What happens when your Doorknocking Coordinator calls in sick? Your amazingly versatile and all talented live in Campaign Office Manager answers the call of duty.
Benefits of doorknocking (besides fresh air, good exercise, discussing issues)?
Having the door answered by a half dressed, half asleep, cute buxom and built young dark haired guy...
Now, back to being a Campaign Office Manager.
When you are running a Campaign Office there is no such thing as weekends. Or slowing down. Or vegging, relaxing, etc, etc. But it is all fun, excitement, moving and shaking, rolling with the punches, meeting expectations and raising the bar. No one would have it any other way.
We are good (understatement). We have an awesome campaign team, with eager, skilled volunteers. We have the best Campaign Manager in the city. My space is finally coming together. We have a great Candidate, and an even better Candidates wife and family. The mundane trials of yesterday are nothing to us now. And most importantly, beyond any shadow of doubt, I have the most wonderful and supportive, understanding, caring husband (of superlative quality) in the whole world. I couldn't be here doing this without him (Thanks Baby).
Tonight I feel just like a little kid must feel when someone smashes through his sandcastle that was built upon hours of creative work.
I need tomorrow to be another day.
Q. What's the difference between the Vietnam War and the Iraq War?
A. George W. Bush had a plan to get out of the Vietnam War.
My husband has a nice new fandangled laptop with access to our wireless home network. Here's the conversation I had with him this lovely morning over MSN.
Allie - Now in Calgary says: you are now online!
Duncan says: And on the toilet.
Allie - Now in Calgary says: lol! thats awesome
Duncan says: Yup.
Duncan says: I no longer fear constipation. I welcome it.
Allie - Now in Calgary says: hehehe
I got this email from Raven today. I was impressed - thats a lot of typing for a nine year old!
Dear Mom,
At school today I:
-did S.Q.U.I.R.T. [silent reading]
-did L.A.
-Music
and so on. The book orders came in but Mrs.Loberg is handing them out tomorrow. At lunch I got a new spot because a girl took my spot but I get to sit by Nikki. I am having a good time but I miss you already! Tonight Duncan made pasta for dinner and it was good. How are you? What did you have for dinner?
I LOVE YOU!
Your Duaghter,
RAVEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Congratulations on running and winning your first election Wes! I hope you enjoy being a councilor for Grade Six. I am very proud of you. I hope Duncan enjoys planning your victory party! The students made an awesome choice.
Shakespeare knew of the pain of separating from your dearly loved one and suggested that ache could be dulled by the anticipation of the next encounter. Longing, dreaming, wanting, seeking, loving - all taking the edge off of a sadness that exists when two soul mates are apart.
Today, god willing (winter hit, the roads are a mess), I leave for Calgary. I do not want to leave Duncan behind. I sleep terribly when our bodies are not intertwined together, the comforting beat of our hearts directing our sleep and dreams. I look so forward everyday to looking into his eyes, getting lost in those beautiful eyes, listening to the rhythm of his voice, feeling the touch of his hands, wrapping myself in his arms. Almost everything I do, we do together. He is my best friend. I will miss him terribly.
I watched my kids walk out the door this morning, my dear sweet ones, and I know I will miss them too. Miss seeing how their faces light up when they talk about their days and how we play little games at night when I tuck them in... miss watching them laugh and play and even doing their homework.
Ofcourse, we are going to call each other, email, msn, write and find other ways to connect. That's a huge priority. We will still find time to visit and see each other in the next 6 weeks, I just don't know if it will be as often as my heart desires.
Until we meet again, loved ones, take care. Know that I love you more than the depths and mysteries of life can explain.
Out with the old, in with Stephen Mandel. Congrats Edmonton, we managed to shake up the Momentum afterall. Thank god.
Stephen Mandel 85887 votes (40.68%)
Bill Smith 68767 votes (32.57%)
Robert Noce 52640 votes (24.93%)
We had the weirdest ballots in Edmonton - we had to fill in the middle part of an arrow beside and pointing to the candidate of our choice... anyone else have weird ballots?
I am having much fun. Good fun. Clean fun. Real fun (as in not drama fun).
Dan and Cathy bought a new Jeep today (TJ). Very nice. It was very exciting, not very practical, but life isn't about being practical all the time. Their house is beautiful, I am enjoying my stay here in Cochrane. Cathy's pregnant belly is gorgeous. I am enjoying getting to know my friend as a pregnant girl. And maybe she can pass all her maternity/baby stuff on to me!
I had an awesome time tonight. The food was fabulous, the punch was amazing (thanks to Reagan's powers of creation), the political talk and socialization was arousing, and the gifts given out were touching. The only thing that would have made it more perfect would have been if Duncan was there with me (miss you baby). I know he really regreted having to miss the party.
Here I am in Calgary, all alone (for the time being). My friend Cindy was soposed to be here - but alas I am sitting in an empty house. I am here for a special party tonight, and then hanging with friends for a couple of days before heading back home to pack for the campaign era that begins Tuesday. I am happily entertaining myself with my new book, The Logogryph, my friend Tom's latest creation. Life is so much more interesting when you have friends who are artists.
I am an avid student of people and our humanity and how we chose to express and share it fascinates and inspires me. For a while I have been reading the blog of a woman who is trying to concieve her first child, but is travelling the journey that all couples faced with infertility must travel. I marvel at her willingness to expose her intimate desires and I grieve at her pain when her fears are made real, again and again.
I believe that honestly honouring your feelings, including the pains and the wounds, is the only way to survive life. Nothing is ever easy and you have to be able to adapt on your feet or risk insanity.
Recently she posted a link to a flash movie that another couple made about their journey (so far) with "infertility." It is amazing. It is as close as you can get to understanding without ever having been there. While you watch it consider your own humanity and how your heart moves in response to theirs.
Empty Arms
Last night, after arriving home from an Edmonton Meadowlark Campaign Meeting, Duncan and I helped Wesley write his very first campaign speech. This involved watching choice excerpts from many political films on the bookshelf and discussing why politics is important to other grade six students. Wesley is running for Row 2 Councilor in his grade six class's mock Municipal Election (Council will serve for the rest of the school term). He has made signs, handbills and utilized his own blog as an election page. Watching him practise the speech was very cute. We are very proud. I will be voting in our municipal election the same day his class will vote in theirs, and then I am off to Calgary for the provinicial election. We have elections coming out of our ears!
Go Wes Go!
Today I am thankful for my life and everything in it.
Thankful for my wonderful husband Duncan, my darling children Wesley and Raven, my Mom, Duncan's Dad, our delightful (yet not so large anymore) families, our many many friends, our cat Zoe, our puppy Luna(tic), our blog readership, our home, exciting upcoming opportunties, pretty sunsets, hugs, and for Blue Cross.
And I am very thankful for the bound-to-be amazing turkey dinner that is being cooked for us today by Quynn. Yum. We can't wait!
Our warmest wishes go out to everyone today. Peace be upon you where ever you are!
I think that's what we are going to do tonight. My children are off to Calgary with their Dad and it's been a while since Duncan and I have been alone. We've been meaning to go see Sky Captain for a while now but we are pretty flexible. We had a wonderful night last night all crammed around a table in Hooters (WEM). I especially liked it when they made a (drunk) Duncan stand on a bar stool while they sang Happy Birthday to him. But a good time was had by the birthday boy, who has been making love to the XBox ever since opening his gifts. It's nice to see a happy Duncan. Now if we could only clear up his pnuemonia I'd be happy too.
I am very excited about my upcoming Campaign duties - and about working with the great team that we have assembled and ready to go. Oct 19th is when I start, Calgary, here I come!
Today I was involved in the making of a commercial. Yep, that's me, TV star. A very interesting process, it was relatively quick and easy; I just sat there (with props) and stared at a dot on the chalkboard. The commercial will be used province wide during the Provincial Election so you can watch for me and Duncan on TV during that time. I know I'm excited.
PMS is rumoured to affect only 90% of women during their childbearing years. Personally, I actually don't know one woman who still has a uterus that doesn't enjoy PMS in some fashion. Most women experience symptoms with such severity that it interferes in one way or another with daily living activities. Or the daily living activities of our significant others, family members, pets, the mailman, drivers on the road, the clerk at the store, or any other poor unsuspecting bastard that dares to get in our way.
My monthly bout of estrogen dominance has sparked for me a "holiday," if you will, which I lovingingly refer to as "Over Reaction Day." Sometimes there are warning signs the night before, but usually Over Reaction Day arrives wreaking unexplained havoc on my successful, normally well adjusted, medication free, perfect, happy, responsible adult life. It's true. I fall asleep snuggling in the strong arms of the man who loves me, after a great evening, secure, happy and peaceful, dreaming of all the good times ahead of me, ahead for us.
And then I wake up.
I know right away what day it is. The fact that everything is WRONG from the moment I open my eyes is my first clue. It is like some great vengenance has been visited upon my cherished life and caused me to be annoyed and bothered by absolutely EVERYTHING, without cause or discretion. Usually I make some attempt to get up out of bed and tackle the world, even though somewhere underneath all my sudden irrationality I suspect it might bring world peace if I (and others like me) stayed in bed just this one day.
Yesterday, Duncan looked lovingly at me in the bed and asked if I would come to have coffee with him. He had no idea what demonic evils were brewing inside of me, yet, responding to his sweetness I said yes. Anyways, maybe I was wrong about what day it was. I mean, so far I had yet to shred the ankles of the nearest living being...
I made it ok to the coffee shop. But then it happened.
"I'd like a large medium roast coffee, please."
How dare he! He'd like "a" cup of coffee? How dare he insinuate that he is alone at the coffee shop, and not with me, the goddess of all things wonderful? And how could he NOT order ME a cup of coffee? ESPECIALLY after I so graciously ignored his dirty underwear on the bathroom floor that very morning?
Sensing a disturbance in the force, Duncan quickly ordered a coffee for me as well. But it was too late. Ofcourse it was.
So what do I do? I over reacted, ofcourse. After finishing my coffee I went straight to the mall and had my hair coloured.
Blonde.
And thats how I celebrated (survived?) this months Over Reaction Day.
Amidst much wonderful speculation, I should let you know that we are planning to have a baby. We are not yet having a baby, and we have yet to determine when our lives awould be best blest by such a gift, but we are touched by all the attention and warm wishes.
Our most recent baby dreaming began when our good friend Cathy discovered she was pregnant again. She was likely even just pregnant at our wedding (she was one of my bridesmaids, another blessing of the day). It's been wonderful to get wrapped up in the excitement of expecting a new being in our lives; the planning, the daydreaming, the realization that soon we shall embark on a similiar journey as a couple. The making of a space in our lives that will be filled with future love.
My friend is fresh out of baby names, so she asked me (being so creative and good at conjuring interesting names) for help. This led into our our collective daydreaming and subsequent planning. We're in no rush, but we now have a special place in our lives for a future little Wojtaszek. And we are happy in our anticipation.
Found this is in the online minutes of the U of A SU (July 13th).
Also, our Executive Director Duncan Wojtaszek got married on the 7th. Congratulations, and good luck to him and his wife Allie in the future. The Minister of Energy, Murray Smith, officiated the ceremony. Jordan, myself, and Brett Bergie (Provincial Director for ACTISEC) introduced ourselves to the Minister, then inadvertently ended up monopolizing his time at the post-ceremony reception as we discussed PSE issues.
Yes, only at my wedding would their be Political discussions and lobbying (oh and thanks, that was sweet).
There is so much to incorporate and define, so many ways to honour how I have grown and changed, so many new opportunities to consider, and now so much time to do it with. Well, not really - it's all percieved time - but now that I have a good couple of weeks off I surely may permit myself sometime to quietly think about everything that has happened this year. Or maybe I am just thinkgin that to make myself feel better!
Today, I am on my way out the door to get some shopping done (girls bday party tomorrow), this afternoon I have campaign office tasks to complete, a webpage to build, an article to write for the newspaper and (I'm sure there is another and in there somewhere!)... tonight we are going for BBQ and Buffy at Quynns house. How is that for my first day off? Laughs. Well, maybe once I can sit myself down and think through all this stuff I will have relieved myself of my blogger's block.
In this last week I finished working (I was filling in for a Mat Leave), was asked to teach at my son's school (his teacher from grade five wants me to come and do some lectures on Journalism and Communications for her class - so now I am trying to find lesson plan examples that approach this in a fun way). Also at the school, I am working with the Principal, PTA and our Community Police Officer to improve traffic and pedestrian safety both at the school and in the neighbourhood (what else do you do when your brother is killed by a car?) and I turned down a job offer from CBC. I've turned down job offers before, but this time I actually stopped her in the interview, asked her a few questions of clarification, and told her that this wasn't the job for me, but thank you for considering me. It's totally not what I had originally thought it was and I am beyond the time in my life where four random jobs make any sense to me. Besides, look at how busy I am already.
This has been a busy year. But I am a busy girl.
