Winter Ass-Kicking

You guessed it! Winter kicked my little Matrix's ass today :(

We had a huge down-pour of snow over the weekend in GP that apparently was not ploughed at at ALL for the last few days. I tried to leave for work to day but my poor winter-tire-less matrix did not go very far before getting stuck. The first gentleman that helped me out while he was shovelling his driveway told me I "shouldn't be out in a little car like this!", but stubborn me (I get that from my dad), I kept trying.

I got stuck a total of 4 times. FOUR. The final time, I was stuck overtop of a foot high snow pile in the middle of the road... I was even on the street I work on, but with nothing even remotely close to a decent parking spot visible (you know, somewhere that wouldn't leave me permanently stuck in the snow), I eventually gave up and headed home.

I guiltily called into work and they told me to stay home (special leave day or something). I guess that means no reports to write today! I mean...oh, too bad... I'll have to stay home with the puppy and watch tv, and read, and write in my blog. sad times.

Songity Song Song

la-la-la-la-la-la-LAA!!

Why are there so many songs in this world?? I heard a new song the other day that I loved! it talks about a girl dreaming and it has a great beat and it immediately inspired me to start a slideshow about my trip to Kenya. So I started the slideshow and the song is perfect! Then I kept going and chose an african song to continue the picture show. I know it's kind of cliche to use an african song, but it fits, and I want to, so too bad.

The problem is, that I'm approaching the final third of the slideshow and I can't move forward because I can't find the right song!

Problems:

a) the songs are all about love... that just doesn't work

b) the songs are too slow and don't fit the mood of the the slideshow

c) the songs suck

d) the artist's voice sucks

k, that's all i've got. But all I want is a nice travel-themed, good-tempo, well-sung, preferably male voice... is that really too much to ask?!

Comments!

Thanks to my genius brother, I've realized that other people couldn't write comments before. Well, fear not! I've changed the settings now so you anyone can comment now.

GO CRAZY!

Procrastination Nation

I've been bombarded with this idea of procrastination ever since last Sunday. The guest speaker mentioned that we often fall into a "performance trap", needing to reach perfectionism. I was thinking about these words throughout the week and whether they are true for myself or not. Then I fell into a CBC radio broadcast about how our nation is FAR more familiar with procrastination now than even 5 years ago.

What I've discovered is that my procrastinating tendencies stem from my perfectionism. I hold onto this false truth that I need to be able to finish what I'm going to start, and that I need to know that it'll be done right before I allow myself to start trying.

Need some examples? At work, if I know I can't finish something before the end of the day, I often won't start. I can't start glueing things to a scrapbook page unless I have every detail in place. I can't encourage myself to keep up with my guitar playing because I can't see the finish line.

Perfectionism Defeats Initiative.

"If you wait for the perfect conditions, you'll never get anything done." Eccl. 11:4 (LB)

The truth is that God gives us the grace to try and fail. I know that I cannot complete anything on my own, so why am I continuously expecting myself to be perfect. I need to rely on God's grace.

"You began you life in Christ by the Spirit. Now are you trying to make it complete by your own power?" Gal. 3:3 (NCV)

I need to accept my limitations and realize that God sent his son so that I don't have to try to be perfect. Only then can I free myself from procrastination. I have eliminated my need for perfection, allowing me to take initiative in my life. It gives me the mental strength to do something, as oppose to nothing.

Obviously the change of mind frame doesn't happen overnight, but it certainly gives me something to think about the next time I'm procrastinating/daydreaming.

Resolution Shmesolution (continued...)

Joopje (pronounced "yope-yuh") reminded me about his resolutions:

1) Bark less. He doesn't want to annoy the neighbours.

2) Put his toys away in his toy basket. Messy dog.

3) Stop trying to get his adorable bandanas off.

Now we are both ready for the new year!

Resolution Shmesolution

It's that time of year again when people make resolutions to "change their life" for the better. The typical ones include "lose weight", "exercise regularly", "quit smoking", "pay off my debt" - you know, the classics.

Unfortunately, they are the classics for a reason, and I'm going to follow in the same path as every other sucker. The difference is... I will be successful! LOL.

So here we go...

1) Lose weight. This will take baby steps. Step one being to change my diet habits. The first goal is to lose 20 lbs - then we'll see after that. I think I can, I think I can...

2) To be a more avid reader. I don't want to go crazy, I just want to accomplish my goal of reading 30 classic novels this year.

3) To pay off my OSAP. It's only a portion of my lovely debt-load but it's definitely do-able if I'm careful with my spending.

4) Travel. I don't have a lot of vacation time with work, and I already know of a couple of "engagements" that I'll have to be taking time off for, but somehow I need to fly or drive somewhere that doesn't involve an agenda, and isn't home (although I do have to go home too... obviously).

Well, that about sums 'er up.