tag:dreamwidth.org,2010-03-22:490532Dispatches from a happy Hulliansometimes known as Woodgiepapametawidget2023-01-04T15:50:35Ztag:dreamwidth.org,2010-03-22:490532:232554Not the headlines2023-01-04T04:39:29Z2023-01-04T15:50:35Zpensivepublic5But the year turned over.<br /><br />I filled out a <a href="http://yearcompass.com">YearCompass</a> which prompted me to look over my paper journal. I did and got through a lot; I think the less-obvious things I'm happy about are a pinecone maze while camping, delivering some training last winter to lay the ground for a returning employee post-transition, and inserting a couple of long bike rides into a camping trip.<br /><br />I signed up for the Ottawa Marathon this year. It'll be a feat, and it also lets me develop a little network of running friends at work. I can use that kind of community and I like who I've found. I've also been going to a masculine-folk peer group all year more or less, which has been really good practice on talking and thinking about feelings. And a little odd being the lone parent in the group while not being the lone polyamorous person (in a group not targeted at queer/polyamorous folks).<br /><br />After all fall getting ready and trying to get a date, we might see the employer's bargaining team at the end of this month. I'm looking forward to the central table process (and know it's going to be full of solidarity and exasperation)!<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=metawidget&ditemid=232554" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-03-22:490532:229708Sleep, think, connect2022-03-11T21:55:37Z2022-03-12T18:22:35Zcalmpublic6From <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://thefridayfive.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png' alt='[community profile] ' width='16' height='16' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://thefridayfive.dreamwidth.org/'><b>thefridayfive</b></a></span>:<br /><br /><strong>1. How many hours a day/night do you usually sleep?</strong><br /><br />I'd say an average of seven… but with a range of six to maybe nine? <br /><br /><strong>2. What do you do when you can't sleep?</strong><br /><br />Often reading, on paper if I'm smart.<br /><br /><strong>3. How often do you devote time to just thinking about something?</strong><br />I think I can go into that state when walking… I don't do it deliberately that much, though. Maybe every few weeks?<br /><br /><strong>4. If you had to choose one person to never talk to again, who would you choose?</strong><br /><br />There are so many people in the world I talk to only once. And nobody that I would want to inoculate myself against ever talking to again.<br /><br /><strong>5. If you had to choose one person, NOT a significant other, who you would speak to every day for the rest of your life, who would you choose?</strong><br /><br />There could be some gaming of the system here so long as my natural lifespan extends theirs… one would be a hard choice.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=metawidget&ditemid=229708" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-03-22:490532:229348Sloppy snowy day entry2022-03-07T19:12:28Z2022-03-07T19:13:41Zexanimatepublic5It's been a little while since I've posted; I won't try to catch up now, but here are a few tidbits.<br /><br />I think I have all my tax stuff together — receipts, earnings, account set up. But the doing-my-taxes time horizon feels long. I'm going to do them, but I wish the world would slow down a bit so that taxes feel pointful.<br /><br />I was bringing the car back after a museum adventure with the kids yesterday, and a grey-haired lady in a colourful sweater flagged me down and asked if Communauto needed you to have a cell phone to book and return cars (you don't — you can use a bus pass or a little plastic RFID dongle they issue). She chatted me up about language, puppetry, my kids, the neighbourhood — she's been close to that car drop in the same apartment since 1989. It was nice to have a neighbour chat. Maybe she'll come and listen to Libby and Cal at a farmer's market this summer.<br /><br />I won an agency-level award for Inclusion on the strength of my work with Positive Space last month. I have the framed certificate up in my bedroom right now and used the purse to have a nice lunch with Elizabeth. The work I do feels like a lot of keeping the lights on but I'm recognizing that the keeping it alive is important, and every once in a while someone tells me that they're just heartened that the Positive Space Initiative exists and tries. I'll take that.<br /><br />There's been some sort of screw-up with an issue ticket and my new team member. I got confirmation that I did click submit (the next person got the request — I'd been worried I'd been the missing link), but I'll be helping fix up the mess now that I'm back from March break.<br /><br />Lastly, I read <cite>Wild Seed</cite> by Octavia Butler earlier this year and am reading <cite>The Parable of the Sower</cite> now. Some folks might say her genre is "science fiction" (I think she resisted the category) but as far as I'm concerned, it's "harrowing" and she is scarily good at it. Go read her stuff if it's your kind of thing.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=metawidget&ditemid=229348" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-03-22:490532:227787Friday Five — self-care et al.2021-05-07T20:36:47Z2021-05-07T21:05:29Zcheerfulpublic4<dl><dt>What have you done lately for improving or maintaining your mental health? What more would you like to do?</dt>
<dd>I have been getting outside and moving almost every day — running, walking, biking — most days for an hour or more. I'm lucky to have that time to do it, and it feels good to move, get fresh air, and see my local area and how it all fits together. I know where my tofu burgers come from! I know how to get between neighbourhoods! Also, I got my first dose of COVID-19 vaccine (Team BioNTech/Pfizer for the curious, although really Team Get Something In My Arm), which is one thing off my mind and a step toward getting to the After Times.</dd>
<dt>When did you last eat something specifically because it was good for you?</dt>
<dd>I think the only thing I "eat" for health reasons is actually making a point of drinking water. I'll remind myself to take it easy on something rich or vapid but I try to eat things that I like eating.</dd>
<dt>These days, what are you learning about, and what would you like to learn about next?</dt>
<dd>Management, union-ing, exercise training (taper! cross-train! stretch!), 18xx games (mostly 1846).</dd>
<dt>What’s positive about your physical appearance lately?</dt>
<dd>I trimmed my hair and beard yesterday! And I'm a bit sleeker than pre-pandemic thanks to all this running.</dd>
<dt>What will you do this weekend to bring joy into your life and a smile to someone else?</dt>
<dd>I'm going to play silly online games with a friend living alone, help make nice food appear for Mother's Day, and DM a D&D session with some of my favourite people. And probably get outside on feet or wheels.</dd>
</dl>
<p>From <a href="http://f.riday5.com/">f.riday5.com</a></p><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=metawidget&ditemid=227787" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-03-22:490532:227441It's May already2021-05-01T15:21:30Z2021-05-01T15:21:30Zmelancholypublic3It's been a bit of a challenging winter and spring here, as everywhere. We're all still healthy here, employed, eating eggs from the backyard hens, so not as challenging as it could be, but still.<br /><br />One of my union colleagues died last weekend. <a href="https://pipsc.ca/news-issues/announcements/in-memoriam-dr-mehran-alaee">Mehran</a> was quick to welcome me aboard when I got elected to the national Research Group executive, and quick to be friendly and to do what needed doing in general. He was also curious and open and talked happily of his love of food, dance and life in between matters of helping members and being good unionists. I'll miss him; there'll be a very empty virtual chair next weekend at the Group meeting.<br /><br />Work is a bit of a slog... getting traction and coordinating people is hard and tiring sometimes, and there's a lot of staff movement and random requests going around. I might be able to make some good changes in an upcoming Lean process review, which would help me feel like I'm leaving things in good shape when I find an opportunity somewhere that fits me better. The return to virtual school for the kids, extended one week at a time since Easter, has thrown my routine and energy out of wack, even though Elizabeth has been taking the brunt of the daytime parenting. I have a fair amount of extracurricular stuff going on — Positive Space is getting more active again, union work continues with consultation and a stewarding case that might have legs. Those extras are work but they help make work more meaningful. In good pandemic news, our age slices are up for registering for a first shot next week... I'm hoping for Johnson and Johnson just so I'll be done (and apparently there are 300k doses of J&J coming into Canada now, but there are some <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/johnson-johnson-vaccine-hold-health-canada-1.6010065">possible bumps</a>), but any shot in my arm is a good shot.<br /><br />I've been mixing running and biking for my mental health/exercise time. I'm still shooting to run and now also bike every public street with asphalt and a name — I'm over half done on the bike and nearly two-thirds on feet. I've been varying it partly because if I run long distances too many days in a row my muscles have some concerns. But overall I'm getting pretty good at this, and seeing everywhere in the Hull sector at least twice, sometimes in different seasons, has been pretty cool. I know where our favourite tofu burgers come from because I've run past the factory in an industrial park. I can see new streets and developments go up, moving the goalposts for this whole silly game.<br /><br />I'm missing seeing my Vanier loves in person — we've got our stopgaps — virtual D&D, grove rituals (happy Beltaine!), video storytime (Heather has finished the first book of Lord of the Rings with the kids) and various one-on-one chats. I used to do walk-and-talk after the kids were in bed by phone, but the 8 PM curfew has made that harder. Once the restrictions are loosened maybe walking and talking in person will be a thing again.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=metawidget&ditemid=227441" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-03-22:490532:226140Fear is a teacher2020-12-15T16:59:33Z2020-12-15T16:59:33Zpublic2<a href="https://randsinrepose.com/archives/fear-is-a-liar/" title="Fear is a Liar">Rands muses on something I've felt has been rattling around my memescape over the past couple of years</a>… being from the memescape, it's not groundbreaking but it's what tweaked me to post.<br /><br />It's been a bit of an autumn… a little over a week ago we lost a radical elderly Druid (never a Druid elder, she insisted that was a kind of tree). Her passing was a surprise to everyone and I can still hear her voice in my head when I think of her. Elizabeth made a list of little tributes to her including picking up trash, gardening over more lawn, being kind to animals and looking for meaning, and the one thing I can think of to add is chipping in a little extra to the food bank and to people facing oppression (most recently the Mi'kmaw fishers being terrorized in Nova Scotia).<br /><br />We're also trying to wrap our heads around holiday plans, avoiding as much marginal risk increase as possible and still make it happen — gathering with who we can, distanced present drops and walks with others, Zoom and Canada Post with further flung people and cooking up a storm. We're going to make it happen. And whenever things are sufficiently normal we'll gather again with people we haven't gathered with in a while. Not being able to visit makes me miss people more.<br /><br />Work is also pretty intense lately; there are urgent projects and personalities to wrangle; I'm feeling like I'm more in manager than statistician mode right now. My supervisor says I'm doing fine but I'm not always so sure.<br /><br />I've been running regularly and keeping track on Strava (find me there under my real name if you're interested). Quantifying it motivates me — in these first few months I've gone from being able to sustain a run for under a kilometer to being able to do 10+ km at a moderate run or a mixed stagger for over 20km when I'm feeling really ambitious. My shirts fit better too, and it makes the neighborhood feel closer together feeling that more of it is reachable on foot.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=metawidget&ditemid=226140" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-03-22:490532:225076Forty2020-08-10T21:44:08Z2020-08-10T21:44:08ZSkinny Puppycontemplativepublic4I turned forty yesterday… sometime before March I threw out that my fortieth birthday would be nice if it was anchored in beer and board games — get a bunch of people who like one or more of those things and want to celebrate with me and make a day of it.<br /><br />We had a scale down a bit but both of those things happened (not all at the same time) — Elizabeth and the kids had gotten <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/163920/gaia">Gaïa</a> and I played a couple of rounds with Oscar and Ada after breakfast. The standard game feels like it's a bit to draw-dependent with few interesting decisions or back-and-forth opportunities, but the advanced version (especially minus the mean cards — volcanoes and thunderbolts in our game made it so that you kind of had to ride out the violence and then play in earnest once everyone was out of ammunition) is a nicely-balanced short game.<br /><br />The kids gifted me with many supervillain-themed pictures, a felt medal and a hat made from a pop bottle with an antenna and googly eyes.<br /><br />In the middle of the day we had a backyard party. Elizabeth had made lime meringue tarts, we barbecued some veggie sausages, we took cover when it rained :) Heather, Andrea and Morgen came for the first while until Morgen needed her own bed for a nap, and my folks turned up as they were heading out. It was the first time this year I've seen my parents in person. I hope we can figure out a visit down there; either a day trip on a nice day or a weekend if we can tinker with our bubble configuration or get to a better place in the pandemic.<br /><br />Turning forty has been kind of overshadowed by the circumstances. I'm no longer young in the terms of my union, I guess when it seems prudent I'm due for a medical check-up. Ten years ago Oscar was still in utero and I was a young and promising Methodologist, more I'm more established and shifting to be a manager and Oscar's going to be a teenager before long. I'm more readily out as bi and polyamorous and organizing workplace things for Pubic Service Pride (which wasn't really a thing in the Federal Public Service ten years ago). I'm trying to be a bit more conscious of taking care of my body — choosier about food and letting there be leftovers, morning walks, an actual ergonomic chair in my basement lair. I feel like negotiation is a theme of the last little while: bargaining, working out pandemic safety measures in our bubble, trying to line up a working like that's as good as possible. Stabilizing the wobbly bits of my life, too.<br /><br />Maybe I'll have a bigger party for 41 or 42, but I liked being celebrated yesterday. It's a nice round number, but it feels like a kind of transitional time for me.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=metawidget&ditemid=225076" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-03-22:490532:222452Doing well but still missing people2020-03-30T14:42:50Z2020-03-30T14:42:50ZWistfulpublic3Going into the third week of distancing… my colleagues have made a big deal out of making it through each week of working from home each Friday so far.<br /><br />I'm doing pretty well, have the home office set up and everyone close to me is healthy so far. I'm working, getting paid, getting fresh air, eating healthy food — we all are doing pretty well in this house. <br /><br />But I'm missing people too. We'll probably be doing Easter in place for the first time in many years rather than going back to Ormstown to feast with my relatives. And I'm missing Heather, Andrea and Morgen — the Vanier end of my pod, who are hunkered down over there. Heather is continuing to read Watership Down to the kids remotely, and we try to keep in touch via the Internet. And I'm glad I got to visit them the weekend before we all went to ground, which was Heather's and my fourth anniversary. I've got lots of loved ones here, but also quite a few outside the epidemiologically sensible boundary. Households are a real thing, but they're definitely not the only thing.<br /><br />Here's to getting through this, to reunions to come, to traditions we've adapted and to ones we'll have to pick up again. Here's to the couch runneth-ing over again.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=metawidget&ditemid=222452" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-03-22:490532:220805May flowers2019-05-11T16:37:59Z2019-05-11T16:38:26Zcheerfulpublic3It's a nice day today, we've got plans to hit the annual opening party for our neighborhood garden box project. Vivien has somehow managed to lose her bike helmet, which is a big hit to our family mobility. I've been wandering around looking for it to no avail.<br /><br />I got that promotion… true to form this was the time I had figured it wasn't going to happen and that I should just plan for another couple of years in my old post. The new team (I'm leading a team of six) seems like a nice one and I've got a good 2IC who knows the work very well. I've got a lot of the subject-independent skills and I probably know more of the statistical nuts and bolts than I feel like I do now. I'm going to a new office on a floor with the open "2.0" plan; so far I think it'll work out okay.<br /><br />I went <a href="https://www.rogerstv.com/show?lid=12&rid=4&sid=5170&gid=313252" title="Ottawa Experts: Polyamory and Open Relationships">on TV</a> on TV and talked about polyamory and how I do it… you can only pack so much into 22 minutes or whatever, and I was on (in the second half) with a counsellor who had her views and a program to promote, but I think I did okay for my first time on live TV.<br /><br />Next week is going to involve a lot of bargaining… once an election writ is dropped we have to wait until the next Parliament is good and settled before negotiating again… probably 2020. But we'll be working hard (and staying late) to get it done.<br /><br />We're starting to plan the summer a bit — Elizabeth is making musical plans, we've signed the older kids up for a week of climbing camp, we'll probably festival with the pagans a couple of times… and in what I hope is the start of a series of adventures with individual kids, I'm going with Oscar to visit Heather, Andrea and Morgen in Banff for a week in July: his first passenger air experience and sight of what Albertans call real mountains :) I'm pretty excited and hour it will be wonderful bonding and relaxing time.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=metawidget&ditemid=220805" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-03-22:490532:215431May flowers2017-05-22T01:30:53Z2017-05-22T15:42:32Zpleasedpublic3<p>This week has been hard on toothpaste stores as Ada seems to like dumping toothpaste in the toilet — especially my high-end remineralizing stuff.</p> <p>It was also a week where a bunch of us Positive Space volunteers and senior managers handed out Rockets (rainbow-coloured, everyone can eat them, inexpensive) and flyers on how to contact us for listening and referral or to help out to people coming in to work in honour of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Day_Against_Homophobia,_Transphobia_and_Biphobia">International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia</a>. It went well and made me happy.</p>
<p>I also have some pictures!</p>
<p>Ada ready to roll in the fall.</p>
<a href="http://metawidget.net/images/dw20170521/dw20170521_1.jpg"><img src="http://metawidget.net/images/dw20170521/dw20170521_1.jpg" alt="Ada in a go-kart in front of an old Ferguson tractor." /></a>
<p>Christmas crowns and big smiles.</p>
<a href="http://metawidget.net/images/dw20170521/dw20170521_2.jpg"><img src="http://metawidget.net/images/dw20170521/dw20170521_2.jpg" alt="Vivien and Elizabeth smiling. Elizabeth is wearing two paper crowns." /></a>
<p>Chairs!</p>
<a href="http://metawidget.net/images/dw20170521/dw20170521_3.jpg"><img src="http://metawidget.net/images/dw20170521/dw20170521_3.jpg" alt="Ada and Vivien with child-sized chairs on their heads." /></a>
<span class="cut-wrapper"><span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___1" class="cuttag"></span><b class="cut-open">( </b><b class="cut-text"><a href="https://metawidget.dreamwidth.org/215431.html#cutid1">eight more…</a></b><b class="cut-close"> )</b></span><div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___1" aria-live="assertive"></div>
<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=metawidget&ditemid=215431" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-03-22:490532:212046August into school2015-08-31T01:18:30Z2015-08-31T11:06:21Zoptimisticpublic0The rest of August went by quickly, but left some evidence behind. With the help of Oscar and the neighbour kid, I built some garden boxes out front. We still need some dirt and then to transplant a few things in, but the boxes look good.<br /><br />I've been taking the older two out to bang in campaign signs for our local MP, who we'd like to keep. We've ring doorbells and knocked on doors, learned about politeness, chatted with friendly Hullians, been fed and watered, tried a stair elevator and talked nicely with dubious landlords — along with learning how to watch and march in political marches, I feel we're starting their civics lessons early. Oscar and Vivien also like hammering stuff and tightening zip ties, so it's interdisciplinary learning. In other learning activities, Oscar isn't totally reliable on spotting house numbers yet, but he's keen to try.<br /><br />Elizabeth and I (and Ada) got out on a date to Les Promenades de Gatineau, where we ate food court food and acquired nice underthings at the newly-opened Simons. Shameless fun in getting things is okay sometimes, I hope :)<br /><br />We had some fun park time with <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='http://lady-phi.livejournal.com/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif' alt='[livejournal.com profile] ' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' width='17' height='17'/></a><a href='http://lady-phi.livejournal.com/'><b>lady_phi</b></a></span> and her family, swapped tomatoes and had tea and scones. She also brought some baby stuff for us to rifle through — yay, less-ratty cloth diapers!<br /><br />Oscar had his last library story time — Dominique looked a little weepy wishing him well in kindergarten. Oscar has been going since before Vivien was born, so she's seen him grow up quite a bit. The fall is going to see a lot of me getting Viv alone to activities. I think she's ready to graduate to star attraction at kid activities!<br /><br />Tomorrow Oscar hits Kindergarten — just an hour and with Elizabeth hanging out in the background, but whoa, our firstborn just made it to school! We're grappling with the fact of it, and the list of stuff, all labelled, and the un-Waldorfy discipline and pedagogy, and will he learn French and will he decide to play the game by getting along or with all his rogue skills… well, we made it and he made it and school and Oscar will happen to each other starting tomorrow at nine.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=metawidget&ditemid=212046" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-03-22:490532:210500Pre-partum, post-partum: pictures!2015-06-22T15:21:38Z2015-07-07T00:40:24Zrelaxedpublic4Here are some pictures from March to recently… we made it through the chilly spring, had a baby, discovered Vivien’s career aspirations, and hit the Ormstown Fair.<br /><br />
<a href="http://metawidget.net/images/dw20150622/dw20150622_5.jpg"><img src="http://metawidget.net/images/dw20150622/dw20150622_5.jpg" alt="Viv in a swing" /></a>
<p>Vivien at the park.</p>
<span class="cut-wrapper"><span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___1" class="cuttag"></span><b class="cut-open">( </b><b class="cut-text"><a href="https://metawidget.dreamwidth.org/210500.html#cutid1">twenty-nine more…</a></b><b class="cut-close"> )</b></span><div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___1" aria-live="assertive"></div><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=metawidget&ditemid=210500" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-03-22:490532:210364Shiny and new2015-06-08T00:18:36Z2015-06-08T00:18:36Zcontentpublic1Ada is ten days old today. She's 10% heavier than at birth, doing all the infant things, looking around a bunch, and has completely skipped "newborn" as a clothing size. I think I have the transition to parental leave more or less down this time — a few days of leave before the birth were a nice ease-in, and now I'm definitely coffee-powered but I've more or less hit my stride. I've been getting out on errands and park adventures with the kids and look forward to hanging out with lovely people (and their kids where applicable) in local parks. The older kids are having some adjustment pains — Viv is angling for mama cuddles and frustrated when there's a baby in the way, and both of them require a long wind down to sleep at the end of the day.<br /><br />We have a nice steel roof! We had our moments when we thought we'd get a baby first, but the contractors pulled through and got it done. We had a stressful week or so where work had disrupted electricity to most of the upstairs including our phone and Internet plug — we had a solution involving an extension cord to the kids' room, but we weren't going to leave it plugged in while they slept, so we had greatly reduced communications — in a situation where we might've wanted to round up midwives and child care on short notice, it wasn't the best time for forced simplification, but in the end the contractors' electrician got things working before we really needed them. <br /><br />The garden delay due to workers was actually a boon to us as the tomato plants weren't in the ground on those chilly nights after Victoria Day. Now we have a nice variety in (thanks for the swaps, <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='http://wisewomanjudith.livejournal.com/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif' alt='[livejournal.com profile] ' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' width='17' height='17'/></a><a href='http://wisewomanjudith.livejournal.com/'><b>wisewomanjudith</b></a></span>!) as well as some fancy peppers and eggplant and some humdrum-but-tasty squash (bought from Sarah's new outfit, Beat Greens Gardens).<br /><br />One small downer is that my allergies are pretty wild lately, even with desloratadine and drops. Maybe it's time to switch meds. What're people finding good these days? Drowsiness hasn't been a side effect I get; Reactine kept me up.<br /><br />In general, I'm in a groove — a tired one but a good one — and life is pretty good and full of possibilities.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=metawidget&ditemid=210364" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-03-22:490532:210167Booyah, baby! Also, booyah anniversary!2015-06-01T17:37:21Z2015-06-01T17:48:24Zhappypublic4Baby Ada's birth was the home birth we'd been planning for — kids safely at their grandparents, midwives we knew, intensity and joy and healthy everyone at the end. Elizabeth was very independent for most of labour, as she has been before — I fetched things, let midwives in, helped keep things clean and was just being present up into late pushing. We'd talked about my maybe catching Ada, but in the end I was busy holding Elizabeth and crying a bit as she pushed the last few times. I got to cut the cord, as I have for Oscar and Vivien. At home in our space was a nice place for a birth, and I felt quite involved.<br /><br />Ada is pretty laid-back so far, and looking around a lot. She has a powerful suck, curious hands and neck and a variety of unconvinced facial expressions. She also sleeps really well in the baby carrier!<br /><br />Elizabeth and I got a chance to give the baby carrier a whirl yesterday when our friend Seema generously offered to take the older two over to her place for a couple of hours. Thanks to her, we got to walk over to Brasseurs du Temps and have a little anniversary lunch date. Seven years of vaguely sacrilegious matrimony and crazy adventures! Our conversation was more sleep-deprived than deep, but it was really nice to make some time for our little dyad, and Ada helpfully snoozed almost the whole time. Also, BDT has really gotten comfortable in its skin and gotten into a refined and interesting beer groove. There was one unfortunate server comment about "ladies' beer" – La Grande Rivière is a tart, citrusy smacker of a beer that happens to be pink (and delicious to me and not Elizabeth's thing). Silly server. The presence of a tasty 2.4% session IPA (good for easing back into regular beer after 9 months on the pregnancy wagon) was exciting, though.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=metawidget&ditemid=210167" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-03-22:490532:208594Things which are imminent which I am looking forward to2015-03-07T18:04:49Z2015-03-07T18:05:57Zexcitedpublic2- Bicycling weather. Buses are good for reading, but I miss fast and flexible.<br /><br />- An upcoming night with Elizabeth… with the kids off with my parents! It has been years since we'll be off-duty together for a whole night.<br /><br />Yay! Spring! Good things, times and people!<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=metawidget&ditemid=208594" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-03-22:490532:208078Letter B, Letter B, Letter B, Letter B... My mother always whispers Letter B...2015-03-01T13:30:06Z2015-03-01T13:33:54ZMonster in the Mirror (Sesame Street)tiredpublic0Some things starting with the letter B, as suggested by <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='http://rottenfruit.livejournal.com/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif' alt='[livejournal.com profile] ' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' width='17' height='17'/></a><a href='http://rottenfruit.livejournal.com/'><b>rottenfruit</b></a></span>:<br /><br /><b>Something I hate:</b> Broken promises: personal, political, whatever — with a particular disdain for broken promises of amends. Hey, Kelowna Accord!<br /><br /><b>Something I love:</b> Bicycling! I am looking forward to the season being in again (for me, I know there are hardcore year-round bicycle users).<br /><br /><b>Somewhere I've been:</b> The Biodome, although it's been a while. I hope to bring the kids sometime soon, maybe this year.<br /><br /><b>Somewhere I'd like to go:</b> Aside from the Biodome, maybe Boston, to soak up some of the great intellectual history and wander about the U.S. equivalent of Montréal (in terms of student concentration).<br /><br /><b>Someone I know:</b> Beatrice at work. We're not super-close but she's been helpful and kind in career and getting-to-know-people spheres.<br /><br /><b>A film I like:</b> <cite>The Birdcage</cite> was fun, probably of its time but when I watched it I liked it and found it had some substance.<br /><br /><b>A book I like:</b> <cite>The Burning House</cite>, by Jay Ingram, one of my favourite science-explainer writers. Hemispheres! Awareness! Braiiiins!<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=metawidget&ditemid=208078" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-03-22:490532:206574Fun times last night2014-11-26T15:42:15Z2014-11-26T15:42:15Ztiredpublic14Random offer of games night (the call was at 9:11 PM) with a couple of friends, plus wine, Ticket to Ride, Girl Guide cookies, loose lips equals fun impromptu sleep deprivation (added to the routine stuff and other fun but annex sleep deprivation). Woo! Also, I won at Ticket.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=metawidget&ditemid=206574" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-03-22:490532:197600Cooking and Eating Party recipes2013-03-24T18:57:16Z2013-03-24T18:57:16Zsatisfiedpublic7We hosted a cooking and eating party in honour of the previous owner of our house, who left behind a box of handwritten and clipped recipes. For posterity (because I don't trust Facebook to keep the event around forever, and because not everyone here is on Facebook), here are the recipes that got made and eaten. They're all copied verbatim in English, French or something in-between.<br /><span class="cut-wrapper"><span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___1" class="cuttag"></span><b class="cut-open">( </b><b class="cut-text"><a href="https://metawidget.dreamwidth.org/197600.html#cutid1">here be recipes</a></b><b class="cut-close"> )</b></span><div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___1" aria-live="assertive"></div><br />It was a fun evening, with eight kids at its peak, and lots of food, conversation and basically managed chaos. I think we may have to do it again; the recipe box has lots more for another round.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=metawidget&ditemid=197600" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-03-22:490532:195641Adventures in gastro2013-02-20T16:20:32Z2013-02-20T16:20:32Zhealthypublic0The past week has been a gastro roller-coaster around here: lots of puke, lots of washing clothes on hot, lots of soda crackers. Last week, Elizabeth had a rough Tuesday and Wednesday, and Oscar had a couple of puking incidents. On Monday, Elizabeth was the only person standing and she stood in the gap, chasing toddler puke and changing sheets and being generally vertical. Our friend-and-neighbour Marc came by with a supply drop of soda crackers, juice and jello to tide us over Monday evening, and by Tuesday morning I was better, Oscar was a little fragile but basically okay, Vivien was better and Elizabeth was not 100% but close.<br /><br />Today, we're basically back up and running: check-up doctor's appointment for Vivien and supper out with friends this evening. Yay, back in the swing of things!<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=metawidget&ditemid=195641" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-03-22:490532:194899Groundhog Day, Imbolc and closer to home2013-02-02T17:09:30Z2013-02-03T02:12:47Zhappypublic2Six months ago today, Vivien was born. Now she has two teeth, is starting to be mobile, and is sticking lots of things in her mouth (but not eating complementary foods just yet).<br /><br /><span class="cut-wrapper"><span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___1" class="cuttag"></span><b class="cut-open">( </b><b class="cut-text"><a href="https://metawidget.dreamwidth.org/194899.html#cutid1">then</a></b><b class="cut-close"> )</b></span><div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___1" aria-live="assertive"></div><br /><span class="cut-wrapper"><span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___2" class="cuttag"></span><b class="cut-open">( </b><b class="cut-text"><a href="https://metawidget.dreamwidth.org/194899.html#cutid2">now</a></b><b class="cut-close"> )</b></span><div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___2" aria-live="assertive"></div><br /><br />Six years ago today, I proposed, in a horse shelter at my parents' place, to Elizabeth. She said yes.<br /><br />Also, happy birthday to my cousin Erica, <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://beable.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://beable.dreamwidth.org/'><b>beable</b></a></span> and to <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='http://thebabynancy.livejournal.com/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif' alt='[livejournal.com profile] ' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' width='17' height='17'/></a><a href='http://thebabynancy.livejournal.com/'><b>thebabynancy</b></a></span>!<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=metawidget&ditemid=194899" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-03-22:490532:194251Kid developments2013-01-27T15:04:04Z2013-01-27T15:04:04Zaccomplishedpublic0<ul>
<li>Vivien's first tooth has surfaced! Left central lower incisor, for people keeping score at home. She's still teething-cranky, maybe because it isn't completely in, maybe because there are more coming, or both.</li>
<li>I think we almost heard a giggle from her last night. Or a chortle. Or something. Close enough.</li>
<li>Oscar has a new, bigger mattress, courtesy of Shawn who organizes Atelier Denu. He needed the space for books, and was giving it away. Oscar finds it bouncy and acceptable, and it fits in his room without too much furniture rearrangement.</li>
<li>Oscar's old mattress has been installed in a toddler bed as a "sidecar" beside ours for Vivien. Now we have our bed to ourselves, sort of, and all Elizabeth or Vivien have to do is roll over for baby maintenance.</li>
<li>We'll all have our first Rideau Canal experience of the year (and lifetime, for Vivien, and maybe Oscar's first one on skates) today, with my parents, my sister, her boyfriend, her boyfriend's parents, my cousin, my cousin-in-law and their son (whew, need a diagram?).</li>
</ul><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=metawidget&ditemid=194251" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-03-22:490532:193292Prospective post2013-01-21T19:39:31Z2013-01-23T18:06:03Zanticipatorypublic0<p>This week, I'm looking forward to:</p>
<ul><li>Having lunch with one of my closest work friends tomorrow. I've seen her a couple of times lately with at least some of each of our kids in tow, and this time we'll have a little less stimulation and be able to talk in full sentences.</li>
<li>Modelling in tomorrow's evening drawing workshop. This is also a little scary.</li>
<li>This week's Parent and Child in Vanier — making little felt gnomes and hanging out with the parents, children and animators there. Oscar is getting playing with others a little better, and definitely knows how everything works. Even over the semester and a bit I've been doing it, he's grown a lot. The fact that he's only in P&C mode once a week, and that everyone else only sees him for those 2.5 hours a week, makes it easier to spot stuff like "gets the idea of fetching specific toys for specific activities" and "snacktime is soon" and "manages frustrations with peers with somewhat more patience and willingness to hand them something to make peace". It's also fun to be part of the little community of parents and keep my French up for sustained sessions.</li>
<li>Hanging out and probable board game with <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://fairestcat.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://fairestcat.dreamwidth.org/'><b>fairestcat</b></a></span>.</li>
<li>Union-management meeting on Friday. Not always the most uplifting content, but it'll be nice to poke my head in at work and see people, and some people there may be the bearers of bad news but they're all decent people.</li>
<li>A friend's housewarming on Saturday, and possible other supper plans.</li>
<li>Family skating on the canal on Sunday — Vivien's first time out (probably in a stroller) and we may see how Oscar does on skates.</li>
</ul><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=metawidget&ditemid=193292" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-03-22:490532:19022620122012-12-30T22:58:18Z2013-01-01T21:05:06Zmellowpublic3Here's the semi-standardized questionnaire applied to 2012 — it was a pretty intense year in some ways.<br /><br /><strong>What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?</strong><br />Filed a police report, juggled two kids out solo.<br /><br /><span class="cut-wrapper"><span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___1" class="cuttag"></span><b class="cut-open">( </b><b class="cut-text"><a href="https://metawidget.dreamwidth.org/190226.html#cutid1">lots more</a></b><b class="cut-close"> )</b></span><div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___1" aria-live="assertive"></div><br /><br /><hr /><br /><br />Did I miss any useful questions? I dropped a couple of irrelevant ones, and will be watching the memesphere for stuff to add.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=metawidget&ditemid=190226" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-03-22:490532:189866Less afraid of May2012-12-10T18:49:33Z2012-12-10T18:52:27Zproudpublic1Last week, I attended a two-and-a-half-day course on mediation and interest-based negotiation in my steward capacity. It was a good course — lots to think about, a nice mix of people, good anecdotes and interesting role-plays (including some really hard ones). <br /><br />The most stressful part was knowing that I'd be leaving Elizabeth in charge of two kids for the duration, with only a couple of stretches of drop-in company. The kids are great, but they're still a pretty normal four-month-old who is breastfeeding, and a spirited, clever, athletic toddler who's still kind of adjusting to being a big sibling. She was a bit worried about how that would go, and I felt a bit guilty about leaving her in that situation — I know I'll have to for longer and more regularly when I go back to work (and that many families have to send someone back to full-time work a lot earlier than eight months postpartum), but by then it'll be nice out and the kids will be that little bit more independent.<br /><br />After the first day, I returned to a very quiet house — she'd managed to get both of them to nap at the same time. I think our place has been that quiet with two awake adults in it about twice since Oscar was born. After the second day, there was not as much napping going on, and there were definitely things that needed doing, but again, everyone was in basically good spirits. The half-day at the end worked out well, too. I know this may not seem like huge news, but two kids simultaneously for a couple of hours has been tricky up 'til now, and we were both a bit anxious about how things were going to turn out.<br /><br />Yay for my awesome wife and for things going better than feared! I imagine that's the most consecutive workdays I'll be out all leave, and it'll be a whole other kettle of fish when the whole routine has to change (first with evening teaching for Elizabeth, and then the complementary work schedules in late April), but as test experiences go, I'm happy, relieved and proud.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=metawidget&ditemid=189866" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2010-03-22:490532:183279Vivien Kaye Hortop2012-08-05T05:42:33Z2012-08-05T13:51:35Zjubilantpublic16On August 2 at 8:52 PM, Vivien Kaye Hortop came into the world at the Gatineau hospital. She is small but fierce: 2120 grams and was 47 cm long at birth, she arrived with a yell and set to feeding quickly thereafter. Vivien and Elizabeth are still at the hospital for observation of Vivien, but mother and daughter are in fine shape and we hope to have everyone back home in the days to come.<br /><br />We are grateful to the midwives at the Maison de naissance de l'Outaouais and the nurses and doctors on the third floor at the Gatineau hospital, whose expertise and kindness have been invaluable in the past days and months. We are also grateful to Marna Nightingale for taking Oscar on short notice during the birth and taking care of him for considerably longer than she may have had in mind at the outset while the situation evolved.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=metawidget&ditemid=183279" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> comments