Rae Roy's Blog, page 66

Merry Monday – Too Much

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Hey there readers. Just dropping in to say hi. I’m feeling like I’ve got too much for a human to get done. Hoping I’ll get my head above water soon. Here’s the to-do list:

Bring guitar in for service. It’s free in the first year. The first year runs out this week.
Play guitar/piano a little every day.
Get sewing area set up. It’s a mess.
Make things in said sewing area. (Aiming for June)
Etsy site for sewn goods. (Aiming for end of summer) Already have Facebook and website for this venture.
30-Day script challenge. Writing my first movie script. Don’t really know what I’m doing, but the challenge is set up like a course, so I’m learning as I go.
Reading a book. It’s taking a long time.
365 Tao – read one a day and think about its message. Today’s was about how life is rarely balanced and if it is you aren’t growing. Upheaval and chaos mean growth and there will always be a period of healing after a time of pain or suffering.
Iaido – Doing a demonstration this week at the Japanese Embassy. It’s Saturday at 2PM for anyone who wants to see me swing my sword about.
Newsletter – I meant to get it out this month…
Editing – Short story needs to be edited.
Jodo – Apparently I’m trying to grade for ikkyu level next month…
Dating – I’m enjoying spending time with someone when we both have time to spend together. At least we’re both equally busy?
Walking/Yoga/Dancing/Karate – Trying to be healthier and trying to get my skill back.
Cleaning the house – I’d like to have a couple of people over at some point.
Kitchen – Repairing my drawers.
Writing – Trying to meet daily word goals, but it hasn’t been happening with everything else.
Film Study – Trying to read and watch movies to learn things about writing scripts.
Videogames – Play to relax because it really reduces my stress levels.
Food – Eat better.

Yeah, I have a lot going on. No, I don’t see it letting up anytime soon. I’m making progress on about 70% of my goals most days. My bullet journal is helping. I didn’t get much done today though. I was too exhausted from yesterday to get up at a proper time. Tomorrow is a new day though.

Eeek! Must put outside the house clothes on and get to a workshop I signed up for because it was free and given by someone cool.

Salut,

R~

 

Filed under: Musings Tagged: Discipline

Frisky Friday – Masturbation

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It’s Frisky Friday and I wanted to give you something fun to read. It’s likely NSFW, so you’ve been warned.

Today’s post is about masturbation. A taboo subject that is completely normal and healthy in most cases.

There are pros and cons to masturbating. Masturbation has had a conflicting history for something so natural. Some religions still see it as a sinful practice. There are a lot of other animals that masturbate using a wide variety of methods.

Pros

Orgasms release endorphin, which is the happy and feel-good chemical. This is beneficial for reducing stress, anxiety, pain, and sadness.
In men, it freshens the sperm which is thought to improve the chances of making babies. This happens with regular sex too. Couples that are having difficult conceiving are no longer told to abstain from sex.
It’s a natural human instinct.
It’s a mostly safe way to release sexual frustration that doesn’t lead to unwanted pregnancies or sexually transmitted infections.
Improve muscle fitness in the pelvic region.
It *can* make you a better lover if you use it right.

Cons

Some people can become addicted and they are at risk of rubbing themselves raw.
Many religious orders feel it is sinful. If you’re religious, it might make you feel bad.
Semen stains floors as noted by this school. It probably took a long time though and if they aimed better, it wouldn’t happen at all.
You could get a urinary tract infection if your hands aren’t clean and you spend too much time touching one area. On UTIs in men. Women more commonly get UTIs and this can happen from frequent intercourse as well from a combination of irritating the urethra and bacteria getting places they don’t belong.

A Brief History of Masturbation

An ancient Egyptian creation myth includes masturbation.
There is an ongoing debate about venus sculptures possibly being used as pornographic materials.
In Victorian times, masturbation was prescribed to women for managing Hysteria.
In the late 1800s, it was thought to be the cause of many ailments.
Masturbation was declared normal in 1972 by the American Medical Association.

Other Animals That Masturbate

Cetaceans: A dolphin masturbates using dead fish.
Other primates: Here’s a monkey gripping his own wood.
Turtles: Wall, shell, who can really tell the difference?
Bats: Here’s a bat giving himself a suck.
Squirrels: But will any old branch do?
Walruses: Here’s a walrus playing just the tip.
Rhinos: Rocks can be fun, but they’re probably just scratching an actual itch.
Birds: Here’s a budgie rubbing one out.
Dogs: Man’s best friend giving himself a little touch.
Bears: Well they do spend a lot of time alone…
Elephants: At least he remembered the rubber?
Cats: When they feel like putting the effort in…
Kangaroos: He *could* be cleaning it… Right?
Hedgehogs: What a great way to wake up!
Koalas: It could just be really into scratching itself…
Rabbits: A friend of mine had a rabbit that loved its stuffed animals.

Conclusion

Masturbation is a normal and healthy activity to engage in as long as it makes you feel good. Even babies do it in the womb. Don’t neglect your other activities and practice good hygiene before and after. Moderation masturbation is fun!

I hope you enjoyed this installment of Frisky Friday. Have a fantastic weekend!

Salut,

R~

Filed under: Musings Tagged: Sex

Thoughtful Thursday – Paper Planners

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I have to say that I was skeptical about the value of paper based planners. I come from a project management background and regularly used MS Project. I also used Outlook and KanbanFlow a lot to manage everything.

A friend got me into paper based planners recently. I had bought a $10 one from Walmart that had all the days broken down by half hour increments and I found it too inflexible for my needs. Most things I need to do don’t need to be done at a specific time of day. When I didn’t achieve something at the time I meant to, I felt like I was failing at my goals. Like I was always behind. I also have different needs quite often as I’m working on a number of projects at any given time.

I started looking at the Bullet Journal awhile ago, but they were ultra expensive. Recently, the company put one on Amazon for $11 vs the regular $60-75 Canadian price quoted on their website. Realizing I had been getting nowhere with my goals as of late, I got one when I ordered replacement ink for my printer.

My old one just wasn’t working. Most of what was already written inside was useless to me. I needed to be free of times of day most of the time. Many of my things are to-do items with no specific deadline other than my own. Also, I regularly get ideas for novels, movie scripts, and home decorating.

The Bullet Journal I got had no bells and whistles. No pages were set aside for the index, so I had to do it myself. While I’m finding it a little time consuming to write titles on the pages, I’m thoroughly enjoying using the planner. On yesterday’s page, I was able to draw out a floor plan for my sewing area. I now know what I need to get it organized and it feels great. I’ll be able to move some items (my yarn and sewing books) out of the one shelf I have in the living room and then I can put my music related books in there and get more of my home cleaned up. All because I got a planner that gave me the freedom to not only keep track of my mundane tasks, but also gave me the freedom to write whatever, however I needed at the moment I needed it.

Who knows? Maybe later today I’ll re-plot The Blood Waitress Club right in my planner! No more billions of random scraps of paper with novel scribbles all over the place! I can literally do whatever I want with this thing and it’s simplicity is what allows the freedom. My day logs are basically to-do lists. I have a month long goals tracker set up almost like a Gantt chart. I have a page that is a broad overview of the year listing events in the months they are happening in.

I still use Google calendar once I’ve decided where to slot my items into my day. It helps me know when I need to leave a task to work on another one. The two things are helping me get a routine in place and I’m getting up earlier so I won’t be struggling when September arrives.

The coloured pens I have are messy though, so eventually I’ll need different ones, but I’m mostly just trying to figure out what works for me, so colouring isn’t important yet. I will eventually need some ultra fine-tip pens though. It’s hard to write tiny with regular ones.

I’ve also begun planning a B-movie script on today’s page as I’ve started a 30-day script writing challenge to begin learning all about it. I *might* be a little eager to start school. I can’t wait until then to start learning all about this style of writing and how it differs from novels other than the obvious bits. Plus I keep getting all sorts of movie script ideas. They MUST be written!

I really thought paper based planning was silly in this age of technology, but I’m finding it more useful than anything else I’ve used. It’s customized to me and always fits my changing needs. I researched how others were using it ahead of time to think about what layouts I might like for myself before I got it.

With the planner, I’m achieving more every day. I’m also motivated to get out of bed rather than sleep in until noon.

I’m really excited about all this. Off to get a walk in before it rains.

Salut,

R~

Filed under: Musings Tagged: Discipline, Water Puppies

Merry Monday – Easter

Easter weekend started off on a bit of a sour note for me. After waiting around for 2 hours for a police record check on Wednesday, the place that wanted it decided to tell me 30 minutes before I was supposed to meet with them that they didn’t need me anymore. The meeting was supposed to be in the evening. So I wasted my time and could’ve left town two days sooner had they had the decency to figure it out a week and a half ago. It’s rare that I give anyone another chance to waste my time these days. Time isn’t something you can get back. 

The drive to visit my family wasn’t bad. There were a couple of folks that would pass me just to exit the highway. Not sure why they were in the left lane if they knew they were exiting, but I guess there are different types of drivers. The mostly thawed lakes were stunning. There’s so much beauty on the drive as the ecosystems are awakening from their slumber.

I ended up with quite a headache from the sun that was on me for several hours. When I arrived at my destination, mom was roasting a chicken and the house was hot too as no one had opened any windows. It wasn’t until my cool walk home after visiting a friend that my headache had left.

I consumed a scary amount of calories this weekend. Especially on Sunday. There was a bottle of sangria, multiple pieces of cake, and actual food. I better work hard this week to burn it off! I was hoping to play Pokemon Go while visiting, but it rained most of the time I was there. It’s been a long time since it actually rained in April like it’s supposed to though, so I can forgive mother nature.

I enjoyed catching up with friends and mostly enjoyed seeing my family. The last couple of years have been hard. My parents have had a couple of health scares and haven’t yet put a will together so we’ve mentioned it and explained the importance. Not the happiest of topics for sure, but sometimes things just have to be talked about. The last thing I want is to be in a situation where siblings are fighting over petty items. I’ve seen that happen. Also, one of my siblings could end up in a really bad situation without a will, so we’re trying to make sure he’ll be ok. One parent is gung ho to get it handled and the other doesn’t want to do it. Some people feel children have no business talking to their parents about these things, but it’s not just about assets. It’s important to know things like burial vs cremation and if they have a plot already or not. Do they want extraordinary measures taken to keep them alive? There are a lot of things that are important to know. 

Anyway, onto other subjects. This week I’ll be spending more time figuring out the financial side of going to school. I’m hoping not to deplete all my retirement funds to do this, but also hoping that whatever I do need to use I’ll be able to pay back. I’m starting an online business and looking into part time work through the school. I’m hoping for something complimentary that doesn’t add to my workload immensely. I’ll have four writing courses in the first semester so I’d like something related to what I’m learning, but not on the writing side. Maybe there will be something I can do in the theatre. 

In a couple of days, the script writing version of NaNoWriMo begins. I’m going to give it a try as I expect it will teach me a lot regardless of whether the script ends up being any good.

Traveling back to Ottawa today. It’s adorable toddler’s birthday and I have something for him. He’s growing up so fast and will be starting school soon. 

Well, I need to shower, eat, finish packing, and get on my way. 

Salut,

R~

Filed under: Musings Tagged: Finance & Economics

Thoughtful Thursday – Words from another era

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I find interesting things when I clean. Usually I’m looking for something specific and I was when I stumbled on some old school work from 2001. I keep a lot of things in my Dropbox. I found a report I had done in 2001 during my second year studying social work. A chiropractor visited to talk to us about how we can choose to live our lives. I found it moving and I’ve kept this report since and I expect I will continue to do so for a long time to come. Here is that report:

INCIDENT REPORT

To: Bill Ingwersen

From: Rae Anne Roy

Course: CMM190-03

Subject: Dr. Kristin Sheppard

Date: Monday, November 12, 2001

SUMMARY

Guest speaker, Dr. Kristin Sheppard spoke to us about the tenseness in society today and why she believes people are so depressed.

BACKGROUND

Dr. Kristin Sheppard is a Chiropractor. She resides in North Bay, Ontario. She spoke to us on Wednesday, October 10, 2001 at 10:30 a.m. in our Wellness class.

EVENT

Dr. Sheppard talked about living life out loud and how more people need to. Living life out loud involves caring less about the little things that make one’s day bad. When you do something silly like pull into a drive thru and are not close enough to the window so you have to get out of your car to pay, it’s okay, no big deal, shrug it off. Everyone does things like that and worry so much about what other people will think instead of just going about your day and feeling good about being you.

She talked about how we make each other sick emotionally. She buys coffee by the pound and there were no more one-pound bags. She did not want to buy 2 half pounds because it is more expensive that way. This really depressed girl dragged a big coffee bag out to make 1 pound instead of giving her 2 half pounds and charging her the price it is for one. The girl never thought to ask her if that would be okay.

Another occasion involved a drive thru restaurant where employees are supposed to be friendly yet get in trouble if they take any time to be. The result there being a quick, “Here is your change, have a nice…” Slam the window goes down.

Another example of living life out loud is Dr. Sheppard’s involvement in musical theatre. She sings horribly but went out and sang anyway. She got lead role in a musical through persistence even though she really cannot sing.

Dr. Sheppard says to beware people that say to think positively. If you decide the best way to deal with a death in the family is to think positively, it really is not good for you. The best thing to do is feel what you feel when you feel it and not to dwell on the past. In other words, give yourself downtime to reflect on what is going on in your life and then go and live it.

OUTCOME

I learned that if I really want something, only I can make it happen. Her words were real eye openers. It really is too bad that more people don’t offer a friendly smile to one another. We make each other healthy through our daily interactions, if we choose to.

I’m pretty sure this experience is one of the reasons why I live as I do. Why I’m less afraid than others to go after the things I want. The rest comes down to life experiences. It probably also impacted on me because it was about a month after 9/11. For those that weren’t alive then or too young to really know what was going on, I was at college and saw the unedited broadcast where bodies fell from windows. A thing like that changes you. Though it was in New York, my hometown has a large military base that is part of NORAD, which is close to the college/university main campus. We were sent home until further notice.

A couple of years later, I had switched to computer networking and while we were in the middle of a server format for a project, a major electrical blackout happened. We had to leave school. My friend acted as a crossing guard at the highway intersection until police arrived to do that. It was much later that we discovered the blackout was affecting much more than our little city. All we could do was sit outside and eat barbecued food. No restaurants could make anything.

I haven’t always been a seize the day woman. When I was young, I could barely find words when I needed them. In grade eight, a girl that sat behind me was snapping my bra. I asked her to stop, but she kept doing it anyway. So I punched her arm. Well, naturally that’s what the teacher saw and made me wait for her in the girl’s restroom to ask why I did such a thing. I was still quite uncomfortable with bras though I’d been wearing them for four years by then. I couldn’t talk about it. I said it was nothing. It was stupid. I couldn’t tell her what had happened. The teacher mostly let it go. She was a smart woman and knew I didn’t often do bad things. I had to copy definitions from the dictionary instead of having recess. The girl left me alone after that. She told me she had a bruise for a week.

There were girls that I used to play with in my neighborhood. One day they told me the people that lived beside them said they shouldn’t play with me because I was a bad kid. I never figured out if they truly thought that or just hated me or if the girls were lying to me. The couple that lived beside them had rarely interacted with me. I fell in their pool one time when it was nearly empty and hit my head hard, which gave me quite a lump. Other than that I’d never been to their house. Was it because I hung out with a lot of boys? I had more boy friends because they weren’t gossips and they liked fun things like role playing games rather than playing house.

I guess the point is that I’ve learned that no matter what you do, someone will find fault. Even if you’re a kid who almost never gets in trouble and is always polite, someone is going to dislike you. So you have to learn to stand up for yourself and go after the things that matter to you. You have to find your words and know when and how to use them.

And you’ll fall along the way, but it doesn’t matter. What does matter is how you deal with the missteps. That’s why I like watching the 2nd and 3rd performances of Bogdanova Sofia skating in some ways more than the first one. She doesn’t let them faze her. She just gets right back up and continues her program. This so wasn’t me in my last martial arts grading. I had a melt down and couldn’t perform.

Maybe you have a dream and right now you feel like you’re the worst at it and wondering why the hell you’re doing it at all? Maybe it’s drawing and you feel like you can barely make something look like anything more than scribbles? Check out how these artists have progressed. Also there’s a great talk about drawing from this guy at Blender.

If it’s writing, keep writing but also read books about writing, read outside your genre, and enjoy living life.

Yesterday I went over to Algonquin College to get my OSAP number and password. As I walked through the halls, and especially the arts section, I felt deliriously happy. I’m so excited to be returning to the arts and to be going after my dreams. I’m trying to learn as much as possible before school starts in September.

Whatever you want to do, find a way because everyone deserves to be happy.

Salut,

R~

PS: No post tomorrow. I’m traveling to visit family for Easter. Hope you have a good weekend!

 

Filed under: Musings Tagged: Courage, Discipline

Merry Monday – A beautiful day for taxes

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With French done, I have a lot of other things to catch up on. It seems like I have Mount Everest ahead of me, but I’m just going through the list one at a time. I’ve gotten a couple of things done and some started.

Renovations

Before the weekend, my new kitchen floor was installed. After the credits that Jiffy gave me, install cost less than $40. The old floor was light grey peel and stick tile, which was peeling itself up on the edges. Because I couldn’t get all the glue up from the floor underneath the peel and stick, I needed to put new floor in. Oh, I started peeling it up with a hair dryer. I really don’t recommend that. It doesn’t get hot enough to work well. It was taking around 20 minutes each tile with the hair dryer. With a proper heat gun, a couple hours for the whole floor.

Old floors:

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New floor:

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It looks like slate. It’s one piece of Tarkett vinyl. A little soft for moving appliances around on, so be careful if you go with it. I have a little indent from my fridge that I’m annoyed about. You can only see it in the morning from the bathroom, when the light hits a certain way, but it’s there and I know it so it bugs me. This floor was less than $200 including the install and since I had to buy more than I needed due to the manufacturer only having 12 foot rolls, I have enough left for my bathroom someday.

Writing

On Saturday, I finished the Steampunk Romance story I’ve been working on for Eighth Ripple Press. It’s in and I’m waiting to hear what needs editing. I was stuck until I was told the word count didn’t have to be exactly in the range. Then it was like my brain figured out exactly what needed to happen to finish the story. So I’m a few hundred words short, but happy to be on the next stage of the project.

Other than this, I’m taking a little break while I do some things like taxes and visit my family for Easter.

Taxes

Can I just say that I’m so thoroughly pleased with CRA this year? Seriously. Their online option to link with my tax software actually worked and I didn’t have to put most of my income slips in. This was especially helpful since one of my former employers never gave me my T4. I was freaking out because my option was not to put anything or kind of guess. Neither of those felt right to me. I was going to call them, but then it just worked out!

I was proactive at the start of the year and had a beautiful spreadsheet where I had been adding up my car related expenses like fuel receipts. Do you think I could find it? Nope. Had to start over. Otherwise it’s going OK though. Now that my package has arrived, I can go out to my car and get the rest of the paper I need from there to maybe finish them today.

I suppose I should get back at it.

Salut,

R~

Filed under: Musings Tagged: Finance & Economics, Renovations, Short Stories

Frisky Friday – The Office Romance

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Meeting people is hard. And the acceptable places to express interest in someone seem to be dwindling.

The gym was a place, but now many women get upset that a man may have been looking at their butt while they worked out. As if it’s disgusting to notice the opposite sex and the hard work they’ve been doing that has made their butt look so fine. Not that that is what everyone tries to do at the gym. Lots of women and men want to be physically powerful for a variety of reasons whether to be better at a sport or because they love the change they’re seeing in their body.

The office romance seems to be most frowned upon though. And while I can see some issues, there are many successful office romances. Doctors often marry other doctors, police officers other police officers, artists other artists, entertainers other entertainers, and so on. Why? Because they get each other and understand the demands of the jobs they do.

I have friends who were in the military together who are married and at one time one of them was the other’s superior officer. They’re a great couple who met at work.

One of my closest friends also met his wife at work and they are the parents of my adorable toddler buddy and his adorable baby sister.

At a police station I once worked for, the head of forensics was married to the woman that managed the evidence room.

One of the engineers was married to one of the administration people at the telecommunications company I worked for from 2009-2012.

I have one friend who dated a girl for a little while and ultimately they found they weren’t compatible. He was hurt, but respected her choice to end things and moved on.

But increasingly more people are becoming offended if a colleague expresses interest in getting to know them. If they don’t feel the same way, they often say anything but that or stop talking to the person entirely. As someone who has dated people I’ve worked with in some capacity since high school, I find it a strange thing to get upset about. If you don’t feel the same, just say so and move on. Things don’t have to be weird. Yeah, it might hurt their feelings for a bit. They might avoid you for a while. Unless they become a creepy stalker type or won’t take no for an answer, be flattered that someone thinks you’re hot and wants to figure out if you’re compatible beyond being able to work together. It means they saw something good in you.

What if you are the one who’s interested? There’s always a chance they might be too. There are always other jobs, but finding that person that really gets you doesn’t happen every day.

And you can have ground rules about keeping things professional at work.

You can also have deal breakers. These are things that you refuse to accept about someone or how they treat you. It’s healthy to have boundaries.

Always be respectful with each other. If one decides the other doesn’t feel like the relationship is working, accept it and move on.

But don’t rush to end things because you’re worried about work.

Did you know that people who have sex more often are more successful at their jobs? You could even become a really powerful couple.

Or you could just have a really great time living life together.

But none of that is possible if you attack people or make them feel like perverts for asking you out for a coffee. Be polite in your rejections, but direct. Don’t say something poetic instead of, “I don’t feel that way about you.”

What if you’re busy with your career?

You can be busy and still find time now and then for someone. You just both have to make the most of what little time you have together. Be truly present rather than on your smartphones.

Businesses worry about office romances for reasons such as liability, reputation, and productivity. They care more about their money than they do about your happiness. Sure, there are a few companies that aren’t that way, but they aren’t the norm. Policies that have you disclose a relationship when you might not even be ready to declare exclusiveness are not about protecting the workers. Not allowing a couple to kiss in the parking lot to wish each other a good workday, is not about protecting the couple. Obviously, they shouldn’t be making out all over the building, but a hug on the property outside the building is a bit ridiculous to prohibit.

Here’s the bottom line. If you’re going to do it, don’t be an idiot. Yeah, it’s hard to think clearly when emotions and hormones get involved sometimes, but it’s possible to get over having been naked with someone and get back to work. In fact, most of the time there are other projects you can work on that don’t involve the person if it doesn’t go well. Even if it is going well, it’s probably a good idea to try not to be on too many projects together, so you have time away from each other during the day.

So please stop hating on office romances. They can be wonderful if you are communicative and respectful.

Besides, I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s fantasized about the hot coworker pushing the contents of their desktop onto the floor and putting the desk to another use

Thoughtful Thursday – Reliability

As a handy person, when you take off for training rather than doing jobs booked and don’t make any effort to reschedule, you’re unreliable and unprofessional. 

I’m the customer in this situation and I’m pissed off. I waited all day yesterday to find out by reading Facebook that the guy went to a training thing without wondering if he had work to do on that day.

I contacted the service his company works through. They’re looking into it, but I already know where he was. If I don’t hear something soon, or get a flimsy excuse, I’m going to finish it myself and never bother with them again. Deals are only useful if things actually happen.

And customers don’t particularly like having their kitchens torn apart for longer than necessary. I had a friend take time out of his day to help move my stove. It’s sitting in my dining room unusable. 

I’m not waiting around all day today. I need paint and epoxy putty to fix my cabinets. At this rate, I might as well paint the cupboards before putting the floor down. Is this better? Maybe. But I was just going to wait and use really good drop cloths later.

And I still have to figure out how to get the last bit of trim up.

The bottom line is that a customer shouldn’t need to project mange a handyman who’s already got a service that is supposed to be helping him keep track of his jobs. A business owner should be able to handle their responsibilities in a professional way. If there’s a conflict, you get in touch and see if the customer can work around the conflict. You do this as soon as you know about your conflict. You immediately check what else is on your plate and then communicate or even see if there are alternate training days. 

Being reliable is part of being a mature adult. Otherwise you’re like a dead beat parent. The one that forgets to show up for games and recitals. The one that leaves their kid waiting at school in the rain.

And I should be writing instead of any of this. I’m going to do some of that first. I’m only a couple thousand words away. I’ve thrown in complications that should help me get there. Why are the last few words always the hardest?

I hope that in a couple of hours I feel better about both.

Salut,

R~

Filed under: Musings Tagged: Renovations

Merry Monday – Needs and Wants

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I’m exhausted folks. I’ve spent a large chunk of the last couple of days on my kitchen floor. Last summer it began peeling itself up. It has gotten to a state where it has become uncleanable and more dirt collects on it.

While I’m looking forward to a new floor, I haven’t been looking forward to the expense of it. To try and save cash, I’m doing as much as I can myself. This is everything up to the actual cutting and install. I’m terrible at cutting things and know I’d screw it up because my track record for this is high. Can’t afford that.

So I had no urge to go with more peel and stick tiles that would certainly do the same. I also didn’t want a similar colour. The floor was light grey and light grey tiles always eventually turn yellow and look like someone has been peeing on the floor. No thanks.

I got some roll floor today that looks like slate, is hypoallergenic, and is mold resistant. It’s multi-coloured, so I’ll be able to do almost anything later for a backsplash, countertops, and paint. I needed a piece 7.5 sq ft. This, of course, wasn’t possible. Why? The rolls only come 12 x 8. So I’m slightly annoyed that I couldn’t get exactly what I needed because it was more expensive than I wanted to pay. It might be awesome in the end though because my bathroom is ultra tiny, so I might have floor for it now too. Not that I’m planning to do it soon.

Also, I should mention I wouldn’t be doing it at all if I hadn’t been able to get a deal on the install. I’m supposed to pay $5 for the first 1.5 hours. Plus I’ve got other credits for sharing on social media. If I can get all the prework done, it might not be too bad. The handyman pretty much needs to cut it and place it. There’s not even glue for this floor. Also, I’ve used it in a home before, so I know it’s good stuff.

I can’t lift anything more today. I had to get the floor from my car to my condo. I’m under 5ft tall, so that was fun. Luckily there were a couple of people to help along the way at key moments like getting it into the elevator, then onto my cart. I’m hoping I can move my stove with said cart, but I’m not sure about it.

First my roast beef has to cook anyway. Then I’ll have food for a couple of days while the stove is… I don’t know where I’ll put it. My fridge is already in my living room and on an extension cord for 2 days. Kind of cool having my fridge so close to the TV hahaha.

Did I mention how tired I am? And the glue to scrape up seems neverending.

So far only one piece of wood trim has broken though. I guess that’s something. I’ll have before and after pictures later.

Off to shower and try to memorize my French oral exam despite my brain feeling mushy.

Salut,

R~

PS – Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter!

Filed under: Musings Tagged: Renovations

Fortifying Friday – Language

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Language is on my brain a lot lately with the immense amount of hours I’ve been clocking while learning French.

It shows ignorance when people assume refugees should speak English. Yes, they need to learn to communicate in Canada, but it appears that there are a large number of people who don’t realize that refugees get to choose to learn either English or French. It’s almost as if English Canada thinks they’re the only true Canadians.

Canada is considering adding ASL as a third official language. I think this is pretty cool though I’m not sure how many people speak it. I’m surprised a First Nations language such as Algonquin hasn’t been considered given how many FN people live in Canada. But then, what often seems like a no-brainer to me isn’t obvious to other people. For more on the Algonquin language, you should follow my friend Jay Odjick on Twitter as his Algonquin Word of the Day initiative is really cool. But then so is he as you might be able to tell from this recent interview he did.

I’m a reformed grammar pest. Learning French has given me an appreciation for communication that extends far beyond having things academically correct. That said, some things I’ll always stress the importance of due to the meaning being completely changed. I don’t hassle people, but request clarification to ensure we’re on the same page. It generally works better than making them feel dumb for using the wrong word.

Smartphones have also helped me with this. My phone regularly pisses me off by putting the wrong ‘to’ in my sentences. In my head I’m screaming at it for thinking I’m wanting to go too a place. The two of us go to, not too! Unless of course I’m saying I want to go too as in also. But I’ve learned that people may not actually be dumb and unable to comprehend simple grammar concepts and it’s just their phone fucking them over and perhaps they don’t have the time to fix the mistake. But authors should be better, especially in their published works that have been read by many sets of eyeballs.

While learning French, I’ve often been annoyed by how many tenses and ways there are to say the same thing. Of course, there are just as many in English. And it’s actually one of the things I love about language and writing; it’s just annoying to learn. “Can’t I do the thesaurus thing later?” I whine to myself rather than annoy the teacher and my classmates.

But another thing that makes learning a language challenging is that there are many forms of each language. We, in Canada, often argue that the French we should be taught is Quebec French while our schools teach us Parisian French. Given the rather large amount of French speaking countries, those aren’t the only two versions of the language out there in a world of approximately 7.5 billion people.

Did you know there are an astounding number of English dialects? Check out this list from Wikipedia to learn more about that.

Announcement Time!

I’m making a change to my blog again. I’m tired of Fortifying Friday and given that I enjoy writing playful and often erotic things it will be replaced by Frisky Friday instead. There may be more changes in the future as well. More on this in my upcoming newsletter.

Yes, I will have a newsletter very soon! You can sign up for it here.

This weekend is Geek Market and I’ll be checking it out sometime on Saturday. Have a stupendous weekend!

Salut,

R~

Filed under: Musings Tagged: Announcements, Compassion, Language Learning, Respect