The Hobbit vs. The World Volume 3: Sunburn

It's been a while since I did a Hobbit vs. the World post, but today I have a bit of a gripe. And really, I'm not cranky at the world. I'm more cranky at myself.

But I need to give you some background. I come from good northern European stock. German, Irish, English, Ukrainian... that's right, the pasty ones. I was born so blonde that no one could see my hair. I looked bald until I was almost three. As an aside, my biological parents were often asked how old I was when they adopted me, as they both have dark hair and darker colouring (how the heck did that happen?). The kicker is, when you look at me and my grandmother it's like a chunck of her fell off and started growing where it landed.

Anyway, sorry for the digression.

I'm pale. I always have been. Whenever someone complains about how they need some colour, I can one up them by showing them the inside of my forearm. We are talking white. Whiter than white.

And I don't tan.

I never have. I go from white, to lobster red, to white (with a few more new freckles thrown in for good measure). I won't go into how living in Florida was a challenge. Once when I was 16, I went fishing in an aluminum canoe. I forgot my sunblock on the beach and we were out on the lake for several hours. In July. In the Okanagan. I ended up getting so burnt that I peeled for more than two weeks. Gross! I still have scars from that burn on my shoulders.

So, what am I cranky about today? I'm cranky because my Beloved and I went out to the Farmer's Market (more about that on Show and Tell day) this morning, and I completely forgot to put on sunblock. The burn I got isn't terrible, just irritating. My neck and chest, and the end of my nose. (In fact, I look like I've just downed a bottle of wine on my own.)

I know better!

The Girl Who Cried 'Pregnant'

Another cycle... another round of feeling foolish.

At 9dpo I got a very faint positive. It was on a name brand test and like I said, it was faint, but it was definitely positive. My Beloved and I both saw it and we were cautiously hopeful. After all, it was still very early.

I tested the next day, and it was negative, but I had missed my fmu, so I wasn't surprised.

I tested the day after that, and then again yesterday... both negative.

This morning my temperature tanked and I can feel AF getting ready to show up. So, now the hysteroscopy is a go... I have a pre-consult with the anesthesiologist tomorrow and then the procedure on Tuesday. I guess I should be glad that the procedure is getting done, so that I don't have the nagging thought of a polyp screwing things up in the future.

But knowing that 'its for the best' isn't a comfort right now. I'm sad, I'm angry and I'm sick of this whole stupid merry-go-round. I hate that my body plays tricks on me. I hate that I can't do what my husband's 16 year old cousin seems to be able to do without even trying.

The other thing that is weighing on me heavily today is knowing that we won't be trying again now until September. With our trip planned for the latter half of September and my history of early losses, I don't want to risk getting pregnant before we go to New York. I don't want to potentially ruin our trip by worrying about miscarrying again (not to mention needing medical care in a different country can get expensive).

I know that it's not that far off... and the time in between will go quickly. But the idea of 'wasting' cycles, actively preventing... it's about as appealing to me as liver and onions. Not to mention that big flashing neon 35 is fast approaching and while I know that pregnancy is still very possible, I don't need any lower odds.

Tomorrow I will be in a better frame of mind. Tomorrow I will be more positive, I'm sure. Today sucks, and I think I'm just going to wallow.

Crazy Eights

So, after reading many people's eights... I was finally tagged! Thanks Alana! :) Everyone else, make sure you swing by her place and check out her little Em's quotables! Totally hilarious!

The rules:

1. Mention the person who tagged me.
2. Complete the lists of 8.
3. Tag 8 more bloggers and tell them they've been tagged.

The lists:

Eight things I am looking forward to.

1. Our New York trip in the fall!
2. My vacation week... in little over a week!
3. hooking up our bbq... we've only had it for a year, but just finally bought a propane tank
4. getting our curtains put up
5. being a mommy some day
6. the next Harry Potter movie
7. the new Philippa Gregory novel due out in August
8. making chocolate strawberry trifle tomorrow for my beloved

Eight things I did yesterday.

1. worked a lemonade stand outside my store to help raise money for our children's literacy fund (made a ton of money!)
   
2. ordered a pizza
3. watched 'Secret Life of Bees' (fabulous movie!)
4. read on my lunch break
5. missed my beloved (he was at his parents' place for the day... about an hour away)
6. looked through one of my NYC travel books
7. listened to the pounding noise of a jackhammer (very aggravating)
8. fell asleep on the couch
   

Eight things I wish I could do.

1. read as fast as I used to
2. invent reliable teleportation so that I could go visit my parents on my days off
3. bake
4. carry a baby to term
5. tan, even just a little bit (I burn, freckle, and turn white again)
6. travel everywhere on our 'places to go list'
7. afford a housekeeper (even just once every couple of weeks)
8. cook without making a ginormous mess
   

Eight shows I watch.

1. Rachel Ray
2. Stargate (both of them)
3. M*A*S*H
4. Criminal Minds
5. Bones
6. Mythbusters
7. Little Couple (just got hooked)
8. CSI NY
   

Eight favorite fruits.
I agree with Alana, this is an odd category!

1. watermelon (too bad my beloved hates it!)
2. strawberries
3. cherries
4. grapes
5. mandarin oranges
6. tomatoes (they are a fruit, right?)
7. lemons (I love cooking with them)
8. pomegranate (juice)
   

Eight places I'd like to travel.
This is only a small taste of our 'places to go' list

1. New York City
2. Any Disney park!
3. Atlantic Canada
4. Great Britain
5. Ireland
6. Germany
7. Tanzania
8. Greece
   

Eight places I've lived.
I'm not going to list addresses or suburbs... I've moved 59 times in my life, so I'll just stick to main towns.

1. Smith's Falls, Ontario (a good place to be from... if you catch my drift)
2. Medicine Hat, Alberta
3. Kelowna, British Columbia
4. Seattle, Washington
5. San Francisco, California
6. Lethbridge, Alberta
7. Orlando, Florida
8. Red Deer, Alberta
   

Tagging:
I think I'm the last person in the blogosphere to get tagged with this meme, but if you haven't, please consider yourself tagged!

Show & Tell: Home Ownership Is A Challenge

My beloved and I bought our condo almost a year ago. I love our little home. Two bedrooms, one bath, in suite laundry, new-ish kitchen, on a older residential street.

I honestly didn't think it would be as hard as it is to maintain a home. I know my dad did a lot of work around the house when I was a kid, but most of it always seemed to be in the yard. And I am not a yard person. Thus we decided on a condo.

But in the last year I have learned things that I never would have known if I continued to live in the vicinity of my parents or in a rental.

Don't get me wrong, I know how to do a few things that would fall into the 'handy' department. I can paint, and I am a master at faux finishes (except for that spot on the living room wall... gah). I can hammer a nail, and use a screwdriver with a certain level of confidence. I have installed towel racks and have built more than my fair share of I.kea furniture. My beloved of course is best with computers and pencils... not tools. And don't get me started on his painting skills (he painted our spare bedroom, and ended up with more paint on himself and on the floor than he did on the walls).

Our honey-do list feels like it's a mile long now, and there are things that I just have no clue how to do, or am a little leary of trying and ultimately messing up.

• Linen closet door is off it's track and I can't get it to stay on.
• Balcony screen door was stuck (I managed to unstick it last night) but now I can't get it back on it's tracks.
• Toilet tank leaks at the flusher handle from time to time.
• New smoke detector needs to be installed.
  
• Curtain rods are not put up because I'm scared that I will mess something up when I go to use the drill. (yes, we do have blinds, but I really don't like them)
  
• 2 out of 3 bookcases are not attached to the wall be cause of aforementioned fear of the drill.
• Weather stripping on one of our bedroom windows needs to be replaced.

On the upside, I was able to get the screen door on our entry door to stop squeaking. That has to count for something, right?

Oh, and the reason for the toolbox graphic rather than a photo? I don't have a toolbox. My tool collection, such as it is, is stored in random shoeboxes and drawers around the house.

I know that in most of the above scenarios, I need to push the fear aside and just do it. But if anyone has any great suggestions, please let me know...

And to check out what the rest of the class is showing, head over to Mel's!

Restoring My Faith in the Human Race

Have I got a story for you all, humble readers!

Last night I was working the late shift, like I do most Mondays. It was quiet in the store as our Star.bucks is currently closed for renos (guess who's jones-ing for a green tea lemonade?!?). I was near the front of the store when a young man, apparently in his early twenties, came into the store.

He walked directly to me and asked if I was the manager. I answered yes, and asked how I could help him. He handed me an envelope and said, 'this is for you', then he turned and walked back out to his truck.

I opened the envelope and there was a small note along with $25 cash. The note read something to this effect:

Dear Owner, Some time ago,
when I was a teenager and had
no sense or wisdom,
I stole a book from your store.
Unfortunately I no longer have
the book, so please accept
this $25 as recompense.
Sincerely, Annonymous

I was stunned! Floored! Flabbergasted! Speechless!

I confess that I am a jaded retail employee and I honestly thought I had seen it all! Never, in almost 10 years of retail work have I had an adult own up to stealing (unless caught red-handed), let alone offer to pay for what was taken. I have had parents bring children in for that painful life lesson about not taking what isn't yours... Timmy, what do you say to the lady? Tell her what you did...

On the practical side, because our tills are not programmed to accept random amounts of money without having a corresponding item that is sold out of our system, I was unable to use the money as the young man intended. (Not to mention that there was no indication of what item he stole, or how long ago it was, and it was probably already written off as loss.) Instead, I made a $25 donation to our children's literacy fund.

I have no context in which to frame the events of last evening. Except to say, thank the good Lord that there are still people out there who have the strength to own up to their mistakes and be accountable for them.