Thursday 28 July 2011

Scratch and Sniff

Do you ever wonder what you smell like?  Like...I don't mean the usual perfume...or BO or whatever....but like you, your skin....what do you smell like?  And this is probably kind of  a strange thing to wonder, but this is the kind of shit that keeps me up at night.  I mean, maybe it's just because I work SO closely and intimately with people (hairdresser for those not sure and wondering if I'm a hooker or something) that I am usually very aware of how people smell.  I also have a very sensitive sense of smell so I notice right away.  And not that people smell badly, or stink...but just that everyone has a smell.  Then I wonder, what do people think I smell like?  If I'm close enough in your face that I can smell you, you gotta be able to smell me!  It's like when my sister borrows clothes from me, she always remarks on how she likes the smell of our laundry.  I can't smell anything on them and always wonder what it is she likes about it.  Do I smell like that? 

Okay now here's the really neurotic part.  I do this thing.  Because my smeller is sooooo sensitive, when I walk past people for the first time that look like they could smell questionable, I always hold my breath.  I don't even realize I do it anymore.  Especially on a hot summer day when you get those old guys out in their polyester suits and you can see they are sweaty and hot......hold my breath.  Out on a shopping trip with one of the girls from work, we walked past a guy digging around in the thrift store (breath hold in that place FOR SURE!) and she commented on how much he smelt of soap and I had to fess up that I was holding my breath.  She looked at me like I was crazy and wondered out loud if I hold my breath around her.  So I had to explain that no, just people who look...you know...stinky?  Great, so am I a prejudicial smeller??  I don't know what I see that makes me think people might not smell good, other then the usual winter coat wearers on a hot summer day.  And all my concern about other peoples smells, maybe I stink??? 

These are life's mysteries to me.  But smell is important to me!  And as I ponder all this, I sit here at work on my lunch break eating hummus....garlicky hummus.....and I'm sure my clients coming in this afternoon are going to hate me for it!  I'm sorry to all my next clients!  I already sent my husband a message at work that he should also eat some at lunch today so he can stand to sleep in the same bed as me tonight.  But do other people really worry about stuff like that or am I just crazy?? 

Smells I love : jiffy markers, breastfed babies (there is a difference between them and bottle fed babies), my husbands skin after it's been out in the sun, onions and garlic cooking in butter, lillies, camping

Smells I hate: laundry that sat in the wash too long, inside of fridges, when I wash a heavy smokers hair and get it wet, wet dog, morning breath, BO smells left in clothes, cabbage cooking, the inside of a dishwasher

What smells do you love and hate?  Do I stink?  You don't have to lie to me.  I can handle it.

Wednesday 20 July 2011

July Blog Group Posting....or "enter creative title here"

Okay so it's that time again....time for our July blog group to do it's postings!  And this month, the topic is favorite summer meal/food.  And this month, for real, I know what i'm writing about!

So we live in a big ol'heritage house in Robson.  When we moved in, it was very unloved by the previous owners and was quite run down.  It had a little tiny deck (think big enough to barely stand and put clothes on a line) that was practically rotting off the side of the house.  The first year we lived here, we knew that little deck had to go and we dreamt of a big deck along the back of the house.  I mean, you could totally see where a deck would go along the back.  We couldn't believe there wasn't one there already!  So we mapped it out and dreamed about it until the day my father in law called, bored, and wondered if we had any projects we needed to work on.  Within the day, he was on his way up from Fernie and I had a large back hoe in my yard digging for deck posts.

We LOVE our deck.  It's amazing.  It's off the back of the house looking out towards the pool and kids swing set.  It's private and quite and roomy.  All year long we yearn for the summer days when we can have supper on the deck.  And anticipate the day we can set up the deck, dig out the patio furniture and plant some flowers.  Right now is the perfect time of year for our deck.  My tomato plants are giant, flowers in full bloom and fountain mounted and trickeling (side note: we got the fountain for a wedding gift 6 years ago and my husband just rigged it up for me this year...sooo....it's a lovely addition...finally).  Any meal we have on that deck is a favorite and it makes every glass of wine taste amazing!!  Actually, it really does make every glass of wine on it taste amazing.  Like, how does that happen??  It just like....breathes life into the wine....gently infusing it with summer and cool breeze with it's loving deck breath and woody deck soul.  I mean, just the pop of the cork of any lovely red wine summer sipper echos off the deck posts with the most amazing tenor and reverb.  We never waste a drop of red wine on that deck....come to to think of it, we usually polish off 7 or 8  5 or 6 2 or 3 more bottles then originally intended on that deck.  You just can't help it.  I swear, it's a magical wine drinking place.  Like a soft woodsy knoll that just welcomes you and slips you a roofie and forces you to drink....later taking advantage of you in ways that only a woodsy knoll could...........alas, I digress.

So to sum up, my favorite summer meal/food for this months July Blog Group Posting is red wine.  Deal with it. 

And please check out our other members posts.......

Andes Cruz: http://www.andescruz.wordpress.com
Brad Severtson: http://hammeringoutaliving.blogspot.com/
Kathleen Krucoff: http://mysticalmythicalmetalwork.wordpress.com/
Barbara Donovan: http://barbaradonovan.blogspot.com/
stephanie clark: http://thethinkingsofacoldweathergirl.blogspot.com
Laura FLavin : http://modernbirdjewelry.blogspot.com
WATTO: http://www.wattoonline.com/news

Sunday 10 July 2011

A Day in the Life

Annnnnnd it's Sunday already.  Again.  And July.  How did that happen?  Where is time going????  I hear it just gets faster as one gets older....how is that possible??  I mean, what am I doing with my time?

So my life.  It's busy....it's awkward at times...it's amazing.  I'm not looking for a congrats or compliment, but rather, I want to see where I come from...where I'm going every day.  First, I should explain a bit about my typical days.  Okay so I have 3 boys, 2 of whom go to school. 

So the alarm goes off at 7:00am.  I slap the snooze right out of that bitch two or three dozen times and then I very grumpily drag myself out of bed and go try and rouse the sleeping monsters, all without waking up the youngest, who is usually in my bed sleeping across my pillow with his feet in my face anyways.  So downstairs we breeze to make a healthy wholesome breakfast of sugar cereal, or something frozen that we defrost in the toaster and the boys eat approx 4 bites before I have to make them go brush their teeth.  Now none of this is pleasant.  Just wanted to clear that up.  I'm leaving out the parts about all the yelling, bribing, pleading and tears.  So off they go to school and I have a few minutes to myself.  I usually make a coffee and my breakfast and take that quiet time to check my email, facebook, twitter, gmail, blogger, TFLN, DListed, damnyouautocorrect, etsy, ebay, etc......I have about 14 1/2 minutes to complete all this and then I must get myself up and dressed before the sitter arrives.  So I try on every piece of clothing in my closet, throwing it all over my room, occasionally crying and stamping my feet or texting the girls at work for suggestions before I settle on the first thing I tried on.  By now the baby has awoke and is grumpy and trying to talk me into laying back in bed with him and nursing him all morning by lovingly smashing his fists on the pillow and screaming "A BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOB!!!!!!!!". 

Now I have to entertain him, while I try to finish doing my hair, makeup, shower etc.  Usually entertaining him consists of trying to prevent him from throwing things in the toilet and eating my makeup.  The sitter always walks in once he has makeup smeared all over his face and has managed to dump my coffee onto him and smash his head on something and get both arms into the toilet water and I know she judges me.  And it's now 9:39 and I start work at 10.  Off I go!  I usually work 10-8ish...or 9ish.  And I always overbook myself.  Why? I haven't figured it out yet.  I think I need a really bitchy secretary to work for me and make my appointments.  One who knows the word "NO" and "a week from next Tuesday".  I always manage to get about 20 minutes behind by 10:56am and continue to run that way the entire day.  Once my work day is done, I turn out most of the lights, crank up the music and sing and dance for a bit while I clean up.  This is my "unwinding" time and I apologize to the broom for making it feel awkward as my dance partner. Now I get to go home!

By the time I get home, most days the two older boys are in bed already.  Did I even talk to them that day??  I make a mental note to try and wake them up 5 minutes earlier the next day so I can ask them how they are.  The baby is barely awake still and promptly perks up when he sees me and starts screaming "A BOOOOOOOOOOOOBBBBBBB!" at me instantly.  My husband has made supper, fed everyone, cleaned the house, got the boys off to bed and entertained the baby after his day at work.  We usually manage to have a 7 minute conversation with one another, but never anything in depth.  It's late.  We're tired.  And there's no time to start anything major so we are usually just are content to sit with each other on the couch with a glass of wine and watch TV in peace.  Is this ideal?  Probably not, but it's all we have right now.  I'm sure once the boys all move out, we'll have more time for each other! 

Before we know it, it's 11pm and we're both nodding off.  The baby is sleeping hanging off my boob and it's time for bed.  I'm sleeping before I even lay down and tomorrow, I'll do it all again.