"Many Harry Returns"

Once you were two, dear birthday friend,
In spite of purple weather.
But now you are three and near the end
As we grewsome together.

How fourthful thou, forsooth for you,
For soon you will be more.
But 'fore one can be three be two;
Before be five be four.

-Walt Kelly

babysitter ad

Simon has officially decided that skating is fun.

I'm taking Simon to his new kindergarten today to get him registered for the fall. Kindergarten! Holy crap!

Sound effects by Simon:

The itsy-bitsy spider crawled up the mommy's nose ("ew")
Out came a sneeze ("Ahh-chew!") and out the spider goes ("wheeeeee!")
Out comes the Kleenex(tm) and dries up all the goo
And the itsy-bitsy spider is ready for Round 2.

Damn it.

From the Face book group:

Hello all. As of about 5 minutes ago, the membership of CUPE 3903 has voted overwhelmingly to go out on strike. Therefore, the bargaining team/executive team has taken the direction of the membership, and have voted unanimously to strike.

The university's final offer is not only less than we deserve, it takes away many of the wages/benefits/funds we have previously earned. Therefore, we encourage the university to come back to the bargaining table with a substantially better offer that more fully reflects the extent of the work that we do.

Those of you that have signed up for 7 am picket duty, please show up ready to picket! Even if you have not signed up, please show up if you are available.

As well, please be aware of a Strike Rally that will be happening tomorow at 9 am, at the main entrance of York. This rally will have speakers, information, food, etc. There will be media in attendance, and its really important we show the university that we stand united together against a university that is determined to break us.

See you all on the lines!!

~julie~

I may be on strike Thursday morning. Having done this once already, I really have had my fill of picketing -- please, please let the offer tomorrow be acceptable.

Just in case it's not, I may make these cookies for the picket line. I found the recipe in one of those community recipe collections, called, of course, "Treasured Recipes":

Aggression Cookies

6 cups oatmeal
3 cups brown sugar
3 cups butter
3 cups flour
1 tbsp baking soda

Combine the above ingredients. Mash, knead and squeeze until you feel better.
Form dough into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with bottom
of glass that has been buttered and dipped in sugar. Bake in 350 degree oven
for 10-12 minutes. Yield: 15 dozen.

Lost a friend. Six years ago now. It still sucks.

From various sources. I have to admit, it doesn't seem *that* adventurous a list to me -- then again, I live with an eat-lister (a variant on bird-watching).  The most exotic thing I've eaten must be whale, I think (and I don't particularly recommend it!).

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

For L-L, looking for something Victorian to read:

( Victorians reading list )

Go ahead. Macro me :/

As a general rule, try to avoid having a cat plummet off the 2nd story railing as you climb the stairs. If this is impossible, endeavour to be wearing clothing at the time.

Finally, have more bandages in the house than Simon's "Curious George" ones. I don't care so much about the lacerations on my leg & the *side* of my breast, but the George bandaid on my nipple was just too bizarre.

1. "I'm a lion, rahrrrr! No -- I'm a monkey! Find bananas in trees!"

2. "I'm a bird!" "You're a bird?" "Yes! I'm a bird! I have a beak!" "Where's your beak?" "On my bum!!"

All I can say is that I'm nervous what I'll find next time I do a diaper check...

We were driving somewhere this afternoon, and somewhere in the course of random conversation, I happened to use the word "spigot."*

Cue laughter from the back of the car.

"Spigot." Again, laughter.


Apparently "spigot" is the funniest word ever. Honestly -- I can sneak up beside Simon, say "spigot" and be instantly rewarded with gales of laughter & a toddler muttering "spigot spigot spigot" to himself. We spent quite a lot of time today experimenting with this.

Spigot.


*I think I was referring to "the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spigot" at the time.

Why are there multiple posts on my friends list regarding strangers asking if they can touch someone's breasts?

From a Maclean's magazine blogger, Paul Wells, in an entry entitled Crybaby Federalism:

We know [Harper] likes to run everything, but here's the deal: if somebody signs up to be a Conservative staffer, you can tell them what to do, OK? You don't get to run the Senate. You don't get to push bureaucrats around for kicks. You don't get to muzzle public servants, tell reporters how to cover you, pick the next US president or write Ontario budgets. There's a Canadian constitution that says so, and just because you boycotted the 25th-anniversary celebrations of the Charter of Rights doesn't mean the separation of powers, which isn't even in the Charter, goes away by fiat.

Stephen Harper is such a clever tactician that his little games can be so fascinating we overlook their significance. The significance of this one is, well, significant: he's badmouthing his own country's industrial heartland and running roughshod over the prerogatives of a legitimately-elected government for the sake of cheap political points and to prop up his serial loser of a finance minister. It's not funny.

Yanked from deadlyrhythm :

Step 1: Put your MP3 player or whatever on random.
Step 2: Post the first line from the first 20 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing the song.
Step 3: Post and let everyone you know guess what song and artist the lines come from.
Step 4: Strike out the songs when someone guesses correctly.
Step 5: Looking them up on Google or any other search engine is cheating. no cheating, please!

1. The door opened slowly.
2. Moving stranger, does it really matter.
3. Just give me one more sniffle, Another sniffle of that dope.
4. There's a house on my block that's abandoned and cold.
5. Listen girls and boys, I've got one stick.
6. So you try to make connection, you heard whispers in the hall....
7. A virgen mui gror osa...
8. Now it's getting so I'm mad when someone says your name.
9. At words poetic I'm so pathetic that I always have found it best... imnotandrei
10. Well I don't miss her anymore the way that I used to...
11. Most men do love the Spanish wine...
12. The people's flag is deepest red... rdi
13. Too many problems Oh why am I here.
14. You know, if you break my heart I'll go... enf
15. Whenever we hold each other, We hold each other.. enf
16. A sailor's life is supposed to be a helluva lot of fun.
17. Do you remember a guy that's been in such an early song? rdi
18. What, am I to wake up suddenly and then, Enroll at the local college and earn me a degree
19. Winter time on the frozen river, Sunday afternoon.
20. Did you hear the news about Edward?

I think this qualifies as an eclectic list.

Please consider writing one word to describe me... just one single word. Leave it in my comments. Then (if you like) post this message on your journal and see how many strange and interesting things people say about you.

45. Is there a point at which I have to start acting my age?

Ah, the things you do as displacement for the work you *should* be doing...

PS I think Julia Child cheats in the Way to Cook. I've made this a couple of times now, and the only way the skin turns out golden crispy-brown is to take a blowtorch to it. Yay, blowtorches.