Insatiable

Meg Cabot is well known for writing the Princess Diaries series of books geared towards teens/tweens. She also has written a number of adult fiction books. None of it has been particularly popular, at least not in comparison to her teen fiction. But now she has also jumped on the vampire bandwagon that seems to have swept through our entire culture.

I must admit to being a fan of the whole vampire lore. It started with Dracula, which I read when I was far too young to deal with the book, and has been fed steadily in the past three years with the glut of vampire books currently being pumped out by authors and publishers.

I have read the Twilight series, and admit to enjoying it quite a bit. In fact, I really enjoyed the growth of the characters in the books as they matured through adolescence and into adulthood. I was very pleased with the strength that Bella developed as a woman by the end of the series, which made up for her Juliet-type sighs that made me want to barf my way through the first book. So far, I have not found the movies to come close to the books in dealing with character development or providing adequate background details (not that many movies ever do). But that is a topic for another post.

Meg Cabot has now joined the vampire club. This afternoon I finished her lastest book, Insatiable. I really enjoyed it. It's light, at least as light as a book with this subject can be, and has a protagonist that I like. I am not a fan of the damsel-in-distress who needs to be rescued. I prefer my protagonists to have some strength of their own; taking delight in their battles to deal with the less-than-perfect situations in which they find themselves. Insatiable's protagonist is a girl I enjoy reading about. She doesn't wait around for a man to fix things. And, after years wasted reading happily-ever-after fairy tales, I really enjoyed the not quite perfect ending which set us up nicely for a sequel. I think that this is a series I will look for in the future.

Jungle Walk

The kids and I went for a walk in the bush this afternoon. If felt like a walk in the jungle. The underbrush is incredibly thick and lush. The sweat pea plants creep and crawl, snagging little feet. The ferns are taller than Jo, whose head occasionally got lost in the leaves. The good thing is that the bush is too thick back there for poison ivy to grow (not enough sun filtering through the branches) so we didn't have to worry about that. It was quite an adventure for the hikers under 3 feet tall. They felt like real explorers.

About 15 feet down the trail we were dive bombed by bugs. Those mosquitoes behaved as if they hadn't had a good meal in days. Despite our coating of bug spray and layers of fleece - the weather is quite chilly today- they had a good snack on us. Our foreheads are peppered with swollen dots where they got us.

We wrestled our way out of the bush at the end of the driveway and climbed over the hill. On our side of the hill there is a lovely miniature river winding a canyon down the driveway. This is thanks to the regular rainstorms we have been having several nights a week. It is just perfect for floating leaf boats down and watching them shoot the rapids. That kept us busy until the bug bites got too itchy to ignore anymore.

After our dose of "fresh air" we were quite happy to come in the house for clean pants (Jo) and a snack of our own to help replace all the blood we lost on the trail.

Re-Entry

June is a wonderful and horrible month at our house. Re-entry into full-time family life at the end of the school year is a big change. This year LK and I have both been using adrenaline and determination for the past six weeks of school to get everything done each day. So the past week has been a big adjustment.

I am pretty amazed with how well it has gone. While we would both love the Sprouts to sleep in until 8:30 and play nicely together without bickering for hours, that just isn't going to happen. And that's okay.

What we do have is days like yesterday. And they are really good days.

We puttered around in the morning and packed a picnic with peanut butter sandwiches - if you are a teacher or have kids in school, you know that peanut butter sandwiches are now extinct in schools - which are a weekend or holiday treat. We loaded everyone up with hats and sunscreen and moseyed into town.

We started with our picnic down at the harbour front. That was filled with watching float-planes take off and land and people-watching as summer folk wandered around. Enjoyable for all.

Keewatin was the next stop for some time at the travelling carnival that was here this weekend. It wasn't quiet as enjoyable as lunch. The Sprouts are really too small for most of the rides, and we have adjusted to a lot less ambient noise in life, so the music was really loud. But several rides were enjoyed (and one stopped for Jo, who was too scared to stay on).

Then we had ice cream together. Ice cream is always good. No matter where, when or with whom.

The Railway Museum was open, and so we went in and had a look around. It was a model railroader's dream. The downstairs was a model railway that had pieces of the CN line from across Canada set up throughout. The kids loved watching the trains go around. We got a personal tour guided by a retired CN railroader and his wife. The upstairs was filled with relics of the railway experience in Canada over the past hundred years.

Last we returned to the harbour front for a celebration of multiculturalism that brought back good memories of similar festivals in Toronto. This was Fi's favourite part of the day; filled with music and dancing from Thailand, Spain, the Ukraine, and Metis jigging. Plus, there were perogie and kielbasa for supper! It felt like being in my grandmother's kitchen.

Exhausted, but with big smiles, we all piled into the car hours after Jo's bedtime and rolled home.

Today we recover inside watching the rain pour down outside.

Days like yesterday are the epitome of summertime for me. Moments of serendipitous discovery in the world around us and yummy food. I hope the rest of the summer is just as enjoyable.

Be The Change

I just got off the phone with my Dad; our annual Father's Day conversation. Not to say that it is our only conversation in a year, but he is not exactly a big phone talker. When we do talk it is usually long and intense. Topics covered are often heavy and political. This is something that I love about my dad. Although our discussions often push all my buttons and get me all worked up, I love the dialogue.

Today our conversation covered, among other topics, the recently finished Truth and Reconciliation events in Winnipeg. My dad is frustrated by the appearance of addressing the systematic decimation of a culture without a change in the daily interactions between government and First Nations peoples.

Truthfully I don't follow the news much- generally I find it depressing and am discouraged by the brokenness in the world around me. For a species blessed with the ability to learn from our mistakes and the potential for incredible creativity and kindness, we are wracked by constant violence and misery. Seeing the planet-wide scope of it played out in the news daily is not good for my headspace. The day to day reality of that in my own sphere of existence is enough to cope with much of the time.

Anyway, we discussed the issue of the inequality between the bulk of Canadians who live our version of the American dream and our First Nations. We mourned the horrible history of Canada's government with First Nations and wrestled with the issues that history has left in our collective laps today; generations of adults with no connection to their own culture, unable to parent their own children well, hurting others out of their own hurt; a cycle that is carried through generations.

And yet there are many who rise above those hurts and that history to put their energies into building a new future.

There are parents and elders who fight for education for their children. There are aunties and uncles who protest faithfully against broken promises. There are grandparents who take the government to court to insist on justice. There are leaders who fearlessly insist in a higher standard in daily life and work because we are here for the next generation, not for ourselves.

My only answer to anyone's frustrations in a situation where there is injustice or wrong is to be the change that you want to see in the world. Look to those who are already stepping up and insisting that we as a nation be in action what we preach in word to the rest of the world.

So, what can you do about those issues that plague you? How can you be the change in your own sphere of influence? Write letters to prod the conscience of politicians; they are in office to serve. Share your own wealth with those who are without; there will always be someone who has less than you do. Find some person or place that can be helped or healed by your skills and talents and share them freely.

Find a way to be the change that will make this world better. Because if you and I don't, who will?

Official Summer Holidays

'Tis the season of teacher bliss.

No matter how much we love our students and our jobs; we really, really love summer. We can slow down, sleep for 8 whole hours a night, putter on all sorts of projects (both professional and personal), and sleep in past 6am! All things are that there just isn't enough time for during the school year.

Plus, you can do it all on the beach. Yummm.

So, our first weekend of the summer and we didn't sleep in, as we have Sprout who doesn't recognize holidays and arises by 6am every morning regardless. He is full of cheer at that hour, unlike his mama, and ready to party- or eat copious amounts of cereal and watch tv (Fireman Sam is the top choice right now).

The Alarm Clock has a very loving papa whole faithfully gets up with him just about every morning by 6am, pours cereal, turns on the DVD player, and then - if he is very lucky- has a few minutes of quite to enjoy reading his online news and sipping a coffee.

The bigger Sprout is much more like her mama- sleeping until the last possible minute, when she is dragged out of bed with much protesting and moaning about how much she needs to stretch. I swear I can hear echoes of my own voice through time.

Anyway, this summer promises to be rich with time together, beautiful weather (no rainy season allowed!), and visits with loved ones. We are already counting down to our southern adventure, which Fi considers our real holidays.

Pretend or real, I am glad to be able to end this year. It was long, challenging, and very busy. I am deeply in need of some time to gather my fractured mind thoughts before I am fit company for man or beast.

10K Day

Warning: This post is not for the faint of heart or squeamish. If you suffer from either, skip this one. Remember, I warned you.

Today was 10K Day for the Running Goddess and I. Although we are both completely exhausted and at the very end of the marathon called a school year, we were determined to finish our training of the past 3 months together and run the whole shebang. And we did.

But not without incident.

It all started when I decided that a few more minutes of sleep was more important than getting ready without a rush. Running Lesson # 1: proper preparation for an important run is essential. More essential than that extra sleep.

I skipped my pre-run BM. Runners, you know where this is headed. Didn't I warn you that this wasn't for the faint of heart?

As I walked out the door I thought for a second about asking the Goddess to be patient while I went back to take care of business. I really should have. Hindsight 20/20.

As we launched into the run I realized that my body just needed a few more minutes and was now ready for that BM. However, we were already out on the road and turning back just seemed silly. There was also a bit of embarrassment on my part that I could be so dumb. So I just waited. Running Lesson # 2: Don't be embarrassed, be honest.

The run stopped being fun about 20 minutes in. Now it was just a long countdown to the inevitable dash off the road, into the bushes and hunt for non-poison ivy leaves large enough to get decently cleaned up. Running Lesson # 3: A pack with basic essentials (TP, hand sanitizer, and of course water) can be a real boon on a long run.

I lasted until the 40 minute mark. Quite a feat of endurance. Poor Goddess had to endure my agony second hand as I debated how much longer I could last; not exactly fun run conversation. Yeesh, I wonder if she'll ever want to run with me again?

So, I did the potty dash and was immensely relieved. Since we have had a fair bit of rain this week, the grasses were all quite damp, and gave a reasonable attempt at a hand wash. As I prepared to get back on the road, the dog that has been an occasional running companion this spring decided to check out what I was up to.

He/she took one sniff and ATE IT ALL! I warned you, didn't I? It was by far the grossest thing I have ever seen.

The entire way home we kept being shocked anew. I knew that they will eat their own vomit. But poop!?!?!? YUCK!!

So, my first 10K will be seared forever in my memory not because of race swag (which there was none, since it wasn't an official race) or the fabulous scenery (which there was, but we have run most of it 3x a week for 3 months), but because of a dog and a BM. And I am really rethinking dogs as pets.

Please do not direct complaints about content to the author. You were fairly warned. Life Lesson: Warnings are not there just to look pretty.

Overheard from the Backseat

On our weekly trips to town a wide variety of interesting conversations unfold in our little Subaru. Those conversations revolve around plans for errands and daily life chores, problem solving for classroom issues and other work-related dialogue, or mediating conflicts in the backseat and distracting carsick kiddos.

Yesterday there were the usual backseat squabbles, which LK and I had little patience for. So we suggested that instead of bickering over who was right and mope about toys and books left at home (that were supposed to be packed to play with or read in the car) they look out the windows and watch for critters.

This conversation followed.

Fi: I see a bird.

Jo: Yup, I see a bird too!

Fi: I see a turtle.

Jo: I see a bear.

Fi looks askance at her brother. She can't see his bear anywhere.

Jo: I see a bunny.

More looks at the boy who appears to be telling lies.

Jo: I see a dog.

Fi: I see a deer.

Jo: I see a polar bear.

Right, a polar bear. Fi just snorts at him and ignores him.

I think this may be a trend. Jo has a wildly active imagination (which Fi only plays along with when she deems it appropriate) and little concept of truth yet. Everything is a game to him. When his antics garner a laugh, it's like a fire is lit inside him and he starts trying to think up ways to get more laughs.

My own little class clown is born.

10K, Busting Not an Option

The Running Goddess and I have been training for a 10K over the past 10 weeks. At the risk of sounding less than humble, I must say that we are an awesome team. We have faithfully trained at 5:15 am (yes, my friends who know that I am not exactly an early bird, that is AM) three days a week for the past ten weeks. We are now five runs away from our goal. We have only missed three training sessions, and none of them due to sleeping in; illness or injury only. And we made up two of those.

I used to run alone when I started way back in Toronto. I hated every step, but knew that it was essential to getting health and losing all the weight I put on living a workaholic/couch potato lifestyle. I didn't take it really seriously. Sometimes I sort of enjoyed myself, but mostly I endured the pain for the efficient cardio workout that it provided.

Last spring I muddled through a 5K training program. I repeated runs/training weeks often, afraid to move forward to running a whole 30 minutes without stopping. It wasn't until the summer when we were visiting family that I could let go of the watch and let LK push me to just go for it.

That made all the difference. Suddenly I felt like a real runner rather than a plodder. I could get my body moving for 30 minutes! After a lifetime of feeling like a complete non-athlete, it was life changing. I was finally an athlete.

Not a professional athlete by any means, but an athlete all the same.

Then I got sick in the fall and lost it all. I went from striving to reach a new goal of 40 minute runs to thankful I could talk and breathe without fits of coughing that lasted minutes. The craziness of two teachers working, living, and mentoring together hit (which we still have not recovered from) and sealed the coffin on the gains I made last spring and summer.

Then in January, the Goddess and I started skiing home from school a couple of days a week. We loved the social time we got, felt fabulous after a 40 minute ski across the lakes, and were really de-stressed from work on our ski-days. As the ski season drew to a premature close this year we were sad to let go of those benefits. So we started to run together.

10 weeks later, here we are. We both are amazed at how far we have come. I have reached a level of cardio fitness that I have never had in my life. I am determined that this time nothing will destroy what we have worked so hard to build.

Tomorrow is my 37th birthday. I am taking some stock as 40 seems very close. Do I need to show myself that I am not old by setting a BEHAG goal for 40? Right now I feel like I can do almost anything I set my mind to.

So, I am dreaming and wondering... marathon, triathlon, or something completely different?