Quarter Rest

how could I stay away forever?

2009-01-01T15:02:00.002-08:00

You knew it would happen. I couldn't leave Quarter Rest well enough alone. It's back. It's me, online, again. It's moved.

Here: quarterrest dot wordpress dot com (Sorry, Blogger, but I've made the switch. I've gone all wordpress-y and there's no turning back.)

Follow me over - have a look around, have a read and let me know! New digs, new start, more Magpie, more me. A little Mr.Q thrown in for gender balance.

See you there!

a footnote to retirement

2008-08-28T20:45:00.002-07:00

I'm not back blogging here, but I am back in the 'sphere. I am reading again!! I may even be commenting a bit. And I'm sharing.

So, while I'm not adding any QR writing for you to keep track of, you can keep track of what I'm reading!

it feels like this is the end

2008-07-13T15:55:00.003-07:00

It's time. I've been fighting it. I'm not even going to post this right away, but save it as a draft with all the intentions of posting it later. [it's now later]

Quarter Rest is closing.

I thought that perhaps the break would rejuvenate me and this blog. That I would miss posting observations and bits and that I would find myself with oodles of time to observe new bits were I not posting here and reading all your blogs.

I have no idea when I ever had the time to read and comment on everyone's posts!

And, honestly, I think I've just let go. I still have the family blog that I post the inane stuff too, where I don't have to be quite so concerned about keeping it interesting or pithy or quirky. I can do it, braindead, at 11pm and the grandparents are ecstatic. Upload a completely unedited video and they're even happier than if I wrote a brilliant piece. I also have if the spirits move me for "real" writing and thought purging. And I have flickr.

And, I have a toddler who spends a large chunk of her week at day care. That leaves me with fewer observations, I'm afraid. I get to see the big things, but it's the little things that I liked posting about here. And all the time that she's not in day care is with her or about her - and she's staying up until 9pm now and barely taking weekend naps.

So, after that litany of excuses and half-assed reasoning, the end result remains the same.

Quarter Rest is closing.

It will still sit here. I like the name. I still want my blogroll available to check up on you all every now and then and I can't promise that there will never be another incarnation of Quarter Rest in the future. But, as it sits now, Quarter Rest is closing.

The line after the lyric used for this post title is: though I know I'm starting again. I'm not disappearing. I just won't be here. So email me - see side bar! - if you would like to see me on flickr or, every now and then, on goodreads. I look forward to seeing you all out and about in the web.

don't worry, I didn't electrocute myself

2008-07-07T20:25:00.003-07:00

Why are my electrical outlet covers - the ones we put in so that the Magpie can't accidentally electrocute herself by sticking metal objects into the socket - only removable by forcefully jamming a metal knife or screwdriver bit in between the cover and the socket??

And why did I need this socket? Why, to plug in my iron of course. Yes, my iron. It came out of retirement for a quick use. After draining the stagnant water and figuring out what type of fabric i was dealing with so that I could set the correct temperature. Don't worry. I don't appear to have burned myself, either.

gourmand

2008-06-30T21:23:00.003-07:00

The Magpie likes:

12 year old balsamic vinegar
guacamole. Not avocado. Guacamole.
the sauce that comes with the spicy agedashi tofu
Japanese soy sauce.
Raincoast Crisps [also known as: Fancy Cracker]
garlic. If in a dipping sauce - say, tzatziki - so much the better.

I think I was damned near in my 30's before I even tasted 12 year old balsamic vinegar...

trying again

2008-06-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

I tried this twice earlier today on my lunch break - this emailing in my blog posts - but apparently I had the address wrong. That, at least, explains why it didn't work...

Every now and then I have these brilliant ideas at lunch and have the time to post them, but not the technology. My Palm, alas, is not well equipped for the web. I can do some stuff, like small emails and updating my facebook status or slowly, slowly commenting on a few flickr photos, but accessing blogging platforms is not part of the package. So when email had the potential to come in handy [albeit in small doses], I figured I may as well give it a try.

Besides, it makes up for the fact that I was going to post a video or audio bit yesterday but was stalled by lack of time and the advent of a nasty summer cold.

Now, let's see if this works...

of aging

2008-06-20T20:50:00.002-07:00

This is Leo the Shiba Inu. He is now 12 years old and, two years ago, it was confirmed that he has severe arthritis in both his hips.

In the two years since, that arthritis has gotten much, much worse.

His regular meds aren't cutting it anymore. The meds that will help are bad for his kidneys and, since he's now 12, those aren't working so well either.

So, we're trying to come to a happy medium. The big word there is happy. Because right now, he isn't. He paces, he fusses and he pants. He's off his food sometimes, and doesn't care as much for ours. But he is still a saint. He hasn't grumbled and he hasn't snarked at anyone - even little toddlers who come and give him hugs and get up in his face [because we're not always as fast as the toddler, though she, too, is very gentle with him]. But he is not happy.

He is now on the anti-inflammatory meds that may not be so good for his kidneys. We're not checking for 6 weeks to see if there is any effect. I figure the vet is on a ignorance is bliss trip: get his comfortable first and then worry about if there was an effect on the kidneys. He is on increased dose of his pain management. And we'll see how that goes. We have some room to maneouver if he doesn't feel better, but not much. In a few more days, these drugs had all better kick in.

Because, when you're a 12 year old Shiba Inu with sketchy kidneys and a heart irregularity, a double hip replacement isn't really much of an option.

done and almost done

2008-06-16T21:12:00.002-07:00

The Magpie turned two and the breastfeeding stopped.

Her choice, not mine.

She just decided that even once a day was no longer necessary and it was far better to simply get up and go downstairs for breakfast. Other than the odd query in the afternoon when she is overtired or her teeth are bugging her [and she doesn't question it when I tell her 'no'], she seems perfectly happy to move on.

Now, I just have to convince my boobs that they're production facilities are no longer required...

on the 7:45am ferry sailing

2008-06-13T21:14:00.002-07:00

to the persons smoking pot on the upper decks:
the concessions stores are now open and have a variety of snacks and cookies available.
and please take your smoking to the stern of the deck.

I love living on the west coast.

time passes

2008-06-09T21:35:00.002-07:00

The Magpie is now two. She has been since last Friday and I am barely catching up with that fact. We had the presents, we had the party and the company and we recovered, cleaned up, cleaned up some more and made our way back to work today.

Tomorrow is a baby shower I've been planning and then we start getting ready for a quick weekend away.

Since setting up for her surgery last Wednesday, we've barely done anything more than get through the day and attempt to plan for the next.

But the Magpie is now two.

Two years ago, this was me. And this was her.

And that is freaking awe-inspiring, mind-boggling and simply insane.

post surgery: a recap

2008-06-04T20:56:00.002-07:00

The tear ducts are clear.

We learned yesterday that the Magpie's surgery was scheduled for today at 12:30 and, while we knew it was supposed to be today, we had been hoping for a significantly earlier time. The Magpie wasn't supposed to eat anything after midnight last night [uh, okay] and no liquids after 9:30 this morning.

So we kept her up an hour and a half late and tried to convince her to eat a little extra to [mostly] no avail. She managed to sleep in 30 minutes this morning. and proceeded to ask for milk, snacks, cookies, apples, yogurt and Starbucks all morning long. We kept her busy with trips to the pet store, Mr.Q's work and the drive to the hospital. The problem? They were running late. Like, say, over an hour late. She didn't get in until 1:45.

Mr.Q went in with her and I made a mad dash for the coffee shop. Twenty minute surgery be damned - all I'd had since 6am was two mini muffins that I scarfed in the kitchen while the Magpie wasn't looking. The only reason I hadn't lost it entirely was the large coffee I made before heading out the door.

**note to self: if there is a next time, eat more. It's difficult to have a coherent conversation, let alone remember to ask all the important questions, with the anaesthetist prior to surgery when one's blood sugar hasn't been on any scale for several hours.**

The surgery went well the docs did their thing. Post-op, the poor little Magpie took forever to wake up. All her readings were fine but, between Tylenol, anaesthetic, no food and a missed nap time, she slept. It took cold cloths, tickling, tissues and a popsicle to wake her and then it was off to see daddy.

Now, after a little more Tylenol, she is sleeping again.

sex and the suburbs

2008-05-30T07:36:00.002-07:00

A friend is getting married on the 1st of June: a second wedding, small and private. I don't get to go, and neither do 9 of the 10 other girls invited to celebrate with her this evening before the big day. But that won't stop us from hitting Sex and the City tonight and follow it up with cosmos at a nearby restaurant. [what may stop us is the show's sold-out status across the city, but one girl is supposed to be getting us tickets...].

It'll be a long day at work. It'll be a late night tonight. And it'll be a little painful getting to the Magpie's early morning gym and/or music classes tomorrow.

But, it'll all be worth it for my friend and spending a great night with her and her friends. And with Mr. Big.

Captain Kirk is alive and well

2008-05-26T20:28:00.001-07:00

And living as an almost two year old in my house, as evidenced by her recent take on the classics:

spoken word selection: Old MacDonald

Ooold MacDonal'
haveafarm

eeeee eye

eeee eye

yo - oooooooooooooooo!

on dis farm
have a

horsie!

....horsie ...

eeee eye
eeee eye

yo.

neigh

....neigh ....

...............neigh ...........

Ol' MacDonal'

haveafarm

eeeee eye
eeeee eye
yo.

Okay, so that would work better were William Shatner not alive and well and still acting, but you get the idea, right?

another episode of Things I Have Learned

2008-05-24T06:43:00.003-07:00

1. While incredibly tasty and making for an excellent supper, awesome take-out Thai food - including spicy squid and ass-kicking curry - does not necessarily make the best late supper. It does, however, make for a very strange night.

2. The Magpie has Super Snot. This is the reason for her lingering post-nasal drip-esque cough. The stuff is stuck up there and has foiled the humidifier and her own efforts to be rid of it. So, we are on to saline spray. Good times.... Fortunately, the Magpie is in love with the thought of all things med'sin.

the wet and the dry

2008-05-19T15:34:00.003-07:00

We have had some modicum of success with the potty training. But it has come with a few accidents, a few tears and the likelihood of years of therapy.

Diapers are good. Diapers are needed. Not having diapers is very, very, very upsetting. So, we were upset a little bit this weekend.

Going commando - No Diaper Days! - was fun. Until the potty was required.

Sitting on the potty was fun. Until the Moment of Truth.

So what have we learned? The Magpie has a huge bladder and is capable of holding out for many, many hours. She can use the potty and is [sort of] happy when she does. She would much rather have a diaper. Our friends who did the Weekend Warrior Method of Potty Training have some explaining to do.

It wasn't a total bust. We had progress but tomorrow she heads back to day care. Where they have potties, but they don't have half an hour at a time to dedicate to chilling out on the potty. So, now that we have started this, it must continue.

I'm going to be doing lots of laundry.

the 72 hour potty training extravaganza

2008-05-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

Wish us luck. It's a long weekend. We have no company in town and I'm on call so we can't head out of town ourselves. And our place needs a spring cleaning in the worst way.

So, we are locking ourselves in the house and taking the diapers off the toddler.

She gets the theory, she's just lacking in the execution. That, and, she's horrified with the notion of having to do anything without having a diaper on.

This weekend will either be the welcome end of an era, or will go down in history as the absolute stupidest thing we have ever done.

So, it bears repeating: wish us luck.

quote this

2008-05-14T21:22:00.002-07:00

So, here I am, finally getting to the meme from Random Musings! I had a few ideas in mind, but it actually has taken me this long to settle.

Here's the deal:

Read the quotes in the list.
Read the last quote on the list closely, and choose a quote that somehow builds off one of the central ideas or values in the quote--critiques it, extends it, turns a good joke on it, whatever.
Type or paste your quote at the bottom of the list, and link to the blog of the person you're following.
Tag someone else. Or someones else.

And here are the quotes:

Ideals are very important in one's life. Without ideals you cannot move - whether you achieve them or not is immaterial. But one must try and approximate them. --His Holiness the Dalai Lama
You shall know the truth, and it shall make you odd. --Flannery O'Connor (re: Changa)
Truth is more of a stranger than fiction. - Mark Twain re: bodhibound
...how can you measure the life of a woman or man? In truths that she learned, or in times that he cried. In bridges he burned, or the way that she died. - Jonathan Larson, Rent (re: Random Musings)

Interested? Add your quote to the list and leave me a comment to let me know!

happy Mother's Day all!

2008-05-11T13:13:00.003-07:00

mother's day (noun):

a day set aside, once a year, when the Significant Other takes care of the child(ren) so that the mother has time to catch up on all the laundry.
the day to receive a previously frozen carnation from the employee at the front of the grocery store
a guilt-free napping day for mothers - during regularly scheduled nap times only.
a day for extra cuddles and hugs [who cares if it's really because of another cough and cold] and a few more kisses from the Bestest Toddler Ever.

free to a good home

2008-05-09T20:26:00.002-07:00

One ~~senile~~ spunky, ~~grooming challenged~~ long haired, ~~arthritic~~ non-jumping, ~~insomniac~~ alert cat.

Okay, really, I'm kidding. [but may be willing to consider your offer none-the-less...] Our darling kitty, though, has taken to trying to outstrip the ever-earlier sunrise and decided that 3:20am is a damn fine time to demand breakfast. Pre-baby, this behaviour would simply have been ignored to met with a flying shoe. Now, though, any unacceptable behaviour on our part, leads said cat to take her complaints to the Magpie's room.

So, no, we don't get up, but the cat does get a handful of treats to shut her up.

Funny how that works.

But, then I am up. At 3:21. In the morning. Earlier this week, the Magpie had one night of difficult sleeping and then Mr.Q had two mornings of Very Early Starts. Combine that with our dear cat's new eating habits and I am completely exhausted. I'm making it through the day, but barely.

So, that is my excuse for not having completed my tagged assignment from Random Musings. I have something in mind, but no mind to work with. I'm going to bed very, very soon. Wish me luck.

you can take the girl away from blogging for a month...

2008-05-04T21:58:00.000-07:00

But it's damn difficult to take the blogging out of the girl.

I've missed you guys!

Having said that, once I wasn't posting here, I was pretty much off the blogging circuit in general. I tried to get around and visit, but April - though hardly busy in any definable sense - was a crazy month. Mr.Q has worked a tonne of overtime and we have both had events to attend while trying to maintain regularly scheduled stuff.

So, it's a damn good thing I wasn't trying to blog through this past month anyway, because I really would have sucked at it.

What have you missed?? Well, the Magpie's tear duct surgery has been postponed until Juen due to a bout of virus. She now has two freckles and is working furiously on growing those last molars. There is nothing profound but there are so many little things ... and I won't get to them all tonight. Sufficed to say that I have missed this outlet and I have missed reading along with all of you. The whole notion of a blogging community is still so amazing to me when I take the time to sit back and think about it, and even Mr.Q no longer finds it odd when I refer to You-of-the-Online-World by your names - real or blog names - as though I just had coffee with you.

While having brunch with a friend and her new man the other day, my friend accused me of and/or blessed me with having the most extensive online presence of anyone she knew. I almost fell out of my chair laughing, thinking about so many people and places out there in the vast interweb who have far more profound and well known online personas than I. But, from her point of view - and from those of pretty much everyone else I know if the real world - I probably do have an unfathomable online presence. And by "unfathomable", I, of course, mean in the why the hell are you doing all that?!! kind of way...

But, what do I know? Most of those same people, if not all, have little to no knowledge of two of my blogs and a good chunk of them don't interact with me on either through social networking or photography. And if they don't know those parts of me, perhaps they all have their own little online empires of which I know nothing!

As if I have the time to figure that out; the online lives of friends and co-workers can remain a mystery for a little while longer. But, I am making the time to come back to Quarter Rest. I can't come back every day, though. Things are still busy around here, but I've decided that I'll post a few times a week and one of those should [I hope] be a podcast or video.

So, thank you guys for your comments, your kicks in the ass and for checking up on me. See you around the interweb soon.

birds do it, bees do it ...

2008-03-26T21:11:00.002-07:00

Well, I'll start with a couple of follow ups to the last post.

1. The drugs are slowly kicking in. Oh yeah. One of my friend's favourite sayings: better living through medicine.

2. We have scheduled a minor surgery for the Magpie. The tear duct in her right eye isn't draining properly and may have contributed to the marathon session of eye infections that we had over Christmas. So, in 10 minutes on April 18th, all will be made better. Not that it will be fun, but it will be quick.

Now, with reference to the post title birds do it, bees do it ... all bloggers staring at their screens blankly do it ...

I'm officially taking a bit of a break.

Not forever, but I'm not sure for how long. I have the vague notion of coming back part time a la SMUB, as I doubt that I can quit this thing cold turkey. But I can't, in good conscious, keep up the daily thing. I'll still be around on the sadly neglected other blogs and flickr - they may all see a little more attention now.

In such a selfish medium [really, who else puts up with my venting?], it feels rather selfish to take a break from it. How does that work? But, I need to. There's stuff to be done, photos and other words to be tended to. And blogs to read. I keep on the theme of using old song titles: I don't get around much anymore. And you guys are all still writing brilliantly, so this may even free up a little time so that I can read all you lovelies in the blogroll and even - gasp! - comment a bit more.

So, thanks for putting up with my rants and my whims and I'll see you all when I get back!

please bear with

2008-03-24T20:47:00.002-07:00

Nothing tragic going on around here, other than the extensive use of tissues and the occasional dizzy spell brought on by too much sneezing, not enough sleep due to lack of breathing and suspected inner ear involvement. It's allergy season and, for some freakish reason, the freakish responses I had last year [what with the never-before-seen asthma and all] are raging in the form of insane sinus issues and scratching at the eyeballs.

My doctor doesn't seem to think that it's the worse case she's ever seen, but I'm sure she's just trying to make me feel better.

So, I'm on drugs. But they take up to three days to kick in. So .... I'll be around. Just maybe not terribly coherent as I run around looking for the elusive new box of tissue and get interrupted mid-sentence by a fit of sneezing requiring a 2 minute recovery period.

wheeeeee.

When next I appear: the Magpie's scheduled surgery.

I'm starting to think I would have preferred the virus

2008-03-22T20:28:00.001-07:00

allergies

in which I remember what it was that I forgot I was missing by cutting back on concerts

2008-03-21T20:47:00.004-07:00

recovered from show
crappy seats but I don't care
'cause Hawksley's brilliant

Mr.Q stayed home
on daddy detail and all
survived - Hawksley-less

note to self: take friends
to concerts more, they part lines
for last parking space*

********

*a co-worker came for supper with Mr.Q's cousin and I. The co-worker wasn't even going to the show, but lived nearby. As we drove past the venue [and old church - amazing, gorgeous and acoustically lovely], we realised how utterly screwed we were for the general admission seating and parking. We drove down the lane, slowly, so as not to kill anyone in line and my co-worker saw a spot between two cars on the side. Behind the line up. And it was barely a spot - more like someone trying to leave a little space so they could get out later. But my co-worker launched herself from my car, parted the line of people and directed me into the free - as in no meter, no pay booth, no permits - space [enough to qualify my giant-assed station wagon as "parked", anyway] before wandering off into the sunset.

So, to hell with slightly obstructed seating. We were close to the stage and we had killer parking. Oh, and did I mention that the entire show - Hawksley, the band, the venue - was brilliant? Did I? Let me mention it again: brilliant. If not vaguely mellow for being in a church. On a Wednesday. And brilliant.

slacker

2008-03-18T20:15:00.002-07:00

Oh, I am sooooo very, very late......

I decided to put together a photobook for a co-worker who will be retiring. Soon. So very, very soon. I have all the photos and most of them are even uploaded. Now, I just have to actually put the book together.

You wouldn't think that'd be difficult, now would you?

I'll try and get a start on it tonight, but tomorrow is definitely out of the question. Oh yeah, and there will be no mid week photo op tomorrow as I have scraped together a semblance of a life and will be going out to a concert. And out to dinner before! Without Mr.Q - with my friend, his cousin, instead. heh.

Hey, don't give me that - he's been out at a gaming night since I set foot in the door after work today. I'm still not sure why online gaming is better is a group, but I've decided it's probably better not to ask too many questions...

Check back Thursday - here's hoping I can sneak of decent cell phone pics.