…get the Hidden Cameras CD out of her Mac. Don’t get me wrong, I like this album. It’s wicked good, in fact. But it’s been stuck in my disc drive for, hmmm, a year or so.

Yes, a year or so.

See, A. took the Mac to K-town with him. And K-town is full to the brim with K-town war dust. So much war dust that when A. returned after his year long stint, I was cleaning K-town war dust off of furniture/shoes/clothes for a good couple of months. And apparently some K-town war dust got inside the computer because when A. popped his (at the time) new Hidden Cameras CD in, it stayed there. To chill with the dust. I get it – I mean this dust probably has some crazy stories of life in K-town. But enough is enough.

I keep putting this job off because it means taking apart my laptop and what if I do it wrong? What if I can’t use the computer for ages after? This laptop rocks my socks and without it, I would be most sad. More to the point, I would be unable to post in bed or on the couch. I’d have to (gasp!) sit at the computer desk in the too cold kitchen. Yuck.

But I really want a working disc drive. I want to be able to fulfill February 11’s resolution. So tonight I’m going to haul out my miniature screwdriver set and fix this bay boy. Or make things worse. Only time will tell.

Update: Tea cups rock. But finding grinds in my coffee does not.

…write more real letters. I have this beautiful stationary and I really would like to use it to write real letters. I love writing real letters although my penmanship is incredibly poor. I used to write well and then the laptop happened. Years of cursive training out the window in a matter of a school semester. But if I concentrate super hard, I’m sure I can manage a legible sentence or two. And who doesn’t love getting proper mail, however poorly written? Nobody, that’s who.

My first letter will go out to my lovely cousin Samantha Zaunscherb. I see far too little of Sam. I have no money, she’s still in high school, and she lives all the way out in BC, so the opportunities for visiting are minimal. Boo. But she’s a gorgeous person who deserves proper mail. With a nice stamp (thank you, Canada Post, for your spiffy Chinese New Year stamps!).

An update on previous resolutions: The thank you notes are coming along nicely, thank god. I had forgotten how many I’d already done so at 3 per day I should be done by the end of next week. Woot! The calendar has become a full on ritual now so that’s good. Saturday Budsie Breakfasts continue to rock, although I could certainly use some new fun ideas. Fun breakfasts for babies – any thoughts?

On the flip side, I’ve had a terrible time getting motivated to lose the last ten pounds. What didn’t help: baking a batch of chocolate chip cookies for A. because he was sick. I may or may not have eaten half of these cookies in two days. Yikes! But so far so good today. Of course, there’s a Wallace Women reunion this weekend. Hmmm, maybe next week is a better time to start that resolution…

…use her Grandmother’s tea cups more often. My pumpkin mug wasn’t clean this morning (dishwasher wasn’t full last night so I couldn’t justify turning it on) and that’s usually a sign of a bad morning. Then, when I opened the cupboard, I found that ALL of the coffee mugs were gone (how!? clearly resolution two for today is to find all of the coffee mugs) and that should have been the mark of a very, VERY bad morning. But in my search for a coffee mug, I found my Grandmother’s tea cups, 3 of which I inherited after she died in 1993. Hmmm, I thought, coffee in a tea cup? Why not?

Best good morning idea ever. I mean, I definitely haven’t replaced my pumpkin mug (the sheer volume of coffee that mug is able to contain means it will never leave number one spot in my heart). But this spiffy green tea cup is a close second.

Yummy and sophisticated!

Right, off to do some work.

…mail the pile of post that is sitting on the railing. This mail pile includes, among other things, two framed copies of Budsie’s Santa photo…oops. When he wakes up, we’re going for a little outing to the post office before our walk.

Mailing the post is going to clear up a big space on our stair railing so a second resolution is in order here: don’t fill that space with more crap. If something needs to be mailed, bloody well mail it! It’s not like the post office is miles away – I can see it from my front door. I can walk there in 1 minute. To be fair, the line-up is unpredictable and if Budsie is in a mood, well, there’s no point in going. Still, my boy is rarely in a mood. It’s just me being lazy.

In other news, I’m off to get a haircut tonight. Chopping ‘er off pixie style – my bangs are too long and I’m getting dangerously close to mullet territory in the back. This is my biggest pet peeve about having short hair – mullet tails. I like a neat and super short pixie, not Liza Minnelli tails. Ugh. I’ve also decided that since I’m going to be out by myself anyways, I might as well make a night of it. So I’m going to do a bit of window shopping and then stop off at a Starbucks and have a latte and call AB. I’m going to chat and read Vogue and sip my tasty beverage and for a few brief moments forget that I have a house full of laundry and dishes and errands and baby and etc. waiting for me when I return…

Oscar night with the Budsie!

Note the following things:

a) I am not wearing my wedding dress – I had planned to but it was too awkward to cook apps. in. Next year though.

b) My necklace is backwards because Budsie likes to eat this one and it’s my fav. Trust me, it’s stunning.

c) Budsie is not in his Oscar finery but instead in his sleep sack. Which would suggest he is ready for bed but as you can see by his face, bed is the furthest thing from his mind at this point.

It started off as a great night. Friends AH and KM arrived, bringing with them tasty tasty nachos, beer and some sparkling wine (which I totally forgot to open! Will save for another occasion). I made up some bacon-wrapped dates, stuffed mushroom caps, and brownies. There was plenty of red wine. And while the red carpet coverage was on, we all picked our winners for each category and got settled in. We (well, certainly I) was ready to be blown away by the awesomeness that is my favourite awards show.

I feel like I should call the people who design the show/write the dialogue/choose the hosts and demand a refund of my time. What the HELL was that? Who wrote that dialogue? Dear god but that was some awkward nonsense. No one managed to make their jokes sound funny. Not even RDJr. and he’s usually pretty great that way. I was squirming in my seat, it was so bad.

And who decided that two hosts was a good idea, when last year was such an epic fail in that regard? At least last year it was two people who could bring the funny. I’m sure that Anne Hathaway is funny – indeed, I’ve seen her bring the funny at other times. And I know that James Franco is. But Baldwin and Martin know better than to drink too many cocktails before the night starts, something Hathaway clearly doesn’t know. And Franco appeared to have other things on his mind that night. Ugh.

And what was with the public school kids at the end?? I don’t watch the Oscars to see children! I watch them for the dresses and to make fun of the bad speeches. If I wanted to hear children’s choirs, I’d go to an elementary school Christmas concert or something. Grr.

In the end, I had a fantastic time with AH and KM, as I always do. And I enjoyed oogling/making fun of the dresses (what were you thinking, lady who came with Mark Ruffalo?). And I liked Colin Firth’s speech. But otherwise, worst Oscars ever. Please, for the love of whatever, bring back Jon Stewart or Billy Crystal or a comedian of some sort. And please, please, PLEASE stop hiring George Lucas (I’m convinced you did) to write the “witty” banter and hire, oh I don’t know, Tina Fey or someone who knows how to bring the funny. And no more public school children.

Oscars 2011 = Big time fail.

…lose the last ten pounds that stands between her and her jeans. Oh how I miss my jeans!!

I gained just under 50 pounds during my pregnancy, surprising everyone including my midwife who was certain I’d have to work my ass off to gain twenty-five. I had no problem with this weight gain – indeed, I enjoyed it. Well, until the end of the pregnancy when my face started to look like the puffed pastries I was happily scarfing back. I lost more than half of the weight in the first 2.5 months after the baby was born, irritating more than a few mothers I happen to know. But the last twenty has been challenging, due in no small part to the fact that I suck at dieting, never having done it before. “Why diet when I could be eating croissant?” I’ve frequently thought. So ten more pounds have dropped off because of the simple fact that running around looking after an active baby burns a few calories. But the last ten are being stubborn bitches and I’ve had enough. I’m wearing all of my pre-pregnancy clothes except for my jeans and a couple of dresses that aren’t very forgiving in the mid-section. It’s the jeans I want back. I’m not sure how to go about losing these last ten pounds…cutting back on the pastry consumption might be a good start. But any tips from my fellow bloggers would be most appreciated.

Ah yes, and yesterday’s resolution: to make bacon-wrapped dates. I eat dates frequently and on the side of the container there are suggestions for how to eat my dates. I have been enjoying my dates with steel cut oats, chopped banana and soy milk, but apparently I could have been enjoying them wrapped in bacon. So for the Oscar party last night, I made bacon wrapped dates and they were most tasty. Successful resolution (that may or may not have set the next day’s resolution back a tad…)

Coming up: ezmy’s oscar wrap up!

…finish her wedding thank you notes before the end of March.

“Ezmy, didn’t you get married last August!? How are these thank you notes not done?” <– if either of these questions crossed your mind, kindly shut up. I have a baby and I’m not afraid to use him, both as an excuse for not getting things done and as a weapon of mass destruction against people who ask stupid, judge-y questions like this (attack of the poopy diapers!).

Ok, ok, I know they should be done by now. Here’s the thing. I’m making them so they’re taking a bit longer.

“Why on Earth are you making the thank you notes? Haven’t you enough on your plate?”

Sigh. Yes. But what happened see, is that back when I ordered the wedding invitations, I ordered twice as many as I needed because I forgot that people would be coming in pairs and families, and that not every single individual needed a wedding invite. I’m going to go ahead and assume you’re chuckling right now and that’s fine. I thought it was pretty funny too. Except the money part – that part was less funny. So now I’m digging deep into my crafty side and turning the leftover wedding invites into thank you cards, thus saving me money but not time. They look really nice though.

But enough is enough. These notes must be done by the end of March. They are currently hanging out in my upstairs living room cupboard (the notes are in a cupboard now because when they were sitting out on the table, they started openly mocking my inability to do things in a timely fashion. Jerks). And I want my cupboard back, if only to put toys inside for the kid. In order to fulfill this resolution, I have to write roughly three thank yous per day, order the photos to go inside them some time this week, and send them off by March 31st.

I can totally do this.

The following is a list of reasons why I will order as much of my groceries online as I can from now on:

-none of the produce was molded/mottled/mangled. I hate buying bags of apples only to find that 3/4 of the bag is gross. Plus, they included a WHOLE PINEAPPLE. Nom.

-also included was a plantable lettuce AND basil plant. Now, this is dangerous territory for me…we all know my plant problem. Still, what better way to really dive into a resolution than add more challenges? And I do so want to grow lettuces. In part because I like to say ‘lettuces’. Tee hee.

-I understood all of the ingredients listed in the bread.

-the delivery guy was OH SO hot.

Yep, online grocery ordering was a huge success. The closest I’ve come to my awesome shopping trips to Herb & Spice, which I can’t do anymore because it’s too far away.

Now.

The following is a list of reasons why leggings were, are, and always will be a poor fashion choice:

-they do not replace pants (despite what many women seem to think) and yet they cannot be worn with skirts without one looking like they rolled out of 1982 (and not in a good way).

-they do not wear well. That is, the colours dim quickly. Or maybe that’s just mine. I had a rockin’ red pair and they look more mauve-y now…ugh.

-they get holes and you don’t notice until you’re out somewhere and then what can you do? Again, maybe that’s just me…

-there’s nowhere to put them in one’s closet. They get lost in the pants, they don’t hang well, they don’t go with the tights because they have no feet and then one thinks that they are tights and gets excited about an outfit with red tights only to realize that they are leggings. OK, that’s definitely just me. Whatever.

The leggings are gone.

…stay in better touch with her brother. I have a little brother, IL, who lives out West and I only get to see him about once each year. Sometimes less. He is one of the loveliest men I know and he has a lovely wifey too. Oh and she’s having a baby. So I should really keep in touch better. I’ve been missing IL terribly, although not for any specific reason. I’m just homesick all over the place these days. This is particularly odd for two reasons: a) I haven’t been “home” to QB in 9 years and it’s never bugged me until today because b) I hated it there. I mean I had some good friends, but my experience with island living left me less than satisfied. I’m not one for small towns.

But a few days ago, I was struck with homesickness. Maybe it was because I heard this Bon Jovi song that I hadn’t heard in ages. It was one my old high school bf, BH, used to play in his truck and upon hearing it I was suddenly thrown back to the ’90s. I was sitting in the Scottsdale, heading back from Whiskey Creek gas station, smoking my Du Maurier Extra Lights and planning a fun-filled night of hanging out on the QB boardwalk, waiting for something to happen (yeah, it’s a seriously small town my friends). Oh those were the days. I spent a crazy amount of time back then feeling miserable. Like I said, I’m not one for small towns and this particular town just never felt like home to me. Even less so after my parents’ divorce. But when I was happy, I was hanging out at the Hillsden’s or wandering along the boardwalk listening to the ocean. Man, do I miss the ocean.

Anyway, that’s the tone of today. Homesickness, which almost always leads me to miss my brother the most because I talk to him the least and I’m not sure why that is. I’m going to go email him now.

Update on previous resolutions: Alright, so I had a Werther’s last night. But to my credit, it’s been the only one since the resolution which ain’t half bad for a gal who used to suck back 5 or 6 each night. A. gave me a hard time about it, hehe. Everything else is coming along swimmingly – Edmund is still alive, water consumption is good, calendar is getting easier, I have a new outfit on today that I think I like, although I’m not sure I can pull off leggings at present. Give it time, and a few more lost pregnancy pounds, and I might be able to. I’m going to try a walk today but I have to wait until my delivered groceries get here. More on that in a later post…

…seek and destroy the person or people who came up with the rules and regulations for Employment Insurance, specifically Maternity/Parental Leave benefits. I am five, FIVE hours short of the requisite hours needed. Do you know why? Because I had to go on bed rest or risk giving birth to a dead baby. This seems like a pretty straightforward case of medical leave getting in the way so let’s just overlook those five hours, right?

Well it’s not. Before I got pregnant, I was a student working as an RA but the RA job wasn’t insurable, it was scholarship. ‘Cause I’m smart and capable. But I wasn’t working according to EI. When I got pregnant, I dropped out of my MA program and tried to find work so that I could get the hours I needed to collect maternity. This in itself is ridiculous – the fact that for 95% of my adult life, I’ve worked full-time and paid into this goddamn system should count for something, but it doesn’t. But anyway, I went out and looked for work. And shock and surprise, I couldn’t find any for a few months because a) I don’t speak French, b) our country was in the middle of a recession and c) NO ONE HIRES PREGNANT PEOPLE. They just don’t. It’s not right, it’s certainly not legal, but they just don’t.

Despite these horrible odds, I did manage to find work. I lied to the employer in order to get it. Awful, I know but I was desperate. So I started working and then three months later, I went into pre-term labour and was pulled out of work. And now I can’t collect any maternity or parental leave. Apparently I was supposed to go in to work, against the advice of midwives, nurses and the hospital’s OB/GYN and finish up the hours. Which I actually didn’t know I was short on because when I read the rules online (which I did before deciding whether or not to risk my health), they said that in cases of medical leave, hours from the previous YEAR can be used (and in the previous year, I worked as a TA and did pay into EI). Turns out this is not actually the case – SOME hours can be used, enough to get me to the point where I’m fifteen short. I’ve appealed, I’ve had the CRA investigate to see if they can find any more hours somewhere (they found 10, bringing me to five hours short now…), I’ve done it all.

So I resolve to find these people who think that I haven’t worked enough to deserve benefits, even though I’ve spent years, since I was 13 in fact, working part or full time at various humiliating and unforgiving jobs, never once collecting EI, but always paying into it. These people who also think that seasonal workers who work 6 months of the year each year and then spend the rest of the time drinking beer and having good times do deserve these benefits. Find them and demand an explanation.

Very. Angry. Ezmy.