2 Things

  I know I know it's been a while. My only excuse is the two weeks of coughing. But now that I'm sure I'll survive I'm going to tell you two things I've learned about myself during this time. And no it's not that I'm a horrible patient although that is 100% true.

  One thing I always suspected, but now I'm positive about, is that I'm not a good hockey parent. Hard to believe right? Not one of these parents has the next Crosby or McDavid. None. There probably isn't even a university scholarship possibility. Yet these parents are relentless in their screaming, yelling and nastiness. They scream at other parents, the referees and the coaches. Then they scream at their own kid while he/she is on the ice! 

  I want to tell them to relax and calm down but we all know how that ends....badly. Actually what I really want to say is shut the hell up. They look possessed.  As if the world depends on the next 30 minutes. They are living vicariously through their kids and it's sad to watch. And even harder to listen to. No, it isn't every parent but it's enough to ruin the entire experience for me. Yet I go because Riley wants to know there is someone in the stands cheering just for him. That's my job.

 The second thing I've noticed is much more positive. I think we've got this parenting thing figured out. Alex has become quite the responsible young man who proves every day we didn't mess up as badly as some days we thought we had. And while he still can't seem to figure out how to put clean clothes in the dresser or find the garbage can, those things that really matter he's got in droves. He's kind and honest. He knows the difference between doing the right thing and making poor choices. Most of all he has a moral compass that he is following more and more without our constant input. That is growing up.

  Don't get me wrong he's not perfect. He still fights constantly with his brother and too often with us. Tests with so-so marks don't make it home but he's becoming the person we always knew he would be. That makes me very proud. I can't take all the credit. John gets a portion too. Not as big a part but some. In fact, Alex is going to be more like his Dad than even I hoped. 

  I guess I'm succeeding at this parenting thing where it counts and pretending to where it doesn't. Sounds about right for most of us, doesn't it?

  Ang

My Week In Review

  After a week of coughing, I think I'm going to live! So while the meds are working well I want to talk about a few things. Like...

  Rain has never killed anyone. Not even when there is a mild wind with it. No one has ever died from rainwater hitting their face and clothes or even their umbrella. Not even while standing or walking through a cemetery. Especially not a military one. And never on the 100th anniversary of the end of WW1. Most certainly not if you are the leader of the country of the soldiers buried there. I'm no doctor but maybe it would give you shin splints so better to be safe then sorry I suppose.

  Five days ago a gunman went into a bar and shot dead twelve people. It has become so commonplace that it couldn't hold the headline for a 24-hour news cycle. What does it say about society when a mass shooting is pushed out of the headlines for tweets?

  Stan Lee has died. He was the mastermind behind so many amazing characters. His legacy is unending and will be remembered by many young fans as the old guy in every Marvel movie. At 95 he made old bones as the saying goes. His wife of 70 years died last year. Excelsior!

  Viola Desmond's ten dollar bill is being released in a few days. Finally! It has been seventy-two years since she was kicked out of a whites-only section of a movie theater in New Glasgow. She has the honor of being the first Canadian woman on a regularly circulated bill in Canada. The Queen doesn't count. It is about time.

  Winter has come to Ottawa. Snow again today. While it's melting on the roads my lawn is white. My sandals are no longer able to leave the house. Except in my suitcase wink wink. Which can't come soon enough.

  The Grinch is out in theaters and I need to go see it. Not just because I'm a Cumberbitch but nothing says it's time to decorate like Max and his fake reindeer antlers! With the ongoing renos, we are behind already. But once this cough goes away I will catch up in a hurry. I might even be able to enlist a few elves.

  That's all I can think of for the moment. Tomorrow I might actually have a real topic. Like how to change a radiator pipe on an old minivan!

  Ang

  

  

Not Your Average Mickey

  We are being tested. Not by our kids, our friends or family. Ok, maybe a little by our kids but not what I am talking about today. This house is seeing just how much resolve John and I have for living here. It is about to win. I can see a "for sale" sign in our future.

  First, there was water. Then more water. Then more water. Next came mice followed closely by, you guessed it, more water. Then mice, mice, and more mice. Then to keep the pattern going a bit more water and now more mice! Enough already. I'm not sure which of the two I hate more!

  These little bastards are relentless. A few years ago John crawled under the bay window and insulated. With that really hard spray foam. Nothing can penetrate it. For good measure, he also did the same from the inside out which at the time seemed a little overkill. All in the hopes of keeping these critters out. Well it wasn't! Guess what mice will do? They will eat through the foam. Even though it kills them. That's right it's poison to their little systems yet one after another they sacrifice themselves to find a way into my house! I'm not sure how many it took to dig the tunnel but I hope it was a lot!

  Don't lecture me on God's smallest creatures and everything has a purpose. These have none and even if they did I don't care. I just want to be able to lie in bed without the "snap" of a trap going off.  That can't be too much to ask for in my own home.

  As much as I hate the idea of sharing my home with them, they are slowly taking away what little sanity John has left. I swear to you he might not make it through this. He walks around mumbling to himself. Swearing mostly. Checking traps. Listening for snaps. All the time scratching his head trying to figure out where else they could be coming in. He might just be the first person committed for rodents.

  By the end of this week if they are still here the sign goes on the lawn. No need for agents, lawyers or inspections. Just come with whatever cash you have in your wallet and it's yours. We will even leave the furniture. We will be well and truly beaten.

  Apparently, we will be moving to New Zealand. They have a plan in place to eradicate the vermin by 2050.  Maybe they will be ahead of schedule! A girl can dream.

  Ang

  

Not Bad

  I woke up a hundred times at least last night. My mouth was dry and my throat was sore. My head was pounding. And not for the first time in my life I cursed these Warner sinuses. It doesn't help that my Mom's family has the same issues so I've got it doubly, if that is a word, bad. 

  So with a headache and sore throat, I crawled back to bed after the kids left hoping for some relief. I took the laptop with me to check my stocks and maybe make a few dollars after a crappy week for the stock market. Scrolling through a few news sites I saw an article about a man in his seventies who lost his job at PBS for saying Meghan Markle was "Not bad".

  Here's how it apparently went down. This man was working on an article about the royal couple with another male coworker and was overheard by two female coworkers when he made the not bad comment. They could not see the picture in question but complained to their superiors about it and two days later he was fired without ever being asked about the comment or the context of it. Which he says had more to do with her grace and charm melding nicely with Harry's.

  It would never occur to me that this comment would ever be considered bad enough to lose your job over. But he did. But here is where the story gets interesting for me. The same two women who complained about his comment had been seen looking at a photo of our very own PM Justin Trudeau and called him "hot". They were not investigated and they suffered no consequences. Hmmmm that's interesting.

  Now the women's comments were witnessed. It was known they were looking at a man and I don't know how you can take "hot" and make it anything but sexual. So where were the disciplinary actions? How come they weren't fired? Is there a double standard at play here? The answer to that is absolutely. And that bias can hurt women who are legitimately harassed at work. Here's why.

  Once a woman gets a pass for doing something wrong men will use that as the basis for getting out of consequences when they do the same thing. That's a fact. And who can blame them? Either the rules are for everyone or they are for no one. Living in the real world we know that isn't always true but we cannot expect men to be punished and not ourselves. That would mean we are not equal and not able to suffer the results of our actions. Back to square one.

  Most likely this man will get his job back and some compensation for the damage to his reputation. What should happen is both of his female coworkers are fired. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Then perhaps they will understand that not only men harass and they will take a closer look at their own behavior.

  Feminism is about equality. If women truly want to be equal then we cannot accept two sets of rules just because one is leaning in our favor. 

  Ang