When did the Trees turn Yellow?

It's a Mellow Yellow...



Yesterday I mostly stayed inside except for going out to the concert, and by then it was dark... So imagine my surprise upon venturing out today at seeing the trees almost completely and uniformely yellow. "When did the trees turn yellow?" I managed, surprised. The answer, from Quynn was "yesterday." Duncan confirmed - on his way home yesterday from work the entire river valley had turned yellow, where it had still been green that morning. Well, atleast fall is a pretty season

We went bike riding today!



T3 was ok, not terrible, but there were some issues with it. Mostly I can see T4 from here... and I don't know how I feel about that. Regardless, I enjoyed it, and we talked about the movie over Hooters wings for a good hour or so before table talk turned to Politics (as it always does).

I miss my kids, who will be home tomorrow, but it has been a great weekend so far! We rock, life is good!

These Boots were made for....

The Painting Daisies ROCK! Sexy girls and great music too! They are a dream, for sure. Opening for the Daisies was the War Party. It was all very well done.


We had SO much fun. Wish there was a wee bit more room to dance, but it was all good!


It's a perfect Friday. And what about those boots, mmMMMmm?

I love Sex.

That is all.

Toys for Iraqi Kids

Chief Wiggles is running a toy drive for Iraqi children. He is looking for basic toys, in good shape (preferably new) to give out to the kids. The following list are toys that are not welcome:


No guns of any kind
No violent action hereos
No violent toys
No barbie dolls or dolls skantily dressed
No toys that shoot something, no projectiles
No water guns


You can check his website for updates on other stuff that is needed, such as pencils, pens, paper to draw and color on, toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, brushes, combs, etc.


Here is the mailing address to send items to:


Chief Wiggles
CPA-C2, Debriefer
APO AE 09335


Please folks, spread this around. Let's get as many toys as possible over there.

Okay, I have finally gone and done it!

Tonight, I have created my Photoblog - may I introduce, Shutterfly! I don't know yet how often I will post there, but I humbly invite you to visit!

FOR SALE: Iraq (It's a fixer-upper)

Now, there's privatisation, and then there's privatisation...


Philip Thornton and Andrew Gumbel wrote an interesting article today for the UK's Independant News. Entitled "America puts Iraq up for sale" the article highlights some alarming new policy in the Middle East country of Iraq.


(comments added in brackets are mine)


"... the American-appointed administration announced it was opening up all sectors of the economy to foreign investors in a desperate attempt to deliver much-needed reconstruction... (and) the Iraqi Governing Council announced sweeping reforms to allow total foreign ownership without the need for prior approval."


"... the biggest reconstruction contracts have been allocated to American firms such as Bechtel (George Schultz, Former Secretary of State, is now Senior Councillor of Bechtel) and Halliburton (formerly headed by now Vice President Dick Cheney), which (CLEARLY) have ties to the Bush administration. They were selected behind closed doors, with no opportunity for competitors to present bids." (and thats not even considereing the involvement of companies like the Carlyle Group - which former President GHW Bush currently works with, or the New American Century Project, or other war profiteers to be found in the numerous oil companies and weapon producers).


So, Iraq, the 51st state of America? Are there any buyers?

THE MEEK ARE GETTING READY ...

So much hate. So much that I don't know where to start even. People who hate are dark unhappy creatures indeed. Sad and Pathetic and Lost.


Yesterday I covered a Rally for The Gateway. The rally itself was supposed to be in support of the traditional family (aka a protest against Bill C250 and same sex marriages) but what it ultimately degenerated into was a big gay bashing rally.





Of course, while at the rally, I had to remain impartial in order to write a balanced and fair article. I managed to write a pretty good piece that my editor was impressed with. But this is my blog, and I can say what I want to. And I want to say is that these people made me sick. Literally, sick to my stomach. I left despising their so called "loving" god, their misled religious fanaticism and their hateful bigotry.


I have other words that I would like to say, but first I will share with you some of the words they shared with me. I want to point out that every single protester I interviewed refused to give their full name (leading me to believe they know what they are saying is wrong).


One protester told me that "I am a Nurse, and I can tell you that homosexuals are not born that way and that they can come out of the lifestyle if they choose too." She then proceeded to add "I find them the most intolerant group of people in this country."


The Speakers, clergy men and prominent community members, sometimes had the most hurtful things to say. One speaker addressed the counter protesters with "Shame on you brother. The shame is on you... don't bend over for anyone". The rally MC, Marshall Deslauriers, claimed "The real danger of assigning homosexuals with group human rights lies in ... awarding [human rights] on the basis of deviant sexual practices. The suggestion that Canada has evolved into a country that now accepts homosexual marriage is both morally and intellectually repugnant."


Yep, if we give homosexuals equal rights and protection, everyone will want them... (rolling eyes).


As the Counter Protesters chanted "EQUALITY FOR ALL" and "SHAME", an older woman in the crowd behind me said to her friend "Just goes to show you how sick these people are". I turned around and looked at her. She looked about ready to die. Before I turned my attention back to the rally, I silently hoped that these antiquitated, bigoted ideas will unceremoniously die out with this entire older generation. One can hope can't they?


I talked to a little 10 year old girl holding up a sign about Homosexual marriage being a sin. Her parents said I could interview her, as long as I was reasonable. I asked her to tell me what her sign meant, but she didn't know. I asked her why she was there that day, but she didn't know. I asked her what she thought about all the people and being here today, and she said in a low voice to me, "I'm scared". Poor kid. And I'm the one who has to be reasonable?


I did hear some things I agreed with on that day, though, and I want to share those words and voices as well.


Marilyn Hooper, and her family, came to the rally in support of Same Sex Families. Marilyn told me "I believe in Equal rights for all, not just for some. The argument is that extending equal rights to Same Sex Families threatens the family, but my husband and I are here to say that we aren't threatened by equal rights."


Bill Lee, who was wearing a shirt that said "Hate is not a family value," told me "I think that straight only marriage is a kind of apartheid."


I also was able to talk to Wendy Robutka, a mother who came to the rally in support of her gay son. Wendy was in tears at the hatred being expressed towards her son, and other people. Pointing out that the definition of marriage has been changing in this country for over 30 years, Wendy said "There is no room here for Hate Crimes. I believe they should have equal rights and if they are denied equal rights then this isn't a free democracy."


Otto Frank, the father of Anne Frank, once said "We cannot change what happened. The only thing we can do is to learn from the past and to realize what discrimination and persecution of innocent people means. I believe that it's everyone's responsibility to fight prejudice."


Me too.


I have an earnest need and desire to live in a world where everyone has equal rights. I reject the notion that I should have more rights then someone else. I reject the notion that my rights mean anything at all if they are only at the expense of someone else. There is room in my world, and yes, in Alberta, for Same Sex Marriage and Families.


Lots of bible passages were bantered around at the rally on Sunday. But they forgot one... Matthew 5:5. "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth".


And they are getting ready.

I have found the one

Aphrodite/Eros


?? Which Of The Greek Gods Are You ??
brought to you by Quizilla

"Indifference to Evil is Evil"

Today is the International Day of Peace.


At this years United Nation's Observation ceremony (at UN HQ), a young Rawandan girl asked a question, "How could the world have done virtually nothing to halt the 1994 genocide of 500,000 people, targeted only for their Tutsi minority, in Rwanda?"


Nobel peace laureate Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor, answered the question as thus: "We knew and we did nothing. I have no answer... except that we must now learn the lesson that indifference is never the answer. Indifference to evil is evil."


He should know.


Just days ago, George Bush said "We have no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with the 11 September attacks." Hmmm. No WMD, no 9/11 connection, no Osama bin Laden... Is our own indifference to these truths as a world community indicative of a level of apathy relevant to how directly we are affected by the actions of america or is it denial that "one of us civilized nations" could be rampantly achieving its goals through less then favorable means? Do we really think two wrongs make a right?


Will one day someone be asking us why we didn't do anything? Will we have an answer?

It's all fun and games...

Until someone loses an eye. Then it's a sport...





Duncan to me (as his Dad "ends" our "mutual" pact of non-aggression in one fale swoop across my borders): "See Allie, It's genetic!"


Duncan to Dad: "I love her, but I'm not going to let you have her cards. I'll kill her myself if I have too".

I love IKEA. Finally, a kitchen table! Unböring!!!

Better than Ice Cream!

You are Ice Cream


You're madly in love, cheerful, and carefree. Life couldn't get any better than this!

Which
Sarah McLachlan Song Are You?

Created by Noor

Gateway Drug?

As a result of my eternal search for allie type activities, I am now writing for the Gateway (and would you have guessed they are a bunch of bloggers too?). I cover my first story on Sunday - didn't realize how much I missed it until now.

The obvious priorities of a ten year old boy

Well, atleast he's putting his own stuff away...

How does one run out of time when, really, they have nothing to do?


Today has been a fabulous day! Spent the morning updating/adding features to my web pages (you'll likely have to refresh to see the changes) and planning how I would like my domain page to eventually look. Now I am off to meet Duncan for lunch at his new place of work.


AND ...it's not snowing here in Edmonton like it is in Calgary!

Don't get me started...

"Your child is the canary in the miners cage."
(graffiti written on the wall by my old home)

Not my child.


The kids school sent home a notification of intent to immunize all grade five kids for HepB AND Chicken pox this year. Well - I am not going to descend ito the stupidity of the Chicken Pox Vaccine, mostly because my son has already had the disease and as such they wont require him to recieve the immunization, but Hep B is fair game in my books...


Anyone know what Hepatitis B is? Thats right... it's a blood borne, semi contagious, lower risk virus mainly passed on through sexual contact, or non casual contact with blood/body fluids. The virus, if one should become infected, can cause nausea, vomiting, fatigue, low grade fever, pain and swelling in joints, headache, cough, jaundice, enlargement of the liver and fatigue. Even in cases of acute Hepatitis B most patients do not require hospital care and more then 95% of patients recover completely with no side effects (with the case-fatality ratio being approximately .1 %) and furthermore acquire life-long immunity for their troubles.


Well guess what? I don't have Hep B, and I certainly didn't have Hep B when my 10 year old son was born. So, unless my ten year old son is sexually active, an intravenous drug user, or a f**king paramedic, gimme a break.


Oh yeah, and North America has had the lowest actual percentage of cases in the world (along with Europe), with the occurences of the virus itself declining since 1985. Yay for personal hygiene.


There are some increasingly troublesome connections and implications between vaccinations themselves and long term auto immune side effects (as well as immediate debilitating side effects, like death) that should concern anyone considering this procedure for themselves, or others. Thankfully, in Canada, we are allowed Informed Consent with respect to making these choices, although unbiased information is hard to find.


A quick perusal of product package inserts (all medication in Canada must come with a little data sheet that you may - and should - read before taking a medication) will reveal a multitude of all sorts of neuro toxins used as perservatives in the carrier solution of the vaccine, including (but not limited to): Sodium Chloride; Sodium Hydroxide; Formaldehyde; Hydrochloric Acid; Thimerosal (mercury); Phosphates; and Monosodium Glutamate.


Who needs that crap inside their body? Not me thank you (I was never vaccinated since my parents had friends' whose baby became severely brain damaged after recieving her first immunization). And not my kids. Sometimes, you have to make choices with all of the risks considered, and after looking at both sides, I decided that I did not want my child to be merely a statistic that I would spend a lifetime blaming myself for.


Michael Belkin, who testified twice before the ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON IMMUNIZATION PRACTICES, for the CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (USA), lost his baby daughter within hours of her recieving the Hep B vaccine. His words echo the pain many families feel after they discover the potential risks, too late. He warns “Parents should be aware that the Hepatitis B vaccine is not administered for the well being of their child. Rather, it is delivered by the long arm of some incompetent and mindless bureaucracy in the name of stamping out a disease most babies can’t possibly get,” and I hear him. My child is not at risk of contracting Hep B, and even if he did get it, we would get through it.


It's a Shot in the Dark, and not one I am willing to take.

We are so getting a dog!

  

  

So, our travels took us down into the river valley, along the river and eventually up (and up, and up) to the U of A campus where we hung out for a while reading the Gateway and sharing a pop before heading back home. We passed through a big dog off leash area, and we were amazed at how many dogs there were! At first I thought it must be a dog walking club, but after talking to some of the owners we discovered that this was normal here for Edmonton.

Holy evil reptilian kitten eaters from another planet, Batman!

Bits and pieces of my thoughts grace my Blogosphere this morning, and I have been meaning to share them... I found these in, around and about:


With blogging being so prominent in my own web experience, I sometimes forget that there really are people out there who don't quite understand the phenomenon - like for example, I left a comment once on someone's blog about his subject matter (I wanted to know his thoughts on something in reflection to the experience he writes about) and somebody after me commented on "the nerve of some people who read a free blog and think they can make demands". I, of course (after rolling my eyes), refrained from retorting with an "all blogs are free, Moron" response and just chucked it up to blog naiveté. But I found a gem, a gem I tell you, on Matrix Essays the other day. I am going to share it with you, because I know you will all be able to relate to it, in some form or another!


From the mailbag (of Matrix Essays)

Q. How much money do you make from this blog? Is it easy to make a living from blogging?


A. Well, let's see, let me get out of my Matrix Essays hot tub on the deck of my Matrix Essays yacht and walk down to the accounting department so they can get me that figure. Oh, here it is: so far I have not made any money at all from this site.


So, a morning smile for all of us hard working, underpaid, stimulators of blogosphere wisdom, keepers of world history and personal philosophical commentarists. We rock, but we're obviously not in it for the money!


Today, I am off bike riding with my best friend! We are going to go explore the river valley here, so expect photo's. My entire life is lived as an adventure... I must be really in touch with my inner child! (See proof below)

My inner child is ten years old!
The adult world is pretty irrelevant to me. Whether I'm off on my bicycle (or pony) exploring, lost in a good book, or giggling with my bestfriend, I live in a world apart, one full of adventure and wonder and other stuff adults don't understand.
How Old is Your Inner Child?
brought to you by Quizilla

The Man, The Sound, The Legend... The Life.

Every one I know goes away in the end...
(click to listen, but it takes a while to load)





Duncan and I share many fond memories of Johnny Cash's work (is it sacrilege to mention on a day like this Duncan and Oliver's drunken rendition of "Ring of Fire"? Or our bouyant hilarity in enjoying "A Boy named Sue" over and over again?) and were both recently touched by Johnny Cash's last video, "Hurt", which we felt should have won more awards then it, in the end, garnered itself.


God's speed to the river bend, Johnny... and don't forget to meet June there.

"We also remember our firm resolve that such hate should never again transform an ordinary day into a day of horror"

“September 11 will forever be a day that we stop and remember the moment terror changed our world... Two years later, we find that our wounds are deep and the pain of our losses remains. History will never forget the events of September 11. But neither will it forget the will of humankind to rise above hate and prevail over violence and extremism.” - Prime Minister Jean Chretien

Let's Roll

There is so much emotion. So many memories. So many reactions. It makes it hard for one to define exactly what September 11th means to her, two full years after the fact.

Only, it's not really after the fact. We live in a post 9/11 world - almost everything, it seems at times, is a result or a reaction to what happened to us during those few hours. 9/11 is everything and nothing all at the same time. Everyone remembers where they were and what they were thinking at that moment in time.

Well, not everyone. And this is a day to remember those people.

So much was lost. Was anything gained?

Remembering Sept 11
Flag of Rememberance
Flight 93

MmmMmmm! I'm so yummy!

Strawberry Pocky! You're energetic and you probably bounce around a lot. You're also a bit naive, and you probably fall in love easily.

What Kind of Pocky are You?
brought to you by Quizilla


They forgot smart, cute and sexy as well...

As my wonderful and understanding boyfriend can attest to, my variant mood swings (read PMS) today have made today a rough day, and I wisely decided to spare the blogosphere with any real rantings for the time being (although I did post on Duncan's blog this morning).

But we did some shopping today, and in honor of Duncan's fetish for Pocky (combined with the close proximity of an Asian food store) I bought him some Pocky. Just happened to be Strawberry Pocky as well. I know, the coincidence is shocking. While he sat here at the computer consuming all of them, he found the above quiz. Yes we are both yummy.

Knowing (really) is Half the Battle…

I was going to blog about how I thought the Bush Administration needs a change in their posturing over Iraq (and North Korea, and Iran), especially in light of the newly announced cost (87 billion) just for the US to carry out the next year in Iraq.


But then, after reading the local news, I thought today I would entertain something a little closer to home. Closer to home, mostly because I, like many of us, have mini versions of adults running around that we dearly hope will actually someday make it to adulthood.


Last weekend, a gruesome early morning rural car accident (in Leduc) left four party going teenagers dead, while 5 others, were found scattered among truck fragments and across the ditch at the accident scene. Only one of the victims was wearing a seatbelt. Although tragic, these deaths are an unchangeable reality that no one can escape.


What has peaked my ire this morning is the debate that has arisen from the aftermath; misguided suggestions on how to prevent this type of incident, including “More police on the streets”; “higher fines”; “stronger penalties, like your license being taken away for three years”; “better laws”.


Well, anyone who has been a kid, or knows a kid, knows what the term fearless means. Kids are invincible, and rules are for breaking, no matter how tough they are. Teens don’t care because they can get away with it, pay a fine (if caught) and get on with it. And teens don’t grow out of it either – every time we chose not to put on our seatbelt, or flagrantly disregard the speed limit we are doing the same thing. It doesn’t mean much to us. Why?


We have to teach kids how to think, not what to think (hat tip to Barbara Colorosso). Don’t tell them to put on their seatbelts because it is the law, we all can find the fault in that logic. Tell them why. Show them that people get hurt, that people die. Show them pictures, accident scenes, get them into morgues even. Show them how seatbelts work, how cars are designed to protect the occupants within the core area of a vehicle. Giving them the real world reasons and knowledge as to why we wear our seatbelts will help them make a better informed choice when they get into a vehicle. Then, when they are putting on (or leaving off) their seatbelts, they atleast will know why they made their choice. And it really is their choice to make.


BUT some choices aren’t really for kids to make, which brings me to the next issue that has irked me. Why is everyone ok with a 100 mostly underage school kids drinking out at a party? One parent, who knew most of the crash victims and had a child attending the party, was quoted in the Edmonton Journal as saying “I know it’s not right for them to be drinking, but I’m also a realist and I know they’re going to do it… and yeah, it was stupid to have kids in the back of a truck. But they’re kids”.


Pardon me? I hope I am not the only parent to be insulted by this lack of responsibilty. Yes, they are kids. Kids have parents for a reason, to provide them with the skills and the judgment needed to make decisions and survive in this world, and to not throw them into potentially life threatening situations. Well, as a realist, I guess you can’t escape the fact that these kids are dead, and yet they needn’t be. The whole kids will be kids excuse sounds to me as a way of saying “it’s not our fault”. A parent who allows their child to ride home in the back of a pick up truck, from a party where everyone has been drinking, is as derelict as the kid who made the choice to get in. So you lose an hour of sleep going to pick them up – is the alternative worth it? And that’s not even addressing the drinking issue.


I remember as a child reading an empassioned "open letter" from an RCMP officer (my Dad gave it to me) who had just mopped up a similar road side disaster, and was petitioning parents to take a more active role in caring and knowing where their children were at night. He felt that parents (and the society) often blamed him for being “too hard” on the kids about drinking and driving, speeding, seatbelts and what not, and as such undermined the importance of enforcing vehicle safety in the minds of the kids involved. “Kids will be kids” he often heard people say. I actually found his letter published on the web, so I urge you to go read it. But I will leave you with the final words of his letter:


“… if you continue to regard alcohol abuse as just a part of growing up, then please keep your porch light on because some cold, rainy night, you will find me at your doorstep, staring at my feet with a message of death for you.”

The Govenator...

Vote for me if you want to live...


Isn't politics an interesting game?

Allegations over September 11 'monstrous', says US

From telegraph news:


"Mr Meacher listed a number of reports detailing intelligence that the US was said to have which warned of the September 11 attacks... The MP for Oldham cited a document called Rebuilding America's Defences, written in September 2000 by a neo-conservative think tank, Project for the New American Century, which was set up by a group that included Dick Cheney, the American vice president, Donald Rumsfeld, the defence secretary, and Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy defence secretary, which he (Meacher) called "a blueprint for US world domination". He said the document stated that making America "tomorrow's dominant force" would be a long process without "some catalysing event - like a new Pearl Harbour".


A blog I read this morning posted this article and the blogger insisted that there could be no way the Bush Administration would allow this to happen to americans.


Why? Why not? What happens when someone believes the good of the many outweighs the good of the few? What happens when that person, or persons, have power? What happens when other people don't critically approach it because it is more comfortable to shrug it off as impossible?


Discuss...

Places we still need to find:

corner store
coffee shop
video rental store
dentist for Raven
afterschool program
eb games for Duncan
hockey team for Wes
gymnastics for Raven
gym for Allie
grocery store
movie theatre
big ass mall


Life here is almost perfect!

Punishing the children for the sins of the fathers (to the third and fourth generation...)

As reported in the Globe and Mail today, 70% of americans believe there is a link between Saddam Hussein and the 9-11 WTC attacks. According to the poll, conducted by the Washington Post, that means nearly 7 out of 10 americans actually believe that Saddam was personally responsible for the WTC attacks.


They actually do believe this… even though there has never been any evidence to support this claim (a claim that was thrown out there by Mr. Bush in order to garner american public support for an invasion of Iraq), to the contrary there has even been evidence to suggest the complete opposite – so why does this belief persist? If the american public is so easily convinced, which country (and which excuse) will be so easily swallowed next?


The Washington Post story suggests the reason for this groundless belief lay in the ease of which a shocked american public could demonize and blame Saddam for 9-11, a presumption which Mr. Bush happily exploited while manipulating public opinion with his pro war rhetoric. As an immediate respsonse, this can be understandable - yet this poll was taken two years after the fact... Is this connection, made, embraced and maintained by the american public indicative of a nation scared enough to place blame on any “evil doers” presented to them by their “president” – borne of a culture of adults spooked by random boogey men – or have they merely allowed themselves to suspend all intelligent skepticism and/or belief in order to have the satisfaction of revenge for the worst terrorist attack in their history?


Is it my imagination, or are the phrases “Land of the Free” and “You are either with us or against us” diametrically opposite?


Fear can be a good thing, if utilized properly it can mobilize a necessary response for survival, but it is a bad thing when it is open ended and undefined. The american public is afraid – but where does their fear transpire from? Do they know what they should be afraid of? Should they not fear the loss of their independent freedom? Should they not fear the loss of open and critical inquiry, imperative to the democratic process? Should they not fear a “president” that seems more intent on misleading and scaring the public he leads into perpetual war then actually empowering them?


Fear has long been used by undesirable governments to solicit control over their peoples. It is often used as a way of removing choices from a "free" people so that the only choice they logically see is the choice the government wishes them to support (think Germany, World War II). BUT, the american people still do have a choice. Their government is still “elected” (regardless of what happened in the last election). Lets hope they are both free and brave enough to make a choice. Let's hope that when Mr. Bush is long gone from the geo-political scene, that the american people were brave and strong enough to withstand what ever his antics have brought down upon them, and the generations to come.

Thank gods it's Friday!

Such a good day today! I got stuff done, so I feel productive! The house is all unpacked, and I have met my neighbours... We all went to West Edmonton Mall after the kids got out of school and watched the Dolphin for a while, and then Duncan took us to watch the fire breathing dragon at Silver City. We had to hurry home to meet Quynn, who was coming over for the evening with Pizza and his adorable dog, Mischief. We just got back from the park, where the kids exhausted themselves and the dog, running around playing frisbee. It's a huge field, and I decided that I would run around the field in the mornings (Duncan said that he would come with me too) for exercise!


Anyways, we are about to settle down to an evening of watching "Yes, Prime Minister", which Quynn brought Duncan as a birthday gift...


Awww, the month of Duncan's Birthday has begun...

It is nice to be home!

You know that feeling that occurs when everything seems like it is all planned out and confirmed but some little part of your instinct nags at the back of your brain, in some vain attempt at warning against the complacency you have allowed yourself to settle into?


Well, I have come to believe that every good moving story must begin with the following dialogue:


Me: “Hello. I’m here to pick up a moving truck”
Guy: blank stare
Me: (helpfully offering) “I have a confirmation number”
Guy: “You’re here to pick up… a truck?”
Me: looking around to see if I am somehow not at a U Haul outlet, “Yes”
Guy: “We don’t have a truck”
Me: (hopefully, insistent) “I have a confirmation number”
Guy: “That doesn’t mean anything to me”


Well see, it was pretty early in the morning that day, on a Sunday no less, and I hadn’t yet had my coffee. I had been packing and cleaning for days and there was no way I was leaving this U Haul outlet without a truck to get all our stuff to Edmonton. I was done with Calgary nonsense, I had places to be. So my darling friend Cathy and I pulled a good cop / bad cop routine on the guy (damn she is a great bad cop) and before he knew what had hit him I was driving out of the parking lot with a 26 foot U Haul truck for less then the price of the 17 foot I had originally “confirmed”. (Note to all movers: “confirmation” doesn’t mean to U Haul what it means to you…)



So like I said, all good moving stories start out with some sort of laughing matter. I think it is the law of moving. A teensy bit behind schedule, I finally got this (diesel sucking, manual shifting monstrosity) truck home, and we (thanks to friends) had all of our worldly possessions packed into Pig (as it lovingly became known) and ready for the road before 12:00. It was actually better to have a big truck, as it was easier to pack everything in, not having to be so precise to preserve space. I love the way everything works out in the end.


When we went to pick the kids up from their Dads house, my ex came out and helped us plot a route into Airdrie that would have us avoid the road side scales – with the truck being so huge we would have had to have submitted to the scales, and with the way we packed I was sure our load would be deemed unbalanced (and there was no way I was repacking that thing). So we took his advice (Thanks Mark! Thanks for not being a crazy Ex!) and avoided what we later learned was three hour line up at the scales. In Airdrie we met up again with Cathy and Dan (who came to Edmonton to help us unpack – what lovely and entirely incredible friends we have!) who took Raven in their car, leaving myself, Duncan, Wes and an unimpressed cat in the cab of Pig.


To make a long story short (and bygods it was a long story) it took Pig 5 (expletitve deleted) hours to drive to Edmonton. We were passed by motor homes driven by people three times my age even. Our moment of excitement and glory came when we actually passed one vehicle… (there must have been something wrong with it) - Much whooping and hollering ensued with that event!


It didn’t take us long to unpack the truck once here, and although Cathy and Dan couldn’t stay long enough to enjoy it, I can say it has certainly turned into our new home. I was really happy when I saw it, the walls are a gorgeous beige color, and all the trimmings are white. The kitchen is beautiful, we have two bathrooms and a dishwasher, and both the basement and front (fenced) yard are huge. The only thing that broke the whole time was some wine glasses, and all in all, I can say the move went perfectly! It is nice to be home.



The kids started school, which is right next door to where we live, and they are enjoying it. We got Wes registered for Hockey and Raven will be doing Gymnastics instead of Ballet. The transit system where we live is great – so many bus routes. We live very close to West Edmonton Mall, and the only thing we haven’t found close yet is a major food store. Things have worked out wonderfully!


I am enjoying my Edmonton friends, and looking forward to making new friends, but I am missing my Calgary friends (as you all know). I can’t wait to see everyone who are planning trips up here this month. I am so excited!