fly traps didn't work. I will devise an evil contraption that will not only attract but make those flying biting machines stick to it and die. I have the tools and they will die.

Flying a Kite

BBQing in the Rain

Note the boots, rain jacket and sweats. It's cottage time. Hurray!!! Nothing will stop the cottaging. We had a half & half day each day up there. Clouds with some sun. In the midst of BBQing lunch I decided to bail out the boat. There was enough rain that it definitely needed a bail out. I trot down to the dock in my bright green mosquito rain boots, jump in and start scooping water out of the boat. Nearly finish I move to the very back of the boat to put some more weight there so it would be easier to bail. At one point I discovered that I kicked the plug out of the boat and it was filling back up.

Side note, the roof still leaks, the 2 cabins leak, the dog smells like an old rag and I didn't have any calls from work (or so I thought).

The Butterfly and the Rain

I don't know if this story has a moral to it but here goes. I had to take Lincoln out to do his "business". It was drizzling and late at night. Armed with my flashlight I escorted him to the backyard and along the path I spotted a beautiful butterfly. Lincoln continues on towards his pooping spot at the far end of the yard while I look at this poor half drowned butterfly. I decided to save it. I carefully let it crawl into my cupped palms and I shelter it from any more rain. There is a cedar tree by the house and I went over to it, looked to find a suitable dry spot to set down this delicate butterfly. Satisfied that it had shelter from the rain and that it would survive I look at my handiwork and am well pleased. Just then Lincoln walks by me and heads towards the house. We get in the house and I smell a foul garbage fart odor. Dreading the thought of bring him back out to have a poop I figure I'll wait it out, maybe it was nothing. Lincoln walks into the carpeted living room when I mention the fart smell. At this point it would have been a lovely way to end the story but when I was going to the basement I noticed a poop footprint. Grisly details of cleaning it and him up and my wonderful butterfly story ends up with a poop ending.

Dino Eggs, Grass Stains and Chocolate Cake

Quinton kept up a steady "Can we start my birthday now". Distractions included taking pictures outside in the backyard. We made note of all the green in the patio set, my clothes and Quinton's grass stains. Finally, when the birthday started it was all business. He really enjoyed the gifts, cake and all the fuss. Quinton has a photo face he puts on, very stern for most snaps. He does like posing with his sunglasses.

Now about the Dino Egg. Quinton was sure that it was real and had moved, even peeped. He hoped that it was a triceratops as it probably wouldn't eat them. To be a kid with an amazing imagination.

The Sun has warmed the Land Once Again

The world has been too busy for me. I see a pile of papers that must be dealt with, a messy room that needs spring cleaning or just plain cleaning and I waste my time on the Internet or the Xbox to avoid dealing with anything. Working 12 days straight without a break, being on call, and attending so many meetings that it's hard to separate them all in my head. I am bleeding coffee which is apparently not a good thing. Although, I am good at killing on the Xbox and finding weird sites on the Internet. Obligations, situations. I don't want to analyze myself and I don't want to figure out people and their motives. I did find real funny blog that made me laugh out tears.

On the bright side the flowers are out, colour is all around, the squirrels are being chased. We hardly had a winter here at all. I even went out in slippers on occasion midwinter when taking the dog out to do his business. He's a great accountant.

Me & Dad put together the new patio set. I imagine myself sitting out in the backyard with the laptop working from home. Actually being outside getting some sun. Last year someone told me that they could not believe how white I was. I just need a little colour to take me from a zombie white to a nice pasty white. Maybe I will post pictures of my legs slowly taking on colour.

Skating at Harbourfront with Surprise Collision

Hidden camera - Snake in Mall

The Birthdays

Was Mom thrilled with her birthday gift? Don't know. Was Dad ... he had a smile on his face.

Quinton's First Time Skating - at the "Rink at the Brink"