Who're You Going To Kiss

New Years Eve is with one exception a changing celebration so while the venues are different. the one constant is the midnight kiss which occurs after the customary countdown. This is when you step out of the old and into the new. At the stroke of midnight you kiss your nearest and dearest and you must ensure that the kiss lasts at least a full minute or it does not count and would be deemed a wasted buss! In the absence of your ideal kissing partner you should always have a backup plan to avoid being locked into any less than comfortable clinches. If at a dance, you must be cognizent of the time and if it is close to the kissing hour you are advised NOT to accept a dance from your sisters husbands Uncle Jim who aside from being a cigar aficionado, is not even close to Fred Astaire and is certain to trample your tootsies. You must also run from a dance with the self proclaimed Romeo who has been to the bar at least one time too many, no need to join him when he loses his footing as a fall to the floor would not be an attractive look for you at any time. Should you find yourself at a house party and figure out that you are the intended of the only other unattached person in the room, you must casually slip away to the little girls room at 11:59, but be sure to lock the door behind you! This will avoid any discomfort and/or dishonesty unless of course he is your type.
In the end, remember that it is your decision who to kiss. Happy New Year!

Best Loved Holiday Movies and a Box Of Kleenex

Each year around this time we have a plethora of tear jerker holiday films from which to choose whenever we turn on our television sets. We all have our absolute favourites and some of us even juggle plans with our real worlds in order not to miss a single frame. You might wonder what keeps us coming back year after year after year when it is clear that we know what will happen and we can effectively participate in the dialogue as if certain parts were written just for us. It seems a given then, that it is not mystery or curiosity that has us captivated, it is in fact familiarity and an all abiding love for the soppy or syrupy sweet classic that thankfully only gets trotted out once a year. We diehard fans of the old do not prepare for watching these masterpieces in the usual way we'd prepare for viewing a rented DVD. No popcorn, chips/dip or chocolate chip cookies for us. No sodas or ice cream, no tv. dinners. We the faithful need only one significant extra to ensure that our experience is the best it can be. We need a jumbo 3 ply box of our favourite tissues. We may put some emphasis on being comfy and cozy and elect to don our favourite pjs and argyle bed socks as we snuggle up with our pet pooch-aptly named- Bogey, but always, never far beyond our reach is that old trusted box of kleenex, the perfect accompaniment like wine and cheese, cheese and crackers or Lucy and Desi.

Bathing Beauty

Although it is snowing almost non-stop there is no sign that swimmers are weather motivated. For those dedicated fans of water movement, it is a year round activity so thankfully there are a myriad of venues available. We have those overly heated outdoor pools where pool entry is indoors while the swim is underneath the sky no matter the weather. For those who choose these pools there are waterproof rabbit fur lined hats with adjustable face masks; this feature is especially important as frostbite is a real danger on days when the barometer takes those low low DIPS!! A small percentage of water people have indoor pools at home so there is no fashion requirement, in fact no specific swimsuit requirement either. The one place where the winter swim wreaks havoc with your physical image is the old indoor community center pool. It is here that any number of fashion statements are made and most of them are poor to put it kindly. In these pools you will find people who have not bought a new swimsuit in eons; the colours are chlorine faded and the elastic supports are not so supportive anymore. Next up are the senior swimmers who faithfully attend water aerobics classes modelling their brand new one piece goldenager attire complete with matching hooded towels and multi-coloured plastic shoes. Last but not least are the young moms who while they may have temporarily foresaken their bikinis in favour of the unmodest one piece cut up to here and down to there, have not given up flaunting, and I am not talking about their newborns. I suppose that all female swimmers have delusions of being bathing beauties and I do not intend to burst their water bubbles!

Last Minute Frenzy

The stores are jam packed, filled to rhe rafters but we're not talking merchandise, we're talking people. All those poor souls who have left their Xmas to do lists until 2 days before the eve now populate the stores in much the same way I imagine the small outposts were populated during the days of the Gold Rush. This migratory pattern however is unmotivated by any type of monetary reward; instead people seem to be fighting to stake their claims in the aisles, which have clearly become todays mother lodes. Once they have what they so desperately seek, could even be argyle socks...they head straight for the cashier to "register" their claims, oops I mean purchase their wares. Does this sudden accumulation of potential wealth- of course I meant to say -"things" make them happy? If yes I wager there would be a lot less bickering at those check out counters. What about the recipients of the bounty? If they were happy to receive, then would there still be such a high ratio of regifting? I think that the whole process strikes fear in all hearts; the giver and the receiver alike. Nowhere is there a trace of honesty. The giver will not admit to spending as little as possible although these times dictate frugality, and the receiver will never admit to the absolute uselessness of the "GIFT" for fear of insulting anyone. So in all I'd say stay home, do not buy, do not race willy nilly up and down the aisles otherwise you are guaranteed to catch something from being in such close proximity to assorted microbes. Last minute frenzy can only turn out to be a lose lose situation.

Jolly Jumpers Et Al

As public awareness continues to grow regarding the developmental needs of young babies, more and more new products become available and are touted as the lastest must haves if you want your little budding genius to excel physically as well. Beyond the Baby Einstein and other 'mental' enhancements on the market there is now a whole new focus placed on baby's physical prowess. Where once the old tried and true Jolly Jumper seemed to fade from the forefront as an unsafe place for baby, it seems to be experiencing a rebirth as it is once again in high demand with nary a trace of the recent trend to steer clear of it. The Jolly Jumper comes back with a vengeance only because some marketing genius has found a way to make it irresistable to the legions of parents who are heavily into overzealous overprogramming. These are the parents who have already registered their 'stars' in the Rolls Royce of pre-schools despite the fact that baby will not be in attendance till the year 2013. These are the parents who have signed up for virtually every Mommy and Me course that is being offered. We now have legions of infants and their proud moms doing a mean Salsa and and mastering Pilates classes with Tai Chi on the horizon. The only way to maintain this frenzied activity at home is to make full use of the Jolly Jumper. Simply popping baby into the jumper is no longer an option if you and your baby are high achievers. Before placing junior into that jumper you must ensure that he/she has a specific reason to have their little feet tap at the surface of the floor. What could be better than adding music to the mix? You have only to place a musical mat that responds to the slightest touch, under the area where the jumper is. What you get is the desired over-stimulation; each time babys foot touches down on the mat, the music will play. Jolly Jumper is considering giving away a free musical mat with each jmper purchased.

24 Hour Shopping

How considerate of some large retail corporations to extend their hours in the weeks preceding Christmas. It warms the heart to see the signs on some store doors announcing not just an extension of store hours, but a 24/7 period of operation. An answer to our shopping prayers indeed...Now on any given day instead of sleeping through the night we can interrupt our 8 hours by dashing out of bed at 2:00am and racing over to the store for some much needed retail therapy! What a revelation. No more standing in check out lines and no more hordes of bargain seekers to fight over merchandise with. The aisles are ours for the conquering and isn't that how it was always meant to be? We should not lose sleep over the minimum wage earned by the staff who'd clearly much prefer their shifts to jive with the lives of their family members. This is the mighty pre Xmas season after all and why give any thought to anyone elses family when you have yourself to think about? The season of family, of giving, of generosity? If we support these all night opportunities as consumers, then we clearly make a statement about how selfish we are and that puts us right up there with the great minded CEOs who hatched their plot motivated strictly by avarice. Tis the season to be greedy??

The Journal

She had no one to talk to about all that worried her as she tried to make a life for herself and her family in a new country. With rudimentary language skills she felt her limitations were magnified and wondered how long it would take until she got a true feel for the lay of the land. Her children began school and formal language instruction . She spent the time in between walking them to and from school, turning the small living space she had been given in a distant relatives home into a haven for her son and daughter and trying to learn as many new words as she could retain. Her husband would not arrive for six months so it all rested on her tiny shoulders. She felt the burden like the weight of a ton of bricks and as the weeks passed she seemed to be buckling beneath the load. One day on her way home, she paused to look into the window of a small neighbourhood bookstore and there she saw a small leatherbound journal, a quill pen and a jar of ink. It occured to her that her new life seemed to be unfolding in much the same way that a story does from its onset. The beginning is the promise of the end once the middle has been read, and so too was this, her new life in this new place. She recognized that this was her beginning and that she needed to be the author of her own lifes middle in order to arrive at the ending she had dreamed of before she arrived in her new country. The journal in its newness was the clean slate of her life and she wanted to fill its pages with all those words that would be the story of her life in her new home. She entered the store clutching her well worn bilingual phrasebook and managed to make her purchase.

The Heat Is Off

Living sandwiched between other apartments on the south side of a high-rise has until now precluded the use heating, as the interior remained toasty warm no matter how low the exterior temperature. This year however the cold began to seep in gradually which finally required that the thermostat be elevated for what I thought would be a quick fix. After 30 minutes of on "high" the cool draft was a bit of a shocker to say the least. It was then I realized that the routine electrical inspection of the unit -which resulted in a 'filter' change- had somehow turned this once comfy cozy living space into the tundra zone. The weather continued to get colder as did the flat until finally I had no choice but to purchase a small ceramic heater. I connected it to my trusty surge protector and as the small rooms began to warm up I congratulated myself on managing this latest crisis. My newfound comfort was short lived as suddenly without warning with the wind beating against my windows, the heat was gone as was my computer, cellphone charger and the few other electronic necessities which had been housed by my surge protector. Electrical overload! Since I am and have always been a non handyman I had great cause for panic during those first instants of the return of the deep freeze. Thankfully logic triumphed and I gingerly unplugged the electrical blanket and re-plugged it into the socket on the other side of the room. Instant success!! After a fine roasty toasty sleep I woke up with a perfect action plan. I purchased a new surge protector and decided to plug in only the bare necessities. I am newly confident in an area that had previously been a definite gray zone for me. Everything is working including the miraculous mini ceramic heater. I also purchased a smaller surge protector which is plugged in just beautifully on the far side of the room. In the end all my electronics are suitably 'housed' and totally on task, but the heating unit in the apartment is still not working.
No, I do not intend to try to fix it myself although I bet I could.

Thanks To My Editor ( N.D.)

As we near the end of the year I need to confess that I have a partner in this blog venture and it is time to give thanks to the person who most supports my writing. My "editor" is always willing to read through any drafts or embryonic potential publishing matter and the invaluable guidance I receive is what enables my thoughts to make their way to the 'publish post' option. There are many opportunities for my editor not to be able to opine due to the fact that it can often be a time consuming affair yet no matter how busy, my editor is always there with advice and often a necessary nudge; sometimes even a push! With stories galore to share my editor chooses to remain in the background and focusses on my blog. I would love to edit for my editor and so while I say a formal 'thank you' here, I offer the same selfless services whenever my editor decides to become the 'writer'; no I did not submit this draft for editing.........

Don't Go Changing (S. V.)

We are raised to stick to our guns, stand by our convictions and not to give up when we KNOW we are right...for US!!!! If we listen well, we let these 'orders' guide us and then suddenly we are the adults with newlings to raise and form. We clearly cannot foist our belief and/or value systems on anyone, not even on our children, but we can demonstrate through our actions so they can get the gist of who we are. Hopefully, they will find at least a few things to emulate and then to incorporate into their own set of values and the ways which they think are right for them. As we get older, if we are in tune, we may recognize that we need not stagnate or mark time. How fortuitous that there really are options available; we can stay on the narrow road and continue to be inflexible, we can hang on tightly in order not to cede control, or we can step back, become more mellow and be open to what in the past might have seemed too scary. Sometimes the mere mention of the word 'change' is enough to strike great fear in the hearts of many. I believe that the key to overcoming the panic that thought of change provokes, is to be vigilant and not to change the you that is at your very core who you truly are 'au fond'. All the other components should be like Lego, easy to connect once you've learned how to play so that you really can connect. You may be lucky enough to get to a point where you can let someone in; let them see who you really are without all the protective barriers that you have so painstakingly erected and which have been intact for most of your adult life. If you choose to let yourself be truly visble, then you choose to allow yourself to be vulnerable and with that choice you forefit any guarantee that you will be safely protected. For this reason, you must be careful in your choices because the wrong person will not be able to see you. the wrong person will be lost in their past and on a plane so far below yours that it will be impossible for them to make the shift that you have made. At the end of the day you will be much stronger than you ever thought possible as you leave the old carapace behind and become the butterfly you never thought you could be. Just don't go changing the things that have always made you the individual that you are.