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The strike, getting ink, playing in the snow and some loose change

The strike, getting ink, playing in the snow and some loose change, the Carr blog for week 42 is in the book (sorta speak)

Loose Change
My mother in-law always jokes, when helping us clean our house “you will never go poor, you find money everywhere in this place”.  You see we have loose change issues.  Well, I guess everyone else has the issue, because if I find it on the floor, under the couch, on the shelf, or just about anywhere, I assume it once was money that belonged to me, so I just put it back in my pocket.   I have no idea where the kids get so much of it, but it seems the majority of what I find is in and around their rooms.

It sure helps in the morning around tea time, having a pocket full of change, and this week, after finding 1 toonie, 2 dimes and 7 or 8 pennies, I thought to myself, I need to say thanks to the found money gods publicly with a blog entry, because I sure do appreciate your kindness in the form of loose change.

Shower
There is a small spot on the back of your neck, that when covered in rush of hot water while showering, will cause warmth to radiate from your head to your toes. At least I think we all have it, but I am not sure.  I have it and this week, I relied on that fact a couple of times and wondered just that.  Is this some kind of secret?  I have never heard of anyone talk about the magical “w-spot”, so I have kept it too myself long enough.  If you need a break, and a warm shower is working but not 100%, let the water warm your soul from that little spot on the back of your neck.

Strike
This will be, or should be the last I write of potential strike at my work, at least for the next couple of years because this week, the official results were released of the contract ratification.  51.47% of the Ontario faculty voted to accept the deal, so we are still at work and I could not be happier.

Body Art

Ink
Not sure if this is going to past the edit, but tonight, while others are waiting for the big ¼ final hockey game with team Canada, I watched my wife finally do something that she has wanted to do for a couple of years.  She now has her first tattoo and it looks awesome!  I love her artist Jason Copeman of the Nude Buddha Tattoo Studio and think that he did such a great job interpreting Nathalie’s vision and executing it in the form of permanent body art and I recommend him to anyone.  If you can believe it, I am now looking forward to finally getting one myself and just need to settle on an idea.

Field Trip
“PLEASE daddy, PLEASE can you come on my field trip?”  When Jordyn asked me, the first question before saying yes, was the wrong question to ask.  “What day of the week is it?”  I say, and excitedly, Jordyn says “Friday!”  After a quick second of contemplation I say “OK, I have no classes on Friday, so I can go”.  The only reason I say it was the wrong question is that what I should have asked first, was “Where is the trip?”.  I have written about my aversion to the cold before, so imagine my reaction to waking up this morning to a dumping of snow, and the sudden realization that I will be traipsing around the ankle high snow in the Halton Hills, chasing 21 kids under 10 years old, for the whole day – outside in the cold.  In the end, thanks to a borrowed super warm snow suit, and my “finally found” skidoo boots, I was warm and cozy all day. Very tired, but warm.

In closing
It seems this week, I may be a little short on cute little girl stories and quotes to end the weekly recap.  It is not because they did nothing cute, it has more to do with we can’t remember any.  There was something that Julia said in the car out on a road trip this week, and although we laughed at that time and both said “that’s in the blog” sitting here now, we are tapped and can not come up with it.  I will try to have an extra one next week to even it up, so I owe you one.

Thanks for reading and have a great and safe week.
Jim


Rules, movie night the home show and some laughing

Rules, movie night the home show and some laughing, a great way to spend week 41 in the Carr household, as long as it is not sick in bed!

New Rules
The girls have a new principal at school. We are hoping it is temporary, because we did like the principal they have had for the last 2 or 3 years, but he is away for at least the rest of the school year on leave. With a new boss comes new rules, and it caused quite a heated conversation this week in the car, on our way to dance. Apparently, her wide reaching rules are equally effecting grade 2 and grade 5, because both girls had comments. Jordyn announces “She is changing everything, like we can’t use equipment outside”. We go back and forth, weighing the safety concerns and possible reasons why someone would not allow indoor equipment outside, and why someone that is a new boss can make up new rules when they are in charge, but they would not have it, and could not believe that someone would have the gaul to change what has worked for so long. Then Julia adds the line that had us laughing the whole night. “What’s next? Hideous clothing?” Don’t worry Julia, if it goes that far, Mumma and Daddy will step in for sure!

Movie Night
Date nights abound over the last couple of weeks in the Carr household, and it is sure great getting an opportunity to spend some quality time and take in a movie, even if they are what some would call “chick flicks”. Last week, we did a Valentine’s date night with the movie Valentines Day and tonight we watched “Dear John”. I can say with all my masculinity in tact, that they were both great movies! Thanks especially to my popcorn sharing date for both movies, because in the end, it would not matter what was on the screen, as long as I had you to share it with. (Ahhhh man, I may still have my mush on a little too much!)

Home Show
So I guess you own a home, so you need to go to the home show right? What do they sell you at the home show? I hope it’s not a new home! Ok, I do understand that the on slot of never ending “home-esk” suppliers and providers, row upon row in a never ending labyrinth of hallways and smiling faces, with offers of the next best thing for the home owner. The funniest thing? I can’t wait to check it out tomorrow!

Laughing

Where's Waldo?

It could be one of those stories that ends with “you had to be there”, but we had a busy Saturday last weekend and had to grab lunch on the go. Sitting in the Taco Bell (Julia’s choice!) just chatting away with Nathalie about whatever, and over her shoulder, getting out of his car, I spot him. A guy in a red and white striped hoodie and a scarf and a goofy smile. So I tell Nathalie “I found him!” “What? Who?” she asks, as I point out the window at the guy laughing with his friend, now walking across the parking lot, towards the restaurant door. “Waldo” I say, “I found Waldo” what do I get? Nathalie looks and laughs, literally out loud. Not sure if she laughed louder then, or later when we tried maneuvering around the dining room looking for the best angle for a picture so we can prove it. Although the final shot is not all that clear, I hope you may laugh a little too when you see it. I call it, “Where’s Waldo?”

Sick
I can’t run through week 41 and not talk about how some of us spent it in bed, down for the count for the first time in a long time. I will only say that it is not easy trying to manage breakfast, getting the kids out of the house, dinner, homework, and baths and then bedtime, when you and your wife are maybe 20 or 30% TOGETHER. The girls stepped up and did pitch in, and for that I can say thank you, but I am sure glad we are back to 100%, so we don’t have to do that again!

In closing
I have used the line in class a couple of times over the last few weeks, and I laughed when Nathalie and I talked about the same topic tonight. What I said to the class, after the third or fourth time I told them to settle down and get ready to listen, I muttered something like “I am a bubble away from loosing it, so do you really want to be the group to set me off and take me to the dark side?”. It occurred to me after my conversation with Nathalie that we are all just about in the same place. She used the line, “it keeps me sane and insane” and I was like “can you be both sane and insane at the same time?” and then it hit me, of course you can! It is the ebb and flow of life that moves you from one side to another, and quite often, the only difference is a bubble.

So here is hoping, your on the right side of your bubble this week!

Have a great and safe week and thanks for reading.
Jim

A vote, a nickname, and some names from the past

A vote, a nickname, and some names from the past, the week 40 weekend wrap up is now named “done”!

A vote
In Ontario, the college teachers are currently without a contract, and as a result have been in a bit of a labour issue over the last several months. I thought that this was the week we would see an end to the dispute, because the Professors were at last, given the opportunity to vote on the management’s final offer but I was wrong. The little problem was that the outcome was not as much of a clear victory for either side as we would have liked with only a little more then 200 ballots separating both sides. Yes, that was 200 more votes to accept the contract then reject, but the issue is, there are more then 300 outstanding mailed in votes yet to be counted, so it is possible for the outcome to swing.

The frustrating part is that many people, including myself are in this unavoidable holding pattern and there is not a thing we can do about it. Here is the life lesson I guess, when the outcome of a situation is out of your control, like watching a vase, tipping off a table 20 feet from you, you can only hold your breath, and perhaps go look for the broom, because either way, you will likely have to do some cleaning up.

Moo Moo
Not sure what it was that got us on the topic in the car this week, but we talked about cheese. Specifically the kind in the little cellophane roll with the cow on the label. Yes the Laughing Cow cheese. The girls thought it was a very funny name for a cheese, and in true Carr girl performance fashion, they busted into little cow voices and started to fill the car with an enormous amount of at some point uncontrollable laughing and that on its own would have been something, but it was the fact that it was Laughing Cow Laughing, complete with MOO after MOO after MOO.

True Confession
I was a good teacher this week. Normally I am a great teacher but this week, I felt a little out of sorts, and not my usual self, and as a result, think I could have done much better in the classroom this week. This kind of self awareness comes only after years of teaching, and having so many people from my teaching past that I look up and that I can call on when I need to do better and I am putting it in print, and committing it to words, so that I can remind myself that I am only human and sometimes I can have a bad day, and the best thing to do is come back and do better the next time. So that is the plan. Next week I am going to channel the great ones from my life past, and come out swinging at school. I am going to pull a Big John, and a Michael. You might even see a Ron or a Peter in the class this week, and I can only say that my students will be the better for it.

Family
Happy Family Day! This is a long weekend in Ontario with the addition of the “Family Day” holiday, a couple of years ago. Not sure what we have planned to this point, but I do know it will involve spending time with a great family! Here is hoping you will have the time you want to hang out with your family too!

In Closing
Like many parents, we have cute little names we call the girls, and some just happened and some are modifications of other ones. One of the early ones for Jordyn was Moo-moo, then we shortened it to just Moom and she has allowed it for the most part, and is not a big fan of Jordie, Jordina or Jordina-Fina, some other we have used. Julia has been a B-G-B, Boolia, Buglia and Buggsy and is ok with just about anything we use to call her, but like anyone I guess would rather their actual name. Unless it is their full name, including the middle ones, like the one or two times this week (for both girls).

Have a great and safe week and thanks for reading!

James Fredrick, Jr Carr III (aka, Jim or Jimbo!)