Hooliganting: Decisions

Hooliganting: Decisions: "In every day life, the average person is expected to make decisions rationally and with a certain amount of logic and thought. There are var..."

Hooliganting: Decisions

Hooliganting: Decisions: "In every day life, the average person is expected to make decisions rationally and with a certain amount of logic and thought. There are var..."

Decisions

In every day life, the average person is expected to make decisions rationally and with a certain amount of logic and thought. There are various means and methods used to make a decision, most of which are unconscious. Choices range from what to have for breakfast, to what your priorities for the day are to what clothes you wish to adorn yourself with.

In the realm of decision making, most people expect logic. By logic, I suggest most would assume the following. If you want to buy something, you ensure you have the means to pay for it. If you want to eat something, you go to a cupboard or a fridge. If you want to go out, you call a friend. If you want a friend, it helps to take the initiative and put the work into calling them. If you want a house or a vehicle, you enlist professional help. That would be logical.

It interests me that you hear that people have nothing to wear when their closet is full. There is nothing to eat, yet the cupboard is full. There is nothing to buy, but the shops are waiting anxiously and with intent. Having once been someone who didn't even have two pennies to rub together and struggled to cope with the basics, this fascinates me. I look at the news with all the people who have nothing and wonder about a society that allows us the luxury of complaining about nothingness. We are living in a society where old fashioned manners and the philosophy of making do have all but vanished. There seems to be the need for the instant fix or the need to be an individual or unique. These are decisions (because it was decided that there was nothing) that I don't understand much.

And for the record, I have said that I have nothing to wear but I qualify that by saying there is nothing that I want to wear. Sigh - maybe I am as bad. I am deciding not to think about that!


Personally, I think I am in favor of exploring options. I think that you can make effective decisions on your own. I really do. I also think that sooner or later decisions have to come down to personal choice and preference. No one can make a decision for you without somehow negating the responsibility that you have to invest in the decision. Are opinions valid. Absolutely. Is information gathering helpful? Of course. Should you have a deadline for a decision? Absolutely.

Can you imagine taking a week to choose an outfit for work? A week to decide what to eat for one meal? A month to find shelter when you are homeless? Of course not, most people enlist help and use their resources to be on time and to get on with their life as best possible. My children will ask me to help them choose an outfit.  So what is it about major decisions that leaves people muddled and confused? Why can't you trust your first instinct and just go with it? Why do people second guess themselves all the time? I can't answer all these questions, but I am definitely going to think about it on my own.

In this house, the prospect of a new vehicle looms heavy on the horizon. The old one could be fixed, but money has been spent to no avail as no one can decide what is wrong with it. There seem to be two options, two brands, two colors, similar price. Is it affordable? Sort of? The offer of a loaner vehicle is there. Quite frankly, that is the option that is making the most sense. No one seems to have enough information on the two new options, and at the same time there is too much. The list of what is wanted was made and created. The new vehicles fit that bill too. There is the want of a new shiny toy versus a practical solution at the finger tips. What to do? I think I am going to toss a coin. Red is heads, tails is blue. This is it for me. . .how about you?

Ok, I am finished making fun of my own situation. I am going to look at the information available and make an educated guess. Night!

Hooliganting: Homework

Hooliganting: Homework: "You know, the thing about graduation day that most kids look forward to is no more homework. There is no more opening of books because you h..."

Homework

You know, the thing about graduation day that most kids look forward to is no more homework. There is no more opening of books because you have to. From there on in, it is by choice that you open a book, study, read and learn more. If you want to play math games, you do so because this is something that you feel like doing and knowing more about. Same with science. On graduation day, your legal obligation and moral obligations to the system, government and your family are done. If you want more education, you pay for it and therefore, I would say that you are choosing to do it.

No one gave me any inkling that by having children of my own that I would once again have to be involved in the homework process. The readings and advisory postings tell you all sorts of things about feeding, parenting, nuturing and caring for infants, toddlers and youth. They tell you to be prepared to be up all night, teething and beware of crawling, walking and baby proofing.  You have to be on tap when they are sick, cuddle them when they are sad and in general bring them up as best you can with the tools and resources at your disposal.

However, after six years, they hit that thing we like to call school full tilt. There is learning work that consists of reading, writing, math, spelling, science, music and movement. The list goes on. The teachers are there and provide all sorts of opportunities for their students. What I really struggle with is that they send the work home. They call it homework and fully expect the students to do it.

I wonder how many parents do the work for the students in the middle of the night last minute because they did not have the time or energy to do it earlier. So far, the children have been doing the same sheet of homework for 2.5 hours. This was supposed to be a playdate and be fun. Instead, the paper and pencils loom heavy on them and me. For there is the inevitable complaining, confusion and not fairness of the situation. It is not fair that they have to do their homework first. It is not fair that they cannot eat lunch and do homework at the same time. It is not fair that the youngest one is not doing homework. All I can say is that her time will come. It would be so much easier to just tell them the answers.

So, it would appear that despite having graduated from Grade school, I have to do it all over again. The headaches and frustrations so far appear to be similar. And I would have 12 more years to go. Honestly, children should come with the fine print ahead of time. I love them very much but their homework: not so much.

Be advised. You have 12 years of homework for each child. You will be back in school, in the principals office, and have to have teacher meetings. You are required to pay attention and be able to complete projects to deadlines. You are not required to do the special events, but the peer pressure is there. All I can say, it is a good thing that I was an adequate student as once again I am learning about addition, subtraction and number sentences.

Hooliganting: You Want Me To Do What Exactly?

Hooliganting: You Want Me To Do What Exactly?: "Tis January, tis true. It is that time of year where the television blasts out messages of weight loss and new resolutions. It is time to gi..."

You Want Me To Do What Exactly?

Tis January, tis true. It is that time of year where the television blasts out messages of weight loss and new resolutions. It is time to give up all your vises and turn the page of a book, rather than listen to the media. Time to get on the treadmill, instead of lounging in a bubble bath. No smoking, no chocolating, no coffee runs, no rest. January at first glance comes across as the stern disciplinary parent of yore.

January in the north is full of darkness. Mornings are spent dressing and getting to work in the dark. By the time you are home, it is dark again. The children run and play in the dark, if it is even warm enough to go outside. The temperatures have plummeted and the moods have gone with them. So many people seem to be bleak, lacking energy or vibrancy. January comes across as that neighborhood bully that just wants to take your toys, your lunch money and favorite blankie.

Everywhere I turn these days, there is a reason to feel guilt or shame. My clothes are a bit tighter. My lines more curvaceous than straight. I actually like chocolate and bubble baths. While I enjoy exercise, I am actually trying to take things easier so that my muscles heal up a bit. I am down to 6 hours a week and that is low for me. I should work out more. I should limit my carbs. I should sign up for weight watchers. That is the weight of the January blues.

I am watching my weight yes. I am watching to see how depression hits each of my friends in the dark cold months. I am watching to see how the weight of their world shifts and turns. In return, I move mine to be less. I will encourage and be positive. I am determined to have fun in this January. There is dance and tobogganning. Snuggled in front of the fire, I can have a glass of wine and chat on the phone to friends. I can nurse a cup of tea while I catch up with folks on facebook. I can continue to work to make the connections and exercise my options.

For the moment, I think I will go to weight watchers, because three of my friends are doing it and really, it wouldn't hurt. I will continue to exercise both my mind and body, so long as it isn't too much. I will also continue to rest, indulge once in awhile and encourage you to do likewise. While not perfect, I am perfectly me and I am going to color January bright and colorful instead. Until one accepts who they are, they cannot progress to be what they will become. And that, it is . . .for me. Good night!

Hooliganting: Where is the Volume Switch?

Hooliganting: Where is the Volume Switch?: "My ears are ringing. The house is vibrating with the tremors caused by three pairs of feets that are jumping, bouncing and overall behaving ..."

Where is the Volume Switch?

My ears are ringing. The house is vibrating with the tremors caused by three pairs of feets that are jumping, bouncing and overall behaving in a tiggerish way. There are shrieks and giggles. Laughter and complaints. It sounds like elephants are pounding their way around the house over my head. What is really fascinating is that this is their version of keeping the volume down.

In the van on the way home from school, there was gobblygook speak coming from the mouths that were formerly children. They are now singers, fairies, fairleys and other things. Human doesn't seem to be one of them. They couldn't even hear me when I asked them to be quiet. Sigh. I wonder if the sound of their own voices is damaging to their hearing when they are that loud.

I have the weather channel on currently so that I could see if it was possible to go tobogganing some time soon. I can't hear the weather person, although I can see the lips moving. I can at least see the forecast. I have also turned on the closed captioning for the hearing impaired. I definately fit that bill at the moment. I can can them from two floors away. I can hear them when I shiver and freeze my way to the van to pick up the bag that I forgot. I can hear them - just not the phone ringing, the radio playing, the TV, the kettle popping, or anything else.

How do they do it? How is it that little people can escalate in volume and not notice? How do their teachers cope with the volume levels? Fascinating. And does it damage their hearing? I would be interested to know. These are the happy sounds, excited sounds and imaginations running free. "Lets pretend..."

In the meantime. If you want to talk to me - I can't hear you or anyone else. The children are in the house and they are making sure I pay attention to them. You might have to resort to texting me an email. At least they can't hear me chuckling away . . . they are too loud.

Hooliganting: Ought to Procrastinate

Hooliganting: Ought to Procrastinate: "I ought to be doing something productive, like anything other than sitting here in the dark basement, by myself, trolling the internet. I ou..."

Ought to Procrastinate

I ought to be doing something productive, like anything other than sitting here in the dark basement, by myself, trolling the internet. I ought to be finding my keys that I have lost. I ought to plug in the van so that it starts in the morning. I ought to call home so that they know that I am OK. I ought to make lunches. I ought to clean the house. I ought to tuck the girls up and give them snuggles. I ought to get some work done. I ought, I ought, I ought . . .

Who says so?

Why do I have this conscience that insists that being lazy is a sin? Why do I feel the need to be social all the time? There seems to be this switch in my head that makes it acceptable to be on the go for the entire part of my day. But the thing is today, I just don't want to. I am quite content to be in the basement - where there is no noise. None at all. I can hear the clicking of the keys as I type this and I find that quite satisfying.

This is procrastination at its best. I ought to go to bed by now and try to be civil to the world in the morning - since I have nothing on the go currently (but I should - oh should I ever!). I am never civil to the dark morning so I won't do that bed thing just yet. No, I think for the next half hour, I will continue to read blogs, and revel in that procrastinating spirit that seems to possess my brain once in awhile. It is there, and is GRINNING at you! Come and play. You ought too!

Hooliganting: Slushies

Hooliganting: Slushies: "Today is the day that I ponder the winter experience of slushies. Most of the time, the air is crispy and stimulates your lungs. The snow cr..."

Slushies

Today is the day that I ponder the winter experience of slushies. Most of the time, the air is crispy and stimulates your lungs. The snow crunches beneath your feet. The tires pack down snow and creates the ruts that rock and roll the vehicles, making them feel more like a safari trek than an actual paved street. This is the typical winter and the majority people are accustomed to it.

However, today was an odd day. Driving the children to school this morning, I noticed that the thermometer was registering a miraculous plus one degree. So, I trekked back and shovelled the drive. Since it was snowing, I did it more than once. The problem was I still had to go out and drive again. I have the pleasure of driving downtown twice most days for dance, gymnastics and so on. Today, was a day for both of those.

The thing that I don't understand, is the way people respond to the "slushie" phenomenon. I start to drive and the snow plows have been active. The roads are very clear, if a little slick to the treads on the van. However, this is not unusual for this time of year. It is winter. In the north, it is always winter in January.

So why is it that when the temperature warms up and the roads get that little bit "slushie" that people forget how to drive. There is a little bit more moisture in the snow. In fact, for the children, this is the perfect snowman snow. There is a little bit of spray that hits the windshield and that means more windshield washer fluid. Might I remind people that the wipers may be switched on prior to departure from a switch located to the right of most steering columns? The roads are as clear as they can be in the winter. Yet, to my irritation and disgust, people are terrified because snow is falling from the sky and it is a different kind of snow.

Thanks to those people that were incapable of driving close to the speed limits, (in fact some were as much as 40 below the posted limit) I was late to the school to pick up my daughter. This behaviour doubled the commute time to all sorts of activities. There were no accidents for a change, but that probably changed later.

The point is, if you are not comfortable driving in the winter conditions. Please don't! Get lessons, figure out a car that works for you, take a bus. My theory is that is equally as dangerous to drive to slow as too fast. The number of cars that pulled out to pass slow vehicles, and the number of trucks sliding to see what their trucks could do in the snow for fun was amazing.

The "slushies" are supposed to be fun. They are almost puddles to jump in. They allow tobogganning, and snowpeople. They are castles from the air and they are a joy. Until you are on the road, and trying to drive somewhere behind people doing a crawl. This is not fun. This is stressful and irritating and frustrating and I am still not over it apparently. So, here is my thought. Do what it takes to be comfortable driving in whatever conditions you live with. Seriously. Drive to the conditions means just that. If you can't, please don't. I will be very grateful. (And yes, I have had winter driving lessons...so that I can drive in the slushies ;)

The Lure

There is sits. It is shiny and blackish brown. The ends are twizzled gold. There is green and beige, rippled creams and browns. There are friends that are curled up beside it. Some are dressed in identical fashions. Others are more gaudy in their pinks and green disco style coverings. It is a spectacular fantasia of glimmery, shimmering wrappers. They sit there, in demure silence. Waiting and watching you to see how long it will take you to reach for their outstretched arms. They wait open and hospitable.

After days and hours of not over indulging in the glamour offered by the shiny stuff, I have stuck to ordinary. Until tonight. Tonight was the night that Christmas usually is. That night that I reached for the one and curled my fingers into the gold. I danced with it untwizzling and rippling the fabric back and forth. There it was. Melting into my hands. I tasted it. And it melted. So I moved on to the friends in the box.

Now I am saddened. I have no more friends left in the box. They have all sparkled for the last time. The box is pale and empty, just waiting to be refilled. The taste lingers and the sense of over indulgence is supreme. I am not feeling guilty yet, just smug satisfaction with a hint of wry amusement. I have been undone. I just hope that the scales forgive me in the morning!

Hooliganting: Grateful for the Little Things

Hooliganting: Grateful for the Little Things: "Having just spent the past ten days travelling in the proverbial planes, trains and automobiles, I have decided to take a moment to step bac..."

Grateful for the Little Things

Having just spent the past ten days travelling in the proverbial planes, trains and automobiles, I have decided to take a moment to step back and reflect on the small things. People are asking how the trip to Disney World was. What was the best part? Did I have fun? Did I relax?

As you know, no trip is ever perfect and there are those stories that will make me wonder and reflect on the wisdom shown  by those in the tourism and travel industry. Those are the details like the hotel losing the reservation, no seats on an aircraft due to overbooking even though those seats were purchased last June, the blustering winds that chilled the bone in Florida, and the endless lines of Disney. I remember thinking that I was so tired of people complaining. Doesn't it sound like that is what I am about to do? I think not.

The above is just background information to say that I am grateful to those that understand their jobs and know how to make people happier by going the extra mile. We had the hotel clerk that allowed the girls to bounce off furniture while he checked us into a deluxe room for half the price. There was the delightful lady at Epcot who noticed that I was distressed as I was not to be permitted my rolling wheeled bag and so gave me a voucher to take to get a backpack from the gift shop. That moment alone made the day special and much less stressful. The airline clerk that went the extra mile to ensure that we did get on the aircraft, even though it was not her station or her responsibility. The people that we met in the lines were funny, caring and from all over. We now share memories.

There are more moments and memories to be had. The cold breeze chilled everyone at NASA so we did not have to contend with long lines. The dinner at Port St. John was downhome delicious and the best chocolate cake ever! People are more friendly when they are sharing your warm patch. Meeting all the Disney characters and seeing the children's faces light up when they got to meet their favorites. The thrill of thunder mountain, soarin' at Epcot and safari at Animal Kingdom. We dined well and watched amazing fireworks and parades. I think that we had a great trip.

The best part? The girls wishes and dreams were not disappointed. They saw Daisy and Cinderella. They left out the magic key for Santa Claus and he found them. The wonder in their eyes was phenomenal. Most of all, they were treated like princesses and that made them shine brighter.

The most satisfying thing for me was that after two days of travelling, we arrived in Seattle. I had been seated next to a Dr. of Pychology who said I had the most wonderful children she had ever had the pleasure of flying with. (I couldn't make that up if I tried!). They might irk each other, but they play hard and love harder. They are special and unique. It was quite a compliment. And the hotel clerk offered them warm cookies from the kitchen on arrival. What could be better? Little things. Smiles and thank yous. Cookies. Going the extra mile. Yes, I am grateful.