Ear worm

Last Sunday the choir sang Bruckner's Locus Iste (pdf) and I can't get it (actually, the alto part) out of my head.

Locus iste a deo factus est.

Inaestimabile sacramentum,

irreprehensibilis est.

This is the Lord's house, which He hath made.

Profoundly sacred,

it is beyond reproof.

Ear worm

Last Sunday the choir sang Bruckner's Locus Iste (pdf) and I can't get it (actually, the alto part) out of my head.

Locus iste a deo factus est.

Inaestimabile sacramentum,

irreprehensibilis est.

This is the Lord's house, which He hath made.

Profoundly sacred,

it is beyond reproof.

Adventures in Dermatology

I took Michael to a dermatologist this afternoon to have her look at a couple of his moles.  We'd been to our family doc and he was unsure enough to refer Michael on, so today was the day.  The mole that I was most worried about (she referred to it as a "fried egg" style) was not worrisome to her.  The other mole, the one that he's had for years on his upper arm, was deemed "interesting" and she suggested that he have it removed.  We had the option to have it done today so we went ahead.

It was something to see.  She gave him a little local anesthetic, used this long, skinny, cookie-cutter instrument to cut out the mole, injected a little more anesthetic, and then inserted a stitch into the incision.  The mole will be sent to pathology.  He's to keep the incision covered with a bandage and antibiotic ointment for two weeks when she'll remove the stitch.  He also needs to avoid strenuous activity with that arm.

I also asked her about a little cluster of spider veins on his cheek, about an inch below his eye. She said that she would try cauterizing the feeder veins, and if it didn't improve (over the next six weeks), she'd try a laser treatment.  So he had that done too.

We were in and out in 30 minutes and it was a very pleasant experience, unlike the other dermatologist that Alex has seen in the past, who is routinely 45 minutes to an hour late and doesn't relate well at all to teens.

Adventures in Dermatology

I took Michael to a dermatologist this afternoon to have her look at a couple of his moles.  We'd been to our family doc and he was unsure enough to refer Michael on, so today was the day.  The mole that I was most worried about (she referred to it as a "fried egg" style) was not worrisome to her.  The other mole, the one that he's had for years on his upper arm, was deemed "interesting" and she suggested that he have it removed.  We had the option to have it done today so we went ahead.

It was something to see.  She gave him a little local anesthetic, used this long, skinny, cookie-cutter instrument to cut out the mole, injected a little more anesthetic, and then inserted a stitch into the incision.  The mole will be sent to pathology.  He's to keep the incision covered with a bandage and antibiotic ointment for two weeks when she'll remove the stitch.  He also needs to avoid strenuous activity with that arm.

I also asked her about a little cluster of spider veins on his cheek, about an inch below his eye. She said that she would try cauterizing the feeder veins, and if it didn't improve (over the next six weeks), she'd try a laser treatment.  So he had that done too.

We were in and out in 30 minutes and it was a very pleasant experience, unlike the other dermatologist that Alex has seen in the past, who is routinely 45 minutes to an hour late and doesn't relate well at all to teens.

Never a dull moment...

We're finally getting some rain. I've been putting off watering the grass as I have this idea that it should be self-sustaining, but it's gotten pretty brown. Luckily, we're now getting lots of rain so the good soaking it needs before winter will be "natural".

It's been a busy few days. On Saturday, Z and I headed downtown for a couple of events. We saw the Vanity Fair Photographs at the ROM which were fantastic! We'd seen many of them in publication as we were long-time subscribers, but the early ones (1913-1936) were new to us. It was also great to see the more recent ones in larger format. The curatorial notes by each work are excellent. Another similar (Conde Nast) must-see are the Edward Steichen photos at the AGO....we'll probably try to get there this weekend.

We grabbed a quick dinner at a bar across the street and headed down (in the pouring rain) to the Bloor to catch the opening screening of the Toronto Palestine Film Festival. Amreeka (trailer) is the story of a mother and son from Gaza who unexpectedly obtain a Green Card and move to the United States, joining her sister and family. The contrast between the optimism of the new immigrants and the growing frustration of their family members in the US facing discrimination because of rising anti-Arab sentiments is very thought-provoking. The film is both funny and poignant, and the sold out house loved it. Unfortunately, the director had been called out of town on an emergency basis, but the producer, a young cast member and a couple of crew were on hand for a question and answer period after the film.

On Sunday, I had choir at 10 for the 11:30 mass. Afterwards, we left the car by the church, grabbed a quick lunch on Yonge Street and headed down to Queen's Park for Word on the Street. We visited lots of publishers and other exhibitors and I picked up a couple of well-priced books at the Novalis table. We listened to a couple of talks, one by Darrell Bricker from Ipsos-Reid on his book We Know What You're Thinking. We also heard a panel of Toronto Star movie and theatre critics, and popped into the Victoria College used book sale.

While we were out on Sunday, Michael went to a karate grading and got his blue belt, so was feeling pretty good about that. I'm glad he's started back to karate as it's great exercise. Although he tried out for the volleyball team at school, it doesn't look like they got enough players to field a team, so he's down to PE and volleyball (plus the 20 minutes of walking to school and back every day.)

Yesterday, I headed downtown for my course at Regis, and then had lunch with my brother across the street in the (very nice) Government of Ontario cafeteria. We went out for sushi last night to celebrate the Feast of St. Michael (which is actually today, but yesterday worked better in our schedule).

Today is errands and cleaning. And I need to finish The Girls which is now a few days overdue.

Never a dull moment...

We're finally getting some rain. I've been putting off watering the grass as I have this idea that it should be self-sustaining, but it's gotten pretty brown. Luckily, we're now getting lots of rain so the good soaking it needs before winter will be "natural".

It's been a busy few days. On Saturday, Z and I headed downtown for a couple of events. We saw the Vanity Fair Photographs at the ROM which were fantastic! We'd seen many of them in publication as we were long-time subscribers, but the early ones (1913-1936) were new to us. It was also great to see the more recent ones in larger format. The curatorial notes by each work are excellent. Another similar (Conde Nast) must-see are the Edward Steichen photos at the AGO....we'll probably try to get there this weekend.

We grabbed a quick dinner at a bar across the street and headed down (in the pouring rain) to the Bloor to catch the opening screening of the Toronto Palestine Film Festival. Amreeka (trailer) is the story of a mother and son from Gaza who unexpectedly obtain a Green Card and move to the United States, joining her sister and family. The contrast between the optimism of the new immigrants and the growing frustration of their family members in the US facing discrimination because of rising anti-Arab sentiments is very thought-provoking. The film is both funny and poignant, and the sold out house loved it. Unfortunately, the director had been called out of town on an emergency basis, but the producer, a young cast member and a couple of crew were on hand for a question and answer period after the film.

On Sunday, I had choir at 10 for the 11:30 mass. Afterwards, we left the car by the church, grabbed a quick lunch on Yonge Street and headed down to Queen's Park for Word on the Street. We visited lots of publishers and other exhibitors and I picked up a couple of well-priced books at the Novalis table. We listened to a couple of talks, one by Darrell Bricker from Ipsos-Reid on his book We Know What You're Thinking

. We also heard a panel of Toronto Star movie and theatre critics, and popped into the Victoria College used book sale.

While we were out on Sunday, Michael went to a karate grading and got his blue belt, so was feeling pretty good about that. I'm glad he's started back to karate as it's great exercise. Although he tried out for the volleyball team at school, it doesn't look like they got enough players to field a team, so he's down to PE and volleyball (plus the 20 minutes of walking to school and back every day.)

Yesterday, I headed downtown for my course at Regis, and then had lunch with my brother across the street in the (very nice) Government of Ontario cafeteria. We went out for sushi last night to celebrate the Feast of St. Michael (which is actually today, but yesterday worked better in our schedule).

Today is errands and cleaning. And I need to finish The Girls

which is now a few days overdue.

Seven Quick Takes Friday

1. Z brought some bizarre little edibles back from China. Think raisins, but made with (cherry?) tomatoes. Sweet and salty at the same time. Wrapped in little packets of 3 fruit each.
2. Took a course at the Archives of Ontario today for genealogists. Did a little research afterwards and found estate files for three of my ancestors. There is an incredible wealth of material there, and I'll certainly be back for some extended research sessions. They have very cool electronic microfilm readers that let you send images to networked printers at 50 cents per image (**cough**).
3. Wilson got a "Jack Russell" cut this week, which means they trim him down very short. He looks great and it considerably cuts down on the dog hair all over the place. He's also learned to stay off the furniture (a new rule), although I believe he thinks he's only forbidden on the furniture when we're in the room.
4. Alex has finally got his timetable finalized at Queen's, and it includes a film studies course instead of computer science, which was the wrong course for him. I think he'll enjoy film, and it'll make him think in a different way from the rest of his courses.
5. I've started tweeting (@jannie_b). I may run out of steam on this, but I'm giving it a try. I don't have a smart phone, so I"m limited to tweeting from my computer or my iPod Touch (when there's wifi). I'm enjoying following Jian Ghomeshi (CBC's Studio Q), and Flylady, who reminds me about housekeeping stuff.
6. Tomorrow, Z and I are heading to the opening of the Toronto Palestine Film Festival to see Amreeka. I'm hoping to drop in to the ROM beforehand to see the Vanity Fair Portraits that opens tomorrow.
7. I met a blogging acquaintance in real life last week at an event that we both attended. I knew from her blog that she was going to an event that I was attending, and she has distinctive hair, so I figured I'd just go up and introduce myself. The first woman I accosted was not in fact her. Oops.

Seven Quick Takes Friday

1. Z brought some bizarre little edibles back from China. Think raisins, but made with (cherry?) tomatoes. Sweet and salty at the same time. Wrapped in little packets of 3 fruit each.
2. Took a course at the Archives of Ontario today for genealogists. Did a little research afterwards and found estate files for three of my ancestors. There is an incredible wealth of material there, and I'll certainly be back for some extended research sessions. They have very cool electronic microfilm readers that let you send images to networked printers at 50 cents per image (**cough**).
3. Wilson got a "Jack Russell" cut this week, which means they trim him down very short. He looks great and it considerably cuts down on the dog hair all over the place. He's also learned to stay off the furniture (a new rule), although I believe he thinks he's only forbidden on the furniture when we're in the room.
4. Alex has finally got his timetable finalized at Queen's, and it includes a film studies course instead of computer science, which was the wrong course for him. I think he'll enjoy film, and it'll make him think in a different way from the rest of his courses.
5. I've started tweeting (@jannie_b). I may run out of steam on this, but I'm giving it a try. I don't have a smart phone, so I"m limited to tweeting from my computer or my iPod Touch (when there's wifi). I'm enjoying following Jian Ghomeshi (CBC's Studio Q), and Flylady, who reminds me about housekeeping stuff.
6. Tomorrow, Z and I are heading to the opening of the Toronto Palestine Film Festival to see Amreeka. I'm hoping to drop in to the ROM beforehand to see the Vanity Fair Portraits that opens tomorrow.
7. I met a blogging acquaintance in real life last week at an event that we both attended. I knew from her blog that she was going to an event that I was attending, and she has distinctive hair, so I figured I'd just go up and introduce myself. The first woman I accosted was not in fact her. Oops.

I'm tweeting....

.... @jannie_b. Not sure how long this will last, particularly since I don't have a smart phone. But feel free to follow me!

I'm tweeting....

.... @jannie_b. Not sure how long this will last, particularly since I don't have a smart phone. But feel free to follow me!

Laziness

This sudden burst of heat and humidity is dragging me down. This was to be a week with relatively few commitments in which I could get back on track with the house and stuff. But I just feel lethargic and dull. That being said...

Monday was the first week of a 12 week continuing ed class I'm taking at Regis College called "The Beautiful People of God: The Church, Past, Present and Future". The first session was an overview of the course, and the discussion period saw the prof hit with all the "hot" topics in the Catholic world right now, like denying communion to Obama voters. We also had some off-the-wall questions like "Would you say that Calvin is a saint?" and "Why did Jesus have to be resurrected?" But I think it will be a good course. I've ordered one of the two books he suggested, Models of the Church by Avery Dulles.

Monday night was the first parent council meeting at Michael's school, but I bailed at the last minute. (I'd have been simply an onlooker, so my presence was in no way necessary!) I was tired, it was Z's first day back at work after being away for nine days, and I just wanted to be home. John arrived at 11 pm at Pearson so I picked him up and then fell into bed.

Yesterday, I was headachey and tired, yawning constantly. Today, I'm pretty much the same, although I dragged myself down the street to pick up some yogurt, lettuce and apples and the five library books that were on hold for me. I'm going to read (or nap) this afternoon and see if I can pull myself together for the evening.

Laziness

This sudden burst of heat and humidity is dragging me down. This was to be a week with relatively few commitments in which I could get back on track with the house and stuff. But I just feel lethargic and dull. That being said...

Monday was the first week of a 12 week continuing ed class I'm taking at Regis College called "The Beautiful People of God: The Church, Past, Present and Future". The first session was an overview of the course, and the discussion period saw the prof hit with all the "hot" topics in the Catholic world right now, like denying communion to Obama voters. We also had some off-the-wall questions like "Would you say that Calvin is a saint?" and "Why did Jesus have to be resurrected?" But I think it will be a good course. I've ordered one of the two books he suggested, Models of the Church

by Avery Dulles.

Monday night was the first parent council meeting at Michael's school, but I bailed at the last minute. (I'd have been simply an onlooker, so my presence was in no way necessary!) I was tired, it was Z's first day back at work after being away for nine days, and I just wanted to be home. John arrived at 11 pm at Pearson so I picked him up and then fell into bed.

Yesterday, I was headachey and tired, yawning constantly. Today, I'm pretty much the same, although I dragged myself down the street to pick up some yogurt, lettuce and apples and the five library books that were on hold for me. I'm going to read (or nap) this afternoon and see if I can pull myself together for the evening.

Sunday Journal

Z is back from China after 9 days away and it feels like some normalcy has returned to the home front. He's still discombobulated from the 12 hour time difference so had a long nap this afternoon, but I'm sure he'll sleep well tonight. It's great to have him back...it's stressful to feel that everything rides on my shoulders when he's away. I mean the decision making, not the actual carrying things out, which typically goes to me anyway, LOL!

Choir started back today, which was great. We have a couple of new cantors and the group was in great form this morning. We sang Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring (JS Bach/OUP) and Grant Us Thy Peace (Mendelssohn).

We had a Skype chat with Alex this afternoon which was great, and I ran Michael over to the library to pick up a biography of Louis Armstrong for school. I finished up a terrific mystery/crime novel set in Toronto (Old City Hall, by Robert Rotenberg) and have started the next book in my pile, The Girls by Lori Lansens. A lot of books have reached the top of my hold list at the library, so I really have to motor as many of them are new and cannot be renewed.

Tomorrow, I start a 12 week continuing ed course at Regis College called The Beautiful People of God: The Church, Past, Present and Future. Tomorrow evening is the first parent council meeting at Michael's school, so I hope to attend that as well. Lots of other fun and interesting stuff coming up. Check back!

Sunday Journal

Z is back from China after 9 days away and it feels like some normalcy has returned to the home front. He's still discombobulated from the 12 hour time difference so had a long nap this afternoon, but I'm sure he'll sleep well tonight. It's great to have him back...it's stressful to feel that everything rides on my shoulders when he's away. I mean the decision making, not the actual carrying things out, which typically goes to me anyway, LOL!

Choir started back today, which was great. We have a couple of new cantors and the group was in great form this morning. We sang Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring (JS Bach/OUP) and Grant Us Thy Peace (Mendelssohn).

We had a Skype chat with Alex this afternoon which was great, and I ran Michael over to the library to pick up a biography of Louis Armstrong for school. I finished up a terrific mystery/crime novel set in Toronto (Old City Hall

, by Robert Rotenberg) and have started the next book in my pile, The Girls

by Lori Lansens. A lot of books have reached the top of my hold list at the library, so I really have to motor as many of them are new and cannot be renewed.

Tomorrow, I start a 12 week continuing ed course at Regis College called The Beautiful People of God: The Church, Past, Present and Future. Tomorrow evening is the first parent council meeting at Michael's school, so I hope to attend that as well. Lots of other fun and interesting stuff coming up. Check back!

Back to School

This has been a hectic week with both boys going to new schools, one in university in a different city, and one into high school.

Alex has been experiencing the results of some of his actions, or should I say, inactions. He decided to blow off academic orientation in July, resulting in his signing up for two "wrong" courses and having to stand in long lines to talk to a counsellor this week. The first issue was resolved, but second can't be due to timetabling conflicts and full courses, so he either needs to stick out the one term computer course intended for computer science majors or find something else to take. Second, he decided when he was packing that he didn't want to take our old bubble jet printer with him, only to call me in a panic asking if he could buy a printer. I said no, and shipped the old one to him. He is also "desperate" for a small fridge for his room. I'll probably order one from Costco for him and have it shipped directly.

We don't hear from him very much, and when we do, he wants something. I'll leave it at that.

Michael has finished his second week of high school and seems to be thriving. I attended curriculum night (which should be called "rules night" as very little curriculum was discussed), and was quite impressed with the teachers I met. Michael's only issue with his teachers is that his French teacher is "mean" and extremely strict. She was not a curriculum night, and even the department head who met with parents alluded to this teacher's hard core personality in a kind of round about way. The art teacher wasn't there that night, nor was his science teacher, but his math, geography, english, gym, and music teachers all look great.

He's also off to a great start in music. He had a private tuba lesson with his teacher on Tuesday evening that went well. His school band teacher is very impressed with Michael's "keenness", and has offered to teach him the basics of bass trombone so that he can play in the Junior Jazz Band. He won't have to audition, but can just sit in on practices and play what he can at the beginning. All junior music students are in the concert band, and practices begin this week. He's been really getting in to jazz lately (traditional, not modern) and has been downloading lots of stuff. The junior band goes away to band camp for four days (over a weekend) in a couple of weeks and that should be an excellent time for the young players to gel.

Japanese started today, and he'll be starting back at karate as well. He tried out for junior volleyball at school and given the small number of players who have come out so far, he's likely to make the team if they can field enough players. He also apparently did really well in football in gym class. This, a child who has never been very interested in team (or other) sports until karate.

I have a really positive feel about this school for Michael, and am glad he's getting involved in lots of stuff. He'll be busy, but is clearly enjoying things, so that's great.

Back to School

This has been a hectic week with both boys going to new schools, one in university in a different city, and one into high school.

Alex has been experiencing the results of some of his actions, or should I say, inactions. He decided to blow off academic orientation in July, resulting in his signing up for two "wrong" courses and having to stand in long lines to talk to a counsellor this week. The first issue was resolved, but second can't be due to timetabling conflicts and full courses, so he either needs to stick out the one term computer course intended for computer science majors or find something else to take. Second, he decided when he was packing that he didn't want to take our old bubble jet printer with him, only to call me in a panic asking if he could buy a printer. I said no, and shipped the old one to him. He is also "desperate" for a small fridge for his room. I'll probably order one from Costco for him and have it shipped directly.

We don't hear from him very much, and when we do, he wants something. I'll leave it at that.

Michael has finished his second week of high school and seems to be thriving. I attended curriculum night (which should be called "rules night" as very little curriculum was discussed), and was quite impressed with the teachers I met. Michael's only issue with his teachers is that his French teacher is "mean" and extremely strict. She was not a curriculum night, and even the department head who met with parents alluded to this teacher's hard core personality in a kind of round about way. The art teacher wasn't there that night, nor was his science teacher, but his math, geography, english, gym, and music teachers all look great.

He's also off to a great start in music. He had a private tuba lesson with his teacher on Tuesday evening that went well. His school band teacher is very impressed with Michael's "keenness", and has offered to teach him the basics of bass trombone so that he can play in the Junior Jazz Band. He won't have to audition, but can just sit in on practices and play what he can at the beginning. All junior music students are in the concert band, and practices begin this week. He's been really getting in to jazz lately (traditional, not modern) and has been downloading lots of stuff. The junior band goes away to band camp for four days (over a weekend) in a couple of weeks and that should be an excellent time for the young players to gel.

Japanese started today, and he'll be starting back at karate as well. He tried out for junior volleyball at school and given the small number of players who have come out so far, he's likely to make the team if they can field enough players. He also apparently did really well in football in gym class. This, a child who has never been very interested in team (or other) sports until karate.

I have a really positive feel about this school for Michael, and am glad he's getting involved in lots of stuff. He'll be busy, but is clearly enjoying things, so that's great.

I ♥ iTunes 9!

I got prompted to download iTunes 9 this morning, and so far I am very impressed with a couple of the new features.

First, you can now share your music etc among household members who use the same iTunes account with the Home Sharing feature. Not just listen to it, but actually grab it and stick it in your library for mobile use. I know there were some kluge-y ways to do this before, but this (should be) is a very quick and user-friendly way to do it. Assuming it works. There's no one home to let me set it up on other computers in the house.

Second (and this one I've tried) is the use of the genius feature to set up playlists (Genius Mixes). You pick a song, and then get Genius to choose similar music from your iTunes library to make a playlist. Example, I selected America's Ventura Highway and got a 25 song playlist (the default size) that started with

• Summer Breeze (Seals and Crofts)
• Dreamweaver (Gary Wright)
• Make it With You (Bread)
• Baby Come Back (Player)
• Still the One (Orleans)
• Kid Charlemagne (Steely Dan)
• Dancing in the Moonlight (King Harvest) etc...

Cool eh?

Easing into Fall

Beth at My Simpler Life has some ideas for Easing into a New Season.

1) Decide what the top 5 priorities are for the next few months. Then when opportunities come up you can decide if they will fit or not. (The following are not in order of importance.)

1. Continue to get in better shape via Curves, dog-walking, and sensible eating.
2. Grow my spiritual life with daily prayer and meditation and the sacraments.
3. Be of service to others.
4. Love my family through a peaceful home, hearty meals, clean clothes, and my presence.
5. Consider my response to suffering: my own, and other's.

2) Create a new routine for a new season.

1. New cleaning schedule.
2. Consolidate errands so that I am not spending as much time in the car.

3) Put some seasonal activities you’d love to enjoy on your calendar. Adding fun activities makes you feel more alive – and that’s good for everybody.

1. Outdoor walks
2. Fall festivals
3. Weekend away.

4) Change up your self care. Maybe you need a different moisturizer. Maybe you are heading outside again for exercise after a hot summer. Maybe you pursue different hobbies each season.

1. Book a massage.
2. Put something on my needles.
3. Resume blogging.

5) Ask questions in a notebook or journal. "What would make this season great?" "What am I most looking forward to?" and "What stresses can I prepare for?"

1. Z and I have an opportunity for a weekend away in October. I will plan something for that.
2. Think about a meaningful Thanksgiving celebration when Alex is home from university.
3. Get the garden put to bed properly.

6) Finally take a look at your calendar. Can you take anything out? Are there any deadlines or events coming up that you can plan for? If your calendar makes you miserable when you look at it, make sure it includes enjoyable activities and seeing your favorite people.

I'm okay on this front. My calendar makes me happy!

Posted using ShareThis

I ♥ iTunes 9!

I got prompted to download iTunes 9 this morning, and so far I am very impressed with a couple of the new features.

First, you can now share your music etc among household members who use the same iTunes account with the Home Sharing feature. Not just listen to it, but actually grab it and stick it in your library for mobile use. I know there were some kluge-y ways to do this before, but this (should be) is a very quick and user-friendly way to do it. Assuming it works. There's no one home to let me set it up on other computers in the house.

Second (and this one I've tried) is the use of the genius feature to set up playlists (Genius Mixes). You pick a song, and then get Genius to choose similar music from your iTunes library to make a playlist. Example, I selected America's Ventura Highway and got a 25 song playlist (the default size) that started with

• Summer Breeze (Seals and Crofts)
• Dreamweaver (Gary Wright)
• Make it With You (Bread)
• Baby Come Back (Player)
• Still the One (Orleans)
• Kid Charlemagne (Steely Dan)
• Dancing in the Moonlight (King Harvest) etc...

Cool eh?

Where I'm at

I haven't been blogging much at all, and have contemplated giving it up for the simplicity and ease of Facebook, where it's all really ephemeral and you don't need to think much to post a status update or quick link. I'll give it one last shot to see if it sticks.

It's been a rough summer in many ways. Alex headed off to university this fall and not a moment too soon. Lots of drama, and not a lot of positive and pleasant interaction kept me walking on egg shells much of the time. Which is not what a mother should have to do.

He's been gone a week, and I miss him a lot. But the tone at home is calmer and I'm working to find a new equilibrium inside myself. This past week, I have been very sleepy a lot of the time, and that is probably my body telling me that I am destressing. I've also had more than my share of headaches and back tension. A massage might be in order.

Michael started at the local high school last week and so far, so great. He is enthusiastic about most everything, is trying out for the Volleyball team, will play in the band, is taking tuba lessons and karate and Japanese on Saturdays (for his third year). He's picking up extra chores around the house for some extra allowance now that his brother is gone, and is generally easy to please.

Z is away for 9 days in China on business, but my brother is here as he transitions from Berkeley to Toronto. He starts teaching tomorrow, and I've been helping him think through how to furnish his office and organize his stuff. My sister-in-law (the saint) and their three children (under 4) are still in California and will move up in November. He'll be spending time in both cities until then.

The house is a bit of a tip, so I need to reboot my cleaning schedule and get back to the gym. I hope to hang out here at Domestic Bliss more often, particularly as things get a little more blissful around here. Thanks to anyone who's still dropping by.

Peace!

For Today, September 14, 2009...

Outside My Window... it's cool and grey. But we're heading for sun and 24C so I'm hopeful. Finally, layering weather has arrived, my favourite time of year!

I am thinking...about my husband, travelling for business in China. He has had the opportunity for some tourism this time, so I'm looking forward to seeing his photos and hearing his stories.

I am thankful for...the opportunity to spend time with my brother while he is in transition from Berkeley to Toronto.

From the kitchen...we've just about finished up the leftover baking I did for the retreat on Saturday morning. There's a basket of peaches in the fridge calling out for a peach crisp.

I am wearing... a tshirt and yoga pants.

I am creating...a to-do list. Nothing on the needles or the sewing machine these days.

I am going...to an ordination tomorrow evening, the first I've ever been to.

I am reading... Old City Hall by Robert Rotenberg. I just put down Roth's American Pastoral half-way through. I was forcing myself to plod through it and finally decided that I'd had enough.

I am hoping... that Alex's first day of university classes will go well.

I am hearing... nothing. And it's great.

Around the house...I need to get my cleaning schedule rebooted and pick out a chandelier for the dining room.

One of my favorite things...is sleeping with the windows open, and the cold fall air in the room, snuggled under my quilt.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Tonight, I'm taking Michael to his tuba lesson and will meet his teacher. Tomorrow, we try out a new groomer in the area, Wednesday I'm at TIFF seeeing The Time That Remains, Thursday is Parent's Night at Michael's school.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

I'm thinking Wilson needs a bigger bed.

Meme from The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Easing into Fall

Beth at My Simpler Life has some ideas for Easing into a New Season.

1) Decide what the top 5 priorities are for the next few months. Then when opportunities come up you can decide if they will fit or not. (The following are not in order of importance.)

1. Continue to get in better shape via Curves, dog-walking, and sensible eating.
2. Grow my spiritual life with daily prayer and meditation and the sacraments.
3. Be of service to others.
4. Love my family through a peaceful home, hearty meals, clean clothes, and my presence.
5. Consider my response to suffering: my own, and other's.

2) Create a new routine for a new season.

1. New cleaning schedule.
2. Consolidate errands so that I am not spending as much time in the car.

3) Put some seasonal activities you’d love to enjoy on your calendar. Adding fun activities makes you feel more alive – and that’s good for everybody.

1. Outdoor walks
2. Fall festivals
3. Weekend away.

4) Change up your self care. Maybe you need a different moisturizer. Maybe you are heading outside again for exercise after a hot summer. Maybe you pursue different hobbies each season.

1. Book a massage.
2. Put something on my needles.
3. Resume blogging.

5) Ask questions in a notebook or journal. "What would make this season great?" "What am I most looking forward to?" and "What stresses can I prepare for?"

1. Z and I have an opportunity for a weekend away in October. I will plan something for that.
2. Think about a meaningful Thanksgiving celebration when Alex is home from university.
3. Get the garden put to bed properly.

6) Finally take a look at your calendar. Can you take anything out? Are there any deadlines or events coming up that you can plan for? If your calendar makes you miserable when you look at it, make sure it includes enjoyable activities and seeing your favorite people.

I'm okay on this front. My calendar makes me happy!

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Where I'm at

I haven't been blogging much at all, and have contemplated giving it up for the simplicity and ease of Facebook, where it's all really ephemeral and you don't need to think much to post a status update or quick link. I'll give it one last shot to see if it sticks.

It's been a rough summer in many ways. Alex headed off to university this fall and not a moment too soon. Lots of drama, and not a lot of positive and pleasant interaction kept me walking on egg shells much of the time. Which is not what a mother should have to do.

He's been gone a week, and I miss him a lot. But the tone at home is calmer and I'm working to find a new equilibrium inside myself. This past week, I have been very sleepy a lot of the time, and that is probably my body telling me that I am destressing. I've also had more than my share of headaches and back tension. A massage might be in order.

Michael started at the local high school last week and so far, so great. He is enthusiastic about most everything, is trying out for the Volleyball team, will play in the band, is taking tuba lessons and karate and Japanese on Saturdays (for his third year). He's picking up extra chores around the house for some extra allowance now that his brother is gone, and is generally easy to please.

Z is away for 9 days in China on business, but my brother is here as he transitions from Berkeley to Toronto. He starts teaching tomorrow, and I've been helping him think through how to furnish his office and organize his stuff. My sister-in-law (the saint) and their three children (under 4) are still in California and will move up in November. He'll be spending time in both cities until then.

The house is a bit of a tip, so I need to reboot my cleaning schedule and get back to the gym. I hope to hang out here at Domestic Bliss more often, particularly as things get a little more blissful around here. Thanks to anyone who's still dropping by.

Peace!

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For Today, September 14, 2009...

Outside My Window

... it's cool and grey. But we're heading for sun and 24C so I'm hopeful. Finally, layering weather has arrived, my favourite time of year!

I am thinking

...about my husband, travelling for business in China. He has had the opportunity for some tourism this time, so I'm looking forward to seeing his photos and hearing his stories.

I am thankful for

...the opportunity to spend time with my brother while he is in transition from Berkeley to Toronto.

From the kitchen.

..we've just about finished up the leftover baking I did for the retreat on Saturday morning. There's a basket of peaches in the fridge calling out for a peach crisp.

I am wearing

... a tshirt and yoga pants.

I am creating

...a to-do list. Nothing on the needles or the sewing machine these days.

I am going

...to an ordination tomorrow evening, the first I've ever been to.

I am reading

... Old City Hall by Robert Rotenberg. I just put down Roth's American Pastoral half-way through. I was forcing myself to plod through it and finally decided that I'd had enough.

I am hoping

... that Alex's first day of university classes will go well.

I am hearing

... nothing. And it's great.

Around the house

...I need to get my cleaning schedule rebooted and pick out a chandelier for the dining room.

One of my favorite things.

..is sleeping with the windows open, and the cold fall air in the room, snuggled under my quilt.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week

: Tonight, I'm taking Michael to his tuba lesson and will meet his teacher. Tomorrow, we try out a new groomer in the area, Wednesday I'm at TIFF seeeing The Time That Remains, Thursday is Parent's Night at Michael's school.

Here is picture thought I am sharing

...

I'm thinking Wilson needs a bigger bed.

Meme from The Simple Woman's Daybook.