Let the Great Experiment Begin!
11 Jan 2012 Comments Off
The time has come once more for this nomad to move along, this time from snowy cold to the greener pastures of California. The move is planned for next month, when we’ll say farewell to Montreal and embark on the next phase of our lives in sunny Davis.
As I pack up our treasures, I’ve been rediscovering items that were never unpacked when we arrived. We’ve been cleaning out closets and drawers, selling and giving away as much as we can. It’s refreshing to discover that we actually have so few possessions that we will only require the “2 bedroom apartment” sized container on the moving truck. There’s nothing like a fresh start.
I can’t wait to start enjoying the fresh fruit and veg, the warm climate, the friendly and relaxed nature of the west. Best of all, as long as the visa paperwork goes through, I get to keep my job! In my mind, I’m already there – I just don’t have a house yet.
Note to Self
26 Jun 2011 Comments Off
Dear 16-Year-Old Me,
Now that I’ve been around the block a couple of times, there are some things I’ve been wanting to tell you, things I’ve learned about you and me that would have come in handy back when I was you. Hindsight being 20-20 and all that, there are a few things we did that were pretty stupid, but also things that set us in motion to be the person we are today.
First, learn to suppress and control emotion now and you will be set for your future as a robot.
Second, you really need to stand up for yourself. When you see something is wrong, or have an opinion, say it. Don’t worry about what people might think of you, just be straight up. In your future, you get pretty good at making people laugh by making fun of yourself, and you might think that would be a pretty dumb thing to do in a crowd of your peers who feed on the weakness of others, but trust me, it’s better than living in the fear of being disliked as yourself.
Third, you are good at some things and not others. You’re a perfectionist and you think you need to master everything you try, but you don’t. There are some things you just can’t do well, but your not being a Mathemagician won’t cause the apocalypse. I’m not saying give up on Math, but there’s no need to feel like a failure when you just can’t get it. However, be advised that you have no hope of improving your atrocious kitchen skills. Give up on that side project immediately and the whole world will be better off.
Fourth. In the future, when you have a chance to do something crazy that will change your life, take it. Don’t worry about what other people want you to do with your future, and don’t set huge goals containing loads of Math that you may not be able to achieve. You already know what you want, you just don’t know it yet.
Finally, though you might be mocked as Giraffe Girl now, being Giraffe Girl somehow becomes a real asset in the future. But fair warning: you will always have the same trouble finding pants long enough for your spindly legs.
Revenge of the Skunks
05 Jun 2011 Comments Off
Even with obsessive care, our lawn would never be the most aesthetically appealing lawn in the neighborhood. Last year it was infested with the infamous White Grubs, and now sports the pitted scars left by scavenging skunks, who unceremoniously dug at the earth, rolling the sod into sad mounds of death. We waged war on the skunks; I’d googled an article on how to deter them by half-filling 2 litre pop bottles with water and leaving them strewn over the lawn in the darkness to appear as though Other Skunks had claimed the territory. This was an ultimate failure, as the skunks ignored them completely. We resorted to launching the pop bottles like giant water grenades through the air at toward the skunks when they appeared in the dead of night, who reacted appropriately by raising their tails and toddling away under the neighbor’s porch. But they had their revenge later that summer, lurking outside the front door one evening to attack our poor dog when she went out to urinate. Luckily, our dog was very tall and didn’t get stung in the eyes; the majority of the scent bomb hit her squarely in the chest, ruining her leather collar. Try as we might, we couldn’t get rid of the smell. Our entire house smelled like a skunk lived there. The skunks then proceeded to move in under our back shed, and have a family. No one was safe after that.
But, those were good times. The thrill of fear each time we let the dog out, the times we had to wait inside the car until the skunk decided to wander far enough away that we could make a dash for the door, the warning scent close in our neighborhood making us wonder if perhaps it was our neighbor’s annoying poodle that was the unwitting victim. Our huge corner lot of lawn is now so riddled with lumps that we pretty much need a mower with offroad capabilities. There is a decided lack of mowing needed, because most of the grass died in the Great Skunk Wars, turning our sad chore into an odd kind of victory.
