Well that was fun.
Last summer at one of the camps the girls went to, eldest was verbally abused and sworn at regularily by a fellow(male)camper. She didn't like it much - to say the least - but we kind of rode with it as it was managable, and frankly....welcome to the real world of being female.
This year apparently, at the same camp, which the kids will be going to next week, there is a kid, or a group of kids (boys), who are verbally abusing, swearing at and hitting on the girls. One of the girls is dropping out of the camp because of the, oh, lets just call a spade a spade here, OK? because of the sexual harrassment she is experiencing at camp.
Now, you know, I love my daughter, and I want her to be fully equipped to go out into the world. That does not however include dealing with sexual harrassment at camp, so I put in a little phone call to the camp director today to make it PERFECTLY clear that this will NOT be happening this week, and that the abusers and not the abused would be leaving the camp without passing go and without collection $200.
Lets hope it works.
Wouldn't it be nice to NOT have to make these phone calls?
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Kindness
I was waiting down at harbourfront today to be picked up by a boat to go sailing.
I was standing around in my fancy dancy work clothing, carrying my camera case (don't leave home without it), and a large bag with sailing clothing. As the boat got kind of near the pier-still about a hundred yards off - I stood up and walked over towards the water, which was guarded by a large chain so no one could stumble in by accident.
Now there was a man slugging rye or whisky straight from a bottle in a paper bag sitting on the edge of the pier as well. I had actually been regarding him a little thoughtfully because he looked like someone whose life was sort of sliding off the tracks a bit. Not a train wreck yet, but....
As I stepped over the chain to stand on the outside, and took off my shoes so I wouldn't lose them in the leap, he was staring fixedly at me. I was concerned that he might get his feet pinched when the boat came up so I was standing there wondering what to do.
Then he said to me, very softly, "You need to take care."
I looked over at him, and there was a pause. Then I realised that he though I was going to jump, and he was trying to help me out.
There was another pause while I digested this, and we looked each other in the eye....I thanked him, and said that I wasn't going to jump, I was goiing to get onto a boat, and I was OK, but he should look out for his feet when the boat came up.
He stared fixedly at me as I got on the boat, and as we powered away. I smiled and waved and wished him a good day.
He was a kind man.
I wish now I had asked after him. He looked a bit like he thought I was going to jump because it was already on his mind.
Whoever you are, I hope things get better. You seem a nice person.
I was standing around in my fancy dancy work clothing, carrying my camera case (don't leave home without it), and a large bag with sailing clothing. As the boat got kind of near the pier-still about a hundred yards off - I stood up and walked over towards the water, which was guarded by a large chain so no one could stumble in by accident.
Now there was a man slugging rye or whisky straight from a bottle in a paper bag sitting on the edge of the pier as well. I had actually been regarding him a little thoughtfully because he looked like someone whose life was sort of sliding off the tracks a bit. Not a train wreck yet, but....
As I stepped over the chain to stand on the outside, and took off my shoes so I wouldn't lose them in the leap, he was staring fixedly at me. I was concerned that he might get his feet pinched when the boat came up so I was standing there wondering what to do.
Then he said to me, very softly, "You need to take care."
I looked over at him, and there was a pause. Then I realised that he though I was going to jump, and he was trying to help me out.
There was another pause while I digested this, and we looked each other in the eye....I thanked him, and said that I wasn't going to jump, I was goiing to get onto a boat, and I was OK, but he should look out for his feet when the boat came up.
He stared fixedly at me as I got on the boat, and as we powered away. I smiled and waved and wished him a good day.
He was a kind man.
I wish now I had asked after him. He looked a bit like he thought I was going to jump because it was already on his mind.
Whoever you are, I hope things get better. You seem a nice person.
Grinding my teeth to the gums
You know what it making me CRAZY!!! My computer at work. I cannot cannot download a delicious button, nor a google tool bar nor nor nor...I can however have any (TM)Windows product I care to have....
Ummmmm.
Yes, I know, a pen drive, but why should I have to find time to buy one and shell out for it when I am working on a perfectly viable system and I have a big fat (new) empty machine?
Tell me why.
Ummmmm.
Yes, I know, a pen drive, but why should I have to find time to buy one and shell out for it when I am working on a perfectly viable system and I have a big fat (new) empty machine?
Tell me why.
Monday, July 7, 2008
More house sitting strangeness
I don't think people are going to want me as a house sitter in the future...first we had the guy in the house with the beer...remember him?
Well, he seems to have moved over to another friends house that we are looknig after. Except he brought his beaver buddy with him.
See my friends, the ones the girls are staying with, are up north...WAY north...and they got a phone call from their cleaning lady saying that there were signs that an animal had been in the house and had eaten away at one of the windows in the basement.
They asked me to go in and have a look while they were away...so, I did. I had to go in today anyway because it was the day to feed the snake....he ignored me again, I am NEVER going to see that animal eat it seems....anywhoooo, I went down in the basement with the lovely Catalan girl who is here (and just started her first day of class) and sure enough there were all sorts of wood chips everywhere, and greaet chunks taken out of the window. The screen is intact and there are no other signs of animals, no poop, nothing, just a faint musty smell in the room. There are a lot of wood chips though. If I could post the photo that I took with my cell (maybe I can, elPadawan is sure to tell me how) I would show you.
Weird.
No sign of how they got in or out, no evidence of their presence other than the torn up wood. Seems they have materialised for the sheer pleasure of munching away at a window frame.
Very strange...
I continue in my own little twilight zone here it seems.
Well, he seems to have moved over to another friends house that we are looknig after. Except he brought his beaver buddy with him.
See my friends, the ones the girls are staying with, are up north...WAY north...and they got a phone call from their cleaning lady saying that there were signs that an animal had been in the house and had eaten away at one of the windows in the basement.
They asked me to go in and have a look while they were away...so, I did. I had to go in today anyway because it was the day to feed the snake....he ignored me again, I am NEVER going to see that animal eat it seems....anywhoooo, I went down in the basement with the lovely Catalan girl who is here (and just started her first day of class) and sure enough there were all sorts of wood chips everywhere, and greaet chunks taken out of the window. The screen is intact and there are no other signs of animals, no poop, nothing, just a faint musty smell in the room. There are a lot of wood chips though. If I could post the photo that I took with my cell (maybe I can, elPadawan is sure to tell me how) I would show you.
Weird.
No sign of how they got in or out, no evidence of their presence other than the torn up wood. Seems they have materialised for the sheer pleasure of munching away at a window frame.
Very strange...
I continue in my own little twilight zone here it seems.
Dehydration + tiredness = the blues
Alright.
Feeling a little better this morning after about 9 glasses of fluid and a reasonable nights sleep.
It was an amazing weekend, aside from the nearly endless drive. (what a wimp I am)
We saw a ton of animals, I saw a real live beaver walking down to the shore and slip into the water not 15 feet from me, I saw three more swimming, great blue herons, which I haven't seen since Florida, deer, chipmunks....etc etc etc. And I got to go canoeing! That has been a while. I went out at dawn yesterday for a solo paddle, which was unbelievably fantastic...what a delight.
The drive back, meh...driving into the hot sun all day....but we stopped at the canoe museum on the way back, in Peterborough, which was marvelous as usual.
Back on the job today.
Whatever.
If I ever get these computers sorted out I could post some photos again....they are building up in the camera and it's making me a little nuts.
Feeling a little better this morning after about 9 glasses of fluid and a reasonable nights sleep.
It was an amazing weekend, aside from the nearly endless drive. (what a wimp I am)
We saw a ton of animals, I saw a real live beaver walking down to the shore and slip into the water not 15 feet from me, I saw three more swimming, great blue herons, which I haven't seen since Florida, deer, chipmunks....etc etc etc. And I got to go canoeing! That has been a while. I went out at dawn yesterday for a solo paddle, which was unbelievably fantastic...what a delight.
The drive back, meh...driving into the hot sun all day....but we stopped at the canoe museum on the way back, in Peterborough, which was marvelous as usual.
Back on the job today.
Whatever.
If I ever get these computers sorted out I could post some photos again....they are building up in the camera and it's making me a little nuts.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
sigh
Left the girls up at a friend's cottage for the week, up near Ottawa.
The man is in Spain.
Even the darned dog is in Spain.
Feeling mighty lonely.
Also tired and thirsty and like I have driven far too much today.
Maybe I'll have a shower and go to bed. At 8.
Then it will be tomorrow and maybe I won't feel so lonely, and we'll all be together one day sooner.
Blech
The man is in Spain.
Even the darned dog is in Spain.
Feeling mighty lonely.
Also tired and thirsty and like I have driven far too much today.
Maybe I'll have a shower and go to bed. At 8.
Then it will be tomorrow and maybe I won't feel so lonely, and we'll all be together one day sooner.
Blech
Friday, July 4, 2008
Off for the weekend
Going to Ottawa for the weekend, with the Catalan English student and the girls...off to a cottage!!!
Yahoo!
Hopefully no one strange will come and drink beer while we're there.
I have to find out about the twitter updates, I may well send them off, but if it costs me roaming? SOL.
Yahoo!
Hopefully no one strange will come and drink beer while we're there.
I have to find out about the twitter updates, I may well send them off, but if it costs me roaming? SOL.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Freaky.
I don't know if you noticed that little twitter I put on the side there last night about feeling edgy in the big old house alone. (the kids were at my folks last night)
I was feeling kind of silly about it, see I had gotten home, and I went into one of the bathrooms and there was pee in the toilet where none of us had peed. Hmmmm I thought, that's weird.
I kinda blew that off, and went on line, did a little surfing, a little blog reading, e-mailed the man....and went upstairs.
Now one of the bedroom doors that they have asked us not to go into (teenage son, unbelievable mess) is always closed. Well, it was ajar.
The next room, where eldest is sleeping, I tried the handle and simply could not get it open. This is an old house, and sometimes those handles don't work right, so I let that ride. Went to the bathroom, got all ready for bed, and then noticed that youngest's bedroom door was closed, and I know we had left that room open; the cat cannot close doors.
I went to bed a LITTLE edgy....you know, sort of feelig like one of those characters in a horror flick who the audience is screaming at to leave as they open a door? Anyone yelling, "Just get out?"
Well, everything was fine.
Then when we came back this evening, we discovered an empty beer can in Eldest's room.
Hmmmmm.
I don't think the cat can open the fridge, chose a brewski, crack it open, carry it upstairs, drink it all without spilling then leave it on a shelf behind a closed door.
Ho hum.
Was I alone last night?
We're all here again, the kids and a Catalan girl who is here to learn English, and me....should be fine, but I'll leave the cell phone on.
I'm pretty sure it was one of the teenager's buddies scamming a free brew and wandering around. He may indeed have left before I got home.....
I was feeling kind of silly about it, see I had gotten home, and I went into one of the bathrooms and there was pee in the toilet where none of us had peed. Hmmmm I thought, that's weird.
I kinda blew that off, and went on line, did a little surfing, a little blog reading, e-mailed the man....and went upstairs.
Now one of the bedroom doors that they have asked us not to go into (teenage son, unbelievable mess) is always closed. Well, it was ajar.
The next room, where eldest is sleeping, I tried the handle and simply could not get it open. This is an old house, and sometimes those handles don't work right, so I let that ride. Went to the bathroom, got all ready for bed, and then noticed that youngest's bedroom door was closed, and I know we had left that room open; the cat cannot close doors.
I went to bed a LITTLE edgy....you know, sort of feelig like one of those characters in a horror flick who the audience is screaming at to leave as they open a door? Anyone yelling, "Just get out?"
Well, everything was fine.
Then when we came back this evening, we discovered an empty beer can in Eldest's room.
Hmmmmm.
I don't think the cat can open the fridge, chose a brewski, crack it open, carry it upstairs, drink it all without spilling then leave it on a shelf behind a closed door.
Ho hum.
Was I alone last night?
We're all here again, the kids and a Catalan girl who is here to learn English, and me....should be fine, but I'll leave the cell phone on.
I'm pretty sure it was one of the teenager's buddies scamming a free brew and wandering around. He may indeed have left before I got home.....
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Cats
I forgot how much I like cats...it's a shame I'm allergic and so is Eldest....the cat we are sitting,Seppi, is hovering over the keyboard right now....sweet.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Change
We've moved again!
No moss growing over here...we are in the house of some friends, and we're doing a house sitting gig...should be fun, though there is a cat, who both eldest and I are allergic to. We'll see how it goes. They do have a computer that functions which is sweet.
The moving isn't such a big deal, though I swear that all we moved was groceries, it's the cleaning that is tiring.
Puff
Have you ever seen the movie "Second hand lions"? We watched that tonight as a break, it was pretty good, though I think I liked it better than the kids did. They were bagged, up late last night then off to the museum with their Grandma....and they are to bed late again, fireworks you know, you just cannot miss them.
Happy Canada day everyone!
No moss growing over here...we are in the house of some friends, and we're doing a house sitting gig...should be fun, though there is a cat, who both eldest and I are allergic to. We'll see how it goes. They do have a computer that functions which is sweet.
The moving isn't such a big deal, though I swear that all we moved was groceries, it's the cleaning that is tiring.
Puff
Have you ever seen the movie "Second hand lions"? We watched that tonight as a break, it was pretty good, though I think I liked it better than the kids did. They were bagged, up late last night then off to the museum with their Grandma....and they are to bed late again, fireworks you know, you just cannot miss them.
Happy Canada day everyone!
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