Calgary, gifts, and random movie geekage
Dec. 31st, 2004 03:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ciroccojIt's one of the ironies of life that when we have time to write on lj, we often have nothing to write about, and when we have lots to write about, we have no time. It's been the latter for me in the last couple of weeks. So that I am only now finding myself with time to write about Calgary.
Overall, really good visit. The kids were happy, seeing all their Calgary kin, and having both of us at home (although I was a bit of a stranger until my Env Paper got done), and Doing Stuff every day (museum, zoo, etc).
Nice catching up with the in-laws. Stayed at Chris' dad and dad's girlfriend IG's house for the first three days, and I was reminded of why I like them both so much. Very down-to-earth, just generally nice people, and both so incredibly patient with our kids. Stayed with Chris' mom and stepfather's house the next three days, and that went well too. Saw Chris' older brother MR a lot. Didn't see much of younger brother DP, but apparently he's moving to Montreal this summer, so hopefully we'll see more of him from now on. It was great catching up with both of them, the boys were thrilled to see their uncles, and MR and DP seemed pretty thrilled to see the boys too. And at one point or another everyone commented on how wonderful yet bizarre it is that MR, who has no kids, no intention of ever having any, and generally no interest in children, is so incredibly good with the boys. Just really seems to get them, especially Daniel. Very cool :)
I really wish we had seen SR, Chris' younger sister, but she's no longer in Calgary. And things are still unresolved from the big blow-up this summer over my mother's funeral. Who knows when we'll see her again. We've tried to contact her, and she left us one message that seemed to indicate that she's at least not totally disowning us, but has otherwise not answered any of our e-mails or calls.
::calm blue ocean, trying not to think daggers at her insane mother::
Stuff-wise, it was an incredible Christmas. My family never did Christmas lists, and I was rather taken aback by that particular tradition at first, but I must admit it has its merits. All I really wanted was ROTK EE, Carcasonne, and Settlers of Catan, and I got them all - actually, all plus Starfarers of Catan, the sci-fi version of Settlers. I also got a CD of the Calgary Girls' Choir, completely unexpectedly, for my birthday. I had spent the night of the 21-22 listening to it while I finished my Env essay, and mentioned it to I. the next day - her daughter was in the choir with Chris' sister SR, which is how IG and Chris' dad met. So the next day, for my birthday, out comes IG with another copy of the CD, which she drove into town to get for me. One of the last ones left. Wow.
Also got an absolutely gorgeous book of DP's pictures, that he put together himself. Amazing up-and-coming photographer, he is. Go see his website.
Oh, and I found, at a used bookstore (I don't do new books, not for myself) two used Diana Gabaldon books, which I've been searching at every used bookstore in the world since this summer. Wheee!! Also found a used Diana Gabaldon that I hadn't read yet, which I wanted to read, but it was hardcover. Too expensive. So then I get to Ottawa, and![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ninja_kat gives it to me for my birthday!
Also got all the classical music I could ever want, in a 6-CD set, so that I never have to listen to Carmina Burana again while studying unless I really, really want to :)
Also got, from Chris, a t-shirt with lots of peace symbols, maple and marijuana leafs, with the caption
and Dumbing Us Down:The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling, about homeschooling. And from the kids, 'book stuff' - a bunch of little metal bookmarks from Lee Valley, and a book holder for when I go back to school.
It's so weird to have all this stuff. We hardly ever buy anything but the necessities or things for the kids, so all of this is rather mind-boggling. It's just... ::shrug:: don't know how to express it.
I'm just feeling intensely grateful right now, materially speaking. I know money doesn't buy you love or happiness, and there's a lot that's wrong with our lives right now that no amount of money can fix. But the fact that at least we don't have to worry about where our next meal is coming from on top of everything else, is very highly appreciated right now.
The best thing about the trip was the chance to get out of town for our first Christmas without my mom. I expected Christmas to be rather bittersweet this year, but for the most part, it wasn't. My birthday was somewhat sad, but not overly so - and IG taking the kids so we could go on a date helped a lot :)
***
Strange that it's already New Year's Eve. Doesn't feel like it. For some reason, I kept thinking I was one day behind - until yesterday Chris mentioned that he was on call today.
"Aren't you on call the 31?" I asked.
"Yeah... that's tomorrow."
"No it's not - today's the 29th."
"Um, no it's not."
I checked. "Oh. Why did I think it was the 29th?"
"I just took away a whole day for you, didn't I?" Chris asked.
"Yeah. (pause) 'So tell me, how did this make you feel?'"
It took Chris a moment to realize I was paraphrasing The Princess Bride, and hadn't just gone utterly touchy-feely on him ;)
***
Watching ROTK EE the other day, the boys were interested in all the little extras. After the extra bit where Pippin and Gandalf see Denethor for the first time, Chris asked Daniel, "So what do you think Pippin is thinking right now?"
"'Oh, no. I've just sworn fealty to this crazy jerk,'" Daniel replied promptly.
***
And today we're talking about how much things are worth - e.g. whether ROTK was worth +/- $60. I explained that to many people, it wouldn't be, because they wouldn't be interested in the little extra bits here and there. I pointed out that for example the 'new' scene where the ghost soldiers seem to refuse to fight for Aragorn, and Aragorn looks like he's about to break down with frustration and hopelessness, doesn't really add to the plot. It gives us a little more insight into Aragorn's character, a bit more depth, but it's not necessary to the storyline. The theatre version mostly cut anything that didn't add directly to the story, I said.
"They had melody, not harmony," Daniel commented.
It took me a minute to process that. And then I thought, wow, I couldn't have come up with a better simile. It's perfect.
Daniel blows me away when he says stuff like that.
***
Gotta go. We're either traveling to Kingston or getting visitors from Kingston tomorrow. I should probably figure out which - i.e., whether I need to pack up or clean.
Overall, really good visit. The kids were happy, seeing all their Calgary kin, and having both of us at home (although I was a bit of a stranger until my Env Paper got done), and Doing Stuff every day (museum, zoo, etc).
Nice catching up with the in-laws. Stayed at Chris' dad and dad's girlfriend IG's house for the first three days, and I was reminded of why I like them both so much. Very down-to-earth, just generally nice people, and both so incredibly patient with our kids. Stayed with Chris' mom and stepfather's house the next three days, and that went well too. Saw Chris' older brother MR a lot. Didn't see much of younger brother DP, but apparently he's moving to Montreal this summer, so hopefully we'll see more of him from now on. It was great catching up with both of them, the boys were thrilled to see their uncles, and MR and DP seemed pretty thrilled to see the boys too. And at one point or another everyone commented on how wonderful yet bizarre it is that MR, who has no kids, no intention of ever having any, and generally no interest in children, is so incredibly good with the boys. Just really seems to get them, especially Daniel. Very cool :)
I really wish we had seen SR, Chris' younger sister, but she's no longer in Calgary. And things are still unresolved from the big blow-up this summer over my mother's funeral. Who knows when we'll see her again. We've tried to contact her, and she left us one message that seemed to indicate that she's at least not totally disowning us, but has otherwise not answered any of our e-mails or calls.
::calm blue ocean, trying not to think daggers at her insane mother::
Stuff-wise, it was an incredible Christmas. My family never did Christmas lists, and I was rather taken aback by that particular tradition at first, but I must admit it has its merits. All I really wanted was ROTK EE, Carcasonne, and Settlers of Catan, and I got them all - actually, all plus Starfarers of Catan, the sci-fi version of Settlers. I also got a CD of the Calgary Girls' Choir, completely unexpectedly, for my birthday. I had spent the night of the 21-22 listening to it while I finished my Env essay, and mentioned it to I. the next day - her daughter was in the choir with Chris' sister SR, which is how IG and Chris' dad met. So the next day, for my birthday, out comes IG with another copy of the CD, which she drove into town to get for me. One of the last ones left. Wow.
Also got an absolutely gorgeous book of DP's pictures, that he put together himself. Amazing up-and-coming photographer, he is. Go see his website.
Oh, and I found, at a used bookstore (I don't do new books, not for myself) two used Diana Gabaldon books, which I've been searching at every used bookstore in the world since this summer. Wheee!! Also found a used Diana Gabaldon that I hadn't read yet, which I wanted to read, but it was hardcover. Too expensive. So then I get to Ottawa, and
ninja_kat gives it to me for my birthday!Also got all the classical music I could ever want, in a 6-CD set, so that I never have to listen to Carmina Burana again while studying unless I really, really want to :)
Also got, from Chris, a t-shirt with lots of peace symbols, maple and marijuana leafs, with the caption
and Dumbing Us Down:The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling, about homeschooling. And from the kids, 'book stuff' - a bunch of little metal bookmarks from Lee Valley, and a book holder for when I go back to school.
It's so weird to have all this stuff. We hardly ever buy anything but the necessities or things for the kids, so all of this is rather mind-boggling. It's just... ::shrug:: don't know how to express it.
I'm just feeling intensely grateful right now, materially speaking. I know money doesn't buy you love or happiness, and there's a lot that's wrong with our lives right now that no amount of money can fix. But the fact that at least we don't have to worry about where our next meal is coming from on top of everything else, is very highly appreciated right now.
The best thing about the trip was the chance to get out of town for our first Christmas without my mom. I expected Christmas to be rather bittersweet this year, but for the most part, it wasn't. My birthday was somewhat sad, but not overly so - and IG taking the kids so we could go on a date helped a lot :)
Strange that it's already New Year's Eve. Doesn't feel like it. For some reason, I kept thinking I was one day behind - until yesterday Chris mentioned that he was on call today.
"Aren't you on call the 31?" I asked.
"Yeah... that's tomorrow."
"No it's not - today's the 29th."
"Um, no it's not."
I checked. "Oh. Why did I think it was the 29th?"
"I just took away a whole day for you, didn't I?" Chris asked.
"Yeah. (pause) 'So tell me, how did this make you feel?'"
It took Chris a moment to realize I was paraphrasing The Princess Bride, and hadn't just gone utterly touchy-feely on him ;)
Watching ROTK EE the other day, the boys were interested in all the little extras. After the extra bit where Pippin and Gandalf see Denethor for the first time, Chris asked Daniel, "So what do you think Pippin is thinking right now?"
"'Oh, no. I've just sworn fealty to this crazy jerk,'" Daniel replied promptly.
And today we're talking about how much things are worth - e.g. whether ROTK was worth +/- $60. I explained that to many people, it wouldn't be, because they wouldn't be interested in the little extra bits here and there. I pointed out that for example the 'new' scene where the ghost soldiers seem to refuse to fight for Aragorn, and Aragorn looks like he's about to break down with frustration and hopelessness, doesn't really add to the plot. It gives us a little more insight into Aragorn's character, a bit more depth, but it's not necessary to the storyline. The theatre version mostly cut anything that didn't add directly to the story, I said.
"They had melody, not harmony," Daniel commented.
It took me a minute to process that. And then I thought, wow, I couldn't have come up with a better simile. It's perfect.
Daniel blows me away when he says stuff like that.
Gotta go. We're either traveling to Kingston or getting visitors from Kingston tomorrow. I should probably figure out which - i.e., whether I need to pack up or clean.
