Not Sure What to Say

It has been 16 days since I last posted. A very long 16 days for me and Hubby and our families. As some of you know from Twitter and others from email, my Mom was suddenly hospitalized two weeks ago, right before Thanksgiving here in Canada. She had a perforated bowel that was infected and she needed emergency surgery. Twice. She was in ICU for a few days and then admitted to the ward. But she was and always has been a fighter and she was healing well. She began eating solid foods again and was able to get up and around, all within a week of having major, life saving surgery. She went from having 18 tubes to having one IV left. And, best of all, she was in great spirits as she was preparing to come home on Monday, October 19th.

I had spent most of the week and a half she was in the hospital at her side, liaising on her behalf with doctors and nurses, keeping time with the beeping of machines, the sound of suction pumps, and the changing of shifts of nurses. I was happy to do it, as it was my turn to take care of her, as she had done for all my life. But I won't lie to you, it was exhausting, and so, when I left her on Saturday, October 17th to go home and rest, I felt a bit relieved to be able to leave the hospital and get some fresh air. And was happy that my Mom would be able to do so again as well.

Then at 5am on Sunday, October 18th, the doctor called. And gave me the most shocking news I will ever receive. In the night, my Mom had passed away, likely the victim of a heart attack or a blood clot. And, in that moment, everything changed. Everything. It has been a long 5 days since I got that phone call. 5 days that has felt like 5 weeks, as the details and protocols of death have consumed me and Hubby.

For all of you who have emailed me, and twittered me, and sent me your condolences, you have no idea how much those words and thoughts have kept me going as we make our way through the grief and make peace with this new life. Really. They mean the world to me and Hubby.

So, even if I don't manage any more blogging in the next few weeks, please know that I am grateful for all of you and will be looking forward to the day when I do know what to say again.

Six Wordness...

I've seen some of my bloggy friends doing this Six Word Saturday thing lately and think it is a bang-up idea. And since I am SUCH a rebel, I am going to do it today. Tuesday. 'Cause that's how I roll.

Today's Six Words That Are Running Through My Head:

I

Love

My

Camera's

Macro

Lens

Marshy area at RB Winter Park in PA

The classic foot pose.

Bluebells at RB Winter Park in PA.

Cyndy's cat Sylvester.

Blue Heron beside the highway near my home.

Fountain in motion.

OK, So Here's The Thing...

Remember when I said I had found my blogging mojo (thanks again Spud for that gem of a phrase) in Pennsylvania? Turns out that was someone else's mojo. And there was a very awkward moment when I put it on and discovered that not only didn't it fit, but it was also very itchy. Anyway, after an exhaustive search, I discovered that my blogging mojo was REALLY lounging on my couch at home, eating all the good candy, and drinking all the good liquor. I had forgotten to pack it for the trip to Cyndy's. Oopsy. But now that I am home and I have reclaimed my space on the couch, I am back. And have much to share, like:

• You know those small travel size tooth brushes they sell at the drug store? They suck. They brush maybe one third of your teeth. From now on, I am boycotting them. Please join me at www.boycott....oooo, shiny!
• I am now officially all caught up on the fall shows that I missed during Project: Cyndy. And I must say, that "Flash-Forward" show is pretty awesome. Not "Lost" awesome. But, really, what show is?
• Hockey season has started. All is right in the VEG household again.
• I very much miss my new BFF Cyndy. And her family, of which I feel I am now an honorary member. But I am so very excited about our new on-line project, of which I will send the link to you all soon. It is funny. Really, it is.
• I also miss my other new BFF and stalker Optimistic Pessimist. She gets me. And she is awesome. 'Nuff said.
• Penn State football fans (well, Penn State fans in general) are perhaps the most devoted fans ever. And have the paraphernalia to show for it. Seriously. I have never, ever, ever seen that wide a variety of fan gear in my life.
• The Detroit airport is like "Tomorrow Land" at Disney Land. They have an elevated monorail that whisks you from one end of A terminal to another. Not BETWEEN terminals. WITHIN the terminal. Inside. Seriously. And the Starbucks had a fountain in it. Fancy, huh? Apparently, they want to dazzle travellers when they arrive so that they miss the depressed city outside.
• And yet, in Seattle, I had to take three different underground trams to get to my plane. I must have travelled from one end of Seattle to another on those things. They really need to take a note from Detroit.
  
• One of the funniest things that happened to me while travelling was the girl beside me asking me where I was from when we were landing in Seattle. She had woken me up twice during the flight to go to the bathroom and had felt bad each time. When I told her I was from Vancouver, she said, "Oh you're Canadian! That explains why you were so nice and polite when I woke you up." Tee hee.
  

Um, Yeah, Remember that VEG Person?

So sorry my bloggy friends for not posting in a few days. Things here in the PA have been very very busy and, apparently, Gabby and I got lost in the excitement of it all. And, contrary to reports, I have not been sold into white slavery or been axe murdered by 110 Penned, Optimistic Pessimist or The Fragrant Muse (or all of them for that matter.)

What I HAVE been doing is getting 110 Penned on the de-cluttering, organization, sigh-of-relief path, laughing hysterically with and eating Optimistic Pessimist's whoopie pies, and getting wonderful hugs from The Fragrant Muse. Not a bad few days, if I do say so myself. I have also been astounded by the sheer amount of tail-gaters at the Penn State-Iowa football game (who were there a mere 10 hours prior to game time, grilling it up and getting perfectly sloshed) and been inducted into the Friday night lights phenomenon of high school football. Hmmm, what else?

• Took pictures of the Frankenberry and BooBerry and Count Chockula cereal display in Wal-Mart. It was a thing of beauty. We Canadians are not privy to such cereal diversity.
• Gone to Target. Wheeeeeee!
• Thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the Amish culture, and specifically Ruth, Esther and Julianne, the hard working girls from up the road who helped us all last week.
• Watched Marley and Me and sobbed at the end.
• Found many lost treasures for 110 Penned and her boys, providing a kind of perpetual Christmas.
• Through by awesome powers of klutziness and ability to hurt myself, I have given myself a bruise so large it takes up my entire thigh.
• Purchased matching sock monkeys from Sam's Club so that 100 Penned's youngest son and I can take pictures of them in the wide, wide world and start our own blog of the crazy travelling sock monkey.
• Made so many new friends I am bursting with joy.
• Learned that *GASP* maybe I could like living in the country instead of the city. But, shhhhhsssshhhh, don't tell my Hubby.
• Discovered heaven in the form of the cream-filled-sugar-coated-Amish-made donut.
• Been adopted by 110 Penned's dogs and cats and children.
• Met a new blogger, Lola England, whose home is beautiful and whose generosity and friendliness is wonderful, and, dare I say, very Pennsylvania!
• So much more but my brain is still addled from mini-blog camp last night, and I have been working on this post since 7am, and I have not even had coffee yet, and accidentally had decaf when they switched my and 100 Penned's coffee orders yesterday, so, technically, I have not had coffee in two days, and it is raining today and, well, I am just at a loss for words because of all the fun I have had.
  

Pondering....

I am in an insightful mood today. Well, I am in bed waiting for Gabby to come out of her hiccup because the internet flashed on and off a few times, resulting in her wandering off because she saw something shiny. *Sniff* I am so proud - she obviously takes after her mothe....oooo shiny!

Anyway, whilst I was waiting for Gabby to return from her shiny odyssey, I began pondering these great things:

• Why is it that the monsters and ghosts and such on Scooby Doo are always like ten feet tall, but when they are unmasked to show that it was indeed old man Winters impersonating the Chupacabra, he is normal sized?
• How did I ever enjoy a donut before I ate the cream-filled, sugar coated heaven that the Amish girls up the road make? Do you think that the border guards will notice if I stuff my purse with them for the trip home?
• Why is it that when I am attempting to fix my boot, I manage to put the buckle on backwards, especially after I checked it three times to make sure that I was NOT doing that?
• Why was I so nervous during my dinner with my stalker that I was way more reserved than I usually am, perhaps with the result that she will no longer stalk me 'cause I am so boring, which will cause me such sadness that I will be forced to stop blogging?
• And, speaking of bloggy friends, how the hell did I forget to ask Extranjera a question for her 200th post extravaganza? Doy! Must have been the shiny's fault. Yep, that was it.
  

Oh Yeah, That 100 Dreams Series

What can I say? I, like Spud, have lost my blogging mojo recently. However, I think what happened was that it made the trip to Pennsylvania prior to me because I turned a corner in Cyndy's town recently and there it was, waiting patiently for me to pick it up, dust it off, and give it a little hug. So, in a nod to that little series 100 Dreams I started a while ago, here is another set of 10 dreams I wish to fulfill in my life.

1. Visit each and every continent. Including Antarctica. Yes, me. The one that is always cold and bundled in blankets and sweaters.
2. Overcome my shyness and become more of an environmental activist in a public way.
3. Live like the Amish for a month. OK, maybe a week. I am wimpy and, man, are they hard workers.
4. Become such a success that I can then fulfill my Hubby's dream of being a house husband.
5. Own a car. Any car. Well, not really. I want a hybrid.
6. Learn how to sew, knit, and quilt. And hem pants.
7. Make a difference in one person's life to pay it forward.
8. Overcome my fear of deep water to be able to scuba dive.
   
9. Read more, watch less TV. Or, Universe forbid, NO TV!
10. Meet David Suzuki in person and engage in conversation where I do not make a fool out of myself.
    

Eco-Monday: Recycling Amongst the Cubicles

HI Green (do) Gooders:

Today's tribulation is about recycling and being "eco-friendly" at the office. I don't know about you, but in the office I work in, there are varying levels of adherence to eco-friendliness, all the way from the eco-zilla (that would be me), to the recycling novice (he tells me that, in the UK, there is hardly any recycling and was confused when I put up large signs about the different recycling bins ?!). Having to share an office with people who may or may not share your "eco-friendly" ways can be challenging, especially when you find paper and containers in the garbage bin every time you pass the kitchen area. However, a little perseverance and a willingness to teach can go a long way to making your office the most "eco-friendly" around.


First, if you haven't already, check out the ink and laser cartridge recycling boxes provided by think-food.com. They take your used ink and laser toners, and old cell phones as well, and then turn them into donations for your local food bank. You have the option of setting up your workplace as a collection site by having them send you a collection box (it is made for a desktop, so is compact and easy to store), or sending any items off to a collection depot. If you become a collection site, sending the items in is quite easy: once the box or is full, simply send it off, by Purolator (for free!) and think-food.com will send you a new box.


Second, if that is too much trouble, check out your printer's manufacturing website. Most companies now take back ink and laser cartridges as part of their mandate, and will send you a free, postage-paid envelope in which to send those cartridges back in.

Finally, make sure that your office is as power efficient as it can be. If you work in a large office, look into automated lighting systems for rooms that are not occupied all the time, such as the bathroom. If there is no movement in the room for a set period of time, then the lights will automatically go off. Also, encourage your fellow employees to turn off, or at least hibernate, their computers when the are leaving the office at lunch or at quitting time. The amount of power saved can be really astonishing.

I know these seem like simple fixes, but you would be amazed the number of people who ask me for tips and have never thought of these things. And remember, every little bit helps!

What I Have Learned This Week: Pennsylvania Style

Yes, folks, coming live from central Pennsylvania, it is a week of learnings for you:

• I have learned that my body thinks it is 85 years old based on the fact that I hurt in places I didn't know exist.
• Amish people are fascinating to me. They have a very nice community and I am in awe at their work ethic. Plus the whole horse and buggy thing.
  
• Friday Night Lights is a phenomenon that I had never truly appreciated until last night.
  
• I think that perhaps one of Cyndy's boys brought his friend over simply to be introduced to the "Crazy Canadian girl who came to help my Mom organize her house." How else does one explain a giggly 13 year old boy?
• Everyone here is really friendly and welcoming, beyond simply being polite. They are genuinely interested in you.
• Penn State football fans are a breed unto themselves. I cannot explain it any other way.
• We have been so hard at work that I keep forgetting to Tweet and Blog and Email. How is this possible?
• The universe has repaid this hard work by rewarding me with a cold.
• But, Cyndy is rewarding this hard work by taking me to Target today, which I am very excited about. Yes, people, that is excitement for me.
• And I just confirmed that I am going to hang out with my stalker on Monday night. Perhaps this is the universe's way of saying sorry about the cold? Hmmm.....
  

Project Cyndy Has Begun!

Yes, my friends, it is true, I am in Pennsylvania. With Cyndy and Optimistic Pessimist. For a completely hilarious account of my arrival, check this out. I have been in PA for a full day now, and my brain has finally arrived too, containing my thoughts on the whole thing thus far:

• I CAN fly without wonder-happy drugs. Who knew?
• Travelling through four airports in one day is very bewildering.
• New reason to hate flying: withdrawal symptoms from Twitter and Blogger because precious Blackberry is (perhaps forcibly) removed from its permanent position in my palm and *gasp* SWITCHED OFF!
• Central PA is a very pretty area. And there are horses. That trot down the road. This is very exciting to me.
• The area has such interesting history. Especially for those of us from the west coast whose history goes back a whole 150 years.
  
• Cyndy is as awesome as her blog would suggest. And her boys (that I have met so far) are too. They are so friendly and welcoming.
• Optimistic Pessimist is UNBELIEVABLY pretty and bubbly and she is everything one could ask for in a stalker.
• Telling a US Customs official that you are going to PA to meet friends that you met on the internet is a good way to make him ask you 50 more questions, all with varying and increasing degrees of suspiciousness. And then, I am sure, radio ahead to security to ensure that they fully pat down and search that "internet freak's" person and luggage. Because such a freak is sure to be some sort of new and completely scary terrorist.
• Watching Disney movies with kids is way more fun than watching by yourself. And Wall-E is so cute that I was on a contact-sugar high after it was over.

That is all my brain can offer up from its jet lagged, still adjusting to being in a whole other country, and coffee-lacking self. Plan to take more pictures today and will offer up some more soon!

Oh Sephora, How I Love You...

OK, I admit I may not be the most glamorous person. I am currently sitting on my couch wearing a t-shirt, maybe-maternity jeans, and a baseball cap. This is my everyday outfit. In fact, when I was getting married, I had my makeup and hair artists come to the house a week ahead to give me an idea of what I would look like and how my hair would go, blah, blah, blah. I definitely looked glamorous from the neck up that day. However, once done, I sat on the couch, wearing a similar outfit, eating chips and drinking pop, and watching hockey. Though I do admit I rocked my tiara whilst doing so. Anyway, what this story shows us is that I WANT to be glamorous. I really, really do. And this is where my love of Sephora comes in.

It started as an internet fling, really. I would wander about the site for hours (maybe days, who's to say?) at a time, oohing and ahhing, and occasionally buying. Each time the package came, there may or may not have been squealing. But, being Canadian meant that Sephora had not yet realized I was there, waiting oh so patiently, just above the border. And then, like a plaintive cry hear in the wind, one day there was the familiar black and white facade, promising a new store opening in both downtown and the much-hated-yet-sucks-me-in mega mall Metrotown. The downtown store opened in July. And the Metrotown one opens in two weeks. But, since I lost my job about the same time the store downtown opened, (thanks universe, kisses!) I have expressed EXTREME self-deprivation and have not gone in. Well, HAD not gone in. You see, yesterday, as I was securing Blog Camp Pennsylvania and Project Cyndy prezzies, I accidentally tripped and found myself in the mecca of my soul. And was relieved of some of my money by those pesky fairies that Spud has referred to. Here's why:

Sephora is in possession of all manner of creams, lotions, unctions, foundations, eyeshadows, mascaras, perfumes, hair products, thing-a-ma-bobs and whatzzits that promise smoother skin, smaller pores, less (or even no!) wrinkles, perfectly straight and unmussed hair, the perfect smoky eye, subtle tans, less hair in unwanted places, fabulous eyelashes and perfectly groomed brows and all sorts of other glamorous things. Wandering its aisles is like being in heaven, or the pages of Allure, In-Style, Lucky, Glow and Lou Lou (which is the same thing in my opinion). You know, those magazines where the glamour comes flying off the pages and infects you with every well lit and delicious looking page (oh, is it just me that happens to?) Either way, I am ill equipped to deal with their siren call from the magazine racks or my mailbox. And next week when I will be trying to distract myself from the fact that I am in an airport, and therefore am about to get on a plane and deal with the sheer terror of flying for over six hours, I will probably buy every one of those magazines. And then caress their pages and dream of the day when I can afford to not trip into Sephora "accidentally" and, at the same time, be more than happy to give those fairies my entire paycheque for the privilege of getting to pet the bag incessantly as I go home and giddily add each one of those coveted items from those pages to my very own collection.

I love you Sephora. I really, really do.