Counting Down

Posted on November 23, 2007 by Heather

With the baby due to arrive in just under two months, I’ve been taking some time to… well, take some time for myself. I’m cross stitching, sleeping (when not being kicked awake constantly), reading, taking long baths, and just enjoying myself. Of course, I am somewhat limited in what I can do since I tire so easily. No long walks on cold (or even semi-cold) days, no time spent at the busy malls, no trips to Chinatown. I find that my tendency to avoid crowds has only got more intense as my pregnancy as progressed.

I often find myself wondering how life is going to change come the middle of January. No sleeping through the night, I know, but what else? Will I really be run off my feet? Will I never have a minute to myself? Will quanta and I grow distance because we will be so focused on the baby? I don’t expect life with a new baby to be perfect, but I also don’t expect the world to cave in around me. I suppose all I can do is enjoy the calm before the storm, and be prepared for anything afterwards. One day, maybe fifteen or sixteen years down the road, I’ll have time for myself again.

In the meantime, here is a picture of one of my most recent cross stitch finishes. It is Jade Dragon by Enchanting Lair.

Jade Dragon

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A Technophile/Bibliophile’s Dream

Posted on November 20, 2007 by Heather

To say that I am a bibliophile is a giant understatement. My personal library is probably getting close to 700 books, if not more. I read voraciously. I devour books. Heck, I’ve even bought at least five books for the baby, and he isn’t even born yet! (I wonder how quickly I can teach him to read?)

My love of books does cause me some pain though. I care a large purse partly so that I can always have a paperback book with me. I also use a pda phone (currently a PalmOne Treo 650), again, so that I have have at least two or three electronic books with me. One never knows when one will be stuck in a line, or stuck waiting for the subway, or any one of a myriad of situations where a book will provide relief!

To me, the Holy Grail of portable books is a book reader that looks good, is light, and has a screen larger then a few inches (reading books on my Treo is painful). Amazon looks like they may have just released exactly what I am looking for: Kindle: Amazon’s New Wireless Reading Device. I am blown away–books, newspapers, blogs, Wikipedia, wireless downloads. *sigh* The perfect Christmas gift (in case anyone is interested).

It remains to be seen, of course, if the Kindle lives up to everything Amazon promises. There have been a few attempts before to create an ebook reader, and none have fared very well. Sadly, though, it looks like Kindle’s wireless functionality only works in the U.S., so my dream of the perfect ebook reader will have to be put on hold a while longer. 🙁

That means, of course, that I am back to coveting the iPod Touch. 😉

Comments Off on A Technophile/Bibliophile’s Dream | Posted in The Outside World |

Creativ in the Fall

Posted on November 7, 2007 by Heather

At the end of October, I went to the bi-annual CreativFestival here in Toronto. There are two shows, one in the spring and one in the fall, that focus on needlework, quilting, knitting, scrapbooking etc. I go to the fall show, partly because it is easier for me to get to (the spring show being held in another part of the city), and partly because I enjoy the classes.

This year I only took three class, since growing this wee baby inside me makes me very tired. My favourite class piece is Laura Dickson of Enchanting Lair‘s Jade Dragon. (You can see my work in progress here.) I love it so much that I have already bought a box in which to mount it, and a companion chart for matching stitching accessories (needle case, scissor keeper and fob.) I also took two classes by Dragon Dream‘s Jennifer Aikman-Smith: Teeny Tiny Treasure Chest (which really is tiny!) and Sleeping Dragon Ornament. These were great fun to stitch, and I am very happy to have finished them already.

Jennifer Aikman-Smith also gave two lectures this year. The first was about creativity, mostly as it applied to crafting. However, I took about a page of notes that make sense for all creative endeavours, from cooking to Tarot reading. Her second lecture was about copyright and self-publishing. Again, it was full of good information, but was a little more applicable to people looking to publish craft patterns. I will say, though, that I am shocked by the amount of cross stitch patterns available online (one of her topics of discussion). People who claim they share patterns because they are expensive and can’t afford to buy them make me laugh–patterns are the least expensive part of this hobby. The supplies–threads, beads, fabric, etc.–cost many times more then a pattern. (There are a few exceptions, companies that charge a ridiculous amount for a computer generated pattern, but oddly I haven’t seen too many of their patterns being shared.)

And even thought the baby will still be very small next fall, I am hoping I can go to the show again then. Teresa Wentzler of TW Designworks will be returning to teach at least one class with Jennifer Aikman-Smith. I’m sure quanta can handle the baby for a day while I relax with some stitching.

Comments Off on Creativ in the Fall | Posted in Cross Stitch |

Election 2007 & Faith-Based Schooling

Posted on October 10, 2007 by Heather

Today was Election Day in Ontario again. What with the minority governments in both the Federal and Provincial government for the past few elections, and a few by-elections, I feel as if I have been voting every six months. Being a good citizen, I went out in rain to make my mark yet again.

With all the issues facing Ontario–high taxes, coal energy plants, health care wait times, and election system reform to name a few–the issue of funding faith-based schooling turned out to be a major polarizer. In this province, both the public school system and the Catholic school system are funded by the provincial government. No other faith-based school systems receive government funding. I’m of the opinion that either all faith-based school systems should be funded, or only the public school system should be funded. It is unfair that only the Catholic system benefits from public money.

This, of course, opens up two cans of worms. First, who decides which faiths are valid? I’m sure there is no question that Jewish or Muslim schools would get funding, but what about Wiccan or Baha’i, for example? Secondly, a great deal of care would need to be taken to ensure that all schools, regardless of faith, taught a standard course of math, science, English, etc., along with their respective religious teachings. A student from the public school system shouldn’t receive a better (or worse) education then a student from one of the faith-based schools.

I suspect that once the election is over this issue will disappear, and things will return to the way they are now. We are likely to have another Liberal minority government, and Daulton McGuinty (the Liberal leader) doesn’t seem overly concerned about this issue. He is more likely to create a new bank holiday in February then to give funding to religious schools.


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Pond Still Alive

Posted on September 7, 2007 by Heather

It has been about three and a half months since my last post, likely making nearly everyone suspect that I’ve given up on my blog.  Far from it.  Life has been a series of if not adventures, then at least interesting events, for the last little while.

I turned 30 on May 10th, not too long before my last post.  On May 11th we bought a lovely condo within the GTA, and moved there on July 10th.  It was a mad two months of cleaning, de-cluttering, and packing, but the move went smoothly in the end, all things considered.

The biggest event of the last few months has been my pregnancy.  I found out I was pregnant on May 13th, Mother’s Day.  (How fitting!)  Unfortunately, I’m one of the lucky women who suffer horribly from morning sickness, and was all but stuck in bed sick from the middle of May to the middle of July (which is why the move was more difficult then it should have been).  It has only been in the last few weeks that I have begun to feel more like myself, just in time for the baby to begin learning to play drums in my abdomen (making me feel slightly ill and very uncomfortable).

As I start my fifth month of pregnancy, I am recovering.  The baby is doing very well, even if I’m not at my best.  We have also learned that it is a boy.  I suspected so all along, but no one believed me, of course.

The wee one is due on January 19th, and quanta and I are eagerly awaiting his arrival.

As a note, if you happen to know me in real life but didn’t know I was pregnant, obviously you need to give me a call!

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Older, but Not Wiser

Posted on May 11, 2007 by Heather

I’m sure I’m not the only one who remembers the childhood/rock saying “Never trust anyone over 30.” So, what do you do when you reach 30? This is a dilemma I am now faced with, because I turned 30 yesterday.

Okay, hardly anyone lives their life based on such maxims, but it still gives one pause. When you are little, 30 is old! Your parents are 30, their friends are 30, your teachers are even older then 30. And then you get older, and 30 is still old, but not quite as old. In your 20’s, 30 looms large, but still seems so far away. And then one day (for me a lovely spring day, but no less painful for that), you are 30. Ouch.

There is one nice thing about getting older: instead of getting Barbie dolls as gifts, I’m now getting Chanel No.5 and emerald earrings. That certainly eases the pain of a few gray hairs.

3 Comments | Posted in My Life |

Joy’s Fat Rant

Posted on March 31, 2007 by Heather

As I have mentioned in the past, I consider myself Rubenesque, curvy… in a word: fat. Sometimes I don’t care, other times I want to hide in the house. I’m not ashamed on my weight; I think that I am quite pretty. What bothers me is the reactions of other people. I live in a large city full of want-to-be-fashionistas; pencil thin women who eat only a carrot stick for lunch. They seem to hate fat people. Maybe it isn’t so much my size they hate, but rather that I eat whatever I want and don’t feel guilty (usually).

I may be fat, but I do try to take care of myself. I am not extremely active (I’m very clumsy so playing sports is dangerous!), but I walk a lot as well as do yoga and play Dance Dance Revolution occasionally. I eat fairly well, and get enough sleep. My health is relatively good, and I am always trying to make it better. And yet, I’m still fat. I don’t think I will ever try a strict diet or a hardcore exercise program to loose weight. I know that they don’t work for the long term, and life is more about the long term then the short.

It is nice to know that ideals of beauty are slowly changing, with more normal models showing up in advertisements, like those for Dove. But honestly, I will scream if I see any other tabloid calling some star who wears a size 12 overweight.

For another perspective on being fat, check out this video by Joy Nash.



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