Behind the Mask

I popped downtown to a dollar store just a short time ago. Chatted with the cashier I've seen a few times recently when I've been in during the week days. She's not old, looks around my age, maybe a bit younger, wears thick pancake makeup that's the wrong colour for her skin. She's always pleasant, nice to exchange a few words with.

Today we were exchanging a few words about holiday chaos, that sort of thing. I don't really know how it came up, but this woman's husband has bowel cancer and has had chemo since August, very sick with it. He had 15 lymph nodes removed at one point, 10 of which came back cancerous. She has a 9-year old daughter who has undergone 4 hip surgeries, her first at 18 months of age.

This woman wasn't moaning and groaning and complaining, though she obviously was stressed and run ragged. That's a lot of crap for one family--one person--to deal with.

Gives you a bit of a shake up on your perspective when you need it. And gives you a reminder that behind the masks we wear, we can be struggling with immense mental and emotional (and financial) burdens.

I wonder why we are so disinclined, in this culture, to be real, to be who we truly are, to admit how we are. Are we afraid that showing weakness means we'll be killed, figuratively speaking? (Read fired or abandoned or what have you.) Is it that we're so self-absorbed in this culture that we don't care about others around us?

I don't have any answers, but I certainly am sending Universal Healing Light to that woman and her family. Sending Light to all.

How to get your morning off to a good start

1. Blinding snowstorm. I'd like to thank Colorado for this weather system. Tell you what--you keep your weather systems south of the border and we'll keeps our north of the border. I know our countries are "friends" and all that, but some things shouldn't be shared.

2. Shovelling just before you have to wade out to catch the bus. Let me give you a tip: Don't hold your bus pass between your teeth while you are shovelling the driveway and around the side of your unit, to get the snow off your fence's lattice (so it doesn't sag under its weight). Because by the time you are done and are putting the shovel away, you might discover that you've dropped your bus pass somewhere in all that white stuff. Then you'd have to spend 15 or 20 minutes hunting for it, sifting through the snow with mitts and shovel, before finally running inside to get a flashlight (it's 6:15AM and dark) and spending another god-knows-how-many-minutes searching for it. Only to (luckily) find it almost on your door step.

3. Keeping your keys in your mitts as you slog the 2kms to the bus transfer centre. Because you missed your bus. See #2. Keys in mittens: not a good idea. If you take your mitts off to fish in your pockets for Kleenex, you actually might drop your mitts and not notice till you are some distance ahead, then have to backtrack to find them.

Okay, Who Ate All The Chocolate?

Last week I brought in dark chocolate covered cookies (not home made, grocery store) to share, so I wouldn't eat them all. (They were yummy!) Then one of my co-workers brought in an entire tin of chocolates. That was Thursday, I think. Maybe Friday. I had one.

Today I came in, after having been home yesterday, and the entire tin was empty. Gone. Nothing left. Nada. Not even a wrapper.

I want to know who ate all the chocolates in just one or two days. Because at least two of the staff in this small office don't eat junk. And I wasn't even here yesterday. Hmmph.

And if ever there was a time to eat chocolate, it's now, when you've seen the winter storm watch for our region tonight and tomorrow, on the Environment Canada site. 10 to 15 centimeters of snow, turning to rain. Yay! Okay, I'm being sarcastic.

Can we at least have a snow day? Because if there's no chocolate, I certainly don't want to slog through the storm to get here.

Snow Today!

Acckk, what is this, winter? Okay, no, it's not technically winter...yet. But it's looking like a winter wonderland right now.

The boys didn't seem to mind, though.





Sure, it looks pretty...But it's not fun to drive in or slog on foot in.

Tree Tales

I did get a new Christmas tree, on sale from Zellers. Pics and blurb are on my Fuzzy Tales site, here. We'll see long it stays up!

So other than mailing the parcels and getting the tree, putting it up and moving furniture around to accommodate it, it was a typical Saturday. The usual household chores. But hallelujah, I made it through the day without any cookies or chocolate or even a chai. It's a miracle.

Just don't ask me if I made it through the day without a shot of something strong to wind down with!

P.S. There's a reason the tree has no lights, no garland, and nothing breakable. And is tied at the top to the ceiling plant hook. That reason is spelled N-i-c-k-i.

Friday. Or Marzipan for Breakfast.

TGIF and all that. I'll pretend I didn't see the few snow flurries we were having earlier. *Shudder* But hey, a mere 17 days till the Solstice and then the daylight starts increasing. That alone puts a smile on my face.

I did have dark chocolate-covered marzipan for breakfast. Yesterday's leftovers, about half the bar. Mmm, yummy. I mean, c'mon, now that I no longer drink coffee, I have to consume something to give me a morning kick. And just for the record, the marzipan was after my real food. I swear!

Oh, I wrapped the few little gifts I have for my family last night, with "help" from the boys. Will get it all mailed out tomorrow, well before the Canada Post deadline. My cards are done and sent out, the packages ready to go. . .That's it. Big chores are done.

I'm still waffling about a tree. I'd like one, but even if I could swing it right now, financially, I don't want to spend the money on something the boys (read Nicki) will "kill" in a week or two. I'm checking the Crappy Tire and Sears flyers, keeping my eye out for good sales. Maybe something last minute?

And I've decided to go ahead with the early mortgage renewal. No reason not to. I'm not a gambler, so I'm not inclined to wait the 16 months to see if rates will be lower. I won't save much in interest over the course of the 16 months (my remaining term), only $500, but I will knock 8 months off the amortization period. Seems good to me!

Okay, back to life in the cube now. :-)

Today's Trip to the Vet

Up on my Fuzzy Tales blog, here.

Glad that's now; now I just need to get Annie's dental done!

Oh, my financial services manager called me to put out the possibility that I renew my mortgage early (I have 16 months before I have to renew), because I could go from the current rate of 5.109% to 4.745%, if I lock in for another five years. I'm getting a bit more info first, before I make up my mind. It's a coin-toss, whether the rate would be significantly lower in 16 months, or be higher.

Decisions, decisions . . . .