Happenings

Whew. What a week. To start with the hot tub was even more trouble than I realized when I wrote before. When I was cleaning it I noted that it only seemed luke-warm. Odd, I thought but maybe someone played with the temperature settings (ie: Husband who likes things way less warm than wife likes) and as our display panel is fubarred there is no way to really tell the actual setting right now. Well I refilled the tub and turned it back on and after a few hours it was still frigid. Then I noticed there was no circulation. Then I freaked out as I had a freezing hot tub in Northern Alberta in the winter that was doomed to freeze up and be ruined. Poor husband came home to this frenzy. He managed to get the motor started again and it ran long enough that the water heated and I bought a pump the next day. It's just one more thing that seems to be breaking around here. He's also managed to fix the dryer, get to Peace River to pick up my winter tires, and get them studded for me. Seriously, how I ever functioned before being married is a mystery. I guess I rented everything and took public transportation. Add onto all this a long week of sanding at work and I am not ashamed to admit I went to bed at 9pm last night. I just keep wondering what's next... I trust none of my appliances or electronics at the moment. One of them is bound to betray me.

Going back to the studded tires, I debated this back and forth for days. I've never personally driven studded tires, but I have had dedicated winter tires before and absolutely love them compared to all seasons. I researched online and no one seems to be able to come to a consensus on them. Even the tests are questionable. It all seems to be personal preference and a slight trade off with studs being better on ice and compressed snow and just winter rubber being better on dry asphalt and quieter. Most people said they were over kill for city driving as only about 5% of the time will you encounter pure ice on the roads. However as one person put it, side air bags may be over kill but in the rare instances you need them they are there and can save your life. So if for a very reasonable price ($26 a tire) you can improve your traction in situations where you do drive on ice and keep better control over your $30K investment, why not? Sold. I figure the two places I am most likely to have issues are the parking lot at work - no drainage and pure ice, and the road to my house - plowed maybe twice a year and are an icy rutted mess, those studs will come in handy. Plus as one person commented the noise is a lot like the sound of frying bacon, and who wouldn't want to hear bacon every day for 6 months? They go on the car tomorrow, I will let you know how I like them.

Today I shopped downtown with my friend and her almost 3 year old. I love down town, especially for Christmas shopping, because the stores have such a unique selection. However bringing a small child with you is treacherous. They grow about 6 arms and swing them around the entire time and suddenly everything in the store seems to be fragile and about $50 or more. Eeep! At least in Walmart you can casually walk away from a smashed tea pot and not feel guilty. But overall she was very well behaved. Still it was exhausting, even getting in and out of the vehicle is a task requiring 3 hands and an extra set of eyes (especially down town where it is parallel parking!). I will never take for granted just how easy it is for me to run to the store and grab a few things and be done and home before the mom version of myself would even have the darn car seat buckle figured out. I managed to buy a few small gifts but wasn't really inspired beyond that. I am in an unusual position this year as I have no idea what to get anyone. I should have been busy making a bunch of stuff but somehow didn't get around to it and now it's really too late for major projects. I really need gifts too, so I can do my most favorite activity of the holiday season - wrap presents!

What else... hair has been dyed and I love the color - a dark brown with some red tones. I also plucked the eyebrows back into submission. I don't understand how those darn things grow so fast, it's really a mystery to me. You'd think after 15 or so years they'd get the point and just stop growing. Also I went through my wardrobe and realized I have no idea what to wear to upcoming Christmas parties. It's crunch time, Derek's is next weekend and so I might have to shop for a shirt tomorrow, despite my resistance to shopping on Remembrance Day. I guess that's how it goes, one person then another rationalizes small purchases on the day then next thing you know it's just another shopping day. Which relates back to why it's not a holiday like other stats, it's not all about getting a day off to relax, really the moment that counts is where you are and what you are thinking about at 11am. I debated doing the indoor ceremony this year but something about standing in the cold, just a tiny sacrifice of my own personal comfort, feels more authentic.

Sucky Sunday Post

I feel like I am having a very unproductive weekend. Even with the extra hour (which means I am here eating lunch at 2pm instead of 3pm, which is slightly better I guess) I feel like there is just not enough time to get everything I wanted done, done. I have no idea what happened to yesterday. The big mistake was probably switching on Netflix for some background entertainment. I love documentaries, and I can usually watch and still clean, fold laundry, etc. Somehow I got through three documentaries yesterday. I barely got through the laundry folding from last week. The house is still a disaster. I had supper ready by say 7pm. Today I've tried to do better. I immediately washed and hung up some clothes (dryer parts may be here this week?). I filled and turned on the dishwasher, wiped the counters, stacked the hand wash dishes for later washing. I tried to buy some Xmas gifts online, most of what I wanted was out of stock, but I tried. Then the big task of the day, draining and refilling the hot tub. It was supposed to be around +8C today but we've only got to +3C. It's raining and grey and just not fun out, but it's not freezing, and looking ahead at the forecast it's probably the last day to do it. So I am out there in the gross feeding the hose under the deck getting muddy, cut open my knuckles on who knows what and I'm washing the sides down in the rain. Hot tubs are still better than kids, but this one sure took a lot out of me today. Winter came out of the blue this year, one week of fall like weather and then mother nature hit us with a week of snow, freezing rain, and even a -30C morning in there for extra fun.

So anyway, all this work and I feel like I am neglecting the important superficial tasks for yet another day. I love having a job that requires no makeup or other morning prep beyond deodorant and a ponytail. The downside is when I get to the weekend and seeing myself in a mirror I realize my eyebrows have grown into fuzzy caterpillars and there is way more grey poking thru in my hair than what I can rationalize looks like "highlights". But I just don't have time, my kid, I mean hot tub, needs me more. I am squeezing this blog in while she is "napping" and slowly draining into the basement sink. But you just can't beat that quality time we will get in later.

Lackluster blog, I know, but it's one more thing checked off the to do list...