People Watching, the Dreaded Drive-Thru and Baba

People watching, the dreaded drive-thru and Baba, the somewhat light a fluffy, NO MSG added week 12 blog from the Carr world.

Drive-Thru
Ok, what is it that is your kryptonite? I can stand in front of hundreds or even thousands of people with a mic, and have no problem giving a laugh or a talk on just about anything. Put me in front of the little speaker attached to a couple of people with headphones and a cash register in a drive-thru, and I am a babbling, flustered mess. It may have something to do with the 3 voices, barking out wants and not wants from the seats around me, but the truth is, I just about always mess something up and need the person taking the order to repeat and confirm. I don’t get it. I can’t understand why I have an issue with what most would say is such a simple thing to do. I always repeat the order in my head before hand, but as soon as it’s my turn and I am faced with the pressure of getting it right, while not holding up the cars behind me I am an idiot. So I am looking for tips or suggestions for improvement, because this week, after yet another messed up order, I have to confess, “hello, my name is Jim Carr, and I am a bad drive trough order giver.”

Baba
Last year at this same time, I wrote about my Baba and how it was on the 11th day of November that she died some 23 years before. So Remembrance Day for me has always been about remembering things about my Mother’s Mom. This year, 24 years after she has passed away, my day was full of memories of her, but for the first time my thoughts were of not only my Grandmother but also of my Mom. In the months leading up to my Mom’s death, she talked a couple of times about visions she had of her Mom, waiting for her to pass and calling my Mom to her to join her. She told me that each time, she would wave and tell Baba that she was not ready yet, and then Baba was gone.

In one of the visions she described there was an older woman sitting on a stone bench in a lovely flower garden. When the lady turned to look at my Mom, she could see it was Baba and she could see the disappointment in her eyes, that my Mom waved her off yet again, refusing to give up her fight on this earth. My only hope is that now, that they are both together, they can be comfortable, sitting on that bench, admiring the garden and sharing the time and love that they have missed for all the time they were apart.

People
I am a self-admitted people watcher. I don’t think there is anything wrong with it, I never glare or make comments or even laugh out loud at anything I see, I am just a quiet observer of people. I love making up back-stories, or even just wondering what it is that makes the person tick. Tuesday, I was watching this girl at the bus stop, and she kept smiling, and yawning. I was thinking what an odd combination, and aside from that, I was wondered what it was that she was thinking about that was making her laugh and smile as much as she was. I almost asked her, but the creepy old man thing kicked in and I thought better of it. I have heard that laughing at your own jokes is a no-no, but I think smiling to yourself about something that others around you have no clue about is very cool and something we should all try.

Music
Nathalie loves music, and it is no surprise that she has a large collection on her computer. She made a backup CD some time ago, and now uses it in the car as a music source and the girls love it. They always ask for the same 2 or 3 songs, almost as the car door closes, preparing for any trip and most times we oblige. “Angel’s Among Us please!” they both cry this week, and how can you say no? They have heard it enough over the last week, to know most of the words, and we had a laugh Tuesday night, at a modern interpretive dance they put on in our bedroom to the song. Julia, the dancer did arm and face gestures to represent the words that Jordyn was singing and Nathalie and I sat in the front row and watched in amazement at the creativity in selecting the right words, and actions and the facial expressions. My only hope is that they don’t want to start performing all the songs on the CD, because I am just not sure what they will do with Britney Spears’ 3.

In Closing
Just about every week, the girls do something to make me laugh, and this week it was just as we arrived at Julia’s dance class Saturday. Jordyn and Nathalie left the car at the same time as Julia and myself, but headed off into a different direction and when Julia asked, “Where are they going?” I had to do some thinking before speaking. After a second of thought I say, “Mommy has something she needs to do.” So Julia asks the obvious, “What something?” After beating myself up in my head for not coming up with a better first answer, I think a little harder about my second, and I decide honesty is always the best policy, “She is getting her nails done, Julia!” You can see the little wheels turning in the mind of my youngest child, and she then asks, “What about Jordyn, is she getting her nails done too?” Remembering honesty here, I ask, “How much of a problem will that be if she does Julia?” and without hesitation she stretches her little arms apart as wide as she can and says, “This much of a problem Daddy!”

Let’s hope your week is not filled with any of these problems…

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

P.S. We went back and Julia did get her nails done too!

Feet Clothing, our House and the Very Fun Parent Teacher Meeting

Feet clothing, our house and the very fun parent teacher meetings are part of the Carr family for week 11.

Socks
Possibly too much info, but the first article of clothing I put on in the morning, are my socks. I like the idea of starting with a good foundation, and you can’t get closer to the bottom than what you are standing on. Well I guess this rule is weather contingent, because it only applies to the months between September and May, but never the less, it is always socks first. So I laugh each morning when I see Julia putting on her shoes, with NO socks, and I repeat, “Julia, it is cold out there, you need socks, and besides, your feet will smell very bad!” I think she gets it from Nathalie who hates socks on her feet, and usually shows it by taking them off first chance she gets. Well, I guess as articles of clothing go, it is a need to have not always a nice to have and there is nothing you can do about that.

House
It is a sad day at the Carr house. We pushed it as long as we could, not because we have been using it, but because we knew that looking at it in this state would make us feel a little sad. Today, we closed our pool. The hot tub is still open and currently sitting in the high 90’s but today the water was pumped out of the pool, plugs have replaced the water jets and the big blue tarp is safely secured with water bags and wood. The amazingly fun and wonderfully wet, family play thing we have thoroughly enjoyed for the last couple of months is taking a break for the winter and that makes it a little bit of a sad day around here. I guess the one thing I am now looking forward to the most is the next season open the pool day, currently scheduled for April 15th, 2011.

Parent Teacher
So this is the end of the first term at the girl’s school, and that could only mean one thing; report cards. While, here in Ontario they have eliminated or at least changed the process and the way they evaluate students and have introduced yet another report card, and the girls did over all OK. Well, the best I can understand it anyhow. They certainly both have some work to do, and in each case, their teachers had very positive things to say about each of them.

For Jordyn, the message is that she is such a positive energy in class, and works hard, but needs to start taking way more initiative on things and start being in control of her own work. Julia is helpful in class, sometimes to a fault, leaving her own work to help a friend with theirs, so she has to focus a little more and just paying attention. She is also struggling with reading so we have to work on that, but juxtaposition that with Julia’s drama teacher telling me that Julia was one of only two of her students to receive the “Progressing very well” excellent in all of her classes. In the end we are so proud of all that our girls do, and happy with who they have become and are becoming each day.

In closing
Jordyn’s teacher made us laugh and it was just a side story, nothing to do with education. First, I need to back up a little. I have talked about Nathalie’s incredible shopping ability in many blogs from the past, so it should not be a shock to you that she got a great deal on a couple of winter jackets for the girls at the end of the season last year. Now when you find a deal like this, you don’t think twice, you grab two in whatever predictable size you need for the future, and you head for the checkout. Who cares that the jackets are the exact same colour. We did not think it was an issue, and Jordyn has never let on that it was, but when her teacher asked us out of the blue, “does she like her winter coat?” Nathalie and I look at each other and at the same time reply, “I think so”.

Mrs. F, told us about one morning she watched Jordyn come around the corner, out of my sight, and take off her coat, and stuff it into her backpack. She even asked her if everything was ok with it, and told her to put it back on because it was cold out. Jordyn relented and put it back on, but when she pushed a little further, Jordyn admitted that what she was having an issue with was it is too puffy and it is exact same coat as her sister’s. Mrs. F admitted that she caught her two more times, looking for a place to put her coat, other then on her body. Needles to say, we have fixed her wagon, with another shopping trip and yet another bargain on a new, completely different winter coat. Let’s see how this works.

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

Marriage, Dressing Up, a Salad and to Fly Away

Marriage, dressing up, a Salad and to fly away, the musings from in and around the Carr’s for week 10

Wedding
Friday, in a small chapel drenched in the glow of more then 100 flickering candles, I watched what must have been my 10th wedding ceremony this year. 10 weddings, not because I am popular or because I have a large number of single friends, but because in each case, I had a job to do. It always strikes me a little odd, that I get to be like a voyeur, and take part in such a special occasion, in the lives of people that in some cases, I have only met a couple of times. I get to listen to the very personal vows, hear stories of their lives together and watch their first kiss as a married couple and I always feel pretty special to be a part of it. I smile a little during the first dance, and cry a little during the father of the bride dance, perhaps with future visions of a dance or two yet to come in my life.

My takeaway point this day was something the justice of the peace said about marriage just before the lovely couple exchanged their vows. She said, “Marriage is not finding the right partner, it is in being the right partner” and I thought what a great way of looking at it. Sometimes, we look out when we should be looking in, and that is something I will always try to remember.

Salad
After a conversation with Olivia, the very talented photographer at the wedding Friday night, I am happy to report that she may have solved a very longstanding conundrum in my life. I have never been a big fan of Salad. I am very sorry, but I just don’t like the taste. Now, because I know they are good for me, and they do some wonderful and necessary things to the digestive system, I try to eat them when I am given one at a function, but truth be told, I could pass. The girls like them, and in the case of Julia and Nathalie, they could eat them as a meal alone.

The revelation came in the form of Olivia’s past job as a taste tester, and her understanding of taste buds. She informed me that it is possible that I am a super taster, and therefore, bitter is likely amplified for me. It all makes sense. I don’t like coffee or beer and of course salad, all things that have a taste based in bitter, and it is all because of my sensitive taste receptors. I have heard about these “super tasters” before but never made the connection that I may just be one.

Halloween
Aside from Christmas, the most popular holiday in the Carr house is Halloween. The girls start talking about what they are going to be around November and sometimes modify their ideas as the year rolls on. This year Jordyn never wavered from her original “dead fairy” costume and although we only came up with our costume ideas in the last week or so, Julia was the one who changed her mind a couple of times over the months leading up to this week. Now in the end, we kind of helped her change it back to “the devilish girl” that she first suggested, so long ago, because we had already lined up some stuff for the ensemble.

The costumes main use was a ghoulishly fun party at the Shire, and our friends did it up great. Delicious plentiful food, nice music and a lot of fun and interesting people to laugh and talk with, all dressed up in great costumes. And just for deniability, if a picture ever turns up on the Internet of a hairy chested man in a pretty red and black dress, with a lovely blond wig and surprisingly bright eye lashes; it was NOT me!

Fly
It is hard to imagine that I am old enough to have a 19-year-old nephew, I know but that is just what I have after today’s birthday celebration for my older sister’s son Branden. Last year I shared the story of his birth, and how I was close enough to hear his first cry, and how proud I am of all that he has accomplished. Well, now we can check jumping out of an airplane at 12,500 feet to the list of things he has been able to do in his lifetime. Yesterday as a birthday treat for himself, he did what he has always wanted to do, parachute. Congratulations to my little buddy and NOW the sky is truly the limit!

In Closing
Not afraid of hanging out on the edge of controversy, I would like to share the shopping for Nathalie’s bra story with you. Yesterday, while going up and down the aisle, looking for just the right new bra, Nathalie is flipping in this section and that section. The girls, never further than an earshot, overhear her complaining under her breath about a lack of what she would describe as “cute ones” in her size. “Look only black ones, and white ones all very boring and none of the pretty ones in my size” Nathalie finally says loud enough for her cart pushing husband to hear and offer a “Ahh”, and then Julia’s pipes in by asking the all important question, “So Mommy are you a 3D or a 4D?” Good question Julia, I only wonder if you need special glasses to answer it?

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