My Canadian Matters

Life Among the Dust

2009-07-14T06:44:00.003-04:00

A domestic diva I am not. But I do put forth the effort every single day. These past two weeks with Hubby off work have proven to be beyond my meager capabilities. Not only do I have to deal with the day to day "unable to put anything in the dishwasher" task that DH is famous for adjudicating, he has been working on re-tiling the bathroom. Which of course means dust. Layers and layers of thick white dust that travels throughout the house and settles - well, everywhere.

I dust when I see the little layer building up. I can see kiddie fingerprints tracking their way along the ledge under the tv, or marks on my desk from running the roll top up and down, so this inspires me to wipe down the area. But this drywall/sanding/tile cutting crazy dust is everywhere.

I clean one spot and five minutes later, it's white again. I have to clean my blowdryer before I can dry my hair. Everything I touch leaves a little white film on my hands. I must clean a path through the house before I get dressed to avoid getting my work clothes sullied. It amazes me how it travels so quickly. My toddler plods through the house and I can clearly see dust rising in his wake. The walls, the windows, the floors, the furniture - no surface is safe from this white storm.

Yes, I know, it will be over soon. In the meantime, I must avoid wearing black and run megablocks through the dishwasher every night. Sigh.

Can You Still Be Burnt by an Old Flame?

2009-06-08T08:18:00.004-04:00

While cruising around on facebook, I came across my sister's old flame. I added him as a friend, which almost immediately became an online chat. "Where is your sister" was a large theme in the conversation. He gave me his cell number for myself and my sis to call him sometime. (I interpret this as 'get her to call me'.)

I called my sister and gave her the number, which has now led to a possible rendevous with the old flame. Really, what was I thinking?

If my sister has a resolute weakness, this guy is it. On one hand, I knew she'd be happy to talk to him and get her ego boosted, but on the other hand, they have a history of torrid affairs and destructive relations. (destructive for her anyway). They go back over 20 years in the strange cycle of love you/hate you. My sister has three children, old flame has one. Both have spouses and live in entirely different cities. Yet, he is determined to come and see her, and she is excited about it. She is also making arrangements to meet him without the presence of her husband.

This is the part that worries me. Hiding him already can lead to know good and I suspect it's a pretty strong indication of her intentions. His too, since I imagine his spouse knows nothing of the visit. Is it possible that this could end up being a harmless little visit? I suppose it could be, but I fear it is not. My mind races with the potential consequences.

In the end, all I can do is wait and see. And of-course, hope for the best.

How Did You Get So Big???

2009-05-26T09:04:00.004-04:00

The last two weekends have been for Birthdays. Sigh. Baby JT is now one whole year old as of May 16th, and his big brother just turned four years old on Sunday. While most of me is happy, a little piece is sad. Can't you stay little boys who love Mommy forever?

Right now, I am the hero, the helper and for all intents and purposes, the centre of the universe. I fix boo-boos with a simple kiss, fill sippy cups and offer the best tickles. CJ will be starting junior kindergarten this fall, and tonight is our "meet and greet" and the school.

I struggle to decide if I am happy or sad. I have decided it's a little of both. I'm proud to see he'll be off to school. I look forward to picture day and bringing home crafts and all the other wonderful adventures that come with school days. Yet, I'm a little nostalgic at the same time. Cliche: where did the time go?

On the other hand, I might quite enjoy having him out of the house a couple days a week. CJ doesn't nap and is pretty much on the go constantly, stopping only long enough to eat it seems. So, maybe it will be good for all of our growth and development. Besides, I will be back to work soon, and it will be nice for him to have somewhere interesting to go too.

Grief for Tori Stafford

2009-05-22T12:27:00.002-04:00

I have been watching the news closely for news on the Tori Stafford case, a nine year old girl who was abducted from Woodstock, Ontario. Sadly, the police have announced that two people have been arrested and charged with her murder. They are now on day three of the search for little Tori's remains.

This breaks my heart into a thousand pieces. Apparently, the female suspect is cooperating, but I can only conclude she doesn't actually know where the body is, hence the ongoing search of Guelph and area.

Tori's father is still holding out hope, on the tiniest possiblity that she is still alive. I think I would be the same. If it was my child, I would not give up either. In the face of such enormous tragedy what else can one do? My grief for this family is coupled with anger that the 28 eight year old man involved in Tori's abduction will not confess the location of her body. What is the benefit of making everybody search?

Does he think he can avoid conviction with no body? Does he really think her remains won't be found? Or is he just perverse enough to drag out the crime and force more suffering for her family. Is his final assualt on Tori the denial of a proper burial? Refusing to allow her to rest? Refusing to let her family, friends and community say good-bye?

To Tori's parents, brother and family, I hope she will be returned to you, that you may say good-bye and lay her to rest in peace. I hope that the overwhelming grief in your hearts is in some small way lightened by those who now carry Tori in their hearts and prayers. I hope that the people who committed this horrendous crime have the full force of justice reaped upon them.

Mostly I hope for peace to come to you, your family and Tori.

3 Weeks till my Day Job

2009-05-19T23:44:00.002-04:00

Only three weeks left until I return to my regular full time job. I must admit, I will miss maternity leave. Already I am dreading the return, as I quickly discovered after the briefest of conversations with a co-worker this morning.

Ok, she's not my favourite person. The office that used to be "all mine" is now going to be shared with two other people. Ugh. Already I'm devising a plan to get rid of the interlopers. Grrrr. Already Ms Attitude has attempted to be my boss, which I soooo profoundly protest to.

Oh yes, things are going to get nasty. I am smart, talented and I can run circles around you Ms Attitude. Just wait, we'll see who gets reassigned. I guarantee, despite your statement to the contrary, it won't be me.

Feast and Famine, the Nature of Freelance

2009-05-11T09:20:00.003-04:00

I have been sooo busy the last couple weeks. It's like that with freelance. You bid on a few projects, hoping to get at least one or two, and sit on your hands and wait for a reply. It always seems to happen that I get multiple projects accepted at the same time and with the same deadlines.

It's just the nature of how it works. Every time I think I will have a couple days to get caught up on other things...boom! Work overload. I don't mind really though. I thrive under pressure and having multiple projects on the go gives me some variety so I won't start feeling stale on any one topic. So all in all it's a good thing.

I just finished up three projects, all of which were due today. So, I am feeling rather pleased with myself. One was about credit, one was about mortgages and one was about real estate. I must say, I seem to have pigeon-holed myself into a certain segment, but it is my comfort zone, and it tends to appeal to a more professional breed of clientele. Good for me, since they are willing to pay more.

So, for now, nothings on the docket, well at least no writing is on the docket. I need to clean out both kids rooms, pack away the winter clothes and prepare for two birthday parties, one next weekend, one the following weekend. These are the times I hope I don't get hit with job offers, because I really need a little time off.

Did You Know Canada has Cars That Run on Gas?

2009-04-24T10:35:00.006-04:00

I do a little freelance writing, when I can find time between changing diapers, reading Doggone Dogs (over and over), making dinner, taking out the garbage and at some point unloading the dishwasher. I am on a couple of international sites, which attract a large American audience.

Now, I think I'm a fairly rounded individual and like most Canadians, I keep up with the news south of the border. I am also from Ontario, and I once read a study that Ontarions are more likely to watch American television programing than residents of any other province or territory. I tend to think that's true (can't live without a weekly dose of CSI).

But on more than one occassion, I've been subject to an odd interview from potential US buyers. Here is a sampling of the questions I've been asked:

Do you have banks there? Of-course not, we use loonies and twoonies, therefore our financial system is a series of coin operated vending machines.
Do you have credit bureaus? No, we operate on the honour system. Although occasionally we will accept a handwritten IOU, but only for big things, like buying a house.
Do you know anything about junior and senior kindergarten? Not really, since everyone in Canada is snowed in 11 months of the year, all children are homeschooled.
Proper English spelling and grammer is a must. Eh? Ok, let's start with G-R-A-M-M-A-R.
How many mounties have died in the war? None, but we've lost a few horses.
Are there any African-Americans born in Canada? No, but we do have Eskimo-Americans born every day in Canada.
Do you have regular dogs or just the ones that pull the dog sleds? Absolutely, we keep them at the zoo so the polar bears won't get them.

I am certainly not implying that all Americans are like this, in fact, I've gotten a very good reception from American buyers and many repeat jobs. I'm also painfully aware that for every silly American question about Canada, there's a Canadian with an equally ignorant view of the states. I don't really expect them to know a lot about us, since they don't live here, but hey, we're not a third world country, we don't sit in the dark waiting for the igloo to melt, in fact, we even have cars that run on gasoline!

Bank of Canada Key Rate Drops: Credit Card Rates Do Not

2009-04-23T08:55:00.000-04:00

Why is it that credit card interest rates don't go down when Bank of Canada drops the key lending rate? It's frustrating for the consumer, since the key lending rate is supposed to offer consumer relief to stimulate our spending. In fact, credit lines based on prime are now going up instead of down. What's up?

As it turns out, the Toronto Star ran an article stating that 70 percent of Canadians pay off there credit card balance every month anyway, effectively paying no interest. Furthermore, most of our credit cards are fixed rate, so the rates only change when the card company decides to change them. It's been my experience, that they only go up. As for credit lines, they have made the change to prime plus, apparently the banks need to make a little more profit than is available with a key rate of 2.25%.

There are exceptions though, and about 60 Canadian credit cards offer variable rates, based on prime. I know, I have one. Every year, I call the number on the back of my TD Visa and ask for an interest rate reduction. During my first call, the agent told me they do a review every year around the anniversary of my card opening, so I make it a point to call yearly and make sure I get my reduction. I'm not due to call for a few more months, but for now, I am please with the Bank of Canada rate cut.

You can do it too. Just call the card company and ask for an interest rate reduction. They already know how much you qualify for, but they won't give it to you unless you ask. I don't begrudge them that, it is a business after all. I've tried this on my mastercard too, but didn't get anywhere most likely because my mastercard is a reward card. They did increase my limit though, so I guess that's something.

Go ahead, try it. Let me know how it works.