Domesticated Academic

Hotel Room Meal Survival

2015-09-19T16:53:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone,

I use to travel a lot for work, but not so much anymore. But when I do, I always consider where am I going to eat, how am I going to get good coffee and stay hydrated. For me many times, I am able to get so much work done in a hotel room, so having to go out to eat is a hassle. I also find that I eat more or waste more when I eat out.

My essential coffee prep elements

During my stay in various hotel rooms I have gathered some tips to make it easy to eat on the cheap while traveling for work or pleasure and staying in a hotel room:

Essential things I pack in my suitcase kitchen, no matter where I go:

-Travel kettle
-Salton brand Multi Pot
-Melitta One-cup pour-over brewer and paper cone filters
-Insulated travel mug
-small pouch of my Cafe Du Monde Coffee with Chicory and 10 Twinnings Lady Grey Tea
-can of evaporated milk
-packages of instant oatmeal, quick soups or noodle cups
-nuts, dried fruit, package of flour tortillas and small container of peanut butter
-Can opener and corkscrew
-Plastic water bottle
-selection of various size ziploc and garbage bags
-Plastic cutlery
-small collapsible cooler
-Good host iced tea powder
-bananas - they travel really well
-disinfectant wipes
-paper plates
-seasoning mix

When I get to my destination I try to find a grocery store for fruit and veggies, cooked meat or prepped salads. I can purchase sandwich meat and sliced cheese to go with my tortillas for sandwiches. With the collapsible cooler, ice from the hotel, and the ziplocs bags, the sandwich meat and cheese stay cold for however long I need them to.

If I buy too much for my small cooler, i also use the ice bucket or the recycling bin to hold ice to hold any of my drinks, orange juice, pop, or bottled water etc.

My all time favorite hotel food to make for breakfast and/or lunch are banana peanut butter tortillas. They are so filling and all the ingredients travel really well.

With Salton brand Multi pot, I make quick pasta dishes that are filling and easy. I can even bring a can of vegetables or beans and heat them up in my room.

If the room I am staying in has a small fridge, I add a small cutting board, chef knife and paring knife. Then I am able to purchase more fruit and vegetables and cut them up for snacks and salads.

For hotels rooms that also include a microwave, the picture below is an example of one dinner I had while staying in a hotel. It was filling and enough for dinner and snack the next day.

if you are able to drive to a hotel, and you have a fridge and microwave, you are set! The possibilities are endless. I once drove from Kelowna, BC to North Battleford, Saskatchewan with 2 teenage boys. We stayed in a small motel with a kitchenette for 5 nights. On the way back we stayed in Edmonton for 2 nights. During those 7 nights and 9 days, we ate out once for a quick breakfast and coffee. Otherwise I prepped all the meals, organized all the snacks and had to drinks ready. I saved so much money by deciding on a menu and prepping what food I could before we left. For example, a few weeks before we left I made a big batch of spaghetti sauce and froze most of it. I brought a container with us, while it was in the cooler it kept other things cool. When we got to the motel, I just had to make the pasta and dinner was done. There was lots leftover for the kids the next for lunch.

Small kitchenette in North Battleford, Sask

On another hotel stay in Northern BC, that I was able to drive to, I brought was an electric skillet. I was able to purchase boneless skinless chicken breasts, broccoli, carrots and onions to cook in the skillet, cooked pasta in my Salton Multi Pot and added some jarred Alfredo sauce for a complete dinner.

Cooking chicken in my electric skillet. I used it for a pasta dish, Butter chicken, and chicken wraps.

If you google hotel room cooking, you will find a lot of information. But I have to say I do not agree with the suggestions of using the irons, coffee makers, and blow dryers for anything related to food preparation. Here are some of my favorite links that have great suggestions in the comments:

Reader best tips for cooking real meals in a hotel room

Cooking in a hotel room - Portable kitchen

What are your favorite tips and tricks fro surviving hotel room meal prep and cooking? Post your comments and links to resources!

LUG bag vs Baggalini

2012-03-27T23:02:00.000-07:00

Above is the LUG Moped Day pack

Above is the Baggalini

For anyone that knows me, knows that I have a bag obsession! I think it is in my DNA.

In 2010 I went to New Orleans for 7 days. Before I left, I bought a Baggalini like the one pictured above from Bags and All for about $60 Cdn. It was fantastic. All the zippers for all the compartments were great! The water bottle holder was big and easy to use. The strap on mine is different from the picture, it goes across the chest and has a pouch on the handle for a small cell phone. It was really comfortable on my back or in the front of my chest. I was surprised at how much it held. It held my wallet, a wrap, water bottle, souvenirs, iphone etc.

March 2012 I went to Las Vegas for 7 days. On this trip I took my LUG Moped Day pack. I thought it would be similar to my Baggalini. But I was wrong. Now don't get me wrong, I love all of my LUG bags, which I have a total of 6! But the Moped Day pack does not have very many compartments. There is a zipped pocket at the front and one zipped pocket inside. A couple of other pockets inside and one on the back of the bag that has one snap. There is a small zipped packet on the inside of the main flap.

There is a water bottle holder that is great! The LUG bag holds alot.. my SLR digital camera and my telephoto lens, wallet, iphone, sunscreen etc. But it all has to go in the main compartment.

If the pocket on the back with the snap used a zipper instead it would be better. I was scared to put anything in that pocket in case it fell out. Not having as many zipped pockets as the Baggalini and only a large magnetic flap, limits the functionality of the LUG bag.

Further, the magnets in the LUG bag have a nasty habit of de-magatizing the door cards that hotels use.

Next time I travel for more than 3 days I use my Baggalini as my purse and all my other LUG bags for my luggage.

Garden 2012

2012-03-09T23:48:00.003-08:00

As usual I am so excited about the warming weather. I started the seeds March 9, 2012. This year I started more seeds than ever before.

Here is a list of what I started:

Garden 2012

56 Sweet Peppers
14 early Broccoli
9 purple broccoli
9 purple peppers
9 purple tomatoes
18 late Broccoli
9 black krim tomatoes
18 purple cabbage
9 eggplant
18 green kolrabi
18 purple kolrabi
3 ground cherry
3 Cabernet  sweet peppers
4 national pickling cucumbers
3 jalapeño peppers
5 acorn squash
9 zucchini
3 starburst squash
8 green cabbage 
11 slicing cucumbers
6 buttercup squash
3 watermelon
4 pumpkin
52 tomatoes (Beefsteak, Roma, & Cherry)

Unfortately this year I learned about Dampening Disease... :( I had to re-start some of my seeds, but learned to always NEW potting soil for starting seeds!

When the weather warmed up I started the following directly in the garden and pots on my patios:

Onions

Potatoes (Russet, red, purple, red fingerling)

Carrots (Really excited about purple carrots)

Garlic

Peas

Radishes

Lettuces

Dill

Beets

Spinach

Asparagus Peas

Still to be planted for end of the season:

Bush beans
Rutabaga

Parsnips

Leeks

Broccoli Raab

I will also be buying new strawberry plants, 10 more raspberries and 6 Blackberry bushes

I have lots of herbs growing - Chives, oregano, rosemary, bay leaf tree, lavender, basil, parsley, sages, and winter savory.

Here is picture of the freshly planted herbs -

I am really excited about my raised beds, the roots on my various veggies last year were stunning:

The root on these radishes in 2011 were about 8 inches! My carrots had similar roots.

The picture below is from my 2011 garden. One quarter of my bean harvest and half my snap pea harvest

My garden feeds my roommate and I and our 3 dogs for the growing season and 6 months after, with lots to give away to neighbours and friends!

I bought a Foodsaver Vacuum sealer in 2011, to make preserving fruits and veggies in the freezer even easier! I am excited.... I know I need to get a life!

Here are pictures from the start of my garden 2012!!

You can see the straw mulch for my Asparagus patch on the left.

On the far right are my 3 pallets for strawberries

The long row of cedar trellis is for my peas

                                  This is the view from top deck!

Here are some pics of the harvest:

Beet greens - I love you!

These Beets got pickled for my oldest sister... 12 pints of pickled beets! She was happy!

Butternut squash that was mislabelled in the nursery. I had no idea what I was growing, thus why I picked them too early.

Love my carrot rainbow... I grew purple, brown, and orange!

My sad corn... but perfect for cutting for niblets!

Garlic - my first harvest as a gardener! Very proud!

Holy Leeks like my soil! Cant wait for Potato Leek Soup!

5 different types of Mint!

Sweet Pepper Rainbow

Potato Rainbow

Yes these are sweet potatoes! I live in the central okanagan of BC and I can grow sweet potatoes. This harvest was skimpy to say the least, but I blame the soil. It was new soil and I didn't realize how compacted it was going to become! I will definately try again next season. These are 'Beauregard' and 'Georgia Jet' varieties!

Best onion harvest ever for me!

Dont the purple carrots POP next to the orange ones? Love them all!

Here is a "Before" picture of the corner of the yard before the cold frames were built! My dog Kilo is hanging out in the shade!

These are 2 pics of the cold frames.  Notice they are not in the corner of the yard I cleared out.  I changed my mind and out them along the fence to side of the yard. The sun exposure is better.

 The cold frames are doing great. Below you will see the Swiss chard and spinach I pulled out the last week of September.

Above is my bread bowl overflowing with chard. Will get about 8 meals from the Chard and spinach.

Overall 2012 was a good harvest from the garden.  I learned alot and am working to change lots of things! Especially the potato towers.  They need to be somewhere where they can get LOTS of water to soak through all the layers in the tower.

Happy Gardening!

It always comes back to the mother... why?

2011-12-21T23:11:00.000-08:00

Louise Erdrich is one of my favourite authors. Her description is sensual and moving. I recently read 'The Painted Drum' by Louise Erdrich (2005). There was a quote that resonated with me:

"It is difficult for a woman to admit that she gets along with her own mother - somehow it seems a form of betrayal, at least, it used to among other women in my generation. To join in the company of women, to be adults, we go through a period of proudly boasting of having survived our own mother's indifference, anger, overpowering love, the burden of her pain, her tendency to drink or teetotal, her warmth or coldness, praise or criticism, sexual confusions or embarrassing clarity. It is isn't enough that she sweat, laboured, bore her daughters howling or under total anesthesia or both. No. She must be responsible for our psychic weaknesses the rest of her life. It is all right to feel kinship with your father, to forgive. We all know that. But your mother is held to a standard so exacting that it has no principles. She simply must be to blame". (p. 20)

The feelings evoked by this quote cannot be identified & examined all at once... but must be allowed to surface, then courted, before committing to them...

For myself, I am in a place where I can freely love, have fun and look forward to spending time with my mom. But for me it only came once I did not hold myself to such 'exacting' standards.

Please share your thoughts...

Xmas decorations 2011

2011-12-14T20:39:00.000-08:00

I am back in the holiday spirit! I wanted to share some pictures of my favorite decorations and some snowman wreaths I made!

My tree upstairs

Tree in kitchen upstairs, the green star is so beautiful!

My mini snowman wreath on front door!

Big snowman wreath at the front of the house

Tree downstairs in family room with a flash of Kilo in front!

My newest snowman added to the collection! It lights up so much!

Melting snowman decoration!

Large snowman wreath, painted white! Still have to add arms, hat, & scarf!

Inside Art snowman ball

Inside Art snowman large ball

A snowman decoration made out of a gourd! SOOOO Cool!

Beaded snowman my sister brought me back from Mexico!

My souvenir from New Orleans!

Merry Christmas from Laura and the puppies!

The sagebush Mariposa Lily

2011-07-21T18:51:00.000-07:00

I generally hike regularly with my dogs! One of the highlights for me is to see the Sagebush Mariposa Lily.

This lily is a perennial plant from a bulb about the size of a walnut. The plant has grass like leaves and usually one flower which is showy with three petals. It enjoys grassy slopes and can stand a hot climate. The bulb are palatable and nutritious when boiled, roasted or steamed.

This gives me hope that I might be able to transplant a couple of these beauties!

The following information was retrieved from :
http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/potd/2005/06/calochortus_mac.php

In the book Plants of Southern Interior British Columbia, the authors point out that “mariposa” means butterfly in Spanish. You can likely see the resemblance. Unfortunately, the authors also point out that Calochortus macrocarpus is a tasty plant for cattle, one of the reasons it is now quite uncommon. To whit:
“Sagebrush mariposa lily is highly palatable to livestock and it will disappear from highly grazed areas. This species was once widespread, but it is now considerably less common and harvesting the flowers or bulbs is discouraged because it destroys the entire plant.”
Miller, Allen and Antos, in the Canadian Journal of Botany 82(12): 1790-1799 (2004), observed that individual plants of Calochortus macrocarpus can remain dormant (i.e., not emerging above ground during a a growing season) for a period of one to four years (source / abstract: Dormancy and flowering in two mariposa lilies (Calochortus) with contrasting distribution patterns.). This seems to be a strategy by the plant to avoid unfavourable environmental conditions in a particular year, allowing it to instead grow within an environmental regime that is more favourable to eventual reproduction.

My Dog Pack- Through sickness and in health!

2011-05-13T22:18:00.000-07:00

As long as I can remember I had dogs in my life. My first childhood dog was 'Boots', a black dog... I think. My second dog was Sam, black lab mix. I loved Sam, I taught him to climb a ladder, lay down while I pulled grass and covered him in it.

My third childhood dog was Rebel. He was actually my step-brother's dog. Lucky. My parents got him while I was away for a few days. He was a great surprise to come home to! Lucky and I walked all over Tulameen, in the woods, I never felt unsafe with him beside me. He was hit by a car a few weeks before I was to leave home to go to college in 1992. I missed him terribly.

For years I dreamed of having a dog and the constant companionship and unconditional love it provides.

Finally in June 2003, once we purchased a house I was able to get a puppy. I went to the SPCA and combed through the newspaper ads.

I found Gabbi at the SPCA in Vernon. I fell in love with her immediately. She was such a smart puppy. I couldn't stand the thought of leaving her at home while I was at work, so being the boss, I started bringing her to work with me. Consumers and staff loved her and offered to take her for walks.

She has such a personality and loves people. She isn't fond of kids, so she leaves when kids come around.

After I had Gabbi for a few monthes, I wanted to get another dog, to keep her company. So I went looking at the SPCA in Vernon, and found Nightmare!

Nightmare was a good boy and loved everyone. He loved cuddling, hunting, and chasing the ball.

When Gabbi was about a year old, she started having difficulty moving around. She was soon diagnosed with immune-mediated polyarthritis. She was immediately started on the steroid Prednisone, to supress her immune system. Gabbi's mobility improved, but then she developed mange from the Prednisone. So she had to change medications. After being on medications for a year, she was weaned off, and was a happy active puppy.

Nightmare was also very active, until one morning when I noticed a subtle difference in him. He didn't follow me from the living room to the Kitchen, which he always did. I phoned the vet right away, it was a Saturday morning. They were able to get me in right away with Dr. Elliot Kaplan. I could not tell the vet anything specific, just that Nightmare was not himself. The vet did an examination and ran some tests. He said he would let me know about the results of the test as soon as he got them.

I went home, started vacuuming. The phone rang about 5 mins later. It was Dr. Kaplan telling me that one of the tests he did came back it was very serious. He told me to rush back to the hospital with Nightmare as soon as possible.

The next two weeks were spent with Nightmare in and out of the hospital, a battery of tests and huge doses of medications. On July 23, 2006 at 1:30 am, Nightmare passed away with Karl and I holding him. He had developed blood clots as a complication from Predinsone and the polyarthritis.

Karl and I were devastated. Gabbi was freaked out and wouldn't come in the house for hours. Karl and I buried him in the back yard so he would be close to us.

After Karl and I separated in 2006, I could not bring myself to get another dog. I just did not feel like I could love another dog like Gabbi or Nightmare. Until 2009, when one of my co workers got a German Shepherd puppy. She was adorable and I could feel myself wanting another a dog.

So I again, went to the Vernon SPCA and looked online at ads. I found an ad for a Lab Border Collie mix puppy, when I saw them, I chose one. I could feel right away that he would be the perfect Nightmare #2!

The next day, I went to show someone the ad for the puppy. I found an ad for Bernese Mountain and Shepherd mix puppies. I have always wanted a Bernese Mountain Dog, so I could not resist getting another puppy. His name is Merrill Armegeddon!

The puppies became brothers quickly. Gabbi was tolerant until they respected her as alpha.

When the puppies were 13 monthes old, a littermate, a sister came up for adoption. I couldn't resist. Her name was Cocoa, but we renamed her to Kilo. She was a husky girl when I got her, and is very much a freight train.

My pack was complete! In April 2011, the puppies turned 2 and Gabbi turned 8!

Gabbi had a vet appointment on April 26, 2011 to find out about her limping. The vet recommended x-rays to see how much damage had been done. The x-rays showed significant deterioration of her joints in the shoulder. The vet recommended to admit her for the day, to do a joint tap and a blood test. He suspected she had Rheumatoid Arthritis, but had to be sure.

April 28- Gabbi went to the vet for the day, she was sedated for a joint tap. The test on the joint tap fluid came back full of white blood cells, but not conclusive of RA or polyarthritis. So the vet recommended the blood sample to be sent away to be tested for a definitive answer.

May 6 -The results came back and Gabbi was diagnosed with a return of Immune Mediated Polyarthritis. A great website for information describing the various types of polyarthritis, click here

To be brief, I am terrified for the treatment she has to go through to have a chance to live any life with quality. She is an increased risk of blood clots, like Nightmare #1, because of her age.

I want to track her progress and keep this blog post up to date, in hopes that other dog owners might find this helpful.

Treatment started May 8, 2011 - Gabbi started on a high dose of Prednisone, Azathorapine, and liquid Aspirin.

May 9- Increased thirst is a side effect of the Pred. and it noticeably increased for Gabbi.

May 12- Gabbi ate her breakfast, but was very lethargic for most of the day. She vomited up all her food in the afternoon. I phoned the vet, and he advised to stop the medication right away. He suggested trying the medication again on Sunday and not to push food on her.

May 13- Gabbi ate her breakfast and dinner, didn't vomit, but still lethargic and very thirsty.

May 15- Restarted medication again

May 18- Gabbi had great energy and was playing and rolling around in the grass

May 19- appointment with the vet- he was impressed with how much the swelling had gone down and she was not limping as much. We were both optimistic

May 20 - 22- Gabbi was good, just increased thirst

May 23- Gabbi was very lethargic, increased thirst, and decreased appetite

May 24 - Morning- Gabbi vomited up all of her food and wouldn't eat at all. She was very lethargic, extremely watery eyes, diarrhea, difficulty walking due to un-stability. She seemed to get worse very quickly. I called the vet about 12:30

By the early afternoon, her back left leg started to swell and her stomach was very red. There was a sore on her leg that started to bleed. The vet called me back about 1:30pm. He advised me to bring her in for an appointment at 630 pm.

From 4 pm until her appointment she was very hot and unable to move much. The bleeding on the back of her leg was significantly more.

When we got to the vet, her temperature was very high, the bleeding had saturated her fur, and her heartbeat was high.

The vet shaved her belly to get a better look at the bleeding. The redness had increased significantly in her belly. The vet thought it look liked a tumour. She drew blood right away to look for mass cells. Mass cells were present, but the vet recommended the blood sample be sent to a pathologist for a second opinion.

Two techs came in right away to take Gabbi to start her on IV fluids. She needed to be stabilized right away. She was not very responsive

Before we left, Karl and I went to say goodbye to her. She wagged her tail and lifted her head when we came in, but she couldn't do much more than that.

May 25- The vet called me just before 5am to tell me that Gabbi was not doing well. The techs had called the vet in at about 3am because her heart rate had gone up significantly. The vet had managed to get her heart rate down a bit, but was very concerned.

The vet told me she was going downhill quickly and would be unlikely for her to recover. The vet asked me if i wanted to continue treatment, and I said no. I didn't want Gabbi to suffer and I knew she was not well at all.

I called Karl to tell him we needed to go to the vet to put Gabbi down.

The vet called me back and told me that Gabbi had past away.

My mom, Jeanette, Josh and I met Karl at the vet to say good bye to Gabbi.

I am still numb from how fast things happened this week. Gabbi passed away within a month from her first appointment and 9 days from starting medication on consecutive days.

This condition is so hard to understand. I really hope I have had a lifetime quota of dogs with immune mediated polyarthritis.

Crafts, Crocheting, Knitting etc. - Women's contribution

2011-04-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

For the past few years I have been enjoying a lot of crocheting. Lots of my friends are starting their families, and I love being able to give the new addition a homemade gift. With each stitch I think of the baby and the family. It is a great way to feel connected to others.

Crocheting is a very thought provoking hobby. One day while I was in Zellers buying yarn, I was struck by the number of aisles of yarn there were. Three aisles with just yarn, craft stuff only had a half of an aisle. It encouraged me to think about the history of crocheting and how it has grown into a huge industry worth millions of dollars for countries around the world.

Little is known of crochet's early history. It seems likely that the earliest crochet was made using fingers, rather than the hooks used today. There are theories that crochet could have existed as early as 1500 BC, as part of nun's work, which included needlepoint lace and bobbin lace.

Crochet began as a cottage industry in Ireland with a lace called Irish crochet or guipure lace. In the mid 1800's it became a large industry because of the need of the people to supplement their income due to the great potato famine of that time. It has been suggested that four Irish nuns who were trained in a French convent introduced crochet to Ireland. It was a common practice in that time for each person to become skilled in making one thing and one thing only, such as a leaf or a flower. Another person would then crochet the different motifs together using a background stitch. If you have ever tried to crochet an Irish crochet pattern you can understand why it becomes such a difficult and tedious a project. The people who crocheted the Irish laces were truly masters of their craft. They didn't have radio, television, or even access to very many books during this time in history. This contributed to their ability and desire to focus on such an intricate and elaborate art and create such finely detailed work.

The main theory behind the origin of crochet seems to be that it began when it was realized that chains worked in a pattern would hang together without background fabric.

At one time crochet was considered for the wealthy only, for lavish decor in the home and dress. The poor folk were expected to stick with knitting basic needs such as socks and clothing and not dally around with experimental crochet. Angry words were published in magazines from the wealthy stating the lower class should stick to making necessities rather than fancy items that was not their place to wear or display. The poor to middle class lashed back as to their rights to use crochet as they pleased. Much of this idea stemmed from fear the servants would be spending time crocheting when they should be working at the employer’s home. Because crochet samples can not be found among the many needlework methods taught in schools of the past, it is surmised crochet was left out because of the danger of experimentation and foolery.

Crochet began to emerge in Europe in the early nineteenth century, boosted by Mlle Riego de la Branchardiere, well known for her ability to take needle and bobbin lace designs and turn them into crochet patterns that could be duplicated. She published numerous patterns and also claimed to have invented lace-like crochet, today called Irish crochet.

According to the 2004 statistics, apparel articles & accessories knit & crochet was the first of the major Canadian Imports at $3,154,000 from Brunei in Malaysia. The third major import from Brunei was textile art, needlecraft sets & worn textile articles at $48,000. That is amazing! Canada has thousands of trading partners, so to import this much knitted and crocheted textiles from one country, you can only guess how much money is contributed to the economy from tying strings together.

I know for myself, I have spent almost $500 in the past year on yarn and supplies alone.

Crochet and knitting and most crafts are done by women. Look at scrapbooking, which is a huge industry! Not too many men in those stores. So all crafty women, please give yourself a pat on the back for keeping a huge chunk of the economy going! For those women who are not crafty, remember to acknowledge the contribution of your crafty friends and family!!

Happy Crafting!

Much of the content of this post was copied from :
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/85872

please visit the article. As of september 2015 the link was still active.

Doesn't matter why or how you decide to vote, as long as you VOTE!!

2011-04-18T21:17:00.000-07:00

I have been interested in politics for as long as I can remember. From watching the news with my parents to taking political science courses in university. Being a social worker, I have seen up close how the personal is political! I witness everyday how a government policy affects the daily lives of people with disabilities or people with low incomes. Witnessing this reality, influences how I vote in any election, whether it is federal, provincial, municipal, or Cheif and council band election.

This doesn't mean I am more informed about the platforms of political parties or that my opinion holds more weight.

When I consider how I make other decisions in my life, for example, about what services to purchase or where I buy groceries, I make my decision based on how I am made to feel at that business. Is there good customer service? Can I find their business easily? Are their prices reasonable and do they have a good selection of items?

For a few years, the only reason I gave my business to the service department at a car dealership, was because the service manager was really good looking and we shared the same sense of humour. Now I know the men in my family who know a lot about cars, are cringing if they are reading this.

So for people who don't go through a platform of the various political parties with a fine tooth comb, they should not be made to feel like they are less informed and shouldn't vote. So if you wanna vote for the candidate that wears the best clothes, has a female leader, or is the candidate with a name you can remember, then that is your choice!

I think with many sources of media coverage about politics, many people are feeling that keeping up is too daunting. I say, any decision to vote, is the right thing to do! As long as people vote.

I vote because the right for aboriginal people to vote 'with no strings attached' was granted in 1960! This means for many years my family had no right to vote. If people think that THEIR right to vote cannot be limited or taken away, just look at what happened at the University of Guelph? A special ballot was held to allow students to vote on campus and the line-ups were very long. The Harper government attempted to nullify 700 ballots cast by students. But the special ballot was held up by Elections Canada.

Please schedule time to go to your nearest polling station and cast a vote!

Ronald McKelvie Sr. 1932-2011

2011-03-28T22:27:00.000-07:00

I once heard, there is nothing more perfect then death, cause you can't screw it up. I didn't give it much thought until this past week, when Ron passed away. On March 20, 2011 at 8:20 pm Ron took his last breath, surrounded by over 20 family members. I don't think it gets more perfect then that, surrounded by people who love you!

This week preparing for Ron's celebration of life has been hectic, for my family. For me, I feel like I have been stuck in mud. I only had one job, that was to put together a power point presentation to show at Ron's celebration of life. I could not have got through this past week without so much support from my family and friends.

My sisters and brothers are so wonderful. My aunt, cousin and sister from Hazelton were all able to make it down. My aunt was amazing at helping with everything and being there for my mom too. My SIL Bev took great care of my brother Ron Jr. He came up with a great idea to do a meat draw at the celebration of life. The meatdraw raised over $300 that was donated to the Housing units where my parents live to help with the events they put on for kids. Ron loved kids so much, so it was a perfect fit!

So many family friends offered their support and positive thoughts during this difficult time. I am overwhelmed when I think of all the support. I have to give special mention to a few people, that even today, stood out:

My nephew Joshua, he was there for Ron and all the family. For a young man, his compassion and affection to his family is outstanding.
My niece Candace who spent days and nights at Ron's bedside! I will forever treasure the picture of us eating fish and donuts!
My sister Gloria, who readily admits she is not a caregiver. But her love and support for everyone is un-waivering and so needed.
My sister Marie, who was able to make it down to be with rest of the family. I was so happy to have her there. An extra special thank you for my cousin Phil and his wife Marlise for helping with her flight!
My aunt Dehlia, for taking such great care of mom. I know how important sister's are for support, healing, and love during the hardest times in life!
My cousin Bridie for also making the trip down to be with the family.
Bob and Liz Byers, Teresa and he son Chris & Glen and Wendy for being such great family and friends for Ronnie and Bev!

Without everyone's support our family would not have been able to get through that week and the weeks since then. Not to mention, all the support made it possible to keep our sense of humour!

I hope everyone will hug, call, spend time or forgive their loved ones, because even you expect to lose someone, it is still a shock.

Please enjoy the picture story of Ron's life! Ron's Picture Story

Misunderstood Care

2011-03-19T00:29:00.001-07:00

As I sit in my step dad's hospital room at 11 pm, I'm In a daze. While my family & I struggle to accept the inevitable loss, we also struggle with the battle of being misunderstood.

Our family is very close & caring. During times when family members are not well & in the hospital, much time is spent caring for that person. We automatically expect to stay at the family member's bedside until that person passes away or is well enough to leave.

This is just our way. In our hometown of Hazelton, hospital staff would be more familiar with the hands on support family provides. But here in the big city, hospital staff are both in awe & seemingly annoyed with our constant vigil. Most staff comment about how much family support & love we show to the person who is unwell & to each other. However, as visiting hours end, these comments soon turn to hints of how late it is, and asking us if we are going home soon. When they realize we aren't leaving easy, they remind us that it is past visiting hours.

This is also combined with other patients who do not understand why there is so many family members visiting.

As Ron's condition seemed to worsen today, our concern rose at the prospect of him spending the night alone. For myself, terrifying images raced through my head of struggling to breathe & nobody there to comfort him. With a bit of insistence, we were allowed to have one family member stay the night.

So as I sit at Ron's bedside I feel the pull of love for my dad & the push of 'policy'. When we asked if we could stay, they were a bit reluctant, but gave permission. Permission was caveated with a reiteration about hospital policy, that only one person can stay.

While I fully understand the need & purpose of policy, having it used as a way to push families out the door is incredibly isolating for family members. Then the person who is 'permitted' to stay is left to feel grateful, but does not want to be a 'burden' on staff.

Being here, is helping me to process, which will hopefully help to reach some level of closure.

Now it's 12:30 am. I feel better getting out some of those thoughts. Now I'm gonna make myself comfortable, listen to Ron's breathing, & let my mind take a wander down memory lane....

Update:
Later hat evening I spent with Ron, his breathing became increasingly worse and his pain unbearable. About 3:30 am he became super agitated, and I had to run to get the nurses to check on him. That is when they began to realize he was more than just a post - op patient.

I expressed my fear to the nurse on duty and how my family needed to see him, and she got the message clear as a bell. Shift change happens at 7 am. By 8am the on-call orthepedic surgeon was in the room. It was again clear from her questions and body language she realized the severity of Ron's condition. Physiotherapy tried to come in to do some exercises for Ron's hip at about 8:30. I flatly refused them. I made it very clear they weren't doing anything until Ron gets a shot for pain and it takes effect. They were surprised, and tried to push the issue I said, the nurse is bringing a pain shot, I could find out when Ron was getting the shot or they could go find out so they would know when to come back. The backed out of the room.

By 9:30 am the Internal medicine doctor was in the room, with a tech doing an EKG. The doctor was very clear that Ron could pass away at any moment due to his lungs or his heart. Our family again expressed concern about only one person being allowed to stay at night. The doctor quickly reassured us that as many of us that wanted to stay would be allowed.

Throughout that day, there was over 30 family members that came to the hospital to say their good byes to Ron. The private room Ron had, and the patient lounge was full.

So in the beginning, the attitude of the hospital staff was a bit frustrating, but i now realize they were going based on the information and instructions they had from the surgeon that did the hip surgery. But as soon as the Internal Medicine doctor was there to change the instructions, the nursing staff were amazing!

I dont think our family can say enough positive things about the nursing staff at the Richmond General Hospital. Their compassion and support through the last two days of Ron's life was outstanding.

But this whole experience just reinforced to me about how family must advocate for their loved ones.

Home Improvements

2011-02-14T23:11:00.000-08:00

Once I finished my master's degree, i was ready to make my house feel like my own. My ex and I had split up as I started my master's. Being single and owning a 4 bedroom house on a half acre is challenging! But I've started making improvements. First thing I did was get a new hot water heater, a new electrical box, a new sani plus pump for the toilet down stairs, two new lights fixtures for down stairs in the family, and new outside lights for front and back!

Those projects were all things I got others to do. But when I finished my master's my family all got together and got me a gift card to home depot! I used it to buy paint for my whole upstairs and to get tile in my kitchen/diningroom. Family friends wanted to get me clothing for my bday, but instead got me mortar for the tiling, which was a big $ help with the project.

Committing to these improvements was a huge step for me. Painting has always made me anxious due to the disruption and mess it makes. But I had no idea I would feel so empowered as a single woman to improve my house! Pictures are below of the tile in the kitchen, which was the biggest project. My brother in law, neice, & sister came to visit to lend their expertise. From that I learned enough to do the backsplash with my boyfriend. I even bought a tile saw!!!

This is my kitchen floor before!

This is what was underneath!

This was as the tiled was laid down!

This was before the backsplash!

This is when all the tiling was all done!

My other project was the floor in the spare room. I don't have money to do hardwood, so I read that you can paint linoleum floors.So I decided to try it!

This is the floor before the paint! Yellow floor and red walls, not the greatest combo!

But after it looks great!

Simple change that makes a huge impact!

I will be doing this to my home office and my bedroom this spring. So much easier then having carpet with four dogs running around the house!

A mixed breed - Wolfhound? Bernese? Shepherd?

2011-02-12T23:07:00.000-08:00

My dog Arme is 22 monthes old. When I got him, the breeder advertised him as Bernese Mountain Dog/Shepherd mix. I have always wanted a Bernese mountain dog, so I jumped at the chance to get even a Bernese mix. As he grew older, he got scruffier and taller. His beard is infamous, as shown in the picture below.

People always asked if he was Wolfhound mix. I never gave it much thought until I found the picture below:

This picture is of a wolfhound/shepherd mix. The resemblemce is striking.

I also have a full sister of Arme's, Kilo:

She has a much blockier head, not very scruffy, not very tall. I know their mother was full shepherd, she was very long and completely black. It's interesting to see the difference between the two. Below is a picture of my dog pack! From the left - Nightmare, Gabbi, Armegeddon, & Kilo!

Does anyone else have a wolfhound/shepherd mix? I would love to see pictures!

Owned dogs all my life, but this one has me stumped!

2011-01-19T18:01:00.001-08:00

In May 2010 there was an advertisement for a dog, that is the full- sister of my dog Armegeddon. He is a great dog, very smart, social, hesitant, but loving once he trusts someone! So I assumed his sibling would be the same! You know what they about assume.... It's make an ASS out of U & ME!

Kilo, is her new name! Like her brother, she is beautiful, very smart, social & VERY loving! But she had a very different upbringing, a very lonely one! She was an outside dog, of a family with 2 small children. Her only toys were the wood pile & she was free fed out of a huge dish!

Obviously, she had no training & not much socialization. She is friendly with other dogs, but can be very loud, barking & growling. She doesn't do this in a mean way, but she just wasn't trained to curb her enthusiasm.

While enthusiasm is not inherently a bad thing, I did not realize what it would do to the dynamics of my pack. Like all multiple dog households, there is a pack mentality. Because my three puppies are all the same age, their pack mentality is very strong.

The part that was totally unexpected for me was the anxiety that would be increased in Armegeddon. Kilo gets very excited barking & growling when other dogs are
excited &/or getting attention. In addition, because Kilo never had lots of toys, she is possessive of toys. So, if she has a toy in her mouth, and another dog comes near, she gowls.

All of This has created immense anxiety in Armegeddon. He wasn't the most confident to begin with, but Kilo's constant charging forward physically, growling & barking has created overwhelming anxiety & aggression in Armegeddon.

I can't take the dogs to the dog park, due to the strong pack mentality & Arme's aggression toward other dogs. Not that I am a big fan of dog parks, but sometimes it would be nice to meet other dog owners.

Anyhow in order to combat Kilo's enthusiasm, I have been keeping Kilo on umbilical. This means she is on leash when she in the house & the leash is attached to me. While she always follows me to every room in the house, the leash stops her from charging ahead of me. The leash also allows me to physically correct her when she barks or growls.

I wanted to share this information, because as much as I love dogs, I was seriously considering finding a new home for Kilo. But one night as I was struggling with this decision, I realized that I have not done enough to help train Kilo. I was reading a book by a local TV Show host, Brad Pattison, whose methods can be controversial. One line in his book, talked about a lady who had a very difficult dog & she was registered in classes for a year, before she felt her dog had a really improved & was properly socialized.

I had put kilo through a puppy kindergarten, but realized that wasnt even close to enough training, for any dog. So I made a commitment to Kilo to do the necessary work to get her training in order.

I have to say, within the first 2 days of having Kilo on umbilical there has been an amazing improvement in Kilo's behavior. She is much calmer. There was an immediate difference in Arme, he was hesitant to come to me when I called him to come. But after 4 times of me calling him to come & keeping Kilo from barking, he is noticeably less hesitant.

I wish everyone could experience the immense satisfaction of owning multiple dogs. I hope sharing this story will encourage to put in the work to make their a full member of the family.

Cheers,
Laura, Gabbi, Nightmare, Armegeddon, & Kilo!!

Independent Living Canada John Lord Research Award!

2010-11-08T04:08:00.000-08:00

I am very excited that A Longer Journey Research has been named the recipient of this year's John Lord Research Award! The certificate will be presented at the upcoming IL Canada AGM in Ottawa November 24-28! thank you everyone for your support!

Aspect 2010 Provincial Conference

2010-10-28T23:51:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

I am very excited to be a speaker at the upcoming Aspect 2010 conference in Victoria, BC November 4 & 5, 2010! I will be presenting on my thesis research A Longer Journey. My presentation is available below by clicking on the link below:

ASPECT 2010 A Longer Journey Presentation

To read the A Longer Journey thesis research, please click on the links below:

A Longer Journey - Full thesis

A Longer Journey - Executive Summary

Thank you,
Laura Hockman

Canning Season 2010

2010-08-19T22:24:00.000-07:00

Canning season is here and halfway done.....

It is a good thing I stocked up last year on jars. This year I stocked up on wide mouth lids. Save On Foods had a great sale 2 for $5.00.

The book below is great! I have used the earlier editions, but this one has lots of unique recipes!

This funnel is a must for any home preserver! I am a big fan of it cause it is stainless steel, but the plastic ones are good too. Helps to keep the mess to a minimum when you are filling jars.

So far this year, my canning tally is:

-84 pints of Salmon ( did half with family & half on my own)
-53 quarts of Peaches in a heavy syrup ( 3 cases for my brother, 1 case for my sister, and 5 quarts for me)
-18 pints of Cucumber relish (with a friend)
-66 quarts of Dill Pickles (With a friend)(Dill from my garden)
-15 pints of Pickled Beets
- 24 quarts of plums

Tomorrow will be Peach Salsa and possibly some Peaches, if there is any leftover.

It has been a ton of work, but it is so worth it!

Last night I had canned salmon and rice for dinner, it was amazing cause I canned it myself and I knew where my food came from! What a comforting feeling!

Homemade Dog Kibble and RAW food

2010-07-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

As the amount of dog food recalls increase, I could no longer justify putting my dogs at risk. Even though I was feeding a good quality kibble, Acana or Orijen. I still keep it on hand for when I am away and my roommates are feeding the dogs.

But to feed homemade, there is a lot to learn! Here is some quick hint and tips:

Making natural dog food recipes at home provides healthy food for your pet, and it's very easy to do. Simply balance proteins, fats and carbohydrates with the occasional mineral or vitamin supplement to add more nutritional value.

The following is a basic guideline of ingredients needed to feed your dog healthy meals. You will have to gear them according to his size and the amount of food he typically eats per day

Cooked ground lamb, poultry and beef are ideal for mixing into natural dog food recipes. Limit PORK OR HAM

Pass on vegetables high in oxalic acid since they will interfere with your dog's ability to absorb calcium; stay away from spinach, rhubarb and swiss chard.

Absolutely, DO NOT FEED YOUR DOG:

ONIONS, GARLIC

Grapes & RAISINS

CHOCOLATE

GRAPES

CITRUS FRUITS

AVOCADO

CORN ON THE COB

APPLE CORES – SEEDS ARE TOXIC TO DOGS

MUSHROOMS (and not just cause I dont like them... ha ha)

ARTIFICIAL SWEETNER

COFFEE OR OTHER PRODUCTS HIGH IN CAFFEINE

MACADAMIAN NUTS

WALNUTS

Wholesome ingredients to incorporate into your dog's diet

Quick cooking grains:

Rolled oats

Cornmeal

Bulgur

Whole-wheat

Couscous

Quinoa

Other grains:

Brown rice

Barley

Millet

Wheat berries

Frozen vegetables:

Cut green beans

Lima beans

Peas

Fresh cooked vegetables:

Finely grated carrots or zucchini

Yams/sweet potatoes

Baking potatoes

Broccoli

Beets

Squash

Parsnips

Does your dog have arthritis? Tip: Turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory, and can be sprinkled on your dog's food. Start a medium dog with an eight of a tsp per day. Mix any dose with food because the taste is hot and can be offensive or cause vomiting. This should work immediately.

To determine how much to feed an adult dog, take his body weight and multiply it by 0.4. The resulting number is the total number of ounces your dog should be eating in a day -- either in one big meal or divided into a morning and dinner meal.

As for kibble, here is the recipe I use, I like it because it is easy, and all the ingredients can be bought at the grocery store.

Homemade Kibble

4 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups rolled oats (dry oatmeal)

3 cups of cooked brown rice

2 cups of powdered milk (instant milk)

3 cups of water or broth (chicken or beef)

4 eggs

1 cup of lard or shortening

Mix the flour, oats, rice, powdered milk and water or broth. Then beat the 4 eggs with a fork and add the eggs and the shortening or lard into the flour mixture. Mix until well blended using a big spoon or your hands.

If your dog loves a certain ingredient, you can add it to the kibble mix. You can add cuts of lean cooked meat, bits of cooked carrots, thawed frozen peas, or any other ingredient your dog loves.

You want to pour your kibble batter into a shallow pan so it will cook evenly. Just don't make it too thick. You can use several shelves in your oven or you can just make separate batches. Bake at 200 degrees for at least 45 minutes. You want the kibble to be dry.

After the kibble mix is cooked, let it cool fully then rip it apart into small pieces. Store in a plastic container in the fridge and use as needed. You should use it within two weeks. If you can't use it in time, you can freeze it in plastic bags then thaw as needed.

This is another recipe I use, when I have the ingredients on hand:

Canine Hamburger Helper

1 cup hamburger

2 boiled eggs

½ cup oatmeal

2 Tbsp cottage cheese

1 cup cooked green beans

1 cup grated carrots

Method

Stir fry the hamburger meat in canola oil. Chop the boiled eggs into small pieces. Cook the oatmeal. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Serve. Leftovers of this meal can be stored up to three days in the refrigerator.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

RAW FOOD

As for raw food, I buy pet burger from my local butcher here in Winfield. The butcher grinds up meat & bones into a burger consistency. Freezes it in huge long cylinder packs. Then when you buy it, they slice it into patties for you the thickness you want! I bought a 120lbs for a $120. That alone will feed my pack of four twice a day for 5 weeks!! That is the best deal!

That is the other benefit for feeding raw, I could not afford a $300 - $400 dog food bill if I chose to continue feeding kibble.

Above is pictures of the pet burger. It's about 4 inches in diameter and an inch thick.

To the pet burger I add veggies, rice, a bit of kibble, fruit, plain yogurt (8 tbsps/wk), pumpkin, spinach, applesauce, etc. I had some freezer burnt salmon I BBQ and de-boned, I have it in the freezer to add for a special treat! Right now I'm just figuring put what my dogs will eat, so that is why I keep various things on hand to add to their pet burger. I have a garden, so they will get lots of veggies from there too.

I bought some Recovery to add to my oldest dog's food to help her joints!

So I have been feeding them this for about month! I immediately noticed a difference in their coat, shiny & SOFT! I have 3 dogs who are 18 months old and my oldest is seven years old, they all have huge energy & more now being on this food.

Now a yucky topic, but the biggest surprise, poop! Everywhere I read about feeding raw, it talked about reduced pick up in yard. But I couldn't believe how much of a reduction. With four dogs I had to keep on top of the back yard clean up. I was away, so I had two weeks to clean up. I was scared of the mess that awaited me. But when I was done I barely had a third of a five gallon bucket. Before on kibble I would easily fill 80% of the bucket in a week!

I don't measure exact every meal, cause some meals they get 100% protein, other meals might be 50% protein; 50% carbs, and they another meal might be 30 % carbs-30% veggies -40% protein. But overall it works out for them I think to be about 70% protein; 30 % veggies & carbs.

As for yogurt, I read information that said it is bad and other information that said it was good. I only use plain yogurt, no sugar or fruit added. It seems there is no right answer. So I made a decision, and started giving it to them, and it has been amazing. My one dog, who seems to always have yeast infections in his ear, doesn't have any now.

As I try and tailor more recipes or find more information, I will add! Good Luck!

Composting in the Okanagan!

2010-07-08T23:25:00.000-07:00

A great friend of mine, Sheila inspired me to get involved with an idea to start a regional composting program! Tonight I did a search about ideas of what is currently done regionally about composting, here are some links I found to begin with:

Go natural garden parties
Community Composting Program in Victoria

Biodegradeable Compostable Bags!

Go Natural Booklet

Compost Using Office Shreddings

Black Gold

http://www.composting101.com/

I really like the Go natural booklet, it has a wide variety of information about local issues and change that can be made!! There are plans to build your own composting system, I hope this isn't too intimidating. A compost bin can be really simple. Here are some books & products about composting that are great!

Vernon Morning Star - Thesis looks at employment for the disabled

2010-07-08T11:39:00.000-07:00

Here is an article about my community presentation on the research of my thesis:

Thesis looks at employment for the disabled

Laura Hockman, with her dog, Gabbi, gets ready to present the information on disabilities and employment she found in research for her master of arts degree.

Cara Brady/Morning Star
Buy Vernon Morning Star Photos Online

Published: July 06, 2010 7:00 PM
Looking for work can be difficult at any time. Laura Hockman, executive director of the Vernon Disability Resource Centre, knows it is even more challenging for people with disabilities and she decided to use her masters degree thesis research to find out just what issues there are.
She presented her findings at a recent workshop in Vernon.
"Everything I found out was fascinating. For example, in 1982, a federal government report made 120 recommendations around employment and disabilities. In 1996, a similar report said three areas needed improvement and didn't even mention the other areas," said Hockman, who earned her master of arts from UBC Okanagan this spring.
"Employment is important for more than the financial independence. Employment is a huge part of a person's identity and social networking. It's too easy, and very destructive, to go from 'I don't do anything,’ to 'I am no one.'"
Her thesis looked at how people with disabilities experience their search for employment and taking part in employment programs, as well as how people with disabilities are regarded in society and how their disabilities and lack of employment affects other areas of their lives.
She had interviews with 12 people with disabilities who had accessed support from a results-based employment program in Vernon. She followed standard research protocol and also researched federal and provincial law as it applies to employment and people with disabilities.
"This research was earth-shattering for me on a professional and personal level. There were days when I felt not well because of what I was hearing from participants and their experiences and hopes for themselves and their families," said Hockman, who has been a social worker for 11 years.
She said society usually views disabilities from one of two points of view, the medical model that disability is something that has to be cured, or a social model that society creates the barriers for people with disabilities and must help remove the barriers. She noted that for every two people born with a disability, there are 10 people with an acquired disability, by accident, a medical condition or other factors.
"Disabilities make family and personal relationships and attitude and self-care become very important. Professionals need to realize how important it is for them to have good relationships with people with disabilities. While that person with a disability with a concern may seem routine to a professional, for that person, the issue may be life-changing," said Hockman.
She also talked about transportation, the vital importance of confidentiality, helping people with disabilities to find volunteer work to gain skills to lead to employment, positive support caring for the whole person and financial pressures.
"Present uncertainty is a self-identified issue. People do not know what will happen in the short and long term, they may move a lot and become more vulnerable. So much is out of their control and they make high risk choices. A lot of time is spent waiting for calls that could change things, a pension allowed or denied, a job interview, a professional appointment," she said.
"So many connection and control issues came out. I realized that this is about inclusion, having the control to connect how you choose. Many of the people I talked to wanted to be self-employed as entrepreneurs. I took this partly as frustration with not being able to find suitable employment."
Hockman was surprised that participants did not specifically name societal attitudes as a problem but they knew that pre-conceived notions of disabilities influenced how they were being treated. Since they did not know what to do about this prejudice, they seemed to dismiss it.
She concluded that there are a number of ways to move forward, including helping people learn how to manage their disabilities, making service providers who work with people with disabilities aware of the importance of positive interaction and becoming familiar with government policies and working towards changes as necessary.
Hockman plans to put the information from her thesis online. For more information, contact her at the Vernon Disability Resource Centre at 250-545-9292.

To read the thesis, A Longer Journey, An Exploration of Individuals' with Disabilities Experiences of Employment Programs in Vernon, BC, visit: https://circle.ubc.ca/handle/2429/25800

I am currently, working on an Executive Summary of A Longer Journey, so please check back to this BLOG to read when it is posted.

Drowning out most of the experience...

2010-06-27T20:43:00.000-07:00

I realized yesterday as I weeded my garden with my MP3 player playing in my ears, how much of an experience is drowned out by an MP3! I realized without being able to hear the sound of the weeding ripping out of the soil, there wasn`t as much satisfaction. Usually I can use weeding as way of relieving stress, but without hearing the weeds being ripped out, it wasnt as satisfying. This got me curious about other things I am missing out on when I am listening to my music... I will keep people posted. Let me know if you are missing out on things because of your music player.

Dogs reduce imposter complex

2010-06-24T20:49:00.000-07:00

This past year has been intense. The level of stress, anxiety and depression I have struggled with has been unparalleled. Completing my Masters was a big part of the stress, but there was immense satisfaction that came along with it. Work has been excruciating, two major audits from government departments and significant hold ups of funding. All of this has physical, mental, and emotional effects on my health. Last couple of days has been tiring, can feel my body fighting off something. I find this frustrating, cause I have so much to do at work. The more pressure I feel, the more my body wants to withdraw. This is where my dogs come in.

My dogs provide me with the comic relief, motivation to get out and about, and companionship. Today they waited while I slept until 3pm. I was finally able to get enough energy to take them out. I knew I wasn't going to be able to walk them, but at least if I took them out to where we hike, they could run around, dig, and chase chipmunks. Then I took them to the lake for a swim. This energized me, the cool breeze, sun, and water. I was so happy to see that all the puppies love to swim and fetch. This is one of my favourite things, is to go to the lake and swim and suntan. So knowing I have dogs who love to do similar activities, makes me happy.

I love to socialize and interact with coworkers, clients, friends and family etc. I focus all my attention, empathy, listening, etc when I am with them. But I also feel like I am intruding on people when I spend time with people. Like they could be doing something better with their time. This is the root of my imposter complex. While my imposter complex has lessened in recent years, I still struggle with it continuously. I would welcome any new perspectives about people`s imposter complexes, if you are willing to share.

Masters is completed, what is my identity now?

2010-06-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

As I frame my Masters degree and put the finishing touches on my first article to be published, I reflect on my new identity, the domesticated academic. The balance of education, home, work, four dogs, and a social life has increased my awareness of the connectivity of various roles and identities one person can navigate. While many people focus on their professional roles and accolades. For example, I am registered social worker, executive director of a non profit agency, and a have a masters of arts degree. These titles, are just that, titles that come with a bunch of expectations. They do not really provide a clear illustration of who I am as a person.

I have met many other people, mostly women, who struggle with aspects of identity. Imposter complex plagues many women. It is through my blog I hope to provide some insight from my personal and professional journey related to discovering my current identity. I hope to learn about other people and identity struggles, including men.

I will also share highlights about my professional life as an executive director and being a dog lover, with four dogs, the oldest seven years old and the other three, all thirteen monthes old.