Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Fashion

If you're anything like me and have a family anything like mine, you have had to help your Mother through some fashion changes. For some mothers the fashion world charges on and their wardrobe remains tried and true and never changing. They have those worn out slacks, those awful shoes and that hideous blouse. All of these items were purchased before you turned 10 (back when things were made to last). She loves them and wears them to places you go. You wish she wouldn't.

The 80s were a terrible, rotten, no good, very bad decade for fashion. Argue with me if you will, but in your heart of hearts you know I'm right. (you also know it was a black hole time for music too) Anyway, many a mother had to be dragged out of the 80s fashion regime kicking and screaming. Sons and daughters had to work slowly or in mass evacuations of these crimes against humanity that were (or still are) inhabiting the closets of many a matriarch. For some it started with getting rid of the uber pointy stiletto heels, for others it was pants that don't have an extreme taper. Oh tapering...how I had to slowly eradicate you from my Mother's life. Trust me, I am very aware of how many terrible 60s and 70s memories flares and bell bottoms dig up. But I am not asking for a complete boycott of seams, just a lack of ankle molesting by pants.

It has taken most of us the entire rest of the 90s and the excuse of a new millennium to bring our mothers into the current time. We have got them to be comfortable with un-tucking things, with a nice round toe with a modest heal, with knowing that teal eyeshadow and blue mascara will always be wrong, to see that bangs don't have to be the biggest part of the head and that one brooch is sufficient for an outfit. And then what happens...

The 80s come back into style. Good Lord! If that isn't a sign that the end times are near, I don't know what is! Now we daughters look like idiots. Our mothers' entire 80s wardrobe is being snatched up at Value Village quicker than Michael Jackson turned white.

What is a good daughter supposed to do now? Do we wait it out and hope things turn for the better? Do we admit defeat and buy our own big, baggy dress (complete with leather boots)?
Or, do you hope that your fashion blind Mother manages to continue with her head-in-the-sand fashion trends and misses the neo-80s all together? Personally, I'm praying for that one

Thursday, July 21, 2005

We'll miss you friend...

James Doohan, best known for playing Montgomery "Scotty" Scott on the original Star Trek series, has died at the age of 85.

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Concern

Sometimes I'm concerned that we have 150 ways to make our eyelashes thicker and fuller yet people around the world are still going hungry.

Friday, July 15, 2005

City of Hamilton the Employer with Heart: part 2

Last night one of our foremen died of a heart attack. They told us this around lunch but HR wouldn't let us take the rest of the day off to deal with our grief. Man of man.

Thursday, July 14, 2005

Olga

Olga's back!

Neutralizing My Beauty

I, like many other women this summer, am reading the John and Stasi Eldredge book Captivating. It was a birthday present from my esteemed friend Melissa Kuipers. She was reading and thought of me. So in some defense of my usual self, I haven't become a trendy Christian over night.

Anyway...I've been reading the book and quite enjoying it. There have been many things said that I both agree with and identify with. My eyes have been opened in many respects. Last night I was reading in chapter entitled Wounded. It talks about femininity in the context of relationships as a child and young woman and how that effects us now. There was one sentence that really caught me and has been taking up brain space all day.

The particular sentence comes in the context of things women do to hide their beauty. This is what spoke to me: "Or we neutralize our beauty by putting up protective, defensive walls that warn others to keep their distance." As a younger woman I had lots and lots and lots of walls to protect myself. And over time God has worked with me break many of them down. It has been a hard but refining process. It was/is also a necessary process. But I had never thought about the defensive walls as being something I did to sabotage myself and my beauty. I thought they were purely for protection.

I have been mulling recently over relationships and my desire to be in one with a man. God and I talk about this frequently and we have worked a few things out and I have been trying to adhere to His timeline, not mine. Though in the past month a couple of my close/long time single friends have started to date. I also see people much more broken than myself, people more eccentric, and more out there than I who have significant others. Why don't I?

Then it struck me. Am I putting up walls to neutralize the entirety of my God given beauty and sending signals that I want to be left alone? I know that I am a relatively independent person, but am I really telling guys to leave me alone? I've been trying to come up with some answers. I haven't actually asked any males yet, but females comment that I am intimidating. Am I intimidating someone that God has set aside for me? Am I intimidating myself?

I don't have those answers right now.

City of Hamilton: an employer with a heart

I just wanted to let you know that due to the extreme heat warnings for the rest of the week the City of Hamilton has graciously informed its outdoor employees that they may work for four hours and then go home...unpaid.

Its like Christmas come early I tell ya! They just keep on giving. I am so thrilled about the option of coming home early and not getting paid for it. Or who says I have to go home, I could go to the mall and not get paid for it, or do cartwheels in the park, or perform surgery on homeless people....so many options and alllll provided for me by the City of Hamilton.

Thank you hammy town, you've just made my Christmas card list!

Monday, July 11, 2005

Ouch!

I'd like to draw your attention to my big, white thigh and ask you to notice the bruise. Now let me tell you that the workplace is a dangerous place. Ouch!

Saturday, July 09, 2005

Spiritual Gifts

Tonight in conversation Jo revealed one of her spiritual gifts. As a pentecostal these take on more meaning and passion to J'oh than they would to your average Calvinist.

So let us encourage Jo in her developing of her gift of sacking.

Monday, July 04, 2005

I love you Babel Fish

Read the previous post....(seriously, do it!)

Now read this (this is the dutch to english and back translation of that post):

Happy OJEC of the anniversary! (Best OJEC of July 5), I feared that I would forget something tomorrow, post so that today I it posts. I also next haiku want post: Johanna are here beer empty, anniversary also dancing have been possible flesh, mmm. and because I have no picture of you I drew in painting (blindly)... it has even your weapon support on! Love your roomie shortly to be, Lstew

Happy Birthday Jo! (July 5)

Dear Jo,

I feared that I would forget to post something tomorrow, so I am posting it today. I would also like to post the following haiku:

Johanna is here
Beer is vacant, dancing too
Birthday canned meat, mmm.

And because I don't have a picture of you I drew one in paint (shutter)... it even has your arm brace on it!




Love your soon to be roomie,

the Lstew

Sunday, July 03, 2005

Check it out...Check it out...Check it out...Check it out...Check it out...Check it out...

http://micahchallenge.org/home/intro.asp

B-E-A-utiful!

So guess what? Yesterday Tim and Marleah got married. It was pretty. I got a v-necked sun burn.

The ceremony took place on the meticulously groomed grounds of the Moelker home just outside of Chatham. The weather was sunny and beautiful. The bride's maids where wearing two piece burgundy dresses with halter style tops and floor length skirts. The groom's men where wearing black suits with silver vests and ties, with the groom wearing the same thing. The bride was wearing a beautiful white dress adorned with flower bead work and held up with elegant spaghetti cris cross straps. There was beautiful music provided by a local artist/friend of the family.

The reception was held at the Kent Belgian Dutch Canadian Club, which was decorated in a very festive manner. The guest feasted on chicken, beef, vegetables, two kinds of potatoes, rolls, salads and tasty desserts. There was a brief program containing the usual touching speeches, a powerpoint presentation and some music. Then the dance and cake cutting followed

A good time was had by all.