What would you do??

Today was a busy day.
My boys had six different places to be, all at different times.
It was just one of those days.

Someone said to me in passing, "What would you do with yourself if you didn't have to drive your kids all over the place? "

Hmmmmmm.........
What would I do?

1. Read a good book.
2. Have a nap on the weekend in front of a fire.
3. Cook a great meal.
4. Entertain.
5. Go out for coffee with some friends.
6. Go out for dinner with my husband.
7. Go see a movie.
8. Go for a walk.
9. Go skating on an outdoor rink.
10. Sit by the lake and think.
11. Write a letter or a card to an old friend.
12. Organize my photos.
13. Daydream.
14. Visit family.
15. Learn to work a good camera.
16. Take a course.
17. Write.
18. Work in my gardens.
19. Play cards and games.
20. Play the piano.
21. Do a puzzle
...... I'll stop there but the list is endless.

Don't get me wrong.
I love what I do (most of the time) and I'm in no hurry for my boys not to need me.
But when they are ready, I'll be ready too.

Believe me, I won't be bored!

Speed Up!!!

Have you ever noticed that the more of a hurry you are in, the slower --people-- drive?
Is it just me?

Need to cross the city in a hurry?
The person in front of you leaves the length of a football field between themself and the car in front of them!
Try changing lanes to get around them?
They speed up! Just-to-piss-you-off!

Trying to make the light before it changes?? ..... because, as I mentioned, I'm in a hurry!
The person ahead of you slows down to admire the shade of yellow!

Trying to fly through the side streets?
Who goes 30 km in a 50km zone??
Only the person in front of me!!

Stopped yet again by a school bus with it's lights flashing??
In my day we walked to school!!
Get out of my way!
Don't even get me started on school bus stop mothers and their driving habits, or worse yet, school parking lot mothers in big SUV's that they can't drive!!!!

I know what you are thinking....slow down, relax, better safe then sorry, you'll arrive alive!
I know you, you're the one in front of me, slowing me down!
BEEP!! Speed up!

Car Wash

I took my van through the car wash yesterday.
It was so much fun!

The anticipation of the water first hitting your car.
Leaning into the centre of the van as the rollers go spinning past your window.
Watching in the rear view as they go across the back of the van.
The whole sudsy, bubbly soap stage.
The anxiety at the idea of being trapped in the middle of the car wash!
Imagining that I am being attacked by a giant octopus when those tentacles go slurping up my windshield!
The spray of the rinse cycle.
Forecasting like Anderson Cooper in hurricane force winds as I dry out.

Did I mention I was alone in the car without my kids?

Help!! I'm a child trapped in an adults body!!

Toilet Talk

Now there's a title that catches your attention!
If you were looking for new phrases or words to add to your potty mouth repetoire, move on.
This blog is covering a much more serious topic.


Toilet talk.
Talking stall to stall.
Is there an etiquette guide?
What's acceptable??


Scenario 1: If two women friends walk into separate stalls mid conversation, is it OK for the conversation to continue?
Should it be put on hold until business is concluded?


Scenario 2: If you are in a stall and you see through the door crack a friend enter the stall next door (sometimes this happens through shoe recognition) is it OK to strike up a conversation?
Is it OK to do it with a friend? Family member? Colleague?

Scenario 3: Business is slow. Can you strike up a conversation with the total stranger in the stall next door?


I thought about it today, and yes, I thought about it while in a stall!
What can I say? I was lonely, starved for conversation and having random thoughts.
I need to know the rules before people start fleeing the washrooms whenever I sit down and speak up!


Toilet help please!!
.... and while I have your attention, I'm out of toilet paper can you pass some under??

Guilt

It's another New Year resolution.
I'm not going to do 'Guilt' anymore.
I do 'Guilt' like a Catholic Irish grandmother.

Haven't blogged for a week...no Guilt.
Forgot to return a call....no Guilt.
Didn't serve vegetables at dinner.....no Guilt.
Should have said one thing instead of the first thing that came to mind....no Guilt.
Was really cranky with my kids.........

OK, I'm working on it.
Baby steps right??

Flour

I received a cookbook for Christmas.
Truth be told, I bought it , gave it to my husband and said "Please give me this".
It's a system that works for us.
What cookbook? More on that later....

Anyhow, as a New Year's resolution, I decided to try new recipes.
In my case....try using a recipe.
Typically, in my house, food comes out of a box.

So, I picked a dessert... Blackberry Cobbler
It had about 5 ingredients....just keepin' it simple to start!!
However, I was stumped.
Self Rising Flour???

I checked the bag under my counter....all-purpose.
I read all the words on the all purpose flour bag, not a word about self rising.
I panicked and phoned a friend who bakes.
She checked her flours...all-purpose, best for bread, wheat....no self rising.
She couldn't help but offered to phone her mom.
I got smart and checked through the recipe book to see if there was a difference.
There was, most recipes called for all-purpose, this one called for self rising.
Of all the recipes, I had to get a fancy one!
No dessert for us!

Next day, the grocery store.
Flour...who knew there were so many varieties?
All-purpose, wheat, pastry, rice, spelt...who cares how it's spelt HAHAHA!
And then I saw it-Brodie XXX self raising flour.
(bright light, heavenly music....music grinds to a jarring stop!!)
XXX?? Pornographic flour?? I just want to cook with it! Seriously!

What makes it special?
It is premixed with the right amount of baking powder and salt and saves time required to measure and mix in these important ingredients.....
I have salt and baking powder at home, I could have coped with two more ingredients!
But nooooo! I had to buy the expensive, fancy-schmancy, premixed, self rising flour for my fancy dessert (with five ingredients)!

Fast forward the story...I measured, I mixed, I baked, it rose (all by itself!), I served, we ate....
Delicious!
New Year's Resolution resolved.
Pan....still in the sink!

I'm Back!!

After 4 months of silence, I've decided to come back!
(....the audience goes wild, I can tell you've all been waiting!)
Waiting? Waiting for what?
If someone knows, please tell me.

Let's talk about the past.
I started this blog as an online summer school course, exploring the realm of Web 2.0.
Each week I wrote about a new Web2.0 application that we were exploring.
(...Oh? says someone in the audience, Is that what all that rambling was about?)

Thanks for reading...to those of you who actually ever did!
Actually, I did this for the assignment not the audience.

But now, now what?
Let's roll with it and see where my ramblings takes me.
If nothing else, I'll babble on and make myself happy without bothering anyone.

It's working.....
I'm smiling already!!