I have never liked olives. As soon as I could speak, they were deemed "awfuls" because they tasted awful and I didn't like them! Yecky! I wouldn't eat pizza with "awfuls" - not even in my 20's! The name "awfuls" stuck. Everyone knows I do not like "awfuls".


Last week, a strange craving came upon me. it happened just as Ross and I were standing in the kitchen.
Her: Do you know what I am craving right now? You could never guess.
Him: What?
Her: Olives!
Him: Huh?
Her: I think I have decided to kick the "I-hate-olives" habit. Feed me everything you can with olives. Make me tapinade and every recipe you ever wanted to make but couldn't because it had olives in it."

The moments after this epiphany included Ross helping me to gorge myself on all the different kinds of olives in the fridge. Every day this week I have eaten olives. My favourite are kalamata olives. Super super yummy. They are soaked in red wine vinegar. Mmmmmmm. I love vinegar. Green olives with pimento. Green olives stuffed with garlic. Green olives in brine. Green olives in oil. I've had lots of olives over the last week. I'm still not overly "fond" of green olives. I find them way too salty for me. I am however craving a nice kalamata right this moment!

I feel so grown up now!

Ross is at the gym with Rick and Sue today. Rick invited Ross to come work out at his gym. Me and my disc protrusion can't go to the gym, so I'm going shopping instead! I can't buy too much though, because I can't lift anything! What a bummer! I'm getting my phone situation fixed today, though! Yay!

I need to do a fringe on a scarf. It needs a fringe. I can't find any instructions for fringes. I know it's relatively simple, but I do want it to look good!

Knitting Canadians
CanadaKnit
At My House (this is a wonderful bunch of ladies who all share their love of crochet, heart breaks and joys. They also have tons of exchanges every month - bookmarks, scrunchies, potholders...I can't even remember them all. So fun!)

CanSock is no more :(

My dear friend Del sent me this. I'd like to share this with all of the lovely ladies in my life.

Why have GIRLFRIENDS?

A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea and visiting with her Mother. As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter.

"Don't forget your girlfriends," she advised, swirling the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. "They'll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you'll have, you are still going to need girlfriends. Remember to go places with them now and then; do things with them. And remember that "girlfriends" are not only your friends, but your sisters, your daughters, and other relatives too. You'll need other women. Women always do."

'What a funny piece of advice,' the young woman thought. 'Haven't I just gotten married? Haven't I just joined the couple-world? I'm now a married woman, for goodness sake, a grownup, not a young girl who needs girlfriends! Surely my husband and the family we'll start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!'

But she listened to her Mother; she kept contact with her girlfriends and made more each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand that her Mom really knew what she was talking about. As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman, girlfriends are the mainstays of her life. After 30 years of living in this world, here is what I know about girlfriends:

Girlfriends bring you chicken curry and scrub your bathroom when you need help
Girlfriends keep your children and keep your secrets
Girlfriends give advice when you ask for it, sometimes you take it, sometimes you don't
Girlfriends don't always tell you that you're right, but they're usually honest
Girlfriends still love you, even when they don't agree with your choices
Girlfriends laugh with you, and you don't need canned jokes to start the laughter
Girlfriends pull you out of jams
Girlfriends help you get out of bad relationships
Girlfriends help you look for a new apartment, help you pack, and help you move
Girlfriends will give a party for your son or daughter when they get married or have a baby, in whichever order that comes
Girlfriends are there for you, in an instant and when the hard times come
Girlfriends will drive through blizzards, rainstorms, hail, heat, and gloom of night to get to you when your hour of need is desperate
Girlfriends listen when you lose a job or a friend
Girlfriends listen when your children break your heart
Girlfriends listen when your parents' minds and bodies fail
Girlfriends cry with you when someone you loved dies
Girlfriends support you when the men in your life let you down
Girlfriends help you pick up the pieces when men pack up and go
Girlfriends rejoice at what makes you happy, and are ready to go out and kill what makes you unhappy

Times passes. Life happens. Distance separates. Children grow up. Love waxes and wanes. Hearts break. Careers end. Jobs come and go. Parents die. Colleagues forget favours. Men don't call when they say they will. BUT girlfriends are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you. A girlfriend is never farther away than needing her can reach.

When you have to walk that lonesome valley, and you have to walk it for yourself, your girlfriends will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley's end. Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you. Or come in and carry you out

My mother, sisters, sisters-in-law, aunties, nieces, cousins, extended family, and friends bless my life!
The world wouldn't be the same without them, and neither would I. When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other.

Pass this on to the women who help make your life work.

Last year, over 30,000 people in our city used emergency shelters. You
can help someone less fortunate this holiday season by putting together a sock gift. Here's how:
1 - Stuff one heavy sock with its mate.
2 - Add:
1 toothbrush and toothpaste
1 comb or brush
1 head band or toque
1 package of Kleenex
1 lip balm or moisturizer
1 sweet treat
3 - Tie the top with a bright ribbon.

This is what we're doing at work. There is a drop-off box in our front lobby by the screening desk. Ours are going to Out of the Cold.
Out of the Cold is an emergency shelter and meal program to help the
homeless. To make a clothing or monetary donation, call the Out of the
Cold Trinity Church (Bloor St. West location) at 416.410.6458.

You could of course do the same idea for a shelter in your area.

Now who can afford $3500/week for a cottage?

I have a friend named Sue. How happy was I to find she too is blogging!? Sue has an eloquent way of expressing her thoughts and feelings. Lovely, good for the soul reading. Hi Sue! Remind me when your wine tasting is!

I now have constant prickly sensations in my arms. Tingling and numbness in fingers, feet, neck... It hurts like hell to hiccup! This is really really making me crazy. The prickly sensation is now in my face too. I'm looking forward to traction tomorrow!

Ever wondered what the world looks like from inside the kiss-'n-ride circular thingy at Kipling station?

Twenty or so people in this circular thingy. We're surrounded by mini-vans with their headlights blinding us. We cannot tell what colour the vans are in the dark. We cannot see the license plate because the headlights are on. They all look the same. Some crazy person is yelling at themselves. 10 people are on cell phones all yelling into their phones in a variety of languages. There's nowhere to sit.

We look like a zoo exhibit, with our necks craning to see if that next mini-van belongs to one of us. We're in a glass display case. It's a drive-up pavillion at the zoo. They should have food dispensers out front - put in a loonie and some get some nuts to feed to the transit riderausolas. The real kicker is when the mini-van octect begins. First one honks, then another. Soon we have a chorus. Now we have everyone jumping over each other thinking the honking is just for them. The honkers, if not noticed immediately, proceed to honk more vigorously. The guy next to him now has to out-honk the others to be heard over the din. It's a vicious cycle.

We don't know who the hell they're honking at! Like I know our van's honk? Don't all Dodge Caravan honks sound the same?

I love African Violets, however, I kill anything with leaves. Not intentionally of course. If you're thinking of getting me a gift, for Heaven's sakes, nothing with leaves! Patterns for crocheted flowers - a great idea for the plant murderer in your life. Save a life, crochet a crocus. It's my new motto.

The protruded disc is pushing on my nerves. I feel like someone is sticking me with pins in my back, legs, neck. Every once in a while, just for a treat, I get a slicing pain all the way down my leg and stabbing in my armpit! My back feels like it is sunburnt. Sometimes I have muscle weakness in my legs and arms! Who knew what a mess a protruded disc can make? I'm miserable! But I'm crocheting a holder for my new toy. I just have to wait for DH (what the hell is the D for? I hope it's not "darling!" ICK!) to get his stuff off it and tell me how to use it! Oh yeah, it's a handheld. More deets when I've had a chance to play with it.

I'm getting another hand-me-down ;) That's ok. Hand-me-downs are aok. Did I mention I lost my phone? Yep, I did. I'll eventually get another one. Eventually.

"Why am I such a misfit....?"

Last night I stayed at work for the the "Story of Toronto in the 1920's". This is a wonderful show put on by Bruce Bell and his entourage. Billie Mae Richards, did the voice of our dear Rudolph back in the 60's. Up on the stage last night, she gave us a sampling of Rudolph. It was wonderful!

Bruce Bell's History of Toronto also can be seen at the Winter Garden Theatre, in Toronto. It's a really great show! The patients at the hospital were singing and moving in time to the music in their chairs. The room was full of smiling faces.







Catch It's a Wonderful Life December 15th at the Rainbow Cinema Market Square at 80 Front St. E. I know I definitely want to go. It says tickets are $6!!
Click on Rudolph: Behind the Scenes for more info about our favourite little reindeer.

I have a disc protrusion between T4 and T5. Apparently this isn't very common. Well, I guess I'm not very common then. No lifting or twisting or stretching and physio three times a week. Hot packs and Advil are my friends. So that's what happened to me in the pool while trying to learn the "Superman/Suntan maneuver". I think I'll stick to something easier like "the lazy" maneuver for a while! lol

Here I am. Here I am....

I've been spending my mornings before work either cleaning or working on Christmas projects. Sadly, I can't really mention any of them here. Some are cross stitched, some are knitted, some are crocheted....

Last weekend I was on my WaterART course. I am working on my certification to be an aquatic fitness instructor. Do you know that working for Parks and Recreation in Toronto, you make $18/hour as an instructor? Few hours here and there, not bad I'd say. Some day I may even decide to do private instruction! All in all, it's pretty fun. Except for one thing. I injured my neck! Luckily for me, we have Employee Rehab Services at work and I'm going for physio today. How crazy is that? I love my job. :) They are so good to us.

Well, off to find more patterns. I'm nearly finished my latest project. :)

Today a lady came to our Wellness Program. She is a patient in the hospital. She had a handmade afghan that someone another lady also a patient had made for her. It got rolled up in her bedsheets and went off to the laundry which gets done off-site. She has never received it back and she misses it very much. It made me sad. These people that spend months - years in the hospital - they don't have a lot. The things that they do have, they cherish. It's nice to have something of your own. I'm going to try to make her a new one. I'm going to look for patterns that sound like the afghan she described. Any helpers would certainly be appreciated. It sounds like it was granny squares sewn together and then with a border around. Easy enough!

Tonight I had to give Pink a dose of his antibiotic drops. So you're picturing the "old" Pink - matted fur, wild-eyed, crazed, doesn't-like-human-contact, man-eating beast. Pink was lying on the back of the couch so I figured that was a good time to give him his medicine. I filled up the dropper, held it to his mouth and guess what he did?

He tilted his head back and I just squeezed those drops out of the dropper right in! What a super-fabulous-awesome cat! Superfabaw! It's my new word. Just for Pink.