I've been pondering the following lyrics from my favourite O.C. Supertones song as of late,

I don't always thank for you for the rough days and
the hard times in my life
even though I should

This is definitely something I need to remember. Especially lately. It's such a basic Christian concept too. Having joy even in our trials. Not to be confused with happiness. Bibically speaking joy and happiness are two different things.

Me thinks this has been placed on my heart for a reason. I feel some learning and growing coming on.

My boring Ass Life by Kevin Smith (480 pg)
It's all too Much by Peter Walsh (240 pg)
Bad Beginnings by Lemony Snicket (162 pg)
Lost in Austen: Create your own Jane Austen Adventure by Emma Webster Campbell (352 pg)
The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them by The Freedom Writers and Erin Gruwell (304 pg)
The Colour Purple by Alice Walker (304pg)
Lucky: A Memoir by Alice Sebold (272 pg)
Everything I needed to know about being a Girl I learned from Judy Blume (288 pg)
His Bright Light: The Story of Nick Traina by Danielle Steel (336 pg)
True Notebooks: A Writer's year in Juvenile Hall by  Mark Salzman (352 pg)
Almost Moon by Alice Sebold (304 pg)
The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch): Lessons from a life in Feathers (176 pg)

Total pages read: 3570

Review: His Bright Light

This book was recommended to me by several of our members at TCF. Yes, I read a Danielle Steel book. Her son was Bipolar with a heroine addiction. He died of suicide. I've never read any Danielle Steel but if she wrote more non fiction I would give it a try. It was a very detailed telling of her sons life story and a beautiful tribute to a lost child. She said this book was her way of coping with her grief. The book was not bad, not great but not bad. Perhaps I'll read it again someday when I'm not surrounded by grieving parents which I think affected my take on the book. 

I did wonder while reading it what about her other children. She seemed to cater to Nick and flew to him when ever he beckoned. What about her other kids? She had 8 other children....did they not feel neglected? I really wish she had gone into that a little more. It also bothered me that she referred to him as her cherished child. What about everyone else? The death of a child is horrendous. Suicide is heartbreaking. I'm glad this book exists for people who have experience one or the other or tragically both.

Review: True Notebooks

This book was awesome. Pulitzer Prize Nominated author Mark Salzman kinda stumbles into teaching a writing course for boys in a Juvenile Detention center with young men who were being held for violent crimes and being tried as adults. These boys are very articulate and Salzman doesn't sugarcoat the experience at all which is so nice. He doesn't wax poetic too much either. He explains things as they happened with humour, compassion and sincerity. I've read similar books but this one was my favourite of the bunch.

Review: Almost Moon

I desperately wanted this to be a good book. So desperately. I ADORED Lucky. I LOVED The Lovely Bones. I wanted Almost Moon to be good so badly. Which may have been my problem, I went in with high expectations. But when an authors first two books are just incredible is it so wrong to expect the third one to be just as good? I struggled with finishing this book. I hate not finishing a book but I almost didn't finish this book, it was a chore.

Review: The wisdom of Big Bird (and the dark genius of Oscar)

I loved this book. Written by the muppeteer who has been doing Bird Bird and Oscar since day one. He talks about his love of puppets, what it was like to meet Jim Henson for the first time, the compassion he learned and the being okay with the fact that he's not famous but Big Bird and Oscar are. He had a beautiful chapter after the death of the actor who played Mr Hooper (the thought of that still makes me cry, it was one of the most beautiful pieces of TV ever written) and he even talks about the rise in popularity of Elmo. This was such a cute little book. You don't need to be a fan of muppets per say, but you have to know a little bit about Sesame Street...you know what that's not true you just need to know that Sesame Street existed.

Currently reading:
The Good Body by Eve Ensler
Full Frontal Feminism by Jessica Valenti  (founder of feministing.com by the way)

What's next:
Writing from Life: A guide to Writing True Stories by Heather Robertson
Michael Palin Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years by Michael Palin (he's my favourite Python)

Have I mentioned I love Winnipeg Public Library?

My kitchen is organized! The rest of the apartment...not so much. But the kitchen was the important one. Everything is moved in except for our books and a few book cases. Those are currently in John's Aunt and Uncles garage in Tuelon. We're hoping to have a lot more done before they arrive with our books on Monday. There is a lot of stepping around things and over things and just moving things out of the way rather than unpacking. It doesn't help that I'm on my own during the day and I'm hesitant to put stuff away because John will complain he doesn't know where it is. And I just don't feel like it there are too many far more interesting things to do. The following are all the things that rock about this move. (I promised John a happy positive yay we've moved blog entry.)

- No longer do we need to look online about who is playing at the Walker Theater. We can just grab our binoculars and read the marquee.
- I have a job interview today...I can see the building I'm interviewing in from my living room window.
- There is a political bookstore/vegan restaurant not too far from us. On top of that it's a workers co-op so there are no bosses and no managers etc. John and I want to go for the food and to see if we can incite dissent in the ranks.
- The biggest library in Manitoba is a stones throw from our apartment. I love libraries!
- LUSH!!! Not in walking distance but I'm finally in the same city so no more online ordering or having to buy a three month supply.
- Toad Hall toys, the best toy store in the world, is a 2 minute walk from our apartment.
- Jazz on the Roof at the Art Gallery
- The Art Gallery
- We no longer have to worry if things will fit down the stairs!!!
- We have a dishwasher...that's all I'm saying
- Central air....need I say more?
- We live in the same city as an international airport. No more 2 hour drives to take a flight!
- I have family in the same city as me. Okay my brother lived in Brandon and that was awesome but now I am in the same city as my Oma, my Aunt and Uncle and my cousins Amanda and Shay.
- Speaking of Amanda...she's engaged!!! So much yayness for her! She asked me to be her militant Matron of Honour. WOOHOO I get to plan a wedding again!!!!
- Lindsey is coming to visit in August! One of us no longer has to drive two hours to see one another and we'll get more than one day!
- The forks and all it has to offer is within walking distance! (You kind of have to be from Winnipeg or have visited to understand that one.)
- We have ten foot ceilings. That means we can't hear the people above us and the people below us can't hear us. Time to take up tap dancing...kidding.
- We have HUGE windows which means lots of sunshine and the possibility of having plants!
- We have room to play Wii. Not that we didn't before it was just pretty cozy and we got concerned for our TV when people got really into whatever they were playing.
- We live near a semi major intersection and so far since moving here we've been able to watch a few accident clean ups. We're such geeks. One was a mail truck versus a Mitsubishi....the mail truck won.
- People think we have a baby because Haylee was there on move in day. (For the record she wasn't much help with the heavy lifting.)

Someone even came to our door to welcome us to our building and asked how us and the baby were settling in. I looked at her a bit strangely. She said she heard we had a baby girl. I told her, "yeah we did but we sent her back to Brandon, she didn't really meet our standards." She looked at me horrified. I then explained that it was my goddaughter people saw. She was relieved and told me I had a very quick sense of humour.

I'll post pictures of our new dwelling when it looks less like a war torn country. Which war torn country? Well...not the most war torn one any more but pretty close.

What do you make dinner when your husband has all the cutting board, baking pans, most of the cooking utensils, most of the spices and anything that would make preparing dinner easy? Well you find salmon in the freezer when you come home for lunch and let it thaw. Then you find some lemon dill dip mix, you know the dry stuff you dump in mayo or sour cream. Finally you locate a lemon in the back of the fridge. Place salmon filet on toaster oven pan. Cut lemon in half with the only knife you have. Squeeze as much lemon on top of salmon as humanly possible. Place it in toaster oven. Rumage in the fridge for veggies. Find mini seedless cucumbers and cherry tomatoes. Cut up cucumbers and dump some balsamic vinegar on top and place decoratively on one of the picnic basket plates you've been left. Place a small handful of cherry tomatoes on the plate to add some colour. Once the salmon flakes easily it's ready. Place that on the picnic plate nicely. Enjoy dinner whilst watching Hell's Kitchen feeling pretty proud of your creativity though realize Gordon Ramsey you are not.

Tatiana: Can I interview you for my blog?

John: No

T: Please!!

J: What will you give me?

T: I'll let you move us to Winnipeg.

J: To late sorry done. Oh look I found the missing nerf dart.

T: OOO for the guns that are already packed?

J: Yup.

T: Please! I'll ask you a series of questions and you can answer them.

J: Because that always goes so well. What if you don't like my answers.

T: I'll blog them any way.

J: Will you pack while you interview?

T: Ummm...no. I can't multi task.

J: Liar.

T: Please!!!!

J: Alright what's your question.

T: Did you always want to work with computers?

J: No.

T: What did you want to do instead?

J: Carpenter. I was still in my dad as hero stage I was four at the time. I had my own tools and I stole dads wrenches. I had no idea there was such a thing as computers.

T: Then how did you end up working with computers?

J: It just happened. I did it for fun and then I did it for pay.

T: On a scale of one to ten, how much did you like me that first day you met me?

J: 5

T: Only five?

J: Everyone gets a 5 and that's being generous.

T: When did I get higher than five?

J: Who says you're higher than 5?

T: Jerk

J: You asked for that one

T: What's you're favourite colour?

J: Green possibly brown but usually Green

T: Favourite food?

J: Baby...though it's hard to go wrong with a roast chicken sub....or a donair....mmmmmm baby donair.

T: Favourite thing that I cook?

J: Baby

T: Anything else?

J: Charred baby?....I can't have the stuff you make now so it doesn't matter *grumps about blood pressure*

T:  What was your favourite thing about growing up on a farm?

J: No one tries to interview you. Occasionally you find a city girl who has a thing for guys wearing tool belts. And I learned how to bake bread.

T: Were you referring to any particular city girl?

J: You fishing for compliments?

T: Moving on. Would you describe yourself as still in love with your wife?

J: Would I dare to not describe myself as still in love with my wife? No it's really grown into a detached fondness.

T: How are you and brothers similar?

J: We're all Hammell's. We share the same mother and father. We call the same guy Dad. Take your pick. They stole my sense of humour.

T: How are you and sisters similar?

J: Hair colour.

T: Do you wish you had married someone from a small town?

J: I'll think about it when I finally give you an aneurysm out of frustration.

T: What's your favourite thing about me?

J: Your vagina.

T:  Good for you for using vagina.

J: You actually typed that? I change my answer. Your mouth.

T: No no no no no!

J: ooooo look transcription.

T: Moving on....again. Are you more like James Bond or Austin Powers?

J: Bond by nature and Powers but chest hair. Besides I would rather be Mr. Flint.

T: So you can be in?

J: Yup.

T: What's the hardest thing you've ever gone through?

J: Life. I'll let you know when I'm done.

T: What's you're favourite kind of cookie?

J: double chocolate chip with macademian nuts.

T: That is a good cookie. What if we had never met?

J: What about it? What kind of question is that?

T: What do you think you would be doing if we hadn't met?

J: What are you trying to earn your wings?....Probably working overseas.

T: So I'm preventing you from doing that? *confused*

J: Some of them. I would probably be working some camp job in Quatar.

T: So you're saying your life wouldn't be an empty void?

J: Life is never an empty void....unless you're a vegetable.

T: What kind of answer is that?

J: Here have a shooter.

T: mmmmmmmm shooter. mmmmmm edible shot glass.  Are you trying to liquor me up?

J: Not really....two more?

T: I still have plum wine to drink you know?

J: What's your next question?

T: Favourite story to tell about me?

J: I don't tell stories about you.

T: So you don't talk about your wife?

J: Not generally.

T: I suddenly feel a little less loved.

J: In fact I heard a "I didn't think you were married" my last week at Wyeth. I figured the ring might give it away. She sounded disappointed when she said that.

T: Seriously? So if someone asked you to tell them one thing about your wife what would you say? *smiles*

J: Brilliant...passionate....talent....but freaking nuts sometimes.

T: Thank you. We're done now.

J: Are we?

T: Yes.

J: Then why are you still typing?