Time to Get Dressed

Sniff...I heard about this a couple of weeks ago but didn't get around to blogging it until now:

From bnlmusic.com:

A MESSAGE FROM BARENAKED LADIES
By mutual agreement, Steven Page will be parting company with the remaining members of Barenaked Ladies. Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart will continue recording and touring together as Barenaked Ladies. Steven Page will pursue solo projects including theatrical opportunities while the band enters the studio in April 2009, and hits the road in the fall.

Page says "These guys are my brothers. We've grown up together over the past twenty years. I love them and wish them all the best in the future."

The band also wish Steven well in all of his endeavors. Ed Robertson says: "It's the start of a new chapter for all of us. Here's to the future!"

Everyone is looking forward to making new music and thanks their fans for their support.


Bwwwaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!! It truly is the end of an era. I have spent the last 20 years following these guys. They are one of my favorite bands. As a musician - a real one with a degree and everything - I have always appreciated the musicality of these guys. Their wonderful harmonies - with the plethoric use of dominant 7th chords, et al, you can tell that someone took a theory course or two.

So Stephen, I wish you well. Ed, Kevin, Ty and Jim, I will continue to enjoy your antics and true talent in a society where such a thing is a rare gem.

It's Just a Job

I remember years ago watching a show about "Cool Jobs". The one that sticks out most in my memory was that of the person whose job it was to arrange the cereal boxes on Seinfeld.


See them there in the kitchen? Someone got paid just to arrange those. Hmm. Part of me thinks "That is a cool job" but part of me thinks, "How fulfilling of a job could that possibly be?". And that's when it hit me. How much time did that job actually take? Probably not that much. And I would think that it paid a decent wage considering the immense popularity of the show. So then I think, "Well, if I only had to work a few hours a week and got paid very well for it, I probably would look for fulfillment elsewhere with all the free time I had left over!"

Bingo! And thus I segue into the book I am currently reading: Timothy Ferriss' The 4-Hour Work Week. I am loving this book. Not only am I learning to challenge my thinking of what is "normal" and what is "insanity" but he is quite a funny writer as well, even using the occasional profanity (which you don't normally find in the finance section....). There is a great comparison between those he refers to as the Deferrers and the New Rich. One of them says that the Deferrers are those whose goals are designed to free them from doing that which they don't like, whereas the New Rich set their goals not only for that but "also the freedom and resolve to pursue your dreams without reverting to work for work's sake....The goal is not only to simply eliminate the bad, which does nothing more than leave you with a vacuum, but to pursue and experience the best in the world." (pp23-24) He talks about "mini-retirements," essentially not waiting to the end to experience life but enjoying it throughout.

So I guess I am one of the lucky ones. I have a "job" that I love and that I find great fulfillment in. I work about 15-20 hours a week and can be at home with my kids. We get to travel as a family and it is all a tax write-off. I have networked with other people in my field in pools in Acapulco, on the Copacabana beach in Brazil and while waiting in line with my kids to go on Space Mountain at Disney. My commute is a simple set of stairs in my house and most days I can do the majority of my work in my jammies (I really hope they never perfect the video phone!) But out of it all, I get the biggest charge when I see someone else I've helped succeed/reach a goal. That is where I find the fulfillment. So for me, what I do is anything but "just a job". It is a lifestyle and one that I won't quickly be trading in for a cubicle...

Memories Gone Digital

I'm a genius! Just have to get it out there. I came up with a great idea today - a moment of pure inspiration.

If your house is anything like mine, there is paper everywhere. Now with 2 children in school the plethora of artwork and projects that come home in any given week is mind-boggling. And that doesn't even take into account all the homespun masterpieces. And, of course, every one of them is special and must be kept and prominently displayed.

Well, I have been trying to figure out what to do with all of this. This week, we said goodbye to 2 of my daughter's school projects (both were very cool) that had been on the top shelf in her closet collecting dust. However, I did take a picture of them first. Amidst a discussion this morning with other moms who face similar dilemmas, it came to me! I am going to take all those pictures and - no, not put them in a scrapbook - put them on one of those digital photo frames! Then they can each have one in their rooms and they can have a slide show of their favorite artwork!

Ta-da!!!
Whaddya think? Am I as brilliant as I think I am??

We've Gone Bananas Over Fruit

Okay, I am all for finding healthy snacks for kids but seriously, I think we've lost our marbles:

Canadian grocer Sobeys has partnered with Disney to introduce the Compliments Junior Disney line of food products. Now I realize that this actually happened a couple of years ago but I just ran across an ad in a magazine for this and it caused me to blog.
Check this out:


Maybe it's just me....but those are just apples! Regular red apples! Do me a favor, if you do actually invest in the "Buzz Lightyear" apples, save the bag and then fill it with regular apples the next time. What are we doing to our children (and to ourselves for that matter) - this is the closest they could get to commercializing something as simple as an apple.

But it gets better. We can't make an apple look like Goofy but we can make a burger have ears!


Now I love Disney just as much as the next Cast Member but I just have to shake my head at this kind of marketing. I don't know...Am I alone here? Doesn't this seem ridiculous?

The House Fairy

Thank-you again to Julie for this tip - The House Fairy made her first appearance in our house on Thursday. Wow - Freckles and Frogurt barely made it to the end of the video before running to their rooms to clean! They have since been putting in actual effort to get their rooms clean and are anxiously waiting her return. She left a letter after their initial clean sweep telling them she would be back soon but they would never know when so they had to always be prepared with clean rooms. Well, she will be reappearing and leaving another letter tomorrow. They are both on their way but not quite there yet...Since I can't seem to get through to them, I am glad to see that manipulation and bribery are alive and well!

So thank-you House Fairy for motivating my children to clean their rooms. I am glad to not have to raise my voice. Instead, I can leave fraudulent letters around the house and get much better results!

To Thong or Not To Thong

So believe it or not, this is based on a conversation from my bible study group yesterday morning - you get that many women together in one room and we are bound to rabbit-trail.

Anyhoo, this is a preemptive discussion as I haven't had to deal with it yet. But, a while ago, a friend of mine told me that her 15-year-old daughter wanted to go shopping for thong underwear. One of the reasons was probably because she as a mom also wore them. I too, wear them and am wondering how I will handle that question if/when it arises from my daughter. Why do I wear them? Because I find them more comfortable. I am not naive enough to think that is the only reason people wear them.

In our study, we are watching a video series on the book of Esther - the subtitle is "It's Tough Being a Woman". Beth Moore, who leads the series, took surveys from a group of women. The one I loved the most went something like this: "It's tough being a woman because we have to wear panties but spend our lives making it look like we don't!"

Unlike most of my junior female counterparts, I do everything I can to avoid the little triangle-attached-to-2-strings-peeking-out-the-top-of-my-pants look that seems to be so popular. May I recommend Junk Food t-shirts - I love them! They are longer and so comfy (I usually get mine from 80stees.com). But it is for that reason that I fear the question. I have seen way too many young store clerks sporting the triangle-over-pants look. This is not something I want my daughter to participate in. I don't think I'm being a prude - I just know that that particular style isn't one that sends the message "These are just so comfy!"

So I will not fret until the day comes (maybe by then, we'll have moved onto some other weird fashion trend that pushes the envelope). Maybe we'll return to the high-waisted jeans of the early 80s! And those extra-long shaker sweaters!

Heat Wave

Okay, so I am writing this while my car is warming up. It is currently minus 30 with windchill here today. But in the midst of that the strangest thing is happening....

For any of you who know me well, you know that I am always cold. I wear thermal pjs year-round as well as socks, slippers and a sweater. One of the main reasons I drink so much coffee is because it is warm.

So I was as surprised as anyone last night when I was struck by the urge to take off my sweater because I was absolutely roasting! Troy said when he came to bed I had thrown the covers off. And yet again this morning, the windchill felt refreshing when I went outside! Did I just experience a hot flash?? It's way too early for that! I saw that Oprah where she was talking about hormone replacement therapy for women over 35. Really?? Could this be the start of pre-menopause?? I had enough trouble coping with my greys which are quickly forming an army on my scalp.

It is some consolation, however, that I am currently back in my warm hoodie (which, ironically is a hoodie from Maui - you can tell they made these for tourists...who in Maui needs a hoodie?!?) and my hands are cold. I think the car should be drivable now so I will head out into the cold and feel my age again - an age that is not ready for a heat wave.