Alright already!

For some reason I stuck my tongue out for many pics that night. Here I am touching tongues with Frenchie. It's not a very flattering photo but it gives you a pretty good idea how the night went.

BTW, you can't fully see what is written on Frenchie's face but if anyone watches The Office, they'll get it right away. :)
The "B" is hidden from view. He's Facebook. :)

I was a devil. Imagine!

Frenchie and I went out with friends to celebrate Halloween. I haven't been out to party on Halloween for 7 years and let's just say, I can't remember the last time the two of us went out with friends to party.

What a blast.

I may have danced all night. I may have done shooters. I may have kissed a girl. I may have been chatted up by a guy. I may have been felt up by a stranger.

And it made me feel like a million bucks in spite of the next tired morning with a slight hangover.

So worth it.

at peace with my decision

After I posted about my confusion about whether or not to get my kids and myself vaccinated with the H1N1 shots, I had come very close to concluding that we wouldn't be getting it.

I did some reading, some advice soliciting, some thinking and decided that we would opt out. My plan was to just be careful through the flu season, hope for the best and count on the fact that we're pretty healthy people overall.

Then, a local-to-the-greater-area girl died. An otherwise healthy girl died.

*gulp*

Nothing quite puts things in perspective like the real possibility of my kids dying. I kept thinking of that girls' poor parents. About a young life cut short. My view quickly shifted.

So, needless to say, I decided that the risk of the shot was better than the risk of the shot.

Then all hell broke loose.

Clinics opened around the city and outlying areas. (I'm in an outlying area) People crowded to them, sometimes lining up for hours and getting turned away (shortly after opening) because the clinics had reached capacity for the day. The newspapers and new shows have been showing overwhelming scenes of people with babies and small children lining up for hours in the cold.

WTH?

How the hell am I supposed to line up for hours in the cold with a 2.5 yo that won't stay still and a 9 month old??? How???

I'm peeved at the process. I know that we're not the only area dealing with this sort of problem and I'm sure you'll agree with me that there's got to be a better way. I mean really! Talk about creating panic.

Anyway, the long and short of it is that my parents (who would go to hell and back for my kids) got up at 5am, bundled up, grabbed a thermos of coffee and parked themselves outside the clinic doors this morning. They were not the first there but they weren't far behind. As a result of their investment of time, my kids were among the first vaccinated.

I feel good about my decision but not too happy about having to go through it again for Round 2 of their shots and then again for myself.

As I said, there has GOT to be a better way.

special cookies

During my recent trip to Van to visit my sister, my hosts revealed that they had a pot cookie or two in their freezer. Suggestions were put forth that perhaps we should have one.

Well, let me just tell you that the last time I got stoned was years ago. So long ago that I don't even remember when exactly it was. The truth is that while I have done my share of experimenting (mostly in my teens and early 20s) booze is my drug of choice.

When I drink I rarely do it to excess and always feel in control of myself and what I'm doing. When I get stoned, it's the opposite. While it's still an enjoyable feeling and laughing at the colour of the carpet certainly does have it's humour, I don't feel in control at all and I don't like that feeling.

In the past, I've been silly enough to get high around people that were either a)strangers or b)not close enough for me to be comfortable with. Because I say some pretty silly shit when I'm stoned, I tend to clam up altogether if I'm not around a select few friends.

But since these were two that I'm most comfortable around, I thought What the hell? And boy was it funny. I've never eaten a pot cookie or brownie before having always gone the harsher route of inhaling it. Well, let me tell you this was the way to go.

Everything was so funny. Unfunny stuff was funny. I was having conversations in my head and then blurting part of it out to my sisters and then laughing uproariously. It really was the best kind of high.

When I came clean to my blogger buddies that I had eaten a pot cookie the night previous, both were flummoxed that I'd never had one before. Honestly though, I have never had the opportunity. Is pot baking just a thing on the West Coast?

Have you ever had a pot cookie?

I'm back

Well!!!

I'm back from a short, busy, exhausting, exhilarating mini trip. Well, it wasn't mini in the sense of how far I traveled (something over 3000 kms) but rather mini in the sense of time. It was only an extended weekend really so I packed tons into it therefore exhausting my physical self but stimulating my senses and my mental health.

In short, I'm footsore and weary but feel great. I wonder how long it will last?

I did everything from fearfully seeing what crickets taste like at the Vancouver Aquarium to going to a lesbian birthday party to walking through Stanley Park to meeting two fabulous blog friends.

The meeting? Was amazing! I've been reading Kristin's blog(s) longer than I've been reading anyone else. She's stellar online but even better in person being gracious and kind and genuinely interested. Kgrrl was funny and friendly and charming and a very good sport with my pigtail obsessed sister in law.

I haven't uploaded my pics yet but I will post one of the meeting of the minds if they don't mind. Many shots were had, drinks were consumed, laughter abounded. It's so heartwarming to meet women I've known for so long and being smitten with both of them.

Otherwise, the weekend was also everything I expected it to be and more. Vancouver is the most wonderful city and its residents are overwhelmingly and deservedly proud. It rains a lot though but getting wet was a small price to pay for such a great time.

More later.

briefly from the west coast

Well!

I'm currently in beautiful Vancouver enjoying my first time here and visiting with my sister(s). It's early and the time difference is showing as I'm up before anyone else after another late night.

I'm having a wonderful but exhausting time of it and have some bragging to do about the wonderful women I met on Friday night. I shall post pics of these blogging divas when I get back.

this n that

Chicka's in daycare today and Jboy is sleeping.

I tell you this because it makes no sense that Toopy & Binoo (a family favourite) is playing on the TV as I write this.

I need to shower while I have the opportunity but yet, here I sit.

The daycare girls must think I'm weird. I drop off Chicka looking like a bag of shit but when I pick her up, I'm showered, make uped and dressed appropriately.

I just finished an xlarge Timmy's but I need more coffee. I'm too lazy to make some.

I'm alone tonight as Frenchie's out of town for the night.

This wouldn't bother me so much if we didn't have such a crappy night last night.

As of today my flu shot decision is this: None for Jboy. Regular seasonal flu shot for Chicka, myself and Frenchie. And perhaps H1N1 for Frenchie and me but that's not decided yet.

Jboy switched out of the bucket carseat this weekend. It was just getting waaaay too heavy. My life just got more difficult (wah! poor me). This morning I had to get them both buckled in and out without dropping the baby and Chicka running off. Fun.

I'm going out west in just over a week. I am getting so excited particularly since I may be meeting up with Her and Her!

Okay okay. I really need to turn off Treehouse, publish this babble and grab that shower now.