This kind of blew my mind today.  It is a demonstration of what can be done with Photoshop and kind of makes you wonder what kind of effect this type of “editing” has on the self-image of women in our society today without us even knowing it is taking place.  Be warned that this video is not “family viewing”.

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Here’s a look into the past few days here in London…

We had some reeeally hot days this week.  It was above 30 a couple of days in a row.  The kids enjoyed some time in the paddling pool and managed not to get too much of a sunburn.  Kieran thought it was the greatest thing. 

And here is Avery in “Diva” mode.  I’ve posted pictures of her wearing the sunglasses before but I thought this picture was too cute not to post.  And below we have the kids’ first ride on a “motorcycle” at the park.  Avery went a little nuts with the whole thing, as you can see.  This is at the park that I had mentioned before where there are Canada geese everywhere and beautiful walking trails. It is a lovely park and we went there for a picnic supper last night.  We fed the geese bread and Kieran wanted to get as close to them as possible because what is more exciting than a big furry animal that is close enough to touch?  We were literally being swarmed.  We had to start pushing them away because the adult geese were getting a wee bit aggressive.  But I totally loved it.  I find that kind of thing so much fun.  It’s cool to be able to get so close to these animals.  They are really pretty and the babies are so cute.

As you can see here there were big families of geese everywhere. If I had turned 180 degrees and taken another picture there would have been at least as many geese.  It was really amazing.

When we sat down to eat our picnic (a safe distance from our feathered friends) this little squirrel watched us, trying to get as close as he dared.  If Kieran could just figure out this walking thing he would have been all over that squirrel like white on rice.  He points his fat little finger at anything that excites him these days and shouts out funny little exclamations of gibberish.  It is quite funny.  This kid has got to learn to walk and talk.  On the other hand then I am in for some real trouble!

Here we can observe Avery getting a nature lesson from her bonafide Chief Scout father who knows a lot about these things. 

And maybe this is kind of geeky? But I am so pumped to see real maple leaves.  I absolutely can’t wait until the fall when they turn red. I think that will be so neat. They are everywhere in London and I think fall will be absolutely beautiful.  You can expect lots of posts with maple leaves/trees in the fall.
 
   

I get made fun of because I take about a hundred pictures that to most people would seem like almost the same pose and I really try to trim the fat and delete bad pictures but I often keep a lot that have only minor differences.  Because this one shows off his chubby little cheeks so well and this one captures his expression just right and look at the way his hands are in this picture!  I know they look the same to you. But look closer!  Anyway, this picture of Kieran is one of those.  And the other picture is the kids at the playground at Gibbons Park here.  Immediately afterwards we were pecked to death by geese and then the goslings pecked the flesh from our bones.

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I have been cursing about the fact that I wasn’t getting emails from LJ telling me that there were new comments on my account.  Maybe updating my email address would help that situation?  Sometimes I’m amazed that I am able to function in the world.  But, as they say, every village needs an idiot!  The good news is, I will now actually know that you are commenting! Thanks for not giving up on me!  I love you all dahlings!

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So I have learned that the houses in our neighborhood are very common culprits for extremely high levels of lead in the tap water.  It doesn’t come in the water but it leaches into the water from the old, lead pipes that may or may not be hiding underground, poisoning my family, lowering my kids IQ and causing all kinds of other health problems.  I found a number to call to get the water tested, but until then I have invested in a big ol’ Brita pitcher.  Which I am not really happy about. Because our fridge? Is kind of on the small side.  It has a nice big freezer but we all know where that space comes from.  I was thinking that’s what the deep freeze was for, but what do I know?  And with all those bags of milk in there I really don’t have room for a huge Brita pitcher.  But I guess my kids IQs are worth the pain in the ass that this whole thing is.

water problems | 3 Comments »

I just realized that a bunch of you posted on some of my last posts and that I never got the normal emails that LJ ususally sends to say there have been comments. I’m not sure what’s up with that but I’ll check on it.  In the meantime, thanks for reading! I was starting to think y’all had forgotten about me.

It has been a week and a half since I arrived in London.  I am finally starting to feel settled.  We have basically unpacked and I am slowly adjusting to my new habitat. It doesn’t feel like “home” yet. But it doesn’t feel as strange and unfamiliar as it did last week.  There have been some really wonderful discoveries this week and some interesting observations and some annoyances and negative things that I have learned about London. And now, let the randomness commence!

I found a beautiful park by the river here.  It is huge and has a nice playground, a spray park, walking paths that go for miles, and tonnes of Canada geese and ducks.  We went there last week with a new friend and the geese ate bread out of our hands. There were a lot of little goslings that were totally adorable!  It was a highlight of the week for me. 

Another highlight has been the Farmer’s Market that is near our house.  It is only about a five minute walk and it seriously is the best farmer’s market I’ve ever gone to. (Although I do recognize I have limited experience!) They sell all kinds of fruit and vegetables, meat, cheese, eggs, bread (and other baked goods), coffee, honey, really beautiful and cheap flowers, and all kinds of yummy things to eat.  We went on Saturday and only bought a few things but the prices were so reasonable I’m planning to start buying all my produce there. And we bought some fresh-out-of-the-deep-fryer apple fritters that were unbelievable!  I can’t wait to go again!  The walk was pleasant and I was so happy to find this gem in the ghetto!

There are seriously Tim Hortons EVERYWHERE here. There are two within walking distance of our house!  Does that seem excessive?  I think it’s an Ontario thing because even in my husband’s home town in northern Ontario there are a lot of Tim Hortons for the smallish population of the city.  I know it’s popular, but come ON people!!!  I feel like I will stick out like a sore thumb if I don’t walk around gently caressing my Tim’s coffee cup!

I met some really nice people this week. All of them are spouses of other Ivey students. They actually have “support group” of sorts for those of us who are here with our husbands or wives (although it seems we are mostly wives).  The group is called the Ivey Circle which totally sounds like a cult.  I am so going to give myself a secret name.   But the women I met are so nice. Some have been here since last fall as their husbands started in the October program and they have been very welcoming and full of good tips and encouragement.  Others, like me, have just arrived and are going through the very same things so it is nice to have a network of people to share my concerns and frustrations with.  A few of us had a small get-together over dinner the other night and at the end of the evening I felt that these women were old friends already.  I am truly looking forward to getting to know them better. 

Hubby has caved and bought a “milk pitcher” but I am still persevering in my quest for 4L jugs (Have I mentioned that I feel the frequent use of the word “jugs” is starting to make me feel dirty?).  I found one Macs that sells them but they didn’t sell skim milk, which is what we drink.  I keep hearing that some places sell them so I’m going to continue to search. But for now I’ve had to give in  to using the little pitcher.  I’m tempted to draw the anarchy symbol on it with a sharpie or “Down With Bags!”.  But that might annoy my husbands and Ontario neighbors. I’m trying not to whine about it, really. But it just enfuriates me so damn much!  Why is that?  I guess I just have to pick something to obsess over and milk bags won the day.

I have noticed that the gas stations here do not change their prices at the same time. Ever.  At any given time you can find gas stations that are a couple cents higher and lower than the average. I find this strange. Do you?

It smells like a greenhouse here.  It hasn’t generally felt too humid but when it’s warm you can smell flowers everywhere and it smells exactly like walking through the inside of a greenhouse.  Really nice.  I’ve got a bunch of perennials starting to bloom in my yard and that is kind of fun!

You would think the market would be saturated with “corner stores” around here. I know I mentioned it in a previous post but I really can’t believe how many of them there are around here!  There are also crossing guards. Not just by schools. In random places on busy streets.  I walked with the kids in the stroller today and a real, honest-to-goodness crossing guard in a flourescent orange vest stopped traffic for me!  He even blew on a whistle!  How awesome is that?

The biggest frustration of the week (other than the ongoing milk bag fiasco) is that I wanted to get groceries yesterday, Victoria Day, and do you think ANY grocery stores were open??? No! Of course not!  Apparently there is a bylaw in Ontario that prevents certain items from being sold. The corner stores are open but the liquor/beer stores are closed, all grocery stores are closed, Walmart is closed (except for their garden centre), and, although Shoppers Drug Mart was open, half the store was blocked off because there are specific products they are not allowed to sell because of some Ontario legislation. I know this because they had signs up apologizing for the idiocy of the whole thing.  I mean really, a closed store is one thing, but opening the store and then not allowing you to shop in all of it??? I needed diapers for crying out loud!  I was ready to start tunneling through the shelves to get to them, that’s how desperate I was!  I will definitely not make that mistake again.  I just assumed that it would be like Saskatchewan, where grocery stores open for shorter hours.  But, as usual, Ontario wants to remind the world that it is so NOT like anywhere else.  Boo.

I know there is more but that’s all I can think of for now. I promise pictures of the inside of the house are coming soon!  Really!

culture shock, moving, rants, renting | 5 Comments »

So I made a really interesting discovery just a couple days ago. Our ghetto-house is only 4 blocks from the home of Sir Frederick Banting, the doctor who discovered insulin! I know this wouldn’t rate high on most tourist’s list of exciting things to see in London, but for me it was really kind of inspiring, what with insulin keeping me alive and all. Dr. Banting is, of course, deceased, but his home has been turned into a museum of sorts. It was closed today but I hope to go back and check it out some time. I expect it’s not all that exciting. Facts about diabetes and rooms set up to look like they would have a century ago.

 

   

There is a statue of Dr. Banting and the Flame of Hope which is kind of cool. You can’t see the actual flame in the picture because it’s a really windy day. The plaques below were really interesting to me. It feels kind of nice to be acknowledged as a person who has had to live with this disease and to know that there are people out there who are determined to put an end to it.

 

 

If you can’t read the plaques, this is what they say:

Birthplace of Insulin

In 1920 while living and practicing medicine here, Dr. F. G. Banting conceived the idea which eventually led to the discovery of the insulin and the saving of millions of lives worldwide.
This statue, created by sculptor John Miecznikowski, depicts Dr. Banting at the age of 29. It was unveiled on July 7, 1989 by her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother as a lasting tribute to this great Canadian Medical Scientist and Nobel Laureate.

 

Birthplace of the Flame of Hope

This flame of hope was conceived by his Honor, Judge John M. Seneshen and stands as a symbol for all persons suffering from diabetes around the world. This flame will burn continuously and only be extinguished when it can be declared that a cure for diabetes has been found. Just as Banting’s house is the birthplace of insulin, so Frederick Banting square is the birthplace of the Flame of Hope.

Banting House, the diabetes | 1 Comment »

Is it just me or was the finale of Grey’s Anatomy not reeeeally depressing? I mean it’s often depressing but I felt like I’d been sitting under a thunder cloud and just felt sooo sad and depressed afterwards. Seriously!  And now I have to wait until the next season for it to redeem itself? Yes, I’m pathetic, letting TV ruin my mood like this.  I will go drown my sorrows in something more cheerful.

tv | 4 Comments »

You would think that a pair of nail scissors for an infant would be fairly innocuous.  You would THINK….  But Avery managed to cut off some fairly big chunks of hair with them this morning. Luckily, her attempts at hairdressing don’t seem to be visible, although she may have some new “layers” that I have yet to discover.  Fun.

Avery, quirky kids | No Comments »

Well so much has happened in the past few weeks and I have thought about blogging every day but there always seemed to be too much to sum up in the time that I had so I put it off. Of course the next day there was even more. So now I’ve decided to give you the brief update with the pictures below.  Stop laughing. Yes, I realize there are like 187 pictures here.  I promise I’ll try not to be too long-winded.

So we took on the big job of packing up our things in Saskatoon.  I realized that it is very different when you are packing for a long distance move as opposed to within the city.  Just about everything had to be boxed and secured.  The kids enjoyed the craziness more than I did.  They thought the boxes piled up were great forts and climbing opportunities.  Until I packed up the toys.  Then Avery announced that she doesn’t like moving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are a few shots of the chaos that was our house. This is the night before the moving van arrived. It is a truly bizarre thing to have all your worldly possessions in boxes.  But it was a great chance to get rid of a lot of stuff. In fact, when I started unpacking here in London, there were still a few things that I was questioning why I felt compelled to bring them across the country.

We’re going to miss that house.  It was good to us.

As the movers packed up the van I ran a few errands around Saskatoon and hung out at McDonalds with my sister and some friends.  Karla took Kieran up into the playland climbing structure which he thought was pretty great.  I got some really nice shots of the two of them.

 

 

 

 

We asked Avery to help me hold up the “Sold” sign for our house and this was the result!  Cute.  But bitter sweet.  PS- If you live in Saskatoon and want a good realtor, Dennis is the best!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the van packed we said goodbye to some dear friends and hopped in our car.  We stopped for this final shot of our dear Saskatoon.  This move is particularly hard for me as I have lived here most of my life.  I love the prairies fiercely and it’s going to be hard to be away.  Especially not knowing if we’ll be back.  But I am really going to try to have a good attitude!

We made it to Manitoba that day and settled in to spend some time with my parents.  Colin stayed for 2 days before continuing on to London.  The kids and I had a great time relaxing and taking a break from responsibilities.  The kids enjoyed this swing in my parents’ front yard and going hot tubbing.  Kieran even got his first hair cut, courtesy of my dad and his clippers.  I thought it might freak him out but he thought it was hilarious and smiled and laughed through most of it.

After about 10 days I was ready to finally get to our new home and start our new life.  The break was good for me but I was getting antsy and it was time to move on.  We flew from Winnipeg to London on May 11.  Kieran was a big of a pain on the plane. He could have been worse but flying with an almost one year old is not my idea of a good time.  Avery was great.  I am blessed to have such an obedient daughter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is a very bizarre thing to land in a new city that you’ve never even visited and suddenly be calling it “home”.  Someone on the plane asked me if I was from London and I was just about to say “no” when the reality dawned on me.  “I guess I am, now” I responded.  It definitely wasn’t a good feeling.  I don’t like the unfamiliar.  I don’t like not knowing where I am going.  I don’t like being so far away from all my friends and loved ones.  The only great comfort was that my hubby was there to greet me when I got off the plane.  He pointed out some highlights as he drove us “home” and I realized that my time spent pouring over google maps trying to find where different rental properties were in relation to the University was not a waste. I feel that I am quite familiar with a lot of the main roads and I can at least find my way to a number of important places (ie. grocery stores, malls, etc.).  The whole experience has been nothing short of overwhelming.  The unpacking is coming along and we are slowly making this house feel like home. 

The house we are renting is a very old house. About 100 years old, I believe.  We have never lived in what could be called an “old” house.  I have learned something important about myself in the days since I arrived here.  I am NOT and old house person.  I am most definitely a new house person.  I love the idea of an old house. But in practice I am thinking it is so not worth it.  If I were to buy an old house to renovate I would basically just totally redo every single thing about it. So why not build a new house in the style of an older house?  I know some people are into renovating and bless your little hearts, you certainly have my admiration!  But I think one year will be enough to cure me of any attraction I have to “character homes”.  The owners of this house are clearly not as anal as we are.  There are so many little things about this home that we would have changed.  Like some outlets and light switches have been updated while others haven’t, the cupboards on the island in the kitchen are missing handles, huge patches of chipped or damaged paint on the walls that needs to be touched up, 3 different types of carpet and 4 other types of flooring (hardwood, lino, laminate and tile – and we’re not talking a big house here.  It looks weird.)  The bathtub, as you might be able to see in this picture, has been repainted at some point (I didn’t know you could paint bathtubs).  The paint is now chipping off like CRAZY.  When our kids take a bath there are a tonne of little white paint-floaties.  I am thinking it is not going to be good for their health when they drink up the bathwater, which they both do, as if I only allow them to drink at bath time.  Maybe it’s just me. But really, something needs to be done about this. 

BUT. But we do have an adorable little backyard. MUCH smaller than what we had in Saskatoon, but that’s ok.  What you see in the picture above is pretty much it.  There are perennials all around the border and two pear trees and a bunch of rosebushes of some kind that apparently bloom like crazy for one week in June.  We also have a little deck.  We don’t get to use the garage for our vehicle but our landlords are letting us store some of our extra junk in there which is awesome.  All in all the house is mediocre.  The rooms are quite big, the ktichen doesn’t have quite enough cupboards. The 10 foot ceilings are pretty neat.  The bathroom is really tiny but at least there is a good shower head which goes a long way in my books.  Oh, and I had mentioned a few posts ago that our landlords were making us pay for our laundry but we have since talked to them about it and they agreed that they had not made it clear at all that laundry would be extra and it had, in fact, been implied by their ad that it was included. So they have given us permission to jack open the coin-operated-slot-thingy so that we can do our laundry for free.  Also, the lockbox on the thermostat turned out to be something that was there when our landlords bought the house and they hadn’t intended to leave it locked on us. So we have access to that.  I am very happy that they are being accommodating.  It is making me feel much less stressed out.

On my first morning in London I had a definite agenda.  We needed groceries. None of our canned/dry food was unpacked and my husband had been existing on the food he was given at school (some meals were included that first week) and basically a carton of orange juice and a pack of oatmeal cookies.  So off I go to the nearby Superstore thinking “Fantastic!  I’ll stock up at a place that will be fairly familiar!” 

Who knew Ontario is like a totally different country? 

There were things that I just could not find, for the life of me.  Boxes of frozen chicken breasts, large (20 pound) bags of potatoes, apple juice in something other than a big tin can. Yes, a tin can.  That’s practical.  Just haul out ye old can opener and let ‘er rip!  They don’t have those nice 1L tetra packs that we have in Saskatchewan.

And, of course, the crowning glory…Milk. In. A. Bag.  Yes, you read right. In a bag.  I’m trying not to be too judgmental here, but seriously? In a bag?  Who on earth thinks this is a good idea?  They do have regular cartons (which, by the way have those round spouts in the top where you have to unscrew the lid. Like maybe Ontarians can’t open a carton and use the spout the way the carton was designed to be used) but if you want a 4L you have to buy a pack of 3 of these bags which add up to 4L.  But if you wanted your milk in 1L increments why the hell wouldn’t you just by one or two litre cartons???  And there are special little pitchers you must buy to use the milk bags that are just the right size. But I refused to be part of this milk-bag nonsense. So I just used a pitcher I had at home (see picture above).  It doesn’t pour well.  I really just think this is a dumb idea. But I have been told by a number of people that your can actually get 4L jugs at some of the little corner stores, of which there are a LOT of around here. There are is one 2 blocks east of us. one that is one block east of us and one that is two blocks west of us.  I am skeptical that people actually use these enough to keep them in business but I am told that these stores sometimes have better prices on some grocery items than the big stores. In Saskatoon I only went to my local corner store if I was in a real bind for time because you basically have to sell your firstborn child to buy a carton of eggs and a loaf of bread. 

Anyway, back to the Superstore saga…did I mention that this little shopping trip took place on a Saturday?  Yes, I am possibly the most retarded person who ever lived.  I paid to walk through the maze of busy people, most of whom probably hold full time jobs (hence the weekend grocery shopping) who are in a hurry to get this done so they can make the most of their weekend.  It was insane.  There were cranky kids everywhere, my cart included.  I had totally forgotten it was Saturday and I am unlikely to make that mistake again.  If I do, someone should put me in a straight-jacket because I have clearly lost my grip on reality. 

But we did make it out of the store with some food.  I have been able to cook in my kitchen.  Superstore and I are taking a break from each other.  Maybe I will go back on a week day some time and see if we can come to an amicable arrangement.

It turns out that the neighborhood we live in is kind of the “ghetto”.  I really don’t think we would have chosen to live here if we had been in the city when we were searching for a place.   I thought the house looked really different, with lots of character (there’s that dirty c-word again) when I saw pictures of it. It turns out that it looks almost exactly like every other house in the area.  They are all old and many of them are rentals, exactly like ours.  They are divided into a basement suite, a main floor suite, and an upper suite, just like ours is.  They are all brick.  They all have front porches, they all have stained glass windows above their living room picture window.  It’s just like houses in the new neighborhoods all have their garage out in front.  But I guess that’s just the nature of humans.  Houses in a neighborhood get built at the same time and everyone wants to build what is “in fashion” at the time.  This pictures is actually a couple blocks from our place.  Some of the houses and yards are owner occupied and some are rentals. Some are very well kept and others aren’t.  Same as just about any neighborhood I suppose. 

Our next door neighbours own their house and have turned out to be quite nice which is a pleasant surprise.  In just a few days I have talked to them more than I talked to our neighbors in the three years we lived at our last house. In fact, I’m not sure I ever even saw the neighbors at our last house.  These people are outside a lot and have been over to visit and are just so friendly. I’m really appreciating that. At least I have someone to ask where I can find things. They also have an 18 month old daughter who thinks our yard is pretty much Disneyland, what with the slide and other toys.  So the kids will probably get along well.  The neighbors also own a dog. I’m thinking our kids will have to get over their fear of dogs by the end of this year. The dog is kept in their yard but she makes her presence known from time to time.  Either the kids will get used to big dogs or they’re going to need a hell of a lot of therapy.  I’ll let you know how that goes. 

Another interesting difference about London is that there are squirrels EVERYWHERE!!!  They are running across the streets and along porches and up trees and through the garbage (which is front curb pick up…don’t get me started on that!). It never occurred to me that Avery had never actually seen a squirrel until she flipped out the first day because she saw the biggest BUG she’d ever witnessed and this is on top of the fact that she’s currently cultivating a debilitating phobia of all insect life.  I thought she would lose her mind.  She seems to have gotten used to the squirrels and has relaxed since we explained that they are not classified as bugs. 

Despite all this she has still been willing to play in the backyard and go to the park which is only 3 blocks from our house.  Kieran enjoys the wagon ride and trying to eat grass and dandylions and sticks.  And I only had to stop about 59 times in the three blocks to put his hat back on his head.

 

 

Kieran has recently mastered the skill of pulling himself up to a standing position which, although cute, has become a bit of a nuisance.  If he is not basically asleep when I put him into his crib for a nap he stands up and wails forever.  He might as well have his tin cup to rattle against the crib rails.  This whole sleep thing continues to elude us.  What can I say?  It sucks.  You all know how much fun being tired is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So that is our life up to the present. I will post pictures of our place once we are finished unpacking and organized.  I know this has been long. Thanks for reading!  Hopefully there will be more interesting posts in the future as I experience the real culture of Southern Ontario.  The biggest thing I’ve noticed so far is the goofy accent.  My Ontario name is “Shee-yannon”. 

So y’all, this is Shee-yannon signing off from the hot and humid city of London!

culture shock, moving, Ontario, renting | 8 Comments »