The first half of this article in the Province describes a police chase that ended in front of our house at almost 2am this morning. It was a bit of a surreal experience!
Brian and I were awoken by an unrelated noise inside our house just before 2am. As we were drifting back to sleep, I muttered to Brian that I heard a helicopter and both of us had this weird feeling that something was going on. Moments later, we were fully awoken again by the sound of screeching tires, many police sirens, dogs barking and men yelling down our street.
Brian peeked out the window and he could see police cars on either end of our block, blue and red lights flashing. There were people running around with flashlights and we could hear people yelling and dogs barking. To top it all off, there was a helicopter overhead with a searchlight glaring down at the houses across the street from us.
It was a shocking sight to take in at the best of times, never mind that it was 2am and we were still groggy from sleep. My first reaction was to go upstairs and check on Josh. Brian, Nikita and I all went upstairs and Josh was sound asleep in his crib. I didn't feel comfortable leaving his alone after that.
We went back downstairs and things were calming down after about 10 minutes or so. We couldn't hear the helicopter anymore and some of the police cruisers left. The ironic thing is that Nikita didn't make a noise during the whole incident - not even with the dogs barking outside. However, when a police car pulled up in front of our house and a policeman got out to go across the street, Nikita started that low, throaty growl. It made me feel safe to know that Nikita would warn us if someone came remotely close to our house.
As we settled back into to bed and tried to fall back asleep, I couldn't help but wonder, "Where the heck are we living?!". It felt so ghetto - that helicopter with the searchlight was liking something out of a movie! At that point, Brian started humming the theme from the TV show COPS. Bad boys, bad boys, watcha gonna do...
Friday, August 24, 2007
Monday, August 20, 2007
90210 revival
Shortly after I went on maternity leave this past November, I discovered Beverly Hills 90210 had been syndicated by a cable channel called TVTropolis. I remember watching the show in its early run (while Brenda was still there!) when we were in school - it was part of our university life to drink while we watched 90210 before heading out to the bar. This show, Melrose Place and Friends were our staples in the early 90's.In the weeks after Josh was born, all I seemed to do was feed him, change his diapers and sleep. Along with that, I found that I was watching 90210 when it came on in the afternoon.
I remembered many of the episodes as I watched them again and I couldn't believe that I used to watch this show so religiously! So much drama - and did we really want to dress like that some 15 years ago?!
Well, I'm 9 months into maternity leave and I can't believe that I'm still watching it. Ugh. And the worst part is that I am actually recording it on the PVR so I can watch them when I have time during Josh's naps! Someone please explain to me what psychosis is causing me to continue to watch?! I feel like I've fallen off some wagon or something - I want to stop watching it, but I can't...
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007
who needs yoga?!
Brian and I learned how limber babies are when we saw Josh sucking on his toes. It's crazy how easily he gets his feet behind his head! This photo takes the cake, though. Recently, Josh has been very mobile in his crib before he falls asleep - he sits up and plays with the controls for his mobile; he crawls over to the railing and stands up. I'm not too sure how he actually falls asleep because I'm not in the room when he does, but I wonder what happens in the minutes before he actually falls asleep to get him into this sleeping position...
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...
Elijah, Owen and Josh are all in the same swim class. It's funny to see how all 3 babies are completely different! It's fun to watch all three of them react to the water. Josh is definitely having the hardest time with the class. I'm not sure if it's just too late for him (our classes are in the evenings) or if his lack of chubbiness makes the water really cold for him, but when we get in the water with him, he clings to us for dear life. And he's pretty cranky each time we start a new exercise.
Which brings me to a question: Can babies be afraid of the water? I mean, can babies really be afraid of anything at this point, except maybe falling down? I am dumbfounded by the fact that Josh is freaked out by the caterpillar on the Baby Einstein DVD's. It's so cute and non-threatening! Originally, he would wail when we started the DVD's and we couldn't figure out why. We finally realized it was the caterpillar and now I have to have him on my lap when the DVD starts. Once the caterpillar passes he can sit on his own, mesmerized by the rest of the DVD. It makes me wonder what he has experienced in his short, 8-month life that makes him cry at a colourful, animated caterpillar...
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
garage sale hell...
At the end of April, my dragon boat racing club held a garage and bake sale. We were raising money to send underpriviledged kids to summer camp. You're probably thinking that a garage sale is not the best forum to raise money for charity as many garage sale patrons are looking for a bit of "charity" from the sellers as well. I must admit that I get somewhat annoyed when we tell people that the garage sale is for charity and they continue to try to bargain down that $2 item for $1! Honestly, I believe the hard core garage salers don't even care about the item - they just do it to see if they can bargain you down!
Well, we had a particularly BAD case of "garage sale bargain disorder" when a man came by our garage sale. He was interested in a food processor. It just happened to be my food processor that I was selling because we got the Cadillac of food processors (the Cuisinart) for our wedding. The one I was selling I bought for around $75 and used it maybe once or twice. I was selling it for a screaming deal of $20, but was willing to let it go for $15.
My teammate was dealing with the man and he refused to pay more than $7 for it! She explained to him that it was for charity and he still would not budge. He went so far as to hand her the money and make like he was leaving with it tucked under his arm! My teammate would not go for it. She must have spent about 45 minutes with him as he examined it meticulously and tried to talk her down. Finally, painstakingly, she let it go for $10. It must have been the most frustrating 45 minutes of her life that she will never get back!
Unfortunately, the story does not end there. The following week, both my husband and I received calls on our cell phones from this man! In the voice mail messages, he explained that he bought the food processor and it didn't work. He wanted to come back and get us to show him how it worked! In any other circumstance, I would have graciously called the person back and told them to come by. But, in this particular case, I was flabbergasted that this man had the nerve to ask for some sort of service for a food processor that he bargained down to half the price at a charitable garage sale! I can't even describe how I feel about this situation! Furthermore, how did he get my cell phone number and my husband's cell phone number?! Kinda creepy. I chose not to reply to the messages.
I spent the month of May out of town. When I came back in early June, I was floored when I got a call from the same man. Almost a month and a half later and he was still calling about the food processor. I wonder what he has been doing with it for the past month and a half?!
Anyway, this is a testament to learning not to answer the phone when you don't know the number. The man went on about how he just wanted me to show him how it worked and I feigned ignorance and claimed it was a "group" garage sale and I had no idea what he bought and who it belonged to. I dialed up annoying and told him that if he wanted customer service he should have bought the food processor in a store and not a garage sale. I also explained that I wasn't even really working at the garage sale and that it was just held at my house. He said that he knows that the food processor belonged to me and that he remembered me. This is about the time that I told him to stop bothering us and said that I would call the police if he didn't stop.
After I hung up the phone. I called Brian and told him what happened. That's when it dawned on me. The ONLY reason I didn't want to show him how it worked was because he is a cheap bastard. So, what does that make me?! I couldn't, in good conscience, deprive him of use of the food processor just because he's an idiot. AARGH! I called him back and told him I had a change of heart. But I made sure that I gave him an earful letting him know that I remembered him and thought it was particularly cheap of him to bargain down an item that was being sold for charity. He actually had the audacity to say, "I ended up paying $10 for it, not $7!". Some people just don't get it and I don't think they ever will.
So, he came by that day and I showed him how it worked. End of story - except for an aside: it turns out that I was quickly rewarded for my forbearance. When the man pulled out the food processor pieces from the box I realized that had actually left a couple of blades from my expensive Cuisinart in the same box as the cheap food processor. I innocently showed the guy that it didn't seem that the blades belonged to his food processor and he left them with me. Hehehe...
Well, we had a particularly BAD case of "garage sale bargain disorder" when a man came by our garage sale. He was interested in a food processor. It just happened to be my food processor that I was selling because we got the Cadillac of food processors (the Cuisinart) for our wedding. The one I was selling I bought for around $75 and used it maybe once or twice. I was selling it for a screaming deal of $20, but was willing to let it go for $15.
My teammate was dealing with the man and he refused to pay more than $7 for it! She explained to him that it was for charity and he still would not budge. He went so far as to hand her the money and make like he was leaving with it tucked under his arm! My teammate would not go for it. She must have spent about 45 minutes with him as he examined it meticulously and tried to talk her down. Finally, painstakingly, she let it go for $10. It must have been the most frustrating 45 minutes of her life that she will never get back!
Unfortunately, the story does not end there. The following week, both my husband and I received calls on our cell phones from this man! In the voice mail messages, he explained that he bought the food processor and it didn't work. He wanted to come back and get us to show him how it worked! In any other circumstance, I would have graciously called the person back and told them to come by. But, in this particular case, I was flabbergasted that this man had the nerve to ask for some sort of service for a food processor that he bargained down to half the price at a charitable garage sale! I can't even describe how I feel about this situation! Furthermore, how did he get my cell phone number and my husband's cell phone number?! Kinda creepy. I chose not to reply to the messages.
I spent the month of May out of town. When I came back in early June, I was floored when I got a call from the same man. Almost a month and a half later and he was still calling about the food processor. I wonder what he has been doing with it for the past month and a half?!
Anyway, this is a testament to learning not to answer the phone when you don't know the number. The man went on about how he just wanted me to show him how it worked and I feigned ignorance and claimed it was a "group" garage sale and I had no idea what he bought and who it belonged to. I dialed up annoying and told him that if he wanted customer service he should have bought the food processor in a store and not a garage sale. I also explained that I wasn't even really working at the garage sale and that it was just held at my house. He said that he knows that the food processor belonged to me and that he remembered me. This is about the time that I told him to stop bothering us and said that I would call the police if he didn't stop.
After I hung up the phone. I called Brian and told him what happened. That's when it dawned on me. The ONLY reason I didn't want to show him how it worked was because he is a cheap bastard. So, what does that make me?! I couldn't, in good conscience, deprive him of use of the food processor just because he's an idiot. AARGH! I called him back and told him I had a change of heart. But I made sure that I gave him an earful letting him know that I remembered him and thought it was particularly cheap of him to bargain down an item that was being sold for charity. He actually had the audacity to say, "I ended up paying $10 for it, not $7!". Some people just don't get it and I don't think they ever will.
So, he came by that day and I showed him how it worked. End of story - except for an aside: it turns out that I was quickly rewarded for my forbearance. When the man pulled out the food processor pieces from the box I realized that had actually left a couple of blades from my expensive Cuisinart in the same box as the cheap food processor. I innocently showed the guy that it didn't seem that the blades belonged to his food processor and he left them with me. Hehehe...
Sunday, June 3, 2007
taking a break?!
Josh and I got back from Toronto last week and we had a blast. We were away for a month and, for the first time ever, I felt like it was good to be back home in Vancouver. Not even when I went to Europe for almost 3 months in 2002 was I this happy to come home!
People have asked me: Did you have a good vacation? Vacation takes on a new meaning once you have a baby. Was it relaxing? Uhhh...no. Did you have a good time? I had an excellent time. So, basically, it was awesome to visit family and friends and for many people to meet Josh for the first time. But, it was alot of work and I missed Brian and Nikita terribly!
Also, I thought that being in Toronto that long, I'd have plenty of time to visit with all my friends. Well, I didn't get to see everyone that I had hoped and man, did it ever feel like the whole trip left me running around!
I do recommend taking the time when you are on maternity leave to go away for awhile and get a change of scenery. It's always nice when the "whole" family can go, but that's obviously not always possible. I think I would have been able to be away for longer if Brian and Nikita were with us!
Speaking of family, it was wonderful to be able to visit with my parents and siblings and their families (Jon and Caroline, we missed you!). It's so nice to watch all the cousins play and I think my Mom and Dad were ecstatic to have all their grandkids around. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for letting us crash at your place for a few weeks! We miss you guys!
People have asked me: Did you have a good vacation? Vacation takes on a new meaning once you have a baby. Was it relaxing? Uhhh...no. Did you have a good time? I had an excellent time. So, basically, it was awesome to visit family and friends and for many people to meet Josh for the first time. But, it was alot of work and I missed Brian and Nikita terribly!
Also, I thought that being in Toronto that long, I'd have plenty of time to visit with all my friends. Well, I didn't get to see everyone that I had hoped and man, did it ever feel like the whole trip left me running around!
I do recommend taking the time when you are on maternity leave to go away for awhile and get a change of scenery. It's always nice when the "whole" family can go, but that's obviously not always possible. I think I would have been able to be away for longer if Brian and Nikita were with us!
Speaking of family, it was wonderful to be able to visit with my parents and siblings and their families (Jon and Caroline, we missed you!). It's so nice to watch all the cousins play and I think my Mom and Dad were ecstatic to have all their grandkids around. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for letting us crash at your place for a few weeks! We miss you guys!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)