Someone's in the kitchen with .. Borg...

Okay - so that doesn't quite sound like Dinah. But if you could hear me singing it....

Oh, who am I kidding?

Little known fact. I actually like to cook. In fact I actually once considered going to culinary school. Robin Sparkes will attest to the fact that in college I made a pretty mean crepe. 

Well known fact. I hate to clean. 

Sometimes someone like me can luck out in a relationship and find someone willing to clean if you are willing to cook. 

I really lucked out because I found a woman who prefers to do both. 

Except I like to cook too sometimes. As long as I don't have to clean. Pesky details get me every time. 

Fortunately, my wife is at work for two traditional meal times so I do have plenty of opportunity to cook.  And, like I have after today's venture, I will attempt to clean up. 

But the reality, and the rub, however is that I have low standards for what is clean. Dishes done and food put away works for me. (And let's face It, sometimes not even that much). Apparently there are others, who shall remain nameless, who think cleanup should include the egg drops on the stove and things like that. Silly people. 

However, same said silly people enjoy detective work (see http://theborgblogger.blogspot.ca/2013/07/csi-cooking-and-pancakes.html) So, really, when I leave egg behind it is meant as a gift.  Honest. :)

(Think she'll buy that? No? Crap, better wipe off that egg....) 

Anniversaries....

My wife and I are quite amusing when it comes to "anniversaries" of events. Mostly because we hardly overlap and each of us finds alternative days and events noteworthy of celebration. Fortunately, we support each other enough to humor the other's "special" dates.

Recently my wife has been preparing mentally and emotionally for a trip to the mid-West. Which is partly significant given that her first trip there was quite arduous. She did not tell me at the time about the grilling at the US Border when she crossed to catch her plane. She fortunately had a direct flight to the nearest major city (about 25 minutes away) to where I was living, but getting to the airport in Seattle to catch her flight took almost as long as the flight itself. 

But she asked me the other day how it was that she could be missing that small little town in the mid-West that I most recently came from?

(We have decided that once I can safely return to Canada if I leave, that we will go back and visit.)

But she came to realize that the reason she has been preparing now is that it is coming up on the anniversary of her trip out to meet me. I have been remembering other days over the past year, such as when we first heard each other's voice, first admitted more than friendly feelings, first this, first that. For some reason this was one of the firsts that slipped under my radar but fell on hers. 

We both have our romantical streaks, and fortunately they seem to complement each other well. So over the next few weeks as my wife prepares for her trip, say a little prayer of thanksgiving with me that she had the courage to make that trip and cement this future together that we have embarked upon.  She is a courageous little chickie-poo. Fortunately she got those tiny little wings to fly. 

And next month we can celebrate the two-year anniversary of this blog!

New Year... New Chapter?

It is a new year and therefore time to re dedicate myself to this blog, or admit that it has run its course and served its purpose. 

I wish I had the answers. 

I'd like to say that my life is not so interesting now; but the truth of the matter is that it wasn't that interesting before when I was prolific, so that is no excuse. 

I hate my laptop because it runs slow, runs hot, and likes to crash. And while that is a good reason to slow me down, I am typing this on the iPad and it isn't that evil to type on. It isn't as fast and it is riddled with a few more errors, but with practice I am sure I can gain speed. 

One reason I have given my wife - which she rejects, so I should too- is that writing about my life and observations means sharing or exposing parts of her life that she might want to keep private.  I continued to revolve around the anonymity theme because it gave me freedom to write about people in my life as though they were characters. It gave me room - poetic or more accurately narrative license - to embellish, exaggerate or mold their stories or actions to fit mine. They didn't read my blog so they couldn't be upset or hurt by my characterizations.

My wife assures me she is made of tougher stuff. 

And I do believe her. 

But I fear that a minor thread could be woven into something more. I have learned through experience that a careless word or sentence can hurt deeper than one might realize until it is too late. 

My ex had what we might politely refer to as self-esteem issues. To say that she didn't take criticism well would be quite the understatement. She didn't even take compliments well - always looking for some deeper hidden meaning. Rather hidden insult. Except to her, in her twisted mind, it wasn't hidden.  It was blatant. And she would never forget it.  It would eat away at her.

I wish I was kidding.  I wish I was exaggerating. And, again, in hindsight, she was mentally ill. 

But she was also human. And while she was overly sensitive, it is well known that we often hear the negative - or more accurately what we perceive as negative - much more loudly than the positive. 

And as such, because of her oversensitivity, I am now oversensitive. What a wonderful gift. ;)

I need to get back out and re-expand my social network. Both in physical presence and virtually. I have not been on Twitter much and have come close to closing out my Facebook account altogether because their privacy hypocrisies drive me nuts. At least with Twitter there is no illusion of privacy.  

Early on, I was told one way to generate attention, or at least to see that you have received attention is to make the post more interactive. So I am going to challenge you, in the comments, to come up with FREE no-cost ways to better occupy my days besides watching TV.  Note that I cannot volunteer or work for pay, the weather is often inclement, and transportation does cost money.  I can do some limited travel, and even though I do live near the SkyTrain, the cost to go downtown is not in my budget. My wife is supporting both of us on her one income until CIC says I can work, and my part is not spending any more money than I have to. 

I will pick one of the ideas contributed below and write a blog entry about what I do. 

Then I will have more to write about than just my wife and her side of the family. :)

Let's see where this new chapter takes us...