That is what I feel like I've been playing all week. Catch up on security forms, catch up on house cleaning, catch up on fitness, catch up at work. And after all of the I am thoroughly exhausted.
I have however, been given the information with which to decide my activities for the fall. As it turns out there is no chance of training in the fall for my given trade.... great! Funny thing is though that this was the perfect time for me to go away for a year and do some training - plus I would have been promoted faster, gained more marketable skills, had fun in Quebec City etc etc... Needless to say I am not pleased... and when I asked to be put into my chosen trade (IE: the one I really want to do and not the one that was open when I applied) they told me that I could maybe, but it would take a year and then of course I still wouldn't be able to go training in the fall. The part that is even better in all of this drama is the fact that I will effectively be laid off once I return to Calgary.. yeah for my garbage company!!!! They don't seem to have any sort of respect for those serving in the Canadian Forces and are therefore in my bad books... yah, I've had a great week!
But.... I did have some fun this week...
Monday - St Patty's Day - did some navy stuff with my MBF Jamie, ended up chatting until wel after midnight...
Tuesday - Worked at Job #2, gave notice that I was going away for training
Wednesday - Went for a run, felt pretty good about it, spent 2 hours at the ASU learning about Anaerobic and Aerobic Activity... lesson learned: do weights for 20 minutes before running so you are already in the Aerobic zone... also I (and by I, I mean the public in general) must be doing an hour of activity 5-7 times PER WEEK! I do anyways, but it's crap that that it is now spelled out for me... After the ASU stuff we got back to the Unit with 15 minutes left in the evening and were asked to play a communication game - which we rocked at... we figured out the puzzle in 5 minutes flat - a record thus far! The balance of the evening was spent in the wardroom chatting about life and mostly what Jamie and I will have to do at basic, which apparently is fun so we feel much much better!
Now I'm at my desk.. trying to get everything done so whomever steals my job away from me can be in a good position... yeah.. I'm such a sucker! Tonight though is my awards banquet for my kickboxing course... and I am praying that my before and after picture is NOT flashed up on the screen.... no, seriously - that would be AWFUL, but the way the week is going I bet that is exactly what is going to happen...
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Book of the Week / Top O The Morning to Ya!
Oops, I seem to have forgotten to post a Book of the Week so without further ado, I give you:
A History Of The World In Six Glasses
From the Publisher:
Whatever your favourite tipple, when you pour yourself a drink, you have the past in a glass.
You can likely find them all in your own kitchen — beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, cola. Line them up on the counter, and there you have it: thousands of years of human history in six drinks.
Tom Standage opens a window onto the past in this tour of six beverages that remain essentials today. En route he makes fascinating forays into the byways of western culture: Why were ancient Egyptians buried with beer? Why was wine considered a “classier” drink than beer by the Romans? How did rum grog help the British navy defeat Napoleon? What is the relationship
between coffee and revolution? And how did Coca-Cola become the number one poster-product for globalization decades before the term was even coined?
I was going to try to do something James Joyce -esque, but really... This sums of the spirit of St. Paddy's Day as historically this is the busiest day of the year for the pubs!
Cheers!
A History Of The World In Six GlassesFrom the Publisher:
Whatever your favourite tipple, when you pour yourself a drink, you have the past in a glass.
You can likely find them all in your own kitchen — beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, cola. Line them up on the counter, and there you have it: thousands of years of human history in six drinks.
Tom Standage opens a window onto the past in this tour of six beverages that remain essentials today. En route he makes fascinating forays into the byways of western culture: Why were ancient Egyptians buried with beer? Why was wine considered a “classier” drink than beer by the Romans? How did rum grog help the British navy defeat Napoleon? What is the relationship
between coffee and revolution? And how did Coca-Cola become the number one poster-product for globalization decades before the term was even coined?I was going to try to do something James Joyce -esque, but really... This sums of the spirit of St. Paddy's Day as historically this is the busiest day of the year for the pubs!
Cheers!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Final Evaluation
Ok Boys and Girls. Today, apart from being Ronnalie's Birthday... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!
It also happens to be final evaluation day for the UBC course... all in all I improved in every area. Stretching was not as good as I wanted, but that's okay - Weight was down another 5 lbs.. not bad... waist was down as well - but the area I am most proud of is the pus ups / sit ups part. This time I did 57 push ups and 58 sit ups in a minute (each one). I felt a lot better than my military fitness test on Wednesday, although I did feel slimmer then. I guess it doesn't really matter in the end because no matter what I am getting stronger and I am starting to think that I'll actually make it through Basic.
Now I'm off to celebrate with the UBC crew at Schanks and then off to celebrate the Birthday of the Fabulous Mrs Inglis!
I think I'll treat myself with some M&Ms... I deserve it !
It also happens to be final evaluation day for the UBC course... all in all I improved in every area. Stretching was not as good as I wanted, but that's okay - Weight was down another 5 lbs.. not bad... waist was down as well - but the area I am most proud of is the pus ups / sit ups part. This time I did 57 push ups and 58 sit ups in a minute (each one). I felt a lot better than my military fitness test on Wednesday, although I did feel slimmer then. I guess it doesn't really matter in the end because no matter what I am getting stronger and I am starting to think that I'll actually make it through Basic.
Now I'm off to celebrate with the UBC crew at Schanks and then off to celebrate the Birthday of the Fabulous Mrs Inglis!
I think I'll treat myself with some M&Ms... I deserve it !
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Well, thank you!
I am currently playing hooky from Job #2 - although in true Spencer fashion its because I feel like complete garbage. I can handle pain, lots of pain, but when my stomach hurts I turn into a complete baby - hence why Job #2 sent me home. Instead of working I am chillin' with my good cat friend Buddy (I started House-sitting tonight) and trying to unpack 3 weeks of supplies.
In the news department I had another night at Tecumseh. This time I was given an actual tour, complete with my very own helper to explain everything to me - and by everything I mean we went through ranks, security forms, shoe shining, ironing, training schedules, saluting, etc etc etc. It was quite refreshing to actually have someone telling me what was going on and what I need to do next - unlike the recruiting process.... I did however get in trouble for chillin' in the NCM's mess, but in my defense I was invited so it wasn't technically my fault. One guess who got mad at me... yes it was my recruiter - he's so pleasant! The remainder of the evening was spent hanging in my proper mess, aka the Wardroom with my other fellow Junior Officers. It was so nice to socialize and meet the rest of the group who weren't there last week. During the socializing we did however get assigned some homework - yeah! But at least this should be fun, in theory! It turns out we must do a 10-12 minute power-point presentation on whatever country we feel passionately about. 2 guesses which country I think I'll pick...
Oh, I guess I should also give a run down about yesterday morning. I was scheduled for my Expres Test (read Fitness Evaluation) so that meant a 20m shuttle run (aka HELL) which I did pass, in fact I more than passed I made it to the incentive level so I'm good there. Then we did the hand grip test - I did well, I think though I was a bit weaker than I was in January but who cares... I passed. Then it was onto push ups. As the fitness evaluator is lovingly referred to as the Push Ups Nazi and she did her name justice! I made the limit, barely but she did not count several of what was in my opinion fully acceptable push ups! Oh well, it's done and I am glad for it. Sit ups were next, and as I am the sit ups queen I was in my element! I beat everyone there - even with the Nazi counting a few (she is such a stickler for exact technique), but sadly did not make it to my record - I guess that's what Saturday is for!
Expres Test aside and finished I was off to the Clothing Store for my dress uniform fitting. Lucky for me I had a chorus of construction workers there to help me decide which size was the most appropriate, but it all turned out well. In fact during the fitting for my tunic I was trying t find one that fit my arms, but still fit my torso (I didn't want to look like a large box, but rather still keep my figure, somewhat) anyways I asked for a smaller torso size and tried the one given but it was a wee bit tight. My fitter even dared to say "Well, your rather busty so I think we should get a larger size" to which I replied " True enough, but I am wearing a sports bra, so when I wear a normal bra it will be far too small" He smiled and grabbed a different jacket - it was a good size.
After my stop to get my dress uniform I zipped over to the MPs office for my Military ID. Chatted with the guys there for a while, was informed that I should be in Intel and not Logistics and promised to get me in contact with someone who could help me transfer.
All in all, it was quite the productive afternoon. I had to take the day off to get everything accomplished, but it did the trick.
Alright, I am going to bed - maybe if I can muster up enough energy I'll stop by the gym for a run in the morning. Wish me luck!
In the news department I had another night at Tecumseh. This time I was given an actual tour, complete with my very own helper to explain everything to me - and by everything I mean we went through ranks, security forms, shoe shining, ironing, training schedules, saluting, etc etc etc. It was quite refreshing to actually have someone telling me what was going on and what I need to do next - unlike the recruiting process.... I did however get in trouble for chillin' in the NCM's mess, but in my defense I was invited so it wasn't technically my fault. One guess who got mad at me... yes it was my recruiter - he's so pleasant! The remainder of the evening was spent hanging in my proper mess, aka the Wardroom with my other fellow Junior Officers. It was so nice to socialize and meet the rest of the group who weren't there last week. During the socializing we did however get assigned some homework - yeah! But at least this should be fun, in theory! It turns out we must do a 10-12 minute power-point presentation on whatever country we feel passionately about. 2 guesses which country I think I'll pick...
Oh, I guess I should also give a run down about yesterday morning. I was scheduled for my Expres Test (read Fitness Evaluation) so that meant a 20m shuttle run (aka HELL) which I did pass, in fact I more than passed I made it to the incentive level so I'm good there. Then we did the hand grip test - I did well, I think though I was a bit weaker than I was in January but who cares... I passed. Then it was onto push ups. As the fitness evaluator is lovingly referred to as the Push Ups Nazi and she did her name justice! I made the limit, barely but she did not count several of what was in my opinion fully acceptable push ups! Oh well, it's done and I am glad for it. Sit ups were next, and as I am the sit ups queen I was in my element! I beat everyone there - even with the Nazi counting a few (she is such a stickler for exact technique), but sadly did not make it to my record - I guess that's what Saturday is for!
Expres Test aside and finished I was off to the Clothing Store for my dress uniform fitting. Lucky for me I had a chorus of construction workers there to help me decide which size was the most appropriate, but it all turned out well. In fact during the fitting for my tunic I was trying t find one that fit my arms, but still fit my torso (I didn't want to look like a large box, but rather still keep my figure, somewhat) anyways I asked for a smaller torso size and tried the one given but it was a wee bit tight. My fitter even dared to say "Well, your rather busty so I think we should get a larger size" to which I replied " True enough, but I am wearing a sports bra, so when I wear a normal bra it will be far too small" He smiled and grabbed a different jacket - it was a good size.
After my stop to get my dress uniform I zipped over to the MPs office for my Military ID. Chatted with the guys there for a while, was informed that I should be in Intel and not Logistics and promised to get me in contact with someone who could help me transfer.
All in all, it was quite the productive afternoon. I had to take the day off to get everything accomplished, but it did the trick.
Alright, I am going to bed - maybe if I can muster up enough energy I'll stop by the gym for a run in the morning. Wish me luck!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Small Party Tasking
Last night was my first real experience with the Naval Reserve Unit. In preperation for my upcoming IAP / BOTP course we did a practice Small Party Tasking where we set up, planned and executed a search and recovery of "water and rations" that had been supposedly attacked en route to our location. It was a lot of standing around and wondering WTF, but then once we got going, despite the unorganized nature of who used to be my recruiting officer, the plan went off without a hitch. Regardless of how new I was I thought I kept up pretty well, and I think that in April when we do another practice run it will be even better.
After the tasking my new NBF and I went for drinks at Moxies and chatted until late into the night. The great thing was that her and I get along so well and I am so thankful that she is coming on course with me. It makes it much easier to think about knowing that I have a friend there already. We swapped stories about why we joined, what we think about current situations and what we are doing to get ready for "BASIC". In any case it was a great evening and tomorrow night should be fun as well (I hope).
Oh, one more quick thing - tomorrow I have yet another fitness test - shuttle run, push ups, sit ups and hand grip. I know I will pass but I get nervous at the thought of not doing well so make sure you all think strong thought for me at 10 am (Calgary time) tomorrow! After that I get to have a fun uniform fitting and after that a military ID appointment - good times for sure!
Alright, I'm off to my massage - hasta mañana!
After the tasking my new NBF and I went for drinks at Moxies and chatted until late into the night. The great thing was that her and I get along so well and I am so thankful that she is coming on course with me. It makes it much easier to think about knowing that I have a friend there already. We swapped stories about why we joined, what we think about current situations and what we are doing to get ready for "BASIC". In any case it was a great evening and tomorrow night should be fun as well (I hope).
Oh, one more quick thing - tomorrow I have yet another fitness test - shuttle run, push ups, sit ups and hand grip. I know I will pass but I get nervous at the thought of not doing well so make sure you all think strong thought for me at 10 am (Calgary time) tomorrow! After that I get to have a fun uniform fitting and after that a military ID appointment - good times for sure!
Alright, I'm off to my massage - hasta mañana!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Sobering Thoughts for a Sunday Afternoon
I promised a recap of Wednesday Evening's events and here it is, but I am tired and can't seem to get a grasp on the ability to formulate proper sentences, so it's in list form.
Now onto the "Sobering Thoughts" part of my title.
- Came home from CIBC Spring Focus Meeting (very boring)
- Did resistance exercises toute seule as I was skipping out on class due to the ceremony
- Curled hair, re-did makeup, changed into appropriate swearing in outfit
- Ate dinner
- Spoke to Rachel on phone cause she was stuck at work and couldn't come to ceremony
- Left for Ceremony
- Arrived early (as per usual) felt really silly being all dolled up for a military ceremony, met up with Amy, Mom and Anthony - laughed a lot (as per usual)
- Met up with Ronnalie, took pictures
- Walked into Tecumseh, signed in, felt really silly with an entourage
- Met up with MS Morgan (my recruiting officer)
- Sat and waited for an hour while the aforementioned MS took his time arranging stuff, also filled in countless forms, the Bowmans also arrived in this hour
- Moved into Ward Room, waited for Commanding Officer to arrive
- *** FUN PART*** Stood nervously and listened to Lt Commander Shirely speak about the importance of what I was doing, how happy and honoured I should be, how happy he was that I had people there to witness what I was doing (felt better about my posse), and then I repeated my vow to "bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and all her lawful heirs and successors, so help me God"
- Breathed a huge sigh of relief as it was a done deal and I was in
- Shook hands with Commanding Officer, smiled a lot, thanked him a lot
- Took many pictures with posse
- Said bye bye to entourage
- Was paraded up and down halls meeting people whose names I have no recollection of, smiled a lot again, filled out more paperwork
- Met my new NBF (naval best friend), found out that I will be away for much longer than anticipated - going into August now... yikes! as well as learning my Monday nights are much busier, as well as weekends - including Snoops Wedding Weekend....
- Had drinks with the rest of the Junior Officers in Ward room until 11:45
- Drove home, made chili for the next day's lunch and collapsed into bed
Now onto the "Sobering Thoughts" part of my title.
- I have less than 7 weeks left.
- I am away for over 3 months,
- I may not have a job when I come back - so I may elect to take my occupation training directly after my other 3 courses so I won't have to do it next summer... my new NBF is doing it this way....
- I went to the gym this morning, ran, did some upper body stuff and stretched - didn't feel that my cardio or strength has improved much in the last 9 weeks... especially the push ups!
- Came home and opened email from Ronnalie, with pictures of the previously recounted evening, decided that my pictures do not reflect my hard work since January - boo-urns! reinforces sad feelings from gym performance
- Resolved to run tomorrow morning
- Realized that I have another scary military fitness test Wednesday morning...and then a fun uniform fitting..
- Realized that I also have another fitness course evaluation on Saturday morning...
- Realized that I have to go to Tecumseh (Job #3)twice this week... and Job # 2 twice... and I housesit for 3 1/2 weeks starting Thursday
- Realized that I have no f-ing clue how I will make it through until august... but I will I promise!
Swearing allegiance to my favourite Monarch by taking my oath, and yes that is the Bible I am holding.
Ronnalie and I after the Ceremony
With part of my Entourage... doesn't my Mom look happy?
With part of my Entourage... doesn't my Mom look happy?
Friday, March 7, 2008
Book of the Week
Oops... I kind of forgot to post this as my day has been pretty hectic. I also promise to post, with pictures, about my Wednesday evening ceremony.
"Don''t be fooled by the title of this seriocomic ode to success; it''s not ''Climb Every Mountain,'' kid version. All journeys face perils, whether from indecision, from loneliness, or worst of all, from too much waiting. Seuss'' familiar pajama-clad hero is up to the challenge, and his odyssey is captured vividly in busy two-page spreads evoking both the good times (grinning purple elephants, floating golden castles) and the bad (deep blue wells of confusion). Seuss'' message is simple but never sappy: life may be a ''Great Balancing Act,'' but through it all ''There''s fun to be done.''"
Without further ado, and because I am going places, I thought this week's entry should be a classic... Oh The Place You'll Go, by our beloved Dr. Seuss
From the Publisher:
"Don''t be fooled by the title of this seriocomic ode to success; it''s not ''Climb Every Mountain,'' kid version. All journeys face perils, whether from indecision, from loneliness, or worst of all, from too much waiting. Seuss'' familiar pajama-clad hero is up to the challenge, and his odyssey is captured vividly in busy two-page spreads evoking both the good times (grinning purple elephants, floating golden castles) and the bad (deep blue wells of confusion). Seuss'' message is simple but never sappy: life may be a ''Great Balancing Act,'' but through it all ''There''s fun to be done.''"Balancing act indeed. I just found out that I have one more course to do this summer, so I'll be away until August. Plus I need to do a lot more paperwork and fitness tests and security clearances and uniform fittings and military ID appointments, and training days (including Mondays and Saturdays, and yes it is the same day that Snoop has her wedding.. darn it!), and CPR courses before I go, which PS is in less than 50 days as the course starts the 27 th April so I need to be there a day or two early... yikes!
I am exhausted just thinking about it..... no worries though, I'll make it through!
Happy Weekend!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
In the Navy
As sung to me this morning by my favourite little sister....
In the NAVY - The Village People
you have it all wrong
Can't you see we need a hand
In the navy
Come on, protect the motherland
In the navy
Come on and join your fellow man
In the navy
Come on people, and make a stand
In the navy, in the navy, in the navy (in the navy)
They want you, they want you
They want you as a new recruit
If you like adventure
Don't you wait to enter
The recruiting office fast
Don't you hesitate
There is no need to wait
They're signing up new seamen fast
Maybe you are too young
To join up today
But don't you worry 'bout a thing
For I'm sure there will be
Always a good navy
Protecting the land and sea
In the navy
Yes, you can sail the seven seas
In the navy
Yes, you can put your mind at ease
In the navy
Come on now people, make a stand
In the navy, in the navy
Can't you see we need a hand
In the navy
Come on, protect the motherland
In the navy
Come on and join your fellow man
In the navy
Come on people, and make a stand
In the navy, in the navy, in the navy (in the navy)
They want you, they want you
They want you as a new recruit
Who me?
They want you, they want you
They want you as a new recruit
But, but, but I'm afraid of water.
Hey, hey look
Man, I get seasick even watchin' it on TV!
They want you, they want you in the navy
Oh my goodness.
What am I gonna do in a submarine?
They want you, they want you in the navy
In the NAVY - The Village People
you have it all wrong
Can't you see we need a hand
In the navy
Come on, protect the motherland
In the navy
Come on and join your fellow man
In the navy
Come on people, and make a stand
In the navy, in the navy, in the navy (in the navy)
They want you, they want you
They want you as a new recruit
If you like adventure
Don't you wait to enter
The recruiting office fast
Don't you hesitate
There is no need to wait
They're signing up new seamen fast
Maybe you are too young
To join up today
But don't you worry 'bout a thing
For I'm sure there will be
Always a good navy
Protecting the land and sea
In the navy
Yes, you can sail the seven seas
In the navy
Yes, you can put your mind at ease
In the navy
Come on now people, make a stand
In the navy, in the navy
Can't you see we need a hand
In the navy
Come on, protect the motherland
In the navy
Come on and join your fellow man
In the navy
Come on people, and make a stand
In the navy, in the navy, in the navy (in the navy)
They want you, they want you
They want you as a new recruit
Who me?
They want you, they want you
They want you as a new recruit
But, but, but I'm afraid of water.
Hey, hey look
Man, I get seasick even watchin' it on TV!
They want you, they want you in the navy
Oh my goodness.
What am I gonna do in a submarine?
They want you, they want you in the navy
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
WTF
I have no clue what is going on with me these days - I think I may be training too much...
For example: yesterday afternoon I was ridiculously tired to the point where I wanted to lay my head down on my desk and sleep. I somehow made it through the afternoon, then decided to zip over to the gym and run for a bit. Instead of running I actually had to use the elliptical as all of the treadmills were occupied, but I got past that and managed 3 miles before my feet went numb (not sure why... as my shoes were loose). After that I stretched and stretched and stretched (I need to be more flexible) and set on my way to go home.
That drive home however was the worst thing I have been made to live through. I was fighting so hard to stay awake the entire ride, it was awful! I made it home, stumbled into my house, decided that I needed to take a small nap, laid down, slept. The fact that I actually took a nap is crazy, but how long I slept was the most bizarre part... it ended up being 5 hours! Yep, woke up at 11:15! It was very very dark in my house and I was still wearing gym gear, hadn't eaten dinner, hadn't made lunch for today... nothing... so I quickly got up, showered, made lunch for today, drank some milk, and went back to bed and slept the entire night - didn't even wake up to go to the gym this morning. Oops... I guess I should be a bit more relaxed in the future.
Today should be more exciting and therefore less tiring as yesterday - I get to skip off to a meeting this afternoon and basically day dream for 3 hours and then I'm off to be inducted into the military.... my last few hours as a civilian.. good times!
For example: yesterday afternoon I was ridiculously tired to the point where I wanted to lay my head down on my desk and sleep. I somehow made it through the afternoon, then decided to zip over to the gym and run for a bit. Instead of running I actually had to use the elliptical as all of the treadmills were occupied, but I got past that and managed 3 miles before my feet went numb (not sure why... as my shoes were loose). After that I stretched and stretched and stretched (I need to be more flexible) and set on my way to go home.
That drive home however was the worst thing I have been made to live through. I was fighting so hard to stay awake the entire ride, it was awful! I made it home, stumbled into my house, decided that I needed to take a small nap, laid down, slept. The fact that I actually took a nap is crazy, but how long I slept was the most bizarre part... it ended up being 5 hours! Yep, woke up at 11:15! It was very very dark in my house and I was still wearing gym gear, hadn't eaten dinner, hadn't made lunch for today... nothing... so I quickly got up, showered, made lunch for today, drank some milk, and went back to bed and slept the entire night - didn't even wake up to go to the gym this morning. Oops... I guess I should be a bit more relaxed in the future.
Today should be more exciting and therefore less tiring as yesterday - I get to skip off to a meeting this afternoon and basically day dream for 3 hours and then I'm off to be inducted into the military.... my last few hours as a civilian.. good times!
Monday, March 3, 2008
Monday Blues
and by blues I am referring to the hue of my fingers as I type this... My office is very chilly this morning, I've got a sweater and my jacket on and I am still cold, as is the rest of my co-workers so I'm not losing it.
Anyways, onto the weekend update. Friday night was Denise's Birthday party, with a special Jack FM cake. There was a lot of laughing and fun.. as per usual...
Saturday, worked, then went out for another birthday party. This time it was at Schanks and we played Mini Olympics... it was fun, we cheated a lot on the scoring, but the birthday girl was on my team so we were allowed.
Sunday was eat what you want Sunday and I did it up well! First was brunch - bacon and more bacon, plus waffles and a nanaimo bar, then later on I ate some peanut butter oreos and some tea.. plus it was movie day - the rest of the Band of Brothers Ron Livingston Video Diaries and So I Married an Axe Murderer, both were great, of course... After that I had to go to work - again - and had a hamburger (yes with more bacon) for dinner... it was nice, but I was not pleased about working both weekend days. I did some grocery shopping last night after work, then cleaned up the house and packed my stuff up to move back home.
That was my weekend... jam packed as usual.. and now I off to training tonight and hopefully a run after that.. we'll see how tired I am I guess.
Other than that my life is quite monotonous... run, eat, work, eat, work, eat, train, eat, prepare more food for the next day... yeah for me!
PS - DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!!!
Anyways, onto the weekend update. Friday night was Denise's Birthday party, with a special Jack FM cake. There was a lot of laughing and fun.. as per usual...
Saturday, worked, then went out for another birthday party. This time it was at Schanks and we played Mini Olympics... it was fun, we cheated a lot on the scoring, but the birthday girl was on my team so we were allowed.
Sunday was eat what you want Sunday and I did it up well! First was brunch - bacon and more bacon, plus waffles and a nanaimo bar, then later on I ate some peanut butter oreos and some tea.. plus it was movie day - the rest of the Band of Brothers Ron Livingston Video Diaries and So I Married an Axe Murderer, both were great, of course... After that I had to go to work - again - and had a hamburger (yes with more bacon) for dinner... it was nice, but I was not pleased about working both weekend days. I did some grocery shopping last night after work, then cleaned up the house and packed my stuff up to move back home.
That was my weekend... jam packed as usual.. and now I off to training tonight and hopefully a run after that.. we'll see how tired I am I guess.
Other than that my life is quite monotonous... run, eat, work, eat, work, eat, train, eat, prepare more food for the next day... yeah for me!
PS - DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!!!
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Nicely Done
I don't know if it was because yesterday was a magical day, or what but I felt quite good last night with my lower body resistance, and then this morning although I nearly slept in, my crescent kicks were pretty decent. I even surprised myself with my jab, cross burnout combination.... needless to say right now I am EXHAUSTED, but content.
On the other hand it could have been the JACK FM Matt and Eric Cake that we had for dessert last night for Denise's 8th Birthday... a small piece, but delicious nonetheless!
I am not looking forward to today's stint at Job #2, I am sure I will be moving in slow motion the entire time, but meh - nothing could spoil my mood today!
On the other hand it could have been the JACK FM Matt and Eric Cake that we had for dessert last night for Denise's 8th Birthday... a small piece, but delicious nonetheless!
I am not looking forward to today's stint at Job #2, I am sure I will be moving in slow motion the entire time, but meh - nothing could spoil my mood today!
Friday, February 29, 2008
HOT DAMN!
YEAH!!!!
They have my file, I am ON for Wednesday night 7 pm.. come one come all!!!!!!!!!!
Book of the Week / HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Someone commented to me the other day that not everyone likes military books and therefore my book of the week should perhaps appeal to wider variety of people... I thought about this statement for a minute or two before I came to this conclusion....It's my blog, damn it, I'll pick any book I want ;)... but in all seriousness she was right, I had quite the military theme going (for obvious reasons) but as today is a special day I shall pick this week's Book of the Week in honour of someone who only gets to celebrate this day once every 4 years... Hence
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DENISE!!!!!!
Here's a picture of you during our trip to Europe Feb 2004... we searched for this little guy and Voilá! We found him... don't you look happy???
Anyhoo, back to the Book of the Week. In honour of Denise I shall choose something that her and I both love - Julie Garwood... I think this may be in your top 5 Julie Garwood picks, but pardon me if I'm a bit off...
From the Editors:
In the feuding English court, gentle Lady Madelyne suffered the cruel whims of her ruthless brother, Baron Louddon. Then, in vengeance for a bitter crime, Baron Duncan of Wexton—the Wolf—unleashed his warriors against Louddon''s main. Exquisite Madelyne was the prize he captured...but when he gazed upon the proud beauty, he pledged to protect her with his life. In his rough-hewn castle, Duncan proved true to his honor. But when at last their noble passion conquered them both, she surrendered with all her soul. Now, for love, Madelyne would stand fast...as bravely as her Lord, the powerful Wolf who fought for...Honor''s Splendour.
I can attest that it is a good book, as are most of Julie's - and although it isn't set in Scotland I can work with the English background, plus it is historical and we know how much I love that... Can you tell I'm a hopeless romantic?
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Happy Birthday
It is Aaron's birthday!!!!
Hope you guys have a lovely day...sorry I couldn't be there to celebrate with you!
Life's Lessons
It's 10 degrees today - YEAH!!!! Hence why I am in sandals... anyways, this was forwarded to me and I thought it was a great reminder about how fortunate we are... read on!
(I've highlighted a few I really think are important)
Life’s Lessons
To celebrate growing older, Regina Brett of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio once wrote the 45 lessons life taught her. It is the most-requested column she ever wrote. Her odometer rolled over to 50 this week, so here's her update;
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past, so it won't mess up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others! You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye but don't worry; God never blinks. ( really ? )
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, and wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, and then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children/grandchildren get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don't ask, you don't get.
49. Yield. (But, not into temptation...)
50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift
Update: Still no word on tonight's ceremony... I'm assuming it is not a go... damn it!
(I've highlighted a few I really think are important)
Life’s Lessons
To celebrate growing older, Regina Brett of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio once wrote the 45 lessons life taught her. It is the most-requested column she ever wrote. Her odometer rolled over to 50 this week, so here's her update;
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past, so it won't mess up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others! You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye but don't worry; God never blinks. ( really ? )
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, and wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, and then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children/grandchildren get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don't ask, you don't get.
49. Yield. (But, not into temptation...)
50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift
Update: Still no word on tonight's ceremony... I'm assuming it is not a go... damn it!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Tuesday Blahs / HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
I woke up at 6:50 this morning, having no recollection whatsoever of turning off my 5 alarms, thus I missed my 6:30am kickboxing class - that sucks!
I did however go for a run last night after my toning class... and I was faster than ever before - which means I am making progress somewhat.. yeah!!!
Tonight is another run, to make up for missing my class this morning. Afterwards its home to clean my mess of a room and make dinner / lunch for tomorrow.
Speaking of tomorrow, no word yet on if my ceremony is postponed yet again... that also sucks... and then Thursday I give plasma again and start the weekend of house sitting. I also get to eat cake on Thursday as it is Sandy's birthday (mmmmm, cake!) and then a special dinner on Friday as it is Denise's ACTUAL birthday... yeah!!!!
OK, I'm done for now, we'll chat later.
I did however go for a run last night after my toning class... and I was faster than ever before - which means I am making progress somewhat.. yeah!!!
Tonight is another run, to make up for missing my class this morning. Afterwards its home to clean my mess of a room and make dinner / lunch for tomorrow.
Speaking of tomorrow, no word yet on if my ceremony is postponed yet again... that also sucks... and then Thursday I give plasma again and start the weekend of house sitting. I also get to eat cake on Thursday as it is Sandy's birthday (mmmmm, cake!) and then a special dinner on Friday as it is Denise's ACTUAL birthday... yeah!!!!
OK, I'm done for now, we'll chat later.
One more thought before I sign off... it's Sabeen's Birthday today!!!! Happy Birthday to you my dear... I am sure you are hard at work today, but I know you'll celebrate in style!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Sunday's Revaltions / I Love Sugar
- Eating candy for breakfast is fun
- Walking down to Starbucks wearing only a thin hoody and vest, no gloves, no scarf and no hat in February reminds me of France, and therefore makes me happy
- Full fat Cinnamon Dolce Lattes, with whipping cream are decadent
- Crave Cupcakes are both pretty and yummy... so I guess that makes them pretty yummy
- Sunday TV is garbage
- Running in Kensington at 10:00 at night is a bit scary and perhaps dangerous, but that just makes me run faster
- After perusing crappy Sunday TV I've decided that I want pretty Oscar worthy hair and gowns, and of course jewelry
- Looking forward to ridiculous bar b que dinner with Job #2 is fun, cause it's Sunday and I can eat all sorts of bad things
- My apartment is lovely and it will be sad if I have to leave it
- My roommate is fun and I will be sad when she leaves (thanks for the starbies!!!)
Friday, February 22, 2008
Book of the Week
I can't lie and say I had a million different things to choose from for this week's edition - I'm feeling quite unimaginative. However, in keeping with my military theme and the fact that I am almost through this book - this is the pick for this week. In a nut shell the book is a collection of narratives written by people who have been to Afghanistan and were "outside the wire".Anyways, it's pretty decent, the forward written by Lt. Gen. (Retired) Roméo Dallaire is one of the best things I've ever read, and most of the stories are quite substantial, including the letters from Nichola Goddard (a fellow Calgarian no doubt).
From the Publisher:
A remarkable collection of first-hand accounts written by soldiers, doctors and aid workers on the front lines of Canada’s war in Afghanistan.
Visceral, intimate and captivating in ways no other telling could be, Outside the Wire features nearly two dozen stories by Canadians on the front lines in Afghanistan, including the previously unpublished letters home of Captain Nichola Goddard, the first female NATO soldier killed in combat, and an introductory reflection by Roméo Dallaire.
Collected here are stories of battle and the more subtle engagements of this little-understood war: the tearful farewells; the shock of immersion into a culture that has been at war for thirty years; looking a suicide bomber in the eye the moment before he strikes; grappling with mortality in the Kandahar Field Hospital; and the unexpected humour that leavens life in a warzone. Throughout each piece the passion of those engaged in rebuilding this shattered country shines through, a glimmer of optimism and determination so rare in multinational military actions–and so particularly Canadian.
In Outside the Wire, award-winning author Kevin Patterson and co-editor Jane Warren have rediscovered the valour and horror of sacrifice in this, the definitive account of the modern Canadian experience of war.
After having read my little write up I feel like I haven't given this book the praise it deserves. A lot of people I have spoken to have confessed, or demonstrated their ignorance on the whole Afghanistan situation, therefore I think we should all endeavour to learn a bit more about the whole issue. Don't we owe our soldiers the courtesy of understanding why they are risking their lives? I think so.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Overheard
I thought I would share with you all a peak into what I hear, what people ask me and the thoughts that go through my mind - and yes I do realize I am going straight to hell for this...
Overheard in my office just now...
A lender from the Financial Institution that my company deals with just called our liason officer and this is what she said.. no exageration....
"Um, yeah, I tried to email you the information that you asked for, but the email was returned, and I'm not sure why...."
after a bit of investigation this is what we figured was the problem.... the lender wrote, as the email address... (I'll use my name here as an example.. ) "lspencer the at symbol fnf.ca"
no joke - this women actually wrote "the at symbol" instead of @ ... wow.....
Asked in a bookstore..
"Um, excuse me - do you have a litterary section?" My response - well, yes we do - it's the entire store, what might you be looking for?
This next one was asked to me one day - and the funny thing is, the two ladies were dead serious, and argued with me and my manager about it...
"Hi, we're looking for a book that our friend was telling us about - it's a BRAND NEW book by TOLSTOY.... called THE THREE MUSKATEERS..." At this request I turned to my manager, opened my eyes quite wide and tried to explain that
A) Leo Tolstoy died in 1912 and thus has not released any books in the last say, century... although I do recognize that it could be a re-release
and
B) Alexandre Dumas wrote the book The Three Muskateers around 1850, in France, not Russia.
They argued with us for about 10 minutes, and I even took them to each of the author's respective section... needless to say they didn't believe us and left in a bit of a huff....
And one more story for good measure...
While in the history section a lady looking quite barbie-ish comes up and asks me for a book... a historical memoir as she just finished on on Attila the Hun.....fine enough, we don't have a section for that but we started to look through the shelves for something that fit the bill... I found one about Mohammed and his descendants. I picked it up, showed it to her with a helpful "How about this one?"
She replied "Um, who is Mohamed?" - now fair enough, maybe she didn't know who he was so I tried to explain that he was the founder (for lack of a better term) of Islam...
She cocks her head to one side and says "I don't get it"... so I try to explain what Islam is - and added, "If you are Muslim, you follow the Islam faith..."
Still nothing - she was really, really not getting it, so I try with the geographical reference - Most Countries in the Middle East, and many countries in Asia are Muslim, plus a lot of people in Europe and N. America are Muslim too... basically it is a HUGE religion in the world....
At this point she was still in the dark and I couldn't deal with this anymore - has she not watched a news broadcast in the last 10 years? Is she not aware of 9-11?
I pushed the book into her hand, and said, maybe you should take this one then...
Wow, if this is what the world has come to... I am scared!
Overheard in my office just now...
A lender from the Financial Institution that my company deals with just called our liason officer and this is what she said.. no exageration....
"Um, yeah, I tried to email you the information that you asked for, but the email was returned, and I'm not sure why...."
after a bit of investigation this is what we figured was the problem.... the lender wrote, as the email address... (I'll use my name here as an example.. ) "lspencer the at symbol fnf.ca"
no joke - this women actually wrote "the at symbol" instead of @ ... wow.....
Asked in a bookstore..
"Um, excuse me - do you have a litterary section?" My response - well, yes we do - it's the entire store, what might you be looking for?
This next one was asked to me one day - and the funny thing is, the two ladies were dead serious, and argued with me and my manager about it...
"Hi, we're looking for a book that our friend was telling us about - it's a BRAND NEW book by TOLSTOY.... called THE THREE MUSKATEERS..." At this request I turned to my manager, opened my eyes quite wide and tried to explain that
A) Leo Tolstoy died in 1912 and thus has not released any books in the last say, century... although I do recognize that it could be a re-release
and
B) Alexandre Dumas wrote the book The Three Muskateers around 1850, in France, not Russia.
They argued with us for about 10 minutes, and I even took them to each of the author's respective section... needless to say they didn't believe us and left in a bit of a huff....
And one more story for good measure...
While in the history section a lady looking quite barbie-ish comes up and asks me for a book... a historical memoir as she just finished on on Attila the Hun.....fine enough, we don't have a section for that but we started to look through the shelves for something that fit the bill... I found one about Mohammed and his descendants. I picked it up, showed it to her with a helpful "How about this one?"
She replied "Um, who is Mohamed?" - now fair enough, maybe she didn't know who he was so I tried to explain that he was the founder (for lack of a better term) of Islam...
She cocks her head to one side and says "I don't get it"... so I try to explain what Islam is - and added, "If you are Muslim, you follow the Islam faith..."
Still nothing - she was really, really not getting it, so I try with the geographical reference - Most Countries in the Middle East, and many countries in Asia are Muslim, plus a lot of people in Europe and N. America are Muslim too... basically it is a HUGE religion in the world....
At this point she was still in the dark and I couldn't deal with this anymore - has she not watched a news broadcast in the last 10 years? Is she not aware of 9-11?
I pushed the book into her hand, and said, maybe you should take this one then...
Wow, if this is what the world has come to... I am scared!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Update on the bill fiasco
So apparently I am an idiot and neglected to "read" the bill.... it seems as though they didn't take into account our previous payment - so really, the scary evil gas bill is much much more manageable than previously thought... serves me right for freakin' out and not reading - I feel far better than I did 24 hours ago!
On another note, I've done something bad to the top, front part of my thigh.... it's either my satorius, or my rectus femoris... ouch! I've iced it and carefully stretched it but it still hurts - any suggestions?
On another note, I've done something bad to the top, front part of my thigh.... it's either my satorius, or my rectus femoris... ouch! I've iced it and carefully stretched it but it still hurts - any suggestions?
Holy S*$T
I got the gas and electricity bill yesterday... and it seems that for the month of January I am now paying more than 2.5 times what I did in December... and December's bill was the highest I have ever seen. I won't even try to scare you with the actual amount, but needless to say my co-workers whose homes are more than 4 times the size of mine did not have any where near the same bill.
Not sure what the hell is going on... I have learned to live with my house being about 17 degrees, and I am an electricity nazi... I am pretty much at a loss for words... this is not good.
Not sure what the hell is going on... I have learned to live with my house being about 17 degrees, and I am an electricity nazi... I am pretty much at a loss for words... this is not good.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Disappointment x3
It happened again - they have yet to receive my file. Wow, I don't even know what to say at this point.
Monday, February 18, 2008
PS I Love You
So apparently I really enjoy crying in public. Perhaps I shall make it my new hobby. I'm talking of course about the fact that I watched PS I Love You and pretty much had tears running down my face the entire time. I'm not sure if it is because my beloved Movie Husband Gerard dies, or if the story is sad, or if I'm a total suck... in any case I was quite embarrassed as I exited the theatre with glossy, red eyes. The movie itself was good, but I am biased, I would watch anything Gerard is in, well that and the fact that accents abound in the film. We had dinner before hand and it was tasty, Open Sesame really does make a nice snack.
Today however is a lovely day off. The sun is shining, my house is clean, I slept in, life is good.... except that I train tonight - yuck.
Oh, I suppose I should also mention something about Saturday night's shenanigans..... 80's Party Chez Eleni - Lucky for us she never disappoints and it was fun - crazy clothes, crazy makeup, crazy hair - lots of Crown Royale... a good night for sure. Thanks Len!
Friday, February 15, 2008
Fortune or Foreshadow?
We had a chinese food lunch for one of our long time co-workers as it is her last day -we'll miss her! And although I didn't really eat anything as it was chinese food therefore everything was fried, but I digress - the reason I am telling you this is because my fortune in my cookie (that I sadly did not eat) was as follows:
"You will soon be crossing great waters on a fun vacation"
Seriously.... that is just not funny... (ps, if you don't get what I am alluding to, I leave for Basic on Vancouver Island in 70 days... )
"You will soon be crossing great waters on a fun vacation"
Seriously.... that is just not funny... (ps, if you don't get what I am alluding to, I leave for Basic on Vancouver Island in 70 days... )
Book of the Week
After last night's conclusion to the Band of Brothers Marathon - PS Kristen, you were so right about the heartbreak, it was awful and I very nearly cired through the whole thing... - I felt the need to feature the book version for Book of the Week. Written by Stephen Ambrose, it is a good read to be sure. Even if you just move on to the miniseries instead you will not be dissapointed. It was so well done, I am just speachless. Watch it, or read it - you will not be sorry you did, I guarantee.
From the Publisher:
As good a rifle company as any in the world, Easy Company, 506th Airborne Division, U.S. Army, kept getting the tough assignments -- responsible for everything from parachuting into France early D-Day morning to the capture of Hitler''s Eagle''s Nest at Berchtesgaden. In Band of Brothers, Ambrose tells of the men in this brave unit who fought, went hungry, froze, and died, a company that took 150 percent casualties and considered the Purple Heart a badge of office. Drawing on hours of interviews with survivors as well as the soldiers'' journals and letters, Stephen Ambrose recounts the stories, often in the men''s own words, of these American heroes
From the Publisher:
As good a rifle company as any in the world, Easy Company, 506th Airborne Division, U.S. Army, kept getting the tough assignments -- responsible for everything from parachuting into France early D-Day morning to the capture of Hitler''s Eagle''s Nest at Berchtesgaden. In Band of Brothers, Ambrose tells of the men in this brave unit who fought, went hungry, froze, and died, a company that took 150 percent casualties and considered the Purple Heart a badge of office. Drawing on hours of interviews with survivors as well as the soldiers'' journals and letters, Stephen Ambrose recounts the stories, often in the men''s own words, of these American heroes
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Travels with Denise
At the Airport
Gay Paris!
Crazy Vending Machine
Best Hotel in Paris
Watch the Traffic!
Ridiculously fast moving sidewalk
Say bye bye to my camera...
We found him!
MMMMMMMMM, waffles.......
Great Hostel in Brussels, save for the missing shower curtain...
Brugges, what a great place!
Happy Paris Anniversary
So today, 4 years ago Miss Denise and I set out for our Paris Adventure. It was a so much fun, a real girls trip, something I will always remember. If you don't quite understand the list you'll have to pardon me as this is really catered to the fabulous Miss Denise...
This is a brief summary of what I remember:
Paris:
We toured around,
ate delicious ham sandwiches,
saw the sites (Eiffel tower, Tomb of Napoleon, Arc de Triomph, Champs Elysees, The Louvre, Hotel des Invalides, Musee D'Orsay, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, Montmatre, Tons of Metro Stops and moving sidewalks, Sainte Chapelle, Versailles (those cookies from the train station), am I forgetting anything?)
spent a lovely Valentines Day eating chinese,
soaked up the french atmosphere,
searched and searched for our fantastic scarves
Belgium:
jumped a high speed Thalys train to Brussels,
ate loads more (mmm, those waffles, those bizarre hot dogs, the Yop I drank for dinner daily, the Wasa crackers we gorged ourselves on, and the weird huge vending machines),
walked, walked and walked and thus happened to see a variety of European everything including: Grand Place, Le Bourse, EU Buildings, NATO buildings, Court Buildings, Mini Europe, Place du Sablon, Centraal Station and of course Le Manekin Pis)
Toured Ghent (the flowers)
Toured Brugges (the canals, Le Grand Place, the trees at the convent, the lace factory)
Toured Antwerp (the DIAMONDS!!)
Sadly Denise flew off to continue her European escapades in the UK, and I was to return to my crazy students. Good times indeed!
This is a brief summary of what I remember:
Paris:
We toured around,
ate delicious ham sandwiches,
saw the sites (Eiffel tower, Tomb of Napoleon, Arc de Triomph, Champs Elysees, The Louvre, Hotel des Invalides, Musee D'Orsay, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, Montmatre, Tons of Metro Stops and moving sidewalks, Sainte Chapelle, Versailles (those cookies from the train station), am I forgetting anything?)
spent a lovely Valentines Day eating chinese,
soaked up the french atmosphere,
searched and searched for our fantastic scarves
Belgium:
jumped a high speed Thalys train to Brussels,
ate loads more (mmm, those waffles, those bizarre hot dogs, the Yop I drank for dinner daily, the Wasa crackers we gorged ourselves on, and the weird huge vending machines),
walked, walked and walked and thus happened to see a variety of European everything including: Grand Place, Le Bourse, EU Buildings, NATO buildings, Court Buildings, Mini Europe, Place du Sablon, Centraal Station and of course Le Manekin Pis)
Toured Ghent (the flowers)
Toured Brugges (the canals, Le Grand Place, the trees at the convent, the lace factory)
Toured Antwerp (the DIAMONDS!!)
Sadly Denise flew off to continue her European escapades in the UK, and I was to return to my crazy students. Good times indeed!
Divisions
Something I ran across in my searches and found rather interesting... check the comments via the link in the title...
Disappointment again
Apparently they still don't have confirmation of my old service, thus no swearing in tonight... One question still lingers in my mind though... Did they not have my file for my interview, or my medical, or my fitness test? And why didn't they request this 4 months ago when we started it all?????
This sucks!
This sucks!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Massage
So apparently sitting at a desk staring at a computer plus kickboxing a lot = very sore and stiff muscles. Who knew??
This morning I booked myself in for a massage at the laser health centre on the 2nd floor of my office tower, and wow, it was great. She has some magic hands, that massage lady... my shoulders are much better and my neck is amazing - well done to her! I have a different massage booked for a month from now - a gift certificate from my sisters for christmas - that also should be just about perfect as it falls during the last week of my course. I will however need to begin swimming the following week, which may or may not suck, we'll see.
Tonight I think I'll pop by the gym for a quick run as I need to step that up a notch - maybe I'll do 4 miles tonight - and then it's home for dinner, making lunch for tomorrow, maybe have a visitor and then fall into a blissful sleep... my life is quite boring these days...
Oh, one more thing to mention - I am still waiting for the go ahead from Ottawa for my swearing in ceremony. Apparently they are still waiting for my old service records. Weird thing is though, they've had since October to get this all done, why the hold up now? Bottom line is that they ceremony may not actually happen tomorrow night, which sucks big time... oh well, there is nothing left to do but wait - I guess that means I am a civilian for another week or so... meh...
This morning I booked myself in for a massage at the laser health centre on the 2nd floor of my office tower, and wow, it was great. She has some magic hands, that massage lady... my shoulders are much better and my neck is amazing - well done to her! I have a different massage booked for a month from now - a gift certificate from my sisters for christmas - that also should be just about perfect as it falls during the last week of my course. I will however need to begin swimming the following week, which may or may not suck, we'll see.
Tonight I think I'll pop by the gym for a quick run as I need to step that up a notch - maybe I'll do 4 miles tonight - and then it's home for dinner, making lunch for tomorrow, maybe have a visitor and then fall into a blissful sleep... my life is quite boring these days...
Oh, one more thing to mention - I am still waiting for the go ahead from Ottawa for my swearing in ceremony. Apparently they are still waiting for my old service records. Weird thing is though, they've had since October to get this all done, why the hold up now? Bottom line is that they ceremony may not actually happen tomorrow night, which sucks big time... oh well, there is nothing left to do but wait - I guess that means I am a civilian for another week or so... meh...
Monday, February 11, 2008
Band of Brothers, Part 1
Yesterday after driving the length of the city a few times moving washers and dryers, taking off doors, moving desks etc (a big THANK YOU to Ronnalie and Brett for the help, and of course Sandy and Glenn for the Washer and Dryer) I settled in to Scott's couch for a long sesssion of Band of Brothers. The weird thing is, this mini series, is completely up my alley... I mean, it's WWII, it's military, it's Linda.. and yet I have never seen it - hence the bizareness. Anyways, we watched 7 hours of the 10 miniseries - and as it was sunday we ate, a lot. The first 5 hours were quite good, I really enjoyed them, the last 2 hours however, when they were in the Bascogne (aka The Battle of the Bulge) was AWFUL - I was way to attached to the members of Easy Company, it was brutal!
In all seriousness though, I had quite an admiration for the WWII Vets, this miniseries has only made that admiration grow - they were quite a bunch. The sad thing is though that now I look around at the men that would have been the same age and I do not see any sort of courage / determination / resourcefulness / pure strength that those men possesed, it is a real shame.
I'll have to find another 3 hours to watch the rest of the movie, hopefully this week - but with my schedule I guess we'll see.
In all seriousness though, I had quite an admiration for the WWII Vets, this miniseries has only made that admiration grow - they were quite a bunch. The sad thing is though that now I look around at the men that would have been the same age and I do not see any sort of courage / determination / resourcefulness / pure strength that those men possesed, it is a real shame.
I'll have to find another 3 hours to watch the rest of the movie, hopefully this week - but with my schedule I guess we'll see.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Fitness Eval, 1/2 way
So I managed to make it through my course half-way. Performance wise I wasn't too bad, I think I need to do some more running, perhaps I'll step it up to 4 times a week and see if that does anything.
Results from the fitness test were good, lost 7.5 lbs, 3 inches in the waist... a bit disappointed, but hopefully I've gained loads more muscle. Sit ups were better than before 45 vs 53 in one minute, and push ups were much better 30 vs 50 this time. I am slowly but surely making my way.... but hey, one pant size down is not too bad either right?
Now, I'm off to Job #2, and then tomorrow I get a washer and dryer... yeah!!!! Laundry at home, what a luxury!
Results from the fitness test were good, lost 7.5 lbs, 3 inches in the waist... a bit disappointed, but hopefully I've gained loads more muscle. Sit ups were better than before 45 vs 53 in one minute, and push ups were much better 30 vs 50 this time. I am slowly but surely making my way.... but hey, one pant size down is not too bad either right?
Now, I'm off to Job #2, and then tomorrow I get a washer and dryer... yeah!!!! Laundry at home, what a luxury!
Friday, February 8, 2008
War Memorials
Last night I attended a very interesting lecture at the Military Museums regarding War Memorials in NW Europe, meaning France and Belgium. The presentation was really well done and the audience was just great, not to mention the nibbles they had set out beforehand. It seems as though there are lectures almost every month and I had such a great time that I think I'll sign up for the next one. The nice thing is that I had been to some of the battlesites featured in the lecture so it was especially fun. The man presenting was so knowledgable and easy to listen to that the time just flew by, and the company wasn't half bad either.
In any case I recommend it to all of you - if you happen to be in Calgary of course. Here's the listing from the website:
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2008
Explore North West Europe's War Memorial Destinations with the Museums (KOCR) archivist Al Judson
Since 1867, Canadians have served around the world in military actions for the cause of peace and freedom. Many feel that Canada was born on the battlefields of Europe, as over 116,000 gave their lives over the past century. Back by popular demand and armed with over 80 photographs, Al Judson, the Museum's own regimental historian, will take you on a journey of the notable war memorials of North West Europe.
Mr. Judson's passion for military history commenced while studying for his Arts Degree at the University of Calgary in 1989. His extensive contribution as a volunteer with the Museum of the Regiments (now called The Military Museums) began in 1995 when he volunteered to be a museum host. In 1996, he retired from his employment at the University of Calgary and became a near full-time volunteer with the King's Own Calgary Regiment as an archivist and regimental historian.
In any case I recommend it to all of you - if you happen to be in Calgary of course. Here's the listing from the website:
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2008
Explore North West Europe's War Memorial Destinations with the Museums (KOCR) archivist Al Judson
Since 1867, Canadians have served around the world in military actions for the cause of peace and freedom. Many feel that Canada was born on the battlefields of Europe, as over 116,000 gave their lives over the past century. Back by popular demand and armed with over 80 photographs, Al Judson, the Museum's own regimental historian, will take you on a journey of the notable war memorials of North West Europe.
Mr. Judson's passion for military history commenced while studying for his Arts Degree at the University of Calgary in 1989. His extensive contribution as a volunteer with the Museum of the Regiments (now called The Military Museums) began in 1995 when he volunteered to be a museum host. In 1996, he retired from his employment at the University of Calgary and became a near full-time volunteer with the King's Own Calgary Regiment as an archivist and regimental historian.
Book of the Week
This week's entry for Book of the Week goes to a book that I first read way back when I was in France. I had zipped over to Geneva (my old stomping grounds) for a visit with my friend Marci who was working with the UN Human Rights Commision at the time. While she finished her work day I wondered around the town, visiting my old haunts and taking in the crisp and clean Swiss air. During my wanderings I popped into a bookstore and found this book. Before I read it, I had no clue about what the tenseness in the Middle East was really about. This book however, did wonders to open my eyes. It also feuled my fascination with all things ancient and I now have Jordan listed as one of my top ten countries to visit. When I came home for my surprise week home I gave it to my mom to read and she in turn bought a copy for our neighbour to read - see, this book is that good.Anyways, I highly recommend it - plus you'll probably learn a thing or two, and isn't that the whole point anyways????
From Amazon:
Anyone who loved The King and I will readily warm to the love story of Queen Noor and the late King Hussein of Jordan. Born in America in 1951 as Lisa Halaby, Noor came from a wealthy, well-connected family and was part of Princeton's first co-ed class. Her father's aviation business produced a chance meeting with King Hussein in 1976, and a year or two later Noor realized the king was courting her. He was 41, she was 26. The rumor mills buzzed: was she the next Grace Kelly? Before long, the king renamed her Noor (light in Arabic), and she converted to Islam. They were married in the summer of 1978. From this point on, her story is mostly his, mainly covering his attempts to broker peace in the Middle East. There are meetings with Arafat, Saddam Hussein, American presidents and other leaders. Noor details Hussein's struggles to create Arab unity and his vision of peaceful coexistence with Israel. Her own activities developing village-based economic self-sufficiency projects and improving Jordan's medical, educational and cultural facilities take second place to her husband's struggles on the world stage. And while she occasionally acknowledges her domestic difficulties, Noor is careful not to allow personal problems to become any more than asides. Her pleasing memoir ends with the king's death after his struggle with cancer, although readers may suspect that this smart, courageous woman will remain a world presence for years to come.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
This just in
T-80 days until I leave (ps, that means 27 April 2008), coming home mid July...
Sorry Colleen, I'm out for the wedding, I'll miss it by one week... boo-urns
Update: I think we should have a "Camouflage/ Fatigues" party before I go... thoughts?
Sorry Colleen, I'm out for the wedding, I'll miss it by one week... boo-urns
Update: I think we should have a "Camouflage/ Fatigues" party before I go... thoughts?
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Acts of Kindness
I've been offered a free washer and dryer for my place, I pick them up on sunday and I couldn't be more excited. After a year and a half of doing laundry elsewhere it is going to be such a luxury. I, of course need to get this person something for helping me out... I'm thinking a gift certificate to a nice steak house... she's a meat eater like me... But, wow, I am super excited!
Other fun news.. yesterday I left my favourite pair of sunglasses in the ladies room of the the 2nd floor in my office tower. I was changing from my kickboxing stuff into work attire and left them there - I know, real smart move Linda... but by the time I remembered where I left them it was 4 hours later and of course they were gone. I posted a Lost poster with a picture of the glasses (google images is so great) and offered a reward for their return. I really just hoped that some nice samaritan would call. I waited all afternoon and just as I was leaving the building they called. Naturally I was uber exicted and planned to pick them up the next morning but decided that a Starbucks gift certificate would probably be a nice gesture - so there I was this am, gift certificate in hand I popped into her office and thanked her profusely for calling. When I got back upstairs to my office she called me again thanking me for the gift card... how nice is that?
Other fun news from yesterday... I had a lovely 4 hour chat with my neighbour. Turns out his little brother locked him out of the apartment and took off to the gym so he needed my phone to call him. The really funny thing is that this was at 9pm and he didn't end up laving my place until 1 am, but his brother still wasn't home yet.... Poor guy had to go to his girlfriend's house to sleep... It was a nice time though... I never knew my neighbour grew up in the next community to mine when we were young and that he was such a nice guy, interesting as well... too bad we are all leaving in a few months...
I should also mention today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.. I think I'll give up swearing... I seem to be muttering some less than flattering things lately...
I'm off to resistance training in a few minutes and then home to clean out the storage room in time for the new washer and dryer!!! I shall leave you with this last thought though. Did you do anything nice for anyone today?
Other fun news.. yesterday I left my favourite pair of sunglasses in the ladies room of the the 2nd floor in my office tower. I was changing from my kickboxing stuff into work attire and left them there - I know, real smart move Linda... but by the time I remembered where I left them it was 4 hours later and of course they were gone. I posted a Lost poster with a picture of the glasses (google images is so great) and offered a reward for their return. I really just hoped that some nice samaritan would call. I waited all afternoon and just as I was leaving the building they called. Naturally I was uber exicted and planned to pick them up the next morning but decided that a Starbucks gift certificate would probably be a nice gesture - so there I was this am, gift certificate in hand I popped into her office and thanked her profusely for calling. When I got back upstairs to my office she called me again thanking me for the gift card... how nice is that?
Other fun news from yesterday... I had a lovely 4 hour chat with my neighbour. Turns out his little brother locked him out of the apartment and took off to the gym so he needed my phone to call him. The really funny thing is that this was at 9pm and he didn't end up laving my place until 1 am, but his brother still wasn't home yet.... Poor guy had to go to his girlfriend's house to sleep... It was a nice time though... I never knew my neighbour grew up in the next community to mine when we were young and that he was such a nice guy, interesting as well... too bad we are all leaving in a few months...
I should also mention today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.. I think I'll give up swearing... I seem to be muttering some less than flattering things lately...
I'm off to resistance training in a few minutes and then home to clean out the storage room in time for the new washer and dryer!!! I shall leave you with this last thought though. Did you do anything nice for anyone today?
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Dissapointment
Ugh, I just got a call from a certain Recruiting Officer and it seems as though he needs to push back my Swearing in Ceremony from tomorrow to next wednesday. Not cool, but what can I do? At least that means I can go to my other training class tomorrow, and I found out that my Wednesdays will be busy from 19:00 - 22:00 so I guess that's one question down. Plus, I'll get all my uniforms and gear as well which I won't have to wear it until the following wednesday so I'll at least have some time to iron it and shine up the boots.
Other than the rearranging of my calendar I am experiencing some very acute sugar cravings. Maybe it's due to the fact that we have Lemon Meringue Pie, Carrot Cake and both Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter cookies in the kitchen. Darn it!
Tonight I'm making mini sirloin hamburgers for dinner with a nice salad. Yum, but it isn't a Peanut Butter cookie, that's for sure!
Other than the rearranging of my calendar I am experiencing some very acute sugar cravings. Maybe it's due to the fact that we have Lemon Meringue Pie, Carrot Cake and both Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter cookies in the kitchen. Darn it!
Tonight I'm making mini sirloin hamburgers for dinner with a nice salad. Yum, but it isn't a Peanut Butter cookie, that's for sure!
Monday, February 4, 2008
Atonement
Yesterday during my marathon house cleaning session (Ps - my bathroom has never been so clean!) I managed to watch Atonement. I've seen the book about a trillion times and I thought I'd give the movie a go while I cleaned my room. Now, normally I'm not a huge fan of Keira... she is just too painful to watch at the best of times, but the movie wasn't half bad - with the exception of course of the whole sad bit.Other than that, I had a great day. Breakfast with the big sister, house cleaning, a trip to the Gym, a yummy salad, a quick run and of course the obligatory Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Vanilla Milk followed with a show on The Queen (I love her!) and the aforementioned movie.
A nice day spent mostly at home, getting things checked off of my To Do List - fantastic!
Today, more resistance training and perhaps some grocery shopping as my current food supply is dwindling down to nothing, yikes!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Saturday realizations
I've always heard that exercising is supposedly a wake-up call for your body, it gets the energy flowing, your blood pumping etc etc etc.. Funny thing is though, Tuesday and Thursday mornings I am good, I feel happy, energized, but Saturday mornings are bizarre, it feels like I am moving in slow motion, and the feeling lasts until the afternoon. Maybe because I am on my feet the entire day instead of sitting in my desk at work and getting up and every few minutes to grab something off the printer, or perhaps I go harder the rest of the week. Whatever it is it sucks..
At least the workout week is over, I have tomorrow to look forward to, and the snacks, oh the snacks!
K, night for now, I'm going to clean the house and get to bed, early for once...
At least the workout week is over, I have tomorrow to look forward to, and the snacks, oh the snacks!
K, night for now, I'm going to clean the house and get to bed, early for once...
Friday, February 1, 2008
SERIOUSLY!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
Apparently our office in Mississauga emailed with the message that due to the "extreme weather conditions" they are closing the office 2 hours early.... So we checked the weather in Toronto and this is what we discovered...
Current Conditions
-1 °C
Observed at: Toronto Pearson Int'l Airport
Date: 5:28 PM EST Friday 1 February 2008
Condition: Light Snow
Pressure: 100.9 kPa
Tendency: falling
Visibility: 1 km
Humidity: 90 %
Wind: ENE 18 km
Windchill -6°C
Calgary
Current Conditions
-11 °C
Observed at:
Calgary Int'l Airport
Date: 3:00 PM MST Friday 1 February 2008
Condition: Sunny
Pressure: 101.2 kPa
Tendency: falling
Visibility: 32 km
Windchill -14°C
May I remind you all that earlier this week our temperature with windchill was approaching -50°C and yet we were all diligently working away at our offices... wow, this is so reminiscent of the time they called the Military in when it snowed...
Un - freakin -believable... and people wonder why I have a problem with Toronto...
Book of the Week
For obvious reasons I feel like this week I should do something with a military theme - well, that and the fact that Top Gun has been on TV every day. Therefore, I think I shall choose "Making the Corps" by Thomas E Ricks. I finished this one a few days ago as I felt the need to remind myself how Basic really was. I do recommend it to most of you, mainly because I am sure the only things you know about the Marines are what you see in movies. This book explains the mentality through the progress of the recruits in basic training. I am sure that you will all be very surprised to see how they make it! From Amazon:
Marines are different: distinct not only from ordinary U.S. citizens but from the ranks of the army, navy, and air force as well. The difference begins with boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, where the history and future of the United States Marine Corps intersect in the training of every new recruit. In Making the Corps, Ricks follows a platoon of young men through 11 grueling weeks of boot camp as their drill instructors indoctrinate them into the culture of the Few and the Proud. Many arrive at Parris Island undisciplined and apathetic; they leave as marines.
With the end of the cold war, the role of the American military has shifted in emphasis from making war to keeping peace. "The best way to see where the U.S. military is going is to look at the marines today," says Ricks, as the other armed forces have begun to emulate the marine model. To understand Parris Island--a central experience in the life of every marine--is to understand the ethos of the Marine Corps. Ricks examines the recent changes in the Standard Operating Procedures for Recruit Training (the bible of Parris Island), which indicate how the corps is dealing with critical social and political issues like race relations, gender equality, and sexual orientation. Making the Corps pierces the USMC's "sis-boom-bah" mythology to help outsiders understand this most esoteric and eccentric of U.S. armed forces. --Tim Hogan
With the end of the cold war, the role of the American military has shifted in emphasis from making war to keeping peace. "The best way to see where the U.S. military is going is to look at the marines today," says Ricks, as the other armed forces have begun to emulate the marine model. To understand Parris Island--a central experience in the life of every marine--is to understand the ethos of the Marine Corps. Ricks examines the recent changes in the Standard Operating Procedures for Recruit Training (the bible of Parris Island), which indicate how the corps is dealing with critical social and political issues like race relations, gender equality, and sexual orientation. Making the Corps pierces the USMC's "sis-boom-bah" mythology to help outsiders understand this most esoteric and eccentric of U.S. armed forces. --Tim Hogan
Happy Friday!
And for more Marine fun, check out this blog I found...
Thursday, January 31, 2008
It's in me to give
In keeping with my ridiculous schedule it would be fitting that I have a blood donation apointment for this evening. In fact, this time I'm trying for plasma - instead of whole blood. I signed up for the apherisis program knowing that it posed a much larger time commitment, but it will be more beneficial in the long run for those who will use my blood products.
I've been told it should last about 1 to 1 1/2 hours tonight, and hopefully I can just read - quite a luxury these days, or if that proves too dificult I'll bring out the iPod. Either way I can relax and take some me time tonight which I am very much looking forward to.
As I am finishing this post I had a quick thought, have any of you guys ever donated? If not, why not (baring any medical or belief refusals like low iron, small veins etc)?
Now if you will all excuse me I shall take some iron so I can be ready tonight!
Ciao!
Update: It is in me to give!!! Tonight went so smoothly, I am very pleased... as you all know I've been plagued with problems of iron deficiency so tonight was a great experience. The plasma team on the third floor are great! In fact, tonight went so well that instead of the usual 30-35 minutes for women I managed to finish in 22 minutes! Hot damn! This is a great week isn't it?
I've been told it should last about 1 to 1 1/2 hours tonight, and hopefully I can just read - quite a luxury these days, or if that proves too dificult I'll bring out the iPod. Either way I can relax and take some me time tonight which I am very much looking forward to.
As I am finishing this post I had a quick thought, have any of you guys ever donated? If not, why not (baring any medical or belief refusals like low iron, small veins etc)?
Now if you will all excuse me I shall take some iron so I can be ready tonight!
Ciao!
Update: It is in me to give!!! Tonight went so smoothly, I am very pleased... as you all know I've been plagued with problems of iron deficiency so tonight was a great experience. The plasma team on the third floor are great! In fact, tonight went so well that instead of the usual 30-35 minutes for women I managed to finish in 22 minutes! Hot damn! This is a great week isn't it?
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Hallelujah!!!
This just in... passed with flying colours... thanks for all the well wishes - you guys rock!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Tuesday's Thoughts
- It's F-ing cold... I do not like the fact that I can feel the cold radiating from the window beside my desk thus making it very difficult to type.
- 5:45 am - when it is -44 with windchill - is not a fun time to leave the house.
- Kickboxing, followed by push ups/ sit ups galore the day before a very scary fitness test is not a good idea.
- Waiting for aforementioned scary fitness test is also not fun.
- Remembering you left your lunch bag in the car when you are sitting at your desk is quite tragic.
- Working twice and until 10:30 pm on such a day when your eyes freeze the moment you step outside sucks. **At Least I am not my little sister and do not have to spend the workday outside... sorry kid... come by at lunch and I'll make you a lovely cup of tea to warm you up...
- Contemplating failing scary fitness test and thus having to tell everyone that you failed makes me feel rather sick
- Knowing that if I do in fact pass the scary fitness test I will be catapulted into a world where I will be very green .... and will make myself look like a fool for at least a year.
That's enough thoughts for right now... suffice it to say I am cold, tired and thoroughly freaked out by tomorrows test.. Can everyone send me their strength around about 1 pm tomorrow? Thanks!!!
Monday, January 28, 2008
Does this mean A is not for Apple but rather Afghanistan???
Harper accepts main Manley recommendations
Meagan Fitzpatrick , Canwest News ServicePublished: Monday, January 28, 2008
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper says his government accepts the main recommendations in the Manley report, including the demand that NATO provide more assistance in the Afghan south as a pre-condition for extending Canada's mission there.
"I have spoken with Mr. Manley and advised him that our government broadly accepts the recommendations put forward by the panel on Canada's future in Afghanistan," Harper said at a news conference in Ottawa.
The prime minister said he also agrees with the specific conditions set out by the five-member independent panel that should be met in order to extend the mission beyond February 2009.
Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper listens to a question during a news conference responding to the report from the Independent Panel on Canada's Future Role in Afghanistan, in
The report, produced by a panel headed by former Liberal deputy prime minister John Manley, said Canada should only extend its mission if it can convince its allies to commit at least 1,000 more troops and if the Canadian military receives helicopters and surveillance drones.
"In other words, while the case for the Afghan mission is clearly compelling, the decision to allow our young men and women in uniform to continue to be in harm's way demands the responsibility to give them a strong chance of success," Harper said.
"Both of the recommendations will have to be fulfilled or Canada will not proceed with the mission in Afghanistan."
The prime minister said the military equipment has been on order for some time, but that securing it and getting it in the field has been delayed because it is some of the most sought after equipment "on the planet."
Harper said that over the last two years his government has begun introducing other measures along the lines of what was suggested in the report.
Until Monday, Harper had said little about what he thinks about the report. He briefly referred to it on Friday during a speech to Tory supporters in Ottawa, calling it "strong, balanced and realistic," but had not yet said what he thought about its recommendations.
Harper said the government will introduce a motion in the House of Commons this spring "seeking support for Canada's way forward."
He spoke to Liberal Leader Stephane Dion on Sunday about having a debate on the motion, Harper said, and he plans to speak further with Dion later this week.
Harper said his government has reached a "tentative"_decision about whether to hold a vote in the House of Commons before he attends a major NATO meeting in Bucharest in April, or after, but that he wants to discuss that with Dion first. The Bloc Quebecois and NDP both want Canada out of Afghanistan so the Conservatives have to work with the Liberals in order to get the mission extended.
He said in the coming weeks his government will more fully respond and react to the other recommendations in the report.
The report was critical of the government's management of the mission and urged Harper to personally take on a more active diplomatic role. It also said the government needs to improve its communications strategy so that Canadians are better informed about the war in Afghanistan.
Harper said he accepts the criticisms in the report and takes them seriously.
"This is an extremely difficult mission, we don't believe it's perfect, we never have," he said, adding that no other issue has caused him more headaches and heartaches than the war in Afghanistan.
"We accept the judgment that there are several things that could be done better," he said.
Harper said he will personally be speaking with the leaders of other NATO allies and will share the recommendations of the Manley report with NATO when he attends the April summit.
Harper said the alliance's efforts in southern Afghanistan, where the Canadian troops are stationed, have not been adequate. The alliance's reputation and future credibility hinges on success in Afghanistan, Harper said, and he added that he is "optimistic" that NATO will come through on delivering the help Canada is seeking.
Meagan Fitzpatrick , Canwest News ServicePublished: Monday, January 28, 2008
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper says his government accepts the main recommendations in the Manley report, including the demand that NATO provide more assistance in the Afghan south as a pre-condition for extending Canada's mission there.
"I have spoken with Mr. Manley and advised him that our government broadly accepts the recommendations put forward by the panel on Canada's future in Afghanistan," Harper said at a news conference in Ottawa.
The prime minister said he also agrees with the specific conditions set out by the five-member independent panel that should be met in order to extend the mission beyond February 2009.
Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper listens to a question during a news conference responding to the report from the Independent Panel on Canada's Future Role in Afghanistan, in
The report, produced by a panel headed by former Liberal deputy prime minister John Manley, said Canada should only extend its mission if it can convince its allies to commit at least 1,000 more troops and if the Canadian military receives helicopters and surveillance drones.
"In other words, while the case for the Afghan mission is clearly compelling, the decision to allow our young men and women in uniform to continue to be in harm's way demands the responsibility to give them a strong chance of success," Harper said.
"Both of the recommendations will have to be fulfilled or Canada will not proceed with the mission in Afghanistan."
The prime minister said the military equipment has been on order for some time, but that securing it and getting it in the field has been delayed because it is some of the most sought after equipment "on the planet."
Harper said that over the last two years his government has begun introducing other measures along the lines of what was suggested in the report.
Until Monday, Harper had said little about what he thinks about the report. He briefly referred to it on Friday during a speech to Tory supporters in Ottawa, calling it "strong, balanced and realistic," but had not yet said what he thought about its recommendations.
Harper said the government will introduce a motion in the House of Commons this spring "seeking support for Canada's way forward."
He spoke to Liberal Leader Stephane Dion on Sunday about having a debate on the motion, Harper said, and he plans to speak further with Dion later this week.
Harper said his government has reached a "tentative"_decision about whether to hold a vote in the House of Commons before he attends a major NATO meeting in Bucharest in April, or after, but that he wants to discuss that with Dion first. The Bloc Quebecois and NDP both want Canada out of Afghanistan so the Conservatives have to work with the Liberals in order to get the mission extended.
He said in the coming weeks his government will more fully respond and react to the other recommendations in the report.
The report was critical of the government's management of the mission and urged Harper to personally take on a more active diplomatic role. It also said the government needs to improve its communications strategy so that Canadians are better informed about the war in Afghanistan.
Harper said he accepts the criticisms in the report and takes them seriously.
"This is an extremely difficult mission, we don't believe it's perfect, we never have," he said, adding that no other issue has caused him more headaches and heartaches than the war in Afghanistan.
"We accept the judgment that there are several things that could be done better," he said.
Harper said he will personally be speaking with the leaders of other NATO allies and will share the recommendations of the Manley report with NATO when he attends the April summit.
Harper said the alliance's efforts in southern Afghanistan, where the Canadian troops are stationed, have not been adequate. The alliance's reputation and future credibility hinges on success in Afghanistan, Harper said, and he added that he is "optimistic" that NATO will come through on delivering the help Canada is seeking.
Holy Deep Freeze Batman
I just checked the temp for tomorrow - that day I need to kickbox at 6:30 in the morning... and it seems as though I'll be leaving the house with -38 degrees sans windchill..... wow, that is just about the worst thing I've heard in a long while. To add to that unholy mess of a morning I also have to work at job#2 later on after work... so that means I'll be heading home at 10:30pm... I am hoping desperately that my car starts... I really have no clue what the heck I will do if it doesn't.
Despite the weather it was a rather lovely weekend. I kick boxed Saturday morning, it was a killer workout.. 110 push-ups, shall I say more??? Then off to job #2 I went.... which wasn't the best day, but I got through it nonetheless. Afterwards I was off to spend the night with some friends, went to bed at 9:30 - it was glorious!
Woke up Sunday morning, went to Chez Cora's for breakfast... ate my weight in meat... was full for hours and hours so I relaxed a bit in the afternoon and then continued to stuff my face with fish and chips, popcorn shrimp, chocolate milk and eggies and Ronnalie's... Now this is the nice part - anytime spent with the aforementioned Ronnalie is wonderful. Each time I leave I feel as though I have refreshed my soul - we talk and talk and I always feel better about my life, the decisions I made and what is to come for me... so I think she deserves a big THANK YOU for keeping me sane and grounded. It's almost as good as a 2 week vacation!
So there I was all set from my conversation with my dear friend, driving home in the chilling cold... not fun. So what did I do, I went home and decided to make an impromptu beef stew.. I really didn't have any of the proper spices, and I didn't even use Frank's Red Hot so I'm not sure if it will be delicious - but as long as it's warm I couldn't care less!
Despite the weather it was a rather lovely weekend. I kick boxed Saturday morning, it was a killer workout.. 110 push-ups, shall I say more??? Then off to job #2 I went.... which wasn't the best day, but I got through it nonetheless. Afterwards I was off to spend the night with some friends, went to bed at 9:30 - it was glorious!
Woke up Sunday morning, went to Chez Cora's for breakfast... ate my weight in meat... was full for hours and hours so I relaxed a bit in the afternoon and then continued to stuff my face with fish and chips, popcorn shrimp, chocolate milk and eggies and Ronnalie's... Now this is the nice part - anytime spent with the aforementioned Ronnalie is wonderful. Each time I leave I feel as though I have refreshed my soul - we talk and talk and I always feel better about my life, the decisions I made and what is to come for me... so I think she deserves a big THANK YOU for keeping me sane and grounded. It's almost as good as a 2 week vacation!
So there I was all set from my conversation with my dear friend, driving home in the chilling cold... not fun. So what did I do, I went home and decided to make an impromptu beef stew.. I really didn't have any of the proper spices, and I didn't even use Frank's Red Hot so I'm not sure if it will be delicious - but as long as it's warm I couldn't care less!
Friday, January 25, 2008
Book of the Week / Happy Robbie Burns!
Happy Robbie Burns Day!!!
As we all know (I hope we all know), today is the Birthday of Scotland's Greatest Poet. If he was alive he would be 249 years old - not bad! But, in all seriousness it is a day to celebrate as he was a great poet and luckily his writings live on today - "Auld Land Syne" and "A Red, Red Rose to name but a few. So if you happen to see a bunch of kilted men and women out and about to day make sure to wish them a Happy Robbie Burns day, and if you are so inclined I urge you to have a wee bit o' haggis and wash it down with a dram o whisky to commemorate this special day!
In honour of this day I propose the Book of the Week to be a Collection of Robbie's poems... this particular one is available on ebay for only $24.99 USD.
Happy Reading, and Happy Celebrating... Slainte!
A Red, Red Rose
O my luve is like a red, red rose
That's newly sprung in June;
My is love like the melodie
That's sweetly played in tune.
As fair art thou, my bonny lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.
Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun;
I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.
And fare thee weel, my only love!
And fare thee weel, awhile!
And I will come again, my love
Though it were ten thousand mile.
My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose
Thursday, January 24, 2008
I'm off to Impress a Man in a Kilt
This was my usual facebook status on Wednesday nights... sadly I will only have 1 more Wednesday where I do get to impress a man in a kilt. The man in question is my SCD Teacher - John. After my phone call to set up the dreaded fitness test, the recruiter from the unit said that because we parade on Wednesday nights and the test is on a Wednesday I would have to wait until the next week to start my military stuff. All translated this means that next week is my last week with my dancing group. I won't even be able to attend meetings every month either as I am certain they will demand 100% attendance... perhaps I can talk them into something. I also need to confirm my dates for Basic. I think it would be nice if I was able to figure out when I might be taking off, when I can give my employer an idea of when and how much time I'll be gone for. Also, if I need to train on the weekends, job #2 will have to be notified... yikes... February will be quite the transitional month I think.
This uncertainty is driving me batty - I would love to have my entire calendar planned from now until July and then be able to get my life sorted. I guess I need to just pass the test on Wednesday - back to push-ups for me!
On a happier note, kickboxing this morning was pretty decent - my push ups and sit ups were much better and I am wearing previously "too small" pants. Not bad for 2 1/2 weeks in...
Tonight's schedule: Run for 45 minutes and cook a roast for dinner (yeah, that's right... I'm a full fledged adult now - I make roasts!)
**** Update: Just got back from the Gym.... ran for 40 minutes - 10 minutes more than last time, but I did go 59% further than on Tuesday, and faster as well so I think that's pretty darn good!
This uncertainty is driving me batty - I would love to have my entire calendar planned from now until July and then be able to get my life sorted. I guess I need to just pass the test on Wednesday - back to push-ups for me!
On a happier note, kickboxing this morning was pretty decent - my push ups and sit ups were much better and I am wearing previously "too small" pants. Not bad for 2 1/2 weeks in...
Tonight's schedule: Run for 45 minutes and cook a roast for dinner (yeah, that's right... I'm a full fledged adult now - I make roasts!)
**** Update: Just got back from the Gym.... ran for 40 minutes - 10 minutes more than last time, but I did go 59% further than on Tuesday, and faster as well so I think that's pretty darn good!
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