Ten Thousand Opportunities

If you're unfamiliar with Ten Thousand Villages, it's time for your education to begin, Grasshopper. This uber-awesome Fair Trade, non profit organization is holding their annual sale here in my town, and my kids and I are heading out there today to volunteer. We are clever enough to get in on the unpacking each year, so we already know that there are some fab, gnarly and wicked items to be purchased. Come on out and support artisans from all over the world while you do your Christmas shopping. Win-win.

Friday (today! today! today!): noon to 9 pm
Saturday (tomorrow): 10 am to 6 pm
Location: same as last year -- across from Tim Horton's, on the way out to Wal Mart.

Last one there is a rotten egg!

I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for

Look at this photograph
Every time I do, it makes me laugh

I met her in grade 4, I think. It didn't take long to discover a common distaste for Phys. Ed., a common liking of Slip N' Sliding, and a shared weakness for giant peanut butter cookies. We moved our desks together and giggled our way through class, passing notes and whispering together. We played foursquare; we played Barbies. We cut windows in appliance boxes and ran around her neighbourhood, wearing them, in the early mornings after sleepovers. We listened to Tiffany and Debbie Gibson cassette tapes, lip-syncing with hairbrushes.

And this is where I grew up
I think the present owner fixed it up
I never knew we'd ever went without

Time passed. Boys became much more interesting than the Slip N' Slide. We would have died, literally died, to be seen with appliance boxes over our heads. We shared makeup and earrings and cheap perfume, and confided our darkest secrets. Tiffany was like, so lame; now it was all about Roxette and Bon Jovi. We felt vaguely ashamed of the old Barbies that were shoved into boxes under our beds.

We used to listen to the radio
And sing along with every song we know

We traveled around Europe in the summer between grades 11 and 12. That sunny, muggy, wonderful summer was spent playing rummy late into the night, watching Italian television in our Venice hotel room, swimming in the Adriatic Sea with a guy from the Netherlands. We stumbled along in German. ("Willst du ein Stück Kaugummi?" "Ja, bitte.") We giggled at the Speedos and thong bikinis on European beaches. We sat together on trains and buses and subways, and we knew, without saying a word, that our friendship would last forever.

I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for
It's hard to say it, time to say it
Goodbye, goodbye

And then things began to change. I'm not sure why. We were different, I guess; we were changing and moving in opposite directions. There was an awkward pause now and then in our conversations. We weren't entirely comfortable anymore, sharing secrets and hopes and dreams. It became easier to confide in other friends. We both had new, other confidantes, and although I still thought about her, I rarely phoned. I just wasn't sure what to say.

If I could I relive those days
I know the one thing that would never change

Time went on. I married and moved away -- not far, but far enough. Sometimes I would see something, or hear a song that reminded me of my friend. And although I thought of her with fondness, it all felt like so long ago: almost as if we had been different people back then.

I miss that town
I miss their faces
You can't erase
You can't replace it

For a long time now, I've hardly thought about my friend. I avoid the memories. It makes me sad to think of our younger selves, secure in the knowledge that we would always be close. I don't like knowing that we were so mistaken. Why do people grow apart? What vital ingredient was missing?

I have the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor
It's hard to say it, time to say it
Goodbye, goodbye

I know, now, that people change; friends grow, and not always in the same direction. I know now that I was a poor friend: I was a person with high expectations and little empathy. I know, now, that it takes work to keep a friend. I know now that those friends can't be taken for granted... and I know the pain and regret associated with losing a friendship.

I wish things had turned out differently.

Look at these photographs
Every time I do it makes me laugh
Every time I do it makes me

(Song lyrics from "Photograph" by Nickelback.)

So....

Like my new template?

Made in the Shade

Hola, amigos!

I'm blogging from a hammock. I've got an icy pina colada resting in the shade next to me... I can hear the crash of the Caribbean waves and the chirp of colourful birds.... my shoulders and nose are just a little bit pink from the blaze of the Mexican sun.

My mother, whose home business partners with Shaklee, is such a hotshot, ultra Shaklee achiever that she earned herself and my father an all-inclusive, all-expenses paid trip to the Mayan Riviera. She also earned enough points to take along a guest... and guess who's the lucky girl?

Gwen's round-trip ticket to Cancun: $0
A room in a five-star, ultra luxury resort hotel: $0
A bathing suit that makes me look like I enjoy food less than I do: $38 (great sale!)
Chinese food in the YVR airport: $8.64
Floating in the blue-green Caribbean, feeling all stress and worry dissolve: priceless

Seriously, I have stayed in some posh resorts in my former glorious airline-employee days. But I have never, repeat never, stayed somewhere like this. It's jaw-droppingly luxurious. And it is costing me literally nothing. Nothing. It's so amazing.



I'd write about how friendly the Mexican people are... I'd tell you how incredible it was to visit the Mayan ruins of Tulum yesterday... I'd describe the totally lavish resort to you.... but I'm just so, so tired from basking here in the sun. It's after 1:30, you see, and the huge array of food is beckoning me from the dining lounge.

Pictures will be posted when I'm back in Canada. Adios!



note: although I wrote this while in Mexico, I had trouble connecting to the Internet and couldn't post this until I was home.

Eight Months

We have been waiting eight months for a referral...

Who's Your Mama Now?

When I turned the key in the ignition yesterday, this is what I heard:

My heart sank; the blood drained from my face. I turned hesitant eyes to the roof of the car, and lo and behold... the interior light had been left on. By me. All night long.

The situation was dire. My husband was out of town, and wouldn't return until the next day. In the meantime, I had groceries to buy, coffee order forms to photocopy, children to be taxied to and from karate and swimming lessons... ay, caramba.

Readers, I spent a moment or two in pure defeat. But as the waves of resignation began to wash over me, I suddenly thought...
"Listen, Twinkie," I told myself briskly. "Canada didn't get built by weak women who were afraid of their own vehicles. Get out there and fix it!"

In a flash of destination, determination and deliberation, I called a girlfriend to come over with her big truck. I went online and made some notes for myself on a cute little ladybug sticky:
... and sailed outside with great confidence. I popped open that hood with aplomb, and I nodded sagely as I inspected the battery. ("Yessir... this here battery needs a jump start, all right.") We hooked up those cables like we'd been doing it all our lives, and surely I can be forgiven for letting out a girlish squeal when the engine roared to life. Yes, it was truly a great and shining moment.

Is this not one of the creepiest pictures you've ever seen?

All Aboard!

Good morning, all you lovely people! All aboard the Java Train!

Today is the deadline for getting your coffee orders in. I'll be sending in the order after 4:30pm PST, so if you want some coffee or hot chocolate... get it while the getting's good.

Please see the original Joe Cool post for available roasts. Note that some of the roasts are available in ground coffee, while others are available in whole bean.

Email your orders to me at BletheringSpot@gmail.com, or (for those of you who know my number) give me a call. If you're emailing or leaving a comment, make sure that you tell me which kind of coffee / chocolate you want, the quantity, and how you'd like to pay for it.

Hey, did you know that November is Adoption Awareness Month? Let's raise our coffee cups in a toast to adoption. Bottoms up! Tra la la!

Like Drying Paint

I realized tonight, in a blinding and horrible flash, that this blog has become excruciatingly boring. I don't know what happened. One minute I was laughing my way through life, defenestrating those who crossed my Facebook profile, whipping up sassy recipes in the kitchen, happily bemoaning my rapidly expanding girth, and generally having a blast.

The next minute, I turned around and realized that
every little thing I do is boring,
every thing I do just turns me off
even though my life before was magic
now I know the fun in me is go---o---o---one.

It's horribly true. I spent an hour looking through past blog posts, reading random entries from 2006 right to the present. And you know what? I kind of suck now.

It's shocking and shameful. My muffin-top jeans have ceased to be something to laugh about: now, I'm too ashamed to mention it. My cooking has become nothing less than mind-numbingly insipid. I have not thrown so much as a basic chicken at anyone since 2007. And I have this vague, stifling feeling that I need to watch every word I post on my blog -- I weigh everything I write, then edit and delete until I have edited and deleted the life right out of it. Reading this blog is about as exciting as watching golf on TV.

So, yeah, basically things need to change before I bore myself right into the grave.

Yawn.

I'll Drink to That!

Thanks to all who have contacted me about ordering the most fab, awesome, fresh and ethical COFFEE! Horray!

My uncles Dave and Joe leaped on the Java Wagon and left the following comment on my last post:

"May those of us who are from away order some and have them donated to the food bank or to a local charity. We'd like to support but don't drink coffee and are from far far away. If so, put us down for three bags of coffee and two of the light hot chocolate. We'll let you know who to give them to ..."

Ooh! We briefly discussed details and logistics, and they decided upon our local Food Bank. And here's what they said next:

"So with one donation I get to help a small company in Ethiopia, a foodbank and two children waiting to be adopted. Hmmm, now there is value for the charitable buck. We hereby challenge others - a bag for the foodbank and a family will have a wonderful Christmas gift."

It's a wonderful, touching idea. Let's do it, folks... our Food Bank has been hurting lately, with fewer contributions than ever. Our family will be donating coffee along with Joe & Dave's... Whether you live near or far away, we challenge you to do the same!

Joe Cool

For all you coffee drinkers (those of you who live in my town, that is), have I got a deal for you!

We're launching our Coffee Fundraiser to help offset the costs associated with Imagine Adoption's restructuring. Most of you already know that our adoption agency went bankrupt in July 2009, and although we are thrilled to report that the agency is being restructured and will soon resume normal operations, it's going to take a bit more money from us.

Since legend has it that coffee beans were first consumed by a frisky herd of Ethiopian goats, it just seems logical to use coffee to help our Ethiopian adoption efforts.

Here's the scoop:

We're pleased to offer six varieties of freshly roasted organic, fair trade coffee, and two varieties of organic, fair trade hot chocolate mix. I'll be working with Equator Coffee, which is located in Almonte, Ontario. It's pretty cool -- the guys from this Canadian company actually package and ship the coffee within 48 hours of it being locally roasted. If you want fresh coffee... baby, this is the coffee for you.


Organic and Fair Trade Certified coffee, each available in 340g. bags:

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe (Bold): whole beans, $12.50 per bag. Distinctive floral bouquet, rich body, and pleasingly fragrant aroma.


Mufferaw Jo! (Bold): ground coffee, $12.00 per bag. Highest quality South American French roast. This will put hair on your chest.


Ethiopian Medium (Mellow): whole beans, $12.50 per bag. We are now offering Ethiopian Yirgacheffe as a Mellow Roast in addition to our popular Ethiopian Bold Roast. To distinguish between the two, we’ve named it Ethiopian Medium.

Guatemalan Huehuetenango (Smooth): whole beans, $12.00 per bag. Deliciously clean with a smoky smoothness.


Freakin' Good Coffee! (Smooth): ground coffee, $12.00 per bag. A blend that’s so freakin’ good you won’t believe it!


Eclipse Organic Decaf Peruvian Blend (Smooth Decaf): whole beans, $12.50 per bag. A superb decaf blend that reflects the full coffee experience.


Please note:
Bold is for those who prefer a deeper, stronger tasting coffee
Mellow is for those who prefer a more subtle, distinctive flavour.
Smooth is a medium/dark roast for those who can't make up their mind.


Organic and Fair Trade Certified Hot Chocolate: available in 336g. (12oz.) tins

Cocoa Camino Milk Hot Chocolate: $8.75 per tin. Maximum flavour impact while not compromising nutrition or our commitment to social justice and environmental stewardship. The Organic Hot Chocolate is a delicious, creamy treat that is fat free, kosher and made without any genetically modified soy.

Cocoa Camino Dark Hot Chocolate: $8.75 per tin. Cocoa Camino's Organic Dark Hot Chocolate is perfect for those who love a darker, richer cup of cocoa. Certified kosher.


Quick Facts:

• When will my order arrive? Your order will be available on or after November 20.
• Where can I pick it up? We can arrange delivery to your home, or you may pick it up from my house.
  
• How can I pay for it? Cash or cheque, to be received by me on or before November 4.
  
• When should I pay you? To avoid hassles later, I'll need pre-payment by the time I submit the order on November 4.
  
• What is the cutoff date for ordering? 4:00pm Wednesday, November 4.
• What if I miss the cutoff date? We will also be selling the coffee at a local Adoption Awareness Event here in our town on November 20. Ask me for details.
• How can I get in touch with you to order? I don't give out my full name or phone number online, but if you know my number, give me a call. You can also reach me at bletheringspot@gmail.com or just leave a comment with your contact information if you prefer.
• I don't live in your town. Can I still order? No, sadly I am not able to ship the coffee to you. Sorry!
• Are you going to be doing this fundraiser regularly? I don't know! I'm not ruling it out... I'll see how it goes.

Now, won't this be fun? These coffees would make a great gift for any joe-drinkers on your Christmas list.

Go on, make an order. You know you want to.