Killer Water?

Ok it's been raining here in Calgary off and on for a few weeks....I have noticed one thing that totally doesn't make sense to me.

Why is it, that people can stand in the shower every day and get clean.....?

YET

It can be spitting outside, and their heads are all kinked to the side and their faces look like the water drops are sharp daggers piercing their faces? You should see some of the looks on people. My word.

It's water, people.

It won't kill you.

I'd rather it rain every day of the year rather than it snow even 2 days of the 365.

See below for the proper way to look in the rain - LOL.

12 Steps

Hi, my name is Meredith, and I have a problem.

" Hi, Meredith..."

I can't save money.

Most of my close friends know me well enough that if I say I went shopping, they automatically know what I bought. Shoes, or a jacket?? Inevitably, it will be one or the other.

Or both.

I must have about 20 pairs of shoes and about the same amount of jackets. However, I don't ever pay full price for anything, so it's not like there are 20 pairs of shoes at $150 each. The most I have ever spent on shoes is $120 and that was for my Merrell slip-on boots. Man, I love those boots. They are the most comfortable boots/shoes I have EVER owned. God I love Merrell. So sharp looking. See what I mean? Step away from the shoes Meredith. STEP AWAY.

I digress.

I have to learn how to insert pictures into this blog. I'll do that tonight. Standby for a picture of my favourite boots. The suspense is killing you, I know.




My most recent purchase was a rain jacket. I hemmed and hawed in my head before I could make sense of spending $130 from MEC on a rain jacket....especially when it didn't come in the colour that I wanted. I bought it anyhow. $137 after tax. The next day I went shopping to look for other options, and found a Columbia fall coat AND a Columbia rain jacket for less than $130 combined. Yes, I am a kick-ass shopper- so I returned the rain coat to MEC and now I am the proud owner of two more frickin' jackets.

I have a problem.

Mind you, I guess it's better than smoking two packs of cigarettes a day or drinking my liver to death. Ya, that's it. What I am doing is okay after all.....I may end up broke, but I'll just find myself at the Calgary Drop In Centre wearing a slick jacket with my matching Merrell's......

Did I ever mention that I don't like the Drop In Centre?

P.S - If anyone ever sees these shoes anywhere, let me know. I'm horny for red suede sneakers. Womens 10, Mens 8.

The Secret Art of Chapstick

One would think that just picking up any random chapstick would do the job properly. I am here to say that it's not that easy...especially for someone that has a snout as sensitive as I do.

Either its too waxy, too perfumey, or it has too much of an after-taste.

When I was home visiting, Lesley allowed me to use her orange flavoured Labello. It was fantastic. I then tried to find it at the local Super Drug Mart - they didn't have that flavour, so I assumed grape would do the job. We all know what happens when I assume things. Something about your ass and me. Twas perfumey and grody to the maximum dude.

My all time favourite is mint flavoured Chapstick. Not Blistex. Chapstick. It's perfect. The correct consistency, not waxy, not perfumey. Just minty goodness. As well, the Blistex Lip Medex in the blue container is good. Some say it tastes like Vicks Vapo-Rub, but I think it's swell.

There IS an art to chapstick......don'tcha know.

It's A Sad Year In Calgary.....

All you ever hear about it how amazing Calgary is, how it's turning into the centre of the universe (haha, Toronto!) and how Alberta is the richest province in Canada.

What you don't hear is this:

-You can hardly see the mountains in the distance through the newly formed smog that sits above the city, due to lax laws about emissions, etc

- we are having a MAJOR labour shortage, so simple things like getting coffee at Tims (I wouldn't know) have you sitting in line for 30 minutes behind 20 cars.

- the infrastructure of the city is so poor for the amount of people that move here daily, that the traffic and construction is OUT OF CONTROL. My daily commute to work, is about 40 minutes one way and 50 the other (25 kms each way).

- we have become one of the highest crime-ridden cities in Canada. I actually just googled "calgary murder capital" and stumbled across this rant from another fellow Torontonian/Calgarian. I will post the link to his blog because he seems to think exactly like me.....

http://www.jonwatson.ca/node/1024

One of the worst ideas implemented in Calgary? The fucking Drop In Centre. Don't even get me started on that one. Oh I know, lets spend a kajillion of the tax payers money and open a drop in centre for the homeless. That way, word will spread, and homeless people will come from ALL PROVINCES to live in this centre. Then, they can hang around, do drugs and ask every Tom Dick and Harry for a hand out... Ya. Let's do that. Cha-ching. Done. It's the biggest eye-sore of an area in Calgary, and it's EXTREMELY intimidating walking or biking on the paths that directly pass through it.

Oh man, here we go. I've started.

When I worked in the group home and a kid AWOL'd, we'd call the drop in centre to see if they went there. They couldn't even answer to our verification of their safety - because of FOIP (freedom of information protection of privacy). Why did this bother me so much? Well, the kids would go there and spend twice the amount of tax payers money because although they had a funded placement at the group home, they would get a spot at the effen Drop In Centre. Therefore, they didn't have to be accountable for their actions. And we wonder why the future of this new generation is going to shit. Ok, I am done.

I am this odd mix of an idealist,realist and cynic at the same time, but why can't a city grow in a healthy way? It's sad really. Things always have to go down the shitter when the population grows this quickly.

B.C, here I come. It may be more of the same, but at least there isn't snow. Snow = wrist slittage.

The Importance of Sports

I sat down to read my monthly Women's Health magazine and upon turning to the editors page, I read two things that spoke to me.

First was that female athletes in high school do better in school, have higher self esteem, and are less likely to smoke cigarettes, do drugs or get pregnant as teenagers. This is something that I have tried to teach the kids who are in care -sports adds such a new dynamic to your life and allows you to walk the right path since most of your friends are made through these teams - therefore you have the same focus.

Secondly, a quote was quite interesting to me since it is incredibly true.

" your opponent, in the end, is never really the player on the other side of the net, the swimmer in the next lane, or the team on the other side of the field, or even the bar you must high-jump. Your opponent is yourself, your negative internal voices, your level of determination."

-Grace Lichenstein, writer

The Brass Tacks

So, my newest fitness goal is to complete a 10 km run. I haven't run outside since my orienteering course in university so this will be a huge challenge for me. Since then I have run at the gym on the treadmill, but that is a totally different experience. It's not REAL running.

I don't really have a date set for a run - I would just like to be able to complete a race..approximately 6-8 months from now.

Today was my first training session. I did a total of MAYBE 3 kms, and of those, I MAYBE ran a km of it. I didn't think it was possible to injure myself on my first trek out,but apparently I was wrong. My hip flexor is sofa king sore, it's not funny.

I now sound like I have smoked a carton of cigarettes.

The Brass Tacks?

I have to keep telling myself that I am not 22 years old, 50 lbs thinner and fit as a fiddle- so I should take it easy. I'll get there. Eventually.

Weekend Warrior

This past long weekend was spent doing absolutely nothing.

Before the weekend started I was feeling a little worse for wear. I needed time to recharge my batteries, and to rekindle my spirit/drive. I caught up on magazines, saw a flick, BBQ'd with Dan, chatted on the phone for a while, traded/bought some DVD's, fixed my wireless connection, made a dentist appointment, went to work for a few hours, did some laundry, etc. Sounds mundane, but it helped me get my focus back.

I'm ready for autumn. I just hope by the time winter approaches, I am in BC or Ontario. I know myself well enough to realize that the winter brings out the worst in me. I need a project to look forward to -a new job in a new location will do that. I'm experiencing my 7 year itch. It's time to scratch.

June Galicia (1972 -2006) and Tammy Ewing Chow

So while I was home (Ontario) a few weeks ago I was given news that a friend from high school had passed away from cancer at 34. It was hard for me to wrap my head around why this would happen to such a nice person; one with a 5 yr old daughter especially. It's just not right for a parent to outlive her children. Her parents must be devastated. I can't even imagine.

It made me think of all of the friends that I have lost contact with since graduation. I looked up an old friend Tammy - and sent her an email. Since then we have spoken on the phone and have emailed a few times. It was like time had never passed. She is a successful dentist, wife and mother...and is a totally cool person to talk to.

Everything happens for a reason I suppose.

In my case, I lost an old friend, but gained another.

MAD TV

Stuart Bloopers

Oh my goodness- any of you that like Mad TV- Stuart to be exact - watch this video. You'll piss your pants. Guaranteed.

Late July - Early August

This past week was by far my favourite week of the year. Why, you ask?

1.

I had good friends help me with my garage sale...made me realize how much I can be my real self around them because they totally accept me for who I am....and are always willing to lend a hand. They're awesome.

2.

I purged so much of my junk which weighed me down for so long. Simplified my life and it feels amazing. It's crazy how much we hold onto as we get older...I got rid of some items that represent fond memories of my life, but I'll never forget them....

3.

Laurelle had a beautiful baby boy - this being my first nephew. She is healthy, he is healthy and I am a proud Aunt of two :)

Kananaskis Golfing

So Baab and I went to Kananakis Golf Course this past weekend - I have never seen such a beautiful course in my life. The weather was gorgeous, the couple we were paired with was wonderful, and although I golfed like CRAP, and I forgot my socks and have two raw blisters, the day was an amazing one.

Here are some pics:

http://community.webshots.com/photo/87464517/2299801610047907592dLLMAo

http://community.webshots.com/photo/87464517/2186190120047907592AmdmuK

Saturday Festivities

Started the day out with a bike ride with Annette that reminded me of that section of the newspaper that tells you your emotional, intellectual and physical scores for the day.....today must have been a 1 for physical because I thought I was going to DIE. You have some good rides and some bad. This was a bad one for me. I managed to make it through to the end which resulted in 56 kms being covered.

Ran home and got ready for a summer BBQ that I was holding. The same group came: Annette, Jamie, Bob, Uncle Paulie, Gill, Lisa and her family. We had lots of red meat and goodies and had a great time as per usual. Great weather too. God I love summer.

If Calgary was like this for even 5 months of the year I would consider staying long term.

MS Bike Ride 165 kms

I just wanted to thank everyone for their wonderful donation to MS. I just completed the ride today and have spent the last 4 hours sleeping on the couch, recovering. I had 25 people sponsor me and raised a total of $1385.00.

The first day of the bike ride ended up being 95 kms, and it was a grueling, taxing, arduous ride. It took us all day to arrive in Olds due to the major headwinds and most of the ride being uphill. To help you visualize it, we had to pedal going DOWNHILL. We managed to not get picked up by the "Sag Wagon" though, which was a good thing.....we watched tons of people drive past us in them that were too tired to finish. We didn't even think to lather on the sunscreen since the forecast predicted overcast skies and rain - yet halfway through the ride the sun came out and burnt the hell out of us. Our fault, we know :(

Once we arrived, we were pampered - due to Annette and I raising over a thousand dollars, we were upgraded to a townhouse, rather than camping or staying in the dorms. Due to this, we also received Bernard Callebaut chocolates and a bag of goodies - and were able to have our own bedrooms and bathroom....we had hot water in the shower - heard later that the dorms ran out of hot water early and they all showered in cold water. As well, we were invited to the "high rollers room" which had gambling for charity and free alcohol..to let you know HOW tired we were - we spent most of the night nursing our one and only drink on the leather couches in the lobby - only because we couldn't physically move to any other area. At 7:30, I was ready to call it a night. Managed to make it to 10:30 though - for anyone that knows me, they are probably surprised that I went to bed that early. We were physically, and mentally exhausted.

This morning, we woke feeling like a train had run over us. We ate breakfast and got back on our bikes and FORTUNATELY, the wind was at our backs. Today's ride was better - it was a different route so we didn't get to take advantage of all the downhill areas, but it's easier climbing hills when you aren't fighting the wind. Today's ride ended up being 70 kms. Although we hit some rain at the end, it was a pleasant day.

There were hundreds of volunteers, and the sponsors made the whole experience worthwhile. Volunteers were so friendly and encouraging, the food was wonderful and the organization was above our expectations. The Hutterite community baked fresh bread and shared it with the group on the first rest stop - they were extremely kind. The ride raised over $700,000 which was a record.

I have attached a link to some pictures for you - enjoy. Again, thanks so much for your support.

http://community.webshots.com/user/merdypops2

34 vs 24

Today I turned 34.

Ten years ago I turned 24....obviously. I remember 24 very well. I moved out of my parents' home and moved in with James. Who, coincidentally, has the same birthday.

So much time has passed between then and now and yet I feel no different. A little fatter but just as youthful. Yet when I look into the mirror I see that I look different - more laugh lines and wrinkles on my forehead that I inherited from my Dad.

I'm the last age in the checkbox on questionnaires....18-25, 25-34..soon I will be checking off 35-50. Until then, I'm going to whoop it up.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Metric-osity

Ok so I have been training for this 180KM bike ride from Airdrie to Olds. Each time I go out I get scared that I am not going to be able to finish this thing since:

a. I'm out of shape
b. My bum kills like a sunnuva
c. I never seem to get past 40kms without dying

So yesterday Annette, Jamie and I decide to do the path from Elks golf course to Chestermere. We all set our computers together and half way I realize that my computer is off by A LOT. I know that mine must be wrong since Annette's GPS is close to her own computer reading on her bike. After doing some calculations in my head I realize that my system is calculating MILES rather than KILOMETERS. THANK THE LORD ABOVE. I'm not as bad as I thought I was......we finished 75 kms yesterday and I feel okay today so I think I'll actually be able to do this thing after all. 19 days to go.