The Daily Chai Has Lost Her Mojo

Today's chai wasn't hot enough, but that is why God invented microwaves. Oh wait, that was science.

I'm not feeling overly chatty today. I took the kids to McDonald's for McHappy day. Shit, as I wrote that sentence, I realized how often I've written that sentence. Seems I don't like to cook and I was doing so well this week too!

My car is leaking oil.

It's 10:00 pm and the kids are still awake because we had a showing of our house today at 8:00 and bedtime came late.

And then Anna head-butted me and gave me a fat lip. I've decided I should wear red lipstick more often. And maybe get Botox.

While we waited for these people to waste my time look at my house, I took the kids to the park and then for a walk around the block. I was walking with my arm around Kate's shoulders while she held the dog leash and I held Anna's hand with my free hand. We were walking jerkily along because we are both very graceful girls that way and we were singing "I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane" complete with exaggerated arm gestures and wounded expressions. Then I started laughing and telling Kate I felt like a homeless person because we had no where to go while these people looked at the house and we were just wandering aimlessly around singing. I'm pretty sure that old woman thought I was drunk and leaning on my daughter for support while I sang loudly in the street. It reminded me of a scene from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Then I realized what a delightful human being I am and how all my friends must be just so embarrassed happy to have me in their lives. I'm THAT girl. Yay.

I was also very impressed by a boy that smiled at me and gave me a wolf-whistle while I walked with my two girls and my dog. I do so enjoy being treated like an object, especially when my girls are with me. Ah well, as my mother said, one day the wolf-whistles will stop and I won't know exactly when, but suddenly I will realize it never happens anymore and I will miss it. I agree that this is probably true although the feminist in me is howling in rage right now. Honestly, it was a little creepy, even if the kid was young and cute. Like, seriously? I have my kids with me. Don't be a dick. At least wait until I'm alone and offer to buy me a drink. Jesus.

I would like to defenestrate the next person who pisses me off. Thank you Dictionary.com and your handy word of the day. Who knew there was a word for that, but it describes perfectly how I feel about sucky people at the moment. If only I was a bigger person, I might actually manage it.

And with that, I have some reading to do. Until next time, I remain your faithful and nutty blogger with a bloody lip.

-Megs

The Daily Chai Has Found Her Mojo

Today's latte was hot and spicy. Typical. That damn drink was too awesome for its own good and I drank it as punishment.

I wrote a few weeks ago that I was reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but I hadn't gotten very far when I wrote that and I put it down shortly afterwards and haven't picked it up since. I often pick up different books and read a bit of them and then put them down for weeks, sometimes months at a time. Hence why I sometimes have two or three books on the go. I always finish books that I've started with the exception of Moby Dick and A Tale of Two Cities.  However, this habit of picking up a book and then leaving it for weeks at a time only developed in the past few years as my life got more and more hectic. I was always a voracious reader, I would consume books in one or two days and then start another right away. I miss spending the afternoon reading away lazily in the sun, but I'm always so distracted with everything that I actually find it hard to sit still for long periods of time. One of those distractions is my evil, evil phone.

I love my phone, her name is Bridgett IX. Someone described her the other day as my lifeline and I didn't entirely like that. Fact is, I spend far too much time on my phone when it's not actually doing anything like delivering a message to me. Heaven forbid I don't see a message the minute it comes in. Heaven forbid I don't reply IMMEDIATELY. If I don't, I might end a friendship forever. The problem is when there are no messages, I'm still on the damn thing looking up stuff on the internet or wasting time on Facebook. I used to play Minion Rush for hours every day, sitting on the couch like a lump, although I rarely play games on my phone anymore. There have been evenings where I suddenly realize I've spent three hours on my phone, either messaging people, tweeting, Facebooking or just looking up general information. How does that happen? It actually makes me sick how much time I've spent staring at that tiny, beautiful screen.

When I was in Germany in 2011 for a six week visit after Anna was born, I didn't have data on my phone and we didn't have wifi in our apartment. I kept wanting to look stuff up on my phone and couldn't. I actually started a list of random questions that I would research when I got home because I was so sick of not getting answers to every question that popped into my head during the course of our visit. Info at our fingertips is amazing, but it's also addictive. Just FYI, one of the questions was, "Who invented Nutella?" Riveting, important stuff, people!

So I've turned over a new leaf and I'm getting my mojo back. When I'm home and I know my kids are safe with me (as opposed to being at school and possibly needing me by phone), I put my phone in my purse for the evening and I only check it at the end of the night for messages I may need to reply to before I go to bed. It's been five days and I started and finished The Glass Castle and read 400 pages of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I'm learning that while I truly appreciate the convenience of modern technology, I need to let go of this constant need to be connected to everyone and everything 24/7.

In all honestly, I feel a little twitchy, like I'm recovering from an addiction. The best way to describe it is that I feel like I'm always forgetting something, but in actual fact, I just haven't checked my phone in four hours.


Words and phrases from Dawson's Creek today:
"pontificating"
"Maybe not within the confines of the judicial system"
"I'm too tired to philosophize"
"Before this adolescent growth process is over"
"You are such a sphincter"
"I've pretty much bastardized the evening"
"It's celluloid propaganda"

Holy hell, I feel like I'm getting smarter just watching this show.

-Megs

The Daily Chai Has a New Addiction

Today's chai was served with a smile and a joke. Yay.

I just started watching Dawson's Creek, but in true When Harry Met Sally fashion, I watched the last episode first. I have one thing to say.

WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T ANYONE EVER TELL ME THAT JEN DIES AT THE END?

What the fuck? Worst ending ever.

However, should I die before I finish binge-watching the series, at least I will know how it ended. Harry was a wise man.

OMG, now I'm watching the pilot episode and Pacey is getting it on with his English teacher. Also what the fuck? No wonder everyone watched this show, except, apparently, me! Grown-ups pretending to be teenagers pretending to be grown-ups. I don't know any teenagers who talk like this. I don't know many adults that talk like this and the ones that do are pretentious assholes.

And with that, I'm completely hooked.

On a side note, I'd like to know what genius decided that rowing while facing backwards was the best way to navigate through waters. What is the reasoning behind that? Can someone please solve this mystery for me?

-Megs

The Daily Chai and Children of Divorce, Part 3

Today's latte is a dream of tomorrow. I may have used that one already, sorry.

I just put my girl to bed after reading a couple chapters from The Magician's Elephant, a strange but lovely tale about "What if?" Afterwards, we chatted about the book and then she said she hugged daddy today and started to cry and she didn't know why. I said it was probably because she had just scraped her knee so badly falling off her scooter and she was probably still upset about that. She shook her head and said, "No, I'm pretty sure it was because I'm upset that you guys are getting a divorce." and her face crumpled up and she started to cry. She asked me why we had to get divorced and why can't we just get back together and everyone would be happy?

We've been separated six months now and there is no talk of reconciliation. We are both set on our current course, headed for actual divorce. He has told me himself that he'd liked to get things wrapped up as soon as possible so we can both move on and I agree. I have specific reasons why I do not want to reconcile with him and I'm sure he has his. The problem is, they are grown-up reasons and not ones I can divulge to a nine year old, especially when they are about her dad. So I said to her, "Yes Kate, we could get back together, we could try to forgive each other and make it work. But being together is not going to miraculously make us all happy again. We resent each other now and eventually we would hate each other. Do you want to live with us hating each other, both of us miserable and blaming the other person for that misery?" She shook her head no, but asked, "Why? Why do you resent each other, why would you hate each other?"

"Baby girl, I can't tell you the reasons why. They are grown up reasons and would be hard for you to understand. But they are also things that would be nasty to say to you about your father. Grown ups have complicated relationships, especially ones that last as long as ours did. There are many, many reasons why this is happening, but I can't tell you any of them. Maybe when you are older, I can explain some of it to you, but right now, I don't want to make you feel bad about your dad. I don't want to slam him or blame him for everything.

"But it's okay to be sad about this. It's okay to cry. Because honestly, this is probably the worst thing that will happen to you during your childhood. But I will tell you something. You are lucky because your dad wants to be part of your life. My dad left me when I was 15 years old and he never looked back. I didn't spend weekends with him and he never paid child support to help my mum raise me. He just left one day and that was that. I talked to him sometimes and I would visit him occasionally, but he didn't care about maintaining a relationship with either me or my mom. We never really became close again until I was an adult. So I know this sucks, but your dad and I still love you and we both want to be the best parents we can be for you. That's the only promise I can make to you right now."

We were both crying at this point and I hugged her and kept telling her how sorry I was for this and how I didn't want her to have to go through this, but life happens and relationships fall apart.

Like I said, it's been six months. We are all still adjusting to the new normal. Kate, like me, has her good days and bad days. Most of the time she is my saucy, sassy, sarcastic, funny, silly girl. She's going to be okay, I know it. But today was a good reminder that I need to watch her, I need to be sensitive to what she's going through, because this isn't just the breakdown of my life and my marriage. It's her life and family too. It's all she's ever known and suddenly it was ripped out from underneath her with not even a by-your-leave. At least I had a choice, I could have chosen to stay after all. Kate and Anna had no choice, but their lives are falling apart the same way.

-Megs

The Daily Chai Wonders If Being Busy Really Makes Us Happy

Today's chai will be delicious, I can feel it in my bones.

I spent the day yesterday gardening with my mom. Gardening is not really something I enjoy, but it was a good day to be outside enjoying the weather. Today is another beauty day and I'm looking forward to picking up my kids after a week without them. It was great spending all that time with them in Vancouver, but this week off was much needed. I do see them throughout the week for a couple hours in the evening and I swear Anna grows an inch and increases her vocabulary by twenty words each time I've spend more than a night away from her. She'll be writing Shakespeare soon. 

So I have a busy day ahead of packing to go back to my old house, getting groceries and entertaining my children. I recently had a conversation with a friend about being adults and being busy and I have to say, it irritated the shit out of me. I started thinking about how often I hear people say, "I'm SO busy, it's crazy!" It's gotten to the point that if you aren't busy, there must be something wrong with you. If you don't have a good answer to "What did you do today?" you feel guilty for wasting time. If you aren't off doing something, seeing someone, conquering the world, you are basically a waste of skin. But what is it about our modern society that makes us feel that way? Why is there so much pressure to not only be busy, but to almost brag about it to everyone? We always seem to say it in a roll-our-eyes, wish-it-was-different way, "Oh my God, I'm so busy! I have NO time to myself!" and yet, we could slow down if we wanted to, we just don't. We pile on responsibilities, we strive for promotions at work, we have more babies, we make more plans and then "complain" that we are too busy. 

Facebook makes this worse because people post all their cool adventures for the world to see and friends end up feeling like they need to do more, see more, be more. When I find myself scanning pictures and wondering why everyone else's lives are so much cooler than mine, I remind myself that they are posting highlights of their lives and there are days, weeks, even months that go by where they are just drudging through the regular grind of life. Just like me!

And then you have the inspiration quotes that are meant to light a fire under your ass but usually just make you feel antsy because they are just words and they don't change anything. Have you ever read one of those memes and actually changed the way you behave? I know I've posted several here over the last few months and I've done that because they spoke to me, made me think or just made me laugh, but I'm not sure they have really changed my outlook on life.  I think they have just made me feel like I'm grasping at something I will never have, adding to the stress of not having or doing it all. 

Pinterest started out as an amazing resource of life hacks, cool craft ideas and decorating tips. You pin something with the idea that it's a great solution to something you've been trying to figure out in your own life, but after a month goes by and you haven't even started your own project, you begin to feel a panicky sense of guilt that you will never live up to all those pins that you loved. Pinterest is wreaking havoc on egos everywhere. 

I feel the years ticking away as I get older and I have this sense of urgency to get things done, tied up and squared away. To make things happen because they are taking too long to happen on their own. It makes me pushy and annoying and I don't like that about myself. I'm just not the type of person that patiently waits for things to unfold, but what else can you do? You can't control anyone else, you can't make them feel or do what you want them to just because your little heart desires it. 

Getting back to being too busy. I once texted a friend to say, "Hey, haven't seen you for awhile, want to get together for a beer soon?" The response was, "That would be awesome, I've been so busy, but I'd love to see you" Good start, warm fuzzies being felt. But then we never actually made plans. Weeks went by and I still hadn't seen that person, so the next time I was free, I texted again, "What are you doing this weekend? Want to grab that beer?" The response was basically the same, "Oh my God, what a crazy couple weeks, work is insane, the kid is sick. Ugh! Yes, let's make a plan soon to get together, I definitely need some grown up time and I miss you sooooo much!" 

But the point of my text was not to "make a plan soon" to get together at a later date, it was to make a plan RIGHT NOW for a later date. I wasn't asking to drop everything that moment and take off for the nearest pub, but the purpose of my text was to make a plan to do exactly that in the very near future, not make a plan to make a plan. And you may say, "Oh Meg, you poor, silly, deluded girl. This person obviously does not *really* want to spend time with you." And I would tend to agree, that if you get blown off enough, that sad fact is probably true. But I don't think it's the case all the time when you get a response like that. I think it's an honest response which also means: "I would love to see you, but right now I am so overwhelmed that I can't even comprehend setting a date to get together." And nothing ever gets planned and we just continue on our merry, ridiculous, busy way. Racking up points with the god of industry and plenty thinking we are winning at life. 

But that isn't where the ridiculousness ended. When I said, "Okay, let's make a plan now or we will never see each other, I'm free these days and these days, what does your week look like?" And it turned out that neither of us was free for another five weeks. Five weeks. What. The. Fuck? And it wasn't just my friend's "crazy" schedule or sick kid, it was obligations and responsibilities that I myself had committed to keep. 

Perhaps I'm just being nostalgic for the days when you called up a friend and more likely than not, they had time for a coffee. Because you just had a job, not a career, you had a dog instead of a kid, you had no money to travel, you didn't belong to any boards, and frankly, if you watched another minute of television, you were going to scream and you needed to get out of the house anyway. 

But I tend to think there is more to it than nostalgia. Are we, as a society, happier because we have so much going on all the time? We seem to get pretty pumped with our shared calendars on our phones so we can keep our lives organized. But are we more fulfilled? Satisfied? Content? I don't think so. I look around and I see a bunch of stressed out, unhappy people most of the time. I definitely have friends that thrive on being on the go and I admire them for it. But I think the majority of people are just wondering where the fuck all their spare time went. 

I have no solutions. Just food for thought. Well, I have one solution. Stop committing to so many damn activities and take some time for yourself so you can figure out what you really want. Stop and smell the roses, look up into the blue sky and just BREATHE.

Megs

The Daily Chai Parties with the Best of Them

Today's chai delicious especially since I was...ahem...slightly hungover. Plus it was just a beauty day to sit on the porch and enjoy it!


I went out last night with an old friend from high school that I don't think I've seen since high school but have maintained pretty consistent contact with over Facebook and texting since she lives in Edmonton. So great to have a few drinks with that gal, we picked up right where we left off. I love those friendships, the ones where you may not see people regularly, but that connection is still there no matter how much time and space has come between you. I think any true friends you may have are like that. That the connection, a real connection, never disappears. It can transform and evolve but it's always there, sometimes dormant, just waiting to make an appearance and then BAM, you see the person again and it's like the good old times you always had together.

This would be funnier if octopus was spelled correctly

When you think about it, the universe is built that way, so it's not surprising human relationships can follow the same pattern. Did you know that the total amount of energy in the universe is constant?  There is never more or less created, but merely transformed? True fact and your science lesson for the day from someone who works at an insurance company.

I drank my giant bottle of Smirnoff Ice and had a shot of tequila and we were ready to go to the bar. The bar itself was a little lame, not a lot of people showed up for the grand opening of the new place we went to, so that was disappointing, but we had a good time regardless. We took over the main floor dancing because we didn't feel like going down to the actual dance floor and we are just assholes that way. I was coaxing someone to come dance with us and said, "Look, there's lots of room!" and as I spun around, I violently smacked my hand into a man's arm and made his drink go flying. Have you ever seen A Christmas Story? You know the scene where they are changing the tire and the kid is holding the tire bolts in the hubcap and the father turns around and whacks the hubcap up into the air? The bolts go flying in slow motion and the kid describes them twinkling for a moment in the moonlight before disappearing into the night? That was essentially what happened to this man's drink. We both stood there in shocked silence as his glass flew into the air and its liquid contents made a sweeping arc against the black ceiling before falling to the ground. Miraculously, the glass didn't break when it hit. And I wasn't even that drunk when this occurred! This is just how my life is, everyone around me is in danger at all times from my flailing limbs and fumbling fingers.

I felt absolutely awful and bought him a new drink, which he said wasn't necessary but I insisted, "Oh yes, it is very necessary. My karma basically depends on it!" Kudos to the busboy who picked up the fallen glass without missing a stride.

This story would have been funnier if I had then smacked his second drink out of his hands with my crazy dance moves, but alas, it's only as funny as one spilt drink.

Cabbed back to our buddy's place and spent the night in a comfy, strange bed because I am responsible and I don't drink and drive!

-Megs

The Daily Chai is the Girl with the Dragon Tattoos

Today's latte was extra good as I had a chat with some lovely ladies who never fail to brighten my day.

I got my second dragon tattoo on Tuesday and I love it. It's massive, on my right leg and looks amazing with my snowflake tattoos on my ribs and side. My mom thinks I will have to join a circus now because I'm becoming a tattooed lady, but I got lots of room left yet.

The leg tattoo was done by Tristan Everett, you can see more of his art by clicking here

There is something about having tattoos that no one can see that makes one feel badass. I feel like a blank slate that is reinventing itself with art. I could be anyone or anything at any given moment. The idea appeals to me.

On my back, done about 10 years ago

A friend sent me this link a few days ago and I liked it very much: The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows I particularly liked this made up word, partially because of its German origins and partially because of its meaning. Translated from German, it means "wall building sadness."

-Megs

The Daily Chai is Under Construction

The Daily Chai is....Here.

Today's Chai was your typical latte. Tasty.

I am emotionally drained, I can't think straight and my body is a little shaky. It's been a long couple of days and I'm still trying to figure out where my head is at. I am angry and heartbroken and confused. Life has a way of kicking you in the teeth when you least expect it and I'm trying to figure out how I deal with the turmoil in my head. At the same time, I look around  and I can't believe how lucky I am to be here, no matter how painful it sometimes is to live this life.

When I woke up on my last day in Vancouver, Anna was snuggled in beside me on the couch. Zoe woke up and I took her to work and we had one last chat on the bench outside the restaurant. We talked about the summer and how she might come visit after she sees her Oma in Edmonton because she's gotten so used to seeing us regularly that she doesn't think she can go a whole year before she comes again. I hugged her goodbye and walked slowly up the hill to my car. I never look back when I say goodbye, I just can't. I don't know when I will see her again and my heart hurts over it. I have faith, however, that it will happen again soon.

I got home to a full house with aunts and uncles and grandma and children (we had a daycare started by this point with seven kids) and of course, Geoff and Margriet. Margriet was getting tired and wanted to nap so I asked if I could say goodbye before she went to sleep. I hugged her thin shoulders gently and whispered to her to keep fighting. I told her I loved her and she told me she loved me too and I started to cry. I couldn't help it. I tried to be strong all week when I was with the family, but goodbyes are so hard and this one was the hardest of all. To cover up, I started to laugh and said, "I cried when I said goodbye to Zoe too, goodbyes suck shit," I didn't want her to think I was crying because I knew I would never see her again, although we both know this to be true.

Margriet is dying. My beautiful, young, brave friend is dying and I want to howl at the heavens about the unfairness of how each of our lives play out. Why rapists and murderers live full lives and mothers die painful deaths. Why this person, who gave birth to my girl Zoe and raised her to be a beautiful, wonderful person and takes no credit for it ("Zoe's just awesome Megan, she came out like that.") is having her life cut short. I went the night Zoe was born with Subway sandwiches to the hospital because Margriet was so hungry and hospital food sucks. I clearly remember her sitting up in bed, cross-legged, telling me how amazing the human body is because she was already forgetting the pain and was just so happy to have her baby girl. I can see her 22 year old self, young and strong and tired and happy in my mind's eye and it crushes me. This is a person who I've lain on the beach with, watching the waves and dipping the baby in water and laughing together at her reaction. A woman I drank with and danced with until the wee hours of the morning when we were even younger than we are now. Someone I shopped with, someone I ate dinner with, someone I got caught in the rain with, someone I did unimportant, everyday things with that don't even matter now. I have odd images of her in my head, her bowed head as she nursed Zoe unabashedly on the steps of City Hall, her hand with its long fingers as she felt the fabric of an expensive dress, her awesome green pants. Someone I didn't see for 15 years because money was always tight or the timing wasn't right, but regardless of that, she became my sister. This is a person I love and she is dying. Why is my niece losing her mother? I just want to scream and scream until my throat is raw. I want to lash out and hit things and hurt people. I want to crawl into someone's lap and cry like a child. I want so many things that will never be. I want to lie in bed and never get up, to live under the covers in that comfort and oblivion.

But I can't. I have to keep going. I hide behind a smile and I pretend I am strong for my girls and myself. I have to go to work every day and be professional even though I am simply waiting to hear the news that my friend is gone. It's a reality that I know I will face when the time comes, but right now, I don't know how it's possible that it can be true.

The Daily Chai Gives You Last Day Pictures and Not Much Else

Yes, these do exist and yes, they were delicious

Zoe fell asleep on the floor, clutching her phone

A print I bought in Granville

Brunch at Yolks

Dangerous pre-schooler

Zoe at her last high school improv show

My last chai latte in Vancouver

Goodbye Vancouver :(

Hello Toronto

I drank this when I got home and then slept for four hours

And then I broke this glass. I'm blaming my ass. 

The Daily Chai Solves the Mystery

Today's chai was good. Back to my normal routine, woohoo. 

To answer yesterday's great mystery:

Pickled fish and spices

In the 17th century, the Chinese mixed a concoction of pickled fish and spices and called it (in the Amoy dialect) kôe-chiap or kê-chiap (鮭汁, Mandarin Chinese guī zhī, Cantonese gwai¹ zap¹) meaning the brine of pickled fish (鮭, salmon; 汁, juice) or shellfish.^[6] By the early 18th century, the table sauce had made it to the Malay states (present day Malaysia and Singapore), where it was discovered by English explorers. The Indonesian-Malay word for the sauce was kecap (pronounced "kay-chap"). That word evolved into the English word "ketchup".^[7] English settlers took ketchup with them to the American colonies.^[1]

Taken from: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchup

I know you were all dying to know. 

The Daily Chai - Vacation Day 9 - travel day and too tired to recap

Why do they call it ketchup?

That's all I got today folks, check back tomorrow

The Daily Chai - Vacation Day 8

Today's chai latte hates me. You'd think I would have a latte every day without fail in the Starbucks capital of Canada, but I never seem to get there. I suppose it was not meant to be, considering their national computer fail today.

Today, my last full day in Vancouver, was a quiet day with the family. I went for brunch at Yolks on Hastings with Zoe and the girls and had the best Eggs Benedict I've ever had in my life. In typical Megan fashion, I spilled precious maple syrup all over the table, but the kids enjoyed their waffles and pancakes regardless. After brunch we hung out with the rest of the family and I finally met Zoe's grandma and the girls got to play with Zoe's cousin one more time. Her aunt had us over for dinner and the kids were happy for the extra time together, but I was exhausted. The jet lag and the long day yesterday in Victoria have gotten into my bones and made me weary.

This has been a bittersweet vacation for me. I'm not ready to write about why, but I am very glad to be here with my extended family and these people that I love so much. I met new people that I will likely never see again, but have touched my heart. And I will be saying goodbye to someone I love for probably the last time. I am not ready.

I have often written about living life fully, but I cannot stress enough how important this philosophy has become to me. Right now, I cannot fully express what I mean, but I leave you with this:

The Chai Latte - Vacation Day 7

Today's latte was again of the Oprah variety. Not sure I liked this one so much. Oh well. Life soldiers on with good lattes and bad.

I'm sitting in the car with Kate and Anna, waiting for the ferry. I'm on my phone and Kate's on her iPad. I have completely failed as a parent by forgetting my iPad for Anna so she is currently freaking out, tears streaming down her face and screaming, "I WANT YOUR IPAD!" Her Goovey Girl doll was just catapulted in my direction. As it softly hit my lap, I'm sure she is thinking it didn't quite have the shock and awe effect she was going for. Childishly, I hurled it back in her direction and asked if she liked having things thrown at her. From the look on her face and the fact that it hasn't come back in my direction, I would say, No, she did not like that. 

And I let her cry because she will eventually stop when she realizes no one is paying attention to her tantrum. Five minutes later and she has indeed stopped. As I'm writing this, she came over and kissed my shoulder. Crisis over.

Anna also seems to have a desire for disaster. She keeps talking about how we're going to drive into the water and crash. Or get lost and miss the ferry home and never get home again. I told her I'm a grown up and know how to do stuff and that everything will be okay. Jeez. Have some faith.    

Later the same day....

What a great day wandering around Victoria. We arrived on Vancouver Island around 12:30 and went immediately to get gas and MacDonalds (Dear Big Mac for what we're about to receive, oh let us be truly thankful!) and then continued to The Butterfly Gardens about 20 minutes from Victoria. Basically the same as the Butterfly Conservatory in Cambridge but with more birds. Flirty birds. The kids loved it so that was good. 

After that we went into Victoria which is just a beautiful city on the water. We shopped and went sightseeing. Kate is thrilled with her new Converse from Baggins Shoes which has the largest selection of Chucks in Canada (and possibly the world, or so the pamphlet reads). Quite fortunate that I promised Kate new Converse for the summer and that perhaps we would find a pair on our trip. Success! BEST MOM EVER! Finally, after all my fails. 

Just walking along the wharf looking at the boats is very soothing for me, perhaps because some of my fondest childhood memories were spent on Georgian Bay on our motor boat. I want to learn how to sail! We watched the seaplanes land and take off for several minutes and we all agreed that the next time we come, we're taking one of them instead of the ferry. 

I played tag with the kids and gave them piggy backs on the lawn of the Parliment buildings. Exhausting. Then we met up with a coworker of mine and Kate wanted to know if he would want to play tag too. I said I highly doubted it and she asked me if I had a pocket watch.

"What kind of question is that? No, I don't have a pocket watch. Normal people do not carry pocket watches around Kate. Why do you ask?"

"I was going to use it to hypnotize him so he will play tag."

Okay. Moving on. 

Off to dinner at the Flying Otter instead! Good fish and chips! British Columbians seem to really like the idea of flying animals because I had dinner at the Flying Pig in Gastown on Wednesday. Anyway, it was great to see him in his home province as we usually only talk on the phone or see each other when he comes for quarterly meetings at head office. Good times. 

On the drive back to the ferry, the girls were playing an elaborate game where Kate is a vlogger. Suddenly Anna howls from the back, "Kate just fired me mommy!"

"Why did you fire Anna, Kate?" 

"She wasn't doing what I wanted her to do, so I fired her." 

Okay. Awesome.

"Anna, just start your own vlog so you can't get fired. Are you guys actually recording this on your iPad?" 

"Oh...Can I do that?"

Megan hangs head. 

And still later the same day.....

Finally home, 11:00 pm and both kids have fallen asleep in the car. As I got my sweet Anna out of the back seat, she woke up and sleepily said, "This was a good day mummy" Yes it was, baby, yes it was. And hey look, I managed to get there and get home without crashing, drowning or getting lost. Wonders never cease. 

View from the ferry on route to Victoria

Well, hello there. Did you know flamingos sound just like geese?

Butterflies eating their dinner

My new boyfriend. Got pretty fresh with me for a first date

And then he cheated on me with a pretty blonde. Typical

And again with the cheating. Birds. Pfft

I love how happy these butterflies make Kate. 

Converse Heaven. 

Inner Harbour in Victoria

These beautiful painted Orcas were all over the place in Victoria

On the lawn of the parliament buildings

This guy was just wandering around loose. We named him Fred. 

The Daily Chai - Vacation Day 6

Today's Chai latte is waiting for me at Starbucks. Sadly, it is no longer open. I might cry. Except there are more important things in life than lattes. Hard to believe coming from a soulless latte drinker, I know, but absolutely true.

I took the girls and Zoe's other cousin to Science World today. I'm always nervous being in charge of other people's kids, but this is probably the cutest three year old since Anna that I have ever met. The kids love playing together and I only lost her once. Science World is awesome, much better than the Science Centre in Toronto (sorry Ontarians). The last time I went to the Science Centre, I found it very old and run down with a lot of the exhibits broken or missing pieces. Science World, by contrast, seemed almost brand new, possibly because of Telus' nine million dollar donation in 2005. Every exhibit was interesting, interactive and educational. Perfect. My kids may have the week off school and Kate may fall behind, but she learned stuff today. I think.

The one thing about going to museums with children is that they constantly want to show you stuff, with no regard for the fact that you are already looking at stuff. I appreciate that they are excited and interested in what they are seeing, but I'm reading about beavers here. I'm learning sciencey things and expanding my mind, leave me alone! And they keep forgetting that my name is MEGAN, not mom, so I just didn't answer them half the time. Who is this mom person?

I refused to go to the gift shop. I'm tapped out and it's Wednesday, so no. I also hate the idea of buying something for them every single place we go. I had a conversation today with Anna about how Kate has more things than she does and she wants more things. Oh my darling, sweet, innocent child of my heart, guess fucking what? Life lesson, there are always going to be people that have more than you. Some people are going to have less than you. Life isn't fair. Get used to it fast and you will be happier for your entire life. Appreciate what you do have and have sympathy for people who have less, maybe even try to help them out. Unless you like being sad about people having more stuff. Anna looked at me, burst into tears and said, "But I want as much as Kate!" *sigh*

We ended the day at Zoe's Improv Show which was hysterical, those kids all have some talent, but my niece is the queen bee. The show was set up with two teams competing by doing skits based on audience input and some audience participation. Kate was under a lot of pressure as an audience judge and took her role very seriously. She wanted Zoe's team to win, but she wasn't just giving points away. I love that I'm here again during her shows (I got to catch one last time I was here) and that I can support her dreams just by watching her perform. This girl is going to be famous one day, mark my words.

We're heading to the island tomorrow, go wander around Victoria a bit, meet one of my co-workers for dinner. Looking forward to seeing Victoria again, haven't been there for 20 years or so.

So, until then my faithful readers...

Outside Science World

I love the look of adoration on Anna's face

Inside a giant fir tree

Doesn't matter where I see a T-Rex skeleton, I'm always impressed and I always take a picture. Kind of like Niagara Falls.

You know, your average giant frog carved out of wood. 

Water fun

Air fun

Vancouver Skyline at False Creek

Roger's Arena

Anna was getting cranky about the blocks