A play by play account of last night:

10:30 - the Australian Open match I was watching was failing to keep my interest, so I decided to retire.
11:00 - finished reading and turned out the light. Pleased with myself for going to be at a decent hour.
Midnight - Graig wakes me up briefly as he comes to bed. I do go back to sleep quickly though.
12:45 - I can hear Laurel screeching from her room. She sounds disturbingly awake. The fun begins.
1 am - She's eaten and changed so I decide to try and put her back into her crib. She doesn't complain, but she also doesn't seem to want to sleep. I go back to bed.
1:15 - She starts to cry earnestly, still obviously not sleepy. I go in, we have a cuddle, but she's more interested in trying to eat the tag on a blanket hanging over the back of the chair. I decide to let her play a bit in hopes of it tiring her out.
1:35 - Give her a little more something to eat and try the back to bed thing again.
1:45 - I'm back in her room 'cause she's managed to manuever herself so that she's sideways in her crib and is kicking the wall between our bedrooms.
2 am - She starts to cry again. I think I feel the same way.
2:05 - I try the old standby; go into the bathroom and turn the bathroom fan on. She starts rubbing her eyes and I see victory within reach.
2:15 - She's finally tired enough to pass out. I tuck her in and wearily head for my own bed.
2:20 - All's been quiet on the Western Front for 5 minutes now, so I fall asleep.
5:45 - Laurel starts screeching from her room again. I look at the clock and despair.
6am - She's fed and changed and shows no sign of wishing to return to bed again. So I decide to feed her breakfast.
6:15 - She has oatmeal, applesauce and avacado. The cat, seeing as how we're up, has also decided she needs breakfast as well, and so stays completely underfoot until I take pity on the poor, starving creature and feed her.
6:30 - Laurel has an arrowroot cookie and some eye rubbing starts. Thank goodness.
6:40 - We head upstairs for another diaper change, she eats, we have a cuddle.
7am - Laurel's passed out again. I greatfully head back to bed.
8:15 - Graig gets up for work, trying to be quiet, but can't really help but wake me up.
8:17 - Cat comes in and pokes me in the face to see if I'm awake. Or alive. I can never quite tell with her. I throw her out of the room.
8:20 - Cat is obsessed with water running down the drain in the bathtub, and so meows loudly outside the bathroom while Graig is in the shower. I contemplate no longer being a cat owner.
8:40 - Graig comes back in to dress and it seems to take forever, even though I know it doesn't, I'm just at my wits end.
8:50 - all is quiet.
9am - Laurel wakes up. Sigh.

I'd like to say I got an afternoon nap out of the deal, but that didn't even work out as Laurel decided at the beginning of Jet's lunch hour that she was so very, very tired and didn't want lunch she just wanted to sleep, so she went down just after noon. I returned Jet to school for 12:35, came back, wolfed down some lunch of my own, then laid down for a bit, just before 1. Laurel woke up at 1:45.

It's going to be a long afternoon/evening all right. Thank goodness for afternoon tennis on TSN.

Yes, today I had something I haven't had in 6 whole months now; an honest to goodness day off. This morning, Graig and Laurel left for a visit to Thunder Bay, and since Jet is at his dad's on Tuesdays, well after I returned him to school after lunch, the day was mine.

I was almost a little overwhelmed by the prospect. What to do? Where to go? Should I try and see people? Or should I just stay home and revel in the aloneness and relax and sleep? So many options...

But my mind was made up for me almost from the moment my husband and daughter left this morning and an overwhelming wave of separation anxiety hit me as I watched their cab pull away. I needed to keep myself busy or else I was just going to fret the entire time if Laurel was all right (even knowing full well that she is). It's my first time away from my baby for an extended period, and I knew by about a couple of hours in, I was going to be missing her terribly (I'm used to Graig being gone all day, I won't miss him until bedtime when I'm expecting him to be next to me and he's not).

So, I decided a viewing of Avatar was in order, then some skating at Nathan Philip's Square and perhaps a visit to the Snail to see the gang there since I hardly get to see them anymore.

Avatar... not bad. Not great either. Terribly predictable. Pretty to look at and the 3-D was used wisely and with restraint. Which is good 'cause I'm not generally a fan of the 3-D. Found the day-glo colours of Pandora got on my nerves after awhile though. But still, a serviceable spectacle and, with the free popcorn and drink offered on a Tuesday, an enjoyable movie-going experience.

Afterwards, I stopped by the Snail. Had a nice visit with George, and an even nicer and completely unexpected visit with a very old friend who had moved away to Europe a few years ago. She was just randomly in the Snail, but it was wonderful to see her and to meet her husband and her baby girl, who is only a few months older than Laurel. Of course though, seeing Fiori did make me miss my baby though... The even funnier thing though is that Gina actually does know my husband, she met him long ago when they witnessed a TTC streetcar accident while waiting for a streetcar, so she thought it was pretty hilarious that I'm married to Graig. So I left the Snail (after nearly being convinced to come out with them all for their 'Pancake Tuesday' get together where they all do some drawing and eat bad food, but they don't start till 10 and I have been up since before 7am...)

I headed over to Nathan Phillip's, donned the skates and proceeded 'round the rink for nearly an hour. Seeing as how I was pregnant all last winter, I hadn't skated since the PREVIOUS winter, so I was a little more wobbly than usual. But after a couple of passes, it came back to me and the wobbles went away and I could still do cross over s and whatnot. My stopping's really rusty though... But it felt good to be back on the ice and I'm looking forward to taking Jet skating on Thursday, now that I know I haven't forgotten how.

Back home, I did a few things around the house, then talked to Graig for awhile so I could hear how Laurel did on the plane (awesome) and how she's been since (making strange unfortunatley), and what she ate and that Graig's quite certain she misses me. I miss her too... And now that I've talked to him, I miss him too.

I'm dressed in comfy, warm clothes now, and have a nice cup of tea and I'm off to watch Fellowship of the Ring, which is total comfort food.

I'm also greatly looking forward to sleeping through the night and sleeping in with no interruptions. It seems nearly decadent to me.

So that's my day off. It's been a productive one, which is exactly what I needed.

Maybe I'll get another in another 6 months :)

Here we are, end of another year and this year, the end of a decade. Over the past 10 years my life has changed a hell of a lot. I've had two children, had a very long-term relationship end, found the love of my life and married him, finally journeyed to London, England and the nerd-mecca that is Comic Con in San Diego, bought a house... It's been a journey all right. And like the decade itself, this year has been one of ups and downs, but overall, I think I will look at 2009 on a positive note, mainly for one, big reason.

So without further comment, my annual, year end meme:

1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Saw a Red Wings game in Detroit.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I never make New Years' resolutions.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, the closest person to me of all... me :) Graig and I welcomed our beautiful daughter into the world.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Fortunately no.

5. What countries did you visit?
The U.S of A, Detroit specifically to see the Red Wings play the Chicago Blackhawks in Joe Louis Arena.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
A million dollars?

7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
July 6, the day Laurel was born.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Having my baby girl.

9. What was your biggest failure?
I didn't finish writing my book.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No, I was pretty healthy this year actually. The worst were the fainting spells brought on by my pregnancy.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Our new cat Isis.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Jet's because he's being a wonderful big brother and my husband who proved what I already knew, that he'd be a fabulous father. Also, my MIL who is facing incredible adversity with grace, strength and dignity. She is amazing.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Oh, just the usual.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Baby. House.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Going to see the Red Wings play, Laurel's arrival (which was also a relief).

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
I Will by the Beatles

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. Happier or sadder?
Just as happy.
ii. Thinner or fatter?
A little heavier. Stupid baby weight
iii. richer or poorer?
Richer!

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Ridden my bike and wrote my book. And sleep. I miss sleep.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Not much really.

20. How many one-night stands?
I'm maintaining my lifetime total of none.

21. What was your favourite TV program?
Lost

22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Nope.

23. What was the best book you read?
The Thirteenth Tale

24. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I didn't make any new musical discoveries this year, but I felt like I re-discovered the Beatles and I'm really happy about that.

25. What did you want and not get?
My basement finished.

26. What was your favourite film of this year?
My movie viewing took a sharp decline this year, but I loved Up and A Serious Man.

27. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
The big 39. Didn't do too much really, friends came over for an Amazing Race viewing.

28. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009
Just thankful I can wear all my old clothes again :)

29. What kept you sane?
My husband, tea with Natalie and comfort viewings of Law & Order in the afternoons.

30. Who did you miss?
Ciaran who's still in Edmonton.

31. Who was the best new person you met?
Laurel Liberty Belle

32. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009:
Life is full of surprises and not all of them are good.



I hope everyone has a good New Year's Eve and all the best to in 2010!

Wow, been awhile since I said anything. I have an excellent excuse though. Our daughter, Laurel Liberty Belle Kent was born on July 6, about a week early. I was more than ready for her to show up though :)

Labour was labour. Some of it completely sucked (like the botched epidural that had to be performed twice), some of it was completely easy (only 20 minutes of pushing compared to the two hours for Jet). But she's here, she's beautiful and Graig and I are so proud and happy and sleep deprived.

Jet's adjusting to be a big brother fairly well. He's quite concerned about Laurel's happiness when she cries. And it's not a 'will she shut up?' concern, he's honestly worried that she's unhappy and wants to help her. I'm also glad he sleeps though any of her crying at night, as I'm sure being woken up by her might make him a little unhappy about her.

She's a good baby, regular amount of fussiness, but she eats a lot. Every two hours or even less. Which is normal for a breast fed baby, but whew, it does wear me out. Jet was less interested in eating, he'd go every three hours, and it's amazing how much that extra hour is needed. Laurel did only wake twice during the night the other night and it was sooo good to have that bit of extra sleep. But, she's healthy and packing on the weight, and that's a good thing.

We have a plethora of pink clothes for her, despite our not having bought a single pink thing for her. We were trying to avoid that, but well, pink is everywhere for a little girl, and we knew we were going to get pink things for her and we were right. Some of it is as cute as the dickens though, and I'm reminded once again how much easier it is to shop for girls clothes than boys, the selection is always much greater. It's quite annoying.

Overall though, the family is good. Graig has been home this entire month which has been wonderful. My husband is a huge help and already a fabulous father (just like I knew he would be). Often he's the only one who can calm Laurel down during her fussy periods. If she sits with me, she just wants to eat, and then she overeats and becomes more fussy. It's a vicious circle :)

I hadn't really forgotten how... all consuming a new-born is. Sometimes its tough, but also I realize, second time around is easier as (for me) the anxiety level that's there with a first born just isn't there this time. It's easier to relax and enjoy Laurel being here rather than worry about everything. Not that I was a worry wort with Jet, but that niggling 'am I doing this right' that was always there with him just isn't here now.

As a teenager, I was a huge Michael Jackson fan. I was 12 years old when Thriller was released, and so was perfect pickings to be hit by the mania of Michael Jackson. Like pretty much everyone else at that time, I listened endlessly to that album, and, having been raised on monster-movies, I thought the video to the song Thriller was the best thing ever. I don't remember how often I rented that from the video store, until my father finally bought me my own copy because that wound up being cheaper. I had posters on my walls of course, and I'd hijacked a few of the plastic, magnetic letters (belonging to my then five year old brother) adorning our fridge to permantly spell out "I love MJ". My friend Janice down the street was also a huge fan, and the two of us would pool allowance money to buy magazines that featured Michael, cutting out articles and putting them into a big box. So yeah, I was a little obsessed.

The obsession waned of course, in my later teenaged years. But I was still a fan of his music. In fact, I remained a fan of his music and I own his albums right up until HIStory. There are songs on all those records, from Bad and Dangerous and HIStory that I truly like, but of course, I remember over the years feeling sad that Michael was becoming so... weird. While I still liked his music, I could see it was becoming more irrelevant. Which was also rather sad.

I think overall, my feelings can be summed up through this article I read in the Star today: I started mourning 25 years ago. I'll always miss the Michael Jackson I worshipped as a kid, but the Michael Jackson who just passed away was pretty much a stranger to me. I do hope he has finally found peace.

The only vinyl album I still own is a copy of Thriller. I'm glad my husband still owns a turntable.

So, not only is my city on the first day of a city-workers labour strike (which means no garbage pickup amongst other things) Strike Ripples Across City, but to make matters worse, the LCBO (purveyors of booze to those living in Ontario) employees may strike on Wednesday LCBO Worker Strike.

Ok, it's bad enough that we may be facing a summer with no garbarge pick up, no city-run swimming pools open, no ferry to the Toronto Islands, no city-run summer camps, but no summer cocktails*? This could lead to some serious, civil unrest ;)






*Yes, I know I cannot drink NOW, but after little girl is born, I can partake a bit again. Thank goodness. I miss booze. And fortunately, the garbage strike part of this does not effect the Toronto 'borough' of Etobicoke, where I have relatives living who will fortunately allow me to add my garbage to theirs for pick up.

We went for an ultrasound yesterday and it confirmed what I've thought for a while now; little girl is head down and sitting really, really freaking low, and if we go as far as her actual July 12th due date, I'll be really, really freaking surprised. She's just shy of 6 pounds right now (which is nearly two pounds bigger than I was when I was born, but I was a preemie), and is average length/weight for a 36-week old communion alien. Which is all good.

Y'see, I've hit that point where I just want to be done now. I honestly felt myself noticably slow down this past weekend. The moment I stand up, I feel her pressing down and it's rather uncomfortable. My hips are sore when I wake up now, akin to the feeling I'd get the first few days of camping/hiking, while adjusting to carrying a heavy load mostly balanced on my hips. And I know I've finally developed that pregnant waddle, which I hate :) This past Saturday, after a few days of not very good sleep, I didn't manage to drag myself out of bed until 1:30 in the afternoon. And I still felt fairly exhausted. Even just trying to turn over in bed is a near Herculean task. I just want to feel mobile again I guess.

And my skin problems seem to be getting worse as this goes on. I admit, I was a very lucky teenager in that I never had skin problems; I had the odd pimple once in a blue moon, but never anything more than that. But now I've got this breakout all on my forehead, and they keep cropping up around my nose and on my chin. I've always washed my face regularly, and yet I feel completely ill-equipped to deal with this. Sigh.

Labour doesn't scare me (actually, it didn't really the first time either), I know it will suck, I know I'll tolerate the contractions for awhile and then I'll want drugs. Beyond that, whatever happens, happens. But at least it will mean I no longer have to be pregnant, and I'm rather looking forward to that :)

So here we are, Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. Despite two months of hard toil and many games played by both teams to get here, it's now a Superbowl-type situation; you win one game, you win it all. No pressure folks, none at all...

Hell, I'M nervous, I cannot even imagine what's going through the minds of the Penguins and the Red Wings as the try to prepare for tonight's game. Despite a bunch of Detroit players already having been part of four Stanley Cup winning teams, they admit they've never played in a Game 7 Final and are a little nervous. There is a lot of pressure on them; they're the defending champs, they're the veterans, they're the team that blew a 2-0 game lead. They have something to prove.

The Penguins? Yeah, they have something to prove as well; that they belong here again, that these talented youngsters learned enough from their defeat last year to win it all this year. But really, they have time, they accomplished a heck of a lot just by getting here again (their first half of the regular season play was just dismal) and they will, undoubtedly, be back again.

The best description of this series I've heard though is from my co-worker Andy. Andy hates the Pittsburgh Penguins with a passion, so he's taken to calling this "careful, brilliant teambuilding vs. lucky teambuilding". Andy holds it against the Penguins that they won the post-lockout draft lottery (so they were lucky), thereby giving them the right to draft Sydney Crosby, and then sucking so bad that the next year they were able to draft Evgeni Malkin. Meanwhile, you look at how low so many of Detroit's star players were drafted (Henrick Zetterberg at number 210 anyone? Holy shit, what a steal), damn that organization knows what they're doing.

I'm almost nervous enough to not want to watch tonight's game. I want the Wings to win of course. I don't want to watch them get this close and lose. That is way worse than having them exit the playoffs early. But back to back Cups would be so sweet...

Let's go Red Wings.

As time ticks down to June 25th, my last day of work, I'm finding myself in the strange position of having less and less to do. Not having things to do here is a state that has not happened for a very, very long time. But at this point, I'm off-loading my work to the people who will cover for my mat leave (is it wrong I'm kinda impressed with myself that it will take two different people to cover off all the things I do all by my lonesome?) and many of the other things I've rushed to do are all awaiting review, so I'm actually... caught up.

I think that actually kinda scares me.

But this afternoon, after I'd gone through what was left to do for one of the more fiddly applications and made a list for the new girl of things she'll need to watch for, I actually found myself having to think for a moment about what could I do next. Usually, there's at least five or six things that would immediately spring to mind for what to do next. It's weird really.

Of course, I have now threatened those people who are dragging their heels in reviewing things that I'm gone in a couple of weeks, so either they get it done now or else... Ok, this isn't exactly true, editing can be done by someone else, but it would probably be preferable that I do it considering I know the content I wrote. I do hope that some stuff comes back to me so that I will have something to do over the next while.

But perhaps I'll sit and think hard and make a list of some things I've been meaning to do but haven't had time to do. It seems almost like a luxury at this point.

1. You can ONLY answer 'Yes' or 'No'.

2. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone comments you and asks? and, believe me, the temptation to explain some of these will be overwhelming. Nothing is exactly as it seems.


( Meme )

Awhile ago, I signed up for the service where the TTC sends out an email alerting you to a disruption in their service. I just got one telling me:

A section of the Bloor-Danforth Subway service is currently shut down from Kipling Station to Kennedy Station. Shuttle buses are in service.

A 'section' folks? Kipling to Kennedy is THE ENTIRE FREAKING BLOOR-DANFORTH LINE (which goes across the entire city)! I think that's a wee bit more than a 'section'.

Anyway, thanks for letting me know. Of course, they don't say WHY it's down... so off I toodle to the official, TTC website, hoping for more information. However, when checking under Service Advisories, I am told this:

There are no major disruptions at this time.

*Sigh*

Thankfully Graig rode his bike today and can pick up Jet. Cause really, I have no idea right now if the stupid subway is running or if everything is hunky dorry and I won't have to figure an alternate route home. Hopefully in the next hour and a half, the TTC can figure out if they have a problem or not. This is me, not holding my breath though.

Today my absolute favourite person in the world celebrates his birthday. Thing is, he's not really wild about acknowledging it, in fact, he'd really rather ignore it. But of course, I want to make some fuss over him on his birthday, but I've kinda learned to let him take the lead on it, so we do as much or as little as he'd like. Over the years we've gone to see his friend's band play and last year we went to see The Kids in the Hall. This year, after a rather action-packed May, I didn't really have anything planned for his birthday, so he declared that on this past Saturday, we'd take Jet to see Up and have lunch out and then bbq some steaks for dinner. I also said, since he'd been complaining about needing new clothes, that we'd go on a shopping excursion on Monday (so, today) and get him some new clothes. This all seemed to go down fine, and I understand his not wanting a big fuss made on his birthday, but I also feel kinda guilty when I don't. Guess I kinda see it as my job to fuss over him :)

Anyway, not only is Graig's birthday in June, but three others I hold near and dear also celebrate their birthdays this month and it got me to thinking, weirdly about astrology. Astrology is not something I really give much thought to. I don't really believe in it or follow horoscopes or anything like that, but it seems that according to astrology, Libra and Gemini pairings are supposedly amongst the most harmonious and long lasting of all the zodiac. And given my relationship with my husband, I'm inclined to agree.

But it's not just my relationship with my husband that makes me actually think there might just be a little something to this whole thing, as my best friend for the last 24 years is a Gemini (kon_el333), my dear friend Ciaran, whom I've been friends with for 16 years now, is a Gemini, and faithfan someone I've been friends with for 10 years now, even though we've never actually met face to face, is another Gemini in my life.

Oh sure, there are others in my life I have been friends with for a very long time who are not Geminis, but I guess I do find it interesting that there is a bit of a... pattern here.

This still isn't enough to make me believe in astrology though ;)

Last night, the Red Wings did indeed eliminate the Chicago Blackhawks from the playoffs, winning 2-1 in OT. I've realized I really don't like watching OT, I get way too nervous. Fortunately, the Wings' Darren Helm (who had a helluva game) scored the OT winner quickly, at around the 3 minute mark.

So the Stanley Cup Final is set to be the Red Wings against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Stop me if you've heard this one before... Yes, it is a repeat of last year's final, something that has not happened since '83 & '84, when the Islanders and the Oilers duked it out two years in a row, the vetern Islanders winning in '83, but the hugely talented, young Oilers winning in '84.

Of course I'm rooting for my beloved Wings, but I have a feeling they're in for a tough series... Pittsburgh learned a lot from being in last year's finals, Crosby and Malkin are playing like the superstars they are, and they are getting more balanced scoring than they did last year. The Wings are... well they're the Wings. They play their skilled, disciplined game of keep away hockey, but are running into injury problems. That they were able to beat the Hawks without two of their best players out of the lineup (Lidstrom and Datsyuk) is pretty amazing. Hopefully Lidstrom especially will be back for Saturday, so he can renew his acquaintance of being Sidney Crosby's best friend and shadow.

I'm looking forward to the series and am hoping that the most obscure hockey statistic ever will come true for me; in the years where I have a baby, that the Detroit Red Wings are the Stanley Cup champions :)

(Jet was born in 2002, and yes, the Wings won the Cup that year.)

We (as in the husband and I) have been bandying about getting a pet for... pretty much our entire relationship. The conversation has always revolved around getting a dog, which is just fine. We're both dog people, with me having had two family dogs over the years (Lady came to our family when I was 3 and spent a wonderful 16 years with us, then we had Morgan, who was a goofy presence in our lives for 10 years), and now my parents owning three (yes, at the same time) dogs that I'm always happy to see. Graig desperately wants a Boston Terrier, but we've realized we cannot possibly afford one right now, so we've been sort of looking at other options, including cheaper x-breeds (usually something involving a Labrador retriever), or perhaps 'rescuing' an ex-show dog who needs a new home.

Funny thing is, I find that the closer we get to actually getting a dog... we seem to freeze up before it becomes reality. We both know owning a dog is a huge responsibilty. In the 'how much time does this pet suck up in your life?' hierarchy, dogs are pretty much at the top of the pyramid. They require training, walks, much attention, more walks, further training etc. They are pack animals and will not be happy with a peripheral role in your life. Nor should they be.

But that's the problem... I don't know, realistically, if we'll be able to devote enough time to a new dog right now, no matter how much we want one. The communion alien is due to arrive in a month or so, and lets face it, she is going to suck up a hell of a lot of our time and energy, and then there also has to be a balance of time and energy that still gets given to Jet. There's not a lot of room for a dog in there, especially not a puppy. And I admit, I'm seized with feelings of guilt whenever the thought of how the dog'd be alone for most of the day once I (and Graig) return to work after our year of maternity leave. If Jet was a wee bit older and came home for lunch, it wouldn't be an issue, but it is. (of course, it would also help if Jet gave a shit about dogs, but he doesn't really)

Of late, and I don't even remember how it started, every time Graig sees a cat, he gleefully calls out 'Kitty!' In the discussions of pets, the idea of having a cat hasn't really come up mainly because I'm actually kinda allergic to them. Graig had a cat by proxy for a while (it belonged to a former girlfriend of his), which he liked. And despite my allergies, my family had two cats once. We were visiting friends down in New Jersey when our friend's son showed up with two, tiny kittens. He wasn't allowed to keep them, so after hearing various methods in which the kittens might be 'disposed of', my mother stepped in and declared we were taking them home with us*, so Dusty and Patches as they were christened, returned to Canada with us. In fact, Dusty was truly the one and only family pet who was more 'mine' than anyone else's in the family, and I loved him all the more for that. He was a wonderful cat, a bit of a character, talkative, loving, but also a bit of a chicken; he'd generally let his sister boss him around, and I don't think he was ever fully comfortable with either of our dogs. Yeah, I was allergic to the two cats when we first brought them home, but after not quite a month of being kinda miserable, I developed a tolerance to them and was fine after that. And three years of living with my brother's rotten cat proved to be surprisingly allergy-free.

So maybe... maybe if we're still feeling starved for a pet, a cat is the way to go? I might be sneezy and wheezy for a bit, but a cat feels more like our speed right now, a nice, interactive pet who is a little less intensive than a dog. I dunno...

Of course, I did go and promise Jet he could get a fish when the baby's born, so maybe that's enough for now ;)

*My mother is generally responsible for most of the family pets showing up in our home. In fact, I think Lady and their current dog Tess are the only ones where my father actually had a say in the matter. She decided we were taking the cats home, despite the 10 hour drive back to Toronto from New Jersey. When Morgan showed up, Mom had just gone out to get a new shower curtain and returned sans shower curtain but with new puppy. She did tell my dad she was getting Cara, their second, current dog, but River, their third, basically just came for a 'visit' one weekend (while my dad was away) and never left. So yeah, I'm used to pets just kinda... appearing.

On our things to do before the baby comes list, going to see Macbeth performed at Stratford is the last one. At this point, with only a month to go (maybe) before the little girl makes her entrance, the number of roadtrips I'm going to feel like embarking on will be... next to nill.

So Graig and I took the day off work yesterday to go see a preview performance of Macbeth, starring Colm Feore in the title role. Macbeth is one of my very favourite Shakespearean plays, and I have great admiration for Colm Feore , so of course when I heard Stratford was staging a production of Macbeth with Colm Feore, damn right I wanted to see it.

I forgot though, that rule number one of seeing anything at Stratford is don't see a matinee while school is still in session. Having to sit through this production amidst a sea bored, annoying, bused in teenagers was... annoying. Their immature propensity to scream when the theatre was dark or when the gunfire/explosions were going off, or their laughing during one of Lady Macbeth's darkest speeches because she says the word 'nipple' just made me wish they weren't there. Oh sure, I'm glad that they're still being exposed to Shakespeare, but during intemission, having to listen to them proudly kvetch how they 'don't get it and I slept through most of it', made me rather sad. But I also recognize that I'm different for I was a huge geek who loved Shakespeare the moment it was foisted on me in Grade 9 english. I've long thought that Macbeth was one of Shakespeare's more accessible plays, but maybe I'm wrong. It's theme of 'power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely' is an oldy but a goody, and the violence and supernatural tint to it I had always seen as a good way to draw audiences in... but maybe not? As I said, the aforementioned teenagers sure didn't get it, and the older couple seated beside Graig and I were completely lost with the woman asking me at intermission if I understood anything that had just happened. When I said I did, and she kinda looked at me disbelievingly, I sheepishly explained I had a degree in English literature and so had read a lot of Shakepspeare and upon hearing that, she was overjoyed and I broke down very quickly the major plot points of the first half of the play for her and her husband. Graig said he was struggling with the language more in this one than he had in Coriolanus too, so maybe it is just my familiarity with the play that made it easy for me, I don't know.

So, the production itself... not the best Macbeth I've seen done. The director decided to set the play in 1990's Africa (due to the Macbethian themes of rebellion and violence), complete with modern, military dress and traditional African dress, and jeeps and helicopters and guns etc. While I don't mind Shakespeare transported to different times (I know it's usually an attempt to prove the 'universality' of his plays), sometimes it doesn't quite work and when you're trying to rectify the play being in Africa but there's still all those Scottish/English/Irish references... it's kinda a noticable disconect. I know it really bothered Graig and I don't blame him for that.

They also moved the play along at a terribly fast clip with quick scene transitions and even nearly overlapping scenes (the remnants of a previous scene still being onstage for a new one) and I could see how this would be difficult to follow, especially given that Shakespeare sometimes isn't the greatest for identifying which characters are which until well into a scene. There was even one scene where it took me a moment to remember that it was Malcolm talking to MacDuff, as we hadn't seen Malcolm for awhile. The lighting and stage direction itself was well done, they made copious use of flashlights very effectively, and the banquet scene where the ghost of Banquo makes his unwelcome appearance was particularly well done, with Banquo appearing and disappearing pefectly on cue to freak Macbeth out even more. It's important this scene is done well since it is really the first major inkling that Macbeth's losing it and is what will begin to spark the rebellion of MacDuff and the other Thanes against Macbeth's rule.

The acting was pretty much fine. There were a few people making their 'Stratford debuts', some did well, others... not so much. One of the witches wasn't particularly good, and the fellow playing Duncan was ok. Some just seem to have a natural gift for speaking the speech trippingly, for others, it never seems to come easily. But then, iambic pentameter isn't a rhythm most people are comfortable speaking in. Colm Feore as Macbeth was just fine; he wavered back and forth between having absolute conviction over his actions and absolute horror over them, which is a pretty conventional way to play Macbeth, but rightly accurate. The actress playing Lady Macbeth was also very good, she sold the cold calculation that disolves into self-destroying guilt very well.

Overall, I still enjoyed the production, I'll always love Macbeth as a play, it is dark and supernatural and bloody and I'm very glad I got to see a favourite actor of mine in the lead role. I still could've done without the teenagers of course.

On a more personal note, a trip to Stratford was Graig and mine's first 'official' date nearly three years ago. As Graig pointed out, nothing in Stratford itself was really changed since our last being there, but I had to laugh when I realized how much had changed for US since then; I don't think that either of us thought as we rambled around Stratford that day that our next journey there would see us disgustingly happily married and expecting a baby in a month... Nope, doubt even the Three Witches could've prophicized that one ;)

On Friday afternoon, my husband announces that tickets for the first game of the Detroit Red Wings/Chicago Blackhawks series (Sunday at 3pm) go on sale on Ticketmaster at 6pm that evening. And I don't really think anything of it. But suddenly, around 6:30, we seem to have tickets for the game! I was floored. For years and years now, I'd been thinking/half-assed planning/wanting to go see the Red Wings play at home. Detroit is only a four hour drive from Toronto, so it's not insurmountable, I just never got around to doing it. But now, we had tickets, so stage one complete.

( The rest of the journey )

Not about to say anything new here, but I love the Tragically Hip. They are without doubt, my favourite band. And seeing them live last night for the first time in a number of years, just solidified why I love 'em.

This viewing as a bit of a night of 'firsts' though. It was the first time I've ever seen without being a little umm... high for the show. I'm pleased to report they're still great :) This was also the first time I've seen them with someone who isn't necessarily a huge fan. Yes, I inflicted them on Graig :) The Hip are definitely not his scene, but I totally appreciated his willingness to come with me and he even commented that he liked some of their new tunes. And this was also the first time I've seen them where I hadn't heard the album they were touring for. And yes, some of the new tunes were quite good and I really have to get my butt in gear and pick it up.

They played a nice mix of new and old songs; with the really old stuff (Blow At High Dough, Courage, Locked in the Trunk of a Car) getting the biggest reaction. I came to the Hip a little later in their career (specifically with the release of Phantom Power), so I actually have a huge affinity for a lot of their later stuff. I was happy they played songs like Tiger the Lion and In View (big yay!) and Toronto #4 and of course, my very favourite Hip song ever, Bobcaygeon.

As usual, Gord put on a show (his prop of choice for this gig being a never ending supply of handerchiefs) and the rest of the boys, Rob, Paul, Gord S. and Johnny playing splendidly. Our seats weren't the best, but at least Massey Hall is a small enough venue that nothing is truly a horrible seat. I missed hearing them live, but I also realize that sitting through a concert at 7 1/2 months pregnant is rather tiring :)

Much been going on in the world of hockey over the last couple of days, and some of it is only partly due to the playoffs!

Playoff-wise, my Red Wings are down 2 games to 1 to the most HATED Ducks. I'm hoping this is but a blip in their game and that they solve the Ducks goaltender next game... but I'm nervous. There's nothing worse than a hot goaltender in the playoffs; they are what win series single-handedly.

Generally, I've thrown my fandom behind the remaining Original 6 teams, so am rooting for Boston over Carolina, Chicago over Vancouver and (as just mentioned) Detroit over Anaheim. I seem to be the only person outside of Chicago cheering for the 'Hawks though, it feels very lonely watching those games in my living room with my husband and my in-laws (who are basically cheering for teams that have Staals or some other Thunder Bay representative. How Homer can you get? ;) ) Of course, am also cheering for Washington just because Ovechkin is so much fun to watch and so you want him to go far. But they are now down 2-1 in their series against the Pengs.

The other hockey news right now is that Mr. RIM himself, Jim Balsillie is at it again in his efforts to aquire a team and move it to Southern Ontario. This time, he has his sights set on the now-bankrupt Phoenix Coyotes and has offered the outrageous (ie way over market value) sum of $212 million dollars for the team and to appease creditors. If the Coyotes get into bankruptcy court, the court will undoubtedly take this offer as they will take the offer that best serves the creditors. However, as usual, NHL Chief Troll (ok, Commissioner) Gary Bettman is going to do his best to block this, as he A) Doesn't want Balsillie to own a team and B) doesn't want another one in Canada, even though Southern Ontario would be a much more viable market than the middle of a fucking desert.

I think the most amazing thing I've read about this pertains to a Bettman quote where he says "We (meaning the NHL) prefers to fix it's problems ourselves, rather than just relocate teams." I love that he seems to have conviently forgotten that he's relocated teams from Quebec City (to Colorado) and Winnipeg (to the aforementioned Phoenix), plus a few others (Carolina, Dallas, etc.), so yeah, wee little hypocrite he is. If you look at this, it would seem he's all for relocating teams so long as they remain in the US. He wants to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix even though the team loses $20 million a year, the owner wants out and no one in Phoenix seems to even know they have a hockey team in the first place. It is not a viable market, and yet for some unfathomable reason (well, other than his own ego I guess), he wishes to keep it there.

I guess it's come down to that he'll fight Balsillie in court over this, but when it comes right down to it, it is the NHL governors (the other owners) who will call the final shot. And honestly, I cannot see them turning up their noses at having a pile of cash to divvy up amongst them (as the NHL is one of the Coyote's creditors). And, if the team locates to Southern Ontario and makes money (which yeah, it will), it means more profit sharing for the teams as well. For them, it is a win-win situation and I hope they go for it.

Last night, The Amazing Race pared down it's contenstants to the final three. I'm not entirely thrilled with who ended up in the final three, but ah well. The team I was hoping to get in there didn't make it because one of them had to take a potty break before checking in at the pit stop with Phil, knowing full well that another team was RIGHT BEHIND THEM!

As someone who has to go pee pretty much all the time now, so do understand the concept of HAVING to go, I still cannot believe she couldn't hold on for five more minutes and literally flushed her team's chance at racing for a million dollars down the crapper.

Ah well, I'm definitely rooting for the brother/sister lawyer team now as I find them the lesser of three evils.

One of the common questions I get is the 'are you excited?' one. Obviously meaning, am I excited about the baby. And I smile and say yes, of course, but I realize as I'm saying it that... I don't know if 'excited' is the word I would use. I don't think I'm excited about this in classic definition of the word. I'm not excited about being pregnant, I'm not excited about labour nor am I excited about the whole baby stage again. And yes, I know that all probably sounds horrible... but no, I don't think I'm excited per say. I think the closest to excited I am is that I'm excited for Graig. He's new to all this and he is excited and I appreciate that and I'm happy about it and so I'm excited on his behalf more than anything.

I think is what I'm actually feeling is that I'm looking forward. I'm looking forward to her being here and I'm looking forward to meeting her and I'm looking forward to Jet having a sister and I'm looking forward to Graig becoming a father and to our raising her together.

So no, I'm not excited, but there's some definite anticipation. Or something along those lines :)