be-musings

It's time to confess on my second habit. I've been avoiding it, but since this is the end of my series and I opened up the box so to speak, here it is.
At the same time that my smoking habit started, the other began. After swimming at the Cold Lake pool, I tried the showers. Oh, it was heavne. Why did no one tellme about showers before? I stayed in for what seemed like a very short time. The pool guard came to the change room and told everyone to get out of the showers because the pool was closing. Not one to disobey much, I disregarded her warning. No one could separate me from this. A bit later she came by again and with a more elevated voice she told everyone to get out and added some kind of adult "dig" about us not caring to run the pool out of hot water. And you know, I didn't care. But, since we were being shut down I complied.
For the next few years I still only had baths at home. But then I began to form my habit. Ah, the long hot shower. You know, most people really dont get it right. They're out in 5 minutes. Not me. 20 minutes is great.
Nathan tells me that they never run out of water in Scott's (my) house. I don't know what he is talking about, because I run out of hot water every time. In fact, I might have to get someone to spring for a bigger tank. Because maybe 20 minutes just isn't enough. Maybe I should go for the zenith of showers!

A couple miscellaneous things before I get into this post. You might notice my sidebar has a badgr tag with flickr photos. I couldn't get them all loaded so right now the wedding ones are mostly of me at the beginning of the ceremony. Oops. My free Flickr account won't let me upload any more right now, so I guess I'll look vain until I can add more in December. Plus, it isn't rotating through my whole account of photos, so I need to figure that out. And hey, can anyone tell me how to get it to float right? I used the float-right phrase, but it didn't work.
My next logical post should be my "clean" habit, according to #6. But I have other things on my mind, so I'll make that #8 later.

There are many things I don't understand. I once told a friend, who was very astute about politics, that I don't understand politics or war. He gave me a "you're such a sweet girl" smile, like you give someone who isn't all there. Then he said "It's not a bad thing Annette - just stay that way". I guess I never grew up in that department.
You see, I really don't understand politics. I mean I do in some ways. I'm not totally dumb. I understand that different parties and representatives have different platforms, which represent belief structures. Or maybe they represent rhetoric, more accurately. Some parties are less socialist than others. Is that word even effective to use anymore? I don't know. I also know that what is said during a campaign is like what is said during the beginning of courtship. Each person is trying their best to look and act their best. The real them doesn't shine through as much as it does in a few years when life isn't all rosy and there is farting and no makeup, and weight gain and bad breath. Stuff that isn't seen much during the early phases of a relationship. So, each politician is acting like a suitor, and once the deal is sealed there is an initial attempt at delivery of promises, but after a while this becomes more difficult. Things become less rosy..."farting", lying, changing direction. This is what I figure about politics. Okay, that's the bad part of it. I know there is a lot of good too. But I just can't differentiate platforms well enough. Hey, I voted for Mulroney.
And I don't understand war. I'm not against fighting to protect a nation, and am thankful for those who have fought for me and my family and friends. But the initial cause of war is not protection. It's a by-product. I think the cause of war is sin. Greed, anger, jealousy, prejudice. That's all I know. I don't get it any more than that.
So I'm not the swiftest. It doesn't involve a fairy tale ending. It contributes to the cynic in me, that is sometimes stronger than I want it to be. So I don't get it. Just don't.

Here is some amazing jambay playing:

I have had two major vices in my life. Both began at the tender age of 10. One habit has lasted many years longer than the other. One habit is much "cleaner" than the other.

I was a smoker. Oh yes, it's true. After all, that was part of the sex appeal in the movies, and with wanting to be a movie star it made sense. But they used long slender plastic holders with filters.
In grade 4, with my sister in grade 7, we together went into the woods by my house on the weekends. This is the same woods in which she chased boys and pinned them down...well, you know the story. Man, she and her kids better not be reading this. You see, very rarely can a family gathering occur without these stories being told and "argued" about. More like teasing really.
So, on Saturdays my sister, who was already a smoker, would go into the woods with me and we would light up. I tried smoke rings, and thought on occasion I had attained them. I think it was probably the wind blowing through them rather than any expertise. What would a child know about smoke rings? After a few weekends of this habit, I caved. I didn't like it much any more and wanted out. But it wasn't that easy. Other people were involved, and knowing that I was a youngest child (insert "squealer" there), blackmail quickly became involved. I had to continue smoking or I would be ratted out for my involvement. Argh. There was a sneaky remedy to that. A pack of matches left in my coat pocket tipped off a curious mother, and "youngest child" spilled the beans.
As an object lesson, my mother rolled some cigarettes from my dad's stash. Gross. The tobacco was hanging out both ends, and they were the flat papers that had to be licked to close. Double gross. I couldn't do it. My sister of course, being the tough one, did. My brother hung out in the doorway, making faces at us so we laughed and got in trouble. There was a poster family moment.
I never smoked again. Oh sure, I was tempted. When my grandma came to visit and rolled her cigarettes I liked to help her. I wanted to hold the cigarette. Not smoke it. Just pose. I resisted the temptation over and over. Maybe the image of her coughing relentlessly from her emphysema helped me avoid using the things. Or watching grandpa die of lung cancer, coughing up black stuff. His was probably from smoking and his job at Cominco. But this isn't really about the dangers of smoking, just the story.

My sister sent this to me. Try it yourself! Don't worry that it's American. The rules are still the same.

Studies show that 1 of 11 drivers cannot score more than 70% on
the GMAC drivers test.

Now that I live in a house with 4 guys, there is a lot of burping and farting going on.
And sometimes the guys are the ones doing it too.

For those of us who are competitive, or have no life:
Tennis challenge