Getting closer, one box at a time

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Sherry

Now that I’ve come forth and told the Internet that we’re moving to Halifax, I figured I could keep people up to speed on our progress (102 days to go, by the way!). We’ve lived in this same apartment for 12 years and as you can imagine that means accumulating a lot of flotsam and jetsam. When you’re staying put it’s easy to ignore the individual items taking up space even while you notice that you’re rapidly outgrowing your home. However when it comes time to actually pick things up and pack them in boxes to later be loaded on a truck and moved it’s much easier to stop and think about what you really need and/or love versus what you just have simply because it’s there.

With this being a bigger move than just heading to a different neighborhood I have to be careful and consider whether I *really* want to bring something with me. The truck we’ve rented is a 17′ cube truck from U-Haul and once it’s full that’s it. We can fit some things in the minivan but it’s a long-ass drive; we don’t want to be crammed and uncomfortable for all that time. If we were moving nearby we could do multiple trips but since it’s a 14-15 hour drive this is a one-shot deal. We’re not coming back for a second load.

I’ve done quite a bit of purging. Some stuff is going to the Salvation Army; I’m especially looking forward to unloading clothing that the kids have outgrown or that I no longer wear, as well as a ridiculous amount of books. The books will be a difficult purge, I’m kind of attached to them but I have to be realistic about how many I really need to keep.

Other stuff is being sold. We sold an insanely huge air conditioner and we also sold our dining set. The couple who bought it want to strip it and re-finish it so I’m really happy they were the ones to buy it. They have a small pickup truck at their disposal on the weekends so they’re taking it bit by bit, but so far they’ve taken the table and all the chairs (and now we eat in the living room, which is fine temporarily).

Still more things are just being pitched. This may sound petty but there are two people who are no longer friends of ours and it was just a really negative ending to a long-time friendship; over the years they gave us a lot of things and I just felt like I had a need to get rid of it all because of the now unhappy memories attached to those items. Thus, I pulled out a big garbage bag and wandered through the apartment pretty much tossing in everything that they gave us. Like I said, that initially sounds petty but it was very freeing for me.

Aside from purging, I’ve also packed several boxes up and put them in the spot where our table used to live.

Not only are they packed, but I’m trying my hardest to be organized with this. Since we’re staying with family to start off, we’ll be storing the vast majority of our boxes and furniture and there’s no way to know exactly how long it will be before we move into our own place. After all that time there’s no way I’ll remember what items are in which box so I’m numbering them, color coding them by room, and keeping a list of what’s in each one. That way if I find myself wondering where the hell I put “XYZ” I can open the document up, do a search, and know that it’s in box #17.

The only reason I’ve stopped packing for now is because I ran out of boxes. I had these ones leftover from our last move back in July 2000 (that was fun NOT, carrying stuff down from the second floor, walking across the courtyard, and then back up four flights of stairs!) but we only had five. I am dying to get more so I can continue packing up stuff we want but don’t necessarily need to keep out over the next three and a half months.

So much to do and even though that seems like a long time, it’s really not that far away. Busy busy! Meanwhile we’ve officially sent in a letter to the landlord letting him know that we aren’t renewing our lease for next year. He was hoping we’d be leaving early in the month of June. He told me he’d be willing to make an arrangement with us (meaning a lower rent for that last month) if that was the case because then he could come in and do some renovations and repairs before new tenants move in.

Um, yeah. Sorry. We can’t leave until after Hayley’s finished school (did he really think we’d pull her out of school a few weeks before the end of the year?!). Besides, he had plenty of time to renovate and repair every time that we complained about something. If he didn’t have the inclination to do it for us then he can bloody well wait and make arrangements with the new tenants.

*******

In completely unrelated news, I posted a review for some NAOT shoes over here. Spoiler: I love them.

And in more unrelated news, I can not possibly explain to you why this video makes me laugh so hard that I cry. It just does. Warning: One moment of swearing, just in case you’re not into that.

Fuckin’ Tea

On that note I think I’ll go do some more purging and some tidying up since I know Murphy’s Law says someone will want to see the apartment if it’s covered in toys.

Getting scientific on a stupidly cold morning

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Sherry

Here’s the thing. I’m Canadian and I have been Canadian my whole life. Not only that, I live in Montreal which is an area of the country known for brutally cold winters and large amounts of snow. I’m used to it in the sense that this is just the way our weather is. Our summers make you melt with the humidity and our winters make you wonder what settlers were thinking when they looked around this stupid frozen tundra and said, “yep, looks like home to me!”

That doesn’t mean I like it. I’ve always said that I live in the wrong place because I’m not a fan of extreme temperatures. I like hot summer days but I don’t like suck-out-your-will-to-live humidity. I don’t mind a little cold and some snow but I don’t like days where your nose freezes shut five seconds after you walk out the door.

The latter is what we’re dealing with today. This morning it was -36C which is the equivalent of -32F for those of you who have not yet embraced the metric system. It doesn’t matter which system you use, it all translates to “bloody fucking cold” in Celsius and Fahrenheit alike. In the short time I was outside today my thighs were so cold that it took a good 20 minutes for them to warm up.

Hydro Quebec was also asking people to please not overuse electricity in order to not over-tax the power grids because obviously no one wants a power failure on a day like this. I laughed when I heard that because yes, it’s important to turn off lights that you aren’t using and maybe wait a bit before running major appliances but convincing people not to jack up the heat isn’t going to happen.

Anyway! The other day I saw this video of a woman up in Yellowknife (that’s in the Northwest Territories in case you were wondering) on a -30C day. She took boiling water and threw it into the air where it instantly turned into steam. I mean INSTANTLY.

I figured if our weather today must be stupidly cold I might as well get some enjoyment out of it. I tried it too, although I didn’t feel like bundling up myself and Breanna to go outside. We ended up just throwing it out the window in the stairwell instead and it totally worked. Luckily George is home so he came with us and held the camera.

Can we fast forward to spring now?

Winter throws down the gauntlet!

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Sherry

Well, it would appear that winter has most certainly arrived in Montreal. Yay?

Walking was a total nightmare since this city doesn’t give much of a hoot about the pedestrians who live here. They kept sending plow after plow up the street but none on the sidewalks. When I was walking out there with Hayley there came a point where I was up over my knees (and my boots; thank GOD they’re at least as high as they are!) and I was grateful that Hayley’s tall for her age because as it was she was almost hip-deep. We eventually had to venture out on to the (busy) street to get around a huge drift and I was nervous about it since you can’t count on drivers here to handle the slippery streets very well no matter how long they’ve lived here.

So that was fun. But Winnie had a blast! She was born in March so I assume that she didn’t see much snow, if any last year. We had a few little dustings recently that she enjoyed but this was probably her first real snowfall and she went pretty much ballistic out there. It’s a shame she doesn’t have a reliable recall or I would have set her loose in the field across the street just to see her go.

Later when Hayley came home she asked if we could go out to play and despite my best efforts I couldn’t think of a good enough reason to say no so out we went. The kids had fun (even though one of Breanna’s boots kept coming loose and falling off in deep patches of snow) and I took the dog out too. We found a frozen soccer ball in the middle of all the snow and apparently Winnie is quite the soccer player.

I’ve never been a fan of winter but I survived nonetheless. I’d better get used to it since Environment Canada is predicting a lot more snow than last year. Sigh.

Getting through bad weather with a Cougar

Posted on November 16, 2010 by Sherry

No, I’m not recommending the pairing of a young man and a older woman as a coping mechanism for rainy days and endless winter blizzards. If that helps you get through until the next sunny day then more power to you, but no, I’m actually referring to Cougar, the well-known footwear company that has been popular for years for a very good reason.

The reason for that, in fact, is because Cougar consistently makes excellent boots that keep your feet dry, warm, and have enough tread to prevent you from winding up flat on your back on an icy sidewalk. But are they stylish?

Matchstick, a fabulous word-of-mouth marketing company sent me two complimentary pairs of boots so that I could find out for myself. I was really excited to be a part of this campaign because if there’s one thing we have a lot of in Canada it’s weather. Wet weather, cold weather, snowy weather, icy weather, and then sometimes we get a few months of hot weather in the summer. With winter fast approaching though, I was already thinking about the best boots to stay warm and dry that would be cute enough for me to want to wear them, but without sacrificing safety – owning a dog means that I’d like a good tread so that I’m not risking my life every time I take her for a walk.

Cougar sent me a great care package in order to do my review. It included winter boots, rain boots, a hoodie, a (ginormous) mug, and four packs of hot chocolate all, as they said, to “keep me warm”. Before I get into talking about the boots I’d like to offer a heads’ up to other PR reps out there, specifically the ones who want reviews and published press releases without any other method of reaching out to bloggers: Take a cue from Cougar. I couldn’t review boots without actually trying them so it was necessary for them to send me a pair of each type. However, they had no need to send the hoodie, mug, and hot chocolate. That was just a nice bonus that makes bloggers feel like we’re appreciated and it’s a fabulous gesture. This is an example of a company that does blogger outreach the RIGHT way.

In an example of stellar timing, it was pouring rain the day that my boots arrived so for the first time in over two decades I slid my feet into a pair of rubber boots and took the dog for a walk. Cougar sent me the Tibet rain boots in black and they do everything they claim.

I braved the rain – something I don’t much enjoy – for a boisterous walk in a soaking wet, muddy field for half an hour (the dog was thrilled since she doesn’t share my aversion to rain) just so I could see for myself whether these boots could really stand up to their statement of being waterproof.

My feet were sweaty from walking quickly but they weren’t wet. The inside of my boots were bone dry. I had even purposely hopped through big puddles instead of going around, just to see if I could detect a weak seam anywhere, but there was not a drop that got through.

I wasn’t 100% sold on the faux sock at first but you know, it’s growing on me and if I don’t feel like wearing it on the outside of my pants, I can just tuck it inside, giving me an extra bit of warmth on a chilly, rainy day. I’m in love with my rain boots and have worn them every time we’ve gotten any rain ever since; it was very nice to have dry feet while volunteering up at the school instead of damp socks and soggy running shoes like I usually do on a rainy day!

Now for the winter boots. Oh, Canada, how we need good winter boots up here. This winter in particular is supposed to be quite a doozy with more snowstorms than we got last year so I am very much looking forward to really giving my new winter boots – Ravishing in black – a proper test run. In the spirit of full disclosure I haven’t been able to really try these boots out to their full potential yet because we haven’t had any snow beyond that light overnight dusting that we got over Halloween. There hasn’t been a single flake since and the temperatures have been unseasonably warm, up in the double digits.

However, I did wear them out one night when the temps had dipped down – again while walking the dog. It was cold enough that I figured it was my best shot for trying them out. First of all, the comfort level of these boots is just ridiculous. They’re so soft and cozy inside that it’s possible I may not take them off all winter no matter what the street looks like.

As I’ve already mentioned, tread is also important to me and you can see just how good and thick it is on these boots. I confess to being a bit of a “Nervous Nellie” when I venture out on icy sidewalks (I blame my mother, I think it’s a genetic quirk) and having studied these treads, I think I’ll be a lot more confident this season. I don’t see myself sprinting down the street in an ice storm but at least I won’t be convinced I’m about to fall on my face at every step.

What I especially love is that they are stunning. Winter boots around here can be a tricky purchase. It seems you either end up with killer boots that look great but leave your toes frozen and have zero traction, only good for getting in and out of your car, or you can buy super warm and safe boots that are butt ugly. Cougar has managed to pair up stylish and functional and I really appreciate that. I may not be a teenager anymore but I still like to look nice and I’m happy that my feet will be warm, they’ll stay on the ground where they belong, and yet I won’t feel like I’m traipsing around in mountain boots.

Overall, I have to say that I’m impressed by both pairs. The other thing is that Cougar doesn’t skimp on quality so these boots should last me several seasons for sure.

If you’re in the market for boots for yourself I highly recommend them and you can check to see which retailer is closest to you by clicking over here. The Tibet (rain) boots sell for about $75 and the Ravishing (winter) boots sell for about $175.

(And for the record, the hoodie was too big for my short self so I gave it to George and he loves it. The mug is perfect for my gigantic cup of peppermint tea at night, and although I would probably enjoy the hot chocolate too I was vetoed by both the kids who claimed all the packs as their own and have loved it so far!)

A huge thank you to Cougar and to Matchstick for organizing a great campaign!

Please take a moment to answer this super-short (less than two minutes!) feedback survey; Matchstick will very generously donate $2 to the Red Cross if you do.

Memories captured on video

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Sherry

As you’re probably already aware, I took a TON of photos in Halifax this summer. This is not surprising at all considering I can easily snap away without realizing it. Just the other day when I was at the nature park, it was just a three hour afternoon and yet I completely filled up my card, taking over 250 pictures – and that’s a place I go to semi-regularly!

Anyway, on top of the photos both George and I shot some video as well. We both have some up on YouTube and we had many just sitting on our hard drives.

While we were there George’s cousin had a deck party which ended up being a “hooray for surviving Hurricane Earl” party. There was a lot of music all night long courtesy of an iPod being set to shuffle but one song in particular stuck out. “I’m So Paid” by Akon came on and it sparked some dancing and singing and the video became a hit among our group over the next few days. Somehow that one song became associated with being in Halifax.

Earlier this week I was walking the dog and had my own iPod set to shuffle and that same song popped up. I stopped right there on the sidewalk, thought for a second, and immediately knew what I wanted to do as a little personal, fun project.

I’ve used Windows Live Movie Maker in the past to add some music and credits to my yoga videos but I’ve never really played around with it and there’s a lot you can do. With a bit of poking around I took some of my favorite pictures from Halifax, cut out a few clips from our videos, and spliced them all together with “I’m So Paid” as the soundtrack. I fiddled a bit, moved things around, got the timing I wanted, and in the end I had a video that serves as a great reminder of all the fun we had during those last three weeks of summer vacation.

Here it is:

I can’t believe I didn’t put in anything from the video I took during Hurricane Earl, but that’s okay. I got some of the best stuff in there anyway and I had a hell of a lot of fun doing it. I have to say, if you ever want to revisit some good memories, putting together a video like this one is a great way to do that.

Enjoy!

(If you’re curious, my video channel is over here and you can feel free to subscribe. I have a feeling I’ll be using it more and more often.)

Leaving Halifax

Posted on September 16, 2010 by Sherry

On Saturday morning we were all up bright and early because the day had finally arrived – the day we had to leave Halifax. Every year it gets harder and harder to say goodbye; on the Monday we had gone to my sister’s house for supper and much to my embarrassment I broke down crying when it was time to leave.

We took our time coming back, stopping over at the halfway point to spend the night in a motel. By Sunday afternoon we were home and immediately threw ourselves back into the school routine since Hayley had to go off to grade three (!) on Monday morning (two weeks late, alas).

We had some great times before leaving Halifax though. There was the aforementioned afternoon and dinner at Amanda and Neal’s house.

(Did you know she’s pregnant? You can read about it at her blog and let me tell you I did many creative crops in Photoshop to hide that fact until she announced it!)

We all had a great time; there are no pictures of the kids to share because they spent a lot of time in the backyard next door playing with the neighbors.

Later in the week we also headed out to my favorite beach, Lawrencetown Beach, as well as a couple of others that are nearby. The ocean was breathtaking. It was a ridiculously foggy day but in the end it created a fantastic atmosphere and I didn’t mind the lack of sun.

At one beach there was a sand bar that went out quite a bit and there were waves crashing from three sides when you stood out at the end. The best part was that when I stood out there by myself for a few minutes the fog made it so that I couldn’t see anyone else, nor could I hear them. It was like I was the only person in the world. It kind of felt like I had stepped onto the set of Lost for a bit but instead of being creepy it was exhilarating; when I got back I told George’s cousin that I had actually gotten giddy out there, bouncing up and down and giggling. I am an ocean dork, what can I say?

Our final stop was Conrad’s Beach which is very sandy and a popular swimming spot (not that day in those temps though!). It was the perfect place for some ocean-side yoga.

Friday took us on a quick shopping spree (you should see all the healthy stuff I bought at Bulk Barn – chia seeds, hemp seeds, flaxseed, etc) and then we stopped for a final fish & chips lunch and visit to Point Pleasant Park.

In the evening, we all stayed up far too late and we were tired the next morning but it was worth it just for a few extra hours with friends and family.

I’m home and I’m back in a routine of school mornings and homework in the afternoons and quick baths after supper. I’ve been unpacking and cleaning and purging and tidying, and life is back to normal. My heart’s still in Halifax though.

Is it too soon to look forward to next year?

(All the Halifax photos are over here)

He rocked us like a hurricane

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Sherry

It was dark and mildly humid when I went out. A layer of fog settled over the neighborhood just like it did a year ago. There was a bit of wind but no real sound, the true calm before the storm. I stood on the deck and stretched and did some Pranashama yoga for a few minutes, breathing deeply and enjoying the breeze as I twisted and lunged. I joked that it was Hurricane Yoga – yoga to harness the powers of a huge storm for good.

By the time I crawled into bed at just about 2 am the night was still windy but quiet and I drifted off to sleep easily and quickly. When I woke it was with a bit of a jolt. A glance at my iPod told me it was 9 am but it wasn’t the time that woke me, it was the noise. Wind whistled loudly through the tiny crack I had left open in my window. Pulling my glasses on I peeked out through the blinds and saw that while Hurricane Earl hadn’t arrived yet, he had sent plenty of rain and strong gusts ahead.

About two hours before the eye was due to pass this general area George and I decided to try to see some water. The original plan was to drive down to Point Pleasant Park, the same place where we had gone swimming in the ocean only days before. As we headed closer to town though, there were too many big branches already down on the trees. Many of the streets of Halifax have beautiful, big, old trees. That wasn’t the best idea for driving because odds were good that a branch could have hit our van so we turned around.

First though, we did stop near a boating club and pulled into the parking area so we could enjoy a little view of nature in all her glory as the wind tossed the boats up and down and pelted people with heavy rain.

Humour me by forgiving me for my cheesy and fairly obvious choice of soundtrack.

By mid-afternoon we had the windows wide open, finally allowing some cool and fresh air into the house after a full week of stifling heat and humidity. We struck out around four o’clock once more in a second attempt to get down to the water. I had hoped to film some impressive post-storm waves out past the harbour but the entrance was closed off, complete with police blocking the way. The drive there and back showed a great deal of fallen trees and branches. Sad destruction to be sure, but it could have been so much worse and I think that all of Halifax heaved a collective sigh of relief that Earl was not another Juan.

Once evening rolled around, you would be hard-pressed to really tell that there had ever been a hurricane at all. Other than the branches dragged to the side of the road it was like nothing had ever happened. Earl roared up the coast, blew into town, and just as quickly blew back out. A party was held here with friends and family and just like Earl we rocked it like a hurricane.

The party was just for fun but it was still a pretty good way to celebrate making it through a hurricane that was the size of California without sustaining too much in the way of damage.

How to beat the heat in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Posted on September 2, 2010 by Sherry

When the weather goes haywire while you’re on vacation, and the humidity levels in Halifax climb up to the mid-30s Celsius (or 106 Fahrenheit), you can sit around and sweat and feel like you’re going to die.

Or you can drive down the ocean and take a swim in the Atlantic Ocean and cool off for awhile.

The water was slightly chilly but it was very refreshing and it felt wonderful. I swam around and splashed with the kids and it made the day a little more bearable.

The fact that it completely renewed my spirit was a fantastic bonus.

East Coast ahoy

Posted on August 26, 2010 by Sherry

On Saturday, August 21st the family packed up in the wee (and still dark) hours of the morning. By 5 a.m. we had hit the highway and were headed east. After a year of wanting to go back, we were on our way to Halifax, after having said goodbye to the cat and our friend who is pet & house sitting for us while we’re gone.

Last year we left at 3:30 am and had to stop so many times that it took us 17 hours to get to Halifax. George was fried and that’s why we ended up taking two days to drive back on our way home. This time he was determined to get there in a more reasonable amount of time and he didn’t want to stop overnight anywhere. We made it here in 14 hours and 15 minutes, which is pretty much what Google Maps estimates as well. What helped was having a minivan this year. The kids had more room and we alternated between having one in the middle row and one in the back row, switching them when we’d make a stop. That way they weren’t on top of each other which minimized bickering. They each had a DVD player, coloring books, crayons, and a few toys. On top of that, we were able to fit the cooler in between the seats so we didn’t have to stop each time someone was hungry or thirsty because everything was right there. Basically we stopped for breakfast, lunch, and pee breaks (including one pee-in-the-woods-by-the-highway stop, who says girls can’t pee outside like boys?).

It’s so good to be back here. I love Halifax more than anywhere else in the world. It’s not that I hate Montreal, it really is a good city. I just love it here more. And when you have fresh fish & chips and the ocean, how can you go wrong?

One day I have to actually type up my Life List, but one of the things I had on there was to do some yoga by the ocean. I can officially cross it off my list now, because we went out to Point Pleasant Park the other day which looks right out onto the Atlantic Ocean as the Halifax Harbour ends. While the kids were happily picking up 975 shells, George filmed me doing a couple of my usual vinyasa flows. Without a doubt it was the best moment in my yoga practice so far. Yoga while listening to the waves and looking out into the ocean is an incredible experience.

I think it will be a repeat performance when I go to one of the other beaches and can do it right on the sand. We still have over two weeks left here, I’m sure I can fit it in!

(Full Halifax photo set is over here and will be updated regularly.)

If you need me I'll be in the corner melting…

Posted on July 5, 2010 by Sherry

This week it seems that summer has reared up upon its back legs and screamed, “I am here!” At least that’s what I’m guess based on the eyeball-melting temperatures that are in this week’s forecast. Observe:

wtf

For instance, on my birthday (which is this coming Wednesday), it’s supposed to go up to a Humidex of 43C or 109F. What the hell is up with that? I was thinking I would celebrate my birthday with a nice birthday pie (much better than cake) but instead I might just spend the day hanging out in the freezer.

Can’t we just have nice, moderate weather up here? Does Canada really need to be a country of extremes when it comes to weather?

If anyone is looking to get me a birthday present, you could get me a personal cooling device or something similar. Or a giant bag of ice.

Vacation in Iqaluit?

So anyway, if you’re wondering where I am, I’m pretty easy to find since I’m frequently found lurking close to our only partly useful air conditioner.