Here I sit, late at night, having just watched Canada win its 5th Olympic gold medal! Ice dancing has been my favourite Olympic sport ever since the glory days of Torvill and Dean, and the latest Olympic ice dance champions are from my new home of London and nearby Ilderton. I found the pairs figure skating disappointing, but the ice dance competition was truly compelling. At the last minute I considered going to join other fans at the Ilderton community centre, which is only about 20 minutes from where I live, but having consumed some wine while watching the sport I figured that I would probably be "over the limit" so refrained from driving, especially after today's big snowstorm. Instead, I watched the medal ceremony at home with a shedding dog on my lap. These are the second Olympic gold medalists from London in 2010 - maybe I can get more fit here! (Hey, stranger things have happened.)
I don't want to talk about the hockey game.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Go Canada! and all that jazz
Encore une médaille d'or! I must admit that working from home during the Olympics, it has been tempting to step away from the computer and watch TV instead. Now, I just boot up my own computer and keep it on www.ctvolympics.ca so I'm aware if anything significant happens while I'm working. Kind of like having a radio on the in the background - well, almost! Not too conducive to productivity, perhaps, but at least it's proudly Canadian!
I should point out that I write this as a person who had the privilege of attending the Olympic closing ceremonies at home, in Montreal in 1976. To this day, the Olympic hymn sends chills up and down my spine. I went out to see the Olympic torch when it passed through the city where I live on a blistering cold Christmas Eve, and I remember doing the same back in the heat of the summer of '76. I know first-hand what it is to attend events and to wander around the Olympic village, and I know the special excitement that the games can generate. Maybe you have to be there to get it. I choose to cheer for Canada because I believe that anything that has the power to unite a nation is worth celebrating!
I should point out that I write this as a person who had the privilege of attending the Olympic closing ceremonies at home, in Montreal in 1976. To this day, the Olympic hymn sends chills up and down my spine. I went out to see the Olympic torch when it passed through the city where I live on a blistering cold Christmas Eve, and I remember doing the same back in the heat of the summer of '76. I know first-hand what it is to attend events and to wander around the Olympic village, and I know the special excitement that the games can generate. Maybe you have to be there to get it. I choose to cheer for Canada because I believe that anything that has the power to unite a nation is worth celebrating!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
O Frabjous Day!
Both my children are now back in school full time, with the bus taking them to and fro. I am humbly grateful.
Zohar had her first full day yesterday. Some of you may remember the dreaded Summer of 2007, when I received phone calls from Zohar's day camp two or three times a day (in the end , she got expelled. From day camp. At the age of four and a half. My daughter -- the overachiever). Anyway, you can imagine my trepidation when I received a call from Zohar's teacher yesterday, in the middle of the day. My immediate reaction was "What did she do?" -- not "What happened to her?" but "What happened because of her?" Fortunately, the teacher was just calling to ask about the school bus.
Jacob started Grade Six today, which places him in high school, according to his particular institution of learning. It makes me feel kind of old to have a kid in high school already but Jacob looked very young in his shirt and tie (they have to dress up for the first day), with his pen in his shirt pocket (so much for him getting to be Prom King).
Before I know it, they'll be back home, clamouring for food and television time and all the other luxuries they were deprived of during the school day. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the silence.
Zohar had her first full day yesterday. Some of you may remember the dreaded Summer of 2007, when I received phone calls from Zohar's day camp two or three times a day (in the end , she got expelled. From day camp. At the age of four and a half. My daughter -- the overachiever). Anyway, you can imagine my trepidation when I received a call from Zohar's teacher yesterday, in the middle of the day. My immediate reaction was "What did she do?" -- not "What happened to her?" but "What happened because of her?" Fortunately, the teacher was just calling to ask about the school bus.
Jacob started Grade Six today, which places him in high school, according to his particular institution of learning. It makes me feel kind of old to have a kid in high school already but Jacob looked very young in his shirt and tie (they have to dress up for the first day), with his pen in his shirt pocket (so much for him getting to be Prom King).
Before I know it, they'll be back home, clamouring for food and television time and all the other luxuries they were deprived of during the school day. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the silence.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Home Stretch
It's the Friday before Labour Day. Summer vacation is almost over. The kids have been home all week because for some reason, there is no camp the last week of vacation, just when beleaguered parents need it most.
Today, my children are engaging in an ongoing insult contest. Zohar is now wailing because her unusually benign toast, "Cheers to God!" (don't ask me where that came from -- she is usually an atheist), prompted Jacob to respond with "Cheers to Zohar being a baby." Normally, he'd get in trouble for that but seeing as Zohar called him an octopus head just a few minutes ago, I thought it best to let it pass. Zohar is now in her room sobbing because I didn't punish her brother. I am trying to maintain my stated policy of ignoring everything but blood.
Anyone who would like to rent some children for the long weekend, please e-mail me at eden.nameri@thomsonreuters.com. No reasonable offer refused.
Today, my children are engaging in an ongoing insult contest. Zohar is now wailing because her unusually benign toast, "Cheers to God!" (don't ask me where that came from -- she is usually an atheist), prompted Jacob to respond with "Cheers to Zohar being a baby." Normally, he'd get in trouble for that but seeing as Zohar called him an octopus head just a few minutes ago, I thought it best to let it pass. Zohar is now in her room sobbing because I didn't punish her brother. I am trying to maintain my stated policy of ignoring everything but blood.
Anyone who would like to rent some children for the long weekend, please e-mail me at eden.nameri@thomsonreuters.com. No reasonable offer refused.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Tooth on the Loose
Since I last posted anything on the LWG blog, I have been to New York and back twice, my brother and I gave my dad away at his wedding and I traveled to the UK to meet a long-lost uncle for the first time. All in all, it's been an interesting summer. To cap it all, yesterday, Zohar discovered her first loose tooth.
The fact that this is a big deal to my five-and-a-half-year-old will not be a surprise to anyone who remembers the thrill of wiggling a tooth until it was ripe for harvesting by the Tooth Fairy. Despite the fact that a loose tooth leads to its possessor sticking fingers in mouth dozens of times a day, it is a badge of maturity -- the grade-school equivalent of needing a shave.
For a parent, the filling in of a baby's gummy smile with hard, shiny little nubs is already quite an adjustment. The endearing gaps left by fallen baby teeth are filled all too soon with oversized teeth that shout "You should have chosen the Gold dental plan!"
According to J. M. Barrie, one of the things that made Peter Pan so enchanting was that he still had all his baby teeth. Now, as she grows up, Zohar will be dropping pearls before Time.
The fact that this is a big deal to my five-and-a-half-year-old will not be a surprise to anyone who remembers the thrill of wiggling a tooth until it was ripe for harvesting by the Tooth Fairy. Despite the fact that a loose tooth leads to its possessor sticking fingers in mouth dozens of times a day, it is a badge of maturity -- the grade-school equivalent of needing a shave.
For a parent, the filling in of a baby's gummy smile with hard, shiny little nubs is already quite an adjustment. The endearing gaps left by fallen baby teeth are filled all too soon with oversized teeth that shout "You should have chosen the Gold dental plan!"
According to J. M. Barrie, one of the things that made Peter Pan so enchanting was that he still had all his baby teeth. Now, as she grows up, Zohar will be dropping pearls before Time.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Considering an IV With a Caffeine Drip
This morning, as I was walking to the subway after dropping the kids off at their respective camps, I bought some iced tea at Second Cup. I thought it would be more efficient to get caffeinated before I got home. Somehow, I managed to drop the cup hard enough to crack it. So much for that beverage.
By the time I got home, it was closer to lunch than breakfast, so I made myself a sandwich and poured myself a Coke. I promptly knocked the Coke all over the dining room table.
I am such a zombie today that I can't even figure out how to get enough caffeine into my system to allow me to actually drink something. This may have something to do with the fact that Zohar was up from 1 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. for no apparent reason. Maybe I should ask Zohar for advice. Apparently, her caffeine consumption is quite efficient.
By the time I got home, it was closer to lunch than breakfast, so I made myself a sandwich and poured myself a Coke. I promptly knocked the Coke all over the dining room table.
I am such a zombie today that I can't even figure out how to get enough caffeine into my system to allow me to actually drink something. This may have something to do with the fact that Zohar was up from 1 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. for no apparent reason. Maybe I should ask Zohar for advice. Apparently, her caffeine consumption is quite efficient.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
O (Passsport) Canada
Granted, I'm a week late but I am now about to wax patriotic. I went to Passport Canada today to try to get new passports for Jacob and me. I went armed with cases and highlighters and pens and paper, convinced I'd be waiting for hours. I had visions of being stuck there just when it was time to go get the kids from camp and wondering how much longer I could wait before Children's Aid picked them up instead. I imagine my surprise when I got through the pre-screening and the application process in just over an hour.
I guess I shouldn't get too excited until the passports are ready. We're leaving for New York on July 18th and I've been promised them by the 17th. I have had months to get this done but never got around to it, even though I live right across from the passport office. Apparently, I am less efficient than the government of Canada. It's a sobering thought.
I guess I shouldn't get too excited until the passports are ready. We're leaving for New York on July 18th and I've been promised them by the 17th. I have had months to get this done but never got around to it, even though I live right across from the passport office. Apparently, I am less efficient than the government of Canada. It's a sobering thought.
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