Curiosity did not kill that cat - I guarantee it

So I love my new kitchen, I really do. BUT.

(There's always a but, isn't there???)

I have learned the hard way that no matter how ORGANIZED you are, you MUST be hyper curious and double check everything. And I mean even the stuff that just seems 'duh'-like. For example. The granite installers came this morning, then said...did you know that you were supposed to put the support beams in for the suspended granite section of your kitchen nook? (Well, they kinda said that, but in broken english and some french - a Quebec company...) Nope. Didn't know that. Apparently neither did Home Depot realize. It was on the installation notes, but apparently this company won't do this. So. Did I confirm, and or think to ask if they knew for sure that this company would take care of this 'little' step? Nope.

Thankfully, we got it resolved within the day, but.

and there's always a but,

I am ever so slightly disappointed with the depth of my new added nook. the granite is EXTREMELY skinny. So much so that a full size plate won't fit on it. It LOOKS great, and from the design makes sense, but, uh, it doesn't function quite as much as I want it to, but AGAIN....I didn't think to ever ask the question - just how thick will this be? And since it wasn't on any of the cabinet design forms, it was really the granite measurement guy that I need to ask, and of course, I didn't. Should he have discussed it with me? Maybe, but then again, they also should have confirmed with me that they expected me to get the counter supports in before they arrived too....!

so yeah...that cat, if it was curious, was brilliant, and got the PERFECT kitchen, without flaws or hiccups. That, I guarantee.

Life gets real

Ya know, life's been good to me. And for many many years, I sailed through year after year with only mild upsets, occasional itty bitty challenges, and some tears of disappointment. I'm starting to realize that this reality I previously enjoyed is a bit less balanced than most people's reality. Not to be too morbid, but jeez - there is a lot of sorrow, a lot of bitter disappointment, and a massive amount of pain and anguish swirling around, isn't there?

I won't deliberately point to any one item, occasion or time, since over the past while in my life it's just been one thing after another, but I'm starting to see the scales shift against my favour. And that isn't to say that it is depressing me or that I am not happy, but I have changed as a result of the onslaught of bad news. How I see the world around me has changed. And I am ever so wary and slightly edgy in anticipation of the next time the boom comes down on me or my peeps.

Does it serve as a contrast to all the greatness that is around me? You bet. Does it slide into focus all that is joyful in life...absolutely yes. It has NOT managed to quash my sense of hope. It has NOT altered my actions much, or made me lose sight of my goals, but it sure has changed the way I see my life, my loves, my friends and what is most important in my life.

A good thing, I think. A new reality. It is a very real reality...

Suprise! People can be delightful!

So this summer, shortly after miscarriage number two, I received an email from a volleyball contact out to her entire list of vball friends. The email was asking if there was anyone willing to play beach 2s with a girl who had 'lost' her partner to a bad ankle sprain. So...since I hadn't signed on for a beach league, I thought...what the hell - let's do it, and have fun. So I met the new partner, and proceeded to have a decent beach league season with her. Who is she? Well, a petite, asian, environmental engineer, who, up until this week, I knew very little about.

Turns out she's a really funny, interesting person, and it took me all summer to even know it. To celebrate the end of our beach season, we decided to head out for drinks and dinner after work on Wednesday night. So now, without further ado, two interesting anecdotes from my partner.

Story 1: Sun-dried worms

She is so funny. A discussion of the pseudo-environmental approaches of each of us in our lives - a little self-justification and pontificating on how bad others can be led to a discussion about green boxes, then composters. Then...she gave me advice, should I ever decide to compost. She said, "Don't get the worms. Waste of time. I tried, but you have to try keep them from dying in the winter, so you end up with kitchen pet worms during the winter, and they, in turn, invite the flies. Then, after all that effort, after you move the bin back outside, the PH changes in the soil, they all struggle to survive, and so they crawl out, all over the deck outside the door, and die, baking in the sun." She added..."Just little black, shriveled up sticks. Not very sustainable!"

Story 2: Time for kids
So she's 30. And like any conversation with me lately, the discussion turns to pregnancy and trying again, and she says to me, "Hey, I think we're gonna try soon too - that'll be great - I'd love to have someone go through it at the same time as me!" So far, so normal. That'd be great, right? Weeeelllll, maybe not. She proceeds to tell me that ever since she got married, her husband has been trying to get her to say she's ready. According to her, she said that in 4 years (yup - it's been four years) she would be ready. She's not so sure. So guess what she's done to put off the inevitable a little longer? She's making her husband earn it. Yes, folks, getting to baby-making status requires real EFFORT - it's a competition with a lot of sacrifice! Or, at least, that is my partner's approach to it. She has created a points system for her poor, hapless man. He gets points for making her dinner, points for buying her a gift, etc. etc. etc. The objective? To earn 1,000 points. His current tally? 20.

Like I said, delightful.

Hey - Why not be a BITCH?

You want to know what the heck I mean for this, don't you? Well...it's not what you think. What it is is GREAT advice for accomplishing tough goals. Like, say, losing weight the right way, and reaching the goals you set for yourself. If you have any interest at all in this, a recent blog post by a great friend and a phenomenal trainer I know can help. Check it out.

And, if this helps, then tell me what you did, how it went, and if it's a work in progres, how it is going.

Personally, the weight is dropping off slower this time around, since the biggest sacrifice is following the 'scientific' way of eating (another whole blog post sometime for the future), but I am pretty okay with the progress. I feel better, I am noticing a change in the way my clothes are fitting, and the tone of my skin, and as ALWAYS, my energy level is better and my positive attitude much more prominent day in and day out. And THAT, my friends, is more than enough reason to be taking care of myself and working out.

And it will hopefully mean that I beat Kerry and Leslie in the Waist-loss Challenge we've got goin' on!!!

ADDITIONAL NOTE:
I cannot say enough about a new 'fast food' restaurant that just opened up at Centrum Plaza here in Kanata - Mucho Burrito -! It's assemby-line fast food burritos, but capital Q quality ingredients, whole wheat tortilla options, and lots of homemade healthy salsas and other great toppings. Steak, chicken breast, chorizo sausage (ok, so that one's not so healthy) - all grilled on site. It has been a lifesaver for us for a healthy quick option for dinners and lunches here and there, and I hope to heck that some of these open up in other locations....maybe downtown would be nice!!!!

Throw-down, Hell No I Can't Slow Down!

Ah... what can motivate better than a good ol'fashioned waist-off, eh? The trash talk, the words of encouragement, the itemized lists of what was eaten and what was sweat out each day...

Two of my good girlfriends and I have a 6 week long diet and exercise competition in the works, deadline Sept. 11, with the objective of being the hot body who loses the greatest percentage of inches on 5 key body points. All three of us are/were horrified by the measurements, and yet we choose to drink a tall glass of water and sweat out the disgust. Not delve into the Hagen Daas. Kudos to all three of us.

But that still doesn't change the fact that there can be NO OTHER WINNER but me, baby!

Controlled chaos and the excitement of a new kitchen

It's a new feeling for me, just watching something like this unfold before me. I have never had the money to afford to pay others to do home improvement jobs before, and I have to say, I am both excited and bored, patient and impatient, happy and kinda unhappy (I guess - just bummed that I am sitting here while it is happening). I am off for a week, but stuck here at home. Not truly motivated to do anything big, but getting a few little things done...just kinda waiting. (And heading to a workout shortly, of course - gotta beat Kerry and Leslie in the waist-loss challenge!)

but boy, is it looking good! Just wait until you see. There will DEFINITELY be before and after pix coming along shortly, but I will wait to post them.

I will cook some SEXY food in there, let me just say...

Jeez I'm busy and there's important revelations on television!

Nigel is a perv. Botox and comments on undressing young female dancers is just...enough. But then again, Nigel is a hell of a lot better than the high pitched squealing of Mary...

I'm telling you though. If I am willing to stay up until 1 am to catch a show that I missed due to volleyball, that's saying something. I am just one of those people who thinks that as much as I love words, and language, and I do what I can to express emotions, feelings, hopes, dreams, anger, sadness and other emotions, the best way I have ALWAYS felt to truly express the inexpressible is through music and dance.

Funny, but my Mom could care less about music. To her it is background noise. And although she still has favourites, she has no level of passion for music. Not so, however, when it comes to Daddy. From the time I was a baby, he not only exposed me to all sorts of great music, but did so with a fervour that bordered on fanaticism. And so I believe came my passion for music. The dancing is more just my thing. I am good at it, and love it. Wish I had a dancer's body, but I am no more a dancer than a gymnast, my friends.

ANYWAY. I digress. I get chills, cry, laugh and find myself subconsciously moving my body to the movements of the SYTYCD dancers. What a showcase for incredible choreography too....I LOVE THIS SHOW.

And that is all I have to say.