It's going to be...

We're having a Boy! Well, we are pretty sure anyway. We had an ultrasound yesterday morning, and it was the coolest thing in the entire world. Seriously. It was so awesome. He's just floating around in there, spinning around, moving his little arms and legs, just hanging out. And you know what? I did that. Him. Because of me. Seriously, how cool is that?!? It's awesome. I'm excited.

So yeah, we are having a little bean. Some people choose not to share, but screw that, I'm having a little boy! I don't think we'll share the name though(when we eventually choose one). Skippymom and C Lo had some good advice in a comment a couple of posts back about that. It is really easy to judge a name when it isn't attached to anything but the concept of a child. It might not be a concept to me, but it is to everyone else. People are less likely to judge a name when it is attached to an actual baby and they have a point of reference for it.

So there you have it. We're having a cute little baby boy, and I couldn't be happier.

Ultrasound!

Tomorrow morning is our ultrasound where we find out if it is bean or beanette. I'm pretty excited! It'll be the first time I've seen our little bean, and it's gonna be awesome.

I'm not sure what I want more, a boy or a girl. I've always wanted a girl, but since the beginning of the pregnancy I've been torn. Meh, it's gonna be awesome no matter what. :)

I love gardening

I can see why people say gardening is therapeutic. After spending all day Saturday and all afternoon on Sunday at our garden plot, I understand; you just get into this trance and totally zone out.

Saturday morning I started around 10:30 and decided I was going to till the entire plot with a hoe and a rake, instead of using a rototiller. Two and a half hours later I was finished and the plot was looking great. The time just flew by. When I first started I was wishing I had some tunes, but that thought quickly subsided. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and I'm working in the dirt with my hands. It was beautiful.

I also love all the old people out there. Our community garden has a little over 100 plots, and I'm sure the average age is about 70. We have this cool 85 year old Yugoslavian guy across from us. When I was working alone Saturday morning he came over to talk with me, well, talk at me, for over an hour. He told me about the war (WWII), and how he was in the Yugoslavian army, and fighting the Nazis, and moving to England after the war, and marrying an English girl, and how his brother-in-law, who also lives in Winnipeg used to be a Nazi and hates him because he is Yugoslavian. I also learned that he is 85, and worked until he was 73 in construction because of his arthritis and how keeping moving and working kept the arthritis away. He also told me how Canadians can't get pissed when people speak languages other than English and French because Canada is built on multiculturalism and we need to own that, not fight it. So after all of that, I still have no idea what his name is. :) It makes me laugh. He's such a nice guy, and we now call him Mr. Slav.

All the old people out there are glad we are there. They always make comments about how they are so happy young people are getting involved in gardening.and they also are quick to offer advice. TONS of advice. About every aspect of gardening. It makes me laugh.

I love gardening.

Some Gardening Updates

Here's a little update on our gardening adventures so far.

Chris and Mama Bean in Winnipeg

We'll have some more pictures in the coming days. It is pouring rain today, so hopefully when it is done, we'll go out and take some pics (providing it isn't too muddy)

Lessons from Our Garden

Alright, things I learned today.

A 1500 sq.ft garden (which we thought was 1800, but it's actually 25x60, not 30x60) is much more manageable when it is split into 10 mini gardens. We now have 10 150sq.ft gardens and it seems much more manageable.

It is much easier to till a 1500 sq.ft garden with a roto-tiller, than by hand. I knew this going in, yet I did it by hand anyway. It would have taken 20 min and cost $25 to have the dude roto-till it, but instead I did it with a rake and a hoe. A hoe that I proceeded to break in the process.

When working outside for an extended period of time, one should wear sunscreen, preferably SPF30 or maybe even 45. Just because it is windy, and doesn't feel very warm, doesn't mean you aren't getting burned, just ask my epidermis. You can call me Lobster Boy for the next couple of days.

There are a lot of politics when it comes to community gardens. This morning I saw a dude yelling that he'd been screwed over as I received a lot that is totally covered in weeds. It had something to do with people he pissed off last year, and he wasn't happy about it.

Tomorrow I will post some pictures of our garden. Mama Bean has a list of everything we are growing and a map that she has drawn up of it. She said she will post it tomorrow, so I'll be linking to it when she does.

ICLW

It is ICLW (I come; [but] leave [as a] we, International Comment Leaving Week) and I thought it would be a great way to come across more blogs out there in the wide world of the internetz. (see graphic to the right)

So here's a run down on ICLW. Mel has a list on her blog where people sign up, and for one week the people on the list go around visiting other people on the list and leave comments on their blogs. Commenting week runs from the 21st to the 28th and everyday you are supposed to comment on 5 blogs and return 1 comment for a total of 6 comments per day. It is open to anyone, and has been running since sometime in 2008.

The lady (Mel) that started this whole thing is a big IF (infertility) blogger (and even has a book), so naturally that is the community that she has surrounded herself in, and that flock to her. Now I know nothing about IF, adoption, pregnancy loss, and all of the things that surround that. I started finding more and more of these types of blogs when looking for other parenting-type blogs and pregnancy blogs in preparation for the birth of bean.

So ICLW has grown through this community and of 130 blogs, 95% are about infertility, adoption, loss, adoption, and related topics. It's really cool to see this type of community and the benefits it brings; another benefit of this great thing known as the internet.

I have a small problem though, I feel out of place. I feel like an interloper. I feel like I'm visiting all of these blogs that are about topics that I know absolutely nothing about (though after a couple days of reading, I feel like I could hold my own in a conversation about infertility and the treatments surrounding it), and I feel like I'm intruding on these people's lives. It is a weird feeling, and something I've never come across in all my years of trolling blogs. I leave comments, but they feel weak and pithy. Why would this community care about the words of some random dude who has no idea what they are going through? Some guy that while he is going to be a dad, it was a surprise and hasn't spent thousands of dollars on it.

Now I don't know where these insecurities are coming from as these blogs are written by absolutely wonderful people; wonderful, kind, patient, loving people. I just feel like an outsider. But I guess that is okay, I can't always fit in right? I'm learning a ton about people with perseverance and patience and love and heart. I've come across a number of blogs that I'm really enjoying reading, and will definitely be adding to my list.

My new MacBook Pro

Some days I really enjoy my job. I never wake up dreading going to work, though some days I just want a day off, but that is just in general, not because of my job. And then there are all the perks. Like working with awesome people, and having a steady weekday 8-4 schedule with no OT or weekends.

Today I received my new MacBook Pro (courtesy of my employer), and I'm loving it! The keys are so smooth, it has a sleek aluminum exterior, and a bright, glossy screen. It's beautiful, and so much fun to use. Being a PC user for so many years, I'm loving using Macs as well. It's like a whole new world to learn and discover. It is a pretty slick interface that is quite intuitive built on top of this amazing linux core. When I run into a situation where the GUI is failing me, I just open the hood and delve into the depths (and power) that is the terminal. I LOVE it!
I don't really do anything at home to warrant the extra money it would cost to buy one, (that and I have 3 other more than capable computers) but I'll get as much as possible out of it even though it is from work. We have tons of home-use licenses so I'll be able to use the full Adobe CS3 suite as well as Aperture 2. We even have the new Office for Mac 2008 on it which is fun and new. So much fun!!

So yeah, my job rocks and so do the perks. I don't know what I'm going to do when bean (or beanette) shows up, and I do the whole stay-at-home dad thing. I think I'm going to miss it. Though I think the perks of being a dad are going to far outweigh those of any job.

Sisterhood Award

Now Mama Bean is just going to add this to the list, but I thought it was totally sweet.

Last week, one of my blogosphere friends was nominated for a blog award called the "Sisterhood Award." You basically nominate 10 people on your blog who's blogs you follow and are written "with great attitude and/or gratitude." It's pretty cool, she writes a great little blog and I've been following here for quite a few years (since she had one kid, and she now has 3) and we've developed this sort of blogosphere friendship which is kinda neat. Blog friendships aren't like real friendships, they take much longer to establish as you are only really reading what they have to say on their blog, commenting and vice versa.

So when she made her list of blogs that she reads and nominates for this "Sisterhood Award" she cheats and adds me. I was a little embarrassed at first, a little surprised, but mostly it was just this warm, fuzzy feeling that made me happy. I write my blog, I update regularity, but I don't tend to put a lot of thought into it. I write from the heart about things in my life, thoughts that go through my head, and whatever else. It is a really cool feeling to think what I write might affect the way someone thinks about something or makes any impact whatsoever in their lives.

So while Mama Bean might consider this another thing to add to the 'list', I think it is an honor.

I'm going to refrain from sending it out to others, as it just seems kind of weird for a guy to be passing on the Sisterhood Award, but there are many others out there that are spreading the love to great bloggers.

A Clean House = A Happy Christopher

I love when my house is clean. It makes me happy. It reduces anxiety and tension. It is just plain wonderful.

Once I get into cleaning mode, I just get going and things start getting clean, it is great. The problem is that it takes a lot of effort to get into cleaning mode, as I generally don't enjoy it (though for some reason once I start cleaning, I enjoy it).

Yesterday we did laundry, cleaned up the kitchen and did dishes, swept all of the floors, vacuumed (why does that word have a double-u?) all of the rugs (including the stairs with our super awesome stair attachment for our super awesome Dyson Animal vacuum cleaner), cleaned the bathroom, and washed the kitchen floor (on hands and knees with a brush and rag NOT with a mop. a floor will never get as clean with a mop or sponge on the end of a stick as it will if you get down there and scrub). It was great. I love looking around and shit is in it's place, there isn't some dried grossness stuck to the floor, there are no dirty dishes sitting on the counter, and no dust in the corners. There is no fuzz stuck in the rug, no pee splatter in the bathroom, no smudges on the mirrors, and no water marks on the taps.

I don't know why I don't clean more often. It doesn't make any sense.

Daddy Blog 18/05/09

Names

Naming a child can become a quite the point of contention between soon-to-be parents. Mama Bean and I discussed it a bit prior to having kids, and thought we had one if it was a girl (Sophia Claire), but were at odds over a boys name (I LOVE Arthur, Mama Bean really does not). When we first found out that she is pregnant with bean we spent time throwing names back and forth. There are a lot of really great names out there, though I find I like far more girl names than boys. Lately I've been really liking the name Ezra if it is a boy. It is pretty Jewish, but I kinda like it. It isn't super common, and easy to spell. We also like Tobias (Toby). We are also not even halfway through the pregnancy and my mind will change a million more times. :)

My biggest problem when it comes to naming kids is people that want their little bundle of joy to be "unique" and they figure the easiest way to do this is by giving them some wacked out name, or a name with a "unique" spelling. Seriously, there doesn't need to be 7 BILLION different spellings for every name out there. Those poor kids. You think you are being unique, but that kid is going to be stuck with a constantly misspelled name, or having to continually correct people. That's not cool. I had to do that enough and my name is Christopher! Do your child a favor and don't fuck them up for life by trying to make them "unique." They'll be unique enough, they don't need the additional pain in the ass of a uniquely spelled name.

In 2 weeks (May 27) Mama Bean will be going for her 20 week ultrasound, at which point we have the option of finding out if bean is a boy or a girl. Mama Bean really wants to find out as it will make things much easier for her. Mama Bean is all about planning, and it would make things MUCH easier. On the other hand, I'm sitting on the fence. Part of me really wants to know, as it makes things that much more real, but part of me wants the surprise. Since it is important to Jo, I think we will head down the route where we find out.

Then there is the decision, do we tell others, or keep it a secret? And if we decide on a name, do we tell people, or keep it a secret also? I like the idea of not telling people the sex of bean, or the name we choose. Though slipping up on the gender would be so easy. So maybe we tell people the sex, but not the name. :) ("if we decide on a name by the time the birth happens," jo says) She's so cute.

Daddy Blog 15/05/09

Mama Bean is at almost 18 weeks and today it finally hit me that we don’t really have to worry about a miscarriage any more. Sure the possibility is still there, but for the first 3 months it was a very real possibility and a little fear that was always sitting just under the surface.

Today that fear left me. It flew away like a little bird, and it is really nice to not have that anxiety and stress.

A couple of weeks ago, Mama Bean went in for some blood work that tests for spina bifida and downs. Having a child with physical or mental disabilities is something that has always scared me, and I was never really sure how I would deal with it were that to happen. (We have since received results saying the chances of both are 1/18,000 and 1/32,000)

I’m not unfamiliar with kids and mental disabilities. Growing up in Yellowknife, there seemed to be an inordinate amount of kids with FAS, and I knew a number of families with autistic kids, along with the standard array of students in school with various mental disabilities. These kids always made me uncomfortable, and I never really knew how to act around them. I don’t think there was any particular reason for this attitude, I think it was because I never really associated with them or had friends/family friends with people with disabilities. Lately though, my attitudes about having a child with a disability are slowly starting to change.

There is a couple at our church that have an autistic son in his late teens and watching them has really started to eat away at those previously held fears. When I watch them with him, I see this unwavering love and patience. They love him in a way that I have never understood, and didn’t see very often growing up. Maybe it is because being a dad is in my very near future, or maybe that I am finally old enough to understand that kind of love, but my attitudes are really starting to change. Watching how they love him, how they treat him, just everything about the way they raise him. It just blows my mind, and makes me realize that it wouldn’t be the end of the world to have that happen. There are a lot of people out there that love and raise children with disabilities, and I can imagine that it must be really difficult, but from watching these two, I realize that your world doesn’t end; it goes in a different direction.

I think my spiritual growth is also having a big impact on this attitude change. Accepting that I can’t control absolutely everything, and having faith that I will be able to handle anything that life throws my way because He will never allow us to be tested beyond what we can handle. Now that might sound really cliché, but those words bring me peace. And it’s easy to say things like that when I’m not in a time of tribulation, but I like to think that I’ll be able to keep this faith through the tough times that inevitably come in life.

It is nice to have this improving attitude as it definitely lowers some of the stress and anxiety of having a child.

Random thoughts for a Friday

Working in a high school scares me. Well, not so much the working in a high school part, more the seeing what kids in high school are like and thinking that I'm going to have one of them. See I was a pretty good kid growing up. Sure I got in trouble occasionally, but not really. I didn't drink, didn't do drugs, didn't go out partying, and hung around with decent people. I had rules, and I followed them for the most part. My parents took an interest in my life, but weren't the meddling type. I see such a wide range of kids everyday and since I see the delinquint kids the most (as they are always in the halls during class), they stand out the most and make the biggest impression on me of what kids are like. I know it isn't a good representation, but it shows me what could be. And that scares me. I had absolutely amazing parents, and I'm going to do my best to live up to the example they set.

I'm in the mood for some epic movies. I don't want to be at work, I want to be at home watching movies like Gladiator, Braveheart, The Patriot, Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down. Movies where the entire thing is awesome, not just the fight scenes (*cough* Lord of the Rings *cough*). Since I can't sit at home and watch movies, I will sit here and do my work to the soundtracks of Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Braveheart and Jurassic Park. I like doing my work to great soundtracks, it makes me feel like I'm doing more important work than I actually am. :)

I just has some amazing chocolate cake. And to make it even more amazing, it was cooked in a crock pot. One of the teachers borrowed a secretaries crock pot, and when he returned it to her today, he returned it full of the ingredients to make a chocolate cake. So they turned it on this morning, and 4 hours later, tada! See when you bake a cake at home, you get that nice baking smell for about 45 minutes. When you cook it in the crock pot, you get HOURS of that smell. Amazing!

Today after work is the beginning of the long weekend. A weekend during which I wanted to get our garden prepped and planted. But it doesn't seem to be looking like that is going to work. It's -2 out there and it has been raining for most of the week. Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE the rain. Just not rain accompanied by FREEZING COLD. Just north of us there was a winter storm warning, and it looked like this this morning. Seriously...it's May long, not Christmas Eve. So while we don't have the snow, we have the wet and cold. This means the dirt isn't going to be in any shape to work with, expect to maybe have fun playing in the mud.

I love scrolling through people's blogrolls on the side of their blogs and checking out all the other bloggers out there. It's amazing all the cool people out there and the things that they write about. Lately I've been finding lots of gardening blogs, and I'm learning a lot from people that have been doing this for years. It makes me even more excited to go out there and get my own going.

I think I'm going to start wearing a shirt and tie when I play at church. I'm not really sure why. Growing up we always had to wear a button up shirt (or even a polo shirt) or sweater, and look "presentable" on Sundays. I quickly grew out of that. Even at work I wear khakis with cargo pockets and hoodies (usually with a button up short sleeve shirt underneath), so I'm not really big on dressing up, at least not all the time. I love putting on a shirt and tie and slacks and looking all spiffy. So I figure I'll start doing that on Sunday's when I'm up front. We'll see about the other Sunday's, but for now I'll be doing it the Sunday's that I play. I'm still not sure of my reasoning, but I'm sure it'll come to me. :)

This weekend should be a cool worship music set at church. Instead of the normal 8 or 9 people on stage (drums, bass, guitar or 3, 4 vocalists), it will just be guitar/vocals, viola/vocals, and me on bass. I'm excited about it. It's a lot more bare then I'm used to playing, and definitely a change of pace from what we normally play, but I think it is something we should do regularly. I think it is important to bring it down sometimes. We'll see how Sunday goes. I'm excited about it though.

Our Garden Surprise!

So Mama Bean and I got a bit of a surprise when we went to check out our community garden plot. Originally we thought it was about 12'x36', so about 400sqft, which is pretty friggin huge. We had checked it out a couple of weeks ago and saw some stakes so we assumed that was the general size of the plot and started planning based on that.

Mama Bean dorked it up and did a layout on the computer with a big color coded map of where we'd be planting everything. She figured out the spacing for all of the plants, and what goes well together, and planned it all out.

On Tuesday we went out to check on the garden plot again, as I had heard the survey was done and all of the plots had been staked out, and to say we were shocked would be an understatement. So you know that 400sqft garden? That rather large, 12'x36'? Yeah, well that's a third of the actual size. We have an 1800 sqft garden!! Yup, 30'x60'. That is HUGE. Three times the size we had originally planned. Now I'm not sad, not in anyway, it's gonna be awesome, but it was just a bit of a shock.

So yeah, we have a list of what we want to grow, but have room for lots more now. :) We are planning on growing:

1. Corn
2. Beans
3. Peas
4. Pumpkins
5. Carrots
6. Lettuce
7. Spinach
8. Broccoli
9. Cauliflower
10. Peppers
11. Tomatoes
12. Watermelon
13. Potatoes

We are also thinking of:

1. Squash
2. Turnips
3. Radishes
4. Parsnip
5. Any other ideas?

And at home (in the 4’x12’ raised garden we built last year) we will be growing:

1. Onions
2. Garlic
3. Various herbs
4. Carrots
5. Lettuce
6. A few other assorted thing.

At home we started 100 little seedlings to get things going to be ready to plant next week. Some things just work better when started inside and then transplanted outside, though I think we might have been a little late in starting them. But we started things like the corn, pumpkin, watermelon, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, and tomatoes.

So it's shaping up to be an interesting summer. Lots of planting in the coming weeks as we are going to plant in stages to ensure we get a steady supply of veggies all summer and into the fall. There's going to be LOTS of weeding and maintenance as well. I found out that the librarian I work with also has a plot out there, so she's full of good info. It'll also be interesting come September when Mama Bean is 8 months pregnant. I think my workload will increase just a bit. ;)

I'll keep you updated on all of the fun and excitement, and pictures too!

archery lesson

I had an awesome archery lesson on Monday! I'm so loving my bow, and can't wait for hunting season! I'm hoping to hit the range 2-3 times a week for the next couple of months, and maybe even go to one or two 3D shoots to get out and meet some people and practice outside.

Most of my lesson was on form, as archery is something you have to do over and over and over and over, etc... until it becomes second nature. Here are the steps I learned:

1. Nock
2. Attach release
3. Establish grip (along life line) (LOOSE FINGERS DANGLING)
4. Lift bow so pin is aligned with target
5. Pull directly back toward face (sight, release, arm and elbow should make a straight line)
6. Drop front shoulder
7. Anchor (index/fist knuckle to jaw bone under ear)
8. Finger on trigger
9. Aim and slowly pull arm back so that the tension from my back is doing the work, not a trigger finger. Upon release right hand should go back.
10. Follow through. Will the arrow to the spot on the target where you want it to go, and don’t move your bow until the arrow is in the target.
11. Admire your great shot and repeat.

Seriously, it's so much fun, and it helps that I'm pretty decent from the beginning. It so easy to lose myself in it while at the range. I just get in a bit of a zone and just go with it. It is about consistency, so it works well. I also found out there is an outdoor range about a 30 min drive away that I'm going to try and get to once a week. You just have to be a member of the Archer and Bowhunter Association of Manitoba, which is a $20/year fee. It's a little nicer than the $7/visit or $50/mo to shoot at the indoor range, though the indoor range is only 5 blocks from my house. :)

I just need to meet some other bowhunters to help me learn the ropes on how to hunt, and get some hunting buddies, and meet people whose land I can hunt on. Maybe I'll even get a deer this fall. Or turkey! :D So much fun. It's been so long since I've gone hunting, and bowhunting is like a million times cooler.

Happy Blogging

It makes me happy when long lost bloggers return and post. Like my wife. ;)

Daddy Blog 5/12/09

Mama Bean had a test done last Monday to test for down's and spina bifida. It's done around 15 weeks and tests of markers that indicate a possibility of either of the two.

At her midwife appt today, Mama Bean found out that the chances are 1/18,000 and 1/32,000. So yay for a healthy baby (in those respects) so far!

The Price of Gold

I can't believe the price of gold. It's over $1000CAD an ounce! Growing up in a town that was built around gold mines, the price of gold was a very important part of my life. At that time it was hovering around $300/oz, and every night we would watch the news and pay attention when it came to the market report to see the day's gold price. This was because if the price of gold dropped below $300/oz lay offs at the mines were inevitable, though it would depend on how long the price stayed down.

This was the mid-90's. When my dad left the mines, we stopped paying much attention to the gold price. The next time I saw it was around 2003, and it blew my mind. At that time it was around $800/oz and I couldn't believe it. All of that stress 10 years previous for something that had DOUBLED in price in less than 10 years. Man, I wish I had invested in gold...

It's weird to think that the price of gold was such an important part of my life growing up. Most kids aren't paying attention to the price of gold when they are 10 years old. That's just how life works in a mining town, I guess.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there. Especially to all those Moms whose blogs I read and to my wife who gets a Happy 0.5 Mother's Day. :)

And Happy Mother's Day to my Mom.

Stressed

When I am stressed I dream about WoW.

When I am really stressed I dream about Everquest.

Right now I'm dreaming about Everquest. About killing gnolls and beetles and snakes. About going into the gnoll cave and sneaking around shooting them from behind while in stealth.

I should be less stressed.

Frustration with rude people

This was written in response to a fellow tech talking about how a teacher turned off the lights on her while she was working in a classroom, even though the teacher knew she was there.

Now I understand that was written in jest, but it brings up a more serious issue: what is with teachers' attitudes when it comes to putting in tickets or sending emails to get something done? There is this sense of entitlement that is not very becoming.

There is no need to submit tickets or send me emails putting words in CAPS for emphasis, or using multiple punctuation marks in a row, eg. ?!?!?!?.

That is rude.

They don't NEED something done, they would LIKE something done. If their printer is broken, a ticket should be submitted asking for it to be fixed. A ticket shouldn't be sent saying, "my printer is broken, i need it fixed. it is an ESSENTIAL PART of doing my job."

That is also rude.

I understand that it is frustrating when things are broken, but a little politeness goes a long way. Most of them wouldn't be rude to me in person, so there is no reason to be rude to me in an email or ticket.

Just because they are a teacher, principal, librarian, superintendent or whatever else, doesn't make them more important or give them the right to be rude.

That is all.

Chris

Insurance bullshit

Why? Why does getting insurance have to stress me out so much? I don't understand. Why can't it be a simple process?

When we first moved to Winnipeg we insured both the cars under me to simplify the process. This worked for 2 or 3 months until the insurance was up for renewal, at which point they told me my insurance would double from $100/mo to over $200/mo (roughly). This was due to a ticket I received 2 years previously in Calgary. See in Alberta you get one free ticket (where it doesn't affect your insurance rates). Apparently that isn't the case here, so once they found out about the ticket (absolutely clean record otherwise) my insurance sky rockets. So we switch both cars to Jo's name, have to pay the annual registration fee of $120 (again! even though i had just paid it 2 months ago). So that lasted us for another 5 months, which is now, and we need to renew our insurance again. Meaning paying this stupid fucking $120 AGAIN. That along with the $200+ we pay monthly for our fucking car insurance.

We also have our house insurance through these people, except not really. It turns out they are just an insurance broker, not an actual insurance company. So we pay another $100 or so a month for fucking house insurance.

Now we also need to get health insurance, and life insurance, and Mama Bean needs to get life insurance. This is just stupid... In the end we will be paying over $600 a month in insurance dues. I call bullshit.

Oh, and I had mortgage insurance for our house in Calgary (which we sold last JULY) and they are still fucking charging me for mortgage insurance. I've told them to cancel it a couple of times, and refund my money, yet they still continue to charge me. Seriously...WHAT THE FUCK!??!!?

So, the point of this post: I FUCKING HATE insurance companies and all the bullshit I have to deal with. At least in Calgary I had it all through the same company that I used for 8 years with no problems. I'm looking at doing that here, finding one company and getting it all through the same place.

2 years

Do you know what today is?

I do.

And do you know what that means?

That means I am not one of those men that forget their wives anniversaries.

That’s right, today is the 2nd anniversary with my beautiful, wonderful, amazing, smart, funny, awesome wife.

2 years ago we exchanged vows on the happiest day of our lives. And the past 2 years have been some of the best times of my life.

Mama Bean is the best wife I could have ever asked for.

She has supported me through a million different career changes, and school changes, and all the other flip-flop decisions I have made through all these years. My blog is a testament to this.

She has also moved with me to a city completely foreign to her, sight unseen.

She is someone I can share inside jokes with, and be a goof with.

She is someone I can go canoeing with, and put furniture together with, and build a garden with. And it doesn't put any strain on our marriage.

She is someone I can watch sappy movies with, and cry in front of.

She is my wife and I love her. She is the woman I pledged to spend the rest of my life with and I've never once looked back on that decision with anything but happiness.

We’ve been together for almost 8 years, since June 2001. Which is pretty friggin amazing, especially since 3 of those years were long distance while she was in school in another country. Seriously, how did we do that? Probably because we love each other so much. ;)

I like to think I'm a pretty great husband, and I try hard to make sure I stay that way. I want to be a better husband. Every year I want to look back and think that I'm a better husband now than I was a year ago.

Soon I'm going to be a dad. A husband and a dad. I'm going to love my wife as much as I love bean (and the bean after.) ;)

Today is my anniversary. Two glorious years with a beautiful talented woman and I’m looking forward to many more.

Happy Anniversary Jo. I love you.

Anniversary

It's my anniversary tomorrow! On Tuesday May 5, 2009 Mama Bean and I will celebrate our 2nd anniversary.

Parking Lot Mentality

I don’t understand parking lot mentality. When I park at places like the grocery store, I try to park away from other cars so as to save my car from dings. Invariably, when I come back out there will be a group of cars around mine. It is as though they flock to lonely cars to protect them; a sort of herd protection mentality. They find lonely cars and circle around to protect it...or something.

Either way, it makes me laugh. I purposely park at a distance from cars, and they come to me. Does this happen to other people?

Use vs. Utilize!

I think this is VERY IMPORTANT and everyone that speaks English should understand when to use the word "use" or "utilize" as it makes you look really stupid when you use the wrong one.

From ezinearticle.com on writing,

"Use" and "utilize" are two verbs with distinct meanings. Don't confuse them.

"Use" is to employ objects for the purposes they were designed for.

"Utilize," on the other hand, is to employ objects for unintended purposes.

This is a huge pet peeve of mine, and hit a breaking point for me today. I was watching videos on sharpening my straight razor and this guy kept using the word "utilize" when talking about sharpening the razor with a sharpening stone.

Now from what we learned above, a sharpening stone would be "used" to sharpen a blade, while a smooth brick could be "utilized" to sharpen a blade.

So please go out and let everyone know which word to use when, and give them a slap when they use the wrong one.