Question Of The Day

I'm a minimalist, which makes it very hard to be messy. So it's definitely neat for me.

How about you?

Inside My Introverted Brain

"What is happening to our young people? They disrespect their elders, they disobey their parents. They ignore the law.

They riot in the streets inflamed with wild notions. Their morals are decaying. What is to become of them?"

- Plato, 4th Century BC -

I've been thinking lately about how every generation complains about the upcoming one. How every generation believes that there is a decline in morals and standards, and that it's  a modern occurrence.

And the complaints are pretty consistent throughout the ages. Weird hairstyles. Strange clothing. Bad music. Disrespectful, irresponsible, lazy youth that won't amount to much. A world that is going to hell. Civilization on the brink of destruction and corruption.

Then that generation grows up and starts to complain about the next. Ad nauseam...

I find this quite fascinating and somewhat entertaining. How about you?

Words Of Wisdom

Indeed.

I can think of a few people that would certainly benefit from these words of wisdom. Can you?

Have a great day!

Chuckles and Chortles

Happy new week, to all. How'd the weekend go? Did you enjoy it? Saturday night we went on a movie date and watched 'Room'. Have you seen it? The most amazing man in the world and I both read the book, which was really good, so we were eager to see the movie, which was also really good. It didn't stray far from the original story as is often the case. It's also playing 'The Fifth Wave' at the theater right now that we would have loved to watch since we've also read that book but it's a new release, so we decided to wait until the enthusiasm for it dies down.

Yesterday the highlight of my day was chatting with my younger daughter on Skype. She's continuing to do great at her university and in her new city. A lot of exciting projects coming up and a lot of fun adventures. She's also looking around for a permanent residence because she's considering staying there year round instead of moving back home for a few months in-between school years. It's going to be an interesting year for her.

Anyhow, let's get to the funny stuff, shall we?

Have a good one!

This Is Canada

"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude."

- Cynthia Ozick -

Imagine seeing snow for the first time in your life. How would you feel? What would your reaction be?

Well...

Yesterday I ran across this heartwarming video of three Syrian siblings (who have been in Canada for a mere few weeks) giggling and squealing as they go tobogganing in Peterborough, Ontario, a small city that is not too far from where I live. No matter how many times I watch it, I tear up and my heart is squeezed.

How the lives of these children have changed from war-torn Syria to refugee camps to playing in the snow in Canada. It is a reminder of some of the blessings we take for granted where we live: the absence of fear and the sheer delight in the simple things.

Welcome to Canada, kids!

(More about this story here:)

Hometown Memories: The Digital Pet

When my older daughter was in kindergarten or first grade, she had one of those handheld digital pet devices like the Tamagotchi, although I don't think it was Tamagotchi, maybe some other brand. Perhaps the Giga or Nano brand. Anyhow...

Her digital pet was a little puppy whose needs had to be met, so it can grow bigger. It had to be fed, bathed, exercised, disciplined, toilet trained and nursed back to health when it got sick. And if you didn't care for it properly, it would get sick and die. This could happen in less than half a day, so you really had to be on the ball.

This was quite a lot of responsibility but my daughter, a child that took responsibility very seriously, did a great job. The puppy was happy, it thrived and grew steadily into a larger dog. And since the kids weren't allowed to take these toys to school (for obvious reasons), my daughter entrusted that little 'pet' to me. While she was in the classroom, I looked after it. And did a good job. Until the day that I forgot about it completely and saw the message "goodbye" flashing on the screen, which indicated that the 'pet' had died.

So what did I do? I wimped out and lied. I started the game over and told my daughter when she got home from school that her dog had grown up and had babies of its own and now we had a new puppy to take care of. I held my breath and waited for her reaction. She stared at me for the longest time as she analyzed the story in her six-year-old mind...and finally nodded. A new puppy would be fun. I'd gotten away with it but I felt really guilty. Over a virtual flippin' pet! Years later, I confessed to my daughter what really happened and we both had a good laugh over it. All was forgiven!

Do you remember these toys?

Question Of The Day

Free-spirited

Willful

Introverted

Observant

Progressive

Your turn!

Chuckles and Chortles

And here we are again starting a new week, so happy Monday, blogging friends. How are things going with you? Anything new to report? Nothing on this end. It's been very quiet. And wintry. And cold. With quite a bit of snow. Yesterday I spent the day curled up with "Mightier Than The Sword", book five of seven in the Clifton Chronicles by Jeffrey Archer. Have any of you been following this series. It's quite addictive.

You know what else is addictive? Humour. That's why you're all back here every Monday. Because you need a 'laughing out loud' fix. So here it is. Enjoy.

Have a good one!

Winter

You can't escape it where I live. Sooner or later it will find you. The temperature will plummet, the snow will fall and Jack Frost will add designs to cold windows.

It makes me feel like climbing into a warm bed, curling up...

...and sleeping the day away.

Winter. It has found its way here.

How is the weather where you are?

Fill In The Blank

37

Old enough to have good credit, be taken seriously as an adult, have reached some great milestones and have outgrown youthful naïveté.  Young enough to have an abundance of energy and a metabolism that still works. Plus, it's the age I met the most amazing man in the world. The icing on the cake!

How about you?

The Liebster Award, Questions and Random Things

Toni from Wandering and Wondering nominated me for the Liebster award; a fun way for bloggers to learn more about each other. I’ve never received this honour before, so I’m quite flattered. Thank you, Toni!

I’m supposed to answer 11 questions and post 11 random things about myself. So here goes...


1] Which literary genre do you prefer?

I read a lot of different things but my favourite is fiction. I know too much of what’s going on around the world, some of it downright nasty, so I need an escape from reality. Regularly.


2] Why did you start blogging?

All the cool kids were doing it and I wanted in.


3] Order or chaos?

Order. But not rigidity.


4] Where would you like to live?

Somewhere warmer near the beach. With the most amazing man in the world by my side, of course.


5] Starry sky or sunset?

Sunset. Nothing quite like it. Especially if you enjoy photography.


6] Paper book or e-book?

Paper. Dropping a paper book into the bath, which has happened to me after dozing off, is much less painful than dropping an electronic device.


7] What is the writing for?

Because I have something to say.


8] TV or not TV?

Not TV. I haven’t watched anything on TV at its scheduled time since my younger daughter was a year old. That was 17 years ago. Nor do I follow any popular or recent shows. The most amazing man in the world and I record a handful of programs that we watch together but we typically enjoy movies or binge-watch long running series, many times older ones. Right now we’re enjoying the X-Files. And right before that we zipped through Seinfeld.


9] What do you think about social networks?

I love being able to connect with family and friends, and meeting new people from around the world. That being said, I also don’t let social media take up too much space in my life. I’m able to disconnect and shut down easily.


10] Favorite food?

Pizza. The world became a better place when it was invented.


11] Favorite music genres?

Classic rock. But I’m open to just about anything. If I like a song, I like it. Makes no difference what genre it is.

1. I cannot wear turtle necks or any clothing that has a high neckline. I feel like I’m being strangled or that I’m suffocating.

2. During the first year of high school, I tried out for, and made, the basketball team. But since none of my friends were joining, I didn’t pursue it. I’m not a sports fan, so I’ve no regrets about this.

3. I hate ironing so much that I become hostile when I have to do it. There must be some interesting psychology involved here.

4. Because of some (not very pleasant) past experiences, I can detect toxic people, bullshit and manipulation from a mile away. I consider this a superpower.

5. I was once lifted up into the air by a tidal wave and tossed several metres across the shore. This is what you get when you visit a tropical destination during hurricane season. Remarkably (and thankfully) enough, my bikini stayed put.

6. Sometime in my 30s, I experienced sleep paralysis, which is a feeling of being conscious but unable to move, speak or react. I felt like I was being held down and that there was someone – or something – evil in the room. It was one of the most terrifying experiences I’ve ever had.

7. I always save a small portion of my favourite part of a meal till the end, so the last bite of food leaves a good taste in my mouth. Quirky but satisfying.

8. Food with a slimy texture (ex: oysters, mussels) makes me gag.

9. Materialistic, arrogant, self-absorbed, snobby people also make me gag.

10. Sometimes I mentally slap people upside the head when they say stupid shit or behave like assholes. It makes me feel better and no laws are broken.

11. I’m not bothered by bats, snakes, centipedes or spiders. But pill bugs and silverfish freak me out!

--------------------------------------

And that’s all she wrote. Now I’m supposed to nominate 11 other bloggers but I won’t put anyone on the spot. Like Adam or Christine or Betty or Gail or Deb or Jan or Beate or Birdie or Louise or Jim or Red… No, I won’t impose. But if anyone chooses to volunteer to answer the same questions and state some random things about themselves, all the better. *smirk*

Have a lovely day, everyone.

Chuckles and Chortles

Happy Monday, everyone. I hope you enjoyed the weekend. My daughter left on Friday; she'd been with us since December 20th on break from university and we're going to really miss her. The house is awfully quiet since she's been gone. It's amazing how much space children can take up in the house...and in your heart.

My younger daughter. Always a joy to have around.

Speaking of houses, most of the weekend was spent cleaning ours. We slacked off during the holidays and it got really dusty around here. Everything is now back to normal and we can resume accepting appointments for potential buyers to walk through. Hopefully we're done with that nonsense soon. Selling a house is a real pain.

Okay, enough of the blah blah blah, let's get to the funny stuff.

Have a great day ahead!

Question Of The Day

Not all. But I do save some and store them in decorative boxes. I've kept greeting cards that my kids have given me over the years (the ones they made in school when they were little and the ones they bought as they got older), funny or sentimental cards from close family members and friends, and every single card the most amazing man has ever given me. Every single one. Those are kept in a separate box.

It sounds like a lot but these cards actually take up very little space, which is very important to someone like me who cannot stand clutter.

How about you? Do you save greeting cards?

You Know You're Getting Older When...

...you don't mind finding socks in your Christmas stocking.

Here I am looking all happy. 'Cause who wouldn't be happy with fun socks?

Socks can be a nice stocking stuffer, especially if they're fun and colourful.

But not all of us (older) folks think so.

"Socks? Who the heck is this happy about getting socks?"

What did you find in your stocking? Anyone get socks?

Resolutions, Goals, Plans...And So On

The holidays are over and a whole new year begins. I don't make resolutions but I do set goals and think about what I'd like to accomplish. Then I work on them as best as I can. There are a few things I'll be focusing on in 2016 but I'll keep this post short and share three.

1) Selling our home and downsizing. As a minimalist, the thought of getting into a smaller space with less stuff, less monthly costs, less cleaning, less maintenance...and more freedom!...makes me ecstatic. And all these changes will undoubtedly produce some interesting blog posts.

2) I've started a happiness jar. What is that? It's a simple but joyful concept that was started by Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love. Here's what you do:

At the end of each day, write down something that made you happy and put it in a jar. Or add something that brightened your day like a photo, movie tickets, a quote, etc. That's it. This simple project will motivate you to look for something good in every day. At the end of the year, open up the jar and read about all the things that made you smile. You'll have forgotten most of those moments, so it'll be a nice surprise!

3) I'm committing to a photography project, 'Project 366', where I'll be taking one photo per day, every day. This will help me practice my photography skills and it'll be fun. For now I'm concentrating on one theme per week but that may change over time. We'll see how it goes.

And I'll be sharing these images with you every Friday. Stay tuned...

That's it for now.

How about you? Any resolutions, goals, plans...and so on?

Chuckles and Chortles

Happy first Monday of the year, everyone. And the first 'Chuckles and Chortles' post. How's everyone post holidays? We're cold. No, not cold. Freezing. We're freezing our buns off. It's -15ºC (5ºF) as I type this. We tried hiding but winter has finally found us. The good news is that it'll warm up starting tomorrow, so things are looking up. What's going on where you live?

Shall we get to the funny stuff? Here we go...

Have a good one!

2016

Cheers to a new year and a fresh start for all of us!